# Calling all model kit fans - she's finally done



## captain nemo1701 (16 Mar 2016)

After two years messing about with it, the Enterprise is finished...yaaay!. Great kit, first I've built since I was about 14. I've got to work out where to display it now.


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## midlife (16 Mar 2016)

Nice 

Display it against the backdrop of a Tholian Web 

Shaun


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## Pro Tour Punditry (16 Mar 2016)

Stick cotton wool doused in alcohol on it and set fire to it then chuck it out of the window. Space disaster. Mind and film it....


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## MontyVeda (16 Mar 2016)

bedroom ceiling, obviously. I trust you've got glow in the dark stars up there too.


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## Yellow Fang (16 Mar 2016)

Is is 1/72nd scale?


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## tyred (16 Mar 2016)

Marmion said:


> Stick cotton wool doused in alcohol on it and set fire to it then chuck it out of the window. Space disaster. Mind and film it....



I did that with my airfix Lancashire bomber. Camera phones weren't invented at that point in time so no video!


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## Yellow Fang (16 Mar 2016)

Like this:


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## Stephenite (16 Mar 2016)

Yellow Fang said:


> Is is 1/72nd scale?


You do realise that the USS Enterprise is a Constitution class starship? If it was 1/72 scale it would fill the house. Jeez!


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## Milkfloat (16 Mar 2016)

Do people always need a first aid manual to hand when modeling?


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## midlife (16 Mar 2016)

Milkfloat said:


> Do people always need a first aid manual to hand when modeling?


 
Back strain from lifting it?

Shaun


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## derrick (16 Mar 2016)

What does it do?


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## Cheddar George (16 Mar 2016)

derrick said:


> What does it do?



It boldly goes where ........... oh forget it you wouldn't understand.


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## Beebo (16 Mar 2016)

Stephenite said:


> You do realise that the USS Enterprise is a Constitution class starship? If it was 1/72 scale it would fill the house. Jeez!


Wiki says it is 642m long (if it actually existed), so 1/72 scale would make it almost 9m long!


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## Yellow Fang (16 Mar 2016)

Beebo said:


> Wiki says it is 642m long (if it actually existed), so 1/72 scale would make it almost 9m long!



Yes, but is that at near light speed? If it was stationary, it could be a lot smaller.


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## Stephenite (16 Mar 2016)

Yellow Fang said:


> Yes, but is that at near light speed? If it was stationary, it could be a lot smaller.


If it was going at near light speed it would be difficult to get a decent photo of it.


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## FrankCrank (16 Mar 2016)

..........if it was me I'd grab an air gun and put it out of its misery. OK, let it gather dust for a few weeks if you must, but in the end it's the kindest thing to do......


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## postman (16 Mar 2016)

You have taken me back over fifty years.I used to make Airfix kits,my fave was the Spitfire.I also made Balsa Wood kits,with paper which had to be soaked in some liquid,long forgotten what that was.Used to pin the wood out on the drawing paper.Found this on Google.


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## Illaveago (16 Mar 2016)

As postman says it has taken me back. The talk of destroying it reminds me of my Airfix Buccaneer, the original 60's one with folding wings, rotating bomb bay, folding nose and opening air brakes. My brother and my cousin convinced me that it would look great if they shot it up with an air rifle. It was a sad moment when it was destroyed, it just broke into large pieces nothing like the real thing.
I am in the process of trying to recapture the memory of that model prior to it's destruction with a new kit.


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## Illaveago (16 Mar 2016)

postman said:


> View attachment 121817
> You have taken me back over fifty years.I used to make Airfix kits,my fave was the Spitfire.I also made Balsa Wood kits,with paper which had to be soaked in some liquid,long forgotten what that was.Used to pin the wood out on the drawing paper.Found this on Google.


The balsa model used to be covered in tissue paper which had to be shrunk with water and then covered in shrinking dope once it had dried. Larger models could be covered in silk or nylon. Heat shrink plastic film came into use in the late 60's.


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## Fnaar (16 Mar 2016)

I sat on my Concorde


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## Fab Foodie (16 Mar 2016)

postman said:


> View attachment 121817
> You have taken me back over fifty years.I used to make Airfix kits,my fave was the Spitfire.I also made Balsa Wood kits,with paper which had to be soaked in some liquid,long forgotten what that was.Used to pin the wood out on the drawing paper.Found this on Google.


Dope ....


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## marknotgeorge (16 Mar 2016)

In a bid to stop my dad vegetating away watching crime dramas, I bought him a couple of Airfix kits for Christmas. Now he's busy filling the house. What have I done?


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## captain nemo1701 (16 Mar 2016)

Yellow Fang said:


> Is is 1/72nd scale?


It's actually 1:350 scale, made by Polar Lights (US import, retails for about £90-100 but I got it on ebay for £50). Interestingly, if you had the Enterprise D from ST TNG on the same scale, it would be about 6ft long.

BTW, the First Aid manual turned out to be nicely the right thickness to prop it up while the cement glue was setting for the warp engines. Luckily, it didn't get any glue on it . MPC models have just released a nice 22 inch long Eagle from Space 1999 that's my next challenge. Sunday mornings, modelling away, listening to the Hairy Rock Show on Planet Rock. Bliss.


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## Venod (16 Mar 2016)

Fnaar said:


> I sat on my Concorde



Are you sure it wasn't Miss Goodbody (or whatever you call her) that sat on your Concorde.


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## vernon (16 Mar 2016)

Fnaar said:


> I sat on my Concorde



I hope that it wasn't in vertical take off position.


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## captain nemo1701 (16 Mar 2016)

Afnug said:


> Are you sure it wasn't Miss Goodbody (or whatever you call her) that sat on your Concorde.


Ouch!.

Never mind, we have a 1:1scale spare copy in Bristol for you:


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## vernon (16 Mar 2016)

postman said:


> View attachment 121817
> You have taken me back over fifty years.I used to make Airfix kits,my fave was the Spitfire.I also made Balsa Wood kits,with paper which had to be soaked in some liquid,long forgotten what that was.Used to pin the wood out on the drawing paper.Found this on Google.



You can always revisit the past by purchasing 'stick and tissue' kits from the the Vintage Model Company

Favourites from the Keil Kraft, Veron, Mercury, and Frog ranges are available as replica kits.

I've been busy laser cutting formers and wing ribs for some large - 42" duration rubber powered models.

The airframes look like this 1939 Bullock Streamliner:


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## twentysix by twentyfive (16 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> laser cutting


You got a laser then? Doesn't it set fire to the wood?


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## midlife (16 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> Yohtml
> n always revisit the past by purchasing 'stick and tissue' kits from the the Vintage Model Company
> 
> Favourites from the Keil Kraft, Veron, Mercury, and Frog ranges are available as replica kits.
> ...



I've got my eye on their Caprice.....built and flew one in the 70's

http://www.vintagemodelcompany.com/kk-caprice.html

Shaun


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## vernon (16 Mar 2016)

midlife said:


> I've got my eye on their Caprice.....built and flew one in the 70's
> 
> http://www.vintagemodelcompany.com/kk-caprice.html
> 
> Shaun



Make sure that you fit a dethermaliser and activate it even when doing shortened tow test flights. Mine did three or four test flights before catching a thermal and disappeared out of sight. A bitter-sweet moment.


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## vernon (16 Mar 2016)

twentysix by twentyfive said:


> You got a laser then? Doesn't it set fire to the wood?



I don't but my school has. There's a powerful air jet next to the laser head. The edges of the cuts are charred but a quick wipe with fine garnet paper removes the char without affecting the dimensions by much. The edges are dark which some purists might object to if they cover the wings with white tissue and in fact in the future I'm likely to have rib templates cut from acrylic sheet and hand cut the ribs using the templates.


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## twentysix by twentyfive (16 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> I don't but my school has. There's a powerful air jet next to the laser head. The edges of the cuts are charred but a quick wipe with fine garnet paper removes the char without affecting the dimensions by much. The edges are dark which some purists might object to if they cover the wings with white tissue and in fact in the future I'm likely to have rib templates cut from acrylic sheet and hand cut the ribs using the templates.


Wow - lasers in school!!! Is it a CO2 one? Played with those "at work" for a few years


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## vernon (16 Mar 2016)

twentysix by twentyfive said:


> Wow - lasers in school!!! Is it a CO2 one? Played with those "at work" for a few years



Yes and it's got a 1800mm x 1200mm cutting bed. They're standard bits of kit in high school workshops along with CNC milling/routing machines and 3D printers.


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## captain nemo1701 (16 Mar 2016)

Ahhh, fond memories of building balsa wood gliders with my Dad. Cutting out the wood, sticking it together, the smell of the dope on the tissue..... Mine always somehow managed to find the only rock sticking up out of the grass whenever they landed and got damaged. Still, at least any 'hull breaches' were easily repaired.


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## twentysix by twentyfive (16 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> Yes and it's got a 1800mm x 1200mm cutting bed. They're standard bits of kit in high school workshops along with CNC milling/routing machines and 3D printers.


How times change! Band saw was about it in my day and only teachers allowed. There were wood working lathes and metal working lathes too. Everything else was done with hand tools. A friend had a treadle operated jigsaw for home model making


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## vernon (16 Mar 2016)

twentysix by twentyfive said:


> How times change! Band saw was about it in my day and only teachers allowed. There were wood working lathes and metal working lathes too. Everything else was done with hand tools. A friend had a treadle operated jigsaw for home model making



To be fair the kids don't get to operate the kit - they prepare the designs and the technician places the materials and sets up the machines. Well behaved kids get to press the start button. There's no hands on as such as all the moving parts are behind interlocked safety screens/canopies and no interaction is needed other than pressing the start button once the materials have been placed and secured.


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## twentysix by twentyfive (16 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> To be fair the kids don't get to operate the kit - they prepare the designs and the technician places the materials and sets up the machines. Well behaved kids get to press the start button. There's no hands on as such as all the moving parts are behind interlocked safety screens/canopies and no interaction is needed other than pressing the start button once the materials have been placed and secured.


One of my school mates somehow was allowed access to the band saw. The inevitable happened. Never seen so much blood. I think A&E got a visit that day. So pleased to hear the technicians are in charge. I guess the only hands on these days is setting up the work piece and fitting the required tools to the head. Still has to be done properly tho'.


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## midlife (16 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> Make sure that you fit a dethermaliser and activate it even when doing shortened tow test flights. Mine did three or four test flights before catching a thermal and disappeared out of sight. A bitter-sweet moment.



Yep . My Caprice had a DT which was a piece of special cord that my dad lit.

My Contest Kits Empress had a clockwork DT 







The Inchworm just went over the horizon 

Shaun


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## derrick (17 Mar 2016)

postman said:


> View attachment 121817
> You have taken me back over fifty years.I used to make Airfix kits,my fave was the Spitfire.I also made Balsa Wood kits,with paper which had to be soaked in some liquid,long forgotten what that was.Used to pin the wood out on the drawing paper.Found this on Google.


Dope. Not you the liquid

I built a couple of these in my youth.http://www.vintagemodelcompany.com/kk-talon.html


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## derrick (17 Mar 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> After two years messing about with it, the Enterprise is finished...yaaay!. Great kit, first I've built since I was about 14. I've got to work out where to display it now.
> View attachment 121794


You need to attach a couple of these to it, Just for a bit of fun. http://archivesite.jetex.org/motors/motors.html


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## captain nemo1701 (17 Mar 2016)

View attachment 121883


derrick said:


> You need to attach a couple of these to it, Just for a bit of fun. http://archivesite.jetex.org/motors/motors.html


When it's old & falling apart, perhaps. Meanwhile, here's the next project:


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## Glenn (17 Mar 2016)

I scuttled the Bismark, a crow scare banger inside the hull, light the fuse a stand well back.


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## Crackle (17 Mar 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> View attachment 121883
> 
> When it's old & falling apart, perhaps. Meanwhile, here's the next project:
> 
> View attachment 121884


I built one of them! I did scorch it like it had been in a real fight and then hung it from my ceiling. I can't recall what became of it but it's possible it went out the window at some point.


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## Glenn (17 Mar 2016)

Not a plastic model, but an RC rocket powered glider, I have had one un-built for the past 30 years now, I must get around to it soon.


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## Illaveago (19 Mar 2016)

This is my Airfix Challenger 2 1/35th scale tank.


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## midlife (19 Mar 2016)

Glenn said:


> Not a plastic model, but an RC rocket powered glider, I have had one un-built for the past 30 years now, I must get around to it soon.



Takes me back to my Jetex days 

Shaun


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## bikingdad90 (19 Mar 2016)

I used to love Airfix, Revel, tamiya models and then came along little kids and all my kit dried up. 

I cannot wait until the oldest is old enough to start building (another 4 or 5 years yet) with me so I can have an excuse to take over the kitchen table and build his and mine kits. I have my eye on a battle of Britain kit that would look great flying from the garage ceiling, just hope Stockton Modeller keeps going strong. 

I also used to dabble in RC stuff but that was even worse then bikes with brushless motors, spectrum controllers and endless tools!


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## arranandy (19 Mar 2016)

I used to make a lot of Tamiya kits back in the day. Mostly the 1/35th scale military vehicles. Used to buy them from Argyle Model Dockyard in Glasgow or mail order from a place in Hemel Hempstead. Many a happy hour was spent getting covered in glue and olive drab paint


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## fossyant (19 Mar 2016)

I had two die-cast Space 1999 Eagles as a kid - played with them to death.


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## Bazzer (19 Mar 2016)

Mrs B bought me a model of Triumph Herald to make whilst I was off work last year with a bike accident. (I used to have one and have another big Triumph in the garage)
Problem I found is where once I was happy dousing petrol from my Dad's lawnmower over a model 'plane and watching it travel all too quickly from my bedroom window, before smashing on my parents rockery, now my OCD is critical of the interior of the model.


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## fossyant (19 Mar 2016)

I used to do a load of Airfix as a kid, and my lad has done a bit. We've got some very tricky models of Ferrari's - one has been done, but the others are only part done.


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## fossyant (19 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> This is my Airfix Challenger 2 1/35th scale tank.
> View attachment 122165



Wow !!


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## vernon (19 Mar 2016)

fossyant said:


> I used to do a load of Airfix as a kid, and my lad has done a bit. We've got some very tricky models of Ferrari's - one has been done, but the others are only part done.



If you want your patience testing, try doing the rigging for the Airfix HMS Victory.


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## fossyant (19 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> This is my Airfix Challenger 2 1/35th scale tank.
> View attachment 122165



How the heck have you actually painted that..... looking at the track joints... OMG

Took us ages to do a soft top ferrari.....that looks new.....


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## Illaveago (19 Mar 2016)

fossyant said:


> Wow !!



Thanks.
My brother in law and I went to a Plastic modellers exhibition a few years ago. It was most depressing there wasn't a glue finger print cockpit canopy in sight neither were there any seams with glue bulging from them. They were good! It was a bit of an eye opener to see the workmanship that had gone into those models.


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## fossyant (19 Mar 2016)

I remember the glue finger prints....

My lad didn't like doing the transfers. As an older person, I learnt, only put the transfers you want in the saucer of water, not the whole lot.

Try at mid 40's, putting a Ferrari dash speedo etc in place. It's like 4mm in size and has to be picked up with tweezers. Off went my glasses. So hard. We haven't started the two F1 McLarens when I saw the stickers... OMFG.


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## Illaveago (19 Mar 2016)

fossyant said:


> How the heck have you actually painted that.paint wking at the track joints... OMG
> 
> Took us ages to do a soft top ferrari.....that looks new.....



If you use a small airbrush you can achieve pretty good results. It is also economical, paintwise as you only need a small amount of paint . By dusting a light coat of paint on you can replicate dirty weathered effect.


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## midlife (19 Mar 2016)

Weathering can be taken to the extreme, used to spray things silver and the final colour on top, rub off and the "metal" is underneath.

There is a guy at work who does all that Warcraft stuff and his paintwork has to be seen to be believed!!

Shaun


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## rb58 (19 Mar 2016)

A little wipe of dirty thinners on 'chrome' car bumpers, hub caps etc. gives a much more realistic effect.


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## Joey Shabadoo (20 Mar 2016)

When I was 14 I got this






Which built up into this






That wasn't mine but almost identical, I didn't have the wee figures.

