Tintin: The Black Island Project

strobez · October 13, 2016, 06:51:38 AM

Besides the massive Area 88 project I'm working on, I'm also doing a few Tintin-themed side projects on the side. Since I'm currently travelling, it seemed easy to pack up a small kit like Airfix's venerable Dh. Chipmunk, some choice tools and a bit of glue and do a bit of work on the road.

So far I've inserted front and rear firewalls, scratch-built a cockpit floor, a couple of consoles and some chairs (though I'm not sold on them quite yet). I'm still working on the cockpit sidewall features, but need to get a few more styrene strips first.

I've also carefully scribed under the cowling to thin it a bit, and I've drilled out the various vent covers and added a bit of homemade tubing to one and a cross support to another.

I still have a ton of work on the surface to remove the massive rivets and describe panels, but I'm happy with the results so far.

My build log is here.

McColm · October 13, 2016, 12:12:34 PM

I've got a rare T-shirt Herge the adventures of Tintin ' The Black Island' B-911. I don't think it's been worn.

Rick Lowe · October 14, 2016, 01:33:25 AM

ISTR there isn't a whole lot of much visible once the fuselage is buttoned up - especially if you paint it a dark grey.
It might save you a bit of work?

There again, I think the build I saw had crew as well...

Oh well, up to you - the info is there FWIW.

I still like this old kit and might have to get another sometime.

Cheers

strobez · October 15, 2016, 12:39:47 AM

I've seen a couple of really nice builds of the Chipmunk and they both include significant scratchbuilding of the interior. I don't have plans to include a vacuum-formed canopy, so you're right, not much should be visible. But it's still fun to add some basic form to the cockpit.

strobez · October 18, 2016, 08:27:27 PM

Took a bit of time off from the build due to travel, but I added a couple of pics of the more-or-less complete interior structure to my updated build log.

strobez · January 07, 2017, 08:40:55 AM

Thought I'd resurrect this thread with my some pics of my completed build. There's still a few things I'm not quite happy with... mainly with the paint job, but redoing the black stripes with decals looks a lot better, so I'm throwing in the towel before I break the landing gear off for the fourth time.

TheChronicOne · January 07, 2017, 01:13:27 PM

Glorious!!! Dude, that's a thing of beauty! I know what you mean about the towel being thrown in. There's a fine line to be walked between created a lot more work for youself to achieve what might not be much better results than what ya already have. I think it looks great! Nothin' wrong w/ the paint job that I can tell.

Spey_Phantom · January 07, 2017, 01:48:02 PM

great looking Chipmunk, ive built a tigermoth from the same album

strobez · January 07, 2017, 03:37:20 PM

Thanks guys! I was happy with the build right up to when I painted the red. Masking was a bit tricky and i had a few spots of spill over. Then I masked a second time for the black line and compounded the problem. So I re-masked the white area and painted over the black lines... which wasn't easy. After the black was gone I re-applied it as home-made decals instead. It worked much better, but would have been that much better if I had done that from the start.

I also dropped it off the workbench twice, which was especially frustrating as I was trying to apply a coat of Future for the decals. I had to carefully drill out the landing gear, insert a bit of styrene tube and the putty it to fit and repaint it... just in time for me to drop it again. Sigh...

strobez · January 07, 2017, 03:39:27 PM

Quote from: Nils on January 07, 2017, 01:48:02 PM
great looking Chipmunk, ive built a tigermoth from the same album

That one's on my list as well. Do you have a build log so I can steal all your good ideas?

TheChronicOne · January 07, 2017, 03:46:35 PM

Quote from: strobez on January 07, 2017, 03:37:20 PM
Thanks guys! I was happy with the build right up to when I painted the red. Masking was a bit tricky and i had a few spots of spill over. Then I masked a second time for the black line and compounded the problem. So I re-masked the white area and painted over the black lines... which wasn't easy. After the black was gone I re-applied it as home-made decals instead. It worked much better, but would have been that much better if I had done that from the start.

I also dropped it off the workbench twice, which was especially frustrating as I was trying to apply a coat of Future for the decals. I had to carefully drill out the landing gear, insert a bit of styrene tube and the putty it to fit and repaint it... just in time for me to drop it again. Sigh...

Man, all this sounds soooo familiar!

Dude, the decal technique is choice for the line there. Teh other day I saw NarsesS2 mention using .5mm masking tape in the same fashion on canopy frame work. Then, two days ago on facebook or somewhere I saw someone mention using decal paper, like you did for your pin stripe, for canopy frame work as well. I think there's a lot of merit to using really thin masking tape AND painted (or cut from spares already made) strips of decals for striping and frame work opposed to trying to paint it. I'm definitely going to be trying both on future builds. Seems like good ways to have nice crisp lines and avoid numerous paint involved problems. You're already on the right track having stumbled upon the technique naturally! It's a "why didn't I think of it" type deal for me... no telling if I would have ever thought of it on my own so I'm glad I saw you all talking about it.

Fancy seatbelts ya got in there, too..

KiwiZac · January 07, 2017, 10:45:42 PM

Wow! Fantastic work!

63cpe · January 08, 2017, 12:16:07 AM

Wow, Marvelous job Your showing us here. I love the way you handled the paintjob. Sometimes these schemes are pretty hard to get done in one go. But it suits the chipmunk every well. Every smart!

Did that canadian canopy come with the kit?
Must get myself a chippie and do something with it.. Thinking hat is on...

David

zenrat · January 08, 2017, 01:04:47 AM

Grouse. Love the spats.

I (like a lot of us I suspect) have one in the stash. I doubt if i'll get it to look this good but now it will get spats.

Spey_Phantom · January 08, 2017, 02:21:19 AM

Quote from: strobez on January 07, 2017, 03:39:27 PM
Quote from: Nils on January 07, 2017, 01:48:02 PM
great looking Chipmunk, ive built a tigermoth from the same album

That one's on my list as well. Do you have a build log so I can steal all your good ideas?

ive got a link to my photobucket album, showing all my tintin themed builds

http://s307.photobucket.com/user/Nilssteyaert/library/what%20if/tintin?sort=3&page=1