Zenrat's Flying Circus

zenrat · March 21, 2018, 01:48:28 AM

Thanks guys.

Crusader is getting real close. I painted the canopy frames today and decalled the missiles (from a Hasegawa weapons set) and finished off painting the pilot.

Put some fan belts onto the Kraz engine. Not done this on a 1/35 build before. It was fiddley. I used 0.5 mm masking tape coloured black with texter. Looks quite good, though I say it myself.

Kraz WIP 21-03-18 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

TheChronicOne · March 21, 2018, 02:34:43 AM

That's badass!! Them little details like that make all the difference.

zenrat · March 21, 2018, 03:14:08 AM

On 1/25 cars they usually give you pulleys and belts moulded in one piece onto which you attach alternator, power steering pump, air con compressor etc. If you are lucky you might even get brackets for these items but usual practice is to have them floating in mid air apparently supported by the fan belt.
Being slightly OCD I can't not add accessory brackets even though they don't really show. And I have been known to turn scale pulleys on my lathe.
On this however they gave you the pulleys but no belts so it was a fairly simple, if fiddly job to wrap tape round them.

This also has what appears to be a fuel distribution manifold in the centre of the block. I am pondering whether I can be bothered plumbing fuel lines from it to the injectors.

TheChronicOne · March 21, 2018, 03:36:46 AM

It's already too late, you've done pondered on it so if you don't, it'll just nag you throughout the rest of the build! May as well get started on it now.

Weaver · March 21, 2018, 06:29:15 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 21, 2018, 03:14:08 AM
On 1/25 cars they usually give you pulleys and belts moulded in one piece onto which you attach alternator, power steering pump, air con compressor etc. If you are lucky you might even get brackets for these items but usual practice is to have them floating in mid air apparently supported by the fan belt.
Being slightly OCD I can't not add accessory brackets even though they don't really show. And I have been known to turn scale pulleys on my lathe.
On this however they gave you the pulleys but no belts so it was a fairly simple, if fiddly job to wrap tape round them.

This also has what appears to be a fuel distribution manifold in the centre of the block. I am pondering whether I can be bothered plumbing fuel lines from it to the injectors.

The one and only time I built a motorbike model, my intimate familiarity with the 1:1 scale version made EVERY model-tooling compromise seem utterly unacceptable and in need of fixing, and I nearly missed the non-negotiable deadline (somebody's wedding) by constant picky fiddling with it. I don't know whether to do another one just to exorcise the demons of all the bits I couldn't fix, or whether to avoid the damned things like the plague in future...

Old Wombat · March 21, 2018, 08:25:57 AM

Quote from: Weaver on March 21, 2018, 06:29:15 AM
Quote from: zenrat on March 21, 2018, 03:14:08 AM
On 1/25 cars they usually give you pulleys and belts moulded in one piece onto which you attach alternator, power steering pump, air con compressor etc. If you are lucky you might even get brackets for these items but usual practice is to have them floating in mid air apparently supported by the fan belt.
Being slightly OCD I can't not add accessory brackets even though they don't really show. And I have been known to turn scale pulleys on my lathe.
On this however they gave you the pulleys but no belts so it was a fairly simple, if fiddly job to wrap tape round them.

This also has what appears to be a fuel distribution manifold in the centre of the block. I am pondering whether I can be bothered plumbing fuel lines from it to the injectors.

The one and only time I built a motorbike model, my intimate familiarity with the 1:1 scale version made EVERY model-tooling compromise seem utterly unacceptable and in need of fixing, and I nearly missed the non-negotiable deadline (somebody's wedding) by constant picky fiddling with it. I don't know whether to do another one just to exorcise the demons of all the bits I couldn't fix, or whether to avoid the damned things like the plague in future...

Buy one & burn it at the stake ... up to you whether you micro-detail build it or just tie the contents of the box to the stake (I'd do the latter).

zenrat · March 22, 2018, 12:58:47 AM

I have built many mo'bikes which I will one day pull out of the cardboard box of doom and restore.
I also have some new ones in the stash. I'll start one soon.
I manage to stick to the level of detailing you get on the Tamiya 1/12 bikes - brake and clutch hoses, throttle cable and plug wires. I know there should be a lot more wires running all over the place but my eyes don't miss them and I don't feel the need to replicate them.
Same with 1/25 cars. I might be obsessed with wiring the dizzy with the correct firing order but other than the occasional fuel line or the obvious throttle cable linkage & return spring on a blower scoop I don't feel the need to all all the other clutter that is under the bonnet of a real car.
I did once get carried away and completely plumb all the lines (fuel and nitrous) on a two stage nitrous oxide system on a funny car, but it's not something i'm looking to repeat too often. I think I did it to prove to myself I could.
Compared to that plumbing in the fuel lines on this was easy.

Kraz WIP 22-03-18 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Crusader is finished. I'll endeavour to set up Dadswell Bridge and take some beauty pics tomorrow.

Vought F8 Crusader by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

NARSES2 · March 22, 2018, 06:46:10 AM

Crusader looks

Old Wombat · March 22, 2018, 06:56:38 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on March 22, 2018, 06:46:10 AM
Crusader looks

Absolutely! Right purty, she is!

TheChronicOne · March 22, 2018, 09:58:35 AM

Yeah buddy.......

zenrat · March 23, 2018, 01:51:47 AM

Photo day today.
I've been trying a new lighting set up - reflecting the light off of a large piece of white card...

Vought F8E Crusader RAN FAA21 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
...its better, as far as shadows are concerned but could do with being brighter.

Rolling chassis for the Kraz.

Kraz WIP 23-03-18 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Weaver · March 23, 2018, 06:08:34 AM

I find it helps to put the light source as close to the camera as possible, so that all shadows are on the other side. If you want to be really fancy, studio-type ring lights (not flashes) start at about £30.

zenrat · March 23, 2018, 05:39:17 PM

I'm really just spitballing it at the moment H and trying out things with what I have lying around the shed.
I think I may have a short flouro tube fitting somewhere in there which I could use to make a diffuse light box thingo (got the idea watching Veep last night from a scene where they were using something similar to light a TV interview). The trick will be mounting it (securely!) up above Dadswell Bridge Field.

Weaver · March 23, 2018, 06:11:07 PM

There are loads of Youtube videos telling you how to do Youtube, in which they explain their lighting equipment and show you their setups. Whether you're interested in video or not, the gear and setup information is interesting.

zenrat · March 26, 2018, 04:01:53 AM

Thanks H. I may put aside my self imposed You Tube ban (i end up spending far too long looking at stuff I never intended to look at) and have a squizz.

However, Mrs z has done a very silly thing. She has bought herself a Playstation 4 and borrowed me a copy of Grand Theft Auto V.
So that's my modelling time slashed drastically then...