I did a doubletake when I passed the museum in Tobermory a few months ago. Taking pride of place in the window was another HMS Bluebell, again identical to mine. Turns out the corvettes used to anchor up in Tobermory between convoys and the whole of Mull was effectively an armed camp.


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## Illaveago (20 Mar 2016)

I can remember seeing and reading about that Corvettet kit when it was first released, they said that the real ship would roll on a damp lawn. That model looks really impressive.


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## Joey Shabadoo (20 Mar 2016)

It was over 2 foot long as I recall


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## FrankCrank (20 Mar 2016)

vernon said:


> If you want your patience testing, try doing the rigging for the Airfix HMS Victory.



....that was the last kit I built, and the frigging rigging was a pain. Can see why they put them in glass cases as that one sure was a dust magnet. Anyways, my attentions were turning towards air guns at this point, so the ship's fate was inevitable...

Edit: just remembered I got one of those Mamod steam rollers around this time, loved the little beastie. Good to see they still make them - lots of paper-round savings went into that purchase.........


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## classic33 (21 Mar 2016)

Try  one of these


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## Illaveago (22 Mar 2016)

I thought I would post a picture of a Revell kit of a submarine1/144th scale. It went together well and the periscope and snorkel




can go up and down


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## classic33 (22 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I thought I would post a picture of a Revell kit of a submarine1/144th scale. It went together well and the periscope and snorkel
> View attachment 122475
> can go up and down


£29.99, for the kit?


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## Illaveago (22 Mar 2016)

IUOTE="classic33, post: 4205780, member: 299"]£29.99, for the kit?[/QUOTE]

I'm sure it was a lot less than that. I think they made a 1/72nd scale model as well.


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## classic33 (22 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> classic33 said:
> 
> 
> > £29.99, for the kit?
> ...


The £19.99 one then? The larger was reduced to £29.99 for the kit. Battered boxes though


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## midlife (22 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I thought I would post a picture of a Revell kit of a submarine1/144th scale. It went together well and the periscope and snorkel
> View attachment 122475
> can go up and down



Like the sub 

On a different subject I built a Zeppelin, Airfix I think and was the most boring model I ever built !

Shaun


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## MontyVeda (23 Mar 2016)

fossyant said:


> I had two die-cast Space 1999 Eagles as a kid - played with them to death.


on occasion, i'll see this stuff in a DIY store...






...and begin to wonder how big a model Eagle Interceptor might be if i used it to build one.


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## Illaveago (23 Mar 2016)

classic33 said:


> The £19.99 one then? The larger was reduced to £29.99 for the kit. Battered boxes though


I found some on the bay £16.50 postage free. It is the mk7 Atlantic version.

There was an interesting bit in the instructions as to whether they were lost at sea or in some operation , I can't remember the name but when I looked it up I found out that after the war a lot of the subs were sunk off of the north coast of Ireland.


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## Illaveago (23 Mar 2016)

4205970, member: 12393"]on occasion, i'll see this stuff in a DIY store...






...and begin to wonder how big a model Eagle Interceptor might be if i used it to build one. [/QUOTE]

You missed a golden oppo


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## Illaveago (23 Mar 2016)

It wouldn't let me finish. You could cut them into small sections, box them and sell them as models of the Channel tunnel.


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## MontyVeda (23 Mar 2016)

fossyant said:


> I remember the glue finger prints....
> 
> My lad didn't like doing the transfers. As an older person, I learnt, only put the transfers you want in the saucer of water, not the whole lot.
> 
> Try at mid 40's, putting a Ferrari dash speedo etc in place. It's like 4mm in size and has to be picked up with tweezers. Off went my glasses. So hard. We haven't started the two F1 McLarens when I saw the stickers... OMFG.


you've just reminded me of the nightmare decals for the model kit of this...





...getting them to line up around the wheel arches was a nightmare.

edit... the full extent of that nightmare is coming back to me now:


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## subaqua (23 Mar 2016)

Airfix decal solution . much much better than water. and a pair of needle noded tweezers to lift and place. 

my boy who is 8 is just starting to get used to the idea of models. airfix simple e type jag kit. painted so far ready for assembly. 

will teach him the use of an airbrush over easter with some simple wooden shapes.


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## Smokin Joe (23 Mar 2016)

subaqua said:


> will teach him the use of an airbrush over easter with some simple wooden shapes.


Oh dear...


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## captain nemo1701 (23 Mar 2016)

You all should have seen the decals with the Enterprise kit.

First, I applied the 'Aztec decals' which create the hull plating look although die-hard modellers have masked the kit to paint it two different shades of white!. And I thought the decals were fiddly. Some of the transfers were hard to get on to the ship, especially the warp engines!.

Then I set to work on the marking decals ie USS Enterprise etc. Boy, some of them were tiny and needed a magnifying glass and precision tweezers. I made the mistake of letting the kit sit in my drawer for two years and I reckon decals age and become brittle. I tried applying the 'USS Enterprise' arrowhead decals, on the lower hull and you get four in the kit, two for the NCC1701 and two for the NCC1701A as the kit can be made for both ships. Unfortunately, one of them disintegrated when I put it in the bowl of water...aaaargh!. I had to cut some decals into sections and very carefully apply them with a solution called Decalfix, available from good hobby shops. It softens the decals and then dries so they stick better than using just water.

I'm glad the kit is finished since the decals took about 75% of the time to fit.


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## subaqua (23 Mar 2016)

Smokin Joe said:


> Oh dear...



I reckon it's going to work OK. I have a booth made from a large cardboard box and it's going to be a water based paint to start. And will be done in the utility room. 

What I am looking for is castor oil based inks to use for airbrush tattoos as wifey and daughter want some , but nowhere seems to stock them anymore.


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## sanddancer (23 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> If you use a small airbrush you can achieve pretty good results. It is also economical, paintwise as you only need a small amount of paint . By dusting a light coat of paint on you can replicate dirty weathered effect.




What sort of airbrush do you use and any tips on paint mixing and application please ?

I have a airbrush somewhere that runs off an innertube. Never used it and not sure if it is any good 
I also have quite a few kits of ww1 and ww2 planes I would like to get round to building


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## Illaveago (23 Mar 2016)

sanddancer said:


> What sort of airbrushop o you use and any tips on paint mixing and application please ?
> 
> I have a airbrush somewhere that runs off an innertube. Never used it and not sure if it is any good
> I also have quite a few kits of ww1 and ww2 planes I would like to get round to building



I have got 2 Badger airbrushes, one of which is dual action. Machine Mart do a similar cheap set. I found running off a spare tyre is better as you can build up pressure, although it will drop off. I use a compressor. I have found that the little Humbrol tins thinned with white spirit work well and dry quickly.
Very light coats seem to work best as it is easy to get runs. I am not keen on acrylics as they tend to be harder to clean out and block the airbrush.


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## sanddancer (23 Mar 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I have got 2 Badger airbrushes, one of which is dual action. Machine Mart do a similar cheap set. I found running off a spare tyre is better as you can build up pressure, although it will drop off. I use a compressor. I have found that the little Humbrol tins thinned with white spirit work well and dry quickly.
> Very light coats seem to work best as it is easy to get runs. I am not keen on acrylics as they tend to be harder to clean out and block the airbrush.




Thanks 
I'm not sure what type of paint I have but I imagine they are solid by now 
I will have to dig the airbrush out and have a practice run with any usable paint 
Just remembered I have about 5 airfix car kits too


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## Smokin Joe (23 Mar 2016)

I've got an Airfix Eurofighter which has been sitting in a drawer for five or six years. I'll have to get round to building it.

I've recently developed a hankering after Meccano, God knows why.


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## classic33 (23 Mar 2016)

subaqua said:


> I reckon it's going to work OK. I have a booth made from a large cardboard box and it's going to be a water based paint to start. And will be done in the utility room.
> 
> What I am looking for is castor oil based inks to use for airbrush tattoos as wifey and daughter want some , but nowhere seems to stock them anymore.


Have you tried the Range?


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## Illaveago (23 Mar 2016)

I bought a pair of kits on the bay a few years ago and got chatting to the seller and he sent me a couple of CD's full of books on military modelling, vehicles and aircraft.


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## subaqua (23 Mar 2016)

classic33 said:


> Have you tried the Range?


do you have a link for the inks. Have looked online but not found


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## classic33 (23 Mar 2016)

No link, local one had the local college students sent their way.
I'll check & get back to let you know.


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## Illaveago (23 Mar 2016)

I have used aerosol ready made car spray cans as base layer paint with success on several models to cover large areas quickly. Black on the Challenger,white on a model of Concorde, and grey on a Vulcan. You have to be careful though and test it on a sample of plastic first before you destroy your model.


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## classic33 (23 Mar 2016)

Smokin Joe said:


> I've got an Airfix Eurofighter which has been sitting in a drawer for five or six years. I'll have to get round to building it.
> 
> I've recently developed a hankering after Meccano, God knows why.


You want to try  MeccanoShop


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## classic33 (23 Mar 2016)

subaqua said:


> do you have a link for the inks. Have looked online but not found


Badger recommend these: http://www.airbrushandpaints.co.uk/#/totally-tattoo/4531338309

http://www.airbrushandpaint.co.uk/actinic/Body_Paints.html


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## Joey Shabadoo (24 Mar 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> You all should have seen the decals with the Enterprise kit.
> 
> First, I applied the 'Aztec decals' which create the hull plating look although die-hard modellers have masked the kit to paint it two different shades of white!. And I thought the decals were fiddly. Some of the transfers were hard to get on to the ship, especially the warp engines!.
> 
> ...


I made NCC1701D and took to handpainting every detail apart from lettering. Got three quarters of the way through when my girlfriend said I had to choose between playing with toys and sex...


----------



## stephec (24 Mar 2016)

swl said:


> I made NCC1701D and took to handpainting every detail apart from lettering. Got three quarters of the way through when my girlfriend said I had to choose between playing with toys and sex...


Do you not combine them both?


----------



## captain nemo1701 (24 Mar 2016)

swl said:


> I made NCC1701D and took to handpainting every detail apart from lettering. Got three quarters of the way through when my girlfriend said I had to choose between playing with toys and sex...


 Tough choice


----------



## classic33 (24 Mar 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Tough choice


Bet he finished it though.


----------



## MontyVeda (24 Mar 2016)

swl said:


> I made NCC1701D and took to handpainting every detail apart from lettering. Got three quarters of the way through when my girlfriend said I had to choose between playing with toys and sex...


there's an obvious reply to that.


----------



## stephec (24 Mar 2016)

classic33 said:


> Bet he finished it though.


Finished what?


----------



## Fnaar (24 Mar 2016)

swl said:


> I made NCC1701D and took to handpainting every detail apart from lettering. Got three quarters of the way through when my girlfriend said I had to choose between playing with toys and sex...


----------



## Bazzer (24 Mar 2016)

Smokin Joe said:


> I've got an Airfix Eurofighter which has been sitting in a drawer for five or six years. I'll have to get round to building it.
> 
> I've recently developed a hankering after Meccano, God knows why.



Admittedly not as satisfying in terms of the finished article, but repeatedly stabbing your thumbs and first fingers with the blunt end of a darning needle, will give you the same tender finger tip feelings and for a lot less cost.


----------



## classic33 (24 Mar 2016)

MontyVeda said:


> on occasion, i'll see this stuff in a DIY store...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You mean this isn't yours?


----------



## vernon (25 Mar 2016)

Smokin Joe said:


> I've recently developed a hankering after Meccano, God knows why.



Have you seen the price of Meccano?

http://www.meccanoshop.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Model_Builders_Sets_148.html


----------



## Illaveago (12 Jul 2016)

I built the Airfix model of the VC10 in BOAC colours in the 60s and have recently had the urge to make the model again. I cannot remember what happened to my old model, it probably got thrown out at some point in the past.
I remembered the model as being quite large but I couldn't remember what scale it was, I would have been a lot smaller in those days but thought that it wouldn't have made a great deal of difference.It was after dusting off my Corgi models of a Comet and Hercules in 1/144 scale that made me think that the VC10 that I made was much bigger.
It seems strange after all the years that I had lived under the flight path of RAF Lyneham with the planes flying in from time to time not to have noticed the size difference.
I still get the feeling of disappointment when I open kit boxes and look inside.


----------



## classic33 (12 Jul 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I built the Airfix model of the VC10 in BOAC colours in the 60s and have recently had the urge to make the model again. I cannot remember what happened to my old model, it probably got thrown out at some point in the past.
> I remembered the model as being quite large but I couldn't remember what scale it was, I would have been a lot smaller in those days but thought that it wouldn't have made a great deal of difference.It was after dusting off my Corgi models of a Comet and Hercules in 1/144 scale that made me think that the VC10 that I made was much bigger.
> It seems strange after all the years that I had lived under the flight path of RAF Lyneham with the planes flying in from time to time not to have noticed the size difference.
> I still get the feeling of disappointment when I open kit boxes and look inside.
> View attachment 134720


That'll be tiny!


----------



## midlife (12 Jul 2016)

Should be slightly bigger than a 1/72 fighter ?

Shaun


----------



## skudupnorth (12 Jul 2016)

I have been drawn into model making again but instead of the usual Airfix/Revell jobbies I have gone down the Czech built Eduard route which have loads of giddy parts including photo etch cockpits ect ! Might keep me quiet for a while


----------



## stephec (12 Jul 2016)

skudupnorth said:


> I have been drawn into model making again but instead of the usual Airfix/Revell jobbies I have gone down the Czech built Eduard route which have loads of giddy parts including photo etch cockpits ect ! Might keep me quiet for a while


Do you shop at MJR in Hindley?


----------



## Illaveago (12 Jul 2016)

classic33 said:


> That'll be tiny!



It is about 13 inches long with a 12.5 inch wing span and it makes the Comet 4 in the same scale look tiny.


----------



## classic33 (12 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> Do you shop at MJR in Hindley?


Do I get my 10% off there?


----------



## skudupnorth (13 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> Do you shop at MJR in Hindley?


There is a chap at work who has a direct contact with Eduard in Czech so I have a nice supplier  Is MJR a good shop,might be worth a mooch seeing as I am now back on the dark side


----------



## stephec (13 Jul 2016)

It's a proper little model shop not far from Hindley station.

He does Eduard, and has some good deals on his Facebook group, but probably not as cheap as you can get.

I'm just waiting on a 1/48 Lysander profipack from him.


----------



## classic33 (13 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> It's a proper little model shop not far from Hindley station.
> 
> He does Eduard, and has some good deals on his Facebook group, but probably not as cheap as you can get.
> 
> I'm just waiting on a 1/48 Lysander profipack from him.


You've a 1/24 kit to build!!


----------



## classic33 (13 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> It's a proper little model shop not far from Hindley station.
> 
> He does Eduard, and has some good deals on his Facebook group, but probably not as cheap as you can get.
> 
> I'm just waiting on a 1/48 Lysander profipack from him.


You've a 1/24 kit to build!!


----------



## stephec (13 Jul 2016)

classic33 said:


> You've a 1/24 kit to build!!


Finally started about a week ago.


----------



## PaulB (14 Jul 2016)

skudupnorth said:


> I have been drawn into model making again but instead of the usual Airfix/Revell jobbies I have gone down the Czech built Eduard route which have loads of giddy parts including photo etch cockpits ect ! Might keep me quiet for a while


My big mistake here was going for an Eduard but it was a bi-plane! Their products are superb and a real change from the usual stuff Airfix still sell and the attention to detail and options available are terrific. The problem I had was that I promised myself many years ago I'd never attempt a bi-plane again as getting the struts all in the sale place at the same time was the ruination of that particular model, a Spad as I recall. During my adolescent model-making period, I had a serious habit and got really in to planes of both sides in the second world-war. I've since revised that habit but due to my knowledge of the bombers, I stick to fighters now and with the introduction of the You Tube, I've picked up all sorts of tips and advice I wish I'd known in my earlier years. I've learned loads of techniques to age and weather the models and each one I make betters the one before due to experience. One of the best products is a J&J furniture polish that isn't for sale in the UK so I had to have some shipped over from the US and this stuff, when liberally applied to the finished model, protects the surface and repels dust so I'm very glad I learned about it. Here are some of the ones I have on display but not my best as I have them hanging from the ceiling in my grand-son's bedroom.


