Zenrat's Flying Circus

[TheChronicOne]

I had to look that one up. Wow!!  What a cool airplane!!!! Adding it to my wish list...   

Thanks for the tip...  I will do that, instead of trying to build them both at the same time. 

[zenrat]

Anyone who manages to build a Valom Lockheed XFV and gets the contra props to rotate while remaining concentric should be both rewarded and watched carefully for signs of trauma.

[PR19_Kit]

Anyone who manages to build a Valid Lockheed XFV and gets the contra props to rotate while remaining concentric should be both rewarded and watched carefully for signs of trauma.

Is that a predictive text version of 'Valom' perchance? 

I've got one of those kits, so forewarned is forearmed, thanks. 

[zenrat]

It is indeed.  Thank you Kit.
Bloody predictive nonsense.

It is of course possible to just glue all the relative prop parts together looking spot on. It would however be nice if they rotated.
I got mine to rotate but something was off centre and they only lined up in one position.

I put a second colour on the Kittyhawk today.
Kittyhawk WIP 07-08-2017 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
That's Pale Sand and USAF Brown.  I wanted something different from the usual Middle Stone & Dark Earth.  The underside is Sky Blue.

[zenrat]

A second coat of the Pale Sand on the Kittyhawk today and continuing with my "siblings" build concept I pulled out an Airfix Typhoon which I will finish in a matching scheme.

The Wirraways resin cowling was warped so I found a 1/25 car wheel that fitted, jammed it into the cowling and sat it in almost boiling water.  Hopefully that will have brought it back into round.

The Me 262 got some more PPP on wing joints and engine cowlings.  I'm PSRing this in stages as I assemble it as I think if I left it to when it was all together I would have trouble getting into all the corners.

Mrs z asked me why I hadn't yet built the Kawanishi Mavis she gave me yesterday and as I was explaining that I needed to get inspiration for whiffing it, and what whiffing was she said "oh, like if you made it a steam punk flying boat".
So that's one idea for it.  Maybe part of Captain Fat Hamster's Sky Pirates air fleet?

[PR19_Kit]

Mrs z asked me why I hadn't yet built the Kawanishi Mavis she gave me yesterday and as I was explaining that I needed to get inspiration for whiffing it, and what whiffing was she said "oh, like if you made it a steam punk flying boat".
So that's one idea for it.  Maybe part of Captain Fat Hamster's Sky Pirates air fleet?

Does it come with a beaching trolley? 

If so you could add a boiler and a 2 cylinder engine to move it up the beach.

[zenrat]

It has smallish wheels attached to the sides of the hull and a small trolley at the back.
Having seen Kit's marvellous trolley i'm tempted to create something similar (but much simpler).

[zenrat]

Primer on the Me 262 "bomb" today.  I had a moment of panic yesterday when I couldn't find the stabilisers or the rudder.
According to the sprue map in the destructions they should have been together on a small sprue.  This was a pre-loved kit but the sprues were bagged so I couldn't blame anyone but myself.
This kit has the "bomb" and launching trolley in one box and the "bomber" in the other and upon checking the "bomber" box I discovered that the sprues for that aircraft included two rudders and four stabilisers.  Obviously MPM had changed the sprue layout without changing the destructions.  Or the map was just wrong.
I'm toying with replacing the bomber nose Me 262 "bomber" with a Bf109 or Fw190 so I can keep it as a stand alone build.

Hot water and a wheel fixed the Wirraway cowling but it needed some serious fettling in order to fit snugly.  Exhaust cut outs had to be filed.  I also had to rebuild the inner lip at the front after I trimmed off a bit too much when cleaning it up and making the hole round.  With the (resin) engine glued in place (it had to be to check the cowling fit) it got a coat of primer yesterday followed by more filler where needed today.

The Delica is on hold.  I've primed it again over the "damage" I added but I am waiting for some plastic rings I ordered from Evil-Bay with which I shall be building a mounting for a 0.5" machine gun.  I did however have a burst of enthusiasm and made progress with a '68 Mustang Cobra Jet Super Stock I have been slowly putting together.  It's a Revell kit and they used their 1/25 die cast moulds.  This means that the construction is a bit simplified in places (its designed to be assembled very quickly by cheap labour in far east factories) but it should look OK with paint detailing and modifying the more crass simplifications like the front axle through the engine which I have engineered away with stub axles and the hole filled.

Kittyhawk is nearly ready for clear and decals while it's sibling Typhoon is delayed as I have realised that I can't do my usual trick and slot the pilot into his seat just before attaching the canopy as he's too wide and will need to be in his seat when the fuselage is closed up.  No progress can therefore be made until he is painted.

[NARSES2]

Your having fun with the Wirraway, aren't you ? 

[scooter]

Kittyhawk is nearly ready for clear and decals while it's sibling Typhoon is delayed as I have realised that I can't do my usual trick and slot the pilot into his seat just before attaching the canopy as he's too wide and will need to be in his seat when the fuselage is closed up.  No progress can therefore be made until he is painted.

[zenrat]

Your having fun with the Wirraway, aren't you ? 

