Sky Pirates of the Nullarbor Coast: Kawanishi H6K5 (finished pics pg9)

[PR19_Kit]

Wow, that's IMPRESSIVE stuff! 

[DogfighterZen]

Wow, that's IMPRESSIVE stuff! 

Indeed!

[zenrat]

Thanks Kit and DFZ.  Courtesy of Shapeways.

The dinghies are better than the Zodiac due to it being printed in textured finish.  This gives it a granulated finish as though it has been dusted with icing sugar (an odd habit I came across in Boston, Mass - Maple Syrup I can understand but icing sugar on your bacon, eggs, sausage & french toast?).
As it is printed like this it is impossible to clean up without losing all the detail.  Something to avoid in future I feel.
I'm quite pleased with the wooden finish.  It's very simple - clear yellow over wooden deck tan.  Both Tamiya acrylics.  Then a coat of satin clear.

The Vickers Guns (also Shapeways) suffer from what I suspect is a slight error in the 3D modelling.  I would hazard a guess that the water jacket was modelled separately from the breech but when the two parts were put together in one model a very, very slight gap was left between the two.
I think this because every time I handle one the barrel breaks off and I have to glue it back onto the front of the breech.  Annoying but not hard as the front of the breech and the back of the water jacket both have good flat mating surfaces.

[zenrat]

If all goes to plan I should finish tomorrow ready for beauty pics on Wednesday...

I have left to do;
Rig wing floats.
Rig Boat davits.
Attach gang planks.
Attach Vickers guns.
Touch up paint.

[PR19_Kit]

I'm trying, badly, to connect 'davits' with a thread about an aeroplane. 

This is just going to be amazing, I know.

[zenrat]

Maybe davits is the wrong word?
Is davit applied to the whole mechanism that lifts the boat and hoists it over the side or does it just apply to the pulley arrangement on the end?

<Googles "Davit">

OK.  So what i have to do is to thread the falls through the blocks that are attached to the underwing boat rails.
If I was doing it properly I would also need Frapping Lines, Gripes and Tricing Pendants.

[PR19_Kit]

If I was doing it properly I would also need Frapping Lines, Gripes and Tricing Pendants.

Well yes, we just naturally assumed you were going to do that. The Tricing Pendants are especially important to the  overall accuracy of the model.

[zenrat]

...and relax.

Sky Pirates of the Nullarbor Coast:  Captain Fat Hamster's Kawanishi H6K5.

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

When his Handley Page Henfield got too long in the tooth, and spares proved impossible to make or steal Captain Fat Hamster chose, as his new flag plane an ex IJN Kawanishi H6K5.

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 18 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Finding the Kawanishi lacked the power to lift the payloads he was asking of it (gold and hostages are heavy) and desiring a Flying Bridge to command his air fleet from a damaged Mustang was butchered to provide the required accomodations.  This also provided somewhere to mount a 20mm Oerlikon cannon (taken as a prize from a PDRV patrol boat driven ashore by Pirate jabos) used to persuade reluctant shipping that stopping was a good idea.

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 25 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

A system of adaptable mounting rails was added under the wings to carry a variety of equipment from bombs to a minisub.  Currently carried are a pair of dinghies and an armed Zodiac inflatable which were used to transfer booty from their prizes via the beam hatches.

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 30 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Defensive armament was provided by Vickers Guns mounted in the nose, beam hatches and tail in addition to whatever the crew could find to fire through the dorsal hatch.  The Oerlikon could be fired in flight provided the gunner strapped himself to it.  Reloading was hazardous and tend to be left to Rodger the cabin boy.  It has been noted that the two figures seen on the Flying Bridge appear to be wearing zenrat industries overalls although this could not possibly be the case given that zi provide the PDRV contingent to the Southern Air Patrol which is tasked with stopping sky piracy.

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 21 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 27 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

Hasegawa Kawanishi H6K5.
Props from Revell Avro Lancaster
Scratchbuilt "conning tower" and flying bridge incorporating the nose from an Academy P51, prop from an Airfix Mosquito, spinner from a Hasegawa or Airfix Bf 109, Eduard seatbelts and the ladder from a Matchbox Heyford.
Vickers Guns, Oerlikon, Dinghies, Zodiac and life rafts from Shapeways.
Crew from various places including Elheim Figures and the aforementioned Heyford.
Ropes from Lincraft.

Kawanishi Type 97 H6K5 28 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[Snowtrooper]

Inspiring concept, awesome execution, tremendous attention to detail. Splendid!

The camo pattern seems to work very well too, the different pattern in the fuse and uppers further serve to break up the outline. Love the ship-like details (just as with the MeKo spec-ops sailplane). And just when you think you have spotted all there is to see you notice one more thing...

[NARSES2]

Marvellously bonkers 

[ericr]

it could become a habit, but by definition not :
this is simply once again astonishing 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.  I made it by the skin of my teeth.  I thought I had a day more than I did and I was going to leave the pics until tomorrow.  Glad I didn't 

Chris - the Eduard steel seatbelts are fine.  Very thin, soft metal means they can easilly be shaped to the seat.
If you think this is bonkers, wait until I get to work on the third part of the Captain Fat Hamster triptych - the Airship...

[TheChronicOne]

Cracking build, m8!! This is even crazier than I thought it would be. I totally love the paint job!! 

[NARSES2]

Chris - the Eduard steel seatbelts are fine.  Very thin, soft metal means they can easilly be shaped to the seat.

Thanks mate  Think I'll dip my toe in the water then. I like the pre-painted brass ones except they aren't to pliable and you can't really anneal them, can you ? 

[Weaver]

That is BRILLIANT, I love it! 

Coincidentally, I picked up a Cant Z.501 at Huddersfield with piracy in mind. It's pretty much the same shape but half the size and with 20% of the engines, but it has bomb racks in the middle of the wing struts which would be perfect for this kind of small boats setup.