Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

I finished the Dog Jeep yesterday.
Plan has always been to glue it to a piece of slate along with some figures in order to make a display base for my Chad Grach.
The aim being to enter it into expo in a few weeks.
Chad Grach on base 02 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Chad Grach on base 03 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
And then I picked it up by the corner of the slate not shown in the pics...

...which snapped off depositing the whole thing onto the concrete floor.
Surprisingly, while many parts came loose (weapons, UC doors, jeep body) there was no irreparable damage other than the male Dog Squad soldiers head which I couldn't find.  Shows how tough the Su-25 is...
It's all back together now but when the pylons came loose they took paint with them which will be tricky to touch up invisibly so it might not now make it to expo.


Other than that I have started work on a new, huge storage/display unit on wheels using (as far as possible) surplus timber I have left over from other projects.

[TheChronicOne]

Aww man that sucks!!   Blasted slate with it's shedding properties!! 

It needs Class-A Rehab but will be fine for the expo I'm sure of it.

Sure looks good. That jeep is killer!


EDIT:  Random aside: There was a baseball team in Canada named the Expos and I always thought that was a bit unusual name for a sports team. I digress.. . .. .

[63cpe]

That base of slate is looking excellent! great idea!

The froogfoot and Jeepee look the part! absolutly smashing! Thanks for sharing

David

[NARSES2]

Ah that's a bit of a so and so mate  Glad the damage wasn't irreperable  It certainly looks the business 

[zenrat]

Thanks guys.
I touched up the blue on the undersides today but in the process managed to ping off the small aerial on the spine behind the cockpit.

Zero got a coat of clear in preparation for decals.

Also, primed El Beau's nacelles (I spent Satyrday supergluing the cooling flaps to my fingers).

[zenrat]

Today;

• El Beau cowlings undercoated.
• Kitty Zero decals on (although micro sol ate the wing upper ones and I need to replace them).
• Some engine and body parts primed on MPC Fire Truck show rod.
• A couple of decals on a Model Master Mercster I painted sometime last year.
• Vertical tails glued onto Flying Banananana.
• Ural Peace Truck got rear lights & indicators.
• Javelina PSR completed.

[Old Wombat]

Busy boy!

[zenrat]

It looks that way but they are all small steps.
Today I replaced the shagged kitty decals, undercoated some more parts, modified El Beau's cowlings so I could use the standard intakes with them, photographed and then put away The Peace truck, put away the Chad Grach, painted the first colour coat on the Javelina and looked at masking the canopy on the Flying Banananana.
After sticking one piece of tape onto the H-21 glazing I realised that the framing was moulded very finely and it was going to be a real PitA to cut accurately so I went indoors and ordered an Eduard mask set for it.
I don't normally mask and attach glazing before painting but in this case it will be easier than masking the exposed cockpit (i've already snapped off the port collective 3 times) and pilot.

Mrs z and I have been binge watching Gotham on the idiot's lantern.  This has got me thinking about my ongoing project to build GCPD cars.  So far i've built a 65 Chevy and a 97 Pontiac.  In my Gotham the cops drive green and white cars with orange bumpers.
65 Chevy GCPD 001 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
So i've been thinking about what the next one should be.  I have a Revell '50 Oldsmobile Club Coupe which given it was a V8 would make a good Highway Patrol car.  but then I also have a Moebius '55 Chrysler 300 which has a Hemi.
Or there's the MPC '87 Pontiac Fiero.  Decisions decision decisions...

[scooter]

Or there's the MPC '87 Pontiac Fiero.  Decisions decision decisions...

You could always build the Fiero as a burned out shell.  True story- my mother had one, and whilst we're stuck in traffic on one of the state highways that leads to the GWB on a lovely summer day, she's watching the temp gauge climb ever higher into the red.  We managed to get off at the next exit and cooled down, but she was tres concerned about it ever after.  Of course, if we'd been running the AC, it probably wouldn't have happened, but you can never tell with NYC traffic.

[NARSES2]

Nice cop cars Fred 

I must admit Gotham is one of my secret pleasures 

[zenrat]

Thanks Chris.
Scoot - there is something about Fieros.  I think they really hit the mark when they drew them up.  Looks wise anyway.

Here's where I am with the Kraz.  Next step is the cab.
Kraz WIP 31-5-18 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

And here's where I am with my new storage and display unit.
Shed Dresser by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
That's the basic structural framework which will be skinned with ply.  As I was working on this I didn't do too much modelling other than a lick of paint on the Javelina and El Beau's cowlings.

[scooter]

Scoot - there is something about Fieros.  I think they really hit the mark when they drew them up.  Looks wise anyway.

Pretty much.  At least they didn't explode when rear-ended.

Although they do seem to be a 24 Hours of Lemons favorite

[PR19_Kit]

A buddy of mine in Minneapolis had a Fiero, but I could have sworn it had a V6. Did they build them like that or had he shoehorned it in there?

It went like stink, but its handling in the limit was a tad questionable, I once lost it totally on a freeway off ramp and nearly went back the way we came! 

[scooter]

A buddy of mine in Minneapolis had a Fiero, but I could have sworn it had a V6. Did they build them like that or had he shoehorned it in there?

It went like stink, but its handling in the limit was a tad questionable, I once lost it totally on a freeway off ramp and nearly went back the way we came! 

According to Wiki, GM squeezed a 140hp 2.8L V6 in there.  And, IIRC, that was the model my mother bought as her "midlife crisis" car.

[jcf]

A number Fierarro body kits are around, including one offered through
Pontiac dealers.

https://www.carthrottle.com/post/one-rarest-american-cars-counterfeit-ferrari-308/