Chronic's Research and Aeronautics Project (C.R.A.P.)

[kerick]

I have to try one of those and go all Buck Rodgers on it.

[TheChronicOne]

Yes sir!! Do it to it! I'd love to see that and GMTA because of the others (here) have had the same sentiments. Ya'll are on to something!!

Meanwhile have I missed it or there any updates to the plates project?  I've been wondering about that lately. . . . 

[kerick]

Sadly no progress other than locating a flashing LED assembly from an unused Christmas decoration to light the bottom "hyperdrive" portion. I need to figure out how to add an LED to light the upper dome. Nothing difficult but putting in so many hours at work leaves little time for building.

I like the slice of geode you used in your pics.

[TheChronicOne]

Man, I just had to show you guys this! Remember the conversation about the aztecing and what not? Well, I'd like to provide an update pic from Butch Bryan. His starship is going to be a medical ship "whif" IIRC, but anyway.. sticking to the topic....  here's the end result of his aztecing:



Considering the "whif" nature of the build, still, I'd say this is much closer to what would be seen on an actual model used for an actual film or in the least much more in line with what we've already seen in the Trek films. 

I thought it was pretty cool and was what you guys were talking about when it comes to verisimilitude. I still see the merit in some of the over done stuff but can't help but agree that this right here is more appealing.  It conjures up actual images and memories of the Trek films and TV series'.

[kerick]

Well done! It adds visual interest without taking over the look of the model.

[TheChronicOne]

Sadly no progress other than locating a flashing LED assembly from an unused Christmas decoration to light the bottom "hyperdrive" portion. I need to figure out how to add an LED to light the upper dome. Nothing difficult but putting in so many hours at work leaves little time for building.

I like the slice of geode you used in your pics.

I understand the time constraints! I'm just glad the project is still ongoing..  the whole idea is really neat.   

Thanks! I like geodes, too... blue is my color and I love minerals and stones and all that. I have a nifty rock collection, small, but I enjoy it so it's nice to see someone else appreciate some of it, too.

I figured it would be a good pedestal for this ship as there are no stands with these.  It goes pretty good with the cardboard space jive that is the insert to a Star Trek Micro Machines set.

"No stands" has also lead me to thoughts of creating a dio for these..

[TheChronicOne]

Masked and put some paint on the Camo Spyplane stuff over in the OKGB....  I got tired of that thing whoopin my azz and I decided to fight back and won this round handily. It's drying up and will have the third and final bit of paint applied tomorrow afternoon, the good Lord willing..


For now, since all I'm doing is sittin here trying to conserve and regain energy and let my bones rest up from work I think I'll get back to the F-84! I actually did a small bit of work yesterday in the way of painting the other half of the wheel hubs and gluing the external fuel tanks to their pylons.

Proof that I am actually doing something to this thing...

[TheChronicOne]

In an unexpected change of events I've started working on a 1/144 Junker Ju88 that I'm slapping together to use as a test bed. It has no glass, no propellers, no instructions, no decals, missing a strut, uhhh... probably some other things. I've been dragging together all sort of weird things like an old pink propeller from those styrofoam gliders, a marker top, and chunk of clear sprue, etc. I'm going to get it done pretty fast.

In other news, the HAWK is coming along nicely. I unmasked the camo and 95% of looking pretty good. One part didn't look quite right so I remasked it to add more color and also a few places where I used filler...well... the paint didn't adhere to the filler and came off with my masking tape so I'm using a reverse mask and going back to patch it up. Also, the bottom needs a bit more black where I glue the wing back on while the bottom was still masked.  I've already done all the masking so it should take less than 10 minutes to get the paint "fixed" then I can gloss.

[TheChronicOne]

Changed my mind on the pink propeller. Now I'm giving it two opposite rotating single blade propellers onto larger engine (with larger engine cowling!)  I'm deleting the cockpit as it was and filling it and the glass nose in. I'll move the cockpit toward the rear.

I used part of a colored marker cap to fill in where the cockpit used to be and I used a spinner off a combo with props as the nose piece.. I just had to cup and chop and file it until it was the proper diameter. The reason I sacrificed it was one prop blade was missing.. this is why I went with single blade props.. I only have two to go around instead of the 6 I'd like. 

I've nothing to use for a canopy but maybe I'll just do something like glue some toothpicks together and put light clear plastic behind it who knows.. I'm not trying to get TOO involved with this.

Picture in your mind if you will, this not being a medium sized bomber sized 1/144 but more like a 1/72 sized P-38. 

[TheChronicOne]

I just noticed I said "picture in your mind if you will" in the last post.   I was watching a Twilight Zone marathon the other day...  funny how the mind works!  That's not a phrase I'd normally say but I guess the sub conscience picked up on it. Are any of our thoughts truly our own??   Ok, enough philosophy.

