The Little World

But not too big for the runway.

You’ll be seeing more of the CC-130 Hercules when it lands at Wet Dog Regional in the future – there is enough space around the plane to show all its fuselage and wings. In the meantime you’ll just have to make do with the little studio shots.

The paint job finally got finished after two weeks of careful masking and re-masking. There were fewer errors made than I anticipated, though the pre-decal clear coat was not the best one I’ve ever done. In the future I may look at the venerable lacquer rattle can for this stage to make sure that I get a good gloss finish for adhesion. All evidence disappeared eventually under a coat of Microscale matt varnish so it came out right in the end.

The raised panel lines are no problem at all in this case. I’ve used enamel wash down the main control surface lines, but that and the mild turbine exhaust is all the mucking-up I intend to do. The RCAF decals are dull, but accurate, and the odd position of the top wing roundels is something that Belcher insists is right.

All in all, a very pleasing build and good value for money.