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

[TheChronicOne]

I think my little rotary tool came in the mail yesterday. In that case, I'd like to get back to work on the 737 even if just for an hour or so...  just long enough that by then I'll either be motivated to keep tinkering with it or put it back up for awhile. I still have things yet to order. I need the decal sheet. I need that so I can place the cheatline so I can turn around and mask and continue painting.

More work on the phantom today. I put all the nose weight in and glued the fuselage together. Put the seat and floor in as well. It's been sitting nose down a couple days to let the PVA dry. Lesson learned on this one... not only no plastic glue, but no CA glue in the nose weight to avoid the sinking in problems I've had in the past. Finally cracked the code on that one!!! PVA only from now on even if it means a BB comes loose ever so often and rattles around inside.      No one should be handling the damn things after built anyway!     

[zenrat]

IMO a rattle adds something to a model.

Five minute epoxy glue can generate a surprising amount of heat in large quantities (don't ask me etc).  Something else to avoid in a nose.
I have yet to cause myself any problems with PVA other than by it leaking out of unexpected places.

[TheChronicOne]

Same. It's annoying sometimes to the point of hilarity. I've had BBs coated in PVA comes flying out (bbs PVAd to the carpet is always a hoot) ... PVA glue weeping out of things, etc. Sometimes even after it dries a bit... It's just... can't just sit and twiddle our thumbs. Work has to continue!


Throwing out any plans I had this morning. I don't think I got enough sleep last night or something and I'm feeling a bit draggy so I'm going to just do some stuff on the other builds. Now.. I was going to go ahead and work on the 737 but want to know what the determining factor was in choosing not to? I have to get up and search out 4 AA batteries to go in the rotary tool. Having to get up and LOOK for something was the last straw, so to speak.   

So, I'll get back to work on the Tristar and Phantom. I can do those just sitting here. 

[TheChronicOne]

Lots of good work done last night on the Phantom! I had to stop working on it because of drying glue. I guess I should have used my TET! I could have done some other minor stuff to it but I wasn't in the mood for it. Today, though, I should have a legit air-frame built up and we'll be moving into priming and possible PSR. I'm trying to get in front of it, however, and it would be nice to go directly from primer to painting. If I can do that, this thing will start to come together rapidly. I need to get into some research first, but I do believe the entire airplane is one solid color. A color that lays down and coats beautifully at that.. I could paint the entire thing in under 20 minutes.

Only problem coming up on this is it come with vacuform canopy. So..I have to carfeully trim that out. I've only ever done this once.... and it was a couple years ago on my 1/48 FU-2 SEA camo plane. On that one, I used scissors... this time I'm going to try the more proper method of using hobby knives and do the whole angle cut and filing approach.


Tristar... everything was going great.. I did one last bit of sanding, all I had to do with put down another coat of white then it was on to gloss. Problem...  there is a stupid little spider living inside my Tristar. He goes in and out of the Number Two Engine Intake.     Well, the little sh!t decided to come outside his house right in the middle of me spraying down the white so I had cobwebs and  %^%$^*%$^&#$ all over the damn place.     I was pretty disappointed but I didn't get upset because of how funny it was.

ANYWAY.... I tried to power through...  I knocked some of the webs away and stuff and then decided to spray another coat on...  well... at this pont the paint started to orange peel.  Running low on white paint now, too. For some reason, I decided to pick up the gloss and throw a coat of it down to try to smooth out the orange peel a bit. Well, that made a bunch of crazing... so.... whole paint finish is ruined at this point. It's easy to look back and say, "Well, you should have just put it down" but all this was going on so fast I didn't have time to consider my options and I was really tired yesterday. So.. here we are. I now will be sanding down almost all of it then putting a coat of white paint on again.

I wonder if the spider went back inside, though?    This is twice now he comes outside to see what is going on when I pick up the model to work on it. NEXT time I'll check right before I paint for webs and stuff. 

What else? Rotary Tool shenanigans today I think. Time to drag out the 737 and see what the score is..

