ccoyle

I think your planking job produced an absolutely terrific result.

Go, Steve, go!

Ah, the infamous Last Crusade tank -- the one that goes over a cliff and the turret falls off, revealing quite clearly that the tank is a plastic model. 😂 Fun movie, but a certain amount of suspension of belief was required.

Start up a new log, and we'll put a link to it here in the old one.

I'm guessing that's the old 1:50 scale kit from Wilhelmshavener. I've never built one of their kits, mostly because I like sticking to 1/33 scale, and of course something like one of the Dornier flying boats would be quite large in that scale.

Hello, gang! Well, it didn't take me very long to decide on my next project. No, it's not a ship, though I feel a ship will be in the queue in the near future. I still feel some plane-liness left in my bones, and I'm a firm believer in building whatever strikes your fancy the most at the moment. I've always had a soft spot for biplanes and interwar types, so this plane ticks both of those boxes, and -- bonus! -- it doesn't have a radial engine. The project is a De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth, a British two-seat trainer that first flew in 1931. From 1931-44, De Havilland built 8,868 examples, of which an estimated 250 are still flying today. Although fully aerobatic, the Tiger Moth had a whopping top speed of 109 mph -- roughly 200 mph slower than my last project, the Ki-43. The kit is a 2013 offering from Kartonowa Kolekcja (which translates as Cardboard Collection), designed by Pawel Mistewicz, and includes KK's usual level of crisp artwork and detailed construction drawings. This will be my third KK project, and so far I've never had to abandon a KK build. As usual, the KK kit has a beautiful glossy cover with some nice artwork; the back cover features photos of the prototype model. I absolutely love the striking coloring on this particular aircraft. Several surviving examples can be found online wearing similar livery. The kit has many optional parts, allowing the builder to choose the level of detailing. Lots of nice diagrams. Also a great three-view included. As I like to do whenever possible, I purchased the laser-cut frames set for the kit, which in this case consists of a single sheet. No molded canopy, though, because most Tiger Moths, like this one, had only wind screens. Construction will commence with the necessary prep work: stiffening the laser-cut frames and mixing up the proper edge colors. Look for construction photos soon!

And here's a bonus pic, just 'cause I like you guys. Actually, I thought this would be a fun pic to include because this is the first time I've had two finished card models representing real-life opponents, the Oscar and the Brewster B-339E Buffalo.

The Big Reveal Chin air intake, propeller, spinner, aerial, pitot tube, aaaaand -- done! A few final thoughts are in order. First of all, I forgot to share that yesterday I knocked over a bottle of thin CA on my cutting mat, enough to ruin the mat and glue two of my fingers together. Like, really together! Fortunately, I had some debonder handy. Even more fortunately, I somehow managed not to spill glue on any parts. 😮 Overall,I am very pleased with how this project turned out. I think it's one of the nicest planes I've built so far, despite the usual kit shortcomings. My main gripe with the kit was once again the diagrams, which I would say are about 90% complete. It's the missing 10% that can be aggravating. Happily, there were no deal-breakers in the mix. Okay, enough gabbing. Enjoy the pictures!

Cowling and machine gun channels done. Just a few bits and pieces left to do.

Ta-daa!! Finished and installed. I left out a few parts, none of which will be obvious. I omitted the push rods on the rear bank of cylinders, because they are on the back side of the engine, which won't be visible at all once the cowling is on. Altogether, the engine has 154 parts.

Boredom, tedium, strabismus -- yes, whatever the cause, breaks are necessary!

If you click MarisStella's ad banner on the home page, you can visit their website. Each model description includes numerous photos of the prototype model along with images of the kit plans. I have heard some people knock MarisStella's instructions (I haven't built one, so I can't say one way or the other), but the owner himself has acknowledged that the more complex models in the kit range assume some prior experience on the part of the builder, i.e. he/she should be comfortable building from plans. Personally, I have always been impressed with their lineup, and if you search through the build logs, you'll find examples of some under construction. PS: Be wary of email ads featuring sale prices on MarisStella kits -- it is often less expensive to order directly from MarisStella, even with shipping factored in.

