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

[NARSES2]

Getting there 

The Wyvren has had her wings hung. They are a little wobbly so I don't think she will be going to any shows as I have to go via public transport. It's a shame really as I can see a few people going "what's so wiffy about that" . My reply "look at the national markings"  Just needs to have the monster of a prop assembly fitted and then she can be photographed. As said before she's been a bit of a curates egg, although some of that is probably down to the rather long hiatus during the middle of the build. May do another without the gap and see if it's any different ?

The Tornado and Mosquito have had their undersides painted and I think the Miles is finally ready for paint. I'll see tomorrow morning.

The guns need finishing by the middle of September s I must get my finger out and devote a few solid hours next week to them.

At the point in the cycle where I can make a start on the next 3 kits now, Beaufighter, Wellesley and Spitfire VIII. All wiff's and the Spit is inspired by a recent post by Spinners 

[PR19_Kit]

Wellesley? Oooooh goody! 

[kitbasher]

Wellesley? Oooooh goody! 

I've one in the pipeline too  , but won't be started until after SMW  .

[NARSES2]

Fair bit of painting done today and I got that great old stonk of a prop on the Wyvren to finish her 

Details can be found here http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,37531.msg608494.html#new , but here's one pic

[NARSES2]

Progress 

The Mosquito and Tornado are painted and have their transfers on. Now just for the fiddly bits which always take 3 times as long as I think they will 

The Miles is painted and varnished so she can have her transfers tomorrow. She's in FAA colours and I always have trouble with Slate Grey. Can't work out whether it's the Xtracrylic or just Slate Grey in particular. The paint almost seems to separate into slate grey and then a darker colour in some places. Takes a few touch ups to cure it and then it doesn't always work 

I'll be starting the innards of the next 3 in a day or two.

[NARSES2]

DISASTER 

Matt varnish applied to the undersides using Humbrol spray can all ok. Can ran out, new can, 3 mins vigorous shaking and sprayed the uppers. Saw a white film start to form !!! Quickly managed to wash the Miles and the Tornado down before varnish hardened. Got to the Mossie to late 

The Tornado is ok, the Miles looks as though she's had a hard life in the elements which considering she's from a CAM ship is ok. The Mosquito needed some serious repaint and in all probability I'll repaint her completely at a latter date 

Second time this has happened to me. First time I assumed it was me until talking to a modeller at the Tyneside show who'd had the same problem. Anyway the next can I used this morning was fine.

I've contacted Humbrol so we will see what happens.

Hopefully finish these over the weekend, but it kind of dis-heartens you when this happens 

No idea how old the can was but the cap was sealed with sellotape if that helps (none of my others are) and the batch number on the bottom of the can was 44055. None of my other cans are anywhere near this batch.

[PR19_Kit]

Try giving the whole thing a coat of Klear Chris. The only time that ever happened with me the Klear did just what it said on the bottle. The model ends up a bit larger than you intend though..... 

[McGreig]

Try giving the whole thing a coat of Klear Chris. The only time that ever happened with me the Klear did just what it said on the bottle. The model ends up a bit larger than you intend though..... 

I'd second that. I had white film form over the wingroot/cockpit area of an all black Il-2. I resprayed the affected areas with Klear which got rid of the white and then resprayed with matt varnish.

[NARSES2]

Thank you gents I will try that.

Canopy framing is done on all 3 kits. Just a few little things to do tomorrow and then they are finished. Then I won't to clear the work bench up before the next 3 get properly started.

On a completely different note I got my Airfix Club magazine this morning and they have a report of the Airfix Exhibition at Hendon. One of the pics is of the original artwork for the old OO scale Prestwin Silo Wagon, which I don't actually remember. Now it's just a goods wagon posed against an industrial background but it still looks atmospheric  Just shows how good that old box art was  Some of the new stuff ain't bad either 

[NARSES2]

Right the Mosquito was saved - thanks gents, although I made a slight error with canopy  

The Miles and the Tornado are finished and the builds can be found here http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,37568.msg609171.html#msg609171 and here http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,37567.msg609170.html#new

Sample pics plus the Mossie

[NARSES2]

Spent a few hours Sunday sorting out some bases for the two artillery pieces. I'm doing them as if they were being displayed at the post war Victory Exhibition which toured the country full of exhibits both British and captured/sequestered German. They'll look better for my mates 70th this way as well.

Working on the Wellesey today. With apologies to Kit I think it's the first one I've ever built  Going well and indeed I'm rather impressed with it's fit and some of the smaller parts. The plastic however in the Revell re-boxing under the Matchbox label is an absolute so and so when it comes to covering with interior green. Reckon it will take a good few coats to cover it 

Talking of Revell re-boxings. I know they say they use those awful end opening flimsy boxes because of recycling requirements etc BUT if they really do want to save the planet why don't they just cut back on the 4/5 pages of guff at the beginning of their instruction sheets ? 

[NARSES2]

Wellesley is ready to have her major parts assembled 

Started on the Spitfire VIII. Now this is a boxing which tells a few stories 

Hasegawa 1/72 Spitfire VIII. Bought it from Beatties (would have been the Holborn one) for the princely sum of £7.49 full price. What do they go for now ?  It's the boxing with the lovely pre-painted canopy and the sprues are held together with little plastic clothes pegs. Ahhhh the good old days 

[NARSES2]

Both the Wellesley have had their interiors done and can be assembled latter today before the footie starts on ITV4 

Added a few black boxes to the sidewalls of both (surprisingly the Hasegawa Spit has none). All I do now is cut some various sized rectangles of masking tape, paint black, affix to sidewall and add a few white/yellow/red dots with a toothpick, then varnish to fix. May not be accurate and you may not see all of it but it's a quick way to add some interest.

[NARSES2]

Wellesley has her fuselage assembled. Will need psr on the undersurfaces but I think the top seam will just need a gentle sanding. Trial fit of wings are excellent  I've sorted out the markings for her. It got a little complicated as she'll be in service with the FAA at the period between the Ministry recommendation to give control to the Admiralty and it actually coming into effect. The gap was a suprising 2 years

The Spitfire is together and it suffers from the same "problem" that I think every Spitfire I've built has done. A gap/poor fit at the join between the under fuselage and the gull wing section of the wing. Surprisingly for Hasegawa it's a fair old gap, but it is just a gap the rest of the fit to the fuselage sides is good so easily fixed with plastic card. I've also worked out the colour scheme she will get and thus the coding she will need. Managed to find a couple of bits of old transfer sheet that should suffice

[The Wooksta!]

The fit of that particular kit has been a bugbear of mine for a while, plus the fact that the fuselage length/shape is all to cock and the cockpit is as bare as the Airfix mk 9 kit - strangely, the Airfix kit comes in for a surprising amount of flak over that yet nowt is said about the Hasegawa kit.

Best way to overcome it is to build the fuselage as normal, fit the lower wing and only then attach the upper wings - if assembled as sections, the fit of the uppers throws everything else out resulting in gaps.