Neat. The cowling shape kinda reminds me of the He 70 G-1 "Blitz," except that the spinner's on the bottom rather than the top. Always did like atypical aircraft designs.

Haha yeah, it does a bit...

One of my all time faves is the BV141- the calculations required to get that thing flying, and the courage of the test pilot must have been immense!!

Ah, yes, the BV 141. The evidence for Hitler's marijuana habit just keeps stacking up. ;) "You want me to fly what now? Ach du lieber!" :)

AFAICT, Airfix is the only mainstream manufacturer with a BV141 kit (1/72). Historic Plastic Models makes a 1/48 kit, but it's rather spendy. Revell makes a 1/72 BV P 194, which is only slightly less weird than the 141.

someone must've been smoking something to come up with a concept like it!! "We'll take this thng and stick it over there, this thing can be made smaller and stuck there, and this thingy where the peoples sit can go over there somewhere..."

Ahh yes, i'd been looking at the HiPM kit but as you say it's rather costly !! My wallet moths wouldn't be happy... I was thinking of scratchbuilding in 1/48 or perhaps 1/32 (my usual scale of choice) as i'm working on masters for vac-forming a 1/32 Blenheim Mk1 (another of my faves)

I'm looking at getting the airfix kit for now, depending how bad the kit is (or how lazy i feel) i might just leave it at that... Or wait until Dragon or Trumpeter or someone do another BV141 in 1/48

You're making vacform *masters*? Damn, dude, that's hardcore. I tip my antlers at you. :)

And as expensive as the HPM kit might be, it has to be cheaper in terms of labor than trying to scratchbuild it, right?

Hehe thanx, but hardcore? I wouldn't say so, just 11 years of woodworking and maths being put to good use !! Well, hopefully they'll be good enough for a 'garage kit manufacturer' i know to produce a kit from, there will also be resin masters for the engines and cockpit details... It'll be more of a 'modeller's kit' than a 'tamigawa' 'shake-n-bake'. I'm betting someone will bring out a 1/32 Blenheim before i get things done

Ahh true, it may be quicker and a LOT easier to build the HiPM kit... But i'm one of those people who has to do everything the hard way

*grin* Doesn't look like you need to hurry. I Googled the topic, and couldn't find any mention of anyone coming out with a 1/32 Blenheim. All such planes I found online were either scratchbuilt or kitbashed, like this one, which I'm sure you've seen: http://www.karrart.com/karrart/3dmod1/blenfea.htm

Will you be making your own resin masters, too, or will you use engines or cockpit details from similar planes (Beaufighter, etc.)?

Haha yeah, it was Rob's article that inspired me to build my own

I was going to use the Revell Beaufighter at first, but with the amount of differences between the two (i can't even use the rudder or tailplanes!!) it's going to be eaier in the long run to just build from scratch. The Blenheim used Pegasus (9cyl single row) enines whereas the Beaufighter used Hercules (14cyl twin row)so the engines are either going to have to be scratchbuilt or Vector resin engines used. Seeing as it's hopefully going to be a kit i guess i'll have to make masters for them too

The cockpit is going to be a mostly scratchbuildng option, like he offers with his current kits i'll make resin masters for the seat/instrument panel/rudder pedals/floor/seats/whatever else, and the modeller decides how much detail they want to add.

Kind of like this one (also one of my long-term projects !!)

http://www.heritageaviationmodelslt.....-left-14-p.asp

(And yes, it'll be 'detailmania' throughout!!)

That Lancaster is sweet (the adjective, not the manufacturer name :)! My math says the wingspan would be 4'3" (1.3m). Wow.

By "long-term projects," does that mean you made the masters *for* this kit, or that you're building a Lanc *from* this kit?

Question about vacforming: I know resin parts are usually more detailed than injection-molding, but how much detail can you really get out of vacform by comparison? It seems to me that, unless your sheet plastic is *very* thin, and your vacuum source is *very* strong, it must be quite a challenge to suck the plastic down deep enough to capture really fine details like rivets, engraved panel lines, etc. Or has vacforming come a long way since the early days?

Haha yeah, your maths is spot on !! In a moment of madness i bought a kit when he was doing a production run, and it sure is a kit for the insane!! Basically the level of detail is down to the modeller- myself i'm adding all the fuselage windows in using clear styrene, adding as much of the nose/cockpit/bomb bay/turret/rear fuselage detail as i can squeeze in, adding a fully detailed merlin (the one in the kit has the supercharger missing so i'm adding the engine from a Hurricane), scribing the panel lines and rivets in and i'm debating whether to try a 'stressed skin' look... I've got the left fuselage half sitting on my desk waiting for me to heat up the clear styrene for the windows so i can match the fuselage shape, then sand them flush and polish them, then start adding the details... I'm building things like the pilot's seat and the instrument panel in between other kits !! This one will keep me busy and quiet for a few years...

