hexnut

Here's a few photos of where she sits right now. 
The camouflage is done, still need to add some panel line work. The canopy and seats are sitting in place for photos, but not cemented. Still must add photo etch details and detail painting to the ejection seats. My aftermarket resin ejection seats were too wide to fit inside the cockpit tub. While I could sand away enough to force a fit, it would erase much of the detail the resin seats provided in the first place.I just opted to use the kit-supplied seats and will add the aftermarket photo etch bits to enhance them.
It's unfortunate but this kit does not supply any decal markings for the vast array of ordnance provided in the kit. It just won't look complete without the decals, so I had to order a set from a vendor in Australia. That order won't arrive until mid-January so it's going to be a while before I can finish this model.
In the meantime, I'll be finishing the cockpit, adding and painting the afterburner, preparing and adding the ordnance pylons, adding panel line details, then applying the main decals supplied in the kit.
 

The Heather-Ferris camouflage paint scheme is just about finished. While the finish looks okay, I'm just not a fan of these AK Air acrylic paints. Maybe I received a bad batch, I don't know. I have read where some bad batches got out there but don't know if that's the case here. The problem is, the paint has stayed tacky for days. Never had an acrylic paint act like that. It's common to enamels, but odd for acrylics in my own personal experience.
When you first spray this paint down, it looks like crap. Then you take your hair dryer, give it a drying treatment and it looks great. If the paint didn't stay tacky, it would be good.
 

Yeah, I'm almost 60 years into this hobby now but still learning.
For AK, they have their own proprietary thinner, but I think Vallejo thinner would work just as well. Having said that, try mixing a small amount in a disposable paint cup first to make sure there is no bad reaction if you are using something other than their own thinner. Mr Color thinner or alcohol will turn the AK paint into a big gum ball. Straight from the bottle, the AK paint settles down into a finish that's just as you described, a cross between an acrylic and enamel. Takes this stuff at least 24 hours to dry and still feels somewhat tacky even then. But I like the finished look of it, a satin finish. I think once it thoroughly dries, it will take a wash very well, with no need for a clear coat prior to the wash.
 
This model will have five different shades of gray in the Heather-Ferris camouflage scheme. Here, I have placed the first two shades of gray, both AK paints. The finished camo scheme can be seen on the instruction page in my first post.
 
 

You can also use perfect putty from Deluxe. You just take away the rests with water.

This is steps 1 through 8, and most of step 9. I prefer to leave the landing gear assemblies until later in the build as there is more construction, filling, priming, and painting to do first.
 

On both left and right wings, there is an annoying gap at the leading edge. Other than that, the model parts have been a pretty good fit to this point.
I'm using the "stretched sprue" technique to fill the gaps, as there is a row of fine rivet detail immediately adjacent to the gap that would be destroyed by filling with putty and sanding. After the stretched sprue, will carefully lay down some #500 Mr Surfacer with a small detail brush to finish off the seam. It should be almost invisible when finished and leave the rivet detail intact (as long as I don't fill them with Mr Surfacer).

The F-16XL-2 is a derivative of the F-16, with a "cranked arrow" delta wing. This delta wing configuration allowed the F-16XL-2 to carry twice the ordnance load of the F-16 with a 40% greater range. The wing configuration provided 27 hard points for ordnance. The aircraft was entered into the United States Air Force Enhanced Technical Fighter (ETF) competition, but lost to the F-15E Strike Eagle. Subsequently, the two prototype models were turned over to NASA for research. Both aircraft were retired in 2009 and are stored at Edwards AFB.
 
I plan to build this model pretty much box-stock. The only aftermarket items I have purchased for it are a pair of Aires Aces2 resin ejection seats. I may add some home made plumbing/wiring here and there to give the model an enhanced appearance but I don't want to go crazy with extra details that bog down the progress of the build. This is a project I would like to finish within 2 weeks, maybe 3.
 
Provided here are photos of the kit box and the instruction pages. As I'm building the kit, I will refer to the step #'s I'm working on so you will have some point of reference.
 

The main construction of the mast is completed. From the crosstrees to the caps will eventually be white but I don't want to paint till I'm ready to glue. I connected the ends of the trees as that's what I see in the afore mentioned photo. There is a drawing showing this type of design, as to why the the ends were connected I have but guesses. 

Movin' on up......

Updated progress, upward and onward.  

One always has to re-draft plans! There is, inevitably, distortion due to copying, paper movement with humidity changes etc. And that quite apart from actual drafting errors. Have fun!

This is John Otway and the first draft of the Naparima plans.

General History
 
The vessel was ordered by the Crown Agents in Trinidad which  operated the Trinidad Government Railway. She was designed in 1904 and  built by J I Thornycroft  and Co. Ltd. of  Chiswick. The construction was under the inspection of Sir Edward Reed. She was launched on the 7th  March 1905. She was purchased to run from end of the railroad at San Fernando down to Cedros, a journey of some  40 miles. Further details can be read in Glen Beadons  notes included in the appendix on page 23 of this report.
 
She left London on the 19th May 1905 arriving in Barbados on the 16th June and motored on to Port of Spain Trinidad the following day  arriving at 2.00pm, some 28 days after leaving England.
 
