Zenrat's Flying Circus

[Rick Lowe]

 

[zenrat]

I'm getting sick of this enforced break from the bench - I've started dreaming about model building.

I had planned to catch up on my reading however Mrs z brought along her Nintendo switch and i've been sucked into playing either Mario Karts or Mario + Rabbids.  We also spent Sunday afternoon playing Everdell - a boardgames I got her for xmas last year.
I have done some reading though.  A draft of a forum members second sci fi novel.

Other than that i've been entertaining myself making a list of all the faults this airBnB has.  From dripping taps to the fly screen on the front door coming off its hinges.

If all things go to plan we should move back home on Friday.  I can't wait.  I have next week off so hope to do some catching up with my bench.

[NARSES2]

Hope it all goes according to plan mate 

[Rick Lowe]

Hope it all goes according to plan mate 

+1 

[zenrat]

Back home.  Yay!

No furniture until Tuesday.  Camping in the house using air bed and garden furniture.  Still yay!  Better than the AirBnB.

Mice in the pantry during our absence.  Not yay.  Hopefully Charlie the Wonder dog will sic 'em.

BNA sent me a link to this.  I am most taken with it.  Except for the price ($AU113)!

[NARSES2]

Good to hear you're back home ?

Odd the mice have appeared since you've been away    As for dogs and mice ? Some will have a go at them, some will simply ignore them and I knew one that virtually adopted them ! Best of luck with them.

[zenrat]

Not the first mice here.  We'll get the poisoner back if we need to and the traps are in the garage.

[NARSES2]

Not the first mice here.  We'll get the poisoner back if we need to and the traps are in the garage.

Ah right, best of luck with them.

[Pellson]

Good to see you're let back. Home is home. The rest will work out.
 

[zenrat]

Good to see you're let back. Home is home. The rest will work out.
 

Too true my friend.

Got back to my bench today.
I really need to get a wiggle on with the Chrysler Turbine car.  Deadline is 21st May

[zenrat]

Happy St George's Day to those who worry about such things.
Enjoy your day in the English Pub drinking your Red/White beer while dressed as a crusader.
Cheerio oh bottoms up!
 


Ballarat show is now less than a month away so progress on the Turbine car is imperative.
I have painted it (gold) and managed to clear it without a major faux up.  First coats of paint I put on too heavily and it crazed and I also managed to get slightly different shades on different body parts.  But I sanded it back lightly where I needed to, taped all the parts together and carefully (and with patience) put down more gold paint getting a consistent colour with no crazing.  After that the clear coats were just a matter of being carefull.
Oh, and as autumn has struck all this had to be done on days were it was warm enough and not humid.
Finish is not the super shiny "drowned in clear" finish some car modellers strive for but rather a scale shine which is what i prefer anyway.  There is one area where some slight crazing is visible under the clear if you know where to look and get the light at the right angle but i'm not going to point that out and therefore it won't get seen    .
So, now I have to attack the chrome on the body, the vinyl roof, and the roof lining inside.
For the theme build we are only allowed to use what is in the box plus putty, paint, and glue.  This means no bare metal foil.
Good news is that this kit came with a piece of foil.  Bad news is it is late sixties foil (yes, this kit is as old as me) which is a lot thicker than what we get these days with very very sticky glue.  I shall therefore only use it on the lower body trim (I want people to challenge it's use so I can point to the box top and go ner ner ner-ner ner  ) and use a molotov chrome pen on the scripts and window frames.
To reproduce a vinyl roof texture in 1/25 I would normally stick masking tape on the roof which I would paint.  As there is no masking tape in the box I can't do this so I will have to reply on the moulded in texture which is quite subtle.  Which means carefull with the thickness of the paint applied.
Compared to that the roof lining is easy - just paint it an appropriate colour and flat clear it.
Interior tub is complete.  Wheels and tyres are complete.  Engine is complete.  Suspension is complete.  There are still a few fiddly bits to paint but once the body work mentioned above is done then it is basically final assembly work...
...but given this has opening doors, bonnet, and boot then that might not be as simple as it sounds.

Body before clear.
Chrysler Turbine Car WIP 14-04-2023 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Old Wombat]

Looking good, Fred!

[PR19_Kit]

That's looking the business Fred! 

The Turbine's an awesome looking car anyway, and your model looks like it's going to be one too. I saw a 1:1 scale Turbine in the Harrah Museum in Reno a zillion years ago, and that wasn't the shiniest finish in the place, by a long chalk.

Were all the real ones the same colour?

[DogfighterZen]

That tub looks good indeed...  reminds me that i'd like to build a Dodge Charger...

[PR19_Kit]

........reminds me that i'd like to build a Dodge Charger...

Oh yes! I've got a Monogram ProModeller Charger, a '68 RT I think, that's just crying out to be built!

I did the earlier '66 car from the MPC/Airfix kit umpteen years ago, and that's impressive, but not as stylish as the '69/'69 car to my mind.