Paint update (DC-3, Lanc, P-47, Hurricane)

Even though I was hurting after the show on Saturday, I set aside a bit of time to airbrush two colors onto four models. Maybe it is because I tend to find shows inspiring.

In any case, I put an Alclad White Aluminum coat on the Hurricane demo/hack, as well as on the P-47 that will eventually carry the markings of “Eight Nifties”. Both seemed to cover pretty well, so next up for the Hurricane are wheels and decals. Next for the P-47 is landing gear, doors, and external details.

The Gloss White – in this case Modelmaster – went to provide surface coats for a Lancaster and the upper fuselage of a DC-3, the future “Arctic Rose”. Next for both is a long masking session.

Both the Hurricane and P-47 have already moved on to their next stages, so the photo below covers the DC-3 and Lanc.

2017 IPMS-Seattle Spring Show (pt 2)

Another few photos from Spring Show. I'll be concentrating on all the civil types that were gathered in one category (and likely from one modeller). 

Matchbox Noorduyn Norseman

KP Piper Cub

Ford Tri-motor

Khee-Kha Waco YKS (?) on floats

Turboprop Otter conversion

Matchbox Twin Otter

AModel Piaggio Avanti (next on my list once I finish their Beech Starship)

2017 IPMS-Seattle Spring Show (pt 1)

Another IPMS-Seattle Spring Show is in the books, and it was pretty consistent with the past decade’s shows. Large turnout, interesting vendors, outstanding model work, and, for me, a crippled back.

For one with a fragile back, two hours of bending down to take pictures at table level can really do some damage. At 60, this is just something that you have to take into account. But I shudder to think what it will feel like tomorrow morning!

I don’t have the official numbers yet, but I’m fairly sure there were at least the usual 700+ models on the tables. I took 170 shots of just the 1:72 items. Paint and construction quality was, as you might expect, very high. One the things I most like about the Seattle show is that there always seem to be some adventurous choices when it comes to kit selection. Many of the other shows I check out online, even if they have much in the way of 1:72 on display, always seem to be the standard Bf-109s, Spitfires, Fw-190s, and other common WW2 fighters. At Seattle this year, there seemed to be lots of civil aircraft, helicopters, and Beaufighters (both Hasegawa and the newer Airfix). Not too much in the way of 1:72 armor.

Here are the first few photos from this year’s show. I’ll be interspersing these with completion summaries on 3 new models over the next week or so. 

First off, a couple of shots of the overall show floor itself. The vendors are arranged all round the outside wall. The space is basically two basketball courts in size. 

A Wein Air C-46

AModel Jetstream as used by The Economist magazine

One of the five Beaufighters 

The Fine Molds Savoia S-21

An interwar flying boat

For those who want to take a look at the entire folder for this year's 1:72 entries, feel free to access the Photobucket file: 2017 Seattle Show 172nd entries

More over the next few days, but next up: the first aircraft completion of 2017. 

Painting (sealer coats, bombs, and a transport cart)

A brief painting session in order to get three models ready for their completion pictures. Since I was there, I decided to go ahead and paint two bombs and one transport cart from the recently received RAF Bomber support set from Airfix.

Tomorrow is the annual IPMS-Seattle Spring Show. It is always a great experience, and if any of you are in the vicinity I would encourage you to stop by. Details are on the IPMS-Seattle website, but in a nutshell: it will be held once again at the Renton WA community center, doors open at 9am, registration closes at noon, admission is $5 for juniors and no-entries walk-ins, $10 for unlimited model entries. We’ve had heavy turnout for many years, usually hitting around 700 or 800 models, including display only. Lots of vendors as well, so there will be things to hide from your wife when you go home.

And of course I’ll be there taking pictures of all the 1:72 entries, as I have every year. I’ll display my favorites here on the blog over the next week, interspersed with some actual 2017 completions of my own.

More decals and masking (Hurricanes, Lightning, Hawk)

Most of the bench time this week has been devoted to decalling. I actually have three models in that stage, but all three require sealer coats before they are ready to have the canopy masking stripped and get their photographs taken for the blog.

There are also canopy masking efforts underway, specifically for the civil Hurricane demo aircraft as well as the Yugoslavian Hurricane. Boring work but necessary to progress the model.