As for vac forming, it depends on what mold you're using. I very much prefer 'male' molds as they're easier to make and use !! Basically what i'll do is carve the fuselage shape from a block of hard wood. Then i'll basically cut it in half (the width of the saw blade usually makes up for the thickness of the plastic sheet to keep the dimensions as accurate as possible) and mount it to a backing board. The plastic sheet is heated and sucked down over this, but as you say unless the plastic is really thin you don't capture much surface detail... Obviously with vacforms, the thicker the plastic the sturdier they'll be and the easier they are to build

Using 'female' molds is like making jello- the plastic is sucked inside the mold. This means any detail on the inside of the mold will be on the outside surface of the final model. You can add whatever surface detail you like (rivets, lanel lines, fabric texture...) but they have to be the opposite to what you want on the finished model (such as engraved panel lines need to be raised lines on the molds). The disadvantage is that when using a 'female' mold, the air has to be evacuated somehow. This usually means holes drilled into the mold, which produces little dimples on the finished piece. You also need a good vacuum pressure to ensure the detail is captured, but not high enough that is stetches the plastic too far...

I'm currently building a kit where this is a problem- the surface detail is beautiful, but because the molds must've been 'female' it's covered with dimples that need removing which are more of an annoyance than a chore...

Resin is a different kettle of fish- basically you build the master however you want the finished pece to look- full detail and everything. Then you cast a 2 or more piece mold around it using RTV rubber. When the RTV mold has cured, take it apart and remove the master, then put the mold back together. Mix up the resin, pour in the mold, and wait for it to cure... Then hey presto, you have your final piece!! The molds can be re-used multiple times, and when they wear out you can just make new molds using the master !! Simples!!

Sorry for the essay, i explain things better with diagrams and pictures !! I'll be showing off photos of the Blenheim fuselage vac molds and resin masters for engines/other bits (he can sort the molds out, i'll just send him the masters) when they're done

Phew, now my fingertips hurt

>I very much prefer 'male' molds

No double entendre there, no.... :)

Thanks for the explanation. Much of that I already knew (or assumed), but I wasn't aware they sometimes actually used female molds for vacforming. I'd assumed all vac molds were male, to prevent the "dimple" issue you describe. So...I learned something today. :)

i didn't notice it until you pointed it out!! It wasn't intentional

No worries, i was rather suprised when i found it out myself!! Basically if the outside is shiny then it's been 'male' molded, if the inside is shiny and the outside has dimples it's been 'female' molded. I think vacforming is like resin casting- people make a fuss over it, but it's actually not that difficult

I've bid on a few model lots that included a vacform kit or two, but got outbid, so I've never had the chance to try one. I'm a little leery of them, actually: it must be a painstaking process to learn exactly when to stop cutting and sanding so your model doesn't end up half filler. Lots and lots of test fitting and shaving off a few angstroms at a time. :) But like anything else, I'm sure it gets easier with practice.

And I did just win a resin kit the other day, part of a lot of commercial aircraft kits. Haven't decided whether to build it or sell it; it'll depend on how intimidating it looks when it gets here. :)

Haha, the cutting and sanding down is actually pretty easy- just mark around the outline of the part with a marker or something, then cut roughly around the general outline. Lay a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface (as flat as you can get- i use a glass plate) and start rubbng the roughly cut out piece on the sandpaper- a 'figure 8' usually works best if you've got space... Just make sure you apply as even pressure as possible over the enire piece. Keep going and sanding down until the plastic around the piece is paper thin, and it should just peel off as you sand. The marker lets you know how far you're sanding and in what areas you need to apply more/less pressure... And it's that easy !! Oh yes, because the edges on the Harrow are slightly 'bowed in' and because of the fuselage length it's gonna be a 'bondo bucket' despite having about 8 reinforcing supports in there...

Ahhh, what aircraft and what manufacturer? Resin kits can be really good or really bad- i'm working on CMR's 1/144 'Hawaii Mars' tanker and it's a beauty!! Good luck if you do decide to build

A marker, eh? That makes sense.

The resin kit arrived today: it's a 1/72 Grumman G-21A Goose by Sasquatch Scale Models, which has apparently been out of business for at least a decade. It looks like a fairly simple build, with only 21 pieces (still factory sealed), but there are no instructions or decals. It also looks like all the pontoon and landing gear struts will have to be scratch built from styrene rod (a length of which is included, but I don't know if it's enough). The fuselage is two solid chunks, which means no cockpit or interior to detail.

My online research turned up very little info on this kit, suggesting it's fairly rare. There's a build article in the January 1997 issue of Airline Modeller, but it's not available for public viewing (they want you to buy the magazine :). Google says one of these kits was sold on eBay.hk, but the listing is too old, so I can't find out what it went for. Oldmodelkits.com wants $28 for one, so I may put this back on eBay: I should be able to at least get my $4.36 back. :)

Yeah, what i've had to do with the Lanc and the Harrow (because of the fuselage length) is mark around them and sand down the edges section by section. Not ideal i know, but it works

Wowsers, sounds like you've got a 'money maker' there !! $4.36... Bargain

Hey, quick question (yeah, I know, too late for that :) -- is there a quick-and-dirty, poor man's resin or vacform method for someone who needs to re-create a part? I have a 1/72 F-15 with one missing vertical stabilizer. I've been on the lookout for months for another incomplete kit (I hate to cannibalize a good kit when all I need is one part), but so far no luck. But since both stabilizers are identical, all I have to do is clone the one I have. Is there a really easy/cheap/practical way to do that? Would plaster of paris preserve enough detail to serve as a mold?

