Category: subassembly
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Lockheed Electra Junior – Part Three – The Bare Torso
The two colours of plastic in the Lockheed kit were startling on the sprue trees but have become less so when assembled together. As they will shortly disappear under an undercoat and then silver they are of no consequence. Of greater import is the splendid fit of the structure. Making up the twin-rudder tail separately…
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Lockheed Electra Junior – Part Two – A Surprising Amount Of Fit
Experience with Czech short-run kits can be mixed. Fit issues, over-complex construction, and unclear instructions all loom every time you pop the box top or open the side door. However, the first stages of the Electra Junior have been pleasant. The cockpit is a resin casting. though nowhere near as complex as it might have…
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Curtiss Hawk Model 75 – Part Three – Trench Warfare
The fit of the parts on the Revell Curtiss Hawk was very good – square, plumb, and true, but the top surfaces of the wings stood clear of the fuselage fairing by a good millimeter on both sides. If this part was subject to no stress nor expected to flex in any way, it could…
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Curtiss Hawk Model 75 – Part Two – Scowling At The Cowling
No spinach is ever entirely free of sand and no model kit is entirely free of flaws. The Tamiya ones get close, but you can still get picky. In the case of the Revell Curtiss Hawk, the stumbling blocks are – so far – minor. a. Look at the way the top half of the…
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Beech AT-11 – Part Two – Silver Wings
I was always impressed with the US Army Air Force when they decided to strip the olive drab and neutral grey off their ships and just polish the aluminum* skins and send them over Germany and Japan like that. The period reports cite a 5 knot increase in speed occasioned by a smoother outer surface…
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Focke Wulf 190A – Part Two – Happy Hasegawa
I do not get a chance to build many Hasegawa aircraft – the kits are not as common on the shelves as they might have been in the 1980’s and 1990’s. I suspect his is a financial matter – they can be 25% pricier than other mainstream brands. I am not fussed – the examples…
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Mitsubishi Peggy – Part Eight – To Gloss Or Not To Gloss
That is the question. Do I risk putting decals on a paint surface or do I run over it entirely with Mr. Color 47 and wait until I have a clear gloss cover? I think I have made enough alternate decisions and mistakes with this matter to be able to dictate what to do –…
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Mitsubishi Peggy – Part Six – In For A Penny…
In for a Pound. Or Yen, as it happens. I go whole-hog with a new idea. The pre-shading concept is not new to others, but it’s fresh to me. I’ve done a lot of Google study to see if it is a good idea and have decided that I have no idea – but a…
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Mitsubishi Peggy – Part Five – Airframe Day
Well, the Peggy is closed up and winged. Airframe day passed successfully. I do not decry the Czech makers of short-run kits for their economies of production – at least I do not condemn them too much. I appreciate the fact that they bring me things I could otherwise never have. But I do miss…
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Mitsubishi Peggy – Part Four – A Detour
I have an ongoing problem with model kit building – one that is exacerbated by the fact that I build my kits in three locations. This involves hauling kit boxes and part-made structures around with me. The problem is that parts can go missing. I have tried to prevent this by adhering to the practice…
The Little World 