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

[TheChronicOne]

Wow, I usually waste everyone's time with lots of blabbing but I've been pretty quiet lately. Not that I haven't been working on builds, though! Well, I should say BUILD. I've only been working on the Tristar so far but I'm about to start on my ridiculous stretch Caravelle now that that GB is open. I think I'll start in a couple days, though, because I need to do a wee bit more on the Tristar then I'm going to play video games. I've been playing Cities Skylines which is more fun that should be allowed legally. It's basically Sim City but updated for the latest generation of computers and consoles. It's so fun!!

So anyhow, here's were I'm at with the Tristar; the fuselage halves are together after letting the nose weight glue dry. I superglued the BBs in then filled in with PVA in case it somehow comes loose or something. This way there will be no "clunk clunk" or anything. Even if the weight seperates from the walls, the mass of PVA around it all will keep it from moving or clattering. Second round of putty is on the windows and doors, as well, after a LOT of filing and sanding. I tried to really do the best I could but the next phase after sanding will be to primer to help see the flaws.

[TheChronicOne]

More work on the Tristar! I've been lovingly smoothing the sides and seams and stuff. My thoughts keep turning to the lounge, however. If the main build goes well and doesn't beat me down, I'd like to go ahead and make it. While I've never done anything quite like this, looking at the picture leads me to believe that if I can just make 3 or 4 things, I would merely need to replicate them to get it done. The shelves and chairs and stuff..... If I can make one, I can make the rest, and it comes down to repetition. I'm just wondering if I should make it to scale, or make it a bit bigger just because it's a seperate piece doing a seperate 'job.'       Still plenty of time to figure it out. 

Otherwise, I've finally started the stretch Caravelle and I've jumped right into the sawing and cutting and mangling.    There's a bit of learning curve but it seems to be going really well for now so go look at that thread in the current GB forum if you're interested in those types of shennanigans.

[TheChronicOne]

The size of the picture doesn't do it justice, really. It's an interesting take on the Boeing 2707 concept. I totally love it. I would like to make this thing somehow. I wonder what crap I'd have to buy to get all the major components? B-1 for the swing wings and.....uhhh.....



Anyway! The Caravelle thingy is going together. I've stopped working on other projects but I'd like to get back to them soon, especially the Boeing 737 build which I do believe has been going on for a year now? Very close to it... I'll have to go back in time and see. But anyway... I need to get my hands on a powered rotary tool to assist me in grinding away milliput on the engines where I lengthened them. I still need to make the vortex dissipators as well but it's pretty much getting sort-of close to completion in certain ways. The next major task will be the tedious masking of all the undercoatings... sheesh.... grey patches and areas in the midst of NMF that wrap around all sorts of compound curves and this and that. That will be a fun day. I wish I could get my hands on a diagram or something that I could trace onto my tape or at least LOOK AT. Why in the hell is there such a dearth of this information readily available? This is seemingly the type of things found in paid-for publications, I've noticed. But, if you google "Boeing 737-200 Advanced Underside Paint Masking/ Patterns" a whole lot of very UN-helpful information comes up. Perhaps if I had eons to wads through the hundreds of pages I'd find some obscure website or something but that's just not practical. Besides, that's not quite how Google algorithms work anyway. After a few pages, it generally all turns into repeats or different iterations of the same thing.

Oh well!! So that's that I guess. 

[PR19_Kit]

The size of the picture doesn't do it justice, really. It's an interesting take on the Boeing 2707 concept. I totally love it. I would like to make this thing somehow. I wonder what crap I'd have to buy to get all the major components? B-1 for the swing wings and.....uhhh.....

Revell did a kit of the 2707 umpteen years ago, and re-popped it not that long ago IIRC. You got two kits in one box, one in flight config with the wings all the way back and the nose up, and the other on the ground with the nose down and wings forward. The originals, in tastefull YELLOW plastic (yeuk!) go for a fortune these days, but the re-pops in white aren't that bad. It's in 1/200 scale I think, but it's so huge I'm not sure it matters.

