Super Stretch DC8

[zenrat]

Has anyone built a stretched DC3?

I've never seen one, but now you mention it............. 

A tailwheel DC4 would be the simplest way of doing it, and chopping off two of the engines maybe?

You're welcome Kit.  I'm always happy to help out.   

[PR19_Kit]

Here's the Super Stretch now, all smoothed off and ready for paint. The wings and tail still aren't glued in place and I'm not sure I'll ever bother, they're plugged in there pretty well.

[kitnut617]

Looking very good Kit   

Now, you need to do that in 1/72 scale and blow everyone's minds

http://www.aim72.co.uk/page12.html

[NARSES2]

Now if gunpowder technology had never been discovered/invented maybe that's what our modern elite missile troops (Javelin light infantry) would have been armed with ?  It looks as if it could be quite lethal if thrown at someone.

[PR19_Kit]

Doing the decals for this is driving me nuts.

For some reason the Aer Turas titles on either side of their DC8-61 are different! The thickness of the strokes of each letter are even different on opposite sides of the same letter!

Luckily as mine is a Whiff they're going to be the same on each side!

[JayBee]

That looks like the forward fuselage extension that Bassler applied to their turbo Daks. This was to help with the balance of the aircraft as the weight of the turboprops is so much less than the original engines.

[PR19_Kit]

Has anyone built a stretched DC3?

I've never seen one, but now you mention it............. 

A tailwheel DC4 would be the simplest way of doing it, and chopping off two of the engines maybe?

Following on this train of thought I bought a Revell C-54 kit at today's S Wales AMFVA Show (at some exoense I might add  ) but my plan is a non-starter really. 

The DC4's fuselage is a LOT larger in diameter than a Dak's so it'd look like a 1/48 version. Mind you, that may not stop me building it with a tailwheel. 

It's a VERY complex kit, with 100 build stages in the instructions! It comes with a complete interior too. 

[TheChronicOne]

I have some of those C-54s. (I have extras because I found some on sale.. big time on sale) one is destined for my Thunderbirds collection:



Courtesy o' Wings Palette

I must be strange because I like some of the support aircraft more than some of the demonstrators. 

[Weaver]

That looks like the forward fuselage extension that Bassler applied to their turbo Daks. This was to help with the balance of the aircraft as the weight of the turboprops is so much less than the original engines.

Alley Cat do a range of 1/72nd resin conversion kits for both the Basler and the South African Turbo-Dak versions.

[zenrat]

...I must be strange because I like some of the support aircraft more than some of the demonstrators. 

Well, you're here aren't you?

[TheChronicOne]

Aye, lad, that I am... 


The Thunderbirds really did well with their support craft. This thing, then they had the Boxcar and the C-123. Not sure what they use now... I think they just use a regular paint C-5 or c-17.

[PR19_Kit]

I've primered most of the Super Stretch 8 (and the Calder 8 too) tonight, and it's obvious it'll need at least one more PSR session. but I guess I expected that.

Still working on the Aer Turas decals, and the guys who painted the titles were either on the Guinness or the potcheen the day they did them! Every letter is a different width and the strokes are all different too, it's driving me nuts!

[PR19_Kit]

I'm now on the THIRD session of post-primer PSR for the Super Stretch 8! 

Because the fuselage inserts are from the older, boxed kit, they're just slightly smaller than the newer, bagged kit, so they're about 0.25 - 0.5 mm too shallow to match. I've PSR'd the joints till I'm blue in the face but I can still feel the depression on the top of the fuselage.

The Calder 8 doesn't have that problem as all of it's the older kit, but it does suffer from the other 'Minicraft Standard Problem' which is the clear plastic windscreen etc. is all in one piece with the upper fuselage aft of it, and Minicraft ALWAYS make them too shallow! The Calder 8 was sorted after 2 PSR sessions but the Super Stretch 8 is on its fourth session in that area by now. 

I'm hoping to get some colour paint on by the weekend, but I'm not so confident now.

[PR19_Kit]

Ah, the hell with it. I don't think I can get the fuselage PSR of the Super Stretch any better so I've sprayed on the first colour coat, which is Halfords Appliance White on the upper half of the fuselage, down to the figure 8 crease line. Luckily Aer Turas used that crease as the dividing line between the upper white and the lower grey so I can mask to the crease later on and do the underside.

The wings and tailplane of the Aer Turas 8 were dull silver with brighter silver leading edges, and with the Corrogard panels in the centre section, or whatever Douglas call those grey bits. I have decals for those and the rest will be a mask and paint job.

Meanwhile, back to the decals...................

[TheChronicOne]

Corogaurd decals are worth the every dime!! I've seen some that have wild snaggle tooth saw-like designs... stuff I'd never dream of masking.


Oh... and PSR....man....  once the point of diminishing returns has been reached, it's time to move on!!!!    You made the right call. 


Have you read that NY times article about mediocrity? Goes all into this type of thing and it's exactly the type of thing I've been trying to do the last couple of months which is to "let it ride" and "do better on the next one." Someone once said that an imperfect, yet finished, model is far greater than one striving to be perfect but takes way too long to complete or winds up NOT being completed.