----------



## skudupnorth (14 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> It's a proper little model shop not far from Hindley station.
> 
> He does Eduard, and has some good deals on his Facebook group, but probably not as cheap as you can get.
> 
> I'm just waiting on a 1/48 Lysander profipack from him.


Always worth looking at a local shop though. I was asking about that Lysander today,this hobby re-birth could get serious !!! The kit looks awesome and I was thinking of the black,special ops scheme for it !


----------



## skudupnorth (14 Jul 2016)

PaulB said:


> My big mistake here was going for an Eduard but it was a bi-plane! Their products are superb and a real change from the usual stuff Airfix still sell and the attention to detail and options available are terrific. The problem I had was that I promised myself many years ago I'd never attempt a bi-plane again as getting the struts all in the sale place at the same time was the ruination of that particular model, a Spad as I recall. During my adolescent model-making period, I had a serious habit and got really in to planes of both sides in the second world-war. I've since revised that habit but due to my knowledge of the bombers, I stick to fighters now and with the introduction of the You Tube, I've picked up all sorts of tips and advice I wish I'd known in my earlier years. I've learned loads of techniques to age and weather the models and each one I make betters the one before due to experience. One of the best products is a J&J furniture polish that isn't for sale in the UK so I had to have some shipped over from the US and this stuff, when liberally applied to the finished model, protects the surface and repels dust so I'm very glad I learned about it. Here are some of the ones I have on display but not my best as I have them hanging from the ceiling in my grand-son's bedroom.


Cracking set ! I have the Royal collection Avia bi-plane to build,they come with everything including photo-etch stringers !!


----------



## stephec (14 Jul 2016)

skudupnorth said:


> Always worth looking at a local shop though. I was asking about that Lysander today,this hobby re-birth could get serious !!! The kit looks awesome and I was thinking of the black,special ops scheme for it !


That's how I'll probably do it.

I've already got an old 1/72 Matchbox version in camo.


----------



## PaulB (14 Jul 2016)

skudupnorth said:


> Always worth looking at a local shop though. I was asking about that Lysander today,this hobby re-birth could get serious !!! The kit looks awesome and I was thinking of the black,special ops scheme for it !


I love the Lysander! A cracking model to make, too.


----------



## Smokin Joe (14 Jul 2016)

PaulB said:


> I love the Lysander! A cracking model to make, too.


I made an Airfix model of that years ago. Lovely looking craft.


----------



## stephec (14 Jul 2016)

Smokin Joe said:


> I made an Airfix model of that years ago. Lovely looking craft.


It might be a funny shape, but it's my second favourite British WWII plane after the Mosquito.

When you look at what it could do, land/take off on a football pitch, fly at very low speed, and the part it played, it was an impressive plane.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (18 Jul 2016)

Here's my new project now the Enterprise is on display:


----------



## classic33 (18 Jul 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Here's my new project now the Enterprise is on display:
> View attachment 135286


Revell & Humbrol paints!


----------



## Profpointy (18 Jul 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Here's my new project now the Enterprise is on display:
> View attachment 135286



great spaceship that one, in an otherwise rather poor series. Hey, even Blake's 7 was more entertaining, though obviously a lot more shonky looking, and shonkilly acted too - but still kore fun than 1999

EDIT: haven't time to google for it now but some glorious loony had made a full size model of a Space 1999 Eagle - presumably the struts were 4" drainpipe.

ANOTHER EDIT: Just spotted the pic of the full sized one upthread ! Wow


----------



## stephec (18 Jul 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Here's my new project now the Enterprise is on display:
> View attachment 135286


I was very tempted by that a few months, ago but my stash is big enough already.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (18 Jul 2016)

It's a great kit, just started priming it in white and hope to finish it by Xmas. It's a very accurate moulding. I heard that someone found & restored the original 44-inch miniature and this kit is basically, a half scale replica. Fits together very well. The blurb on the instructions says that, allowing for inflation, the original filming model would cost about £15k if built today.

I liked the first series, but generally thought the second was pants. The effects though, stand up pretty well and there's some nice model shots which give CG a run for its money.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (18 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> I was very tempted by that a few months, ago but my stash is big enough already.


Go on, treat yourself!. Here she is on display:


----------



## stephec (18 Jul 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Go on, treat yourself!. Here she is on display:


It's the Eagle I wanted, I used to love watching Space 1999 as a kid.


----------



## midlife (18 Jul 2016)

stephec said:


> It's the Eagle I wanted, I used to love watching Space 1999 as a kid.



So did I 











Shaun


----------



## Illaveago (20 Sep 2016)

I know that it isn't a plastic kit, but at the time I wasn't prepared to pay the prices that the TSR2's were going for on the bay, so I decided to make one out of a chair leg. The models in progress in the foreground are a Lotus 49 and an English Electric Lightning. Which was also designed by the same chap that designed the Lysander.


----------



## Crackle (20 Sep 2016)

midlife said:


> So did I
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's UFO, not 1999


----------



## subaqua (20 Sep 2016)

Crackle said:


> That's UFO, not 1999



i could make a post abput what UFO is the acronym for but the pc nutters would go crazy


----------



## classic33 (20 Sep 2016)

Illaveago said:


> I know that it isn't a plastic kit, but at the time I wasn't prepared to pay the prices that the TSR2's were going for on the bay, so I decided to make one out of a chair leg. The models in progress in the foreground are a Lotus 49 and an English Electric Lightning. Which was also designed by the same chap that designed the Lysander.
> View attachment 144718


Try a bit of sideways thinking and you'll see it's there. At clearance prices in most places.


----------



## stephec (20 Sep 2016)

Crackle said:


> That's UFO, not 1999


I thought so as well, my eyes were drawn straight to the badges.


----------



## numbnuts (20 Sep 2016)

stephec said:


> I thought so as well, my eyes were drawn straight to the badges.


What badges ......


----------



## Profpointy (20 Sep 2016)

numbnuts said:


> What badges ......



we don't need no stinkin' badges..


.... sorry wrong film


----------



## subaqua (20 Sep 2016)

Profpointy said:


> we don't need no stinkin' badges..
> 
> 
> .... sorry wrong film




you are nickB and ICMFP


----------



## Profpointy (20 Sep 2016)

subaqua said:


> you are nickB and ICMFP



Nope, don't know him


----------



## captain nemo1701 (20 Sep 2016)

Crackle said:


> That's UFO, not 1999


Bringing the conversation back from the UFO ladies...., there is a small connection between UFO & Space 1999. In the early 70's, a sequel series was on the cards - 'UFO 2' - which saw SHADO expand into a bigger moonbase. But it came to nothing and much of the pre production work found it's way into Space 1999. Incidentally, the artist Mike Trim designed some of the Anderson stuff and you may own a piece of his art:
http://www.thewaroftheworlds.com/messageboard/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=1&MessageID=4709







Nice chap, met him at a sci fi event here in Bristol and he was good enough to sign my copy


----------



## Illaveago (20 Sep 2016)

classic33 said:


> Try a bit of sideways thinking and you'll see it's there. At clearance prices in most places.


Thanks for the info but I did manage to pick one up for a reasonable price a bit later on. I sometimes like doing a bit of whittling for a challenge. A model of a Belfast in 1/144 might be nice.


----------



## classic33 (20 Sep 2016)

Illaveago said:


> Thanks for the info but I did manage to pick one up for a reasonable price a bit later on. I sometimes like doing a bit of whittling for a challenge. A model of a Belfast in 1/144 might be nice.


Slightly bigger than the standard kits, http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/trumpeter-1-350


----------



## Illaveago (21 Sep 2016)

classic33 said:


> Slightly bigger than the standard kits, http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/trumpeter-1-350



Nice models. I have got an Airfix model of H M S Hood in 1/ 400 which I am in the process of building, when I can get some spare time. I have had to do some modifications to part of the rear upper deck to bring it in to line with the hull. I have been having fun trying to drill out the 15 inch gun barrels.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (21 Sep 2016)

Eagle coming along nicely, will post some pics soon. 2017 is going to be a submarine year for modelling. I do like the idea of the Seaview & Flying Sub from _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea_ & also there's a big kit out of the sub from _Fantastic Voyage_, one of my fave all time SF films. Boy, that should be remade today!.


----------



## classic33 (21 Sep 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> *Eagle coming along nicely, will post some pics soon. *2017 is going to be a submarine year for modelling. I do like the idea of the Seaview & Flying Sub from _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea_ & also there's a big kit out of the sub from _Fantastic Voyage_, one of my fave all time SF films. Boy, that should be remade today!.


That the full size model?


----------



## clid61 (21 Sep 2016)

I used to have glow in dark Dracula's, Frankenstein etc when I was young


----------



## captain nemo1701 (21 Sep 2016)

classic33 said:


> That the full size model?


They're all made by Moebius Models in the US. The Seaview (both the movie & TV versions) are big kits at 39 inches long and the Flying Sub is about 16" across. The Proteus sub from Fantastic Voyage is large too, at 16" and is due to be released near the end of the year. The Eagle is 22" which is half the filming size of 44",the biggest released so far. I understand that some guy on the net has built a full size one??.

For fans of old SF telly stuff, so interesting shots of the various miniatures used in _Voyage _can be found here:
http://www.vttbots.com/page1A.html

I wish the Proteus kit was the same size as the surviving movie minature, which is about 5ft long:





If I lived in a mansion, the full 42ft one would be nice :


----------



## classic33 (21 Sep 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> They're all made by Moebius Models in the US. The Seaview (both the movie & TV versions) are big kits at 39 inches long and the Flying Sub is about 16" across. The Proteus sub from Fantastic Voyage is large too, at 16" and is due to be released near the end of the year. The Eagle is 22" which is half the filming size of 44",the biggest released so far.* I understand that some guy on the net has built a full size one??.*
> 
> For fans of old SF telly stuff, so interesting shots of the various miniatures used in _Voyage _can be found here:
> http://www.vttbots.com/page1A.html
> ...


This one?


classic33 said:


> You mean this isn't yours?
> View attachment 122669


----------



## SteCenturion (23 Sep 2016)

Fnaar said:


> I sat on my Concorde


Or at least that's what you told the nurse at A&E .....


----------



## captain nemo1701 (11 Oct 2016)

Eagle 1 update: Coming along nicely:


----------



## Inertia (11 Oct 2016)

Looking good! Reading this thread has inspired me to give it a go, I may start off with something a bit simpler though


----------



## captain nemo1701 (11 Oct 2016)

Inertia said:


> Looking good! Reading this thread has inspired me to give it a go, I may start off with something a bit simpler though


My best modelling sessions seem to be on Sundays, doing a bit at a time while listening to the Hairy Bikers show on Planet Rock.
It took me two years to build the Enterprise, Eagle will be done by Christmas....hopefully.


----------



## Inertia (11 Oct 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> My best modelling sessions seem to be on Sundays, doing a bit at a time while listening to the Hairy Bikers show on Planet Rock.
> It took me two years to build the Enterprise, Eagle will be done by Christmas....hopefully.


I doubt mine will take long, making something Star Wars or Star Trek seems like a good idea.. Ive done a little modelling but Ive been more interested in the painting side, it can be pretty relaxing sitting down and painting for a bit.


----------



## stephec (11 Oct 2016)

Inertia said:


> Looking good! Reading this thread has inspired me to give it a go, I may start off with something a bit simpler though


If you've got a Home Bargains near to you they're doing some old Lindberg kits for £1.99.

Quite basic, but ideal for a quick go.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (14 Nov 2016)

Eagle update;: Coming along nicely:






Did notice some familiar shapes :





They resemble the Apollo lunar module. Back in the old days, pre CGI, model makers would often use bits of other kits in the 'detailing'. The Eagle kit is half filming scale and I have the Saturn 5 kit which has a tiny little lunar module to go in the top section. I'm wondering if the model makers back in the 70's used a few Airfix kits?.

I do know that in movie making, other miniatures have hidden 'gags'. In _Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind_ the mothership model had hidden in it R2D2, an X -Wing and TIE fighter.

In _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ the cross section graphic of the ship in engineering had a rubber duck, a biplane and a WW2 tank 'hidden' in the decks. Also, watch the opening credits and look carefully at the saucer section top rear windows (conference lounge) after Brent Spiner's name appears. If you're quick, there's actually a 'little man' seen walking from left to right!.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (14 Nov 2016)

I found some more amusing jokes hidden on the mothership model:
https://airandspace.si.edu/collecti...mother-ship-movie-close-encounters-third-kind


----------



## Stephenite (15 Nov 2016)

At home with a sick child today. We've been working on a similar project.


----------



## Cycleops (15 Nov 2016)

Stephenite said:


> At home with a sick child today. We've been working on a similar project. ]



Where would we be without Lego.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (15 Nov 2016)

Stephenite said:


> At home with a sick child today. We've been working on a similar project.
> 
> View attachment 151283


 Brilliant.

Back in the 70's when the show was on telly, a mate of mine built and Eagle from Lego and it had a quite spectacular crash 'landing' by sliding it down the stairs.


----------



## Inertia (15 Nov 2016)

I think this is taking it to a whole new level, a laser cut model 

http://imgur.com/gallery/vaOAj


----------



## captain nemo1701 (16 Nov 2016)

Inertia said:


> I think this is taking it to a whole new level, a laser cut model
> 
> http://imgur.com/gallery/vaOAj


 There is _another_ level.....


----------



## Inertia (16 Nov 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> There is _another_ level.....



touche  Ive seen that before, crazy! they actually contacted CBS to make sure they could do it. As a Star Trek fan It would be a great place to work.


----------



## stephec (16 Nov 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Eagle update;: Coming along nicely:
> View attachment 151188
> 
> 
> ...





captain nemo1701 said:


> Eagle update;: Coming along nicely:
> View attachment 151188
> 
> 
> ...



That table looks way too tidy, this is mine.


----------



## midlife (16 Nov 2016)

That 109 looks tiny, is it 1/72? The Meteor is a much better size 

Shaun


----------



## stephec (16 Nov 2016)

midlife said:


> That 109 looks tiny, is it 1/72? The Meteor is a much better size
> 
> Shaun


It's a 1/72 Canberra, not a Meteor.

The 109 is 1/72, here it is with a Vulcan for comparison.


----------



## Cycleops (16 Nov 2016)

Not so long ago I ran model shop in Essex. Mainly rc planes and cars but we also sold lots of plastic kits. Right about now we would put on a huge order for Christmas with Tamiya which we sold tons of around that time. Anyone ever build these?


----------



## classic33 (16 Nov 2016)

Cycleops said:


> Not so long ago I ran model shop in Essex. Mainly rc planes and cars but we also sold lots of plastic kits. Right about now we would put on a huge order for Christmas with Tamiya which we sold tons of around that time. Anyone ever build these?
> 
> View attachment 151411


I've got Wild Willy 2, amongst others.


----------



## classic33 (16 Nov 2016)

stephec said:


> That table looks way too tidy, this is mine.
> View attachment 151391
> View attachment 151392


Why the smoke alarm?


----------



## captain nemo1701 (16 Nov 2016)

That's what my table looked like building the Enterprise!. Dusted the lounge last weekend and put all my tat on the coffee table. Only when you're up close do you realise how big the kit is at 36". A fellow Trekkie has the regular kit and it looks weeny in comparison. I was soooo careful moving it


----------



## captain nemo1701 (16 Nov 2016)

Once in a while, I give it a quick going over with a feather duster as the saucer section collects dust. Not many people can say they get up in the morning and dust the Starship Enterprise.


----------



## stephec (16 Nov 2016)

classic33 said:


> Why the smoke alarm?


It's one that the Fire Brigade came round and put up for free eighteen months ago, telling Mrs Stephec it would last for years.

It's now chirping away and it's a sealed unit, so it's going in the bin.

Trouble is the lazy bastards used no more nails type stuff to fix it to the ceiling so the base unit is still there, and will probably knacker the paper if I try and pull it down.


----------



## midlife (16 Nov 2016)

Iirc you can buy the same make and plonk the innards into the base unit glued to the ceiling

Shaun


----------



## stephec (16 Nov 2016)

midlife said:


> Iirc you can buy the same make and plonk the innards into the base unit glued to the ceiling
> 
> Shaun


That's what I'm thinking of, just hope the new one lasts a bit longer.


