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

[TheChronicOne]

Falling behind on my Thunderbirds stuff but that's alright... I've been helping an FB friend with HIS project. Yesterday he popped up asking around for the Cousteau Revell PBY Catalina. I says.... well that's one of my favorite kits, you can't have any of mine, but I'll try to help you find one of your own. Then I was like, "Well, I can take some pictures of the kit and I also have a couple of the Airfix Cats so we can do some comparisons, etc. "    Long story short...    I've done spent 2-3 hours on it.     Hey, at least I'm doing model stuff?  I found the project interesting myself..... it's a Golden Nugget super cat:




Regardless, I made progress on MY endeavors as well. As a side effect of digging out the Airfix Catalinas I proceeded with the stash moving and actually got quite a few piles moved to the other room. I'll be needing to better organize the stuff but at least I'm started. I also managed to unearth my Thunderbirds stuff. This is where I have the decals stored: 



I also have EVERY aircraft they had... the show aircraft and support aircraft as well. I even have some cars, buses, and some whifs as well as a real-world L-29 Thunderbirds tribute plane......... I have decals for an F-106 and Mustangs as well... the sheet has enough to do Two mustangs so I'll make an NMF B model and a white D model. There is ONE last item I need however... the decal sheet for the C-54. Kinda expensive but I guess I'll go ahead and buy it and that will make my Thunderbirds collection truly complete. Oh.... or wait? Maybe I have that already and I'm missing, of all things, the F-16.       I'll get it figured out later... been a couple years since I messed with this particular sub-collection.

[reddfoxx]

Awesome idea!  I had that set; didn't end up building any as T-birds, though.  I think the 105 is sprayed silver and downstairs somewhere, so still a possibility. 

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks! Making pre-arranged what if builds almost seems like cheating but by forcing some of the markings onto a 51B, I'm whiffing a whif so to speak, so it should be neat. I'll be looking forward to seeing the D and B side by side. Oddly enough, some of the markings on the poo-poo are for a bicentennial get-up so the 51D painted white will also be a 1976 version whilst the NMF B model will be uhh.... well, whatever... perhaps it can be the first actual Thunderbirds demo plane or some such. 

Meanwhile...  I've figured out what I'm lacking in the Thunderbirds collection. I was missing the decals for the C-54, ordered those this morning. Also, I have the decals for the C-119 but NOT the C-123 so I'll buy those this evening I guess. Lastly... the F-16 kit and decals themselves. Somehow this one was just taken for granted and completely escaped my purchasing endeavors. Oh wait.... I need an F-106 kit, too. I'm going to look at the decal sheet and see which model they used to make them and get that one. Long story short, I was missing more than I thought!

So, I need:
                 The decal sheet for the C-123
                 An F-106 kit
                 An F-16 kit and decals (probably go for the Hasegawa)

I keep putting off getting started on the Thunderbolt II to keep going with the deep clean and re-organize but I think tonight I'll stop that project early and get started on it while I watch the debate. 
                 

[TheChronicOne]

Officially started the A-10 by cracking open the kit, busting open the bag, and beginning of culling of superfluous parts. This old Monogram kit is awesome... it has 50 billion weapons.... these will be a welcome addition to the parts stash along with their pylons. Also going into the stash is the Pave Penny (I think that's the name..god damn, whatever, it's been awhile) sensor thing. So far I'm on task and much of this sounds just like the things I've said prior as forethought.

Tomorrow or soon-ish I will complete the culling then plan to jump directly into getting all the gear assembled and painted along with getting the clear pieces futured and masked.

I'll make a new thread for this build pretty soon.... after I actually get some glue applied at least.

This begs a new question; at which point do you officially consider a build started? After opening the kit? At the very first point you start research and intel? Upon clipping the first part from the tree? Upon the first application of glue? 

[Old Wombat]

My take is when first glue is applied. Until then it's just being sized up as a project.

[zenrat]

Yep, first glueing is the start IMO.

[DogfighterZen]

I'd say the same, when the first parts are glued, the build is on. Just did that to my Hobbyboss UH-1C Huey.
A-10s... i like those a lot... what country will that one belong to?

