realworkingsailor

A not uncommon practice. Most of what we know today as the large automobile manufacturers were behind many other consumer products. Off the top of my head, the appliance brand “Frigidaire” (in North America, was developed and eventually spun off from General Motors. Kubota (known for farm tractors and light industrial equipment) got their start as a manufacturer of steel pipes. Closer to home (for me) CCM is known now more for their sporting goods (especially hockey equipment), but CCM actually stands for “Canadian Cycle and Motor company…. They made cars! Andy

If I’m not mistaken the “Casey” who posted the colour mixes on Britmodeller worked with Alex Mann (Mann’s Model Moments on YouTube), to create a whole plethora of (relatively) simple mixes using ICMs Acrylic paints for WW2 subjects. The videos Alex made are worth checking out as he covers everything in detail: https://m.youtube.com/@MannsModelMoments Andy

Roadless supplied the crawler kit as,(what we would call now, an aftermarket kit for a standard Fordson N tractor. While some may have been used in farming, I believe the intention was more for industrial applications such as roadwork, logging and the like. Andy

5. All of the above 😁

Geez…. Even in the print ad they didn’t bother to try to make the Gannet look any less fugly… 🤪 (Don’t get me wrong the Gannet is not without its interesting quirkiness, but….😏) Andy

If you don’t mind a casual observer’s opinion, I like the version with the top masts lowered, it gives a sense of impending activity, and goes well with your setup for the gaff and driver boom.. But I also like the cutter raised up, as it makes viewing the deck easier, or, at least, less cluttered. Perhaps instead of the top masts, it could be resting on the main and fore yards instead? Maybe a little more work but it would give you the best of both options. Andy

Maybe it might be worthwhile making up part of the kit engine. Just enough to get a rudimentary idea of any size/scale differences. The centre crank case section along with three or four cylinders should work well enough. Andy

Yeah…. Eduard apparently: https://www.eduard.com/eduard/photo-etched-parts/photo-etched-set/aircraft/1-48/gannet-as-1-1-48.html Looks great so far! Andy

Thanks Dan! I guess I wasn’t about to let a little thing like a wet cellar hold me up. To be honest if I hadn’t moved my painting setup, I would still be waiting! From the looks of things, yours shouldn’t be too far behind (?). Thanks to everyone else for your kind remarks! Andy

Thanks for the likes! Well, it didn't take too long, but I'm ready to call this one finished! The pastel weathering went quickly enough and I'm happy with the results. Not much to see from overhead. A little bit underneath from the radiator outlets. A little bit from the engine exhausts. 400 Squadron only used Mosquitos from December '43 until May '44, flying only 43 operational sorties between the beginning of March and May 2nd 1944. There likely wasn't too much weathering, as evidenced by this prototype photo of MM307 (top photo): https://boxartden.com/reference/gallery/var/albums/Aircam-Aviation-Series/De-Havilland-Mosquito/28 De Havilland Mosquito_Page_24-960.jpg?m=1608648871 I think my model captures it fairly well when viewed from the same (similar) angle: Thanks again to everyone who has been following along and providing kind comments, feedback and "likes"! I have yet to decide what I'm going to build next, I have a few options in the stash to consider! Andy

Thanks, everyone, for your kind comments and "likes". Although the build log has been quiet, I have been busy over the last couple of weeks, in between all the other spring chores that need attending to. A sign that my hobby season is drawing close to its seasonal hiatus! Anyway, after my usual gloss coat, the decals were added. I cobbled together what I needed from the kit decals, as well as some leftover roundels from an Xtradecal set I had on hand. The registration numbers I made myself using some decal paper and my laser printer. After 400 Squadron was reassigned as a photo recce unit, they no longer sported unit identification letters on their airplanes. This definitely simplified the decal process. I also decided to forgo a larger number of the stencils that Airfix provided with the kit. I kept the larger, more obvious ones, but omitted the smaller, less visible ones. I find at this scale, they begin to look more like specifically placed (forgotten?) specks of dirt, rather than any kind of warning or marking. Landing gear was next. Fairly straight forward using the CMK wheel sets. Following this, I decided to try a panel wash, since there really weren't too many panel lines.I used a home made wash of black acrylic paint diluted heavily with acrylic thinner. Once dry, a layer of Dullcote was sprayed on to seal everything in place and the window masks have come off: Overall, I'm happy with the results so far. Up next some pastel weathering to add some more wear and tear, exhaust stains and the like. Thanks again, everyone! Andy

Thanks, everyone, for the likes! Well, it's now a blue airplane! The presiding worked only in a couple of places, obviously my technique needs some practice, but I'm still happy that I tried. I applied a second thin coat on the upper surfaces only, but for this coat I added a few drops of white to lighten the Faded PRU blu even further. The camera doesn't pick it up very well, but there is a subtle difference in the upper and lower surfaces. Overall I'm happy with the results. Andy

Finally some actual progress to report! The mask set did the trick. For what it's worth, it does save a lot of hassle when dealing with more complicated windows, plus all of the camera windows on the fuselage! The Eduard mask set recommends using liquid mask for the blister windows and the infill around the nose glass, but I managed well enough with bits of Tamiya tape. Time for paint! After a coat of Tamiya grey primer, I hit the upper surfaces with a deliberately blotchy coat of white: This will be my first full attempt at pre-shading, so bear with me as I figure things out! I'm pretty sure even the "Faded PRU blue" that I have from Vallejo isn't nearly "faded" enough, hopefully this will help with the mottling/fading yet to come! Next up I gave a go at hitting the panel lines on both the top and bottom. The bottom didn't turn out quite as well as the top, so I;'m only going to show that after I've added the PRU blue! A bit of learning curve with my own airbrush, as I've never tried this technique before. I think the mosquito is a good one to try as there aren't that many panel lines to begin with. Overall, once I figured things out, I'm pleased with the results so far. Next up, it will be time for the PRU Blue. Thanks for all the "likes"! Andy

The current list of items can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2025/03/list-of-products-from-the-united-states-subject-to-25-per-cent-tariffs-effective-march-4-2025.html A quick skim through the list and I found the following goods pertinent to model ship building are currently subject to 25% tariffs: •Wood strip, various species exceeding 6mm in thickness •MDF •Plywood •Various tools, hand and power, knives, blades etc. (consult list linked above for specifics) All other goods would be subject to the usual basic personal exemption in place prior to tariffs going into effect. Since most of Chuck’s wares could be considered as “Toys or Toy Parts” they are not yet subject to any tariffs, as far as I can see from the list. Keep in mind, as well, that the list applies only to goods originating from the US. Goods manufactured elsewhere, but subsequently sold from a US retailer would also not be subject to tariffs. As Chuck said, more tariffs could be coming, but the Canadian government should publish any updates. Andy

A few goodies arrived in the mail today! Among other things for other projects, a masking set and some resin wheels for my Mosquito. Work will be able to resume soon (but not today, the weather is too hot and muggy). Thanks for all your patience! Andy