SEAPLANES & AMPHIBIANS Official Group Build May 08-09

Nice job on the opening page Max!

Thanks for the badges......I'll be in once I meet some other commitments! 

namrednef wrote:

Nice job on the opening page Max! Thanks for the badges......I'll be in once I meet some other commitments!

You gotta do it up right These are seaplanes after all

lol

raider83 wrote:

I might be interested in this once the Revell PBY is re-issued.  If I do get that, it may be a while, but this goes on for a year.  Don't count me in yet, but don't count me out

We got plenty of time, true. Seaplanes/amphibs seem to be most fun around spring/summer so this is perfect timing to have the next 5-6 months to work on it. If you don't mind building a seaplane during the winter then even better. If we feel like ending it in may of 09 seems illogical compared to say late sept / early oct 09 then we can do that in order to span two summers. But that does seem like stretching the build a little long. Best to get your kit done in the next 6 months if possible.

Hey Guys,

I called one of my favorite LHS's, Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove, Ca. and they had a Duck. Now I have one.

It's the 1:48 Classic Airframes version, I used to have the Glencoe, but that was a bubble gum piece of scrap compared to this.

This thing is cool, resin, PE all included.

The Duck, the Twin Beech and the Gooney bird are my all time fav. old aircraft, of that era.

I'd love to have the 1:1 of each!

Anyhow, I'm good for this GB if that's OK?

Please no politics, arguments, fights, etc. in this group build. This is just about having fun.

Ok now I'm confused, is this the new and improved seaplane build, is the other one off or are there actually two seaplane builds. Hey maybe it is a two for one build (build one kit get two GBs out of the way  ).

Anyway I've still got a Minicraft Boeing 314 in 1/144 scale on the way ($19 BTW, I didn't see it on sale at Squadron  ).

Dr. Faust wrote:

Hey Guys, I called one of my favorite LHS's, Brookhurst Hobbies in Garden Grove, Ca. and they had a Duck. Now I have one. It's the 1:48 Classic Airframes version, I used to have the Glencoe, but that was a bubble gum piece of scrap compared to this. This thing is cool, resin, PE all included. The Duck, the Twin Beech and the Gooney bird are my all time fav. old aircraft, of that era. I'd love to have the 1:1 of each! Anyhow, I'm good for this GB if that's OK?   Please no politics, arguments, fights, etc. in this group build. This is just about having fun.

Sweet! I put you down for the Duck, can't wait to see that come together. :D

raptordriver wrote:

Dang 3409 scale.

Be careful, I might just put you down for a 1:3409 scale replica of the Deathstar. ROFL Then you will have to build it with a pair of tweezers and a micron laser. lol

Aaronw wrote:

Ok now I'm confused, is this the new and improved seaplane build, is the other one off or are there actually two seaplane builds. Hey maybe it is a two for one build (build one kit get two GBs out of the way  ). Anyway I've still got a Minicraft Boeing 314 in 1/144 scale on the way ($19 BTW, I didn't see it on sale at Squadron  ).

This is the no politics GB lol. Anyone can join, at any time, and as you can see the rulez are very lax. If you put the Boeing on floats You can join. lol But seriously, wait till you see these seaplanes come together you'll be too jealous not to come play with us.

avadon wrote:

Aaronw wrote: Ok now I'm confused, is this the new and improved seaplane build, is the other one off or are there actually two seaplane builds. Hey maybe it is a two for one build (build one kit get two GBs out of the way  ). Anyway I've still got a Minicraft Boeing 314 in 1/144 scale on the way ($19 BTW, I didn't see it on sale at Squadron  ). This is the no politics GB lol. Anyone can join, at any time, and as you can see the rulez are very lax. If you put the Boeing on floats You can join. lol But seriously, wait till you see these seaplanes come together you'll be too jealous not to come play with us.

Ok, I thought that might be part of it but wasn't sure.

Floats!!! The 314 doesn't need any stinking floats. The 314 is better known as the Pan Am China Clipper and is probably the pinnacle of flying boat technology.