But I can’t even put away the masking tape yet, since I’m still doing the leading edges of the Beech Starship. Won’t be much left once I get these silver areas painting – mostly props, wheels, and decals.

Two new models entered the front of the construction queue this week: the EADS Barracuda drone from Avis, and two new bombs for the ordnance series. Plus, having received the Airfix RAF Ground Support set this week, at least one choice from that box (a bomb trolley) has been  started. One of the trucks will be under construction as well.

I received a nice little package of decals and masking sets from Hannants this week. One highlight was a super set from DK Decals for Pacific P-47s. There must be 20 options on the sheet. Along with the other 1:72 P-47 decals I have, I could probably stop everything else and just build Thunderbolts and still wouldn’t finish before I croak. I’ve already completed something like 25 of the beasties, and will get more into production shortly.

Painting (Lightning, P-47, Hurricanes, exhaust)

I was able to find a few minutes midweek to do some painting. Three airframes and then a number of smaller bits that required the same paint (in this case Alclad Exhaust).

First came the P-47 which will eventually wear the “Eight Nifties” markings. This required an Olive Drab anti-glare strip that extended back to the fin.

Then came the RAF Lightning F2A. The fin, spine, and anti-glare strip had all been completed and masked, so this was the overall Dark Aluminum coat. I didn’t want the finish to be too bright, certainly not along the lines of the silver doped Hurricane, so I opted for this somewhat darker paint. I haven’t decided if I’m going to do contrasting panels on this one. I don’t typically go in for that. I did have one hiccup while doing this work. It turns out that one of the bottles of bad Alclad that turned up a few years back had not been dumped as I had thought. There was a definite lack of pigment, which means that coverage was bad and it tended to pool a bit since a simple spray did not color the model. Luckily, I had a second bottle of this color that I must have bought in the intervening years. It sprayed on just like it was supposed to. When it cures, I’ll check to see if there are any areas that need attention.

Finally, various bits (mostly Hurricane, with some Eurofighters thrown in) of exhaust pipes were shot with a coat of Jet Exhaust. I’ve used Pale Burnt Metal for them on occasion (all Alclad options, by the way) but while this works well for the metal rings on the front of some British medium bombers – that’s what I used for the Blenheim – I find that I like the Exhaust better for the darker baked exhausts, jets and props both.  

Some of the Tamiya curve tape used to mask the Red Arrows Eurofighter turned out to be less sticky than I would have liked and has pulled up in a number of places. So I decided to wait to shoot the red paint on that one until I have had a chance to address that problem. Instead, I took care of the rudder in Roundel Blue. The rudder surfaces are flat and therefore don’t exhibit the tape pulling up. 

Academy Scheuch Schlepper

And now comes a proper milestone. The first completed model of 2017. This is firmly in the category of padding out the annual completion statistics. Hold on. I was misquoted. This was all taken out of context. I of course meant I am very proud to have completed this fine example of the modelling art.

And it wasn’t even an aircraft. This is the second variant of the Scheuch Schlepper, vehicles that were meant to haul around the wheel-less Me-163 (it landed on skids). There is a slightly different variant that hauled the Me-163A, which has compressed air tanks for inflating the devices that sit under the aircraft’s wings. That is included in the most recent Special Hobby Me-163A kit, which is on the way to my house currently.

But this is the one meant to carry the Me-163B. The plastic is included in the Academy kit, and has been sitting in my spares box since I first built a Komet probably 20 years ago. I got into a slight fascination with airfield support equipment in early 2017 – which also explains the RAF Ground Support kit from Airfix being on its way to me as well.

The kit is simple, though the painting requires a small bit of forethought. Wheels and tracks were kept separate while the main assembled bits were painted RLM04 Gelb. Hubs were then painted RLM02 and the tires and tracks done separately.

I don’t generally do much in the way of weathering. I prefer models to be a bit more pristine than that, as if they were on display in a huge air museum. I enjoy looking at dioramas, but don’t really have the patience or artistic flair to put together a complex and nice one.

This is completed vehicle #1 (0 aircraft, 0 ordnance, 1 vehicle for the year 2017), finished in March of 2017.