----------



## stephec (16 Nov 2016)

Cycleops said:


> Where would we be without Lego.


My mate swallowed some Lego last night.

He's been to hospital and they've told him there's nothing to worry about.

He's still shitting bricks though.


----------



## classic33 (17 Nov 2016)

stephec said:


> That's what I'm thinking of, just hope the new one lasts a bit longer.


Advertised battery life is ten years, for that one. As for removing the base, you've everything you need on that table.


----------



## PaulB (19 Nov 2016)

You want to see someone REALLY make a model airplane? Look at what this guy does! 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h7Mpm_QBVA


----------



## Cycleops (19 Nov 2016)

I have to admit I do prefer planes that can actually fly. The bigger the better.


View: https://youtu.be/k-E-9fivIp0


----------



## midlife (19 Nov 2016)

He didn't put any flats on the bottom of the tyres to simulate the weight of the aircraft...

Seriously though that was impressive

Shaun


----------



## classic33 (19 Nov 2016)

Cycleops said:


> I have to admit I do prefer planes that can actually fly. The bigger the better.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/k-E-9fivIp0



When you see something that size, coming towards you and the "pilot" chasing it, the best thing to do is hit the deck. Or hide amongst the rocks.


----------



## Profpointy (20 Nov 2016)

Cycleops said:


> I have to admit I do prefer planes that can actually fly. The bigger the better.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/k-E-9fivIp0




Cripes, wouldn't have to be much bigger and you'd not need the radio control as you'd be able to ride round in it


----------



## Cycleops (20 Nov 2016)

@Profpointy try this one for size.


----------



## midlife (20 Nov 2016)

Cycleops said:


> @Profpointy try this one for size.
> 
> View attachment 151814



All I can see us a midget holding a glider 

Shaun


----------



## Bazzer (20 Nov 2016)

Profpointy said:


> Cripes, wouldn't have to be much bigger and you'd not need the radio control as you'd be able to ride round in it



Even bigger!
This appeared in my Youtube videos the other month.


----------



## MontyVeda (20 Nov 2016)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Eagle update;: Coming along nicely:
> View attachment 151188
> 
> 
> ...


can't beat the Eagle. I stumbled across these 'boneyard' photos a while back. I quite like them.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (20 Nov 2016)

I found this shot of part of the cockpit set:





photos of the restored 44 inch filming miniature can be found at:
http://davidsissonmodels.co.uk/


----------



## captain nemo1701 (20 Nov 2016)

MontyVeda said:


> can't beat the Eagle. I stumbled across these 'boneyard' photos a while back. I quite like them.


Thats a great website - if only it was real


----------



## Illaveago (6 Feb 2017)

This is more of a work in progress project. I found it in my loft today, it had been packed away several years ago prior to our move.
It is the Airfix 1/72 scale Buccaneer, the modern version not the one from the 60's which I loved and which was shot up by my brother and cousin. I thought that I would try to replicate some of the features of the original model as well as try to do a bit of super detailing.
The rotating bomb bay was a bit awkward, but with the use of some plastic plumbing pipe and some plastic card I managed to fashion up a working replica. I managed to crawl under a real Buccaneer which was on display at Kemble Airfield and took some photos of the undercarriage and bomb bay. I also took some pictures of the rear airbrake assembly which is rather complicated.


----------



## midlife (6 Feb 2017)

Illaveago said:


> This is more of a work in progress project. I found it in my loft today, it had been packed away several years ago prior to our move.
> It is the Airfix 1/72 scale Buccaneer, the modern version not the one from the 60's which I loved and which was shot up by my brother and cousin. I thought that I would try to replicate some of the features of the original model as well as try to do a bit of super detailing.
> The rotating bomb bay was a bit awkward, but with the use of some plastic plumbing pipe and some plastic card I managed to fashion up a working replica. I managed to crawl under a real Buccaneer which was on display at Kemble Airfield and took some photos of the undercarriage and bomb bay. I also took some pictures of the rear airbrake assembly which is rather complicated.
> View attachment 336495



My uncle used to build Buccaneers at Brough near Hull...Top plane at low level by all accounts 

Shaun


----------



## Illaveago (6 Feb 2017)

midlife said:


> My uncle used to build Buccaneers at Brough near Hull...Top plane at low level by all accounts
> 
> Shaun


You bet they were. They would sneak up on you at air displays and make you jump out of your skin by their sudden arrival overhead.
I think that when they used to do Red Flag days in America they found that nothing would touch them flying low level.


----------



## PaulB (6 Feb 2017)

Illaveago said:


> This is more of a work in progress project. I found it in my loft today, it had been packed away several years ago prior to our move.
> It is the Airfix 1/72 scale Buccaneer, the modern version not the one from the 60's which I loved and which was shot up by my brother and cousin. I thought that I would try to replicate some of the features of the original model as well as try to do a bit of super detailing.
> The rotating bomb bay was a bit awkward, but with the use of some plastic plumbing pipe and some plastic card I managed to fashion up a working replica. I managed to crawl under a real Buccaneer which was on display at Kemble Airfield and took some photos of the undercarriage and bomb bay. I also took some pictures of the rear airbrake assembly which is rather complicated.
> View attachment 336495


Since going back to my first love of airplane modelling, I always remembered the rotating bomb bay on the Bucc and the jokes we had at school about it (the word, not the plane - 'Two pirate ships passed in the fog and the lookout on one shouts, "where's your Buccaneers' and the lookout on the other ship shouts back, "they're on my bucking head'.) which was a big job for me to do at the time. I was hugely impressed by my finished version of that so it brings back good memories to see that again so thanks. There's a lot of really excellent videos on the You Tube featuring some brilliant modellers and showing how to create good finishes like weathering and ageing.


----------



## Illaveago (2 Mar 2017)

I thought I would post this picture. A bit of nostalgia for those of you who can remember the little capsule of glue that came inside the early boxed Airfix kits.
I can remember almost getting some in my eye when it burst. It had that satisfying squidgy feeling you get when playing with bubble wrap.
The coin is a 2P for size. I found the capsule in one of my old kits.


----------



## Cycleops (4 Mar 2017)

And what horrible stuff it was too. Those were the days illaveago.


----------



## classic33 (4 Mar 2017)

Cycleops said:


> And what horrible stuff it was too. Those were the days illaveago.


Revell use it now though.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (6 Mar 2017)

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, eagle 1 is coming along....


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## Smokin Joe (6 Mar 2017)

User3094 said:


> Yeh, I had one of these....
> 
> View attachment 341085


Yes, sometime in the mid eighties. It was my first ever R/C build. 

I don't know if you'd want to tell us which model shop you ran, but those I used were Radio Active in Upminster, Al's in Hainault, Colin Bliss in Elm Park and Beatties in Romford.


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## cosmicbike (6 Mar 2017)

User3094 said:


> Yeh, I had one of these....
> 
> View attachment 341085


Still got 4 Tamiya cars/trucks, good fun for the kids.

Al's Hobbies is still going, used to be a regular when I flew RC planes & helis


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## classic33 (6 Mar 2017)

Got their Boomerang & Blackfoot, amongst others. ESC's are now replacing the three speed control though.

Beatties went more than a few years ago though.


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## Smokin Joe (6 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> Got their Boomerang & Blackfoot, amongst others. ESC's are now replacing the three speed control though.
> 
> Beatties went more than a few years ago though.


Shame, because they carried a huge selection of models and not just R/C. I remember they had a shop in Holborn too. Unfortunately the High St model shop is all but history now.


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## classic33 (6 Mar 2017)

Smokin Joe said:


> Shame, because they carried a huge selection of models and not just R/C. I remember they had a shop in Holborn too. Unfortunately the High St model shop is all but history now.


Not too keen on sharing from what I remember. Importer of Tamiya kits at the time had a say in their running.


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## Cycleops (11 Mar 2017)

Smokin Joe said:


> Yes, sometime in the mid eighties. It was my first ever R/C build.
> 
> I don't know if you'd want to tell us which model shop you ran, but those I used were Radio Active in Upminster, Al's in Hainault, Colin Bliss in Elm Park and Beatties in Romford.


It was Hobbystores in Chelmsford which was owned by Ripmax and had other branches in the south, all closed now of course. Ali Machinchky still has his shop I think.

On the subject of Tamiya I bought the Toyota Hi Lux 4WD in Hong Kong years ago and was surprised to find whilst working at the shop that they are sought after. Someone gave me over £500 for it!


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## Drago (11 Mar 2017)

Never made a model, but I'm thinking of building maybe an Alvis Stalwart or something to pass the time.


----------



## numbnuts (11 Mar 2017)

I've always wanted to fly an RC powered glider


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## Joey Shabadoo (11 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Never made a model, but I'm thinking of building maybe an Alvis Stalwart or something to pass the time.



Get a real one, you know you want to.


View: https://youtu.be/3mr_pCrhTkk


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## Drago (11 Mar 2017)

Don't tempt me! I'm easily led, very open to powers of suggestion with such wacky ideas.


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## classic33 (11 Mar 2017)

Cycleops said:


> It was Hobbystores in Chelmsford which was owned by Ripmax and had other branches in the south, all closed now of course. Ali Machinchky still has his shop I think.
> 
> On the subject of Tamiya I bought the Toyota Hi Lux 4WD in Hong Kong years ago and was surprised to find whilst working at the shop that they are sought after. Someone gave me over £500 for it!


Almost certain it's been re-released in recent years.

Had a Celica that's not on any list as being issued.


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## classic33 (11 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Don't tempt me! I'm easily led, very open to powers of suggestion with such wacky ideas.


Two down on the outskirts of Leeds. For Sale. One at Hebden Bridge and another near Skipton.


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## Cycleops (11 Mar 2017)

numbnuts said:


> I've always wanted to fly an RC powered glider


Well, you're never too old to learn. I used to fly a few gliders, some powered but what I found most relaxing and satisfying was Slope Soaring, just using the lift generated by the slope. The pic is Buster Hill in Hampshire, is that near you? http://www.slopehunter.co.uk/5.html 
The model being flown is a Zagi, made from EPP foam and covered in tape, almost indestructible, a bit tricky for a learner but great fun.
If you need any more info let me know, powered or unpowered.


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## Smokin Joe (11 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> Almost certain it's been re-released in recent years.
> 
> Had a Celica that's not on any list as being issued.


I've still got a Celica that I built nearly twenty years ago. The chassis sometimes gets a Honda bodyshell on it, depending on my mood. I removed the drive shaft to turn it into 2WD, more fun to drive and noticeably quicker in a straight line.


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## classic33 (11 Mar 2017)

Smokin Joe said:


> I've still got a Celica that I built nearly twenty years ago. The chassis sometimes gets a Honda bodyshell on it, depending on my mood. I removed the drive shaft to turn it into 2WD, more fun to drive and noticeably quicker in a straight line.


TA-01?


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## stephec (11 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Never made a model, but I'm thinking of building maybe an Alvis Stalwart or something to pass the time.


You'll love it, it's great for helping you relax.


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## Smokin Joe (11 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> TA-01?


TL-01.


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## classic33 (11 Mar 2017)

Can't find them all


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## Smokin Joe (11 Mar 2017)

From that picture yous is a different Celica to mine, I've got the road version. My favourite (Fairly) recent build was this -





The major problem was the drive gear was exposed below thew chassis, and being so low to the ground the slightest bit of grit picked up would jam it and stop the car in it's tracks. Nice fast model though and I could get some spectacular looking rear wheel drifts through the bends. I sold it a few years ago when I had a clearout.



My all time favourite R/C model was this -







1/12 scale Tom's Toyota, built it over thirty years ago but stupidly sold it. They are collectors items now.


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## classic33 (11 Mar 2017)

Smokin Joe said:


> From that picture yous is a different Celica to mine, I've got the road version. My favourite (Fairly) recent build was this -
> 
> View attachment 341979
> 
> ...


Still have most of mine. Bar the bodyshell for the Celica. Now a Ford Focus.

The four wheel drive F1 Ferrari, I lost when Beatties went bust.


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## classic33 (11 Mar 2017)

@Drago

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD5SasImdAo

http://www.tanks-alot.co.uk/sales.htm
or
http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=68806
or
http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?53163-Alvis-Stalwart-FV624-REME-Fittets-Vehicle


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## Stephenite (11 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Don't tempt me! I'm easily led, very open to powers of suggestion with such wacky ideas.


Get one. It'll be cool  !

Chicks dig that kind of thing!


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## midlife (12 Mar 2017)

Just out of curiosity did they do a Carlos Sainz Celica? I always wanted a real one 

Shaun


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## classic33 (12 Mar 2017)

midlife said:


> Just out of curiosity did they do a Carlos Sainz Celica? I always wanted a real one
> 
> Shaun


Yes


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## Cycleops (12 Mar 2017)

This is my only remaining Tamiya car.


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## Cycleops (12 Mar 2017)

If you are really serious about RC cars the only one is FG, a German company who offer 1/5 scale models, many different model types with a 29cc petrol engine. I used to build them up for customers, we didn't sell many but with a selling price of around a grand for finished car it's not surprising. Great fun to drive.


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## Drago (12 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> @Drago
> 
> View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD5SasImdAo




Oh baby, me wantee so bad!


----------



## classic33 (12 Mar 2017)

Cycleops said:


> View attachment 342026
> If you are really serious about RC cars the only one is FG, a German company who offer 1/5 scale models, many different model types with a 29cc petrol engine. I used to build them up for customers, we didn't sell many but with a selling price of around a grand for finished car it's not surprising. Great fun to drive.
> 
> View attachment 342025


Raced at the local track. Used to be where a supermarket now has it's filling station and part of it's carpark, just outside the town centre.

BRCC held on both tracks.


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## Smokin Joe (12 Mar 2017)

Cycleops said:


> View attachment 342021
> 
> This is my only remaining Tamiya car.


I'm surprised F1 never really took off in R/C cars, I don't think even Tamiya do one now. I love R/C bikes, still got this -






Sold this one a few years ago -


----------



## Illaveago (12 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Never made a model, but I'm thinking of building maybe an Alvis Stalwart or something to pass the time.


They would be ideal for floods, the real ones that is.


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## marknotgeorge (12 Mar 2017)

captain nemo1701 said:


> They resemble the Apollo lunar module. Back in the old days, pre CGI, model makers would often use bits of other kits in the 'detailing'. The Eagle kit is half filming scale and I have the Saturn 5 kit which has a tiny little lunar module to go in the top section. I'm wondering if the model makers back in the 70's used a few Airfix kits?.



It's quite common, and called kitbashing, IIRC.



stephec said:


> It's one that the Fire Brigade came round and put up for free eighteen months ago, telling Mrs Stephec it would last for years.
> 
> It's now chirping away and it's a sealed unit, so it's going in the bin.
> 
> Trouble is the lazy bastards used no more nails type stuff to fix it to the ceiling so the base unit is still there, and will probably knacker the paper if I try and pull it down.



A few months ago, two Derbyshire firemen came to do a fire safety check and fitted a new smoke alarm. They spent a while nattering about our ex-next door neighbour, who is now a fairly senior officer - his lad, about mine and my brother's age, is also a fireman.

Not so long ago, there was a report on the local news about Derbyshire Fire Service and their work in creating a new type of fire alarm that's designed to wake kids up better, apparently inspired by the kids that died after their father set fire to the house a few years ago. 

Back on topic, Pa is currently building a 1:24 Harrier GR3, after building the Sea Harrier, a Tonka (Tornado) and the Jaguar I bought him for Christmas. Next up by the looks of things is a 1:24 Mosquito. I'm beginning to hope that I'd be able to live in one of the boxes that Even Bigger Kits come in...


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## Illaveago (12 Mar 2017)

I have got a Tamiya 4wd Lancia Delta Integrale in the loft somewhere. I think I bought it in the early 90's so that my son and I could build it.
I've also got an old PB Products Porsche 917 which had a Super Tigre G15 engine in it.


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## classic33 (15 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Oh baby, me wantee so bad!


There's this


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## Cycleops (15 Mar 2017)

I think Tamiya still offer 1/5th scale rc tanks with sound, bit pricey though.


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## captain nemo1701 (16 Mar 2017)

Wow, that's a big tank model!.

