Quick Work

Another simple session at the workbench tonight with the A-10. The scratch-built cover was further advanced with some sanding and then a rough filling. The sanding from here on will be more of a shaping to form to the nose. Not brain surgery but this could be a killer if I don’t pay attention. Other work for the A-10 was the landing gear heading out for paint and an external fuel tank receiving some primer. I want to start working on weathering the gear struts and wheels so they are ready when they’re needed. Once I can get this cover taken care of, I think I can prepare for final paint.

Ingenuity

Scratch-building is such a handy skill to have when you are building models. For those of you that do it regularly, kudos to you. It’s a very time-consuming project to take on but it is certainly essential at times. In my case, the A-10’s iconic gun needs to be covered up.

Never will I claim to be a pro at this but something simple like what is needed, I think I can handle. The first step was to figure out what to use to create the cover. With basic right angles, strip styrene provided the easiest approach. I grabbed a strip of 0.8mm X 4.8mm to begin with. The next and more difficult step was to create the curve of the nose onto the styrene. Here is where a readily available spares box comes in handy. The kit that I pillaged for the nose strut became a much-needed template. Using one of the fuselage halves, I traced the nose onto the styrene to give me a rough idea where to cut.

After the initial piece was trimmed off, I needed an identical match for the second side. A simple trace and cut and we’re moving along now! Once both side pieces were cut and sanded, I glued each to the side of the same size styrene. A front and top piece added with some 1mm X 1.5mm styrene to add some strength and we have a rough-looking cover.

After everything dried, it was time for a dry fit. A little trimming and sanding led to an acceptable fit. Not perfect by any means and I will need to spend a lot more time finishing it, but I am happy with what I made. It is definitely odd to see on the aircraft but it is an essential part to this build.

A Clean Slate

Starting a new model kit is a great thing. Not only does it mean that you have completed another build to get here, it means that a whole new adventure is beginning. A new world that you control to the very end. How do you want your paint? Camouflage please. It’s all about what you want your kit to become. It’s a platform for the precious imagination to be employed. Freedom in a cardboard box.

If you couldn’t already tell, I have picked my next builds and I am very enthused to do so. These are two that have been on the want-to-do list for a long time. In all actuality, I just recently acquired both kits not too long ago. They’ve been on my watch list on eBay for years and I’ve finally secured them into my collection. So without further ado, let’s get started. 

First up is a kit that I have already built in Hasegawa’s F-16I. What I am going for is a Polish F-16D. The F-16 is an aircraft that I can never get tired of building and I like the beefed up variant just as much as the trimmed down one. I’ll be using a set of Techmod decals again, depicting the 2011 Tiger Meet markings. This was a good kit when I built it a few years back so I’m planning on a smoother trip. 

The next build will also be a Hasegawa kit. The search for an F-15I has been a frustrating one. They’re definitely out there and readily available, but I don’t want to spend $60.00 and above for it. Decals are another thing and I flat out got lucky with mine. I’ll be using a set of Sky’s Decals and I got them for a steal at $11.00. Other sets that I have rarely come across were $30.00. For decals! For one plane! So all in, with the kit, I’m only at about $25.00. Not a bad savings. Maybe I’m just cheap but that’s more green in my pocket to add to the stash!

Anyway, we have Hasegawa’s F-15E Strike Eagle getting converted to an F-15I Raam. I am a huge fan of anything IDF so this is right up my alley. I have a couple of IDF weapons sets that I plan on utilizing where I can. My research hasn’t been done yet so I don’t know what kind of ordinance we’re looking at here. No doubt this should be a fun set of builds. 

Mi-24 Hind D

The beginning of this build started months ago so the troubles that I had are not fresh in my mind. Maybe that’s a good thing because I remember being disappointed with the quality that Hasegawa provided. It seemed as though every part attached needed some filling and sanding in some capacity. I’ll chalk it up to being just another project build. The end is here so I can’t fuss about what was anymore. I am very happy with my results. Especially the new paint scheme. I think it all turned out well.

My Active Weekend

The Hind was front and center this weekend with all efforts being exhausted to pass it along to the display shelves. I can happily report that we are almost there. With just a few more minor details to take care of, I will be revealing the fruits of my labor tomorrow. Secondary efforts were shared by the A-10 and Blackhawk equally. It was a good sanding session and out to primer for both builds. The A-10 took a step further and I clipped the landing gear and bay doors to get them prepared for painting. I will need to weather these parts extensively so I will work on them early on to get the right look. Also, I noticed that the nose strut is broken with one half missing in action. I have an old Monogram kit that I can “borrow” from for that remedy. Both kits are looking like they will transition over to paint soon and I couldn’t be happier. It’s almost time to start thinking about what’s next. I have two in mind but who knows?

