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

[TheChronicOne]

Finished up my test bed and even managed to do my first experimentation in the way of a simple two tone black and blue camo scheme in search of inspiration for an ASW camo to use on a Soviet sub hunter.

Any how... I finished off my prop blur things and stabbed them with sewing pins. I do this so I can put them in and out of the engines easily. I mean, really, I could not even bother as this thing was built to test paint jobs and painting techniques and various varnishes, etc, but, when I go to take a picture of it I'd like it to look somewhat normal so with these built this way, I can take them in and out easily to paint and then take pictures. Same sort of story with the cockpit and that stuff.. I'm not wanting to permanently attach it. I'll just use pva when I do pictures and when I get ready to try a new test I can snatch the cockpit and props back out without damaging anything.



Finally found a use for the crappy kiddy stickers that come with some kits. Building an AH-64 for the Soviet GB and the kit came ONLY with stickers for decorations so I decided to use a few on this thing just for the hell of it.



The paint job... well... I just grabbed three brushes and went for it. Painted the entire thing in under 15 minutes and called it good.  Here it is....  I think it's sort of neat and the profile shot from the side makes it look really cool, IMO. That side shot is what initially wanted me to make a racer out of it. Them big engines and stuff... thing just looks fast.









Not sure what I'll do next.... maybe try more stuff for the Soviet build but I was wanting to try that marbelized camo technique so I'll do that next.

More on the actual purpose of all this... I'm not sure how much I like the camo scheme. The plane I'm making into an ASW thing for the Soviet build is a V-22 Osprey so....  just try to imagine the blue and black on one. Thoughts??

I'm also considering just doing a simple blue scheme using the same blue I used here... but painting the entire thing that color. Seems apt since thing thing will be low over the ocean look for Reptillian submarines.. (oh, woops, did I divulge too much about my Soviet Group Build story plans?! ?!  )   

In other news, quite a damn bit of sanding on the 1/2500 enterprise. I put another coat of paint on the Klingon ship but it looks terrible.. I'll have to sand some more and try again. Still nothing going on the rest of the projects.

Cheers! 

[DogfighterZen]

I agree with the racer thought, it does look fast.
And i like the camo, i'd like to do something similar but i would leave the red out of it... i might have to steal that camo for my next Viper...   

[Tophe]

i like the camo

I feel in the opposite direction: no matter the colors for me, but I love this invention of a new airplane shape

[TheChronicOne]

Thank you, all.    This little plane has already made a soft spot in my heart and I think it will be fun trying new paint schemes and finishes!

[Librarian]

Got really sleek lines . Use it as a working model and maybe develop the look further. Especially the camo.

[zenrat]

Your scaleorama'd 88 looks great.  Definitely racerish.

Do the, ummmm not yet specified adversaries of the Russians have aircraft?
If not, then the plane only needs to be camouflaged against those looking up from below and you can paint the top whatever colour you want (as long as it doesnt fly upside-down).

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks y'all!   

Yeah I plan on them having airplanes and every other bit of military equipment "we" have and have had. I don't know if I'll be building any, however? I don't think "Reptillian Air Force" would qualify unless I use a Soviet Russian airplane (or tank or boat, whatever) as the base.  But definitely need to have protections against aerial threats!

Supposedly the Nazis were poking around Antarctica for good reason; that's where the Reptillians have been hiding! (here's where everyones' BS alarm goes off  "oh but aren't they cold blooded and WAH, WAH. Well, remember brer rabbit and his briar patch....  )  Story this, story that, detail here, B.S. there and the Reptillians have their own Air Force and Navy, etc. This is also why the U.S. (and allies) have teamed up and are fast friends with the Soviets (and allies). Turns out the Reptillians are some ruthless people and a formidable threat, so much so, that along with fear of nuclear annihilation (more on this to come) pretty much the entire planet came together and got buddy buddy real quick in order to try to defend from the reptilians.