If only my enterprise was this big:




It's the original miniature from the first movie. I believe sold at auction a few years back to one of the founders of Microsoft. He must have a very big mantlepiece.


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## classic33 (16 Mar 2017)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Wow, that's a big tank model!.
> 
> If only my enterprise was this big:
> View attachment 342768
> ...


Do the photon torpedo launchers work?


----------



## captain nemo1701 (16 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> Do the photon torpedo launchers work?


Sadly, no. ST TNG started with a whopping model. I think it was about 10ft long but they had difficulty in handling it, so it got retired and a smaller 4ft version was used for the rest of the show with 'library' shots of the bigger one.


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## Drago (16 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> There's this
> View attachment 342572



Must...not...click...buy...it...now...


----------



## classic33 (16 Mar 2017)

Drago said:


> Must...not...click...buy...it...now...


Provide linky?


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## Drago (16 Mar 2017)

I was joshing me old mucker.


----------



## macp (16 Mar 2017)

I have a kit for Vulcan XH558 had it for 3 or 4yrs I will build it someday I hope


----------



## stephec (17 Mar 2017)

macp said:


> I have a kit for Vulcan XH558 had it for 3 or 4yrs I will build it someday I hope


If it's the Airfix kit make sure you've got plenty of filler and patience.


----------



## classic33 (17 Mar 2017)

stephec said:


> If it's the Airfix kit make sure you've got plenty of filler and patience.


Mould has been replaced twice since 2010. Last time for a limited edition, to raise money for it(XH588).


----------



## stephec (17 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> Mould has been replaced twice since 2010. Last time for a limited edition, to raise money for it(XH588).


Look at the wing joints, I put loads of filler in and it looked smooth until the paint went on. 

The tail's got a load round the base as well.

And as for the engine intakes, and the undercarriage being full of flash.....

That's the latest Airfix kit, I decided on an anti flash white early sixties finish though, instead of camo.


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## midlife (17 Mar 2017)

stephec said:


> Look at the wing joints, I put loads of filler in and it looked smooth until the paint went on.
> 
> The tail's got a load round the base as well.
> 
> ...



Just out of curiosity what plane is just out of shot with the nose cone just visible. Looks Russian?

Shaun


----------



## stephec (17 Mar 2017)

midlife said:


> Just out of curiosity what plane is just out of shot with the nose cone just visible. Looks Russian?
> 
> Shaun


It's something else that needs plenty of filling and sanding as well.


----------



## midlife (17 Mar 2017)

macp said:


> I have a kit for Vulcan XH558 had it for 3 or 4yrs I will build it someday I hope



I have some models that i bought at a model shop in Deansgate Manchester more than 20 years ago that still need building 

Shaun


----------



## classic33 (17 Mar 2017)

midlife said:


> I have some models that i bought at a model shop in Deansgate Manchester more than 20 years ago that still need building
> 
> Shaun


Now relocated into WHSmiths. That shop went in 2012.


----------



## Cycleops (17 Mar 2017)

All this talk of Vulcans makes me remember my old foamy Multiplex twin jet ( nearly a delta). It came with two 480 buggy motors and was quite stable easy to fly and great fun.
Painted mine to look a Mig 29 which it quite resembles.





Then brushless came along and when so fitted made it quite insane.

View: https://youtu.be/TR4YHRtJcTs


----------



## cosmicbike (17 Mar 2017)

Cycleops said:


> View attachment 342916
> All this talk of Vulcans makes me remember my old foamy Multiplex twin jet ( nearly a delta). It came with two 480 buggy motors and was quite stable easy to fly and great fun.
> Painted mine to look a Mig 29 which it quite resembles.
> View attachment 342918
> ...



I had one of them too. The early ones as pictured flew much better than the later editions in blue and white, I think they changed the thrust lines a little. I also had a Sonic Liner which was unique and great fun to fly. Current Multiplex fleet includes a TwinStar II and Easy Star for the lad, both brushless and lipo.


----------



## Bazzer (17 Mar 2017)

classic33 said:


> Now relocated into WHSmiths. That shop went in 2012.



Used to be a good shop for "bits and pieces". I made this for a friend who is a keen private pilot, as retirement gift, from some plans I found on the internet.
http://[URL=http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/baz99/media/Photo00741_zpsou7igwgk.jpg.html][ATTACH=full]366486[/ATTACH]
[IMG]http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb375/baz99/Photo00741_zpsou7igwgk.jpg 







Closest Cessna I could find to his actual aircraft..
(The reg is a play on his name)


----------



## classic33 (17 Mar 2017)

Bazzer said:


> Used to be a good shop for "bits and pieces". I made this for a friend who is a keen private pilot, as retirement gift, from some plans I found on the internet.
> http://[URL=http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/baz99/media/Photo00741_zpsou7igwgk.jpg.html][ATTACH=full]366488[/ATTACH]
> [IMG]http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb375/baz99/Photo00741_zpsou7igwgk.jpg
> 
> ...


As Manchester Models, the staff knew what they were selling. As Modelzone, there were some who knew, but the rest seem pushed to sell. Still have the shop number, 0161 8343972, on the phone though. Some of the staff were supposed to be opening another, in the same shop.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (29 Jun 2017)

Eagle progress:




Missed my deadline of having it completed by my birthday in June !. Revised date is Christmas!. Got to do some detailing, get the decals on and final assembly, but looking good!. I did find out that a firm has been licenced to release collectors 44 inch versions, which is the same as the studio scale miniatures in the show. They look great, but cost about £2000!. I'll settle for my 22 inch effort.


----------



## classic33 (29 Jun 2017)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Eagle progress:
> View attachment 359449
> 
> Missed my deadline of having it completed by my birthday in June !.* Revised date is Christmas!. *Got to do some detailing, get the decals on and final assembly, but looking good!. I did find out that a firm has been licenced to release collectors 44 inch versions, which is the same as the studio scale miniatures in the show. They look great, but cost about £2000!. I'll settle for my 22 inch effort.


Don't go rushing things!


----------



## captain nemo1701 (29 Jun 2017)

classic33 said:


> Don't go rushing things!



I won't. I screwed up the red striping on the pod that had to all be re-masked and repainted. But I'm back on track now. got two weeks leave now and will try and make up for lost time. The photo of the Eagle in the foreground is actually the restored original 44 inch filming miniature, used on both seasons of the show. I gather it cost about £3,000 in 1973 but would be about £15,000 today. Apparently quite a heavy thing as all the frame piping is machined brass.


----------



## classic33 (29 Jun 2017)

Tamiya masking tape?


----------



## captain nemo1701 (29 Jun 2017)

classic33 said:


> Tamiya masking tape?


Yep, I've used miles of the stuff!.


----------



## PaulB (29 Jun 2017)

Can anyone do one this good? 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MWkrlMrzco


That's a total masterclass. I work with consultant surgeons every day and I haven't seen any of them as patient or as accurate as this guy!


----------



## Joey Shabadoo (29 Jun 2017)

Trainsets are so passe - 


View: https://youtu.be/aUKjKaqifZI


----------



## Joey Shabadoo (29 Jun 2017)

And this just brings the big kid out in me. Is it just me?


View: https://youtu.be/Rh1VXLMoUtk


----------



## Nibor (29 Jun 2017)

Cycleops said:


> Not so long ago I ran model shop in Essex. Mainly rc planes and cars but we also sold lots of plastic kits. Right about now we would put on a huge order for Christmas with Tamiya which we sold tons of around that time. Anyone ever build these?
> 
> View attachment 151411


I have one of those in my back bedroom


----------



## Nibor (29 Jun 2017)

Cycleops said:


> View attachment 342588
> 
> I think Tamiya still offer 1/5th scale rc tanks with sound, bit pricey though.


http://www.armortek.co.uk/


----------



## classic33 (29 Jun 2017)

Nibor said:


> I have one of those in my back bedroom


Built up?


----------



## Nibor (30 Jun 2017)

classic33 said:


> Built up?


Yes but very little use I still have the box somewhere


----------



## classic33 (30 Jun 2017)

Nibor said:


> Yes but very little use I still have the box somewhere


Unbuilt it's worth around £250 -£300.


----------



## Nibor (30 Jun 2017)

classic33 said:


> Unbuilt it's worth around £250 -£300.


Probably worth about 50p then lol


----------



## classic33 (30 Jun 2017)

Nibor said:


> Probably worth about 50p then lol


Still worth more than what you paid for it. Re-released a few years ago, increasing the value of the first release.


----------



## Cycleops (30 Jun 2017)

PaulB said:


> That's a total masterclass. I work with consultant surgeons every day and I haven't seen any of them as patient or as accurate as this guy!


My parents always thought I'd become a surgeon as I was always doing Airfix kits and loved detail intricate work but it never happened.


----------



## Nibor (3 Jul 2017)

classic33 said:


> Still worth more than what you paid for it. Re-released a few years ago, increasing the value of the first release.


It is a first release bought new at retail price by me


----------



## Illaveago (6 Aug 2017)

It is no where near finished but chatting about the Sherman Firefly v Cromwell reminded me of my attempt to make a model of a Comet tank out of plastic card. I used a 1/76 scale Matchbox model as reference and doubled up the measurements so it's approximately 1/38 scale.
The gun barrel is made from brass tubing and I was intending to detail the interior of the driver and gunner's position. The tracks were made of card but would look better if I could source some rubber tracks.
I found the Comet tank at Bovington useful for reference.


----------



## classic33 (6 Aug 2017)

Illaveago said:


> It is no where near finished but chatting about the Sherman Firefly v Cromwell reminded me of my attempt to make a model of a Comet tank out of plastic card. I used a 1/76 scale Matchbox model as reference and doubled up the measurements so it's approximately 1/38 scale.
> The gun barrel is made from brass tubing and I was intending to detail the interior of the driver and gunner's position. The tracks were made of card but would look better if I could source some rubber tracks.
> I found the Comet tank at Bovington useful for reference.


How far out would 1/35th tracks be?
http://www.hobbylinc.com/fruilmodel...links-plastic-model-tank-tracks-1:35-scale-13


----------



## postman (6 Aug 2017)

Just gone back to the start of this post,and good old Vernon pops up,i do miss his wise words his comebacks and his generosity.


----------



## classic33 (6 Aug 2017)

Stephenite said:


> You do realise that the USS Enterprise is a Constitution class starship? If it was 1/72 scale it would fill the house. Jeez!


http://www.carrierbuilders.net/gallery/20070318_USS_Enterprise_1-72/20070318_USS_Enterprise_1-72.htm


----------



## Illaveago (6 Aug 2017)

classic33 said:


> How far out would 1/35th tracks be?
> http://www.hobbylinc.com/fruilmodel...links-plastic-model-tank-tracks-1:35-scale-13


I don't think they would be too far out and that is what I thought of using. I could do a quick check with a couple of other kits that I haven't built yet to see how they compare.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (18 Sep 2017)

I weakened and splurged on this kit that I've been wanting since I saw the movie in...oooh, about 1973!.


----------



## Yellow Fang (7 Oct 2017)

My latest effort, a Fairey Fulmar. Why did Fairey make their naval fighters so big? It's lucky they were fighting the Italians.


----------



## Illaveago (7 Oct 2017)

Yellow Fang said:


> My latest effort, a Fairey Fulmar. Why did Fairey make their naval fighters so big? It's lucky they were fighting the Italians.
> 
> View attachment 377410


I think it was a Naval requirement to have 3 crew members.
I think it was based on the Fairey battle.
Your model looks good.


----------



## midlife (7 Oct 2017)

Navy planes were often multirole, the Swordfish was TSR which I think stood for Torpedo, Spotter, Reconnaissance..


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## Joey Shabadoo (7 Oct 2017)

The Swordfish also did dive bombing, believe it or not.

Naval fighters tended to be big and robust to cope with carrier landings and carry plenty of fuel. Naval thinking was they would be used against reconnaissance and bombers, not state of the art fighters. The Japanese Zero was a wake up call to that thinking. 

Ironically the RN ended up with arguably the finest piston engined fighter - the Sea Fury.


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## Yellow Fang (7 Oct 2017)

Diogenes The Sarcastic said:


> The Swordfish also did dive bombing, believe it or not.
> 
> Naval fighters tended to be big and robust to cope with carrier landings and carry plenty of fuel. Naval thinking was they would be used against reconnaissance and bombers, not state of the art fighters. The Japanese Zero was a wake up call to that thinking.
> 
> Ironically the RN ended up with arguably the finest piston engined fighter - the Sea Fury.



The Sea Fury was good, but did not arrive until after the war and after the jet age had started.

Regarding the Swordfish, I watched Sink the Bismark recently. One of the crew members mounted a machine gun on the back. What was the point of that? If there were any fighters in the area then they're dead.

Surprisingly the Fulmars pilots did quite well, considering their planes were so slow. The RN replaced the Fulmars with Fairey Fireflies, and they only did 320mph despite their Griffon engines. Even if the RN did want a navigator or observer, did those planes have to be so big and heavy?

The RN used converted Hurricane and Spitfire versions. I would not have thought the Seafire was ideal. It had a narrow undercarriage and quite a short range (at least the Spitfire did).


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## classic33 (7 Oct 2017)

The Royal Navy tended to get the "hand me downs" from the RAF. Rather than cancel the project, it was passed onto the Senior Service.


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## Yellow Fang (8 Oct 2017)

classic33 said:


> The Royal Navy tended to get the "hand me downs" from the RAF. Rather than cancel the project, it was passed onto the Senior Service.



Sort of interesting, because I get the impression the FAA pilots were better than the RAF's.


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## classic33 (8 Oct 2017)

Yellow Fang said:


> Sort of interesting, because I get the impression the FAA pilots were better than the RAF's.


Not the crews, more the aircraft projects. Rather than cancel the project, they seemed to have carried them on but for the new Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy


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## Illaveago (8 Oct 2017)

classic33 said:


> Not the crews, more the aircraft projects. Rather than cancel the project, they seemed to have carried them on but for the new Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy


The exceptions being the Sea Vixen and the Buccaneer. The Sea Vixen was in competition with the Gloster Javelin and was a much better aircraft. The Blackburn Buccaneer was originally a carrier based aircraft which the RAF reluctantly accepted and went on for many years service. 
I read somewhere that the Buccaneer was the most cost effective aircraft we ever made.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (27 Feb 2018)

Finally making progress, want this baby done by May


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## classic33 (27 Feb 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Finally making progress, want this baby done by May
> View attachment 397724


Thought it was "left-hand drive". The pilot isn't looking where they're going.


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## Yellow Fang (27 Feb 2018)

Illaveago said:


> The exceptions being the Sea Vixen and the Buccaneer. The Sea Vixen was in competition with the Gloster Javelin and was a much better aircraft. The Blackburn Buccaneer was originally a carrier based aircraft which the RAF reluctantly accepted and went on for many years service.
> I read somewhere that the Buccaneer was the most cost effective aircraft we ever made.



I watched a YouTube video to the effect that the Sea Vixen was one of Britain's ten worst aircraft. It was just someone's opinion. It had quite a bad casualty rate. Flying naval aircraft was very dangerous. It was replaced by the Phantom. I do not know what the Phantom's casualty rate was like. Buccaneers were cool, but I heard Lord Mountbatten tried to convince the Australians to order Buccaneers instead of the TSR2, which was even cooler. If the Aussies had ordered the TSR2 then maybe it would not have been scrapped.


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## Yellow Fang (27 Feb 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Finally making progress, want this baby done by May
> View attachment 397724



Always thought the Eagles were the best thing in Space 1999.


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## captain nemo1701 (22 Mar 2018)

Decamped to the lounge to do some fiddly detailing, adding decals etc. Going well, got a week off coming up so hopefully will get it finally assembled by the end of April. May will be two years since i bought the darned thing!. Fiddly kit, but fun to do.


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## Drago (22 Mar 2018)

Yellow Fang said:


> I watched a YouTube video to the effect that the Sea Vixen was one of Britain's ten worst aircraft. It was just someone's opinion. It had quite a bad casualty rate. Flying naval aircraft was very dangerous. It was replaced by the Phantom. I do not know what the Phantom's casualty rate was like. Buccaneers were cool, but I heard Lord Mountbatten tried to convince the Australians to order Buccaneers instead of the TSR2, which was even cooler. If the Aussies had ordered the TSR2 then maybe it would not have been scrapped.



