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

Old Wombat · May 15, 2019, 02:48:32 AM

Airline Wars!

TheChronicOne · May 15, 2019, 08:42:53 AM

Could you imagine? Big planes like 747 would be capital ships and carriers and the like and the fighters are decked out in the glorious schemes of all the airlines, doing battle in the skies.

Rick Lowe · May 15, 2019, 11:31:56 AM

Now, that's just Crazy Talk... oh wait, this *is* a What-If site...

should we be worried, or just sit back and watch the fun and shenanigans ensue?

TheChronicOne · May 18, 2019, 09:18:10 AM

I think it would be glorious! Being one of my favorites, I can't help but wonder what fully armed F-16 would look like... in.. say........ I dunno... American Airlines or United livery. How about a Lufthansa Tornado or a bigazz BOAC Vulcan or something?!?!

Could come up with some weird story... like...when the U.S. " de-regulated " the airlines that they REALLY de-regulated the hell out of the airlines and something went wonky and they started buying military grade weapons to try to eliminate the competition with missiles instead of lower fares.

kerick · May 18, 2019, 02:59:20 PM

Protect your routes at all costs!!

TheChronicOne · May 18, 2019, 03:52:54 PM

That's the spirit, brotha!!!

TheChronicOne · May 20, 2019, 02:20:34 AM

I feel like ARSSSSSSSSE (actually, by time I finally posted all this I'm feeling a lot better already).

Woke up at 3, hoping it was 6. Too much on my mind and today is a big day for multiple reasons so I just got up. This is what I was doing last year anyway(as early as 1:30AM which I'd like to never do ever again. ANYTHING prior to 2:30 is too early no matter what) and I need to get used to waking up early but 3AM is pushing it. Oh well, once daylight arrives I'll feel better.

We have big time weather moving in today. A 5/5 on the "dangerous weather" scale so in the least there will be severe storms and we're expecting lots of hail and tornadoes. The timing of all this means I may only get one or two lawns mowed (I have 4 scheduled again) and of course trash is first but I'll do at least half of that before sunrise. BUUUUUT... looks like I might get rained out and will be home working on models. The chance of rain is up to 100% at the 9 oclock "area" so I'll be hard pressed to get any mowing done seeing as how the sunrises around 7:25. We'll see how it goes!

I'd like to finish the paint work on the F-4 if I can. It's pretty close now. I need to sand the whole thing (but in 1/144 it won't be too troublesome) then add the last few coats then I'll start in on the detail work like anti-glare stuff and the NMF around the exhaust, etc. Would be nice to gloss it by the end of the day.

In other news, I'm making more progress on the gunship. I'm in the masking phase and have masked the cheatline and the border of the bottom half of the hull. I need to finish maskng the borders around the cargo door then run my wide tape over the 'field'areas then I need to either purchase or cut some 1.5-2mm wide strips of tape so I can make my custom "A" logos on the tail. Next up I want to make an anti-glare patch forward of the windscreens and also paint and mask some walkways for the top of the aircraft. Somewhere in all this I'll do the detail painting for things like APU exhaust, gear wells, odd-ball panels, and things of that nature.

Old Wombat · May 20, 2019, 08:31:01 AM

0300hrs is, for me, as often as not, bed time!

TheChronicOne · May 20, 2019, 03:16:45 PM

Been there! It's strange to think about. There's a couple times a year where things go completely wonky. Used to stay up to 3-4 during the winter then wind up WAKING UP at 2-3 in the Summer..... then back the other way for winter. I told myself I'd try to maintain that schedule during the winter time... maybe not as early as friggin 2AM.. but... maybe 3:30 or 4 but I found that by time I was done with work and it was time to run errands and stuff that it was like.... 5 in the morning and nothing is open.... couldn't pay bills or shop or do anything much, really... so.... on with the yo-yo schedule. I'm trying to figure out a way to have a more normal schedule but I just can't be out in the heat and sunlight when Summer gets here. I have no choice but to wake up at bullshit o'clock and go do the trash contract in the dark starting about 4AM then finish that up and hit the first lawn right at sunrise.... this way I could hopefully be done and at home no later than 11 or noon.

TheChronicOne · May 22, 2019, 05:27:03 AM

The hell, man! Every day some ailment is trying to kick my arse. Done messed up my groin muscles again but nothing like what I had but now this morning I wake up with a spot of gout in my knee. This is what I get for working too long and then turn around and eating BBQ of all things!!! Rich foods.... BBQ sauce gets me. I have to watch for which brands and how much of it I eat.Thing is, I had three different kinds yesterday so I'm not sure which one it was.