So, I have been busy edge coloring and gluing cylinder parts. I can only do about 30-50 steps at a time before acute boredom sets in, so the process is done in bits and pieces. As I mentioned earlier, one of the ever-present risks associated with card radial engines is that the finished cylinders will be too tall, resulting in an engine whose diameter is too large and will thus not fit within the cowling. In this first shot, you can see that I have glued the lower cylinders to the block and have tacked one of the incomplete cylinder heads in place. As you can see, there is still plenty of room. That's good, because the diagrams are somewhat vague about how the valve covers are supposed to be built. Now I needn't worry about the process, because a 1 or 2mm difference in height isn't going to make the cylinders too tall. And now, with the oil cooler temporarily in place, you can see just how much of the finished cylinders will be visible, that is, next to nothing, as the cooler pretty much hides the entire head. 🙄 Only the lower cylinder and push rods will be visible -- maybe, since the propeller and hub haven't been accounted for yet. Cheers!

I agree with the previous comments. The tone of the blue clashes with the rest of the model. It's a cool-tone/warm-tone combination.

I think you will enjoy building that kit quite a bit more than your experience with Norske Love, and finishing even a relatively simple model is an enormous confidence builder.

Welcome aboard!

Not meaning to rain on their parade, but a lot of what they are offering are old OOP kits or older versions of current kits, and the sale prices will give some people sticker shock. Their Kate Cory kit, for example is listed for $420 at the current exchange rate. But, as you said, there are some kits listed that may be difficult to find elsewhere at any price -- the old Model Shipways Forrester kit is one example.

That is lovely-looking wood. One of the reasons I lost interest in my HMS Fly build, now languishing on a shelf in an incomplete state, is that after seeing many similar kits done in pear or other light wood, I decided I didn't much care for the look of the dark walnut that came in the kit. Oh, well.

I assume you mean the Card Army Wildcat kit? It is indeed an awesome kit, but the high price sorta defeats the purpose of doing card models, which are normally substantially less pricey than their wood or plastic cousins. And the Wildcat, while an awesome airplane, is not on my short list of must-have models. Now, if Marcin publishes a Corsair, either through Card Army or Halinski, I will be all over that kit like a tornado on a trailer park.

Welcome, Steve! Those are all good kits, but a bit dated in terms of design. Chris Watton, who designed Lady Nelson and Sherbourne, now runs his own company, Vanguard Models, and has released some excellent designs that are geared toward beginning modelers. You can check out his kit offerings here. Chris also carries kits from Master Korabel, which are also great kits, well engineered and including pre-spiled (i.e. shaped) planking, but in a smaller scale (1/72) that beginners may have trouble with. Lots of other good choices out there as well. Cutters, like the kits you listed, make for good first models.

No, but I have seen them built that way.

59 engine parts glued together -- only 151 more to go. 😭😭😭

Welcome, Melissa! It sounds like you are taking a wise approach to the hobby. I have no reason to doubt you will be successful. I had an 8" reflector on a Dobson mount not too many years ago. It was great when I used to live in the sticks near Yosemite NP, but now I live in suburbia, and there is way too much light pollution. Cheers! P.S. Some of my ancestors were early residents of New Amsterdam.

So, I have discovered that GPM, from whom I've never ordered, carries the Card Army line, but so far they only have the first issue, a Yak-7B, in stock. That model can be purchased, along with the frames, canopy, and wheels, for $46.53. For comparison, a similar package for the Yak-1 can be had from Halinski for $31.89 -- and remember, Halinski are some of the most expensive kits out there.

Well, for me, it would certainly take a long time. Answer is also offering the kit as a package deal along with a canopy, laser-cut parts, and resin wheels, all for $66.00. It's nice of them to quote us a price in $US -- now all they need to do is actually ship stuff here.