The next major task will be the tedious masking of all the undercoatings... sheesh.... grey patches and areas in the midst of NMF that wrap around all sorts of compound curves and this and that. That will be a fun day. I wish I could get my hands on a diagram or something that I could trace onto my tape or at least LOOK AT. Why in the hell is there such a dearth of this information readily available? This is seemingly the type of things found in paid-for publications, I've noticed. But, if you google "Boeing 737-200 Advanced Underside Paint Masking/ Patterns" a whole lot of very UN-helpful information comes up. Perhaps if I had eons to wads through the hundreds of pages I'd find some obscure website or something but that's just not practical. Besides, that's not quite how Google algorithms work anyway. After a few pages, it generally all turns into repeats or different iterations of the same thing.

There are drawings around of the various panels and colours, even the IPMS UK mag did some for the 727 and 737 way back in the 70s, but the most likely source is Airliner Modeller magazine I guess, so looking up back copies of that may be worth while.

[TheChronicOne]

Cheers!! I have a whole collection of some sort of Airliner magazine on a zip drive. I can't remember the name of the publication but the set can still be bought for about $150 and the info in them is great. I suppose I should have a look in there and see if I can dig up the stuff I need?

Also, I need to have another look at the decals and stuff. The instructions might have a little bit in them but I think I remember having a look and not seeing anything that would help me but I could be wrong. This type of thing happens when a project drags on forever.

In other news today... I'm not sure what I'm going to work on but I will be getting my hands on the 737 stuff to at least take stock of what all needs to be done still and sort of give myself a game plan and make out a bullet point list of things I still need to do on it. It would be nice to get this thing kicked out of here. If I could make a couple break throughs in the process I could be done with it within a week or two maybe but It'll NEVER get done as long as I keep ignoring it. Granted, I'm waiting on the rotary tool but if I am indeed happy with the white paint finish, I need to go ahead with putting on the decals so I can gloss over them then start laying out the masking for the underside.

I'd like to go over the Tristar fuselage again and if need be, apply more putty so it can sit around and dry while I tinker with other things. In fact, I better do this first thing. No point in having it sitting there doing nothing when it could be sitting there with a purpose (to dry up). 

Bought some more stuff from Russia. Zvezda just released Boeing 737-700.  Yay? A missing spot in the 737 series and it comes in the Air Force Presidential Livery. (YES, I KNOW, the President rarely if ever flew on one but the LIVERY is the "Presidential" livery." Just like a Lincoln Continental doesn't necessarilly drive from one continent to the other, it's just a name...................... )       BUT ANYWay.     

TTYL!   

[TheChronicOne]

Can you strangle a 737 model? I'd like to.

ANYWAY. So this thing is still throwing up ever barrier possible to keep me from completion. I tried moving forward with the transfers today but the ones I had had spent too much time in the heat. Sad thing is I tested a smaller portion long ago to ensure the decals were good but apparently different sections of the sheet have different values of condition and a great portion of it has the backing paper welded to the carrier sheet and getting it off proved to work in some areas but not in other to the detriment of the transfers.

Long story short, the decals went tits up and I will have to order in some more and roll the dice yet again. It's not ATP's fault... it's the fact that these have sat around for 40 years.

Oh well... the seperate sheet of windscreens and side windows seems like it could be viable, however. It took effort, but the windscreen transfers worked well enough so they're on. Problem is, I wanted to put them on then quickly put the cheatlines on so I could align them all in situation but uhhhh.... so much for that. I think they're in the right position, however. Remember, this whole area was a rounded blob at one time and I had to re-shape it all so while it looks pretty good, it could be slightly off. ON THAT NOTE, though, a high point of this is that said formerly rounded blob seems to look pretty damn good now with the transfers on.

In an attempt to feel like I'm getting anything at all done, I stopped and mocked up the wings real quick and created this "ultra generic airliner."     All white...... no windows.... no engines...       It's strangely appealing! Very clean.




