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

[Rick Lowe]

Looking good

I find it difficult shelling out twice or quadruple the money for something specifally geared toward scale modeling when I can get same or better, 4 times the quantity for half or more less.  I mean... I will... I'm willing to.. but damn, I'm trying NOT to.       I like to save money! 

It can be suprising the premium that is put on prices once something is marked as being for hobby use 

Always worth looking around for the similar thing in a cheaper form. Amazing how often you can find it and quite often in bargain stores 

And you mostly find It's. The. Same. D*mn. Stuff!! 

[zenrat]

Bloke I know refuses to use "cheap supermarket rubbish" as he says its not meant for models and he doesn't want to risk ruining his builds saving a few bucks.  He only ever uses stuff sold for use on models.  Mind you, he does build absolutely sunning 1/25 Hot Rods.

[NARSES2]

Bloke I know refuses to use "cheap supermarket rubbish" as he says its not meant for models and he doesn't want to risk ruining his builds saving a few bucks.  He only ever uses stuff sold for use on models. 

Like most view points it's correct some of the time, whilst on other occasions the cheaper option is just as good. The trick is knowing (and I'm no where there yet) which way to go, and when. Read the magazines and websites and talk to fellow modelers at shows is my advice and then try the cheaper option on something your not going to break your heart over if it screws up 

Most modellers in my experience are only to willing to share their experiences - modeling wise anyway 

[TheChronicOne]

Up nice and early today at 3:45 AM so I can go out and work.... cut me a lawn, and hopefully come home before it's too hot to hop on the lawn tractor and chop down some of the apocalyptic jungle that is my own yard. With my FORMER employeed having screwed up weeks worth of work and having me so far behind I've had to put it off for weeks and it's been raining quite a bit. It's a travesty!! Anyway.. I won't be messing with it past noon then back to models...

I have new projects in the works. I'm itching to try my first ever TRUE kitbashing and scale o rama. I'm also going to build a presidential escort for my Cuban Tu-4 with a Frog Sea Fury. Going to uhhhh...... get this current project done first and ATTEMPT to finish off the two stalled builds also. I can reward myself with new fun projects by finishing up the old.

On the docket today is continuing painting the base. This thing makes for good practice! One thing that gives me pause, however, is the primer saying I should sand the piece with 220 grit before putting on the top coat. Wouldn't that be too coarse? It does say to do it lightly so... I'm just going to do what the cans tell me too. These people have scientist and engineers who spent years tuning all this stuff and Lord knows how much money so who am I to come along and reinvent the wheel?  Also going to get the tail planes glued on to the fuselage. 

For the stalled project I think I need to keep sanding on the Enterprise. When I initially painted it I couldn't get it cover right no matter how many coats I put on and they would lay flat. Lumpy and swirly and all that. It got to the point where it was drowning out some of the detail. Not sure what went wrong there... I'm going to try primer this after I get it sanded back down. I'm have a tough time doing this without erasing the detalon the bottom, though... mostt of the detail I'm getting rid of because it is duplicated on the transfers but on the bottom of the saucer section there are rings and stuff that need to stay. For the f-84 I'm still painting...  I need to put a tiny bit more silver on the wings to help with the wing roots then some black goes up on the nose. I think I may be able to hit it with gloss after that. I yanked all the stuff out of the cockpit, as well, since the canopy will be blacked out I may as well save the pilot and seat and what not for something else. A shame about the canopy but it's beyond rehab.

TTYL!


EDIT: Wow.     Spelling and grammar really flies out the window this early in the day.   

[TheChronicOne]

Feeling like a million bucks!! I was done with the outside work by 10:30 just as it was heating up. Normally I get a little sickish-feeling; nauseous and headache and all that from the heat and sunlight but I made it home in time to avoid it I guess.    Been feeling like warmed over turds for the most part of the last two weeks after that one day I was out way too late.  That stuff really it takes it out of me.. I don't do well in the heat.  It makes it to where I feel motivated mentally but when it comes time to actually get up, go up and down the stairs, etc etc etc to do things necessary for working on models that I can't quite get it together physically!  "Mind is willing but body says no!"  Just go done eating a quite nice lunch, too, so I'll be feeling the boost from that in half an hour or so and will be even better. 


BUT............ Now... the wind is trying to pick up.    Go figure.....   that's OK, I have other work I can do on these projects. I can go ahead and sand this base, for instance. I've no 220 grit sand paper but I have some 400... I don't see why this won't work..   Already I'm deviating from the instructions on the can of primer but I think in this case it shouldn't be a problem... if anything, I'm SAFER using a finer sanding paper, right?  Just need to get it smooth anyway, not like I'm trying to "rough it up" to glue to it or trying to rub the primer away...    :::shrug::::

After that I'm going to get back to actual construction on the Mitsubishi. Just going to do some light sanding on the fuselage first (and the tail planes ) then glue them to one another.

