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

[NARSES2]

Sufficient progress has been made that I now need to think about my next subject/subjects. Probably something mainstream and relatively simple I think.

Suddenly had a thought. "why not try and make some progress with a couple of stalled projects ?". Sounds a little revolutionary, but that's what I'm going to do 

[PR19_Kit]

Suddenly had a thought. "why not try and make some progress with a couple of stalled projects ?". Sounds a little revolutionary, but that's what I'm going to do 

That way lies madness Chris............ 

[Rick Lowe]

Suddenly had a thought. "why not try and make some progress with a couple of stalled projects ?". Sounds a little revolutionary, but that's what I'm going to do 

That way lies madness Chris............ 

Well, haven't we all observed at one time or another that "We don't have to be mad to congregate here, but it's a distinct help at times"? 

[zenrat]

Sanity is over-rated.

[Radish]

Stay sane inside insanity.....

[NARSES2]

Continued progress including on a couple of stalled projects 

The XP-42 has had yet more priming, p.s.r. and priming and I think I've almost got the nose blended in.

The XP-54 on the other hand suffered a small problem. Whilst sanding one of the boom joints, it snapped off  Not clean at the join either but rather ragged  Probably so thin after the p.s.r. it's needed. Anyway it's been rejoined and puttied up. Maybe the Lockheed engineers decided the aircraft needed a couple of external strengthening plates at this point in the aircraft's structure ? 

[PR19_Kit]

Maybe the Lockheed engineers decided the aircraft needed a couple of external strengthening plates at this point in the aircraft's structure ? 

Lockheed? The Swoose Goose was a Vultee design, surely? 

[NARSES2]

Maybe the Lockheed engineers decided the aircraft needed a couple of external strengthening plates at this point in the aircraft's structure ? 

Lockheed? The Swoose Goose was a Vultee design, surely? 

Oops, mea culpa  My excuse is that I was looking at some P.38 transfers to use on it.

Anyway work continues.

The 42 continues on the p.s.r. - primer - p.s.r. path it has chosen for it'self . There is one small bit where I just can't get the transition sorted out even to my standards. This model is going to have the most rounds of p.s.r. of any model I've built I think.

The Vultee has had the tailplane fitted and hopefully this will help when I come to re-sand the tail boom joint.

I've also made some progress with the 109 and MB 5 but I've made some screw ups with both if I'm honest. I think my head was in the wrong place for various reasons for a fair while recently but that's no real excuse. The schoolboy errors are mainly down to impatience, aerosol use in particular and heavy handedness, aerosol use again and my terrible attempt at re-scribing.

Still we shall press on.

Once I have these finished I'm going to have a real good clean up of the bench and surrounding area. Fresh star so to speak. Also want to have a thorough tidy up of the model area with a complete inventory check. I know this is a crime to some  but it needs doing and as I may well be moving latter in the year or early next it would have to be done anyway.

[NARSES2]

Progress 

The XP-42 has had the transition area sorted out, I think, and now just needs a coat of Mr Surfacer over the area to act as a final primer coat and fill in some tiny pin holes in the Green Stuff.

The XP-54's had her booms sanded and now needs some primer to check it out.

The 109 has finished her encounters with the aerosols so can now get her main camouflage, whilst the MB 5 can be masked up for the second camouflage colour.

[NARSES2]

Little bit of progress on all the current builds.

I've been musing giving the XP-54 a contra-prop as the original design had one, but the one I tried with it didn't look right somehow. However I do have a spare Spitfire contra-prop in the SH F.24 boxing so I may make that up and see how that looks.

I'm building this as a low/medium altitude fighter (as per the original spec) that gets turned into a heavy ground attack fighter. I've been reading up on the aircraft and it must have been one of the unluckiest design ever in so far as engine choice was concerned. Seems every engine they tried in it, and they tried a few, had problems, many seeming to start disintergrating whilst in use and having to be sent back to the manufacturer. The other interesting fact is that after the design was switched to the high altitude role the cockpit was so far off the ground the pilot needed an elevator to get into it ! The seat was lowered to the ground, the pilot sat in it and it was raised up into the cockpit. "your aircraft awaits sir"  Ingenious and it meant that it also acted as an early ejection seat if the pilot needed to bale out. Fascinating design as are so many US and British designs of this period. 

[Captain Canada]

Looking forward to seeing these ! They sure sound exciting.

[NARSES2]

Well the 42 has had its first coat of Neutral Grey. I want to use a greener colour for the upper surfaces rather than the usual "brown" Olive Drab I tend to use.

On checking my paint stash (almost as frightening as the kit stash  ) I find I have some old Humbrol colours for "Green Olive Drab" and "USAAF Bronze Green". Not sure yet which one I'll go with but wondering if anyone has some suggestions on what the USAAF was or might have been using in late 1941, early 1942 ?

The 54 has had the re-glued boom joint sorted and awaits a dab of primer. I'll use Mr Surfacer as that will double as a fine filler/primer just in case.

The 109 is now ready for the second top camouflage colour.

[NARSES2]

The 42 is now ready to have it's uppers painted 

As for the 54 she is now ready to be painted. I'll start with the trim and then get that masked off before I start on the main camouflage colours. I also assembled the spare Seafire contra-prop and tried it out and in all honesty it didn't look right so she will be getting the 4 bladed one in the kit.

The Special Hobby prop had individual blades and I really, really dislike putting props together  In fairness to SH these ones are set up so they are a little easier then the norm as they have rectangular "plugs" at the end of each blade which fits into a similarly shaped slots in the backplates. You can still get them 180 degrees out though, ask me how I know !

They never look right to me as I always seem to make a screw up with the pitch or angle of the individual blades. I've even been known to get them so wrong that they would have been spinning in the opposite direction to that which they were in real life. Mainly down to me and a lack of knowledge on the basic mechanics of the things. I really should try and find an easy to read piece explaining it and/or look at more photos of the real things.

[Rick Lowe]

The Quickboost items mostly come with a jig, so (in theory) should be a bit easier... I hasten to add I've never tried them, but I intend to get some for future projects.

[NARSES2]

Yea, I've noticed that and intend getting one of them at some point to give it a try.

Would the jigs be universal ? I know you'd need to get a 3/4/5 bladed sets but it would really help me if they were. Apologies if it's a stupid question.