Zenrat's Flying Circus

PR19_Kit · March 20, 2015, 03:17:56 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 20, 2015, 01:26:43 AM
I've also been doing some research today. I've got a Hasegawa F-102 and want to build it with the missile bay closed. Something that is by all accounts tricky to do with the kit parts as it's designed to be open. Resin closed doors are available from the US but since I plan to use the closed doors as the basis for a gun pack that seems to be a bit extravagant.

'All accounts' are dead right, it's a real bitch of a job.

I've done two of them, one an aborted attempt at a TF-102 from the Airmodel 'conversion', and I had the same problems with both sets of missile bay doors. They're too narrow and leave large gaps between the sections. On the TF-102 I tried to use Milliput filler between the gaps but it just kept on falling through into the missile bay itself and was never strong enough to file and sand. On the stock Dagger I covered the whole shebang with some styrene sheet and tube glue, waited a few days for it all to dry off and then filed and sanded like crazy and that seemed to work OK.

zenrat · March 20, 2015, 03:31:44 AM

Thanks Kit. I'll have a ponder and play with the bits and see what I come up with. Bulkheads in the missile bay to support the doors maybe and strips of plastic along the backs.

zenrat · March 22, 2015, 03:45:15 AM

We had The Boy this weekend so I was on Uncle duty. Perfect time to sit with a piece of board on my lap and finish off the D9 tracks while watching stuff on the idiots lantern.

scooter · March 22, 2015, 04:53:23 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 20, 2015, 03:31:44 AM
Thanks Kit. I'll have a ponder and play with the bits and see what I come up with. Bulkheads in the missile bay to support the doors maybe and strips of plastic along the backs.

That would work. It'd give the bay doors both something for the glue and putty to grab on to and structural rigidity for PSR

zenrat · March 29, 2015, 01:36:39 AM

Some major steps today.
Wings glued onto the Hurricane (and yes, they did need a slight trim at the back where they meet the fuselage).
Fuselage halves glued together on the F-102.
Mohawk PSR finished and a satisfactory coat of primer in place.
Last of the decals onto the Savoia and the Curtis. Just a bit of microsol needed on the tail of the Savoia and some trimming. The Curtis has almost no decals as I chose to paint the yellow and white parts figuring Royal Blue could show through the decals.

I also added some detail into the cabin of the D9 - a strategically placed map (covers an ejector pin mark I missed) and a poster on the large blank area behind the No.2 seat (there because I lowered the seat to improve driver visibility and because this will be a civilian machine and thus have no need for a gunner). The map is a very reduced one of the Carrum Poo Farm where I used to work and the poster is a picture of Kari Byron holding an RPG aloft.
I've finished the tracks but had to carry out some modifications to get them to fit properly. If built as per the instructions the tracks would be super loose. I took out a link and they still fitted but were so tight I was worried that the thickness of the paint would stop them fitting. IRL what you do if the tracks are too loose is "pump them up". This moves the large front roller forwards. To achieve the same effect in 1/35 I sawed off the front roller carrier and put in spacers which are the white parts in the picture below. Now I have a realistic amount of slack for an operational dozer.

NARSES2 · March 29, 2015, 02:36:28 AM

Don't know why but that looks as though with a painted mouth and eyes it would drive straight into a starring role in a Disney animation ?

Looking good sir

PR19_Kit · March 29, 2015, 02:42:11 AM

Blimey, that's a big thing 'innit?

zenrat · March 29, 2015, 03:33:46 AM

From the people that brought you Cars and Planes - Disney's Earthmovers.

NARSES2 · March 30, 2015, 06:29:03 AM

Quote from: zenrat on March 29, 2015, 03:33:46 AM
From the people that brought you Cars and Planes - Disney's Earthmovers.

Their first Adult rated animation ?

Captain Canada · March 30, 2015, 11:59:39 AM

Wow that Cat is neat ! Huge to boot !

You ever see the videos of the nutter that basically destroyed his whole town with one ?

scooter · March 30, 2015, 12:02:33 PM

Quote from: Captain Canada on March 30, 2015, 11:59:39 AM
Wow that Cat is neat ! Huge to boot !

You ever see the videos of the nutter that basically destroyed his whole town with one ?

I think I shared that one on here...and yeah, he was a nutter.

zenrat · April 01, 2015, 01:08:44 AM

We're on a road trip.
Currently in Bris Vegas (Brisbane) having driven up in 3 days.
Passed, as enticements to get drivers to stop and spend, a DC3 on it's wheels and a Venom or Vampire on a stick. Didn't get a chance to stop and take pics unfortunately.
Lots of large earthmoving machinery on trucks going the other way plus lots of MGs and many Studebakers.

The nutter in the home made armoured dozer is on you-tube in a few different versions. Try and find an unedited one as some of the versions taken from news reports look like they were edited by teenagers with ADHD.

comrade harps · April 01, 2015, 04:31:05 AM

Is Brissy during school holidays a bit like schoolies?

zenrat · April 06, 2015, 04:00:09 AM

Quote from: comrade harps on April 01, 2015, 04:31:05 AM
Is Brissy during school holidays a bit like schoolies?

No.
Fortunately.
But we were only there for one night.

Currently at Ballina resting after camping for 3 days at Bluesfest at Byron Bay. Heavy rain everyday made sure the mud was in places almost deep enough to come over the top of my gum boots.
The combination of rain, music and muddy drunkards took me right back to Deep Purple at Knebworth in 1985.
The tent stayed dry inside. Which is why the ants decided it was a good place to set up a new home. Mrs z wasn't to impressed with their attentions during that night and fidgeted more than usual. Which is fun when sharing an airbed.
So we used chemical warfare to destroy the lost city of Antioch and all was well until I picked up the electric airbed pump this morning and found they'd moved into the casing...
Musically my highlights of the weekend were Jon Cleary, The Beat and the Melbourne Ska Orchestra.

zenrat · April 17, 2015, 05:41:47 AM

So, back on the bench.
Painted undersides and first camo colour on the car door Hurricane. I'm doing it in the box scheme (green/brown over black/white) with some subtle changes. Is it my paints or is RAF Dark Green really close in shade to RAF Dark Earth?

Mohawk is primed and undercoated and ready for paint. Probably RoCAF using the Tracker scheme - I have to check the size of the decals I have.

Savoia is assembled and awaiting small parts and the Curtis is ready for assembly and rigging. I'm using the double stand that comes in the Curtis kit to mount both on.

F-102 big parts are glued together ready for PSR.

I've also started converting a Ca-311 into a 9 seat "executive prop" and am fiddling with the P-39 I robbed the canopy from for the car door Hurricane. It'll have an open cockpit and might even be a biplane.