Zenrat's Flying Circus

zenrat · October 10, 2019, 04:06:07 AM

Quote from: joncarrfarrelly on October 09, 2019, 12:19:10 PM
Quote from: ericr on October 09, 2019, 03:56:33 AM

oh I didn't realize the original B25 was that much gull winged

Technically speaking it's not a gull-winged aircraft....

It is now.

If anyone is considering building a Mitchell then I can thoroughly recommend that they buy something other than the Italeri kit. It's not as bad as the old Airfix mould but it does suffer from poor parts fit and what interior detail there is is very simple. By all accounts the Hasegawa B-25 is a good kit (although it seems to be scarce) and of course there is the new Airfix. I want to build another Mitchell and so am on the look out for either of these.
I had limited time at the bench today which I spent solely on the El Camino for the GB.

NARSES2 · October 10, 2019, 06:07:56 AM

Go with the Airfix one mate, it's a nice kit. Goes together nicely

zenrat · October 11, 2019, 04:25:35 AM

I shall await their arrival here on this fine shore...

...prolly about 2023 going on past performance. $:-\$

Other than work on the GB El Camino and SkyCabRaider today I slapped some putty on the Mitchell today. PSR shouldn't be too much of a chore (famous last words eh!) as i'm not creating new profiles, just levelling out and matching up. I also cleaned out surplus PPP from the engraved detail on the Analogue and glued on some more of the many small scoops, vents and other surface detail Modelsvit include as separate parts. I'm itching to mask this and throw some primer on it but i'm forcing myself to slow down and check carefully that I have attached everything that needs attaching before paint.

zenrat · October 15, 2019, 03:44:34 AM

I've been adding nose weight to the Mitch.
I completely filled the solid nose with PVA and Liquid Gravity.
That wasn't enough.
I then added a blanking plate under the control panel and filled the space above the cockpit floor from the control panel to where the nose attaches wtth PVA & LG.
That was just enough but it would still tail sit if provoked so I then built a partition to enclose the space under the cockpit floor but above the nose wheel bay (a false roof to the UC bay). I have yet to fill this with weight. It should do the trick though.
Bear in mind that all this was needed despite the fact that I moved the wings about 1/4" rearwards when reattaching them after the surgery.

NARSES2 · October 15, 2019, 06:23:58 AM

Odd, the new Airfix one isn't that bad by the sound of it, although it does need to have some in the nacelles as well as the nose wheel bay. You'd expect them to be fairly similar Or would you ?

jcf · October 15, 2019, 09:55:23 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on October 15, 2019, 06:23:58 AM
Odd, the new Airfix one isn't that bad by the sound of it, although it does need to have some in the nacelles as well as the nose wheel bay. You'd expect them to be fairly similar Or would you ?

All the interior bits of the new Airfix would make a difference.

zenrat · October 16, 2019, 02:36:46 AM

And don't forget i've added a large vertical tail and widened the stabilisers. Lots of filler there.

Hardly any modelling today - work reared it's ugly head.

NARSES2 · October 16, 2019, 06:03:54 AM

Both good points

zenrat · October 17, 2019, 03:57:59 AM

Got a bit of time in the shed today.
The void under the cockpit floor is now filled with PVA and liquid gravity. It now sits very nicely and I have glued the solid nose on.

zenrat · October 20, 2019, 05:14:44 AM

Uncle duties this weekend.
Spent a lot of time building and then playing Lego boardgames.
We also finished the helmet off.

Helmet 01 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Helmet 02 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

I also taught him how to shave. A right of passage which felt me as his father was killed when he was six months old. His mums been nagging me to do it but I refused until he came and asked me - i figured it was up to him ti decide it was time, not her. He's had a scruffy little bumfluffy 'tasche for a year or so.
I gave him a brand new three blade disposable razor and some shaving cream and talked him through it. I figure it was better to learn wet shaving as then if he gets and electric it's easier. He made a good job of it managing to avoid slicing off any pimples and leaving just enough of a soul patch to irritate his teachers and mum. Good boy!

NARSES2 · October 20, 2019, 06:36:34 AM

Suits you sir

Well done on the shaving front

My dad used an electric, but taught me to wet shave and I've wet shaved since, never been able to get on with an electric.

So he learned on a 3 blade razor ? I think they go up to 5 now ? I learned on a good old fashioned Gillette Safety Razor, feel sorry for the generations that learned on a cut throat. As said - well done

PR19_Kit · October 20, 2019, 06:44:33 AM

I use both, wet shave first and then finish off with an electric.

It's a bit like PSRing your face, using finer and finer wet-and-dry I guess.

Rick Lowe · October 20, 2019, 10:29:44 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on October 20, 2019, 06:44:33 AM
It's a bit like PSRing your face, using finer and finer wet-and-dry I guess.

PSR-ing your face - that's a hoot!

I never managed to be able to avoid ingrown whiskers, so I stopped shaving decades ago.
Works for me.

Well done, Fred - on the Shaving and Helmet both.

zenrat · October 21, 2019, 02:31:36 AM

Learnt something new today. P-61s were used to shoot down V1s. Some of them flying from Ford in Sussex (which later saw Wyvern operations).

PPP day today. Lots of it applied to the Mitch, a little to the SkyCabRaider and the Analogue and some sanded off the Starfarrier (no new name yet). I then washed the Starfarrier to remove dust which also took some PPP off.
D'oh!

Latest subscription copy of AMW arrived so I spent a bit of time perusing that. The MiG 17 poster may have to go up in the shed - the box art side with it downing a Phantom.
I have a KP MiG 17 (radar nose) in the stash. Looking at the profiles on the other side of the posterI feel inspired to do a RWish build with it. Prolly one of the smaller African nations.
Looking at the build up in the mag I think that they should be albe to produce their own radar nose version simply by changing the separate intake ring part.

NARSES2 · October 21, 2019, 06:07:42 AM

Quote from: zenrat on October 21, 2019, 02:31:36 AM
Learnt something new today. P-61s were used to shoot down V1s. Some of them flying from Ford in Sussex (which later saw Wyvern operations).

Now that's interesting, but I can see where the turret armament would be useful. With the V.1 flying nice and steady the gunner has a chance to line it up. For one fleeting moment you had me thinking of a souped up Defiant performing the same role, but then I thought "how the hell would you soup it up ?"

I know Ford quite well and always think it should be in Essex when I hear the name. Whatever happens never mention that to the inhabitants though, they'd have a fit