Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

Remember, weight doesn't have to be in the nose, it just has to be in front of the main wheels. Can you put something behind the cockpit rear bulkhead?

Not now its all buttoned up.  
No, positive thinking - it'll be fine.
And if it's not i'll just fill the booms with vacuum.

The Wowhawk now has underwing bomb racks (Johnson-Bartlett Mk3 adjustables) and work is progressing on the central rack and crutch.  I have also cut the greenhouse so the back half can be posed open.  This does not improve the looks.

Beaufighter got more filler.

Bird Dog got the interior painted.

The Ballarat NNL is in May and the special theme is Italian.  I have started a couple of cars.  One is a rally car and I started decaling it today.  It's going to take a while as nearly every decal will need Microsol to get it to conform around the bodywork.  The other one is a wagon i'm converting into a delivery van and is undergoing PSR.
I also took advantage of the warm weather to put the black on the Lemmy tribute car.  I was using Don Yost's "enamel thinned with cheap GP thinners" technique with a very old tin of black I found in the back of my paint cupboard.  It seems the black may have just been a bit too old as the airbrush spat tiny lumps all over the Chevy body and then clogged up.
I'm hoping a light polish followed by another coat (of fresh paint) will fix it.

[zenrat]

Note to self.  Don't poke freshly painted model car bonnet with finger to see if its dry as if it's not then you won't be pleased with the resulting fingerprint.
18 hours after airbrushing and the black Motorhead Chevy was still tacky so it was into the dehydrator with it and its been in there being gently warmed Saturday afternoon and all day today.  Still not dry enough to handle.  This can happen when thinning enamel with GP thinners.  It will dry eventually - probably about the time of the first anniversary of Lemmy's death next year...

The Italian rally car now has 4 decals on it and has consumed about 23 litres of microsol.  Still more to do so plenty of scope for f**king it up.  The decals for the sides are the full length of the car and wrap over onto the bonnet and I am not looking forward to applying them.

PSR on the Italian van is almost done.  There is a bit of ghosting to deal with.

Vampire is primed but may require a touch of filler.

Wowhawk main bomb rack is attached but needs a crutch.

Bird Dog interior is painted but awaits the instrument panel decal which is printed in black as is the interior so I had to paint the dash a lighter shade.

Beaufighter has had the piece of styrene sheet I used to fair in the "turret" removed as it was causing me grief getting it smooth.  I will be replacing it with a second piece which will be cut so size so it sits down in the hole rather than being glued over the top.

[PR19_Kit]

I find that a good way round the 'never drying' paint problem is to give it a coat of Klear once it's got to the tacky stage. That usually does the job, even on those damnable Xtracolors that just NEVER dry.

[zenrat]

I'm hoping I don't have to resort to that as it needs a polish.  If it won't dry it'll take a bath in the brake fluid but I'm willing to wait it out.

Got the second of the full length/wrap over the bonnet decals onto the Italian rally car today.  Still loads to put on but those 2 were the biggies.

The Italian van's PSR is complete and its resplendent in pink Tamiya primer.  I was going to paint it a nice deep Ferrari red but looking at it I thought it would look good in red/white/green.  However, it's moulded in red plastic which from past experience couldl give issues with the white so I may play it safe and just go for the red.
It's a Suzuki but i'll be putting Fiat badges on it and it'll be interesting to see how many people realise.

PSR on Vampire finished, it's undercoated and ready for colour.

Wowhawk is in primer and ready for colour.

Beaufighter has had new blanking piece glued into the former observer/gunner hole.

[zenrat]

The Boy was here for the weekend so Uncle Fred's Armoury was operating again.
This time, in addition to the Battle Axe, Morning Star, Three Bladed Sword and Scythe I made him a Bow and Arrows.
Like all of the weapons it's his design and colour scheme.  Again like all his weapons it's made strong enough to stand up to play but should break if actually used to inflict serious damage to another child.

It's MDF with a shock cord "string" and the arrows are bamboo tipped with Nerf darts (and being not very straight and without nocks or flights they don't go very far or very straight).

[Old Wombat]

Looks like you, as do I, need to get the lawnmower out, Fred!

[zenrat]

True.  Maybe tomorrow...

[zenrat]

After mowing the grass I had a very productive day painting and decalling.
I did briefly stop to watch the ANZAC Day footy match but was so disgusted by Collingwood's lead that I returned to the shed and the paintbrushes.
Here are some shoddy phone pics.

Fiat 131 Rally Car (Revell 1/24 - Ex Italeri)  I am building it kerbside as while they provide an engine it is horrible.  The body is painted white - everything else is decals.


Westland Wowhawk.  RAF in British North Australia desert camo.  Needs at least one more coat of dark earth.


DH Wampyre in East German camo.  I painted one coat of each colour today.  This is why I prefer acrylics to enamels.


I also pulled out the kit I shall be attempting to whiff in a week plus the donor parts I shall need and stuffed them all in one box.

[Old Wombat]

Just letting you know, I also mowed the lawn (mine, not your's) but didn't get anywhere near plastic.

[zenrat]

Good to know.  We didn't attend a dawn service this year but I felt pushing a Victa up and down a scrappy patch of cooch while thinking about the meaning of the day was a fairly 'strayan thing to do.
I draw the line at doing it in thongs though.

[zenrat]

Interesting comparison.  Both aircraft are painted in Acrylics.  Middle Stone & Dark Earth.
The Fulmar is painted in Gunze Sangyo and the Wowhawk in Vallejo.  The Fulmar has a black wash over it and is satin cleared but that shouldn't cause such a difference in shade.   Given both aircraft are located in British North Australia (what we in the real world call the Northern Territory) the redder shades on the Fulmar are more appropriate.


This photo shows the chaos in which I work.

Thats my staging table which is behind me when I sit at my bench.  It's were models sit while paint & glue dries and where all the things i'm supposed to be repairing for Mrs z pile up.  The table cloth is one of my grandmothers old velvet curtains.  Centre bottom is an old Microwave turntable I use as a surface plate to get ground vehicles sitting on all wheels.  Sitting on it is my scratchbuilt 1/25 Winnebago - currently having the interior built.
The item wrapped in a rag directly above the Wowhawk is a torque converter bearing from a Chinese knockoff ZF transmission from an earthmover.  Its shagged as far as vehicular use is concerned but will be ideal in the centre of a heavy duty lazy susan.

As you can see the Wowhawk paint is completed.  I also put second coats on the Vampire.

[NARSES2]

Xtracrylic, Lifecolor and White Ensign agree with the Vallejo interpretation. So at least the Europeans agree on something 

[zenrat]

I've explained the difference in the back story by having the Wowhawk as a restored aircraft.  Obviously the restorers had duff information.


Touched up the Wowhawk today and its now ready for clear and then decals.

Added a splash of colour to the Vampire - yellow on the nose, intakes and fins.

Finished yet another round of PSR on the Beaufighter.  Thats about 27 so far.  If I was a throwing models against the wall type of bloke this one would have taken the final flight a week or two ago.  Is this really what you all want to spend your building time doing?  It seems it is by the fact that the crappy old kit option is winning the GB vote.  I really must be a sucker for punishment as if it wins i'm considering building another Airfix old mould Beau...

[Old Wombat]

Do it!

With all your developed skills - except PSR!

[zenrat]

Australia's modelling and vanning communities lost a member on Thursday with the way way too early death of Rob Burns (AKA checkmate).
He leaves a wife and two young sons.

I'll miss you mate.