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

[zenrat]

If you could find a 1/144 pickup then scratching basic stairs up wouldn't be too difficult.  Of course there are those here who wouldn't stop at basic and would build individuals steps and hand rails...


Be carefull walking about the house in the dark.  If you walk into that Tristar hanging there you could do yourself an injury.

[PR19_Kit]

If you could find a 1/144 pickup then scratching basic stairs up wouldn't be too difficult.  Of course there are those here who wouldn't stop at basic and would build individuals steps and hand rails...

The stairs could be done using those etched tail stairs to fit 727s, DC9s and Tridents perhaps. I can't remember who did them but I used a set on my Tandem Wing DC9 a while back.

As for the pickup, a British N gauge model railway one might work as that's 1/148 scale. US N scale would be too small as that's 1/160, but I'm not sure if any of the UK N gauge people make US styled pickups though.

[TheChronicOne]

I'm using those stairs for my in-flight Northwest Orient DB Cooper build.      Really I just want a simple pickup, I'll check out the N-scale offerings. 

[NARSES2]

One on the right is grinning about something 

[PR19_Kit]

One on the right is grinning about something 

All of the PSA aircraft of the period carried the 'grin', that's why they're so popular I guess. 

[TheChronicOne]

The one on the right happy knowing she has better job security than Mother Grinningbird on the left. 

[TheChronicOne]

How about an update....     For 4-5 days I didn't lift a finger on any builds. I was dealing with other issues that had me all bummed out and stuff and I lost all motivation to do any hobbies really but a few days ago picked back up again sanding the everloving crap out of the stretch Caravelle. It's jumped ahead of the Tristar, in fact, in how refined the fuselage is now.    In double fact, that has been the smoothest sailing window deletion I've done yet and I guess I'm finally honing my methods a bit. What I did different this time was go less heavy on the actual glue on the outside and I just Tamiya putty instead. That may be the key as the glued plastic sands away slower than bear plastic and it makes for a more tedious time of it. Opposed to the glue, the putty sands better with the plastic so..... there we have it.

That's all I've done, though, but today I'm going to try to get more done. I'd like to see if I can get the Caravelle to the point where I either glue the wings on (or not, because of decals) and also get some more window work done on the Tristar. It's been primed and I can now readily see what needs addressing and boy there is a lot of it. This was before I tried a new experiment on how I fill in windows and this is one of the old method project and has tons more sanding to come as a result. 

I've also recently discovered that I need a new tool. Some sort of block to attach sheets of sanding paper to so I have a perfectly flat sanding surface. I have my sanding sponges that work fantastic but on some stuff i need a surface that remains perfectly flat instead of conforming to the subject. I suppose I could buy a proper one or could just grab a piece of wood or something but either way, I could use one and will try to address that soon.

[zenrat]

You can get hand sanders with spring clips on the ends into which you clip 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 sheets of sandpaper.  Your local DIY store will be able to help you.
I have one (great for sanding drywall) but I have never used it for modelling.  I prefer to use sandpaper taped to a piece of glass.
I find it's better to rub the model on the flat surface rather than the flat surface on the model.
My piece of glass is a sample from the glass shop down the road and has nice safe finger friendly bevelled edges.
I do use small block sanders sometimes on models - basically just sandpaper wrapped around an offset of timber.

[NARSES2]

Thoroughly agree with the Zenrat that it's better to rub the model onto the sand/emery paper and that a sheet of glass is the best surface. I got mine from a bespoke stained glass workshop up the Palace and they were glad to get rid of the off-cut I use 

[TheChronicOne]

Roger that! I have that set up already but was just thinking the other day that If I had something about the same size as my sanding sponges, maybe a bit narrower, but with less give, that it would be handy. Sometimes I just need something I can hold and use with elbow grease and to fit into sometimes small areas and this becomes exceedingly awkward when trying to do it on a stationary object. Kind of like my wood file... that wood file would be less easy to use were I restricted to having it sitting on my desk (which, oddly enough, I do from time to time, though).

But I do use my glass and sand paper thing quite often. Used the other day to help get the fuselage cuts nice and straight on the stretch Caravelle. Mine is a pane of chandelier glass. It's awesome. It's long in one diretion just like strips of sandpaper and has beveled edges that don't cut up the paper. It's been one of my handiest tools. It's identical twin serves as a cutting matt sometimes when it comes to making precision cuts on tape. That's how I made my strips for the canopy on the Yak-53. 



So, with the hanging of things to dry I do from the one in my kitchen to these two glass panels, I utilise chandeliers in my building three different ways!   

[PR19_Kit]

I could tell a tale or two about chandeliers, but I probably better not.......... 

[TheChronicOne]

Starting to sound like the 1970's up in here!     


Plans for today.... hmmm...  well, let's see..... I need to put Tamiya Putty on the Tristar along the windows again. I sanded the piss out of it the other day and got myself back down to a baseline where the glue I used on the outiside should no longer be a factor. Sometimes plastic weld simply doesn't make a good filler because, well, there's not much "filler" to it. Kind of like water doesn't make good concrete until cement is mixed in. The rest is starting to look pretty good. I'm going to have a wee bit of work left on a couple doors but they're mostly in shape and the fuselage seams are all in pretty good shape. Won't be long before actual paint starts on this one I think.

Stretch Caravelle has had a lot more sanding done as well. I'm trying to obliterate the remaining raised detail that is highly overdone, raised, and crisp so way out of scale in any regard. The air stairs are nearly blended in as well and surprisingly enough I think the work on the windows is done already. I'll have some wings on this one soon. I stopped the other day to concentrate and deciding whether or not the transfers would go one well before or after the wings and I lucked out again and will be able to go ahead and build the thing before I decal the thing.

So, back to work on this stuff today I hope. I have a big day ahead though so hopefully I have some energy at the end of it. I also hope some of the wares I've bought recently come in today. I've few things from overseas I'm waiting on, pretty neat stuff that I hope isn't smashed or some crackhead steals. 

[NARSES2]

I could tell a tale or two about chandeliers, but I probably better not.......... 

I think I saw the film (movie) 

[Rheged]

I could tell a tale or two about chandeliers, but I probably better not.......... 

I think I saw the film (movie) 

One of the later Harry Potters?

We do still have our "MIS-SPENT YOUTH" thread active if anyone wishes to elaborate......

[PR19_Kit]

I could tell a tale or two about chandeliers, but I probably better not.......... 

I think I saw the film (movie) 

One of the later Harry Potters?

We do still have our "MIS-SPENT YOUTH" thread active if anyone wishes to elaborate......

I'm not sure I want to, and it wasn't that long ago, maybe 15 rs or so.