Cool thing is, I think with enough dope and once I get to work and walk around a bunch this should be alright. Anyone else get the gout from BBQ sauce?! I know it used to get my daddy so I know it's a trigger.

Alright.... check this out... I ordered some masking tape so that I can mask the logo on my gunship. 0.4, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mm. They initially wanted $29 for them all but I sometimes throw things into my shopping cart on eBay and often times the seller will drop the price to get you to go ahead and pull the trigger and make the purchase. Well, that's what they did... brought the price down to $22 so I got two sets. Something like $3.65 a roll. Free shipping.. I wouldn't normally spend $44 on friggin TAPE but then again I like to buy in bulk and save money. Hopefully they last awhile and is a good brand. Aizu Micron Masking Tape..... I guess I should have looked up reviews BEFORE I bought the stuff but oh well!! I was just happy to find tape in these smaller sizes that didn't cost an arm and a leg.

SO, I'll have to wait to mask the tail but I think there are some other areas I can mask. I still need to finish the bottom half of the fuselage, for instance.

The F-4 needs a lil more sanding. I did the best I could the other day but I was tired and not very productive. After I sand it, I'll get back to painting.

The real question is wether or not I'll get to this at all because I'm contemplating mowing MY lawn today after I mow everyone elses. My lawn takes no less than 4 hours to mow even on a picture perfect day where everything goes perfectly so I could be working until 6-7 tonight if that's the case. Of course, I could get done with the paying lawns and say "to hell with it," we'll see.

NARSES2 · May 22, 2019, 05:58:51 AM

You got a pretty good deal on that masking tape my friend

I find the 0.5mm and 1.00mm (sizes available over in the U.K.) ideal for canopy frames.

Somehow I just thought it would be sized in "Imperial *" in the U.S. though

* Or whatever the feet/inches measuring system is known as in the U.S.

PR19_Kit · May 22, 2019, 06:29:21 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on May 22, 2019, 05:58:51 AM

Somehow I just thought it would be sized in "Imperial *" in the U.S. though * Or whatever the feet/inches measuring system is known as in the U.S.

'Colonial'?

[Runs for cover and hides.............]

scooter · May 22, 2019, 06:56:20 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 22, 2019, 06:29:21 AM

'Colonial'?

[Runs for cover and hides.............]

Quote from: NARSES2 on May 22, 2019, 05:58:51 AM

Somehow I just thought it would be sized in "Imperial *" in the U.S. though * Or whatever the feet/inches measuring system is known as in the U.S.

SAE/US Customary Units for the most part. (We're special

)

TheChronicOne · May 22, 2019, 10:19:15 AM

Tape made in Japan where they know how to use proper measurements!

Here's a link if anyone wants some:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Set-of-6-rolls-Aizu-Micron-Masking-Tape-0-4-0-7-1-0-1-5-2-0-2-5-mm/382617281039?epid=20012071895&hash=item5915c4620f:g:kvkAAOSwmPFc0GmS

TheChronicOne · May 24, 2019, 05:11:37 AM

Might be all the MMJ but I've been brainstorming on a somewhat nutty idea to make a stretched four engines Sud Caravelle then drape it up in Russian livery.

I have two of the shithouse Mister Craft Caravelles....

I'm just wondering how I should do it. If they can stretch and pull a 737 and move it's CG all over the damn place then why can't I? Looking at the aircraft, there's not a lot of room to cut a piece from one fuselage to add to another anyway so it's not going to be a very large stretch so I'm wondering if I could get by with just elongating the fuselage forward of the wings and then doing nothing else. I'm seeking to avoid having to do things like make a large tail fin or make longer wings. Of course, I'm saying all this having not done any research yet.... But uhhh..... when they stretched the 727, did they alter the wings and fin any?? Did they add fuselage plugs forward AND aft of the wings or just up front? I'm just wondering about precedent. ---ALSO, bear in mind, that I'm adding two engines to the rear to make a VC-10/Tu-162 type set up so with this added weight in the rear, perhaps only adding fuselage forward of the wings would be perfect for balancing the plane....

Seems logical, yeah?

Anyway, these kits come with Aeroflot markings. Apparently some 1981 movie painted up a Caravelle and put the Russian markings on it to be a movie actor. This means I have two sets of them which I can combine to turn this into a Soviet plane. Perhaps the Soviets uhhh...... "cloned" the Caravelle like they're wont to do, but decided to turn it into their first continental airliner by adding fuselage length and a couple more engines for flight over the ocean?? Or something??? You know the stories for these are my weak point.

Anyway, sounds like a neat idea if it's plausible enough. I normally don't care too much about plausibility because this is "what if" but uhhh..... I somehow think something like this would need to be at least somewhat logical.

Thoughts?