The Little World

How appropriate – I am writing this post on Australia Day 2023 – about a distinctively Australian airplane. And I’m eating a sausage roll and drinking a XXXX. I may go out and wrestle a crocodile later…

The Boomerang has distinctively British grooves in it – down the wing roots and in the tail assembly. Also distinctive British sink marks – but remember this is a Vintage Classic and classicists have tubes of filler. In my case I have bottles of home-made Sprue Goo that are graduated into different consistences for different jobs. The grooves on the CAC 13 will need thin.

Summer is the ideal time to do this – the goo sets and dries within a couple of hours out in the hot shed and you can get on with the sanding and trimming forthwith. The water-based putties are even faster, but I have gone away from them due to their soft consistency. Home-made for me.

A new wrinkle with this build – the engine cowling is made to take the rather detailed little radial engine in from the back with the propeller spinning a beauty – I’d like to preserve this. But the external of the cowling will share the RAAF WW2 camouflage scheme and several of the lines cross the part’s boundaries. I want the spray line feathered.

So I’m resorting to the Microscale temporary tack glue to set the cowling in place for the painting – then breaking it free for the engine insertion. This Liquitape bottle has more uses than you might imagine, and more suggest themselves every year.

The jury is still out on the best liquid masker, however. I have tried Humbrol Maskol, Mr Masking Sol R, Micro Mask, and an artist’s mask from Jackson’s Art Supplies. I’ve seen Rob Gaden at work with a Vallejo product. They all seem to work in various degrees, but there is no one clear winner – unless it is on the basis of price. The Jackson’s stuff is miles cheaper than the hobby shop bottles.

A scientific test is needed when I have a spare day in the work shed.