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

[NARSES2]

Yup I remember that one Dave  Agree wholeheartedly with your comments on the Airfix Hurri II. Goes together well and as far as I'm concerned looks like what it says on the label  Great kit for youngsters.

One of the current crop is inspired by an idea you gave me by the way 

[kitbasher]

One of the current crop is inspired by an idea you gave me by the way 

Had to check out the PMs to remind myself what that was.  And yes!  Looking forward to that one, your secret is safe with me Chris.

[NARSES2]

OK the 3 Hurricanes and the Me 109 all have the first colour on their topsides. 4 different colours  Hopefully get the 2nd camo colour on tomorrow.

While looking at the front cover of the March SAM I was struck by a possible wif. If I decide to go ahead with this, and it's a big IF, then it will be the most elaborate and chopped about project I've undertaken since my early teens, which was a long, long time ago  Back then I would quite happily chop, cut and replace bits with balsa etc, often inspired by Allan Hall in SAM so I suppose there's some continuity in that the idea has sprung from a SAM cover  Nowadays I'm very much a "repaint" man.

Chris

[NARSES2]

Topsides are finished on the Hurricanes and 109. Will start my favourite bit of the process (transfers) tomorrow. Models always seem to come to life for me at this stage. Even ones I think I've screwed can be saved at this point   Strangely I put my transfers on the models whilst standing up by the kitchen worktop rather then at my modelling bench. Weird ? or just a ready supply of warm water ? BTW two of these models will require a fairly lengthy transfer process one will need two completely different sets of national markings to start with  

Eyeing up my next builds. Fancy a pair of Gruman Skyrockets. One USN Yellow Wings the other FAA in the early Martlet scheme.

Have a good weekend one and all

Chris

[Radish]

Chris, I often put my decals on in the kitchen too.

[NARSES2]

Chris, I often put my decals on in the kitchen too.

What really worries me is what else you put on in the kitchen  

[NARSES2]

Well making progress with what is quite a long process of getting the transfers on, especially as some of them are rather bare in the markings dept, although one has a double set of national markings  This has been an interesting process as I work through the transfers. Most are from the spares box and are from a variety of different manufacturers - MPM, Airfix, Sky, Ventura et al. It's been interesting to compare them. Some take ages to come off the backing sheet and then slide around for ever on the model, others come off the backing sheet straight away and grab immediately, which then takes a copious amount of water to move them into position. Others again are extremely robust, others very fragile - it's been fun that's for sure and I'm about 1/2 way through. Although the 109 will take rather a long time to get the transfers on, all will be revealed latter.

During this I've managed to get all the models on their undercarriage, or rather they are on their backs whilst it's drying. The Airfix Monday Hurricane struck again, requiring quite a bit of gentle sanding to get the legs in place. The others went in fine. The 109's legs almost homed into position the moulding is that good 

[NARSES2]

Right a little progress over the weekend - it was birthday and rugby, so beer was involved  - the Hurricanes are now simply awaiting matting and their canopies, which need the frames painting. This is when you regret doing 3 Hurricanes at a time  . The 109 is still in the transfer shed and will remain in there a fair while I think, slow progress.

Not 100% sure what I'll be starting next. The 2 Grumman Skyrockets are goers and may well be accompanied by a Black Hawk (not the helicopter) as an RAF nightfighter in the early 50's and a Moonbat serving with I'm not sure yet

[NARSES2]

Hurricanes are matted and canopies attached. Forgot some little things like nav lights and spent ammo chutes. No problem as these are always amongst the last things I do. The last is fit the prop and spinner - when I build a jet I feel odd without this ritual  These finals always seem to take longer then expected.

Anyway started on the Skyrockets. For old kits they are quite nice. One is in a tray type box the other in an end opener. I think the tray one is an earlier moulding as there isn't quite as much flash. In all honesty there is very little on the older one either. Sprue gates are thick but plastic is hard so it all cleans up quickly and easily with blade, file and emery  Got the cockpits assembled and the instrument panel built up. Fit on testing looks to be good.

[NARSES2]

Started on the Hurricane canopy framing. I'm trying 3 different methods of doing this in the hope (probably forlorn) that I can find one that doesn't drive me to distraction.

As for the Skyrockets I've made up a series of sub assemblies. I tend to do this with these earlier limited run kits as due to the nature of the moulding technique there are usually 3/4 pieces whereas in a mainstream kit there would be one. (Hasegawa can sometimes disprove this theory  ).I'll now leave them for a day or so to "cure". I find doing this and the subsequent psr means that when I bring all the sub assemblies together it goes much quicker and I don't get bogged down by loads of fettling and swearing at that stage. Just my way of making the build pass more enjoyably and it works for me.

The Black Hawk is out of the box and I'll start cleanup tomorrow. Need to find those Matchbox Meteor markings, failing that I have a Xtradecal Hunter sheet in the box.

[pyro-manic]

Looking forward to seeing the Hurris and 'Schmitt.

What are the Skyrocket kits? I don't think I've ever seen a model of one (I'm sure they're around, just not common).

[NARSES2]

What are the Skyrocket kits? I don't think I've ever seen a model of one (I'm sure they're around, just not common).

They are the old MPM kits. Still readily available about the place. Picked up my second one a year or so ago at a show.

Nice kits for their age and genre. I like them as you have to think a little during construction and that dosn't do any harm.  The undercarriage legs for instance are a butt joint to the bay roof. Now that is never going to last so you have to fiddle with it a bit. First one I completely over engineered but that was probably good for my soul. Second one I just used some tubing of the correct internal diametre to add some support to the leg.

Now I wouldn't want to do this every time I build and I really like good, well thought out, good fitting kits but these are good kits and just need that little extra care and attention.

[NARSES2]

While working on the Hurricanes which are getting there (bloody canopy frames  , although the new method has worked quite well and will repay refining  ) I came up with a couple of possible Hurricane Wifs that I will probably get round to building this year hopefully.

First is a Hurricane floatplane. Airfix Mk II, cannons removed, PM Spitfire floats and in prototype markings. Reckon it would only have flown once or twice before they realised it was a no-no ?

Second needs the upcoming Airfix Mk I. What if Hawker had gone down the same marketing route as Curtis with the H-75 Hawks and built a basic model Hurricane ? Fixed undercarriage and in the markings of some Latin American country or possibly Siam (Thailand) or maybe ordered by Mexico and shipped clandestinely to Spain to appear in Republican markings ?

[The Wooksta!]

There was a Hurricane floatplane planned but with a more conventional float arrangement more like the Hawker floa fighters of the 30s.

And I wouldn't use the PM floats.  They're more like clown shoes than floats...

For the fixed gear - just use the current Airfix mk 1.  May as well use them up.

[PR19_Kit]

According to this site :-

http://www.k5083.mistral.co.uk/PROJECTS.HTM

The Hurricane floatplane used modified Blackburn Roc floats, and my recollection of a photo of the aircraft being built shows they were much meatier floats than the slimmer Spitfire ones. A pretty poor drawing but you can the idea.



That web site has some interesting projects listed too, I particularly like the look of the Dagger Hurricane.