Bailing out of a Venom, Vixen or Vampire was always a dicey proposition, due to the high likelihood of the pilot being chopped in half by the tailplane.


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## Profpointy (22 Mar 2018)

Yellow Fang said:


> Always thought the Eagles were the best thing in Space 1999.



Sadly, I have to agree. Looked fantastic but awfuly dull. Coversely Doctor Who of the day looked terrible with shonky sets and so on but has exciting storytelling and I loved it.

The Andersons never quite reached the perfection of Thunderbirds, which had it all: superb modelwork, action, excitment and great music. And the acting not bad either !


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## stephec (22 Mar 2018)

Profpointy said:


> Sadly, I have to agree. Looked fantastic but awfuly dull. Coversely Doctor Who of the day looked terrible with shonky sets and so on but has exciting storytelling and I loved it.
> 
> The Andersons never quite reached the perfection of Thunderbirds, which had it all: superb modelwork, action, excitment and great music. _And the acting not bad either _!



I thought it was a bit wooden.

You set 'em up......


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## classic33 (21 Apr 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> After two years messing about with it, the Enterprise is finished...yaaay!. Great kit, first I've built since I was about 14. I've got to work out where to display it now.
> View attachment 121794


 Chinese aviation buff builds full-scale Airbus replica 
KAIYUAN, China (Reuters) - A man in northeastern China who always wanted to own an aircraft is doing the next best thing: building a full-scale replica of an Airbus A320 jet.

Zhu Yue, an aviation buff who worked as a welder and an auto mechanic, spent months studying plane models and technical drawings before he started building a homemade version a year ago with his friends.

Zhu, 40, who lives in the city of Kaiyuan in Liaoning province, said he planned to turn the replica into an aviation-themed restaurant.

“I want to make sure the plane is created with finesse and be the best A320 model in China,” he said.

The replica - 37.8 meters (124 ft) long with a wingspan of 36 meters (118 ft) and height of 12 meters (39.37 ft) - will feature model engine turbines that can rotate and a simulation cockpit, he added.

Zhu, who has so far spent more than 1 million yuan ($158,810) of his savings and used 40 tonnes of steel on his project, hopes to complete it by the end of year at a total cost of 2 million yuan ($317,620).

($1=6.2968 Chinese yuan renminbi)

Writing by Florence Lo in BEIJING; Editing by Tony Munroe and Clarence Fernandez


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## captain nemo1701 (9 May 2018)

Nearly done. Got some time off now, this is a 'dry fit' test of the sub assemblies before final construction. It's only taken two years, but since I am a geology graduate, I move at tectonic speed...... The next kit is waiting to be started, wanted this one since I saw the movie way back in the 1970's.





Moving onto.....


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## stephec (12 May 2018)

My latest acquisition, T2's nearly a foot long.


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## classic33 (12 May 2018)

stephec said:


> My latest acquisition, T2's nearly a foot long.


Wasn't the Mole in pod two?


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## MontyVeda (12 May 2018)

Profpointy said:


> Sadly, I have to agree. Looked fantastic but awfuly dull.
> ...


There's some cracking episodes!


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## midlife (12 May 2018)

Thought the Mole was pod 5? Mind you it's a long time ago lol


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## classic33 (12 May 2018)

midlife said:


> Thought the Mole was pod 5? Mind you it's a long time ago lol


You were right, Pod 5.


----------



## stephec (12 May 2018)

classic33 said:


> Wasn't the Mole in pod two?


The only thing missing is T3.


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## midlife (12 May 2018)

classic33 said:


> You were right, Pod 5.



Just had a quick Google and Thunderbird 2 carried loads of different stuff I never remembered...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_2_pod_vehicles

I had a small plastic one but it was nowhere near as big as that one!


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## captain nemo1701 (11 Jun 2018)

At last, finally completed!. Just needs a little 'touching up' work with paint and ready for display:


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## Illaveago (11 Jun 2018)

I was just looking at the picture of Thunderbird 2 on the box and thought that the undercarriage legs look very much like telescopic aerials that used to be fitted to transistor radios.


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## MontyVeda (11 Jun 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> At last, finally completed!. Just needs a little 'touching up' work with paint and ready for display:
> View attachment 413733


Has that mug been there since the 9th of May?


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## classic33 (11 Jun 2018)

stephec said:


> The only thing missing is T3.


 Thunderbird 1, through to Thunderbird 4


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## stephec (11 Jun 2018)

Illaveago said:


> I was just looking at the picture of Thunderbird 2 on the box and thought that the undercarriage legs look very much like telescopic aerials that used to be fitted to transistor radios.


They are, there's two options with it, either metal or plastic legs.


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## stephec (11 Jun 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> At last, finally completed!. Just needs a little 'touching up' work with paint and ready for display:
> View attachment 413733


I keep looking at one of those, but I've got a stash that could keep me busy for the next few years already.


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## captain nemo1701 (11 Jun 2018)

stephec said:


> I keep looking at one of those, but I've got a stash that could keep me busy for the next few years already.



Interesting kit, took me two years!. Extremely fiddly frame, bits on landing gear, but it was en vogue in 70's SF to have ships with lots of surface detailing (original 44 inch studio miniature included the Apollo lunar module from airfix kit on it - reproduced on this kit).

Next kit will be easier - Proteus from Fantastic Voyage, a nice smooth hull!.


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## captain nemo1701 (18 Jun 2018)

Finished & on display....only been two years


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## classic33 (18 Jun 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Finished & on display....only been two years
> 
> View attachment 414867


Seems to have developed a leak. There's brown "spots" on the "Enterprise" below it.


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## captain nemo1701 (19 Jun 2018)

classic33 said:


> Seems to have developed a leak. There's brown "spots" on the "Enterprise" below it.


LOL!.....actually, here are the 'spots'


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## captain nemo1701 (19 Jun 2018)

Ooops...did it again. Pressed 'buy' online. Now building this baby along with the Proteus. Well, got to fill my new shiny shelf space!. Big kit - the tape is 1m.


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## captain nemo1701 (27 Jun 2018)

Work has commenced:


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## MontyVeda (27 Jun 2018)

Out of all the model kits i made as a kid, I don't think i managed to not get a splodge of glue on one of the windows... good luck!


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## classic33 (27 Jun 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Work has commenced:
> 
> View attachment 416583


Seems a bit on the large size. What's the scale?


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## captain nemo1701 (28 Jun 2018)

classic33 said:


> Seems a bit on the large size. What's the scale?


Not sure. I have some photos of the surviving miniature used in the movie - it's about 4ft long. I understand that the full size set mockup was about 42 ft long.


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## captain nemo1701 (28 Jun 2018)

MontyVeda said:


> Out of all the model kits i made as a kid, I don't think i managed to not get a splodge of glue on one of the windows... good luck!


I will be using some special modelling glue for around the windows, which come in one piece that fits the frame from behind. This special glue is totally transparent when set and is specifically for transparent pieces. I know what you mean though!.


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## captain nemo1701 (28 Jun 2018)

There's allegedly, an amusing story about a small 2-inch version that was made. It was used in the 'whirlpool' scene (apparently done with red jelly & water!). When the shot was finished, the miniature was left by an open window to dry in the sun and was nicked by a bird!. As far as I know, the large 42ft mock up was repainted and was intended to play the part of a rescue sub in _The Poseidon Adventure_ (1972) but the idea was dropped and it got trashed shortly afterwards.

Irwin Allen, famous in Hollywood for being Mr Cheap, actually used some of the internal body sets for an episode of _Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea _where the Seaview's diving bell is swallowed by a giant whale. For the scene where they drug the whale and enter it, they filmed these scenes overnight on the _Fantastic_ _Voyage_ set which was in the next door studio. At least 20th Century Fox got their money's worth!.

There are some interesting behind the scenes shots online:


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## captain nemo1701 (23 Jul 2018)

Primed the Seaview this weekend and it's a big kit (tape is 1m). Looking forward to having this on the lounge shelf. it comes with a small diving bell, minisub and a tiny version of the flying sub although a bigger version is available (on the shopping list). Much of the kit detail is the interior bridge, so i may get the lighting kit for this one (it has grooves in-built for wiring).






Those of us who recall the show, this is the 'TV version' with four windows. I'd like to get the original 'movie version' with 8 windows as featured in the original cinema film. It's made by the same model firm but appears to be discontinued?.


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## MontyVeda (23 Jul 2018)

Very nice... but I think a sub called Seaview needs a lot more windows.


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## tamiya (23 Jul 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Work has commenced:
> 
> View attachment 416583



well you've definitely got the correct brand of model finishing supplies 

The yellow tape is good stuff but have you only just bought the refills?
IMHO the plastic dispensers are real handy to keep the tape edge clean & straight, otherwise stuck-on fluff makes a mess & dented edges will lift when spraying. Even oil from fingers from handling the naked rolls can hurt adhesiveness.

I get thru miles of the 6mm


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## classic33 (23 Jul 2018)

tamiya said:


> *well you've definitely got the correct brand of model finishing supplies *
> 
> The yellow tape is good stuff but have you only just bought the refills?
> IMHO the plastic dispensers are real handy to keep the tape edge clean & straight, otherwise stuck-on fluff makes a mess & dented edges will lift when spraying. Even oil from fingers from handling the naked rolls can hurt adhesiveness.
> ...


Revell & Humbrol!!


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## captain nemo1701 (23 Jul 2018)

tamiya said:


> well you've definitely got the correct brand of model finishing supplies
> 
> The yellow tape is good stuff but have you only just bought the refills?
> IMHO the plastic dispensers are real handy to keep the tape edge clean & straight, otherwise stuck-on fluff makes a mess & dented edges will lift when spraying. Even oil from fingers from handling the naked rolls can hurt adhesiveness.
> ...



I tend to get the refills. Did have a dispenser once but it got lost!. Got through two cans of light grey primer on this kit. I'm just trying to decide which greys to do the hull. Instructions say camouflage grey for upper hull, light ghost grey for the lower half. However, some shots of the filming miniature (restored & in private collection) make it look almost a dark blue-grey. I'm going to have to do some research on this one.

You can build one of two versions: the 8ft version, used for underwater shots, different number of missile hatches on top or the whopping 17ft version, with more missile hatches. This miniature was used in surface shots only, towed across an artificial lake on the rear lot of 20th century fox.






On the surface:






Restored miniature:


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## Illaveago (27 Jul 2018)

MontyVeda said:


> Out of all the model kits i made as a kid, I don't think i managed to not get a splodge of glue on one of the windows... good luck!


That is one of the things I found discouraging at a plastic model exhibition . No droopy wings and collapsed undercarriage or gluey fingerprints on the clear bits .


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## Andy in Germany (3 Aug 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> I will be using some special modelling glue for around the windows, which come in one piece that fits the frame from behind. This special glue is totally transparent when set and is specifically for transparent pieces. I know what you mean though!.



Can you tell me the name of the glue?


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## stephec (3 Aug 2018)

Andy in Germany said:


> Can you tell me the name of the glue?


I use Kristal Klear by Microscale Industries, works a treat.


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## Illaveago (3 Aug 2018)

This isn't mine and it isn't finished now ! I bought this at a car boot sale yesterday. It is a Tamiya 1/35 scale Churchill Crocodile tank that was built by an old chap.
There had been quite a few tank models but this was all that was left on the floor when I arrived. I'm happy with my purchase. I asked how much and paid up.
I fancied building another British WW2 tank and this one fitted the bill . It has been put together and painted well. There are a few parts missing, some I have but some others will need to be made.
I will have to do some research into Churchill and see if I can do some extra detailing.
These are pictures of before and after washing the dust off .


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## midlife (3 Aug 2018)

The top colour of seaview looks a bit like the colour of my Subaru wheels, called Bright Flitter. An unusual darkish grey blue with a bit of green...


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## Andy in Germany (5 Aug 2018)

I've been working on a slightly silly steampunk tank with one of my lads, for a Pulp Alley tabletop game, if anyone knows of the things...






We started with a Russian tank chassis, and things got silly from that point onwards...



HZG_ST_04

Firstly we added an overdone top and 'boiler' for the steam power from a milk carton screw cap...



HZG_ST_05

And thought about what we could add to the front. Middle son wanted a retractable 7 barrelled gun, because... why not?





Turret from some spray bottle or other, details from bits of brass, the handles from a Chinese takeaway, and parts from the original tank kit...
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW


HZG_ST_10
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW
...and a door. Useful things, doors.
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW


HZG_ST_16
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW
Lots of rivets. I did say this was going to get silly...
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW


HZG_ST_20

More details from the original kit.
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW


HZG_ST_23a
https://flic.kr/p/22VLqqW
Current state of play, in primer waiting for me to get my backside into gear and paint it...


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## classic33 (16 Sep 2018)

Battle of Britain in model form, on now Channel Four.


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## Smokin Joe (16 Sep 2018)

classic33 said:


> Battle of Britain in model form, on now Channel Four.


I'm recording it so I can avoid the numerous adverts on that channel.


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## Brand X (16 Sep 2018)

I'm into sculpting rather than model-building. I do have one model kit but it's a bit.. umm, not suitable for PG rated viewing.


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## captain nemo1701 (23 Sep 2018)

Was working on the Proteus this morning when I stumbled across some appropriate viewing


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## stephec (23 Sep 2018)

Brand X said:


> I'm into sculpting rather than model-building. I do have one model kit but it's a bit.. umm, not suitable for PG rated viewing.


The mind boggles!


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## midlife (23 Sep 2018)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Was working on the Proteus this morning when I stumbled across some appropriate viewing
> View attachment 431299



Just curious what's the big picture of above the telly, some famous space scene?


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## captain nemo1701 (24 Sep 2018)

midlife said:


> Just curious what's the big picture of above the telly, some famous space scene?


 It's a 183cm by 122cm wall mural of the Andromeda galaxy. I have another on the opposite wall of the Earth from space. They are available from allposters.co.uk
cost about £80 but they always have sales. Thousands available on other subjects, photo quality paper, I've had it on the wall for 9 years.


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## captain nemo1701 (26 Sep 2018)

midlife said:


> Just curious what's the big picture of above the telly, some famous space scene?


Here's what they both look like:


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## subaqua (26 Sep 2018)

https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/clearfix-28ml-bottle.html


Andy in Germany said:


> Can you tell me the name of the glue?


----------



## Profpointy (26 Sep 2018)

Illaveago said:


> This isn't mine and it isn't finished now ! I bought this at a car boot sale yesterday. It is a Tamiya 1/35 scale Churchill Crocodile tank that was built by an old chap.
> There had been quite a few tank models but this was all that was left on the floor when I arrived. I'm happy with my purchase. I asked how much and paid up.
> I fancied building another British WW2 tank and this one fitted the bill . It has been put together and painted well. There are a few parts missing, some I have but some others will need to be made.
> I will have to do some research into Churchill and see if I can do some extra detailing.
> ...



The wonderfull David Fletcher of the tank museum has done a terrific series of "tank chats" on youtube, the most recent covering the various "funnies" many based on the Churchil. He's also written a superb book on the Churchill too, but sadly only passing mention of the "funnies" - but to be fair it's a big thick, well illustrated and well researched book as it is. We can hope for a follow up maybe


----------



## Stephenite (28 Sep 2018)

Wednesday evening at work I had a nice chat with a fellow employee that i don't see very often. She was leaving for the day and was quite happy about it. She and her husband had bought a joint xmas present for themselves and had decided to open it early. A big lego kit. 

https://www.brothers-brick.com/2018/07/17/legos-largest-ever-ideas-set-21311-voltron-review/


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## classic33 (29 Sep 2018)

A large lego model


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## Illaveago (29 Sep 2018)

Profpointy said:


> The wonderfull David Fletcher of the tank museum has done a terrific series of "tank chats" on youtube, the most recent covering the various "funnies" many based on the Churchil. He's also written a superb book on the Churchill too, but sadly only passing mention of the "funnies" - but to be fair it's a big thick, well illustrated and well researched book as it is. We can hope for a follow up maybe


My dad said that he liked the Churchill tank, he wasn't in them, he was a R.A.S.C. driver. He used to tell us about a Churchill tank which they had to leave on a mountain somewhere in Italy as it had got stuck. They couldn't move it forwards or backwards and so they left it there. He often wondered if it was still there.


