Pyro's Projects

[pyro-manic]

Hokay, here's where I will post my musings, little updates and ideas as I build.

My current focus (if I can call it such a thing) is to try and clear away some of the many part-built models that are piled up (quite literally) on my desk. These include:

Swiss Bf110
IJN Recce Ryusei
Qinetiq Tigershark
SpitWulf (Fw190/Spitfire hybrid)
Su-27 Flanker for the Empire's Twilight
Meteor FAW.25 for Aussierama
De Havilland Fireball (DH88 with a Merlin nose)

There are a few more scattered around, but I want to get at least a few of these done and in the cabinet before I start anything else.

The Meteor 25 is progressing nicely, with PSR in progress before final assembly and paint. I'm torn between a SEAC-type camo and a plain weathered grey (with full-colour roundels of course). I'd pondered a test-type scheme, but I don't like painting white.

The Fireball is still in the early stages - I'm scratching the cockpit details and trying to work out how to build the radiator/undercarriage fairings.

The Recce-Ryusei is primed and ready for paint, but I'd like to try airbrushing it and the weather at the moment is not suitable. I'll probably brush-paint all the fiddly bits that are yet to be glued on while I wait for the opportunity to spray. Likewise the Swiss 110 - needs large areas of white which I don't want to brush-paint.

The Flanker is built from a complete dog of a kit (CC Lee knock-off of the Italeri tooling), so is still in need of a lot of PSR work at the moment. Also needs some customised markings printing.

The Tigershark is part-painted and just needs me to get on and finish it. The Spitwulf has been sat for a long time waiting for paint, but I'm struggling to come up with a good one. I don't want to do a normal RAF or German camo scheme...

[Leading Observer]

Spitwulf should be either a Finnish or Italian scheme, depending on what the powerplant is. 

[pyro-manic]

It's the BMW 801 from the 190.

[Leading Observer]

Italian colour scheme then, it seems to suit big radials some how

[pyro-manic]

Cheers LO - will have a think on Italian schemes.

Progress being made on the Meteor 25 - PSR mostly done, just tidying up now. Also started making the wheel well/radiator fairings for the Fireball, though that has led off on a bit of a tangent - the u/c has been stolen from the excellent new Airfix P-40, but I've now thrown that together and it will become a new mount for a certain Donald Curtis, circa 1940.

[pyro-manic]

Meteor is now primed and ready for paint, though I need to pry the canopy off and re-attach the ejector seat I can hear rattling around inside.

The Fireball is coming together slowly - I've scratched a fairly basic cockpit interior using some plastic scrap and the instrument panel from a Bf109, and the fuselage is now closed up. Working on blending in the Merlin nacelle before I think about tackling the gear well/radiator fairings (erk!), and I'll probably make the fin a touch bigger as well, to make up for all that extra torque (more than double the horsepower! ).

Curtis' custom P-40 has fallen together, and I just need to make some struts for the wingtip floats and smooth out the filled-in gear wells before it gets painted. I'll need to airbrush this one I think - glossy blue, yellow and white.

[pyro-manic]

Horrible humidity has prevented any airbrushing recently, but I did manage to get a coat of white primer onto the 110, the underside of the 'Hawk, and the missiles for the Meteor. Also did the underside of a long-stalled project, an Argentine Navy Skyraider, which will be light grey over white.

[pyro-manic]

Not much progress the last few months, with various forms of unpleasantness getting in the way. The Swiss 110 now has it's ID stripes (and is looking pretty sharp if I may say so myself), and I've started putting together a special Hunter. I'm also doing terrible things to a Blower Bentley....

[pyro-manic]

Today, Oi ar' mostly been spraying RLM70. Swiss 110 progressing nicely, and hopefully it and a related build will be finished at the same time (later this week?).

Also been masking off the canopy crystal palace on the Fw189 that has been languishing for too long. Never again shall I build something with this much glazing.

[pyro-manic]

110 is now pretty much finished - awaiting some decals which are en route from Canada (cheers to kitnut617!) and then a bit of weathering and it's done.

A very shiny Fw190 is now awaiting detail painting and decalling, and a start has been made on the paint for the Meteor FAW.25 - only the wheel wells at the moment. A dry day and I'll spray the camouflage colours. Might even get it finished before the end of the year.

[pyro-manic]

110 decals now finished. Need to beat it up a bit with the airbrush and I'll call it done. It'll be my first finished airbrushed model, and I've also added a radio aerial using some fine fishing line (0.3kg, apparently 0.06mm ) which has worked quite well.

Shiny Dora is looking good, just Reich Defence bands and markings to add and she'll be finished too with a bit of exhaust staining.

[pyro-manic]

I am declaring a fatwa on Fw190 spinner spirals, past, present and future. They are evil and must be destroyed.

[Rheged]

I am declaring a fatwa on Fw190 spinner spirals, past, present and future. They are evil and must be destroyed.

Concur!  They are abhorrent and excommunicate!

[NARSES2]

I am declaring a fatwa on Fw190 spinner spirals, past, present and future. They are evil and must be destroyed.

Concur!  They are abhorrent and excommunicate!

We have a quorum gentlemen - I avoid them like the plague  How Matrix' does it is beyond me

[pyro-manic]

I'm glad we agree! I think Matrixone has an advantage, in that he only builds models with spinner spirals (well, almost), so he's had plenty of practice. I am just going to skip it, and declare the thing finished. Photos as soon as I can get the rig set up. Meanwhile I am moving on to a Gerry Anderson tribute build, involving an old Airfix kit. It's an idea so obvious I'm amazed nobody's done it before. Or maybe they have and I missed it. Anyway, nice simple build, if I can get all the bits to line up, then a simple paint job. Hope to do it quickly, maybe a week or two. Which means November, obviously.