I have all sorts of thoughts for doing icy camo schemes with whites,light greys, blues and light blues, and then also green stuff for the reptillians... and what kind of marking and roundels and such would they have, etc etc? I also plan and doing stuff suitable for South American regions. One aircraft I have planned will be a Russian F4 Phantom painted in IAF camo colors and big red stars.   Really fun stuff... a bit sci fi but one of the nut job conspiracy theories going around is that Reptillians have been hiding under the Earth for eons.  Since my Soviet plans are to have them friends with everyone, I had to come up with SOMETHING for an adversary... so... Reptile People it is. 

[zenrat]

Have you thought about using a simple identifying mark on all of humanity's aircraft so they can be easilly identified whatever airforce they come from and whatever scheme they carry?
Like invasion stripes on D-Day.  That sort of thing.

[TheChronicOne]

Now there's a thought!  I had thoughts of making any possible Reptillian be strikingly different as far as paint schemes and marking, think alien like almost, but then I've also thought that they're probably not stupid and wouldn't want their equipment sticking out like a sore thumb over ice, sea, or even South American jungle so... in the end they might wind up looking very similar to USSR stuff.

I'll cross that bridge at some point. Truth is I'm so much busier now and as we close in on Spring time (even more busy) I may not have time to focus much on any of that and will just stick to merely creating my Soviet wares. 

[TheChronicOne]

Got the little Klingon D-7 done and it turned out great!!  I'm really liking this one. I rattle can sprayed the top a dark grey, then mixed up a custom "Klingon Green" color to achieve the proper shade for that then brushed it on (acrylic). Smooth as a baby's bottom, I tell ya! I love these little paints I get from the LHS. I stay away from the crap on the actual model aisle and get the ones a few aisles down. 5-6X more paint and 2-4X cheaper.

I need to throw a gloss coat on I guess but I generally call these done at this stage because I could easily NOT put a gloss coat on and it would look fine. Still, it will help hide some of the lines on edges of transfers and a did the other one in this set glossy, so I may as well have them "match."

Sun is setting so no pics for now.

Got a good deal of work done on my Soviet Group build helo. I haven't spoken much about that but I will provide links and stuff in the near future.

I primed the Enterprise NCC 1701 and need to go back in for another round of filler but it won't be long before I start in on paiting. I'm going to hairy stick the whole thing with the light grey color it's supposed to be.

Not much else going on, got a big box of USAirfix kits in the mail today that I'll open up sometime between now and the weekend and speak on in the new stash thread. Got a bunch of bombers and stuff!!!  Also, after I got that one another auction sprung up with the same type of boxes and stuff and had more bombers in it so all together I think it's 10 new USAirfix kits all in the same type of boxes and like 7-8 are bombers.. some heavy, some medium.  Pretty cool!!! 

[TheChronicOne]

I just want to stop and say that I'm talking with an old friend on Facebook and he's saying his son is pretty jazzed up about trying a model kit!! This is what I'm talking about! In an age of all the instant gratification stuff and electronics (which I dearly love, so don't get me wrong!) it's more rare that we see youngsters interested in stuff like this and other things like "playing outside." I'm pretty excited. I offered to mail them a kit from my stash all expenses paid.

[DogfighterZen]

That's good stuff, i tried to get my best friend's son into it but he wasn't really interested in building them himself... i had to finish it for him...

[kerick]

Some snap tight kits are pretty good quality and easy to build. A successful first project will be more likely to bring him back for more.

[TheChronicOne]

That's good stuff, i tried to get my best friend's son into it but he wasn't really interested in building them himself... i had to finish it for him...

That's part of my worry in this type of situation. A little bit of guidance might be necessary. Sometimes they simply aren't into it.

I think it helps to foster a love of the subject. When I spoke to my buddy I even suggested he have his kid watch popular jet fighter movies like "Top Gun."

When I was a kid I already had an immense love of airplanes which lead to me building and caring about models. A lot of that was because I saw movies like "Top Gun" and "Iron Eagle." Sadly, there aren't anything of this type in current culture but then again we have Youtube which has thousands of really amazing videos that would inspire many, I'm sure.

[TheChronicOne]

Some snap tight kits are pretty good quality and easy to build. A successful first project will be more likely to bring him back for more.

Man, that's some great advice! I'm even building a lil snap kit myself right now and I'm sure a kid would have fun making one like this..   

Thanks, if they take me up on my offer I'll find an easier kit for starts.. well dependin on what I have.  lol