Narses2's Blog - or what I'm slowly making progress on

[NARSES2]

Yup stirring and thinning is possibly the answer.

Anyway whilst sitting in Morefield's Eye Clinic waiting room yesterday afternoon waiting for various tests and consultations (no injection this time  ) I got thinking about the Defiant as one does.

So I have a couple left in the stash, both Airfix and MPM, and got thinking on variations on my Naval Defiant theme. Now supposing the Navy had decided to use the Defiant as a dive bomber ? Maybe just a pair of 0.303's in the turret to reduce weight or allow for the carriage of more ammunition ? relatively simple conversion. I then got thinking about said dive bomber's development path and came up with an idea for the Mk III as used in the Far East/Pacific at the War's end. So a Griffon replacing the Merlin, radiator moved from under the fuselage to a wing installation (the Mk I might need this anyway) and a low profile Martin style turret or perhaps even a remote one as per the Spearfish ?

So food for post Telford thought.

[NARSES2]

Progress :

The two medium term projects have had this phase of p.s.r. and have now had a little more putty. I was surprised how little they actually needed, but there's always a spot I miss 

The Zero continues in the paint shop. Light overall enamel colour on Tamiya grey plastic = lots of coats and drying time in between. Still patience is a virtue or so I told.

The Defiant looks like an airplane now and can start to have the little p.s.r. she needs tomorrow.

Talking of the Defiant. My Carpet Monster is taking the P I think. Flipping propeller & spinner has disappeared  No idea where it's got to and I hope it gives the flaming thing indigestion. Luckily had a suitable replacement in the spares box. Looks like it's from a early Spitfire, Mk I/II/V ?. So at least it's the right period and engine.

[Captain Canada]

Stir sticks are a good idea !

As per carpet monsters, I think sometime the wee bits get caught on our clothes, and then either carried or flushed away, or go through the wash never to be seen again.

[Dork the kit slayer]

Flipping Humbrol Matt varnish 

Used it on the interior of the Naval Defiant (why I've no idea, but thought I'd give it another go) and the stuff has left a white, smeary surface and collected in the engraved and raised detail as white deposits 

Had to repaint areas. 

Now I shook the bottle for a count of 200, so it was well mixed. My only thought is that it requires thinning, a lot of. So I'm going to knock up some test pieces from some old kit parts in the spares box, thin it and give it a try after that. I'll also be having a chat with the Humbrol people at Telford.

For now it's back to the Windsor and Newton Galleria.

Chris my old mate counting to 200 wont work.......when you change fingers over,the varnish re settles.

[NARSES2]

Yea, yea and Scouse Land was always considered to be a hot bed of comedy 

Some progress. The Zero can now have some Future/Klear and then her transfers. I reckon at least half the parts of this build have clicked into place and haven't really needed glue. The fit is that good.

The Sea Defiant can now enter the paint shop. All round it's been a very good fit with very little filler and some of that is me rather than the kit. One slight "problem" is that unlike the Airfix kit I don't think you can fit the turret at the end of the build. The upper decking locks it in place. There might be a way but I couldn't see it. Just means you have to watch those barrels and thank the toolmaker that the upper decking is a perfect fit 

[Captain Canada]

Looking forward to that defiant.

[Dork the kit slayer]

Yea, yea and Scouse Land was always considered to be a hot bed of comedy 




Ouch  pass the aloe vera  and lead me to the burns unit. !!
Looking forward to the Zero.

[NARSES2]

Learned a salutary lesson last night. Don't model when tired.

I wanted to get some paint on the defiant and as it was the underside, and as I was tired and feeling lazy I thought "I won't mask the transparencies, my hand will protect them as I hold it upside down"

It didn't and I had some over spray on the canopy and turret when I looked this morning.  Tried to clean the canopy, but modern gel toothpaste obviously doesn't have the abrasives the old fashioned type had and that didn't work. Then had a lightbulb moment. The Airfix kit has 3 complete canopies in it and I've built 3. So off to the spares cabinet, retrieve one canopy and voila it fits - just 

The turret ? It was the worst affected. I've attacked it with a scalpel tip and super fine abrasive and with one minor modification from real life I can live. Many wouldn't, but I can.