Work proceeds on the U2 Spyplane that refuses to be tamed. I finally managed to get the paint where I can live with it now I just need to throw down a coat of gloss. It's on hold until my places to paint (spray) are acceptable. I've half a mind to go to go to the spare bedroom (used as storage) and do it there...  It's on the south side of the house and the wind is out of the North by a fair clip so I could open the window and spray in there. The more of this can of beer I drink the more appealing this sounds. 

Anyway...  F-84!!!  I've been painting the canopy which has a fair amount of frame work. It's simple but there's a good bit of it. I'm just brushing/toothpicking it on then letting it dry then back with a different toothpick to clean up the lines. It's work great so far!  This is all that is holding me up, really. Once I get it painted I'll glue it on then I'll gloss coat it all and start transfers.

Also, there are some clear things that go on the front of the tip tanks..  lights or some crap I guess. I will glue them on at the same time but the rest of the fiddly stuff stays off until last.
The craftsmanship (mine own!! ) is less than stellar but I'm hoping the overall look, the scheme, the colors, and the subject matter make it a worthy airplane.     I imagine I'll be done with it within a week.


I haven't done anything with the 1/144 experiment today but thoughts have been rollin in my mind what to call it. It's a unique plane so "Ju-88" has to go. 

[TheChronicOne]

This could be a really AWESOME day for kit building!!! I could very well finish up TWO planes on the same day!  The F/U-2 H.A.W.K. for the OKGB will certainly be done and the f-84 Thunderjet could very well be done, too! I put two coats of clear on it yesterday, finished painting the canopy and windscreen, got the wheels glued to the struts, and a couple other things I can't recall right now. I just need, now, to put transfers on it then let them set up then I can glue on the fiddly bits then it should be done, too!  For an older kit this Heller F-84 sure is pretty nice.. 

One thing... I learned that you can't spray clear coat on clear parts. AH WELL, it still looks pretty neat although it looks more like that frosted glass you see on shower doors and the like.   

[TheChronicOne]

Finished the Old Kit Group Build U2- Spyplane! Go have a look there if you like. 

http://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php/topic,42895.0.html

I'll add some pics and stuff to my "finished builds" thread too at some point. Hell, I still need to drop my Romulan ship pictures in there, too... but uhh... lazy bone? Yeah. 

Sad news to report on my lil F-84.     Now, not only have I butchered (yet another  ) canopy, I've also caused some of the white paint to craze by being too heavy handed with the clear!!!  I'm still learning on my painting and more so on the clear because.. well, ya can't see it as well..   I'm getting better but still.. the thing crazed up and I wasn't wanting that to happen because I'm pressing on; I'm not trying to get any more involved in this than I already am. So, it won't be getting fixed.  It'll look fine despite the crazing ("it's replicating... the uhhh... Molossian paint was substandard that year and the painter forgot to wash the skin!! ")   .. and lesson learned.

With the big push to finish the Spyplane and the current "let down" on my F-84 I'm going to drop all this stuff for a day or few.. or week. I think I'll play some video games and just relax. I've been doing quite a bit of modeling lately and I don't want to burn out or anything.

Still... when I get done with my short hiatus I have not only the 1/2500 Klingon D7 but also the same scale Enterprise NCC 1701 to continue on and also my little Junkers 88 test bed build. I had a thought on that the other day going back to some crafts I did in 6th grade. I'm going to dry a crazy paint scheme and experiment with application methods. I want to try to attain a camo effect.  The technique involves spraying paint onto the surface of water contained in a bucket... then, you can either go for it or use a stick or some such to swirl the paint a bit to make patterns. Then, you simply dip the piece in and pull it out and presto.. in a matter of 2 seconds you have a "marbelized" paint job (or camo in this case as I want to have more solid, thicker patterns instead of more thin and "wispy" marbel like pattern). 

Pretty neat idea, right??  I was looking at Tophe's neat lil Twin Tigco and Bronger planes he just finished and the cool paint jobs... and someone mentioned them looking like marble a bit and I suddenly had this flashback to this 6th grade crafting project.  Anyway, I'm itching to try it. I'm hope with enough trial and error and I can come up with a simple way to apply a lightning fast camo job.

[zenrat]

Good luck with the marbled paint effect.
I've tried it on car models without much success.
If you can pull it off I may have another go.

[TheChronicOne]

I'm thinking my biggest problem will be in achieving more solid shapes instead of the paint dispersing and "thinning" too quickly. I'm thinking I want the water to be as still as possible and I'll spray a nice bit of paint on one half and another on the other half (or in three segments) and make it pretty thick so they don't comingle so much.. then I'll slowly as can be swirl them together without causing too much wave action and maybe then I'll have more solid, larger shapes instead of the more "chaotic" marble looking stuff with thin veins and lots of splotches.  It all sounds good on paper, we'll see how it works in practice! 

[TheChronicOne]

Just saw this on the Greatest PLanes That Never were FB page..  I like this.  From The Simpsons. A pretty decently drawn 707 I'd say!



I wonder what font that is?