Green Dragon's Floaty Thing

Green Dragon · February 20, 2009, 01:46:17 PM

Well I was planning to do a Do18 with it's tail replaced by a Stranraer tail to look a bit like one of the pirate planes from Porco Rosso but on opening the Stranraer box I was given I noticed there are hardly any parts left! All the interior parts, the right lower wing and the tail surfaces are all missing plus God knows what else because the instructions are gone too.
I've decided to go ahead with the Do18 (prob just a different paint scheme) and attempt making something out of the Stranraer bits and spares box stuff. Anybody know if you can cast parts using plasticene as a mould and car repair resin because I doubt very much if I can find another Stranraer to hack up?

Paul Harrison

PR19_Kit · February 20, 2009, 04:11:47 PM

Paul,

Quote from: Green Dragon on February 20, 2009, 01:46:17 PM
Anybody know if you can cast parts using plasticene as a mould and car repair resin because I doubt very much if I can find another Stranraer to hack up?

Many years ago I tried that, didn't work worth a light as the plasticene was a) Not stiff enough to maintain its shape while the filler was setting and b) it stuck to the casting like s****t to a blanket. But it's possible that modern day plasticene is a different spec. because of the dreaded Health and Safety rules etc.

I've successfully used some silicone moulding compound that I bought recently in a local art shop to make car body filler mouldings though. It's made by a French firm called 'Gedeo' and the product is called 'Siligum'.

It's not cheap, but it makes superb moulds, retaining fine panel lines etc. Mind you, you won't find any of THEM on the Stranraer.......

Green Dragon · February 20, 2009, 04:38:20 PM

Thanks for the info Kit. Looks like I'll have to go buy some stuff to do it properly then!
Just started the Do18, might do it as an Antarctic Patrol plane of the Fourth Reich while the US was trying to stop them using their Haunebu Flying Saucers to escape to the moon in 1946 during Operation High Jump!

Paul Harrison

pyro-manic · February 20, 2009, 05:53:55 PM

I look forward to seeing your build, Green Dragon - mine is also a Porco Rosso inspired pirate boat! I'm particularly going to do something similar to the heavy gun on the front of the pirate boat in the opening action scene. A modified Browning .50 I think, with a stripper clip of high explosive ammo...

Daryl J. · February 20, 2009, 06:41:12 PM

You guys are making me sad I've packed away my Fine Molds Porco Rosso kits..........

. However, in all sincerity, this sounds very cool!

Daryl J., big Porco Fan

Green Dragon · March 05, 2009, 01:45:59 PM

I checked the Porco Rosso pirate plane design out but the Do18 is the wrong shape. The movie plane has the basic layout of the 18 but the fuselage and wings are very different (also has Rolls Royce Eagle engines which I don't have) so I am going to do the Dornier with a whif paint scheme just so something gets finished but then I'm thinking of using it and the Stranraer to bash something that looks a bit like the pirates plane but with extra guns or whatever. Don't think the bash will be ready by the finish date.

Paul Harrison

bluedonkey99 · March 06, 2009, 11:06:36 AM

Peter at Petersplanes is working up a range of proco rosso planes

http://www.petersplanes.com/models.htm

you sound like your after teh "Dabohaze"

http://www.tohokingdom.com/aliens_sdf/anime/images/dabohaze.htm

well, its on its way..... in 1/144

http://www.petersplanes.com/workshop.htm

bd99

Green Dragon · March 07, 2009, 02:28:15 PM

Yep, the Dabohaze is the one I'll be trying to do, or rather something similar. The Stranraer forward fuselage is more slab sided but it does have the flared out section of the lower hull, the Do18 side is completely flat. The forward Lewis gun position will have to be chopped off and a rounded nose added and I sourced some clear hard styrene to build the new cockpit. The Peter's planes stuff looks pretty good.
Thanks for posting the Toho site, lots of great info on there.

BTW Your Kampfgruppe144 site is great Blue Donkey, I check it out everyday!

Paul Harrison

pbhawkin · March 08, 2009, 11:38:56 PM

Paul,

Hi.
I have the master of the Dabohaze done (just needs some detailing of wimdows and I am deciding if I should put on some oversize rivet heads holding the panels on or if that is too much?).
I had it carved from the various drawing from Porco Rosso and Seaplanes books.
I expect I may make a start on the mold in the next month or so.
I also have the Curtis R3C-0 and Savoia S.21 done (although no decals for them).

Peter h (aka petersplanes)

Green Dragon · March 12, 2009, 04:12:47 PM

I haven't done much in 1/144th apart from the odd airliner so I'm not sure about the rivet detail Peter, your kits look great BTW! I have seen some conflicting pics of the Dabohaze wings showing shortened Dornier style flaps that are hanging seperate on long hinges from the main structure and others that show a large area ailerons. I'll have to watch the movie again!

If anyone is building the Do18 there are some mistakes in the instructions. I thought I was doing well, had the sponsons on, the wing and engine nacelle were on perfectly straight. Then I tried to fit the underwing struts and found out I need an extra 6mm for them to fit!
So now I'm cutting through the sponsons so I can fit some shims to change their angle. I think if I do another I'll get the wings on then fit the sponsons at a later stage, instead of the way the instructions say, to get a better angle.
Another problem is the instructions tell you to put the propellers in after glueing the nacelle together so I now can't get the damn props in!
Thing that bugs me is they give options for the G-1 and D-2 but don't say which specific version the parts go on. It's OK if your an old fart like me and have a lot of references but a kid might be put off. I think the Matchbox kit had a Lufthansa version too judging by the left over parts.

Here's a box pic.

Cockpit.

Before I had to saw it up.

Paul Harrison

Green Dragon · March 30, 2009, 08:08:06 AM

Don't know if this will ever get finished because..... I dropped it!

Twice!

It's now in lots of little bits. I'll leave it for a couple of days and see what I can do with it after I go off the boil!

Paul Harrison

pyro-manic · March 30, 2009, 10:37:11 AM

You've still got a month left.

I want to see this finished!

Green Dragon · April 09, 2009, 06:52:42 AM

The Do18 is now scrapped so no Antarctica patrol plane from 1946 but I've started hacking the Stranraer's nose off to "Pirate-ise" it. Hopefully be able to finish it before the deadline.

Paul Harrison

Green Dragon · April 16, 2009, 02:14:44 PM

Here's a quick tape up pic, I'm quite a bit further along than this pic and i've had to chop off some more of the nose to get a reasonable curve for the front end. The cockpit is the Do18's cut down a hell of a lot. Hope to have three Lewis gun postions plus a crazed leader sticking outof the cockpit roof with either an AA cannon or a Bren Gun if I can't find the cannon.

Paul Harrison

Green Dragon · April 29, 2009, 01:54:36 PM

Cobbled together a tail plane and rudders from Matchbox Do18 and Airfix Firefly tail planes and started cutting clear Styrene for the cockpit glass. Damn stuff keeps splintering so I might scrap the thick windows and use some clear acetate with plasticard frames.
Can't find my 37mm gun but a possible big gun for the Chief Pirate might be made from a broken resin .50 calibre machine gun with a 30mm cannon barrel from an Airfix Scorpion tank and a cut down strip of ammo from a 1/32nd Matchbox Spitfire. Probably be too big though!

Also painted the first colour of the camo on the wings (Kommando Kahki from Games workshop). Hopefully a couple of pics tomorrow.

Paul Harrison