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## Joey Shabadoo (29 Sep 2018)

The Germans weren't impressed with the Churchill tanks left behind at Dieppe -

“The Germans compared the Churchill not only to their own tanks but to the Russian machines they were now encountering in the east. And it did not compare favourably. The vehicle' says the report 'offers nothing worthy of consideration by technical personnel, nor has it any new constructive features either in the metallurgical field, or in the field of weapon technology'. The 3 inch howitzer was 'bad and old fashioned'; the 2-pounder 'left behind both in construction and effectiveness' while the 6-pounder's performance 'does not approach that of Russian guns of the same calibre'. Ammunition revealed no new or noteworthy features and, as for armour it was seen as very thick but of poor quality and did not compare well with German or Russian plate. They also claimed that the tracks were brittle and of clumsy design which fractured ev ery time it received a direct hit. Photographs seem to indicate that the Churchills abandoned at Dieppe had the heavy, studded cast track made from a material described as B.T.S. 3. Discussing performance the Germans noted that the tracks made so much noise that they believed it would be impossible for anyone to use the radio while the tank was moving. No similar complaint is heard from British sources but the Germans made the point that when the tank halted to use its radio it provided a good opportunity to knock it out. Not that this was regarded as a problem. As the report sums up ' The shape is also not modern. In conclusion it may be said that the English Churchill tank, in its present form, is easy to combat'.”


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## captain nemo1701 (29 Jan 2019)

I was cleaning the shelves on Sunday & had to take the kits down. Here's the Eagle in all it's glory


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## captain nemo1701 (29 Jan 2019)

Went to the International Plastic Model Show last year and had a wee splurge. The tiny flying sub comes with the big Seaview kit.


----------



## Andy in Germany (24 Feb 2019)

I’m rather better at starting a project than finishing it, so you can imagine the excitement this week when the Steam Powered Tank was finally completed.






Part of the problem was that I'd tried to paint the tank a blueish grey, but that came out more ‘Teutonic’ than ‘generic’ as intended. I also forgot that with a dark topcoat the underlying ‘rust’ didn’t contrast very well. On the other hand I found the Hairspray method used with an old toothbrush is startlingly effective, rather too effective in fact.

So, once again, it was back to the primer, ‘rust’ layer, varnish, hairspray; and after completely overthinking things as usual, a sandy green topcoat. I rubbed this off with a paintbrush this time to avoid great slabs of rust, then completely failed to ‘ink’ the cracks with black ink, as usual.






The Boiler end would probably be filthy from clearing out the ash, so this got a scumbling of black, then a very light drybrushing of white and silver in an attempt to make the milk bottle cap look like it was made of metal. The worst mistakes made so far were covered by several shades of pastel powders for general road dirt, and as an experiment I rubbed a soft pencil on some of the exposed ‘metal’ surfaces.






I’m still wondering if I should add brass on some of the pipes: on the one hand it seems silly because that would ruin the ‘camouflage’ effect but I’ve never let logic stop me before…


----------



## PaulB (24 Feb 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> I’m rather better at starting a project than finishing it, so you can imagine the excitement this week when the Steam Powered Tank was finally completed.
> 
> View attachment 454313
> 
> ...


Watch Tom Grigat's videos on that You Tube. He uses Marmite to get a rust effect. He's taught me such a lot but is so intricate, particularly with his rigging on bi-planes, you just feel like giving up because he's so blinking good. I see surgeons operate every working day with less skill than Tom!


----------



## Illaveago (24 Feb 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> I’m rather better at starting a project than finishing it, so you can imagine the excitement this week when the Steam Powered Tank was finally completed.
> 
> View attachment 454313
> 
> ...


It looks very good . What scale is it ?


----------



## Andy in Germany (24 Feb 2019)

Illaveago said:


> It looks very good . What scale is it ?



Thank you.

It's theoretically 1:55, or what tabletop gamers cal '28mm' scale, but bearing in mind it's e complete work of fiction and uses tracks and small detail parts nicked from a 1:48 Russian tank, it's not exactly "fine modelmaking", more "If it looks half right..."


----------



## Joey Shabadoo (24 Feb 2019)

Au contraire, I think it's exceptional!


----------



## Illaveago (11 Mar 2019)

It is no



where near finished but it is coming on . I was a bit bored waiting for my parcel so I thought I would do some more whittling! 
I have been working on the engine and gearbox a bit . I cut one bank of cylinders back to give the V8 staggered look. I also undercut the areas underneath the exhaust manifolds to give the engine a bit more definition and cut down the gearbox a bit.
Eventually when I finish it I would like to make a mould from it so that I could make some more.


----------



## Andy in Germany (11 Mar 2019)

That's very impressive @Illaveago: Getting beechwood to cut that neatly and accurately requires a steady hand and some very sharp cutting instruments. I doff my cap to you sir.


----------



## Illaveago (11 Mar 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> That's very impressive @Illaveago: Getting beechwood to cut that neatly and accurately requires a steady hand and some very sharp cutting instruments. I doff my cap to you sir.


 Thanks ! I recycle old chair legs wherever possible .
It is a Lotus 49/ 49B . My plan is to eventually make some suspension components .


----------



## Smokin Joe (11 Mar 2019)

Illaveago said:


> Thanks ! I recycle old chair legs wherever possible .
> It is a Lotus 49/ 49B . My plan is to eventually make some suspension components .


I'd love to see that when you finish it. That was my favourite F1 car.


----------



## biggs682 (11 Mar 2019)

Illaveago said:


> Thanks ! I recycle old chair legs wherever possible .
> It is a Lotus 49/ 49B . My plan is to eventually make some suspension components .



I can't wit to see this as a finished item


----------



## stephec (17 Mar 2019)

My last three builds.

Airfix 1/72 DO17z, first time I've ever used pre cut glazing masks, what a difference it makes on a greenhouse like that.

Eduard 1/48 Hawker Typhoon, first time using PE, which on the 'causing fruity language scale' was a 7/10, it's not put me off though as I've just started the Eduard 1/48 Lysander Profipack.

Airfix 1/48 Hawker Hurricane, ignore the glaringly obvious missing aerial mast, it was broken in the box and I'm waiting for a replacement from Airfix. The Montex glazing mask set also included squadron insignia and national markings, well worth the extra effort.


----------



## captain nemo1701 (18 Mar 2019)

The Proteus is nearing completion, just got to finish off building the interior & should have it done by Easter.


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## stephec (23 Mar 2019)

The Lysander cockpit has turned out to be a mini kit all on it's own, there's more parts here than in some basic 1/72 fighter kits.

Oh yeah, and I'm still not convinced by PE, it just makes me very sweary. 

Ignore the copious amounts of superglue in places, it won't be visible when the fuselage is joined.


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## captain nemo1701 (7 May 2019)

Must stop buying model kits on impulse......A re-release of a kit I believe came out for the 40th anniversary. Already cleared room in the lounge for it.


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## classic33 (7 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Must stop buying model kits on impulse......A re-release of a kit I believe came out for the 40th anniversary. Already cleared room in the lounge for it.


If only they were all the same scale.


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## captain nemo1701 (7 May 2019)

classic33 said:


> If only they were all the same scale.



Chinese manufacturer Dragon did a monster 5ft Saturn V kit but it's very hard to get now. They followed it up with a similar one with Skylab which I've seen retailing up to £200. I did have the Revel 1.144 kit which is 77cm tall and the new one is 1.14m, which should look good!. BTW, when opening the box, I thought that some of the rocket body cylinders were missing but they come flat and you need to roll them up!.


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## classic33 (7 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Must stop buying model kits on impulse......A re-release of a kit I believe came out for the 40th anniversary. Already cleared room in the lounge for it.


ModelZone were selling the larger one, the one you have, for £20 as they were going under.


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## classic33 (8 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Chinese manufacturer Dragon did a monster 5ft Saturn V kit but it's very hard to get now. They followed it up with a similar one with Skylab which I've seen retailing up to £200. I did have the Revel 1.144 kit which is 77cm tall and the new one is 1.14m, which should look good!. BTW, when opening the box, I thought that some of the rocket body cylinders were missing but they come flat and you need to roll them up!.


1:96 scale like this one?


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## captain nemo1701 (9 May 2019)

classic33 said:


> 1:96 scale like this one?
> View attachment 465712



The Revell 1:144 is 77cm, the 1:96 1.14m, so that one looks like possibly 1:48?. anyway, would love that one!. Need a bigger mantlepiece.....


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## Profpointy (9 May 2019)

classic33 said:


> 1:96 scale like this one?
> View attachment 465712



I want one !


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## captain nemo1701 (9 May 2019)

Profpointy said:


> I want one !


I think this is probably one made professionally for Nasa exhibitions etc. Probably retails in the £1,000's. would look stunning in my living room.....dreaming on....


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## Andy in Germany (9 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> I think this is probably one made professionally for Nasa exhibitions etc. Probably retails in the £1,000's. would look stunning in my living room.....dreaming on....



On the Lead Adventure forum there's an entire group of people making models of planes zeppelins and goodness knows what out of card. There's no reason that an extravagantly large space rocket couldn't be made of the same material and look just as good...


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## captain nemo1701 (9 May 2019)

Andy in Germany said:


> On the Lead Adventure forum there's an entire group of people making models of planes zeppelins and goodness knows what out of card. There's no reason that an extravagantly large space rocket couldn't be made of the same material and look just as good...


 There is apparently, a lego version;
https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Ideas-Apollo-Saturn-Building/dp/B071G3QMS2


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## Profpointy (9 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> There is apparently, a lego version;
> https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Ideas-Apollo-Saturn-Building/dp/B071G3QMS2



A mate has got the lego version and it is really good. It was supposedly for his kids yeah right !


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## classic33 (9 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> I think this is probably one made professionally for Nasa exhibitions etc. Probably retails in the £1,000's. would look stunning in my living room.....dreaming on....


1:72 scale
https://m.ebay.com/itm/Dragon-1-72-...901011782?epid=20012460050&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1
Or
https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Models-Spacecraft-Building-72-Scale/dp/B00BWR65JA


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## captain nemo1701 (9 May 2019)

classic33 said:


> 1:72 scale
> https://m.ebay.com/itm/Dragon-1-72-...901011782?epid=20012460050&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1
> Or
> https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Models-Spacecraft-Building-72-Scale/dp/B00BWR65JA



Yeah, Dragon kit is big but apparently technically incorrect. I did find a chap online who produces 'correction kits' for the wrongly moulded parts. I did buy the Dragon Lunar module at the International Plastic Model Kit show in Telford last year.

I'm now going to attempt the impossible.....(big drum roll)...6 kits simultaneously. They are:

Apollo V, lunar module, command module, USS Enterprise NCC 1701E, the Seaview & Flying Sub. I've got all the paints etc.

The Saturn V is moulded the correct shade of white, which cuts down on painting. I've got all the kits & bits ready for my 'production line' which has been worked out with greater military precision than Accy's bike rides eg. all black bits on the kits will get painted black at the same time etc, so I hope to have 'em all done by Xmas.

Off to the IPMS again in November, because my final kit (no shelf room left!!) will be:


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## stephec (9 May 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Chinese manufacturer Dragon did a monster 5ft Saturn V kit but it's very hard to get now. They followed it up with a similar one with Skylab which I've seen retailing up to £200. I did have the Revel 1.144 kit which is 77cm tall and the new one is 1.14m, which should look good!. BTW, when opening the box, I thought that some of the rocket body cylinders were missing but they come flat and you need to roll them up!.


The rolling part was what put me off buying one of those.


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## chriswoody (9 May 2019)

I was given the Lego Saturn V for christmas. It was great fun to put together, took over a week in total. It's over a metre tall and really well detailed. Lego made sure the parts count was 1969 pieces as well, which was a good touch. Each of the sections realistically come apart and my kids have been fascinated to learn all about the moon landings from it.


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## stephec (26 Sep 2019)

After a break I'm back at it with the Airfix 1/24 Hurricane Mk1, a bit lacking in cockpit detail so I decided to add some PE seat belts and an instrument panel, I've also had a go at weathering for the first time as well.


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## Nonethewiser (30 Sep 2019)

The 1/24th Hurricane is a bit long in the tooth now but is one of the better of the old Airfix "Superkits" and is certainly an improvement over the earlier Spitfire kit. This build is looking good and the PE belts and IP are worthwhile additions.


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## rogerzilla (30 Sep 2019)

Courtesy of the Swear Trek Twitter account (most of them are rude, this isn't)


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## stephec (1 Oct 2019)

Nonethewiser said:


> The 1/24th Hurricane is a bit long in the tooth now but is one of the better of the old Airfix "Superkits" and is certainly an improvement over the earlier Spitfire kit. This build is looking good and the PE belts and IP are worthwhile additions.


The Spitfire Vb ended up in the bin when I lost patience with it, even the Hurricane is a bit testing, it's got plenty of flash on it. I'm not at home tonight, but if I remember tomorrow I'll get a few photos of it.


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## Handlebar Moustache (7 Oct 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> After two years messing about with it, the Enterprise is finished...yaaay!. Great kit, first I've built since I was about 14. I've got to work out where to display it now.
> View attachment 121794



Lovely! And massive. But lovely!


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## captain nemo1701 (8 Oct 2019)

Handlebar Moustache said:


> Lovely! And massive. But lovely!


Thanks for the kind comments!. I'm trying to fill my house with SF kits, currently working on several. It's the Polar Lights kit, comes in at about 32 inches long, dwarfs the AMT kit!. Not the biggest one you can buy:
USS Enterprise big kit


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## Handlebar Moustache (8 Oct 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Thanks for the kind comments!. I'm trying to fill my house with SF kits, currently working on several. It's the Polar Lights kit, comes in at about 32 inches long, dwarfs the AMT kit!. Not the biggest one you can buy:
> USS Enterprise big kit



wow - now that really is massive!


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## captain nemo1701 (8 Oct 2019)

Handlebar Moustache said:


> wow - now that really is massive!



I understand that 'studio scale' starts at about 48 inches.
Here's some I'd love to have enough shelf-room for:


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## Edwardoka (8 Oct 2019)

captain nemo1701 said:


> I understand that 'studio scale' starts at about 48 inches.
> Here's some I'd love to have enough shelf-room for:


I do love the Enterprise D, despite how derpy it looks from most angles.
IIRC the original shooting model was so unbalanced they had to film it upside down and retired it after the first season for a smaller version that had fewer issues with structural integrity (and which couldn't separate)


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## captain nemo1701 (8 Oct 2019)

Profpointy said:


> I want one !


Currently one in the Moon exhibition at the Maritime Museum, London.


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## captain nemo1701 (8 Oct 2019)

Edwardoka said:


> I do love the Enterprise D, despite how derpy it looks from most angles.
> IIRC the original shooting model was so unbalanced they had to film it upside down and retired it after the first season for a smaller version that had fewer issues with structural integrity (and which couldn't separate)



I also heard that staff at ILM used to complain about getting roped in to lift the 10ft model about!. Of course, there's the famous crash scene from Generations (starts about 15 mins):



Enterprise D crashing


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## Edwardoka (8 Oct 2019)

Bit of a derailment, but I really miss practical effects shots. I don't want to go so far as to say that CGI has ruined _everything_ but when you read how ILM did seemingly simple stuff like e.g the Enterprise D stretching as it goes to warp, it's really ingenious, ground-breaking stuff that requires in-depth knowledge of how light and cameras work, not to mention the manual compositing and editing processes.

Being able to do stuff like that semi-trivially in software means that special effects are no longer special.


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## captain nemo1701 (9 Oct 2019)

Edwardoka said:


> Bit of a derailment, but I really miss practical effects shots. I don't want to go so far as to say that CGI has ruined _everything_ but when you read how ILM did seemingly simple stuff like e.g the Enterprise D stretching as it goes to warp, it's really ingenious, ground-breaking stuff that requires in-depth knowledge of how light and cameras work, not to mention the manual compositing and editing processes.
> 
> Being able to do stuff like that semi-trivially in software means that special effects are no longer special.