So lesson learned.

Some more progress on all 4 current builds today and the Zero should get finished this week, the Defiant hopefully the following and if she's passable she will go to Telford with the Polish one.

[tc2324]

Will be looking forward to seeing how your Sea Defiant goes Chris. 

I purchased a 1/48 scale version a week or so ago and will be starting it to be completed in an early war USN scheme.

[NARSES2]

The Sea Defiant is an interesting one. She will end up way less then perfect but I'm still quite proud of her, so despite problems and barring catastrophes she will go to Telford.

Why am I proud of her ? Well nearly all my what if's are either simple repaints of a standard kit or resin kits of prototypes/projects, with the odd simple conversion thrown in. The Defiant is the first kit I've taken a saw (actually a P cutter) to in many , many a year. Thus I've screwed a few things and fate has conspired a bit (I still can't find the prop assembly) but I feel as though I've learned some lessons and maybe I'll give another couple of projects I've had in mind for years a go ? Who knows ?

One thing I still need to learn/acquire however is patience ! Why do I find my self trying to get to the final conclusion to quickly and thus screwing things ? 

Anyway changing the subject. Got my latest IPMS Mag today and there's a great collection of civil types in it, shows what can be done with some old kits. Marvellous collection. Plus some great photo's from Beograd aircraft museum. Some types I never even knew existed, including a great looking prone pilot job and also a huge collection of aircraft in a very distressed state. In the case of the F.117 this is because it was shot down ! The rest it's just a lack of money, shame.

[Old Wombat]

Why do I find my self trying to get to the final conclusion to quickly and thus screwing things ? 

Oh, you ain't the only one, brother!

[DogfighterZen]

Why do I find my self trying to get to the final conclusion to quickly and thus screwing things ? 

Oh, you ain't the only one, brother!

Same here... 

[NARSES2]

The 42 and 54 have been primed again and have wandered back into the p.s.r. shop.

I've worked out where I want the Defiant's camouflage demarcation to go and now need to work out which is the lighter of Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey, so I can paint the lighter first. These two always throw me.

The Zero has had her transfers and they behaved immaculately. There aren't many stencils but the ones there are, are prominent and if you could read Japanese perfectly legible. Tamiya have even shown exploded images of them on the diagrams so us non Japanese speakers no which way up they go  Really getting there with this one now.

Pulled my next project out of the stash and checked I had the transfers I need for it. I do, but they are the last ones for this air force so I'll need to talk to Paul at Telford. He always amazes me by knowing almost exactly where in his huge display of transfers the particular ones you want are ! Even if it's a very vague request.

[The Wooksta!]

Chris, I'd go with the EDSG first, and then the DSG.  The former is darker, but you should get away with it.

[NARSES2]

Chris, I'd go with the EDSG first, and then the DSG.  The former is darker, but you should get away with it.

Cheers mate 

Got some work done on all the current projects and the Zero is quite close now, but not sure if it will get finished on Sunday as I'm at the Farnborough show tomorrow and I'm trying not to rush her, she doesn't deserve that.

Had a slightly amusing one whilst working on the Zero. I had a bluebottle (a big one) in the kitchen while making a cuppa so out came the fly killer and it got a very, very good squirt. 15 mins latter and I'm sitting at my modeling desk when said bluebottle dive bombs me and falls onto the desk, almost into a open tin of White Ensign paint - kamikaze bluebottle ? Wonder what the Allied code name for that was ? 

Today it was a wasp, which only took 2 mins after the squirt to plummet to its doom in the sink. So bluebottles tougher then wasps ? By the way for nature lovers out there said insects are the only ones that get the "squirt". Bees and spiders in particular are ushered out.