Aaronw wrote:

avadon wrote:  Aaronw wrote: Ok now I'm confused, is this the new and improved seaplane build, is the other one off or are there actually two seaplane builds. Hey maybe it is a two for one build (build one kit get two GBs out of the way  ). Anyway I've still got a Minicraft Boeing 314 in 1/144 scale on the way ($19 BTW, I didn't see it on sale at Squadron  ). This is the no politics GB lol. Anyone can join, at any time, and as you can see the rulez are very lax. If you put the Boeing on floats You can join. lol But seriously, wait till you see these seaplanes come together you'll be too jealous not to come play with us.   Ok, I thought that might be part of it but wasn't sure.   Floats!!! The 314 doesn't need any stinking floats. The 314 is better known as the Pan Am China Clipper and is probably the pinnacle of flying boat technology.

haha when I saw Boeing I thought you were working on some airliner for another group build, that's why I made the joke of floats(I should have looked up the "314" part). You should totally build a China Clipper. Can I put you down for that? That model will probably make you a rival for the seaplane master of the universe. The competition is shaping up! :D

I wouldn't have known it was a Boeing 314 either if I hadn't been looking for the kit. Go ahead and put me down for it.

Seaplane master of the universe. Does that come with a hat? Sounds like it should come with a hat.

Aaronw wrote:

I wouldn't have known it was a Boeing 314 either if I hadn't been looking for the kit. Go ahead and put me down for it.   Seaplane master of the universe. Does that come with a hat? Sounds like it should come with a hat.

Yes it does

Here are your choices

and if your a true hot dogger, you might just win this

ollie wrote:

Im in with the Curtiss Seamew in 1:48th scale from Czech models. And if i get time a Tiger Moth and Queen Bee on floats using the aeroclub 1:48th scale kit and scratch built floats. Who knows i might find some other kits to build for this to.

Awesome, you are added with the Cartiss Seamew. If you want me to put the others now or later up there, just let me know. I hear yeah on the others. I want to build a Pilatus PC-6 on floats, but I better get my other two kits started first. hehe ;)

Make sure you all remember to grab the group badges and hyperlink them so they point this this GB

Wow, another cool group build to join.  I got one of my DVD's of "Tales of the Gold Monkey" in the DVD Player and a Czech Models 1/48 Goose on the table.

Now all I need is some time to begin building.  Thankfully we have a long time frame to finish.

Scott

Please include me in this group build. I planning to build a Fine Molds 1/48 Savoia S.21. It's from the movie, "Porco Rosso" by Hayao Miyazaki. It's an animated film set in post WWI where seaplane-based pirates ravage shipping in the Adriatic. For you seaplane freaks (and if you're reading this than you know you are!) this is a great movie with lots of fanciful aircraft! Here is a picture of the box:

and here's a shot of one that I've already built, a Curtiss R3C, from the same movie, flown by Rosso's rival, Curtis. This is also a 1/48 Fine Molds kit:

Awesome, I put you down and added Porco Rosso to my netflix ;)   Pirate Seaplanes, there is nothing better!

I love the look of that Curtis R3C.  Nice work.

Got your PM,

Thanks for adding me to the list.

Scott

Never heard of Porco Rosso, I'll get my wife to look into it (she runs the video rental list).Thanks for the tip, looking forward to your seaplane.

Finally getting a couple days off in a row, so I plan to dig into the China Clipper tommorrow.

This will whet your whistle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98RjgQMO4kM&playnext=2&playnext_from=QL

About six months ago Idropped out of this forum for whatever reason ans swore off GB's...until now...I would like to get in; 1/72 scale Sword Goose in Alaska Department of Fish and Game livery...would a small dio be acceptable for this GB?

On second thought...never mind...

Hi guys,

I'm awfully tempted! I have five or six other GB committments in the same timeframe, but seaplanes are such cool things! Lessee, what do I have in my stash???

• Airfix 1:72 Arado Ar 196 and Short Sunderland
• Hawk/Testor 1:48 Supermarine S6B
• Monogram 1:48 PBY-5A
• Revell History Makers Martin P6M Seamaster (fit-the-box scale)
• Revell Germany Bv 222 Viking (don't remember, but it's HUGE)

And there's anything else that coms along in the next year... I don't have a lot of display space (make that almost none) so something small... The Ar 196 is small! And it gives me a chance to rig the floats, which I've been thinking about for a long time (knitting cables together has a perverse attraction...) I also photographed the real S6B in the London Science Museum 18 months ago in preparation for a build, and that also features rigging.