Blackhawk Up

Another breakthrough happened at the workbench last night. The Blackhawk, in all its struggles, finally returned to actually being built. My sanding from the previous night proved to be successful and that allowed me to start adding a few more parts to the fuselage. Basic engine work, the stabilizer, and external fuel tanks were roughly worked on. They will need a good sanding and some primer to see where I stand. Regardless, I’m very grateful to be at this point now. 

The rest of the night was spent adding more filler to the A-10’s wing roots and canopy. Not a whole bunch of excitement there. The Hind was weathered which was exciting. I’m hoping to begin final assembly tonight. 

Keeping My Focus

The workbench is to the point where only small projects are available and I am doing my best to knock them out as they come along. Tonight was a great example of that with all three remaining builds getting some work accomplished. It feels great to be hitting all my daily goals.

The night started off with the Hind heading out to get a coat of clear matte. The weathering will be taken care of tomorrow. In the meantime, I worked on the rotors…again. With the change-up in paint scheme came a change in the rotors. The Russian Hind had me painting the main rotor blades and tail rotor gray. The Polish Hind calls for dark green main rotor blades and Flanker blue for the tail rotor. The transition has been started and some of the detail work was done tonight.

The Blackhawk was about a ten minute project with the top of the windscreen getting sanded and the window to the repaired door being installed. After that, I masked over the window and primed where I sanded. This kit should really start moving soon.

The A-10 was last with the wing roots being sanded some more. The canopy frame also saw some sanding. The whole canopy needs to look like it is wrapped in one piece so I need to smooth it down. The kit traveled back out to primer after that. I am very pleased with my steps so far.

Gaining More Ground

Tonight wasn’t a massive effort at the workbench but every little bit adds up. The A-10’s wings were my main goal and I progressed farther than I had originally planned. Getting the wing roots filled was as far as I thought that I would get. As a bonus, I was able to sand them and get some primer applied. They will need some more work but it’s not as bad as I feared.

While the filler was drying on the A-10, the Blackhawk entered the fray. There was one last gap to fill at the top of the windscreen. I masked everything off and gave it a good layer of filler. Once that is sanded correctly, I should be able to focus on wrapping construction up. Maybe, just maybe, I can begin final paint this weekend.

Tragedy Fixed

The broken tail of the A-10 was priority number one this afternoon and I did not disappoint myself. In all actuality, it was one of the easier fixes that I have had to partake in. Sanding went smooth and easy so I should be able to put this behind me. The canopy and nose also saw some final sanding as well.

The wings were the next big step to take and they are a little worrisome with the gaps in the wing roots. I ended up needing to re-glue them this evening to try and fill the gaps a little better. I don’t want to rely on just filler to keep them attached to the fuselage. I foresee some extra care being taken on that subject.

The Hind and the Blackhawk were shortly worked on today. The Hind received its decals this afternoon. Very few to apply made for a quick session. I’m digging this scheme. The Blackhawk had some sanding done and then straight out to the garage for some primer. There still remains a few hours of sanding but I’m getting there.

Tragedy Strikes Again

Maybe the six month hiatus from building models has done some good because I haven’t seen production like this in quite some time. The past two years have sort of been a struggle to find my way. I’m getting comfortable with my approach and it’s all becoming muscle memory again.

The easy direction was taken this afternoon first with the Hind. The airbrush was still running a muck but it worked fine for an all Dark Green skin. The new scheme looks good and I am glad for the change. I will give it a good gloss coat tomorrow to prepare for decals.

The A-10 saw a little more action today. A minor tragedy occurred when I was attempting to affix the stabilizers. Don’t ask me how, but the tail cracked in bizarre fashion. There must have been an underlying issue beforehand because I’m not the Incredible Hulk here. There wasn’t much pressure being applied but that dagger of a sound rang. The world stopped for a second as I realized what happened and assessed the damage. It’s honestly an easy fix and I’m not too concerned with it. It’s just a big time sucker.

So I glued the crack back together and then added some strips of spare sprue to add some strength for when I sand the seams. After that was handled, I proceeded onto more construction. The engine nacelles and wheel bays were attached and await their turns with filler and some sanding. The gaps around the canopy and the forever gap in the nose were the last little project for the afternoon. They were smartly filled and I will give them a final sanding tomorrow. Aside from the broken tail, it was a good session with the A-10. I am starting to get real excited about this build.