I do miss the 'disco tunnel' warp speed FX of ST The Motion Picture, done by the slit-scan technique which i believe Doug Trumbull invented for 2001. That's still the best 'models & string' FX movie in my book. No CGI, practical FX that blows the minds of today's generation who can't understand how a 50 year old movie did it without computing power approaching NASA!. Genius idea, build a giant mouse wheel.....

Having said that though, the warp-drive wormhole bit in ST TMP was early CGI. It was apparently a real pain to film with multiple takes in 70mm. They had to repeat scenes to get the ' light flares' off people & the set. I think it took nearly 3 weeks to shoot for a 2- minute sequence!.


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## voyager (9 Oct 2019)

Cheddar George said:


> It boldly goes where ........... oh forget it you wouldn't understand.


correction it boldly goes NOWHERE , it's a model , 

unless it has a couple of ducted fan units and an invisible set of wings

I'll grab my coat and go model flying..

regards Emma


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## rogerzilla (9 Oct 2019)

Not a sci-fi film, but the best pre-CGI effect must be the Illinois Nazis' orange station wagon going off the end of the unfinished freeway in "The Blues Brothers". The filmmakers actually took it several thousand feet up with a helicopter and dropped it into Lake Michigan. They had to satisfy the FAA that it would drop straight and wouldn't fly sideways!


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## Edwardoka (9 Oct 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> Not a sci-fi film, but the best pre-CGI effect must be the Illinois Nazis' orange station wagon going off the end of the unfinished freeway in "The Blues Brothers". The filmmakers actually took it several thousand feet up with a helicopter and dropped it into Lake Michigan. They had to satisfy the FAA that it would drop straight and wouldn't fly sideways!


Good tracking on those two angles. Not like they'd have many chances for retakes.


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## captain nemo1701 (10 Oct 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> Not a sci-fi film, but the best pre-CGI effect must be the Illinois Nazis' orange station wagon going off the end of the unfinished freeway in "The Blues Brothers". The filmmakers actually took it several thousand feet up with a helicopter and dropped it into Lake Michigan. They had to satisfy the FAA that it would drop straight and wouldn't fly sideways!



In the Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, the famous ski-jump stunt almost never got caught on camera. They apparently had four cameras on it, one failed, one missed completely, one got it partly but one managed to track him all the way down.


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## rogerzilla (10 Oct 2019)

Yes, the ski bouncing off the top of the parachute was not meant to happen!


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## captain nemo1701 (11 Oct 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> Yes, the ski bouncing off the top of the parachute was not meant to happen!



It wasn't until I saw it on VHS that I noticed that!. There's a whole series of documentaries on the Bond movies on YT (someone uploaded their DVD extras) and he mentions it in conversation. He was also the stuntman who did the 'cliff fall' in _For Your Eyes Only Where_ Bond falls off the high cliff when climbing up to the monastery. The sudden stop would have killed him, so they rigged a fall-arrest system with wires, pulleys and large weights sliding along a trough!. 

The Bond documentaries are fascinating to watch, the stuff they did was mental. For example, in FYEO, the stunt skier was actually tied by wire to the Bobsleigh so he went at the same speed. Tied to a bob at 60mph???.


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## stephec (22 Oct 2019)

A bit of progress, it's beginning to look more like a Hurricane now.


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## Andy in Germany (22 Oct 2019)

Oooo. Looking very nice...


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## CharlesF (22 Oct 2019)

Quality work


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## Andy in Germany (10 Nov 2019)

Am I the only one her who collects oddments like old bottles, guitar strings, and staples to make details for models?

And does anyone else who does this find they lose these items or throw them away the day before they need them?


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## voyager (10 Nov 2019)

We used mouth wash bottles for cockpit canopies on home built foamies .


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## Andy in Germany (30 Nov 2019)

I'm gradually building stuff again after a long break. One project that has been running for longer than I care to remember was this railcar, so I finally got myself into gear the final details, or if I’m honest, distractions to stop people noticing too many of my mistakes.






First of these was the transfers I printed a while back after a considerable amount of dithering. This was a mixed success. Unlike the transfers on the touring bike project I couldn’t get the colours to match exactly so I had to paint as closely as I could to the numbers themselves, and unfortunately this shows.








The weathering is aiming for a “well used” appearance. This is appropriate as the railcar is supposed to have been built in the late nineteen seventies or early eighties, but long suffering readers will notice a pattern here, as I’ve found that weathering is rather useful for hiding my mistakes, and I have plenty to hide. Most of what you see is made using artists pastels, I keep trying different ways to apply a dark wash, and attempted one on the roof. As usual it didn’t work.

After covering this minor disaster with black pastel I dry brushed the rest with light grey, a tiny bit of white and an even tinier bit of silver, then toned down the lot with more chalk pastel (black and brown, for those taking notes) then decided “what the heck?”, added black pastel to the side vents and dusted the lower body with light brown.

So much progress at once. I'll work on something more relaxed now...


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## voyager (30 Nov 2019)

Finished the diorama , now to start making the interesting parts and making a second one of an interior of a garage , maybe with ramp , engine hoist and large toolbox .

It's a novel way of displaying a not so perfect model (1:18 scale )

Seriously we would rather be out triking, but we will do that in the other 3 seasons of the year


























regards emma .


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## Joey Shabadoo (1 Dec 2019)

Saw this and thought some might find it interesting.


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## Andy in Germany (1 Dec 2019)

voyager said:


> Finished the diorama , now to start making the interesting parts and making a second one of an interior of a garage , maybe with ramp , engine hoist and large toolbox .
> 
> It's a novel way of displaying a not so perfect model (1:18 scale )
> 
> ...



Very neat model making. I like the variety of wall materials without it becoming overpowering. Did you do the woodwork as well?


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## voyager (1 Dec 2019)

Hi Andy , the corner shelf and 2 sides were made from offcuts , the sides and floor covered in dolls house wall paper with additions . Next stage is the "other detail" to create an interesting corner shelf display.

A little piece of history about this scene was an old friend of mine had a small ( 6 car ) lock-up in hove formally a stable and this scene was reproduced with a bit of poetic licence ( a large slice of it ) .
There were always a few Mkll Jaguars and the odd "E" type on the forecourt.


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## Andy in Germany (7 Dec 2019)

I’ve ben working on a silly steam powered mono-wheel because it’s as complex a job as my cold-filled head could handle this week.







I would be the first to admit I probably over did the pipes department here.


I’m guessing the long thin hoses are an advanced control system from the driver, as are the thicker connections to the cannons, which are apparently some kind of fiendish energy weapon, but that doesn’t excuse the mass of pipes infesting the boiler area, nor answer the question that if this is a steam powered vehicle, how do you stoke the fire?

This assumes of course that it would stay upright when you started it, which is… unlikely.

Of course, all of these considerations are secondary, the main question is “What colour should it be?”. Let’s keep our priorities straight.

Originally I thought in terms of military style colours, but lately I’ve been getting ideas, possibly because of looking at things like the Maximilian 1934 games.






For those who aren’t familiar with the Pulp Alley/Maximilian 1934 tabletop game genre it starts at about slightly bonkers and works up from there, so I’ve got a lot of “creative freedom”. Aside from the military option, current ideas are for a ‘1934’ racing car, or possibly a pursuit vehicle for a seriously “zero tolerance” police force.

Any thoughts?


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## captain nemo1701 (14 Feb 2020)

Finally...getting round to building the Seaview (TV version for those old enough!!). Just glued the main hull:


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## captain nemo1701 (24 Feb 2020)

Sunday morning...boy, this is a big kit (39").


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## stephec (14 Mar 2020)

I bought this a while back and finally got round to having a good look at it today, a foot wide box for a 1/72 Spitfire!

And look at the size of that PE.

It's back in the stash for now though as I've just started a Tamiya 1/35 Bren Gun Carrier, and an Italieri 1/35 Sherman, which is so badly fitting in places that it was almost tap danced all over this afternoon.


----------



## stephec (22 Aug 2020)

Just realised that I haven't posted the end results, my first attempt at 1/35 armour.


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## Andy in Germany (22 Aug 2020)

stephec said:


> Just realised that I haven't posted the end results, my first attempt at 1/35 armour.
> 
> View attachment 543035
> 
> ...



Oh, _very _nicely done indeed.


----------



## stephec (22 Aug 2020)

Andy in Germany said:


> Oh, _very _nicely done indeed.


Thanks Andy, I've always thought that AFVs look better weathered so watched a bit of YouTube, and it's not as hard as I thought it would be. 

One thing I'm not happy with though are the rubber band tracks, you can see that they're pulling the front road wheels up off the horizontal, aftermarket metal tracks next time I think.


----------



## Illaveago (9 Dec 2020)

This is more of a I've finally got round to doing something on this kit thread ! 
I bought this Matchbox / Revell 1/72 kit of a Flower Class Corvette at an auction a few years ago . It had been started by a previous owner. I was happy as I didn't pay much for it .
I thought that I would start off by painting the hull so that I could fit all the portholes with clear plastic . I intend to radio control the model, It's how the previous owner had prepared it, there's a prop shaft fitted.
I've decided to make the ship as a British one and not of the two in the kit . I've decided to make it as HMS Clematis in blue and white colour scheme. It should look quite pretty .


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## Profpointy (9 Dec 2020)

captain nemo1701 said:


> In the Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, the famous ski-jump stunt almost never got caught on camera. They apparently had four cameras on it, one failed, one missed completely, one got it partly but one managed to track him all the way down.



There's the story of Cecil B de Mille filming a huge railway engine crash. Obviously there was only going to be one take so be one take so he had three separate cameras at varying distances from the crash. "Action!" is called and the trains duly crash. The nearest camera runs automatically and is unmanned due to the risk to the cameraman being too high, even back then. Unfortunately it's been destroyed in the explosion. The middle distance camera is checked; this one has an operator who has to admit that whilst he'd got the shot, a piece of debris had flown in a perfect parabola destroying the camera and more importantly ruining the film. The final camera is even further away, so De Mille has to use his megaphone to talk to the cameraman who replies "ready to roll Mr De Mille"


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## stephec (9 Dec 2020)

Illaveago said:


> This is more of a I've finally got round to doing something on this kit thread !
> I bought this Matchbox / Revell 1/72 kit of a Flower Class Corvette at an auction a few years ago . It had been started by a previous owner. I was happy as I didn't pay much for it .
> I thought that I would start off by painting the hull so that I could fit all the portholes with clear plastic . I intend to radio control the model, It's how the previous owner had prepared it, there's a prop shaft fitted.
> I've decided to make the ship as a British one and not of the two in the kit . I've decided to make it as HMS Clematis in blue and white colour scheme. It should look quite pretty .
> View attachment 562591


I keep seeing those for sale and one day my resistance will be too weak. 😊


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## Illaveago (10 Dec 2020)

I have just finished gluing in 42 clear plastic porthole windows in . I have discovered that it's best not to stick the front section of decking before this is done as it is very difficult to put two of the portholes in .
As this model is hopefully going to float a lot of the joints will have to be watertight. I have already sealed the joints in the hull with Tiger Seal but I will now have to seal all of the portholes from behind .
I dismantled an old hand held rechargable vacuum cleaner to remove the electric motor which I hope will be good enough to use in the boat. It has a voltage range of 1.5 to 10.8 volts . I have some old RC gear which I should be able to use .
The kit is provided with some very thin strips which are supposed to act as beams to stiffen the hull, these are very flimsy and I will add some extra wooden supports . It is slow bit suck it as see at the moment .


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## ianrauk (10 Dec 2020)

captain nemo1701 said:


> Sunday morning...boy, this is a big kit (39").
> View attachment 505867


Any update on this?


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## Profpointy (16 Dec 2020)

Yellow Fang said:


> Yes, but is that at near light speed? If it was stationary, it could be a lot smaller.



Stationary it would be a lot longer. Length contraction at speed remember. Moving or stationary It would still be really wide.


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## captain nemo1701 (20 Apr 2021)

After another year faffing about, FS1 is almost ready. It's the final glue-the-top-hull on this weekend, display space ready.
'Nelsons Folly' is next (with baby FS1).


----------



## captain nemo1701 (8 Mar 2022)

She's finished, top can be open end to look inside. I found a plastic tube from sellotape made a handy mount (the kit mount is about as stable is jelly in an earthquake).


----------



## Yellow Fang (13 Aug 2022)

Here it is. No matter how hard I try I cannot build and paint them like on YouTube. I have started to appreciate how painstaking you have to be to be a good artist.

This is a model of a Po-2. It was often flown by all female crew at night to bomb German soldiers in their sleep. The Germans called them Nachthexen. There is also a story of one downing an American jet in the Korean War. It is thought the jet slowed down so much it stalled and crashed.


----------



## Cycleops (13 Aug 2022)

I think part of the problem with your paint @Yellow Fang is that you're applying it too thick. If you're using Humbrol tinlets you need to thin them down to at least 50/50.
Interesting subject.


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## stephec (13 Aug 2022)

Yellow Fang said:


> View attachment 657091
> 
> Here it is. No matter how hard I try I cannot build and paint them like on YouTube. I have started to appreciate how painstaking you have to be to be a good artist.
> 
> This is a model of a Po-2. It was often flown by all female crew at night to bomb German soldiers in their sleep. The Germans called them Nachthexen. There is also a story of one downing an American jet in the Korean War. It is thought the jet slowed down so much it stalled and crashed.



The Night Witches, never seen a model of one before.

As @Cycleops says the paint looks a bit thick, assuming you're brush painting thin it and apply in a few thin layers, building up gradually rather than trying to do it all in one go, and using a primer first can also help.


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## Yellow Fang (13 Aug 2022)

stephec said:


> The Night Witches, never seen a model of one before.
> 
> As @Cycleops says the paint looks a bit thick, assuming you're brush painting thin it and apply in a few thin layers, building up gradually rather than trying to do it all in one go, and using a primer first can also help.



You can get them from 1001 Hobbies, which I think is actually French.


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## Yellow Fang (13 Aug 2022)

Cycleops said:


> I think part of the problem with your paint @Yellow Fang is that you're applying it too thick. If you're using Humbrol tinlets you need to thin them down to at least 50/50.
> Interesting subject.



Thanks for this. I have dozens of paint pots, but I still often find I do not have the right shade. Worse still, one particular shade of tan ruined two of my models, because it would not dry properly. In the Po-2 I just finished, I mixed black and green to get dark green, and brown and white to get the buff colour. The other green was from its own tin, but it was too glossy. If we should mix paint and thin paint, maybe it would be better to get a palette of a dozen colours rather than scores of them.


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## Cycleops (13 Aug 2022)

Non drying paint is often a result of not being mixed thoroughly. Some paint if it's been standing for a while sometimes separates, particularly the Humbrol enamel stuff.


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## Andy in Germany (14 Aug 2022)

This is one reason I like acrylic; easier to mix and generally dries matt/satin.



Yellow Fang said:


> Here it is. No matter how hard I try I cannot build and paint them like on YouTube.



There are a number of methods used to finish a model; taken individually they aren't that complex, they just need practice and patience. 

Once the basic colour is on I use thin dark coloured paint applied with a large soft brush to show up cracks and joins, known as washes, brush tiny amounts of light coloured paint for highlights, known as drybrushing, add powder made from crushed pastels to simulate dirt, and then varnish the lot with matt varnish. The added advantage is that all these extra bits hide my mistakes.


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## midlife (14 Aug 2022)

When I built mine I bought a dirt cheap airbrush and some low tack masking tape. When I got better I tried all the dry brushing and washes above but still used the cheap airbrush. Used Tamiya acrylics

After a while started using some really thin glue which removed the glue fingerprints that my models seemed to get.


----------



## Andy in Germany (14 Aug 2022)

midlife said:


> When I built mine I bought a dirt cheap airbrush and some low tack masking tape. When I got better I tried all the dry brushing and washes above but still used the cheap airbrush. Used Tamiya acrylics
> 
> After a while started using some really thin glue which removed the glue fingerprints that my models seemed to get.



I've often considered an airbrush but never saw the need, mainly because I was happy with the results I was getting: acrylics don't leave brush marks unless you really ladle them on. I use a rattlecan to prime models and varnish them though.


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## Cycleops (14 Aug 2022)

If you are considering an airbrush Don's Airbrush Tips is an interesting site with reviews on loads of brushes, cheap and expensive.
https://sites.google.com/site/donsairbrushtips/


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