Zenrat's Flying Circus

[zenrat]

Thanks Rick.
None of this is required to build the model T, but it is interesting.

[Rick Lowe]

Thanks Rick.
None of this is required to build the model T, but it is interesting.

Indeed! 

[zenrat]

Indeed indeedy.


Chassis is now ready for painting.  A number of delicate components glued to a simple construction of two rails and two crossmembers.  The real things would have given meaning to the phrase "flexi flyer" I feel.

'49 Ford is finished.  No pics yet but I should be able to snap some tomorrow.

Swift fuselage halves are together.  Some PSR and nose weight is needed before fitting the exhaust and then the wings.

La-200b has fuselage closed up and wings attached.  Do the wings fit?  Do they f**k.  Why did I expect them to?  Much filing and sanding and gnashing of teeth was required to get even a poor fit.  But they will stay on - addition of metal pins into the roots made sure of that..  PSR followed by rescribing lost detail will obviously be required.
The only saving grace with this kit is that the huge radar nose provides plenty of space for nose weight.
I have two other kits by A&A - Mirage IV and Il-102 - which I was looking forward to building.  I'm not so sure now.

And rigging continues slowly on The Sea Witch.  I'm developing my technique as I go so each new line is slightly better than the last.  So far so good - today I even managed not to have to cut one off and redo.

[Rick Lowe]

The one ship model I rigged was an exercise in frustration, as I had to be very careful not to over-tighten a line, as that made all the previous ones slacken up...   

I lost count of the times I had to take one off and reattach it. 

Thankfully, I had thread to spare (well, just...) and was using superglue.

Still, it was for Mum and she was happy with it, so it came out alright in the end.

...though I did forget/ran out of time to make a case for it... when I can visit her again I will take measurements for a nice perspex case. And do a lot of careful dust removal...

[NARSES2]

And rigging continues slowly on The Sea Witch.  I'm developing my technique as I go so each new line is slightly better than the last.  So far so good - today I even managed not to have to cut one off and redo.

Good to here that you are gradually developing your technique and hopefully a rhythm  Hope once finished you are not to self critical with your earlier efforts for their in lies endless frustration 

[Rick Lowe]

And rigging continues slowly on The Sea Witch.  I'm developing my technique as I go so each new line is slightly better than the last.  So far so good - today I even managed not to have to cut one off and redo.

Good to here that you are gradually developing your technique and hopefully a rhythm  Hope once finished you are not to self critical with your earlier efforts for their in lies endless frustration 

Agree!  I know this, etc etc...

[zenrat]

And rigging continues slowly on The Sea Witch.  I'm developing my technique as I go so each new line is slightly better than the last.  So far so good - today I even managed not to have to cut one off and redo.

Good to here that you are gradually developing your technique and hopefully a rhythm  Hope once finished you are not to self critical with your earlier efforts for their in lies endless frustration 

Hopefully not.  I'm building it for my Brother-in-law so at least when its done it'll be moved to his house where his kids will wreck it I won't have to see it every day but can visit regularly.

Anyhoo, here is one picture of the 49 Ford.  Took it on the table at a club meeting last night.  Lighting is rubbish and you can't see the flames.  I'll take some better ones.

49 Ford Blue Car - 7 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[zenrat]

Watching WW2 in colour.  Interesting footage of Panzer 4s in Africa.  They were still in Grey paint but the crews and troops with/on them had DAK uniforms.  Presumably freshly delivered armour.
It struck me this would make a good build for someone wanting an argument at a show.

[NARSES2]

It struck me this would make a good build for someone wanting an argument at a show.

Especially if you had the clip on your smart  phone for that "tarah" moment 

Some of the really interesting North African colour schemes, especially Luftwaffe ones, are in the very early days of German involvement when they were using Italian paints.

[zenrat]

More pics of the Ford.
While looking in my stash for some wheels for something else I opened an AMT '49 Ford Club Coupe box and found it contained both a complete '49 Ford and all the parts leftover from building this '50 Ford convertible.
50 Ford Kustom 003 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
This fired my enthusiasm and I resolved to finally build this kit using only the parts in the box.
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 3 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
I've shaved all the trim and removed the rear light bulges from the rear wings.  Front and rear roll pans are custom parts from one of the kits as is the grille bar.  I frenched both front and rear lights and lowered the suspension at both ends.  The engine is the optional Lincoln V8 from the kit with a triple carb induction setup while I built a custom interior from parts in the box including a RHD conversion, a television mounted in the centre console and Giraffe skin upholstery.  The wheels are the only plastic parts that were not in the box.  I have no idea what they are from, I was given them by a club member.
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 12 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Paint was originally meant to be shiny blue on blue flames (painted with a mask from Lazy Modeller) but I screwed up the clear.  Trying to rescue it with satin clear only made it worse.  It was headed to the stripping tank but then I remembered Lee saying something about people being too quick strip when they could save what they had done.  I polished it back revealing different layers in different places. This is meant to replicate a mild custom built in the sixties which has been driven and cared for for sixty years and whose paint has worn as the result of regular polishing.
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 9 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 10 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 15 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 13 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
49 Ford Blue Car 0. - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Here's a standard(ish) '49 Ford.

[Dizzyfugu]

Very nice, I esp. like the paint finish with the "layer look". Very subtle, and looks really good, IMHO. 

[zenrat]

Thanks Dizz.  The subtlety is probably due to the fact that when I opened the tin I discovered my cutting compound had dried up so I couldn't use it.  If it had been usable I suspect subtlety would have gone out of the window.

[su27rules]

 

[Rick Lowe]

 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

La-200b now has all the flying surfaces.
Swift now has various internal areas painted interior green.