I can't promise to be aboard, but if I can squeeze in a project, I will!

Cheers,

TB379

JoeRugby wrote:

About six months ago Idropped out of this forum for whatever reason ans swore off GB's...until now...I would like to get in; 1/72 scale Sword Goose in Alaska Department of Fish and Game livery...would a small dio be acceptable for this GB?     On second thought...never mind...

Sorry for the slight delay everyone. People said they needed time to finish builds, so i gave everyone a little time.. about a month... hopefully most people are done with what they are engaged with. Would you like me to add this kit?

Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Hi guys, I'm awfully tempted! I have five or six other GB committments in the same timeframe, but seaplanes are such cool things! Lessee, what do I have in my stash??? Airfix 1:72 Arado Ar 196 and Short Sunderland Hawk/Testor 1:48 Supermarine S6B Monogram 1:48 PBY-5A Revell History Makers Martin P6M Seamaster (fit-the-box scale) Revell Germany Bv 222 Viking (don't remember, but it's HUGE) And there's anything else that coms along in the next year... I don't have a lot of display space (make that almost none) so something small... The Ar 196 is small! And it gives me a chance to rig the floats, which I've been thinking about for a long time (knitting cables together has a perverse attraction...) I also photographed the real S6B in the London Science Museum 18 months ago in preparation for a build, and that also features rigging. I can't promise to be aboard, but if I can squeeze in a project, I will! Cheers, TB379

WOW, you got some awesome kits, if you want to be on board with any of those just let me know. Thanks for posting.

Here are some pics from a few weeks ago. These are pics of the interior before I close up the fuse. Since their old I've gotten a few more things done such as adding some windows, side blisters, assembling the flight deck, and gluing the wing halves together. Should have a new update in a few days.

 I was going to put electric motors in the engine nacells to spin the props that is why the wires are there but I decided against it seening that I couldn't find motors that would fit. Instead I am going to use photo-etch propblurs to simulate the spinning props. I need the spinning props b/c I am making a dio of my Black Cat taking off.

Hi Avadon,

Thanks for having me! I just checked my log and my Ar 196s (I think I have two) weren't properly logged in, so I've no idea where in my stash they are! I have nearly 40 cartons of models and use a check-log in my computer to find things. One day they'll all be on shelves and look like one of the better hobby shops, but until then my log is the key to my stash!

The upshot is I also have an Arii 1:72 Cessna 172 floatplane that I'd forgotten about!

So I'm leaning toward the S6B at the moment, though if I could snare Matchbox's 1:32 Tiger Moth floatplane on eBay I'd build that one in a heartbeat!

Cheers,

TB379

Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Hi Avadon, Thanks for having me! I just checked my log and my Ar 196s (I think I have two) weren't properly logged in, so I've no idea where in my stash they are! I have nearly 40 cartons of models and use a check-log in my computer to find things. One day they'll all be on shelves and look like one of the better hobby shops, but until then my log is the key to my stash! The upshot is I also have an Arii 1:72 Cessna 172 floatplane that I'd forgotten about! So I'm leaning toward the S6B at the moment, though if I could snare Matchbox's 1:32 Tiger Moth floatplane on eBay I'd build that one in a heartbeat! Cheers, TB379

(Ryan)Nice Engines Ryan! I can practically smell the oil off those radials from here ;)

(TB379) sounds like you have some good choices to build from. 172 on floats is pretty nice. I really want to scratch build a pilatus Pc-6 too.   I think we can extend this build to the end of next summer.. why not.. right.

12Wings wrote:

Hey avadon thanks for the comment. I really spent a lot of time trying to get those engines looking just right. My hard work really payed  off, I put the engines in there cowls and I think they look awesome.

 Trust me when i say I know it can be hard to get good small motors to power little radials like that. Just one drop of epoxy can stall little DC motors. But if you have patience, can build a little housing or shelf for the motors to be epoxied to, align them perfect with the prop wire them correctly and hide the battery well well then it pays off ini spades. :D:D:D   That said though since your making a diarama I think your decision to go with propblurs is better. To me the motorized prop is only really great when aircraft is not going to be anchored to anything. But thats just my preference.