There are a number of advertisements placed in the newspaper over her life showing that she traveled to Tobago on occasion particularly during holiday periods such as Easter and Christmas.  This means that over time she took on an expanded    role by becoming a true coastal steamer for both islands  instead of simply an extension to  the railroad service from San Fernando to Cedros. The photograph above no.7  shows the remanence of the jetty at Cedros the most southerly point of her route.
 
The ship was designed to accommodate  40 first class passengers on a promenade deck which also offered a refreshment department and dining room. The kitchen was on the main deck connecting to the promenade deck by a lift. The main deck catered to 100 second class passengers.
Details of the ship.
Length 140 '
Width  21'
Depth 6'
Freight 42 tons.
We were able to find a reference at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich in box No.  THY B0137 No. 367 which contains  the original plans for the coastal steamer. They have been very helpful in the past in providing copies of a number of the ships that are part of the history of Trinidad and Tobago. There  are 7 plans which are available for purchase. The  cost of the plans is £370 as such we will only purchase these just before starting the build project.
"We do charge for the digitization of our ship plans which for private use is £70 for the first plan and then £50 per subsequent plan placed in the same order. This process takes 2-3 weeks to complete and we supply exact scale 300 dpi jpegs via ftp link via email. The total cost therefore with all the ship plans below would come to £370 +VAT (if applicable)."
 
In the past I have purchased plans from various sources only to find that they provided me with no additional information. I decided to take the plunge and order all the plans

I need to make bollards for my Arizona.  I tried to make one from scratch and planned on casting copies, but the bollard was so small and I lacked experience doing casting.  I decided to make them assembly line style.
 
 





Now I just need to glue them together.

Adding more detail and used some the PE Popeye gave me!
 
Thanks Denis.
 
Shane

I am working on the details to the aft deck and the damaged gun deck.  I also put the first coat of paint on the Memorial.
 
 

Found this in an 1861 Scientific American:

Yes, it is a cannon revolver. The patent was granted in 1860 and it was intended for fixed batteries or shipboard use. As far as I know it wasn't put into production, but I don't know.
Please tell me it was never mounted on a ship.
 
Bruce
 

Hello Yves,
 
I'm no expert; just an old retired dude interested in U-Boats! At one time when I was a bit younger and had more patients, I had some model building skills. However, not to your level of detail and patients (keep up the excellent work)! In my personal opinion, Mr. Tore Berg-Nielsen is the sole remaining expert on the Type VII U-Boat. Previously, Maciek Florek (snake doc was his internet handle) from Warsaw Poland was a U-Boat expert and translated many German U-Boat documents including my U-Boat Type VII C training manual for Jerry Mason's website uboatarchive.net. Sadly, my very dear friend Maciek Florek passed away on 2 August 2017. In "Skizzenbuch" on page IV, I dedicate the book to the memory of Maciek Florek...
 
Regards,
Don_
 
FYI - The Ball Point Pen was invented in the USA in 1888, see the following website:
http://www.historyofpencils.com/writing-instruments-history/history-of-ballpoint-pens/
 
Sold on Ebay - WWII WW2 German Wehrmacht Officer Soldier Black Bakelite Ballpoint Pen

We now have reached a point, when serious decisions must be taken. Assemble or not assemble?

I am sure you all agree that it needs to be put together. Therefore, here are a few pictures: 




And the silly pictures...




I hope you have enjoyed being reduced to 1/48th scale and taking a tour of that interesting compartment. Next time, we seal it with the ceiling..... but first some crews....
 
Yves

Moving on with the walkway. Basically just a few parts according to Trumpeter, but a nightmare to assemble..... That table made of photo-etched parts is ridiculous and a challenge to the nerves.
You can see the result of my assembly on the picture..... a disaster. Sometimes, it is good to show the casualties of modeling, as most builders only post their success: 

Trumpeter should have offered a table made of plastic parts and it would have been so much easier to assemble. instead, I decided to do mine with the "legs" of electronic components, bent and inserted in the walkway, after drilling #60 holes. A lot easier and so much sturdier. Quite realistic too:

When all is painted and said:

I have no idea what this table is used for. Is it used for mechanical jobs? Don, can you chime in and enlighten us?
 
Yves
 
 

Still toying, yes literally, with the front bulkhead. I have decided with some spare parts to replicate the fan system, used to bring fresh air and extract used air from the inside of the pressure hull. Of course, Trumpeter does not provide the second set of fan/turbine as well as some of the pipes and it is very regrettable.

It takes a lot of butchering and gluing of the pipes to get to a decent and matching results. I have also added the electric motors which are driving the turbines, as these parts were not designed by Trumpeter. Please do not ask for the electric wires of the fan motors....

Close up on the little wooden desk. Barely visible against the wall, is a German print indicating essential operations of the Diesel engines. On the wooden desk, is a schematic of some of the numerous pipes circuits and a large pen. Not yet visible, is a small light to the left of the red control hand wheel. The micro wires are coming above on the bulkhead.

We now have quite a few pieces to put together. However, before the final assembly, I still have to work on the walkway.

Yves