Regia Aeronautica GB II (06/15/09 to 06/15/10)

Man that really stinks Guy. You ran into problems in the same exact area that I did with this kit. The struts are very fussy and delicate. besides like you said they all have to go in a specific spot. It is very easy to get confused. If you remember the pics I posted of mine missing all of the outer struts. Either they were to short or the snapped in half when I tried to slide them into place. Mine has been sitting like that for about a year. I have been trying to figure out a way to scratch build new ones out of something a little stronger but all ideas involve alot of work and I just can't seem to get my head back into finishing it. A good start on the Macchi will get you back ina better mood I'm sure.

                                                                                   Soulcrusher

Thx for the tea and sympathy everyone. Ive actually just gone around my ma's for tea, as it happens. These contrail struts look like the way to go. Im going to order some as soon as poss.

Right, its clean the bench down and open up the 205. I feel better now ive read all your responses. Ill crack into the CR42 as soon as the 205 is dione. Hopefully the struts will have arrived by then, as for giving Wingus and Dingus time off, HA! Not a chance. You should have seen the state of the pair of them after they got back from Aarons. LOL

...Guy

Thanks cardshark. That looks like exatcly what Guy and Me need to get our birds completed. I have been looking for strut rods that look like those for well over a year now. My story is exaclty what happened to Guy. I was building the kit and everything was building up great until I started to attach the upper wing. I was really bummed because the kit was so nice and it was one of my best builds to date.  Now I see a light at the end of the tunell instead of a model that was never going to get finished.

                                                                                             Soulcrusher

Ive started on the 205 and from what ive read RAF interior green is a good cockpit colour to go with? I hope so as thats my mission tomorrow, spray up the pit. Due to te scale it would be rude not to detail it up a touch, so im looking for any interior cockpit pics of either the 202 or 205. Theyre both pretty similar. There doesnt appear to be much on the net. The link i posted on the front page only has pics of the cockpit from through the window which is a bit of a bummer.

...Guy

Guy, sorry to hear your tale of wowes. A pint of bitters and a good nights sleep and go at it again with the new struts.

Steve

Guy- Sorry to hear you got a bum deal on those struts.  Based on SC's experiences, it sounds like a kit problem and not your foul-up.  Hopefully, that makes you feel better knowing it is a kit deficiency.

Alex- Great tip on those struts, I shall remember that in case I ever need some.

I broke sprue today on the 109G-4 I got from Aaron!  The kit comes with resin wheels and a G-4 cowl with the rounded MG inserts, though the insert is actually about 2mm too short, and the profile is different than the fuselage.  I looked at it, and I might be able to fix it but may end up using the later kit supplied G-6 cowl top.  May choose that option as a last resort, lest the 109 purists drag me out back for a good flogging for defiling my kit!

Well ive been hard at it. In a way its quite good having a missus who is sofa bound (Yeah right!) Ive been able to do a bit to the pit of the 205. The resin, and theres a lot of it, seems to be, err, reasonable. Ive found a few pinholes in a doodad here and there and one of the sidewalls is fairly warped. As for the IM stuff, theres the usuall probs that come with these limited run kits. An awfull lot of flash. Apart from that im quite liking it so far. Ive read a builders review of the kit and they say its pretty decent, so heres hoping mine goes as well. Any hoos, the IP,

Heres my 'Waiting Pile' of resin,

And the pit so far,

You can see the warp in the left hand cockpit side. There are about a hundred bits to go on and in them yet. Hopefully a good piccy of a 202 or 205 will be coming and then i can really go to town LOL.

...Guy

Checking in seeing if I missed something!  Oh my is there a strut issue with that kit? Both of you having trouble. That's a shame! Hope you all get them parts so they can be completed. They look really cool!

Then there is Guy!  Falls off the horse and gets right back on it!, Kills it, and then beats it with a big stick!

The PC 2005 is a lot more improved over the 202 I have Guy! Your 205 looks very similar in quality to the 202. The 2005 has no flash at all! The resin parts have to be Aires as they are so perfect and their color resin. It says delux kit on the box and they mean it!  Gotta get cracking! Didn't expect you to be on the 205 so soon!

Need a nap though!

CA debonder doesn't fix those struts Guy or have you destroyed them in frustration already?

Guy I knew you would move on from the problem with the Cr42 and you never skipped a beat. That instument panel in s beauty. That is a scary looking piie of resin. You have to much talent to let a little mishap slow you down there buddy.                                                                                                                           

I am still working on the Re 2000. More work with the sanding sticks and a coat of primer to point out the areas that I missed. I must have learned some thing along the way because for the first time I have achived a decent fit with a rather large vac formed canopy. The engine cylinder heads have been slightly filed down will no ill effects and the engine now sits nicely in the cowl. Now I can go back and add all of the tiny pushrods that I knocked off while sanding the heads down. Oh those fiddly little bits can drive to nuts! Here is a pic of here in primer.

                                                                                     Soulcrusher

Guy, nice work on the instrument panel.  Looks real sharp.

