Civil aviation group build Mar 3, 2007 to Dec 17, 2007

jeaton01 wrote:

Next step, and bumping.

Oh yeah... back to that beautiful SPINNER!!     It really sets off the engine and will really look classical on the front of the Staggerwing!       How did you do it?

Take care,

Frank

bump

The yellow is drying.

Yea, it lives.

Still plugging away myself just not as fast as I'd like to be.

We're just so busy modeling there's hardly any time for the computer... {yeah right} LOL!     I've added 2 more coats of the slick stuff to the Cap20, and she's been under the box for a while now, as I got side-tracked bashing the Heller T-28!

Our youngest daughter will be leaving home Monday, for California.      Kevin (her hubby) has been in training in the Marines since just after they were married last August, so she stayed here with us.     He got orders for Camp Pendleton for the 18th, so we're kinda spending our spare time with her/them this week.

They'll be all kinds of time next week to model I imagine...     Which kinda scares me a little....      Had kids around since 1978, 3 daughters... they all will live away now, it's going to be awfully quite here, the key word being "awfully"!    

Ya'll take care,

Frank

I sprayed a gloss coat on the Staggerwing this morning.  It was Model Master Bright Yellow, on top of two or three coats of Tamiya Flat Yellow which had cured for 10 days or so.  I'm liking it!

There were some beasty seams, especially on the trailing edge of the upper wing to the fuselage, but with shiny enough paint I hope to disguise, if I can't hide, my mistakes/failures to pursue perfection.

Wow.... that's a beautiful classic yellow finish, John!       A real head turner!

The last time I saw a real Staggerwing was at the old Blacksburg airport in Virginia in the late 70's, and I remember as it taxied by, you could tell who the "flying nuts" in the crowd were by the dreamy SMILES that appeared as it rumbled past!

Kind of like the smile on my face as I looked at your progress!

Take care,

Frank

Thanks, Frank.  I had some doubts about the AMT kit because the surface detail is overdone, but enough sanding and enough layers of paint are seeming to give the model the look I remember the real Staggerwings have that I remember.  The first time I saw one up close was a real eye-opener, at the Merced EAA air show about 1964.  I had made the flight down there in my '46 J-3, in formation with a Champ and another J-3.  Had to fly formation, since I had never been signed off for cross-country flight.  Not sure I logged that 2 hours, maybe I should check....

Anyway, no matter how close I looked I couldn't see any fabric weave on some of those Staggerwings, there were several there.  No Cadillac ever looked that good.  They must have had 20 coats of dope on them, hardly any rib tape visible, just gloss everywhere.

The last time I saw a Staggerwing fly was about 10 years ago, it was a red one with black trim.  A thing of beauty.  I can see it now in my mind's eye.

Glad to hear you saw a Staggerwing aloft.  Hopefully there will be Staggerwings in the air for many years to come.

Take plenty of pictures at Chino.  Wish I could make it.

This one flew into the Mariposa airport last year so there are a few around. Yours is looking good so far.

I am getting quite an urge to attempt to foil my Beech C45. 

Sue is a lot of good looking work going on here - hopefully I can get my first prog pics posted tomorrow!  I actually HAVE started my Amelia Earhart tribute, I swear.....

Brian 

brain44 wrote:

Sue is a lot of good looking work going on here - hopefully I can get my first prog pics posted tomorrow!  I actually HAVE started my Amelia Earhart tribute, I swear..... Brian

As promised, a few early project pics......finally!!!!!

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Comments and constructive criticisms always welcomed!  I chose not to hyper detail the interior, since little can be seen through the tiny windows and I could find no interior reference pics for Amelia's aircraft.  The paint is acrylic silver.  Thanks for looking!

Brian 

John;

The Staggerwing is a classic and you do it justice. I really can't say that my Wilga is top notch, it became a problem child. This AModel kit is short run and shows it. There was a lot of fit diffilculties in the end that I am glad that it is finished even though I could have done some more to it. It is still presentable.

Mike T.

Congratulations on finishing, Mike.  It looks lika a Wilga, the real ones I've seen look like the designer wasn't concerned with drag.  Some of the limited run kits (maybe all of them) are difficult builds.  It looks fine to me.

I put most of the decals on the Staggerwing today, but production at Eaton Modelwerk is going to slow down for a few days, ALL THE GRANDKIDS ARE HERE! 