Actually, I am enjoying it.  If every kit fell together without a problem then I think i'd soon get bored.  The combination of good kits, less good kits, simple kits, complicated kits, whiffs, kit bashes and scratchbuilding keeps me interested.  It just gets frustrating when something I think is going to be one thing turns out to be another.
But then i've now bought enough A Model and early Special Hobby/MPM kits to know not to get too excited about the subject until I see inside the box.
The Wirraway caught me out as it looked good but turned out to be a little too complex for its own good.  I think they were being a bit too ambitious when they designed it.
But, as a wise man once said there are no bad kits, just challenges.  And i'm beating this one.
A touch of sanding and more primer today.  I'll look at rescribing lost detail next and then colour.

Kittyhawk is nearly ready for clear and decals while it's sibling Typhoon is delayed as I have realised that I can't do my usual trick and slot the pilot into his seat just before attaching the canopy as he's too wide and will need to be in his seat when the fuselage is closed up.  No progress can therefore be made until he is painted.

I'd forgotten about the P40 in 1941.  Unfortunately Hasegawa mould their pilot as a slim chap in RAF flying gear complete with Mae West (interesting considering i've given it a desert paint job) rather than someone with a shape more like John Belushi.
Attached exhausts to the Kittyhawk today (Revell Lancaster) painted them and then touched up the paint around them.
And then touched up the paint around them again but this time with the correct colour.  I then gloss cleared it ready for decals.

[NARSES2]

Actually, I am enjoying it.  If every kit fell together without a problem then I think i'd soon get bored.  The combination of good kits, less good kits, simple kits, complicated kits, whiffs, kit bashes and scratchbuilding keeps me interested.  It just gets frustrating when something I think is going to be one thing turns out to be another.

But then i've now bought enough A Model and early Special Hobby/MPM kits to know not to get too excited about the subject until I see inside the box.
The Wirraway caught me out as it looked good but turned out to be a little too complex for its own good.  I think they were being a bit too ambitious when they designed it.

Yup. That's why when I have 3 kits going at a time (currently 4) I like to have a variety of quality going on. Agree re SH being a tad to ambitious with the Wirraway. Given the quality of their Gnat and Mirage F.1 it would be interesting to see what they'd do with it today. It came just a year or so early, before they made the leap forward that they have now. The only problem is that they, like a lot of manufacturers, have a strange definition of the word NEW. You have to be very careful when reading that in a product description as sometimes it just means new parts, and they forget to mention that in their blurb unless you read the small print.

[zenrat]

...The only problem is that they, like a lot of manufacturers, have a strange definition of the word NEW. You have to be very careful when reading that in a product description as sometimes it just means new parts, and they forget to mention that in their blurb unless you read the small print.

Which is where scalemates comes in handy.  Or asking here.
Can't always do that though if one is in a shop browsing the shelves.
I have a number of other MPM/Special Hobby kits;

• Blohm & Voss P.194 is an early one with poor fit, soft detail and a lousy (piston) engine.  I've started it, reached the PSR stage and put it back in the box.  I plan to swap in an Airfix FW190 engine and cowling.
• Hunting Percival Pembroke looks better than the B&V but not as good as the current stuff.  Still bagged, no idea about fit.
• Ju 87A looks very good with crisp detail.  Obviously can't judge fit in the box though.
• Me 262 Mistel is discussed above.
• Northrop N3 PB has softish detail.  Interior is simplified, instructions are vague and there is no indication of where to attach it inside the fuselage halves.  According to AMW the floats need reworking to get them at the correct angle.  This is another one i've started and then stopped on.  IIRC wings & fuselage fit isn't too bad.
• CH37B Mojave is lacking an interior.  Moulding isn't as good as the Stuka and Seafire but considering the subject I may forgive this one any transgressions.  It's still bagged so no idea about fit.
• Sud Aviation Vatour.  To be honest I can't remember but I think its one of the better ones.  Still bagged, no idea about fit.
• Seafire 47.  Very nice.  Good crisp detail.  One of those kits where as soon as you open the box you want to dive straight in.  I have somehow managed to resist but have borrowed some of the spare parts (it has 19 different rudders, 43 stabilisers and 68 propellers). Still bagged, no idea about fit.
• Yak 23.  Same as the Seafire.

I also had an MPM Spitfire MK XVIII of which Lee said "the whole front end is wrong being a distinct banana shape, the gull wing isn't pronounced enough, the area behind the cockpit is cut away under the canopy when the fuselage should continue (see the far superior Heller 16 and Airfix 22) and the wheels are crap".  It had a strange rough texture on some parts, oodles of flash and you needed to cut down the fuselage to build it as a bubble top.  I used it for parts.  The wings went onto an Me 109 fuselage.

No modelling scheduled today as I am on Uncle duty.

[NARSES2]

I've more SH/MPM/Azure kits then all the others in the stash I think ? Definately by far my most "popular" manufacturer in terms of purchases. I think it's the eclectic nature of their choices ?

The Ju 87 has come out in at least 3 boxing's, I've all of them  ,. The earliest looks very simple and limited run, the latter boxings look far more professional. Only built the early boxing and it went together o.k. as long as you accepted it wasn't a Tamiya kit.

Just checked ; I still have 3 of the most recent boxing's, all different 

[zenrat]

I have more Airfix than anything else closely followed by Hasegawa.