[TheChronicOne]

I'm stripping it down to make an ultra-clean USAF Thunderbirds A-10 "Thunderbrrrrrt."          I like juxtaposition. Typically the dirtiest aircraft in the entire military, this one will be clean and shiny.     No weapons or pylons... no extraneous doohickies or anything like that. This serves multiple purposes: It loads the parts stash with a lot of new weapons and antennas and sensors (or whatever), makes for an easier and quicker build, which in turns will serve my purpose to get something built soon that won't kick my arse. I'm not expecting much fuss from this thing...   putty the holes on the wings and that's about it. No sawing open of gear bays, etc. Slap it together and then the paint job will be the tricky part but I'm looking forward to the challenge. I have some ideas on how to make masking to get all the scallops and swoops and stuff.

[DogfighterZen]

I get ya... great stuff! I can imagine some JMNs going crazy with ta Thunderbirds A-10...
And the part of a smooth build, yes, sometimes it's good to just chill and build them as them come. I'm doing the same with the Huey, no cutting or scratchbuilding, just plain building and painting as i still have the F-16W on the go and that still needs quite a bit of PSR and more...

[TheChronicOne]

It's going to be sweet. I HOPE. If the stupid thing will stop fighting me, which has started basically on DAY ONE of actual work....        Details to follow:


I've ran up against one of my most hated problems of model building: running across inaccurate and/or conflicting information. It grinds builds to a halt. This time around I lost 45 minute to an hour just to ascertain that a picture in the instructions was upside down.

As printed, it would have me insert an exhaust completely upside down. It mentions a rib, and a notch. Then mentions a seam. The rib and notch are supposed to actually go together but the diagram pictures them being completely opposite of each other.

As a result, it didn't work AT ALL so I thought the parts needed more refinement (and they do have copious ejector pin towers, flash, etc.) so I spent a while doing that.... still didn't work... kept fiddling and fiddling until it hit me, "What if the god damn directions are wrong?"

So, I tried doing the opposite of the diagram and Eureka, it worked.



The nib and notch aren't supposed to be at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions, they're BOTH supposed to be at 12 o'clock.       I'm just glad I figured it out... but.... I tell you.. I was having fun up until this discrepancy then all of a sudden I was not.

While the detail and "what-not" (such as the glorious load of weapons it came with!)  look good.. I'm starting to question my decision to pick this kit as one to try to get back into the hobby after all the hell I've been through. It's tough finding motivation enough to just partake in hobbies right now...  now here I am tryin and on the very first real build session I hit this stupid road-block.      

[zenrat]

You'll do fine Brad C.   

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks, hoss!  Back at it today perhaps.  I hope it's smooth sailing from here on out. The condition of the parts is pretty rough in spots so I'll be sanding and filing like mad so I'll have my hands full with that and don't need the instructions, of all things, hindering me. I would just toss them in the corner and get to building but this thing goes together a bit weird.      Funnily enough, I build one of these back in the early 90's but it was a much simpler kit (can't remember who made it, but I think it was a snap-tite so I guess probably the same as this one) that could only be built "in-flight". I just happen to know where it is, too, I'll have to grab it for comparisons sake. 

[TheChronicOne]

A-10 is cursed so I'm going to make a MiG-8 Duck instead. This was an idea I had rolled around in my mind a year or two ago when I learned of this ....    ehh... fascinating airplane:



I've also been itching to make something using the awesome diamond shaped East German roundels so what we have here is an idea I had of a making a slow moving and somewhat inconspicuous border patrol aircraft used to fly up and down and around the border between East/West Berlin (AKA "Berlin Wall"). I'll either paint it all black or give it a two-tone type of black and dark grey camoflage or maybe do something involving glossy black with matte black.... or something. lol   Might try to hang some spot lights on it or something. Anyway... this thing flies around looking for people trying to "illegally" cross into West Berlin... catch some people moving toward the border zone and call in for ground units or some such....  Dunno how silly it is but it's a SOMEWHAT plausible idea. The plane itself with the high wing (that is situated at the back of the cabin) provides excellent downward visibility and it flies slow enough to make observation possible.

I'll make a thread for this soon and we'll have a look at the plastic and get under way. I need to dig out the transfers for it first then I'll get busy.

[Tophe]

interesting not-well-known kit and subject...

[PR19_Kit]

Dunno how silly it is but it's a SOMEWHAT plausible idea. The plane itself with the high wing (that is situated at the back of the cabin) provides excellent downward visibility and it flies slow enough to make observation possible.

Very plausible indeed. When I lived there in '78 they flew An-2s along the southern half of The Wall zone.

They couldn't do it in the north because the inbound flights to Tegel Airport would have run into them........

That was at the same time as the RAF were flying camo'd Chipmunks along our side of the border.