Then, back to the F-84 and Enterprise NCC 1701. I would love to get these done so I can start on the next projects. I'm going to get rolling on the Hawker Sea Fury (Cuban). I want to make it pretty much exactly as it was historically. If the NMF works on this Mitsu I'm going to use it on the Sea Fury as well. If not, I'm either going with some two tone brown stuff or wait until I iron out whatever it is I did wrong to screw it up.

ALSO, Brad's first kitbash!!!! I have two different ideas. One is a simple swapping around of some parts and stuff all in the same scale, but then, another thing I was thinking about has be throwing 1/48 wings onto a box scale (close to 1/72 but not quite... it's the old revell stuff, one is a Crusader and one a Vigilante...  one was like 1/68 or something and the other was.. I don't know.. I want to say 1/84 but that seems wrong... either way.. since they are outside of the scale I like making them into whifbashkitoramascalethingy sounds like an EXCELLENT idea).  In fact, I keep meaning to get all the kits out and play around with the parts but I seem to get busy with other things instead..  Maybe I'll remember it today.  I'll reward myself with play time after I make sure to get at least a lil bit done on all three of these current builds. 

[TheChronicOne]

Huh...    I'm at the part that gave made me apprehensive at the very beginning... the CUTTING. Doesn't make much sense to me.. why mold the part on there just to have to cut it off and throw it away? Why not mold the wings without this superfluous part??  Or is it because the bomber version was different or something??  Oh well... anyway... I have to cut this piece off of both sides then there are separate gear doors that glue on.




You can see the ridge there on the left side inside the gear bay...  I have to cut along that line. Picture shows a razor blade like Tony Montana would chop up his sniffing powder with but uhhhh....  I'm thinking of trying hobby knives instead. I have a seat of cheap-o knock off brand knives (the handles are probably OK, but the blades might not be as good as xacto.... then again, maybe they are just fine!).  I think I'll try those. I'm going to have to take my time and score and re score and take out tiny bits of material at a time as I slice along the ridge in order to keep from messing it up... especially the thin little tabs that represent where the "hinges" go. I think I'll try the curved blade one first. Good thing is I don't have to worry about the surplus I'm cutting off and if I mess it up a little of the edge that is left over I can probably file it back into shape. This is beyond the scope of things I am accustomed to doing so wish my luck...    hopefully I won't cut myself or mess up the plasteek.

Next order of business... I have a couple of questions. The really really nice color insert thingy for the kit shows a military version of this civil version of a light bomber. (lol) My problem is this......   is this actually a configuration they used? As a transport or something maybe??  No turrets or anything and it still has the windows on the side which the "Nell" did not have. I can't seem to find any information about it. Couldn't find any pictures of one in this configuration either. I was wanting to build this version, too, but if I need to cut holes in it and source turrets and all that mess I'll go in another direction. If this is a transport or something else that actually existed, then fine, I'll build it.

Lastly, what is the color on the bottom supposed to be?  Is that some sort of off white or really light green or what? 

[PR19_Kit]

IIRC they used a pale grey in the underside, but you can bet there's maybe 4-5 different specs for it.

[Rick Lowe]

Goggle does show a variety of versions, with a variety of turrets... I did find what looks like an old Aircam profile that showed an L3Y2 Model 12 in Green over Grey with just a small spine turret, serving in 1944.
There's also a G3M2 Model 21 in overall Orange with Black nacelles, again in 1944 but with 2 small spine turrets.
All the others were the G3 military version with large, Catalina-style blisters on the roof and sides.

Sorry not to be of more use. 

[NARSES2]

Yup light grey undersides with the Army and Navy using different shades. The Navy's was slightly lighter, if my White Ensign paints are to be trusted, which they are 

As an aside the cowlings weren't black but a very dark bluish black with a slight sheen. A very attractive colour IMHO

[TheChronicOne]

IIRC they used a pale grey in the underside, but you can bet there's maybe 4-5 different specs for it.

Sounds good to me because I definitely have that color sitting right here!

Goggle does show a variety of versions, with a variety of turrets... I did find what looks like an old Aircam profile that showed an L3Y2 Model 12 in Green over Grey with just a small spine turret, serving in 1944.
There's also a G3M2 Model 21 in overall Orange with Black nacelles, again in 1944 but with 2 small spine turrets.
All the others were the G3 military version with large, Catalina-style blisters on the roof and sides.

Sorry not to be of more use. 

No worries! That's the roadblock I ran into as well. I could find all kinds of stuff.... but this one.    I did get ONE confirmation that it does exist from a a fellow on facebook, however. 

" I believe they were used as transport and liaison aircraft as well, and after their usefulness as bombers"


So that's good! Bolstered by this and curious again after reading your replies here in this thread, I had a run at wiki just now and found something I missed the first time:

"G3M1-L
G3M1 converted into an armed or unarmed military transport version and powered by Mitsubishi Kinsei 45 (802 kW/1,075 hp) engines."

