Zenrat's Flying Circus

[frank2056]

ReedOak has 3D scanned people in modern French military uniforms (mostly pilots). I've used their models and they can't be beat for realism.

[Steel Penguin]

interesting link there.  thank you 

[kerick]

Nice looking stuff. Thanks for posting.

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

[zenrat]

I've ordered a figure from Reedoak which should do the job.  Most of the others were too "actiony".  I wanted someone more casual.

I've been restocking essentials.
A delivery of lacquer paints from SMS arrived today.  Some retarder (there are those who would say I am sufficiently that way already), some Holden Absinthe Yellow (I like the name and the colour, but I like the name more), and some glow in the dark effects paint (see my comment re retarder).
The only real essential was the retarder but if i'm paying postage I might as well take advantage.

[Rick Lowe]

A delivery of lacquer paints from SMS arrived today.  Some retarder (there are those who would say I am sufficiently that way already), some Holden Absinthe Yellow (I like the name and the colour, but I like the name more), and some glow in the dark effects paint (see my comment re retarder).
The only real essential was the retarder but if i'm paying postage I might as well take advantage.

Only those of the Ruder persuasion... wait, couldn't that apply to all of us, at one time or another? 

A t-shirt I saw reads: Legalize Recreational Plutonium - For a Brighter Tomorrow!   

[zenrat]

It's my inner 12 year old.  I find glow in the dark stuff irresistible.
We have a couple of glow in the dark dog balls which are awesome at night in the dog park.  Chariie the Wonder Dog tends to drop her balls at random places rather than bring them back to us and if they glow it is remarkably easy to spot them.

I'm thinking glow in the dark flames and whitewall tyres might look good on a hot rod.

A restock of evergreen rod, tube, and angle arrived today from Hobby Tools Australia. (local business.  Can't recommend them enough.  I've shopped with Gary for years).
This was accompanied by a pair of pointy tweezers and a pack of assorted colour clear styrene sheet (blue, green, yellow, red & black).

My normal Fryday hours were adjusted this week so I got some bench time in after work.  I focussed on the VBL as it is very close to moving from building to weathering.  I'm painting and clearing fiddley bits, put together the roof mounted MG, and glued on the light lenses.
The figure i've ordered is a French soldier in fatigues standing in a relaxed pose without any webbing or weapons.  I'll make a small base with grass and a bit of scatter and the vehicle will be posed with doors and hatches open.
Apart from my adjustments to paint colour its all RW.

[ericr]

It's my inner 12 year old. 

  

[Rick Lowe]

It's my inner 12 year old. 

  

They don't get enough airtime, IMHO... probably because we're always getting told to Grow Up and Behave... yeah, nah.

[zenrat]

Slight delay in the VBL.  I discovered today that when clearing fiddley bits I had picked up the gloss clear thinking it was the satin...
 

[NARSES2]

Slight delay in the VBL.  I discovered today that when clearing fiddley bits I had picked up the gloss clear thinking it was the satin...
 

Could have been worse

[PR19_Kit]

Could have been worse

Yeah! 

I once 'clear sprayed' a decal sheet with Halfords Appliance White.................... 

[zenrat]

I once cleared a 1WGB build with white primer.  A Zlin 142 Floatplane.

Back on track now with the VBL.  Just need to paint the tools and accessories and attach them and the remaining fiddley bits.
So that was good.   But I did then superglue the windscreen of the Tophe Vampire to my finger.  Bad words were said before I sanded off the print (from the screen, not from my finger), polished it and glued it on.
Fit of the clear parts is abysmal BTW (it's the Heller kit).
Talking of abysmal clear parts, I masked the Rotodyne canopy today.  I'm not sure if the problem was the masking set or the canopy but fit was not good.

[zenrat]

So i've been building this 1/25 MPC Pontiac Fiero.
It's been slowly ticking along, as is my wont, with a number of separate subassemblies being painted and, umm assembled and has now got to the stage where I can combine these into a whole to get an idea of how it'll fit...

Good in parts is the answer.  The interior fits nicely into the body and the chassis and engine slide into place with a bit of persuading and after jiggling about it looks like the wheels will centralise in the arches.
I don't know if the hinged bonnet and boot will hinge correctly yet but I can see that the front wheels will be sticking out beyond the bodywork due to them not having enough offset (or is it too much offset, I can never remember).  This is not a look I like and is particularly annoying as they are "Hotwire" style wheels and I put a lot of effort into washing around the cast spokes.  I also painted the raised tyre lettering.
Bugger.
I have yet to attach the rear suspension but I suspect there will be the same issue at the back.
Option 1 is to modify the wheel backs to adjust the offset.
Option 2 is to rummage through the parts boxes of wheels and tyres (and there's more than a few of those) to find something that will work.
Option 3 is to hit it with a hammer.
I'll wait until i've got the rear suspension in place before I decide which way I am going.

[scooter]

I have yet to attach the rear suspension but I suspect there will be the same issue at the back.
Option 1 is to modify the wheel backs to adjust the offset.
Option 2 is to rummage through the parts boxes of wheels and tyres (and there's more than a few of those) to find something that will work.
Option 3 is to hit it with a hammer.

There's always the fourth option - douse in lighter fluid.

Although its a shame the Fiero (and most car kits) aren't plastic over metal framing.

There's also a fifth option.  Paint the wheel hubs and disk brakes and put it up on cinder blocks