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

[TheChronicOne]

I was thinking about the wing deal and initial thoughts early on were to simply have the air crews take the outboard portion of the wing off where it hinges to fold up. The Phantom would fly like that but then the landing speed would be really high and trapping on the carrier would be scary as hell. Then I got to thinking that the canted parts could be made to fold over and attach flush to the top of the wings. It would create drag but shouldn't wreck the stability of the aircraft any then the new wings simply attach.  We know the Phantom can fly with the wings folded and pointing up in the air so if it can do that, it can do it with them folded over flush with the wing which would be a far more desirable configuration.     

This is just one idea.... it's interesting as hell but I'm wanting some other ideas, too. I'd like to jump into my spare parts stash to see what shakes out but I'm even considering something weird like taking some old 1950's prop airliner like a DC-6 or something and throwing U2 wings and turbofans on it. OR SOMETHING.

[Pellson]

We know the Phantom can fly with the wings folded and pointing up in the air so if it can do that, it can do it with them folded over flush with the wing which would be a far more desirable configuration. 

No, a double folded wing would increase drag massively, and added to that, destroy the airflow over the wing profile, effectively negating any chance of flight, so not a desirable configuration. However, having the folding parts vertical will avoid the drag and airflow issues while minimising span for stowage.

Besides the F-4, the F-8 Crusader share the same configuration and has, as it happens, also flown with folded wings.

[TheChronicOne]

HMMM....  yeah!!  Good points!!  I think I'm in agreement here for sure and after having looked at one of my already made Phantom models there just is no good way to stow the wing tip..... I could solve all these problems by having this thing not be a carrier aircraft but that takes all the fun away!       This idea is all but dead in the water at this point. I appreciate the feedback! 

[TheChronicOne]

Check this out. For quite some time now I've had an inclination to incorporate LEGO into my picture taking (well, other than my lil Flight Dude I use for scale reference). I remember, and still have, the trees from my LEGO sets as a child and always thought it could be neat to simply place a few here and there in the background. Those trees in particular were what lead me down this road.



Anyway, I only just now realized that these very trees I was thinking of came in a couple kits I bought a couple weeks ago.....  so.. full circle? That is very pleasing... the trees were the motivation, but when I bought them, I didn't notice that they were actually in the kits (what I nice surprise! ) :



They were even discounted. I guess kids aren't as enthused about a LEGO.... STREET... of all things.... it's not a crazy vehicle, castle, or pirate ship.... it's.... THE ROAD.. lmao so I guess it wasn't as popular, although I bet adults that dig the City line probably love 'em (I wish I had tons of money and space, I'd buy the entire line of City stuff! )  and of course they appealed to me for making simple "runway" and taxi-way type stuff just to have sitting around for pictures of completed models. The road surfaces and markings are the main event, of course, but the accessories in the form of plants and hints of lawn are great.

The other little things in bags are Dollar Tree (I love this place; unlike many other "dollar" stores there is a hard cap at $1 and not a single item in the store is over) knock-off brands. The ones I got were "Scenery."  One says something about farm stuff. At first glance they seem to contain an assemblage of semi-random bits that could be made into a loose representation of "crap" like grass and shrubs but then I looked at the back of the card and they actually can make into some really neat lil plants like trees and flowers! 



Oh, and here's the back of the box of the actual LEGO street kits:



I'm looking forward to playing with this stuff. I think it'll mesh well with my inside picture taking when I have to use my black grid cutting-matt, etc.  It could provide a neat sort-of "old school computer graphics represented in the real world" look.

In other news...  I've been thinking more about getting on with my PSA Tristar. Enough time has past now that I've forgotten a lot of the convoluted plans and overthinking.     I have a clearer picture looking at it now... from what I can tell, I just need to finish putting the transfers on then gloss over them then glue on the gear.          It's funny how sometimes whilst in the midst of a project perfectionism can creep in and actually become larger than life and drive one to absurd lengths that often prove unnecessary. I fall victim to this too much, I think. I'm blathering now, but, this IS what has been on my mind about models lately.   

Still dumbfounded as to a project for the Recce GB. My plan is to just hop into the stash and soak it all in and let something strike my fancy.

[PR19_Kit]

My plan is to just hop into the stash and soak it all in and let something strike my fancy.

We're of like mind there Brad. 

[zenrat]

... It's funny how sometimes whilst in the midst of a project perfectionism can creep in and actually become larger than life and drive one to absurd lengths that often prove unnecessary...

Tell me about it.  This is the reason for so many of my unfinished builds.

[reddfoxx]

The streets, at least, look very useful.  And they may be kinda popular- I got my daughter a "Street" or "City" Advent calendar with a paper city block and 24 tiny Lego things.  I've seen stuff in those series all over.

[TheChronicOne]

Maybe it's just our area that they aren't popular. The fancier City line stuff like buildings and vehicles sell like hot cakes (and people steal 'em like "hot" cakes lol) while the street sets sit there. Works for me though! If they discount them even further I'll grab some more....  they're all still there, for now.  I'd like to have a couple more but even at the discounted price I couldn't justify more than two.    Thinking about it, that particular store serves a limited income area and that might also have something to do with it. Imagine being 8 and your mother says, "Ok, you can have only one LEGO City kit..... which do you want? .... This car that has moving parts and comes with a mini fig and a helicopter and small guard shack.....or..... a piece of street....."   