All you water wings and float afficionados here's an interesting conversion I think you'll appreciate from the Pikes Peak Model Expo put on by Centennial IPMS of Colorado Springs, Colorado June 7, 2008.

I don't know if she's a plane or not; She's certainly amphibious! For more go here:

http://www.centennialipms.org/

12Wings wrote:

Hey Avadon, I looked into my username and Kelly Shaw took out the # sign for me. Try quoting this post!

 Test test test..  (looks like it was the # sign)

Awesome! I'd really would like to try to get hold of a Glencoe Models Martin China Clipper and this extension will give may give me time to get one.

And thanks for including me in the build. 

Kenjitak, you may notice I'm also a big fan of Porco Rosso.  I also have the S21 and Curtiss' R3C. The S21 is partially built.

Here's an update on how I'm coming on my model. So far I have glued together the fuse, glued the wings together, and puttied everything up. I have also washed all the parts and gotten them ready for painting. I had no idea that the wings were going to be so BiG!

all comments welcomed

Thanks for the SMER comments, John. I think I'll try getting hold of one.

Looking over the parts of my Tamiya Mitsubishi F1M 'Pete' last night and reading some on-line comments about the Tamiya kit, I've come to find out that the kit is sort of a mix of a F1M2 version body and F1M1 canopies. I've got to decide to either get new canopies or modify the fuselage depending on which version I do.

kenjitak wrote:

It's great to see some seaplanes and some progress. What do you think of that Academy kit?

This kit is actually very good except for the interior detail (there is almost none). The exterior detail is very nice. There are thin panel lines and rivets on the entire model. Hopefully the decals are of good quality. 

raider83 wrote:

Since this is the seaplane GB, have any of you guys built the monogram 1/48 kingfisher?  It looks like a decent kit if I can find one. I want to build a WWII Pacific dio with a float plane rescuing the pilot of a downed plane.  I wsa going to use the revell 1/48 catalina, but that is too big

You also have choices of floatplanes, certainly the Seagull and Seamew if that was ever a rescue plane.

Hello,

Just checking in with the group build.  Been too busy this summer to even think of starting on the goose.

I too would like to see the old Monogram Kingfisher.  I havn't seen one in years.  As I rememer, it was a good kit, then again, that would be from a 10 yr olds point of view.

Scott

Even though I'm on the St Laurence Sea Way on a cruise I was able to win a 1/48 SMER on ebay! Bless shipboard satellite internet!

After the Pete, I'll work on the Walrus.

Looking good everyone. I too have been a little swamped with summer business, but I'll get to my kit soon. ;)

Hello I am intrested in joining, but I have few things to finsh first.

The plane I will be doing is 1.72 F1M2 Pete

Jason

My Walrus was waitng for me when I got back from my trip. Not a bad little kit, especially for a total of $10.00.

I've having the age old dilema on what color to paint the inside of my Pete's cockpit. I'm leaning to the old reliable bamboo green but some recent research has pointed towards the metallic blue shade.

i've finished weathering and have some pics. All I have to do now is cover the model with a flat and gloss coat and do final assembly. I have to add the prop blurs too. For the weathering I started with an artist oil wash and then did a sludge wash to bring out the panel lines. I'm done with the model after that. Then i will have to attach the model to the base and pour in the water for the dio.

all comments welcomed

Does anyone know if the pby had wingtip lights?

Very nicely done like the ligther streaking

Jason

Here's my Seagull in the Navy Air Wing GB

Ryan, that paint job looks great on the Cat.

B-man, nice progress on the Seagull. Anyone make a 1/48 of that kit?

Are you going to string it? If so, what method? I was planing on stretch sprue for my Pete.

I've finished my Catalina. I used propblurs for the props and vallejo water putty for the water. This model and base took me about 46 long hours. All comments are welcomed, Thanks.

Aurora-7 wrote:

Ryan, that paint job looks great on the Cat. B-man, nice progress on the Seagull. Anyone make a 1/48 of that kit? Are you going to string it? If so, what method? I was planing on stretch sprue for my Pete.

I will rig her with my tried and true, which is nylon paint brush bristles. I went down to the paint store a number of years back and bought a 1 1/2" brush that has about 4 or 5 diameters of bristles a couple of inches long. Some are black, some are clear, some are thin and some are thick. This is the $10 variety. It's lasted me for years, in fact I've hardly nibbled off 10%. But they are useful for just about anything modelwise where you need clean, straight little rods.