Nice!!  I suppose I could google specifically "G3M1-L" and see if any pictures show up that look like a turretless windowed Nell. Short on time at the moment so I will later but at least we're on the right track. 

[TheChronicOne]

Just thought I'd share some of the BS I have to deal with every day.  I'm CONSIDERING hiring another helper but each day that passes I find the idea less appealing and handling it all myself again like I was is looking like the best option. I can't GROW too much being by myself but then... dealing with unreliable people really hurts when they let me down so.... I dunno.. I'd rather keep a good thing going than push the envelope, have to rely on another human element, have them fail, and in turn have ME fail.  But anyway... here's this amusing nugget:




Anyway, I gotta go.... sun will be up in about 45 minutes so I need to go out and start picking up garbage. See y'all later. 

[TheChronicOne]

Yup light grey undersides with the Army and Navy using different shades. The Navy's was slightly lighter, if my White Ensign paints are to be trusted, which they are 

As an aside the cowlings weren't black but a very dark bluish black with a slight sheen. A very attractive colour IMHO

Ack!!   Reminds me of the USAF T-37s with what I THOUGHT was the black bottom... turns out it was just dark blue all along!  These goofy instructions didn't even mention it (although mentioned what color to paint most of the rest of ithe parts.)  I'll just leave 'em black and now it's a WHIF!! 

Whilst on the note of accuracy I finally got around to checking the measurements of this thing. I remember you warning me that some of these " 1/72 " kits might actually be 1/75.  Lucked out on this one! It's 1/72 thankfully... Fuselage length was dead on accurate, and wingspan was only off by what amounted to be ~4 centimeters per wing (~1.5 inch) and since I was eyeballing and measuring across the top of a round fuselage that probably explains the small discrepancy. 

In other news... in typical fashion..... ALL MORNING LONG while I mowed in the heat and humidty the wind (when I NEEDED it) was DEAD CALM.. I mean... MAYBE 2mph gusts. Yeah, now I come home ready to go outside and paint and it looks like a whirlwind going on outside! Can't make this stuff up!!

[TheChronicOne]

 

Yay!! I did the cutting on the ... thingies!  Nacelles I guess... gear bay.. whatever the hell it is. It was easier than I thought it would be. I used a flat needle file, a round tapered file, sharp pointed hobby blade, pointed hobby blade, and flat needel nose pliers (picture miniature hand held metal brakes......  perfect for snapping the plastic off nice and straight along the score lines) and it took about 15 minutes total. The camera flash and extreme close range hilights a mutlitude of sins but these really do look perfectly fine from even close up. Totally happy with the outcome. I won't be as apprehensive next time about using hobby blades! Baby steps. ... 




And whadda ya know, a GOOD picture for a change! 

I also did some painting on some other stuff, sanded the fuselage and tailplanes/rudders then glued them to one another.  Trimmed up the sprues and got rid of all the empty ones...

I've decided not to paint the control surfaces at all. They are molded in this silver color which looks just fine for doped up cloth. I don't think it would be correct for them to have a high luster sheen like the rest, right?

More to come soon... calling it a day for now... time for video games.

Speaking of, I'm playing Just Cause 3 and ALL the aircraft are WHIF planes! Damn well done ones, too. No hokey weird stuff...   I'll post them in the "whifs found in games" thread at some point. It's a shame more people don't visit that thread... I even posted a few pictures of actual physical models in there and I don't think anyone bothered to look! These are really neat.   There's this one airplane that has corsair wings, shaped like sea fury wings but gull shaped, a mustang tail, a 5 bladed prop and spinner from... I dunno... fuselage looks sort of Fw190-ish , etc etc... in fact, hold on, I'll see if I can snap a picture or two of one real quick... BRB... these planes are neat I swear and have the gears spinning like crazy. . ..

[TheChronicOne]

Check it!! How cool? 



More shot angles and pictures to be found in the video games thread! Check it out! I'll sit down at some point and do an air show in the game here and take a bunch of pictures of the neat airplanes.


EDIT:  Oooh... crappy distorted angle shot here....   makes the plane look out of shape and stuff...   I'll try harder to do better at getting it right next time. It's kind of odd taking a picture of a two dimensional object trying to portray a 3 dimensional object..   For instance, the rudder isn't all tall and squished IRL on my screen.. not sure what's going on there. It looks like legit Mustang tail!  I'm tellin ya, these airplanes are really well done!

[NARSES2]

Whilst on the note of accuracy I finally got around to checking the measurements of this thing. I remember you warning me that some of these " 1/72 " kits might actually be 1/75.  Lucked out on this one! It's 1/72 thankfully... Fuselage length was dead on accurate, and wingspan was only off by what amounted to be ~4 centimeters per wing (~1.5 inch) and since I was eyeballing and measuring across the top of a round fuselage that probably explains the small discrepancy. 

Close enough for Government work