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

[TheChronicOne]

Uhh. 

I was going to talk about work on my Apache but this is the wrong place.. Ahem..so anyway.. I guess I'll talk about something else then. 

I put down the first coat of light grey pain on the Enterprise NCC 1701. Now, I need to pain a couple of the recessed areas on the nacelles a darker grey and also paint the bussard collectors (the front tips of said nacelles) a red color. I've learned that it's much easier painting stuff like this when you do the lower areas first. It's easier to paint "raised" areas and keep the paint off the lower areas.  It's more difficult to paint a recessed area and NOT get paint on the surrounding areas.  This is all elementary, really, but I only really came to this conclusion within the last couple of months. But..anyway...  point being is I need to get these little areas painted before I can proceed with the second coat of grey (which will be thinned a bit and done with a wider brush than I did the first coat.. lets hope this works!)



I'll do a light sand job on her before I do the second coat, as well. While it turned out a lot better than I THOUGHT it would, the first coat is a bit "lumpy" and uneven. It's hard to tell in the picture, but, trust me, it's there. I think with the light sanding and using a bit thinner paint and better brush will have the second coat looking fantastic.

[Librarian]

Not sure it warrants an entire new thread so I'll ask here.. is there a Hughes H-1 racer in 1/72 that isn't vacuform?

I remember Planet Models produced one in resin. Hailed by all as a superb kit. Short and long wings.

[NARSES2]

Planet have two boxings in 1/48 scale at around the £40 mark and yes they are great kits

Czech Master do one in 1/72 in resin which should be a fantastic kit but will be a little pricey.

A firm called XS Models do one, but I've no information other than this https://www.scalemates.com/kits/254088-xs-models-hughes-h-1-short-wing-racer

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks, gentlemen! Now I know what to search for. 

The H-1 is such a beautiful aircraft in my opinion. I want to whif one. Militarize it maybe if that wouldn't ruin the beauty of it. Otherwise a simple US civil affair.

[TheChronicOne]

Trying to decide which F-4 kit to use for the soviet GB. I have two boxings that I THINK are from the same molds. I'd have to look at the plastic a bit closer.

My conundrum is this... I have a Revell kit, 1987 boxing, kit #4302. I found the corresponding page on Scalemates for it but they don't have the boxing I have and I can't even find it on google search! 

I know it's this one:
https://www.scalemates.com/search-solr.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=All&q=McDonnell+Douglas+F-4+Phantom+II+revell+4302*

But what gives on not being able to find *MY* boxing?  The internet at large and Scalemates seem to think it doesn't exist. 

Here's my boxing:


Revell (1987) F-4B Phantom II  kit no. 4302

EDIT:  Oh yeah, I'm not talking about the fact that it's just a box top taped on top of a candy box.    This particular Jolly Rogers phantom, the box with a pic of the actual built model (not that well built either!!! The transfers are silvering and they didn't bother to pain the canopy, etc..  lol  ) can't be found (by me).

[TheChronicOne]

Quick update on the Enterprise.

Got some of the lower elevation detail painted. She's looking more and more like our beloved starship every day! 

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks!   

Did a lil painting on it earlier. I need to clean up some of the red and grey again but then I'll do the last coat of grey.


Right about the model on the box... better than all my kid stuff, too!  Really, it's not all that bad I was judging too harsh. 

[TheChronicOne]

Looking at it in person, the canopy on the main pic is definitely un painted! 

I mean, it's a nice model and all that but what you said was what was behind my initial statement that I failed to mention..  for something chosen to be the box art......  it is lacking, for sure. Non painted canopy and silvering decals. Apparently they painted it with acyrlics or something that weren't too smooth.. etc...  even *I* know these things. 


IN OTHER NEWS...  for the second straight time, I've rec'd a model kit lot in the mail that came with a free bonus kit!!  What the hell? Is my luck finally turning around?  This time I won an 8 kit lot of cool planes for $40 total, after shipping and all...    6-7 of them models I don't have in my stash or never have built.. a couple others I DO have but with different liveries of planes I happen to like such as F-16 and an A-37.  But anyway, this person threw in a free BAE Hawk by Matchbox!!!!!  Neato, I say!! I've been wanting a Matchbox kit just to see what they're all about. I've heard varying reports.. things like exagerated detail, etc..  but I'm glad to look for myself and I don't have a BAE Hawk so what a nice surprise!


