Gondor's Grumblings

[Gondor]

A little bit of modelling on the Hawks. Fitted the main undercarriage legs to the Armed one I am building. This one is going to be Israeli of 147 Squadron in the Advanced Training role so it will be camouflaged and have some "Trainer Orange" on it as well as haveing a radar nose. My purchase of a CM-150 Magister was to provide decals and markins that might be appropriate for the aircraft/role. The spares box is providing the CBLS 200 which I beleive came from OGL Industries' with the drop tanks purchased along with the gun od and pylons from Air-Graphics. There will be a Blue painted sidewinder on the other available pylon. Just had a thought of hanging a Pave Penny pod somewhere under the forward fuselage which will add much needed weight foorward of the main undercarriage. The problem with balanceing is why I have added the main undercarriage to the wings so I can get a real idea if it's a tail sitter or not. While the Revell kit is very nice in its detail, couble the fiddilyness of some parts with my deteriorating eyesight and it's not easy to get the mail leg retraction jacks fitted correctly. I think I have them fitted correctly though after tempting the carpet monster with one of them 

Gondor

[Gondor]

Well it looks like I have enough weight forward of the main undercarriage in the Hawks! 

Both of them are nose heavy which is good as there is still the tail feathers to go on the back end. All the seats are assembled now as well. I am also making progress with the Tempest. The cockpit parts are gluing inside the fuselage although saying that the glue is only applied to one side for now. I also found out that there is a tab on either side of the instrument panel and that the top of the panel is at the front of the cockpit cut out in the fuselage as the instructions are slightly indistinct, a side view would have been a help here rather than just an arrow pointing to anywhere within a 5mm area.

Gondor

[Gondor]

First PSR session has been carried out on the Israeli Hawk only for me to discover that Sprue D has gone walkabout 

A reasonably thorough search has been carried out without discovering its where about's. All the obvious places have been looked through as well as a couple of not so obvious places. 

So has anyone get a spare Revell 1/72 BAe Hawk T.1 box number 04970, Sprue D consists of only the Sidewinders and their launch rails, if so can they send to me fairly sharp as the Scottish Nationals are in the middle of next month and I want to have this kit there if possible.

Saying that the darn thing will turn up five minutes after someone put a set in the post to me. I'm willing to compensate the sender or to send mine when I find it. I prefer to use the launch rails that come with the kit as there is an adaptor between the pylon and the rail which is molded onto the rail and I don't know the dimensions to replicate them either.

Thanks in advance

Gondor

[kerick]

Do you have a dog or cat that chews up anything they can get a hold of? 

[Gondor]

Do you have a dog or cat that chews up anything they can get a hold of? 

I have a cat who spends 95% of his time indoors sleeping with the other 5% eating. He is an outdoor cat and spends the night outside on pawtrol, sometimes he dosent come home. This morning he did, last time he came home was Saturday. The only interest he has in my modelling is when I get packages delivered, he has to have a sniff of them and that's as far as his interest in my models goes.
So there is no blameing the cat.

Gondor

[Rick Lowe]

I lived with a cat once, that sent the short-body Huey conversion that I was in the middle of, for an air-test...
Li'l furry ratbag... 

[kerick]

If the earth was flat cats would have knocked everything off the edge by now.

[Rheged]

If the earth was flat cats would have knocked everything off the edge by now.

.....or alternatively been kicked off the edge by irate gardeners, modellers etc.........

[JayBee]

I think cats are wonderfull. Every garden should have a live moving target! 

[PR19_Kit]

Some cats are essential for modellers, as a Scale Reference of course.

[kerick]

I know there are cat lovers out there. My dad was not until he got this little calico one. That little thing followed him everywhere including his workshop, jumping up onto the workbench to see what he was doing. Which was ok until she started knocking the screws and nails off. Then she got evicted for awhile. She had a habit of climbing into other peoples cars. There was an event at the high school next door and we think she climbed into someone's car and went home with them as we never saw her after that.

[Rick Lowe]

Some cats are essential for modellers, as a Scale Reference of course.

Of course.
And they're cheaper in the long run than our stashes...

[Gondor]

Had a slight panic earlier when looking for the tailplanes for my Airfix Tempest. Because part of the wing was on the same sprue I had the horrible thought I had thrown it out when the wing had been removed. Thankfully after a bit of searching I found the missing sprue and another one that I had not been working with so the tail surfaces are now installed without any filler.
I keep forgetting that the Vallejo Filler I have is only good when used for small gaps, not steps between parts  so fixing a slight mismatch on the nose of my Airfix Tempest, all my own fault for fitting the Freightdog Mk VI conversion set into it.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Just found a problem with one of the Hawks I am trying to finish for next weekend. The front cockpit is missing its control column  I gave the model a light wash yesterday and I am guessing thatthe darn thing is swimming down the drain 
I do have an alternative plan. I have a couple of Hawks that I am not building at the moment so I will pinch one from one of those and then when I build the one I "borrowed" the column from will get a pilot who will be holding a control column which will cover/mask a scratch built item 
Both of the Hawks are progressing well though. The Israeli one will be getting the "ears" behind the cockpit fitted next and then its finishing the cockpit and adding the glazing. The wheels and undercarriage will get a shot of grey/white primer as the base kits are red and I am painting they a light grey so something is needed to neutralise the red.
The Tempest is going really well apart from one join between the resin and plastic. I am sure this is due to my using too much Vallejo Plastic Putty which it seams to work well for Small thin gaps, I just used too much in too big a gap  The gun barrels were cut flush and sanded smooth after I had marked a line where they had been. small circles have been drilled out where the cannons should be. The build is getting late wheels from a KP Tempest kit and could well be done in Far East markings.

Gondor

[Gondor]

My Israeli Hawk has just completed its final coat for the undersides, tomorrow the first top coat so I am relaxing and looking at refference material for the demarcation line between upper and lower fuselage. I have also decided that the second Hawk will be finished later as that was to be in the modern all over Gloss Black and I am not sure that I would be able to bet the backing for the roundels white enough in the time I have befor the Perth show. The F.6 Tempest has had it's lower side finished paint wise and the undercarriage legs are now painted. Tomorrow the first top coat and as there are only two colours on the upper side compaired to the Hawk's three or four I am fairly confident to finish that as well 

Gondor