I measure with a simple set of drafting dividers, cut, test, cut, glue.

bondoman wrote:

I will rig her with my tried and true, which is nylon paint brush bristles. I went down to the paint store a number of years back and bought a 1 1/2" brush that has about 4 or 5 diameters of bristles a couple of inches long. Some are black, some are clear, some are thin and some are thick. This is the $10 variety. It's lasted me for years, in fact I've hardly nibbled off 10%. But they are useful for just about anything modelwise where you need clean, straight little rods.

A very good idea! I'm going to have to give it try on the Pete 

hi all,

i'd like to join the fun please!

put me down for a glencoe models 1/48 republic seabee

cheers paul

The cat looks great . Did you use cotton for the spray?

Where did you get those props?

JASon

jay12472 wrote:

The cat looks great . Did you use cotton for the spray? Where did you get those props? JASon

Thanks,yes the spray is cotton. I got the propblurs here:

http://propblur.googlepages.com/home

This one looks too good to pass up being that seaplanes are one of my favorite things, if you are still accepting entries sign me up for a 1/72 Italeri Do 24T.

Thanks ! 

That Catalina is incredible!!!!! Water looks great too. That is just amazing!! I always wondered how the propblurs work. Now I know they are incredible. So do you put them on in front of the props or just completely replace the props with the blurs? I just wonder how well they fit into the prop hub.

 I'll add both of you guys to the group build in a bit. :) Thanks for joining us.

avadon wrote:

That Catalina is incredible!!!!! Water looks great too. That is just amazing!! I always wondered how the propblurs work. Now I know they are incredible. So do you put them on in front of the props or just completely replace the props with the blurs? I just wonder how well they fit into the prop hub.  I'll add both of you guys to the group build in a bit. :) Thanks for joining us.

avadon, you cut off the whole prop, then drill small holes in the hub. You insert the ends of the propblurs into the holes

ludwig113 wrote:

hi all, i'd like to join the fun please! put me down for a glencoe models 1/48 republic seabee cheers paul

Got you all signed up :D Thanks for using the GB logo. If anyone is not using it feel free to take it and add it to your signature.

Old Dog wrote:

This one looks too good to pass up being that seaplanes are one of my favorite things, if you are still accepting entries sign me up for a 1/72 Italeri Do 24T.   Thanks !

 Got you added up :) Thanks for joining us!

12Wings wrote:

avadon wrote: That Catalina is incredible!!!!! Water looks great too. That is just amazing!! I always wondered how the propblurs work. Now I know they are incredible. So do you put them on in front of the props or just completely replace the props with the blurs? I just wonder how well they fit into the prop hub.  I'll add both of you guys to the group build in a bit. :) Thanks for joining us. avadon, you cut off the whole prop, then drill small holes in the hub. You insert the ends of the propblurs into the holes

Ahh.. I was wondering how that was done. That makes sense. I am just surprised at how excellent they look in pictures. I kept looking at them going "are they in motion?". Sometimes I have problems with the motors that I put in mine and I hate to have static prop or motor as my only options as I don't like to necessarily motorize everything I make. It's an ingenious design.

raider83 wrote:

Avadon, sign me up with the 1/48 monogram Kingfisher.  Not sure when I'll start, but it will be done in time

Got you added. No rush. You got this summer, winter and spring+summer of next year. Not realy enough seaplane enthusiasts to have a shorter duration build. So hopefully over time we can get a lot of people in here.

OK, I cracked open the box today and after inspecting the contents thought I would post a couple of photos of some of the issues that will need to be dealt with in case anyone else decides to build one. One of the first things I noticed was the rather rough surface finish, rather unusual I thought for a main stream kit, more like what one expects to see on limited run kits. I had two different boxing of the kit but both exhibit the same issue. It seems to be the worst on the fuselage but most of the external surfaces have it so some extent. The panel lines on the fuselage are also very shallow compared to the rest of the kit and may not hold a wash once the surface texture is taken care of and it's primed and painted without rescribing them a bit. There is also a sink mark on the planing surface near the bow on both fuselage halves but a little putty should take care of them.