I guess I lied a little....while the grandsons were playing IL2 Stormovik blow 'em up, I managed to nearly finish the Staggerwing.  After the decals and little bits I painted and stuck on cure a few weeks I'll put a final coat of Future on, if I remember.  The rigging was done with 6 pound monofilament, and the decals are from the kit, could be 30 years old, overcoated with decal film before use.  The blue on the nose of the cowl is Testor's square bottle dark blue with a little black added, matches the decals pretty close.  There is a narrow gold stripe edgeing the blue which is also painted on.  I did the blue with half thinner/half paint, and a very soft bristled 1/4 inch wide brush.  Without a doubt the best brush finish I've ever gotten.  Don't know how that happened, but I'll take it!   

jeaton01 wrote:

Without a doubt the best brush finish I've ever gotten.  Don't know how that happened, but I'll take it!

When I grow up, I want to paint as well as you!   I don't know if I can return to the model bench now, I feel so unworthy.

You have a plane that you can be mighty proud of your work.  This is a contest winner!

Beautiful job on the Stagger Wing, John!  Truly a classic aircraft!

Brian 

Great work on that staggerwing! 

brain44 wrote:

brain44 wrote: Sue is a lot of good looking work going on here - hopefully I can get my first prog pics posted tomorrow!  I actually HAVE started my Amelia Earhart tribute, I swear..... Brian  As promised, a few early project pics......finally!!!!! ">  ">  ">  Comments and constructive criticisms always welcomed!  I chose not to hyper detail the interior, since little can be seen through the tiny windows and I could find no interior reference pics for Amelia's aircraft.  The paint is acrylic silver.  Thanks for looking! Brian

Finished at last, finished at last!  Here are the final pics of the Amelia Earhart L-10!

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This is the Williams Bros. kit, and it had it's challenges!  The plastic was VERY soft and the fit of the wings to fuselage looked like th grand canyon!   I needed .10 styrene sheet to fill before I could even start puttying!  At any rate, here she is for your perusal!

Brian 

jeaton01 wrote:

Congratulations on your finish, Brian.  The Williams Brothers kits can be some work, but it looks like you came out on top.  Someday I may finish the C-46 that always lies in wait partly done.

Skip the floor, and the landing gears are shown switched in the instr. I really like this a/c.

Gulfstream- beautiful detail at the smallest scale.

Bondoman

Yeah, Gulfstream, that's going to be a sharp looking 172.  The panel and engine are beautifully detailed.

Bondo, yeah, that's what I need, inspiration on the C-46 front.  I'm trying to put a natural metal finish on mine, and there is a lot of filling and polishing left to do.  I wiped out a lot of detail getting the wings and tail to fit and so I'm also trying to get that back.  Maybe I'll make some Logair decals for it and add it to this GB.  Thanks for the tip on the landing gear, I haven't got to that yet.

A year ago, there was an obit in the Chronicle about a pilot named Norman Spitzer, with a pic of him standing in front of the tail of a Commando. It described how he flew the Hump and the article claimed his aircraft was named the Rockpile Express. I was intrigued, so I worked it over on the www.

Recommended book: "Flying the Hump" by Ethell and Downie, which includes the same photo of Norm as in the fishwrap. A metal finish. page 48

This photo shows the one thing you NEED, besides a figurine of Norm with a 38 in his holster, and I can't find; the ATS badge. If you have knowledge, and I've got printers, maybe we could figure this out.

I learned that Williams Bros. has been purchased by a new owner. So I wrote him and offered to do research in return for a decal run of this plus yellow codes. The old kit somehow manages to omit the most common markings used, in favor of, well you know. Also the insignia blue is just wrong, which I told him. And never heard from him again.

They are promising a re-release, which I'd buy and do a NMF as you plan, and to be like Normans. But we're not communicating anymore, so I have no idea what is afoot. He sent me the draft box art:

Norm Spitzers house burned in the 1991 Oakland fire and he lost all of his photos. I would wish that Williams would honor his memory and run the decals for the silver a/c. They're showing Smiley's Airlines, which is shown in the Squadron "..in action" which I can't recommend.

According to all of the sources, ATS pilots flew what ever was on the line on a day to day basis, often switching a/c on the ramp if there were problems.

Research first, model later.

Bondoman