EDIT:
The other "free" kit I got from the prior lot was a Martin MB-2 in the Ringo boxing. What a neat kit that is, too!  ( thought I mentioned that here but I guess I mentioned in the new stash thread instead, so, hence the edit for completions sake).  I keep saying I'll stop by the "new kits in my stash" thread to document my stuff but I never seem to do it.. so.. may as well at least mention it here.

[TheChronicOne]

Finally getting around to testing my differing brands of varnish to see how they interact. 

Other things going on include coming to a conclusion on a Tu-4 build for the Soviet GB. I was thinking of doing a Cuban version but I'm not so sure any more. I had visions of the nice blue and green camo but I'm not so sure how it would look on such a big airplane. Next test I do on my little test bed plane after the varnish stuff will be to see if that camo looks alright or not. I'm also entertaining an overall tan color for one stationed in the desert. I think I'm determined to not have it be metal finish but I suppose that's an option as well but that's just boring IMO. 

[Rick Lowe]

I like the way the Klingon ship came out - keep on with our favourite "Big-E".
IIRC the small original version is easier to brush paint than the -A, due to the lack of raised panel lines.

[TheChronicOne]

I like the way the Klingon ship came out - keep on with our favourite "Big-E".
IIRC the small original version is easier to brush paint than the -A, due to the lack of raised panel lines.

Why thank you!! 

From what I can gather, these are actually new molds?? (or two are and one is original.. I think, actually, the Romulan and the Klingon ships are new and this E is actually the old mold.. it showed in the way of flash, etc.)   

This Enterprise has raised detail in the form of the windows on the secondary hull and they are QUITE ridiculous... I've already painted it all and I know the transfers have those windows so they raised detail is redundant. The detail is absolutely 100% wrong by any stretch (way, WAAAAY too large and thick) . I should have sanded that stuff off but I completely blanked on it (and I still might.. I've shelved it for awhile to clear my mind; I was at the point where I was considering skipping doing certain things like cleaning up the glue cluster at the base of one of the pylons so I decided to give it a break so I can get my mojo back and do it properly). Otherwise, yeah it's not too bad! I guess I can thank Matt Jeffries for that.

I plan on getting as many 1/2500 ships as I can so I guess I'll be taking on the -A at some point. Can't wait to see what it entails.. . . .     I want a whole fleet. These are so small, yet so fun! I can store and display them without as much concern about space as the larger starship models. 

[Rick Lowe]

Yep, I agree about the space thing.
It's still annoying they split the combined sets AMT originally released them as, but it is what it is.

They're also still releasing new kits in 1/2500, which is nice - hence I think you're correct about the other 2 being new.

[TheChronicOne]

Yep, I agree about the space thing.
It's still annoying they split the combined sets AMT originally released them as, but it is what it is.

They're also still releasing new kits in 1/2500, which is nice - hence I think you're correct about the other 2 being new.

Agreed on the splitting of kits and also how they price them is a bit sketchy. For instance, a single ship, the Enterprise C (Ambassador class) is just as expensive as a three ship set such as the one I'm currently working on.

Yes, very nice the they are making new kits! There has been one hell of a resurgence in releasing and re-releasing Trek kits and now the multitude of third party stuff! 

I remember, now, reading up a build page or review on these and they said the Romulan and Klingon ships were new molds, but the Enterprise was the old one still. (I had to jog my memory).  That really makes me grin, though; the news of new molds and kits. 

This said, and I'm remembering another thing from that review or build page (or another) and can verify, is that some of the quality is a bit iffy. Slight variations in scale and shape. The Romulan Warbird for instance has a bit of a "squished" and "elongated" fuselage. Still looks pretty cool, though! 

[TheChronicOne]

Test plane has reached a new iteration. I tested two different brands and finishes of varnish on it that I did not document. Let's just say a coat of gloss Rustoleum covered up by Krylon satin works fine.

Moving on....  next test is paint that I want to use for a Cuban Tu-4 painted like MiG-21s with the blue/green two tone camo. I went to the store today and bought a bunch of different shades of blue and green (to be safe) and also some other colors I needed/thought were neat:



They were on sale at Hobby Lobby so I got them all for $0.46 each. Stocked up a bit!

Anyway, the plane with the new attire, we'll start with a "before" of how I had it painted last time:












I like the colors... I think I'm going to roll with these.    If not, perhaps a lighter color of green? Maybe I'll paint one wing with a bit lighter green to see what I get.


Pretty much ZERO action on anything else. No new kits, no new projects. It's all about the Cuban heavy bomber for the group build right now.

[Tophe]

Looks good!