SC, she's looking really nice also.  What's the best way to attach those vac canopies to the fuse?  I've only attempted to do that once before.

razordws wrote:

Guy, nice work on the instrument panel.  Looks real sharp.

Oh Yeah ,  I had missed your post earlier.That IP is Top Notch. Send your elves over to do a few of mine sometime.

I had to make the 190 mile RT to the city for a Dentist appointment today. Man I hate driving anymore. Good news is I still have all my teeth and I came home with 17 jars of paint to restock the colors I have used up. 

Thx all for the kind words,

Aaron, I think the problem may be with the struts or me, one of the two LOL. Im looking forward to seeing the grand start of the 2005. This is definately not the last Pacific Coast models ill be buying. I reckon it has to be Aries stuff they use, its deffo Eduard etched. So the credentials are there. The only thing thats holding me back is lack of refs of the cockpit of a 205 on mine. I have a colour view from the left hand wing looking in through a closed cockpit, but its a bit vague. I need more I NEED IT!!! LOL.

Crusher, that is coming along swimmingly. Is it just me or does that look so much like a P47. Imagine it with a bubbletop canopy. Nice work with the primer for the seams. Heres a Lufty tip, when the seams are dry and rubbed down, give them a paint (By hand) with some contrasting paint. Green say on top of primer, just along the seam line. If you use Tamiya acrylics, it will take minutes to dry and then you can lightly sand this down and it shows up any gaps or deep spots perfectly. The deep spots will remain green. Are you scratching the pushrods?

Dave with VF canopies. Ive not used them that often. But from what ive read the best way is to cut a thin piece of styrene and glue it to the fuzz for the canopy to but up against, like a lip. Keep the piece very low and it will be hidden by the painted frame.

Summit, I have a dentist appointment this week, Booo. I also have a phobia about them. Wasnt so bad for you though, if you came back with loads of paint. Wish my Dentist sold Tamiya acrylics LOL.

...Guy

Dave this is my first vac canopy that is going to look pretty decent. I like attaching all of my canopies with Microscale Kristal Kleer. It bonds way better than Testors clear parts cement. It also is nice and thick so it fills in any small gaps in between the canopy and fuselage and dries clear. If you put a little to much on it wipes right of with a damp paper towel.

Guy yes I am scratch building the pushrods for the motor. It is very tedious. I streched some sprue about twice the width used for an antenne lead and chopped them into little pieces. They are so tiny I can only do a couple at a time without going blind. Your observation about some simalarities between the Re2000 and the P-47 is spot on. It is almost an exact copy of the Republic P-43 Lancer which eventuaaly evolved into the P-47. I just used flat white paint for primer. I caught 4 areas that needed touch up that were completly unseen until I primered it. I still have alot of little things I want to do before I lay some color on it. I still have to drill out the opeings in front of the cowl for the machine guns, attach all of those tiny pushrods and mask the canopy. This kit is alot of work. To make it look its best it takes time and some scratch building and patience. Probally why you do not see alot of finished models of this one.

mucker I like the primer shots to. Nothing but the nice clean lines of the airframe. I thought I saw Larry the Cable Guy standing behind me!

                                                                           Soulcrusher

Looking good SC. Its a good feeling to have the primer on it.

I have very little progress as I was out of town this week for work. Due to the bad decals, I have painted the white band on the fuselage, nose and the tail. The decals do look like they are whitening up a bit on the window but not a lot sunshine lately. I am going to use the tail decal and use the fuselage decal as a mask for my paint job. I also got the canopies masked and ready for placement. I am ready to paint the RLM 79 but again will wait for the playoffs before I do it.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Sorry I could nothelp you out with the decals. The 202,205 series are the only Italian planes that i do not have alot of spare decals for. IMO I like to paint the tailbands on anyway they always look better in my eyes.

Here is my effort for tonight, I present to you the Piaggio P.XI RC 40 radial engine that powered the Re 2000 series. I hope you do'nt mind I borrowed the giant penny for this pic for effect. I hope I do not have to do aother one soon. It took about 3 hours to put this one together. I scratch build the pushrods from streched sprue and drybrushed some on some silver with a heavy wash of lamp blask artist oils. I hope you like it.

                                                                                    Soulcrusher

 Nice work Michael! Er Crusher of souls!  Looks pretty dern good to me!  A lotta work as well.  A 1980 Penny? Is AB from the Helldiver thread looking for work since CHuck finished?  Oh dear... Nice looking aircraft!. Way to bring that radial engine to life!

Playoffs Steve ! I only watch Football for the cheerleaders and they don't show near enough of them!  Just a bunch of guys bent over in tight pants! Gotta keep them models handy!

Look out I am here to play!  Sprue has been broken and resin is painted! Just taking a break between colors!  HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!  Where is Guy? in beddy with his fuzzy blanket I'd say!  Hope the Missus is doing better foot wise there fella!  We shall see how this puppy goes together!