Working on the stretch Caravelle as well. I put in more shims around the fuselage join and that's all going very well. I'm still amazed at how straight the fuselage is. 

Also did some hefty work sanding on the Tristar! A whole lot of it looks really good now and just a few problem spots remain. Two of the doors and a couple spots where glue ran and made "rivers" through the plastic. I stupidly tried to wipe it off instead of letting it sit and when I did that the top layer of plastic came off so the runs became indentations. Never mind, though. I puttied that stuff up and again and it won't be long before I can glue the wings on. Ordered the transfers for that one today, too.

[Old Wombat]

Actually looks really good like that!

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks! I agree, it's kind of neat in a way. I had rumination of building a "blank airliner" at some point...   just all white with all the markings and doors and windows and stuff...  (the sheet for one actually has like 80 friggin decals anyway.... the "detail sheet" that has all BUT a commercial livery)...  so it would have plenty on it, be interesting, and yet still be "blank."   I dunno.... maybe it's a strange idea. 

[Old Wombat]

I dunno.... maybe it's a strange idea. 

Ain't no such thing 'round here, bro!

[PR19_Kit]

Looks like a pure cargo 737 now, a 737-200F? 

[zenrat]

Just put on some very small rego letters and then you have an aircraft used to move stuff around attracting as little attention as possible.  Stuff THEY don't want anyone to notice.

[scooter]

Just put on some very small rego letters and then you have an aircraft used to move stuff around attracting as little attention as possible.  Stuff THEY don't want anyone to notice.

Like the 150th SOS 757s out of JB McGoo (and operated by the NJANG)

[TheChronicOne]

I like the Cargo idea!!! If I weren't in love with the Saudia scheme I would switch this up in a heartbeat. Who knows, though, maybe I'll exhaust the current supply of old ATP and Avigraphics sheets and wind up there anyway.      As much as this project has tried my patience and meager skills I'm determined to make it work. It's going to be SUCH a triumphant and glorious day when it is completed... 

Not for now, though. While she's in a good state, I'm going to leave her alone and wait for more decals to show up and also my battery powered rotary tool. In a couple days, however, I will be back at it again. I have some final touches to put on the nose gear and gravel kit. A couple struts that connect to the sides of the wheel hubs and maybe a couple spring type things IF I can cram them in there. This stuff is tiny and I've already detailed it quite well for the size. Then, I'm going to go ahead and make my stretched sprue vortex rods. Would be easier/better to do them as I actually glue them on but what I'll do is just get them close and leave a little "extra" to trim down later when I do finally glue them on. This will save me half an hour of work or so at some point in the future, so why not. 

For today...  I'd like to sand on the Tristar. Fuselage is getting pretty close to being good to go and ready to have the wings glued on. Primer will be almost right behind that because I don't expect the wing roots to give me much issue. Even if I do have to fill them in with putty and sand it down it's nothing like messing with all them damn windows and doors man...   

Also, I'll be doing the final bit of re-inforcing and gap-filling where I made my cut on the stretch Caravelle. I'll be off to the races with Tamiya Putty and sanding at that point. Panel line and windows gots ta go.


In other news, since this is the year of buying supplies and equipment and less actual kits, I've picked up this new cutting mat. $12 and free shipping? Can't beat it. It's HEAVY, too, and came in a very large box. I know these big fulfillment centers and what not have massive shipping deals with delivery companies and all that but it's still impressive. If *I* were to ship a box of that size and weight they'd charge me about $30.



Old mat with 1/144s BAC-111 and Tristar fuselage.   A-ha!  That's more like it. This will be nice. Will make for better pictures of in progress stuff, too.

[PR19_Kit]

Wow, that's one MOTHER of a cutting mat Brad! 

[TheChronicOne]

It's going to double as my "desk mat" as well and most will be covered by the laptop but all the other area right here will be covered in cutting surface!  I'll snag a picture of that later.    But yeah, you're right, this thing is... uhhh... it's more than I need.    You know us Americans, can't do anything without OVER doing it.