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

[zenrat]

That's gorgeous Chris.
Gives me a benchmark for when I build mine.  I might have to come up with a way to include it in the blue lights GB - Rapid Vaccine Delivery Service maybe...

[NARSES2]

Thanks mate, appreciated.

As said it's a very nice build, especially when you consider its age. Made me realise just how far advanced the likes of Hasegawa, Tamiya, Fujimi etc were when compared to most Western companies of the same period. And we won't even start to think about comparing them to the Eastern European producers of the time 

[kitbasher]

Ooh yes, very smart, Chris.

[NARSES2]

Cheers mate

[kitbasher]

Cheers mate

You're welcome!

I remember Revell releasing their 1/32 Raiden and wondering 'what's that?' (being one of those who thought all Japanese fighters were Zeros).  TBH Raidens tend to look tubby but you've brought out an elegance I'd not previously seen.

[NARSES2]

I remember Revell releasing their 1/32 Raiden and wondering 'what's that?' (being one of those who thought all Japanese fighters were Zeros).  TBH Raidens tend to look tubby but you've brought out an elegance I'd not previously seen.

I do know what you mean, but to me they've always had a certain "brutish purposefulness" about them, where a lot of Japanese single engine'd fighters look rather delicate, especially those from the earlier years.

[jcf]

The Raiden is just a Zero that ate too much mochi. 

[NARSES2]

The Raiden is just a Zero that ate too much mochi. 

[NARSES2]

Little bit of work on the next project and continuing work on the Fokker in-between real life bits and bobs.

Continuing to get the myriad transparencies on the Fokker masked up and started work on the interior of the Clear Prop 1/72 La-5. Very impressed with the La-5, level of detail is excellent, you can even make out the maker's name on the tyres. Fit so far on the interior is good, so hopefully that will be true for the rest of the airframe.

I was originally going to build the La-5 in Finnish colours as part of the Captured GB, but if I'm honest could never get myself comfortable with the backstory I was planning to use, so perhaps it's fortuitous that I ran out of time ?

It will still be Finnish, but post war and as supplied by the Soviets, rather than as captured from them.

[NARSES2]

Fed the Carpet Monster 

[kitbasher]

Fed the Carpet Monster 

with what?

[Old Wombat]

1 x fuselage, 3 x wings, 4 x landing gear, 5 x prop's & 2 x canopies



Just kidding!

[NARSES2]

Fed the Carpet Monster 

with what?

Various small/tiny cockpit parts from the La-5 

Mind you I doubt very much if some of them would have been seen anyway. The kit has an extremely detailed and intricate cockpit interior. When I got this kit I obviously clicked on the "advanced" rather than "starter" kit option. Clear Prop offer most of their kits in both versions. The starter kits are excellent and the advanced consist of the starter plus masks and an awful lot of etch. The instructions are tailored to the kit however so they are not your normal style of "this part or the optional etch" etc. Means if you lose the etch you have to work out which bit of plastic it replaced which is not always obvious, especially when it comes to some of the internal parts. Does mean your spares box has a good day though 

[NARSES2]

Interior painting commenced on the La-5, plus I've sorted out the transfers I need for it.

Started assembling the various sub-assemblies (and there's a lot you can do) on the new tool Airfix Spitfire Vc. They use a slightly novel method for assembling the cockpit, which nonetheless seems to work very well. There's a little more flash on the parts than I would have expected for a new tool kit, nothing untoward and easily cleaned up, but I wouldn't really have expected to see any. That's one of the reasons I got the second kit really, to see if I'd been unlucky, and I had. Second kit is much better in that department. Both kits seem to use that old style slightly "shiny" plastic ? Especially on the sprues containing the smaller parts. Quite nostalgic in a way.

[The Wooksta!]

I think it's UK manufactured. Supposedly the AEW Shackleton is one such just and that has the harder plastic.