Thanks Aaron. I answer to Michael or SC. Just do'nt call me late for dinner though. It was very tedious work but it will be very visibly on the finished model so I wanted to go the extra mile and add a little pop to the resin engine. Glad to see you have joined us here over at Guy's little shop of horrors.. Its pretty rough going around here with homework and trying to keep up with Guy and his elves. Can't wait to see some progress on your build. You picked up on all of the 109 tech stuff pretty quick so lets see how you do with the Regia Aeronautica stuff. Alot more obscure and far fewer people interested in these birds. There are a couple of us around with a passion for these airrplanes. Learning to speak Italian helps since almost all of the color references are in Italian in alot of these kits for some reason.I did not know the giant penny was suppose to be a specific year. An oversight on my part.

                                                                               Soulcrusher

Luftwoller wrote:

...The only thing thats holding me back is lack of refs of the cockpit of a 205 on mine. I have a colour view from the left hand wing looking in through a closed cockpit, but its a bit vague. I need more I NEED IT!!! LOL. Summit, I have a dentist appointment this week, Booo. I also have a phobia about them. Wasnt so bad for you though, if you came back with loads of paint. Wish my Dentist sold Tamiya acrylics LOL. ...Guy

I went digging through my books and found a little bit of information for you...most of it is on the 202, but they should be very similar.
These images are from the Italian series, "Ali D'Italia" Vol. 02, and Vol. 22.





I too have a dentist appointment on Tuesday...hopefully they give out free Model Master...

Cheers,
Alex

 Good job Alex!  I woulda teased him on it a bit more.  Where is he anyways?  Not like old Guy to be Tardy?  Probably stuck in traffic again driving on the wrong side of the road!

SC

cardshark_14 wrote:

I too have a dentist appointment on Tuesday...hopefully they give out free Model Master... Cheers, Alex

You might be a wee disapointed as I went to the Hobby Shop before seeing the dentist.

Yo Mortals, it is 'I' your illustrious leader. Sorry about the Tardiness (Watching you Macneal), but i actually had to do some work. Frightening i know. Its ok, i just took it out on the blue rinsed biddies on me bus.

1st order of busines, Crusher, that engine is the bomb, my friend. Ready to be strapped into the P47..I mean P43, err Re2000

If youve not seen it, you should take a look at Aarons PBY, It looks the biz, for something from the other side, That kit looks great, i reckon it must be the next gen from mine, sort of thing.

Cardshark, those pics are great, and duley saved LOL. Im a bit shocked at the lack of pics of the 205 and 202's interiors for that matter. Such an influential plane. There are a few in museums, why no detailed cockpit shots?

Ive just ordered the Squadron walkaround book on the 205, hopefully that will have a few in it. I also ordered those contrail strts mentioned earlier. He reckons ill get em tomorrow. Cool. 

Glad to see Aaron has broken sprue. Good man. The only probs i think we may encounter is the thinning down of the fuzz wall to get the cockpit tub in. No sweat to a man of your callibre, big boy. Ive continued detailing the pit of mine and thats my plan tonight, armed with Cardsharks pics.....after ive had a my chinese takeout that ive not ordered yet.

As Cardshark found those great pics he can set the homework. Good man.

...Guy

Glad to have to back your Guyness! Thanks for the kind words. That engine is the first complicated thing I have done latlely that I have not screwed up on so I am felling much better about my modeling skills. I was really getting bummed out there for a while. There just is not alot of resource material anywhere on the 202/205 series. They were never built in any great numbers and came into service so late in the war for Italy. As a testement to the quality of the planes the Germans confiscated all of them before Italy turned sides and pressed them into service agianst the Allied side. Here are some pics of a 202 cockpit. All three pics are not of the same plane so I do not know how much help they will be but the photos are pretty clear. Do I get out of homework detail too?!

                                                                           Soulcrusher

Waaaaaaaa, great photos btw, waaaaaaa, your skills are back on trak but mine are taking a serious nosedive. The left hand sidewall was slightly warped and in trying to restraighten it.......guess what happened.. NOOOOOOOOO, snapski. Dont know what to do, would PCM send out a new bit? Where are they based? So many questions, Waaaaaaaaa.

...Guy

Luftwoller wrote:

Waaaaaaaa, great photos btw, waaaaaaa, your skills are back on trak but mine are taking a serious nosedive. The left hand sidewall was slightly warped and in trying to restraighten it.......guess what happened.. NOOOOOOOOO, snapski. Dont know what to do, would PCM send out a new bit? Where are they based? So many questions, Waaaaaaaaa. ...Guy

Stand to villian! It has become apparent that your more than mortal powers are on the fritz! Could this be due to the fishnet curse placed apon you by a certain photograph that of who's name we dare not speak?  Have Wingus and Digus forsaken their master in favor of one more talented and endowed with superior staying power?  Well perhaps or maybe it was just a bad day?

 My build is truckin right along!  Everything fits perfect and have all the perfect paints and refs I need! Only a tail remains intact as the soul surviving piece of an existing 2005. Hard to prove me wrong if I got the tail right is my philosophie?  I may even be finished by the morrow at this rate if I can keep them elves from flirting with me all night?

Glue it back together! Paint it! And tomorrow will be better! You shall see!

 Good golly They got some cold fingers! Giggle Giggle!