A lot of the other City sets are so popular that I go back to get one that catches my eye to find they're already gone.  Eventually I plan to buy more City stuff if I can. I've seen some kits over the years that would make for some good control towers. I kick myself for not buying... whatever it was... that I saw about a year ago in the City line that could have been at least part of an airport and wasn't too expensive... (about the same price as the street, but far more interesting). I saw another one recently that would have worked well for a bunch of it.... the police station!!! But... THAT one was too costly.     

Diving into the stash here in a little while to see if I can find something for the GB. 

[Rick Lowe]

Your "Greasy Wulf" came out well, Brad. 

The LEGO range has some cool stuff, but I've never been willing to try and justify the cost of it to myself...

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks!! It turned out well....   I love little single engine prop fighters of the WWII era. Good therapy to build those up.

Yeah them things can be pretty pricey.... those streets I bought would have remained on the shelf if not for the discount. High quality stuff, though... can't beat a good set of LEGO. I've always liked their space stuff and aviation things and the City line has always held my interest. They have some somewhat new stuff... I forget the name of the line... "Arcitecture" I think...  stuff like the Empire State Building and the White House.....  very cool. I nearly bought the White House but it was $100.     Thing is, that doesn't seem like a bad price for the amount of parts and size of it... but..... still, that's a 100 dollar toy! 

[Rick Lowe]

Yeah, some of the Star Wars/Sci-Fi stuff looks good, but when you look at the shelf price, my wallet goes 'Nope!'

[TheChronicOne]

It's a shame, really! I'd like to go full-junkie and just buy tons of LEGO and have a huge space for building and storage (all this sounds pretty familiar already to everyone, huh....  ).  Considering the tech, planning, and what is involved making kits with so many different parts with high quality instructions, etc. it stands to reason they'd be costly and rightfully so but then there's mark-up and it's just not practical sometimes. Not a knock on LEGO or even retailers, really (although if there WERE "knock" to go around it would be aimed at them) but it's just one of them things in life that can bleed you dry if you get carried away. 

Probably my favorite kit was this thing I got for my birthday when I was 8 or 9. I still had about 80% left of it from over the decades but still had to actually purchase another on eBay to get the box, instructions, and more parts which were described as seemingly mostly there, with extras even, but not 100% complete. Between the stuff I had and the new stuff (which I'd say was 95% or a little more complete... nice!! )  I managed to build up almost the whole kit aside from a few minor parts like one half of the gurney wheels and and.. like... some of the mini fig stuff...   The plane is all there, though.. and it was damn nice to get the box and stuff.

 

[PR19_Kit]

Yeeeaaaah, it's a CV-10! 



One day I'll finish building it, I promise.....................

[TheChronicOne]

Brilliant aircraft, that!

[TheChronicOne]

I have to admit to being totally stumped on how to get underway with the Recce GB. A contributing factor is fatigue and being tired from work which impacts everything from energy level to creative thinking. When well rested, everything comes easier. Physical exhaustion is one thing but I'm also dealing with mental stuff as well and not the good kind. Some problems just don't seem to have a solution and this realization is putting me in a terrible mood. With this in mind (ha!) I've decided to try not to force the issue and just let creativity hit me of its own volition. Could be a month from now but that's alright!      Fun shouldn't be forced.

I did go to the stash to brainstorm but nothing came to mind that didn't also come with "baggage" .....  hesitation concerning the workload involved with making the modifications.  The Phantom, however, still holds interest for some reason... I can dispense with all the aircraft carrier stuff thus eliminating the need for adopting crazy ideas to solve the wing problems. I still want to do something different with the Phantom by adding really long wings (and possibly a long, pointy nose!). It's not like I'm trying to make an RF-4 with a different paint job.... I WANT THE LONG WINGS!    Seeing a long wing Phantom is kind of the point. I think it could wind up being a really interesting looking model... so....  who knows....      BUT FOR NOW, I'm dropping the issue of trying to come up with something and will wait for proper motivation to strike. 

This is how proper motivation strikes, for me, often times: out of the blue. I saw a picture a few days ago on social media and at first glance, I thought it was a T-37 Tweet but when I looked at it awhile longer, it turned out to be a Vampire. There are similarities up front. (it was an old, busy photo and it was a split second glance; I quickly realized it wasn't a Tweet).  So that got me to thinking: "Let's make a twin boom Tweet! Hell, why not!" 

So, I guess now I'm going to probably wind up cutting apart a Hasegawa Tweet (well, I'm going to use the Dragonfly kit) and that new Airfix Vampire T.11 and smash it all together somehow to make a twin boom Tweet and a single fuselage Vampire. This may be as simple as a nose/cockpit transplant but if air worthy... I'd like to keep the Tweet's skinnier (compared to the Vamp.) wings and then just put the booms and rear air surfaces from the Vampire on it... then vice versa if I do decided to make the single fuselage Vampire.