Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

Mine was moulded in BRIGHT YELLOW plastic.
RHD dash was easy.  Look at the rear view pic above.
I cut the dash from the dash pad like you say and then made a flat panel.  The instruments are chrome parts and I separated this into two halves swapping them over.  I used the old dash as a template and drilled holes in the relevant places.  Conveniently the instruments are exact mm sizes so I had the right drills.
In retrospect I should have scribed a glove box on the passenger side.

My first meeting with a Tiger was at a Classic Car show when I was about 14.  I remember wondering how they changed the rear plugs.  It looks easy on this model meaning something isn't accurate.

[zenrat]

In order to keep myself occupied (because 23 started builds are never enough) until I can start on the Soviet stuff next weekend I have dug out an Airfix Armstrong Whitworth Sea Hawk which I am throwing together as part of my Big Sibling program.  This one will be the little sibling to the RAN FAA Banshee I completed a while ago.  Identical paint, weapons load and markings is the plan.

Other than that I have found some weathering mojo and have started rusting up the Meng D9 Dozer.  I started with the tracks as they seemed to be the area which will need the most work.  The end point for this one will to be displayed on the back of a float (Takom Kraz truck & trailer kit) as if it is being hauled from one worksite to another so I can't just cover the tracks in mud and dirt as earthmoving plant is cleaned before it leaves site to avoid spreading weed & suchlike.  I've painted rust on with enamels and started a series of washes with a light rust one.  The backstory is that it's an ex IDF machine which has been demilitarised and has been worked for a season and is returning to the workshop for a major service and a dulux rebuild.

[zenrat]

Bit more on the dozer today.  Gluing on some of the small fragile bits I had left off and putting together/painting the hydraulic rams.

Round 3 PSR on the Little Sibling Sea Hawk.  The seam on the top of the fuselage is being a pig.  I've filled it but got too enthusiastic and sanded it flat so more filler has gone on the return it to curved.

And I finished a civilianised Macchi MC-205.  Pics tomorrow.

[TheChronicOne]

Yes!! Can't wait to see the civvie Macchi.   

[PR19_Kit]

Looking at this pic, showing a standard Tiger Mk 1 engine bay, I'd say that AMT don't have the engine set back anywhere near enough. I wonder if they ever did an Alpine and kept the same firewall, and without the massive gear box tunnel that the Tiger had?



I found the pic on this web site https://stevemckelvie.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/the-development-and-extinction-of-the-sunbeam-tiger/ which is quite interesting but he makes one fundamental error. He says they moved the firewall back to allow the V8 engine to be fitted, but that was not only NOT done, it was impossible as there wouldn't have been enough room for the driver's feet, nor would the dash panel fit in the correct position.

Try as I might I can't find a pic of the gearbox tunnel itself, presumably because it's a real bitch to get under there to take one anyway.

[zenrat]

New firewall and scratchbuilt tunnel and Robert is your father's brother.

I have heard talk of an AMT Alpine but have never seen even a pic of a box.

Photof**kfredoffbucket is not playing ball again.  I have uploaded pics of the Macchi but can't get to them to link into a new thread.
Curses! Foiled again.

Did some more Meng D9 Dozer today and painted the first coat of Sky on the Seahawk.

I also painted the skin on the Hasslefree miniatures Armed Scooby Gang.  I had to stop for a break after painting Velma as I got all hot and bothered.  Who knew she had that body hidden under her jumper!

[scooter]

Photof**kfredoffbucket is not playing ball again.  I have uploaded pics of the Macchi but can't get to them to link into a new thread.
Curses! Foiled again.

that's why I use both deviantArt and Imgur for my image hosting.  And Google Photos, sometimes

[zenrat]

I do like to keep it all in one place though Scoot.
I think the problem is more all the other stuff going through my broadband than with them.  I was torrenting some stuff at the same time...

Second coat of sky on the Seahawk, more fiddley bits of dozer painted and thought about the next Aerolympics aircraft.  Mustang or Typhoon probably.  However, before that commences I want to finish the Magpie Wyvern.  White and grey are done and it's ready for the black but it's a complex masking job and I am procrastinating.

[zenrat]

However, before that commences I want to finish the Magpie Wyvern.  White and grey are done and it's ready for the black but it's a complex masking job and I am procrastinating.

But that's what I'm wanting to see.

Me too.  However, more procrastinating today.  My sister gave me a Hobby Tools Australia voucher for xmas and I spent it on a paint rack from Miniature Scenery which arrived yesterday.
It's a flat packed laser cut mdf construct which is glued together with PVA.
I put it together today and then rearranged the bench and filled it with some of the paints from the old cassette tape storage drawers I had been using.
And then because I was so pleased with it and because tomorrow is pay day I ordered another one.

All of which means no time for any masking.  Sorry Brad.

[zenrat]

Brad F will be pleased to know that the tail of the Magpie Wyvern is painted and under a protective coat of clear so I don't damage the rather delicate black acrylic when I mask the wings.

I've also put the RAAF roos onto the Seahawk little sibling.

[zenrat]

Sea Hawk and it's bigger sibling.  Decent pics tomorrow.  Prolly...


I got my subscription copy of AMW today.  The build article on the Whiff in a box Freedom Models F-20B/N starts "it's not often a modeller is given a truly blank canvas on which to work...".
Well, no.  I think the author would find, if they gave it a moments thought, that a modeller is given a truly blank canvas on which to work every single time they open a new box.  The only constraint is their imagination.
It is however nice to see a whiff given such a large amount of space in a mainstream magazine and i'm glad the author recognises the appearance of such a build on the contest table should upset rivet counters.

[DogfighterZen]

Those 2 birds look great, can't wait for the final pics!
Re the AMW article, some people will never be able to see beyond reality... It's a bit like the musicians that know all the theory and are like masters of their instrument but then you ask them to play something of their own and they say: "I've never composed anything..." and they've been playing for over 20 years... They only play what's written on the score... they can't even imagine how to start a song of their own...
Then you have the slackers, the ones who might be good musicians but just prefer to profit out of someone else's work cause it's hard to compose a song... that's why i hate to see bands and musicians getting money for playing other people's music!

[scooter]

Sea Hawk and it's bigger sibling.  Decent pics tomorrow.  Prolly...

Before or after you recreate Operation Crossroads with the microwave? 

[TheChronicOne]

Haha!  ^

Those are neat!

[PR19_Kit]

"it's not often a modeller is given a truly blank canvas on which to work...".

We Whiffers do that every time we build a model! 

Well sometimes the rules of a GB limit us to some extent, but not much.