As for the resin Goose, I just found someone who can scan the instructions from their own kit. :) As for the decals, the Goose was so widely used, I should have some generic decals that will work. So maybe I *can* build it someday. :)

My current project is a Testors 1/72 He 111 Z-1 Zwilling. Looking forward (shudder) to the canopy masking. :)

Hmm.... Plaster of Paris or even plasticine might work as a resin mold i suppose, you might lose a bit of detail but if the panel lines are engraved it shouldn't be too much of a problem... If you wanted to be cheap you could use 2-part epoxy as as long as you get the mix right it sets rock solid...

Stick a rod through the attachment point of the stabiliser you've got to use as a handle, make a 2 part mold out of plaster, mix up some 2-part expoy and smear it in there, sandwich the other mold half on and let it all set. Wash the piece in warm water to wash the last of the plaster off and it should work...

I *think* there could possibly be an old 1/72 F-15 at my dad's from many years ago... If i could find it and if the bits were still there i could send you one of the stabilizers if you wanted?

where there's a will there's a way!! I've always liked the Goose in RAF markings- some day i'll get the Airfix kit and have a go at it...

Oh.... I've got the Italeri boxing in my 'on the go' pile- masking one '111' would be bad enough... Masking 2 is gonna be hell !! are you gonna do her in the splinter scheme or Russian front whitewash?

All the panel lines are raised: it's an old Monogram kit, #7580 Air Superiority Fighter, from 1974. You know, the one painted in that garish "Air Superiority" light blue that doesn't have an exact FS match. :)

If you do have an old kit, that'd be great, but only if it's already incomplete: like I say, I'd hate to ruin a complete kit for the sake of a single part. The hunt is half the fun. :)

Since, AFAICT, there are *no* color photos of the actual Zwilling, nor any surviving examples in museums, I'm just going to follow the schwarzgrun/dunkelgrun/lichtblau pattern shown on the kit box and in the instructions. The spinner spirals I may do with a red Sharpie while manually rotating the spinners in a drill chuck. I may use a dry-erase marker so I can wipe off the "test patterns" until I get the right rhythm.

I haven't decided how (or whether) I'm going to mask the canopies. On previous kits, I've used clear tape, masking tape, and Parafilm, as well as hand-painting, all with mixed results, and it doesn't look like there are any fastframes for this kit. So I might just paint some scotch tape strips and lay them over the frame lines. That way, if I get it wrong, or if I don't like the results at all, I can easily peel it off and try again.

Ahh yes, 'Air superiority blue'... Almost as bad as trying to find the exact shade of 'PRU blue' or the 'duck egg green' used on WWII aircraft

I should be round my dad's this weekend so i'll have a dig around and see if i can find it and let you know... The kit was half built many years ago, and storage won't have been kind on it so you're not messing up a prize kit lol

Ahh, i've heard of using painted decal sheet or even tape as canopy frames, haven't tried it yet though... I'm still messy and paint most of them freehand

Of course, it doesn't help that paint crews often used whatever was at hand or mixed up a batch of "close enough"; and since those pastel greens and blues (and the photos thereof) are notorious for fading, you can probably get away with using anything in that ballpark and still be historically accurate.

Painting frames by hand is hard work: my hat's off to anyone who can do it.

Good luck on your kit hunt! I'll keep my hooves crossed. :)

Ha, true- one of my next projects is going to be a PRU Mosquito so that ought to be fun

Unfortunately i've looked through the workshop and quizzed my old man about the kit, but he had a bit of a clear out and it might have dissapeared I've got to pick a couple of kits up (probably next weekend) so i'll have another good look through...

I paint frames by hand, doesn't mean i'm good at it though- you ought to see my 1/72 FW189

On the PRU, I'd just Google a bunch of other models and see what they used, then average the results. :)

Thanks for checking, but don't worry too much about the F-15. I forgot I had another 1/72 F-15, an ESCI F-15B, which is missing too many parts to build, but I'm sure it has at least one stabilizer I can kitbash. I don't think there's enough difference structurally for anyone to notice. Color matching will be a pain, so I may just use a contrasting accent color to make it look intentional.

Yeah, just gonna see what everyone else uses and 'eyeball it'. As long as it looks about right ...

'Battle damage' is the excuse i use lol !! I've got the Revell 1/72 B-17G 'Little Miss Mischief' to build (the one that was half natural metal and half olive drab) so it's going to be a change intentionally making the colours mismatch

Ooh, very pretty, with the red wing tips and tail surfaces. "Yeah, we don't need camo on our approach, only when we fly away." :)

Haha yeah

At first i was wondering why it was 'half and half', turns out the original aircraft was natural metal but got badly damaged by flak. Instead of writing her off, they chopped the tail off a 'struck off' olive drab aircraft and just stuck it back on!! Ingenuity at it's best for ya

Makes sense to me. That also explains why the green on the fuselage isn't quite symmetrical. I look forward to seeing the finished model!