The worst sink marks are on the wing to fuselage struts, the worst are on the piece in the second photo. Again nothing earth shattering but a good sized crater none the less.

The last issue concerns the fit of the cockpit glazing to the fuselage. The glazing is way over sized. Fortunately Squadron makes a vacuform set for it and it is the correct size, other wise some nasty work would be required.

 Other than that the parts so far seem to fit well and I should have most of the major parts together in a day or so.

ok,here we go.........a glencoe 1/48 republic seabee

this is a pretty basic build with no interior,its totally moulded in hard clear plastic which is not easy to glue up even with super glue!

i've put the basic body wings together because there is going to be alot of seam sanding and filling in certain places.

i gave it an overall coat of what i had in the airbrush at the time just so i could see it properly

bondoman wrote:

Commander Avadon a suggestion; posters should remind the rest of us what the model is: scale and manufacturer- in O'Dogs case a 1/72 Dornier by ?.

 Hey bondoman :) - Old Dog is on on the main page as

 old dog   - 1/72 Do 24T (Italeri)

Here's my little SOC-3 that I'm about to finish for the NAW GB, and she's a fun kit: Hasegawa 1/72.

kenjitak wrote:

All you water wings and float afficionados here's an interesting conversion I think you'll appreciate from the Pikes Peak Model Expo put on by Centennial IPMS of Colorado Springs, Colorado June 7, 2008.     I don't know if she's a plane or not; She's certainly amphibious! For more go here: http://www.centennialipms.org/

 This makes my day :D :D

Hello Here are some pics of my pete.  Sorry no in progress pics, but built this while on vac, and had some computer issues. but here they are let me know what you think.

Jason

Thanks I used flyfishing tippet for the rigging.  Yes they are a little loose, but considering this was my first try ever at a biplane, I am happy with the way it came out.

Jason

jay12472 wrote:

Thanks I used flyfishing tippet for the rigging.  Yes they are a little loose, but considering this was my first try ever at a biplane, I am happy with the way it came out. Jason

 Looks really good! I added a link on the opening post to your page here. I'll probably try to get (as suggested) little small pics in the build roster of each aircraft, but i'm wondering if it's going to make the formatting of that list look really off.

I would imagine getting that rigging tight is probably between difficult and impossible. I probably would have cheated and just use metal piano wire hehe :) It's nice and stiff and gives the illusion.

Did you decide to fade in your airbrusing on the struts or is that the authentic look?

Keep the aircraft coming and anyone who wants to join feel free to at anytime and you can even PM me with your model for the roster if you like.

I got a little time to do some work on my seaplane. It's a Savoia S.21 from Miyazaki's animated feature "Porco Rosso" This is an OOB effort so all the detailing is painted on. It's a great kit of a fun subject.

Thanks Avadon I fade it in. It should be a hard edge but I liked it this way.

Ken that is coming along very nice. 

Jason

I wouldn't mind joining, but I've got too many irons in the fire right now.  I've been wanting to build a Sea Dart for a while, but that means the Mach 2 kit

Here's my version of Porco Rosso's Savoia S.21. It's a 1/48 kit by FineMolds. It's a really fun kit to build, with very nicely engineered design and moldings. Hope you like it.

very nicely done.

Jason

Hi all,

It's been ages since I looked back, and it's great to see some models coming together.

12wings -- I can verify the paintscheme, a Black Cat PBY was on display at Avalon Airshow here in Aus in, oh, 2005 I think, and despite having just come through refurbishment it was painted dead black (looked a bit scruffy and disappointing, as a matter of fact). The only splash of colour was the giant Shell oil sponsor's logo on the fuselage. Your Cat looks absolutely superb, the weathering really makes it, and the wake diorama is amazing!

Bondo -- the SOC-3 is a lil work of art, well done!

Jason -- the Pete is looking fab, biplanes can be intimidating and you've really pulled this one off!

Ken -- LOVE the gloss scarlet finish on the Savoia!

Avadon -- I finally know what I'm going to build. It arrived in the mail yesterday -- Trumpeter's 1:72 Antonov An-2 on floats, a nicely engineered kit with recessed panel lines and no flash. It's a big, sturdy biplane and the markings options inclide a green-over-gray Polish machine or a gloss sky blue Soviet Navy bird with red and yellow markings. I'll definitely be doing the latter! She'll get rigged, panel-washed and glossed,and should be a real looker when she's done.