[TheChronicOne]

Quick little break to announce something completely new for me. I've been finally doing my research on this Phantom when I decided to go ahead and build the next one in the line, too. Reason being, it's the same paint job and stuff....  similiar build-up I imagine so why not? I'm going to build these two as one build. The additional kit I'm throwing in with the phantom:



So that's the update for that. I'm just doing research still on the Phantom. Found some good walkaround pictures and thus have been pulling out paints to use. Gear doors are red, bays are that yelow green chromate or whatever color. I have some stuff called "Wasabi Green" I use for that. Then I have my red and green for nav lights. Yellow for some antenna looking jive on the bottom, black for the wing walks, and of course the dark blue for the main paint.

[PR19_Kit]

That Banshee's the original Airfix kit, famous for being the first release in their new boxing scheme. It came in a HUGE box, large enough for an F-4, with this tiny little set of sprues tucked away in one corner! 

[TheChronicOne]

Sometimes that's pretty nice when you can fit the whole partially built-up airframe with wings into it. Then sometimes, it's disappointing finding a wee little kit in an expansive box. 


This sucker came molded in dark blue plastic. Would nearly be passable to not paint it. It'll be interesting to compare it to the Phantom, while not being the same planes, are pretty similar still.

Lastly... I think I really like how this plane looks. I think many wouldn't agree but I think it's lovely aeroplane!



I like a lot of the planes from this era... the Panther, Cougar, and the rest.

[zenrat]

Banshee is one of my favourites too.
I have that very release in the stash and have built the Hobbycraft kit.  It builds up OK but has typical for Hobbycraft too shallow and undetailed undercarriage bays.

[NARSES2]

Yup I'm a fan of those early USN/USMC aircraft as well. I blame William Holden 

Vacform canopies ? I use a pair of very small, very sharp scissors that I got via a friends daughter who's a veterinary nurse. No idea what they were originally intended for ? I've never had any luck doing it the "proper" way even with a brand new blade.

[TheChronicOne]

I might have a pair of those scissors. A cheap dollar store pair, but could be the same... package said was for trimming cats' nails I think? If I can find it I'll take a picture and see if it's the same.

I have one of those Hobbycraft kits. Contains a later version with the "newer" USN paint.

 

I ordered a Panther and Cougar yesterday but I'm trying to think of other similar Navy Marines jets from the same era I have kits of. Off the top of my head I have a Skynight (Matchbox I do believe), I have the infamous Cutlass, and an F3 Demon. Might have a couple more here adn there but I'm sure I'm missing some, too...   All lesser seen subjects in models and I plan to Build 'Em All. 🤘🤘

[zenrat]

I don't have a Sky Knight but I do have a couple of Panthers, a Cougar and a Shooting Star in my Hasegawa collection.

[NARSES2]

That Matchbox kit was one of their nicer ones if memory serves ?

[TheChronicOne]

Weather has improved so I feel better so I work more so I feel worse.       

Long story short, I'm moving very slowly with my builds right now. Focusing more on work work and actual house work and stuff. None the less, the Phantom is progressing and I have an airframe now:

[TheChronicOne]

I need to sand some on the belly of this thing then I guess I can prime it up.    That's the plan for today... get it primed.


Cancelling the Banshee as a companion build, however. I need transfers to make the recce version but in order to do that I need to attain the original kit. There are other sheets out there but they seem much less available. Well, if I do that, I'm going to build both version of it so I'll do THOSE two as a dual build instead. That's future stuff, however.

So then, what now? I now have three builds going, but none of them a what-if so it's time to rectify that! I'm going to go look and see what the next GB is about and start pondering that, but in the mean time................ I bought a little MiG-18 MiG-8 that I want to make into an East German border patrol vehicle. "Wall Patrol" or something....  flies around Berlin looking for people trying to escape to the West or otherwise molest the Berlin wall. Maybe I could hang a spotlight or two from it or perhaps consider some smoke marker rockets or something. OR....it's just a stupid idea, who knows.

[TheChronicOne]

I screwed up!! It's the 8, not the 18! I was really tired and really distracted yesterday. I just goofed up is all...  it's the MiG-8.   




It looks like a mosquito looking for a meal.


EDIT:   Avis.... anyone know anything about them? I suspect something similar in nature to Amodel or Eastern Express, considering origin and artwork.