The Little World

The undersides of aircraft are pretty interesting places.

If you are going to be flying in one, you are intensely interested in whether or not oil, petrol, or hydraulic fluid is leaking out down there – you’ll be even more concerned if this is also the case when it is at 4000 ft. For the Little World model airplane builders they can choose to make the underside pristine or worn, but their focus is art, not survival.

As this is to be the one and only Northrop Delta 1D used by the RAAF, the instructions say sky blue. Tamiya, Humbrol, and many other makers do a Sky that can be very close to the RAF and RAAF standard. I’ve boosted Tamiya’s chromatic opinion with a bit more green and blue from Mr. Hobby and am pleased with the sheen.

Note the especial painting cradle that is holding the aircraft. This is a crushed cat-food tin with double-sided padded tape placed into the Vee-shaped folds . This means that the fuselage is secure and can be handled or turned around in the spray booth as needed. These tins are also useful for parts storage, alcohol baths, and decal wetting. The cat does not charge for their usage.

I probably will not be staining and distressing the paint under here yet. I need to speak to more experienced modellers to discover how to do it.