Thanks for the extended finish time also, that means an extra entry or two next year: I just missed a Glencoe 1:50 US Navy seaplane from the yellow wings era on eBay last week, that would have made an excellent entry.

I'll post some shots of the Antonov's box and parts soon.

Best wishes,

Mike/TB379

SERIOUSLY beautiful seaplane kenjitak  

Thunderbolt379 wrote:

Avadon -- I finally know what I'm going to build. It arrived in the mail yesterday -- Trumpeter's 1:72 Antonov An-2 on floats, a nicely engineered kit with recessed panel lines and no flash. It's a big, sturdy biplane and the markings options inclide a green-over-gray Polish machine or a gloss sky blue Soviet Navy bird with red and yellow markings. I'll definitely be doing the latter! She'll get rigged, panel-washed and glossed,and should be a real looker when she's done. Mike/TB379

your all set mike ;')

Hi all,

As promised, here's a first look at the Antonov:

" border="0" />

She looks like she'll build well, if the parts fit is good they certainly look good on the sprue:

" border="0" />

I'm hoping to make a start today, probably the wings, as there's internal painting to do for the fuselage.

The Soviet Navy bird is quoted as wearing a color approximated by Gunze #34 for her overall blue, so I can check the shade in town. The side of the box shows a very bright blue indeed -- we'll see how it comes out, as I fancy something bright and showy,even if it's not absolutely historically accurate, though a military aircraft wearing non-camouflage colors sounds like a show-pony anyway.

Cheers,

Mike/TB379

ADDENDUM

First build report: I got started on the kit today and here's the first afternoon's input.

" border="0" />

First impressions: The Chinese plastic, as usual, isn't too enthusiastic about reacting with superglue. The panel lines, while recessed, are curiously amateurish, of uneven depth, and here and there they 'go over the lines' as if set up by a technician who didn't quite know what he was doing. Tamiya's computerised mlling machines spoil us, yes, but all the same a greater expertise could be wished for.

The outer edges of the floats were marred by vertical striations and I checked my references at once to see if they were supposed to be a weld seam (that's what they looked like) but nothing is visible. In any case, the floats would be made of marine-grade aluminium, and argon-welds are unlikely to look like German tank (flash) welds... I sanded them away and attempted to rescribe panel lines lost under the roughness.

The plastic both scratches at the slightest whif of a sharp point, and doesn't like to be scribed, paradoxical as that is! I'll decide later what to do about these details, possibly sand back smooth and ignore them.

That's where I am, I'll post as I go I don't know how quick I can be as I have far too many kits on my bench at this time!

Cheers,

Mike/TB379

Thunder thanks for the kind words

Yours looks like it will be interesting when done.

I've gotten the decals on and a wash done.

Jason

'

Excellent work, Jason -- biplans are always fiddly, and you've rigged and finished this one to a very nice standard.

I'm leaving mine alone for a bit, resting my weary craftsmanship on a nice, friendly Tamiya 109 for the BoB GB. I'll get back to the Colt when I'm ready to tackle the fact the entire lower wing-to-fuselage juncture needs to be re-engineered. It's like they didn't bother to measure a thing, just molded something that looked close. I need to grind away a lot of plastic to get the parts to align at all. The kit is dated 1998, that was before Trumpeter became a 'serious' model company (and doubled the price of their products), so maybe slip-shod engineering is to be expected. Hey-ho, it was cheap.

Also, the Gunze H34 Sky Blue they recommended was unavailable here, it's in the laquer range and my LHS doesn't carry it. But I found Tamiya's gloss Sky Blue acrylic and it looks pretty close, so that lines up the paint.

Cheers,

Mike/TB379

Wow that really came together Jay, very nice!

thank you both very much

Jason

jay12472 wrote:

Thunder thanks for the kind words Yours looks like it will be interesting when done. I've gotten the decals on and a wash done. Jason

Nice job Jason!

Mike, that'sa very interesting looking plane, looking forward to seeing more about that one.

Oh and thanks for all the nice comments everyone!

bondo, and Ken Thank you very much. I had fun with this one

Jason

 Sorry for the intrusion , I was going to join but saw Scottrc has claimed the 1/48 Grumman Goose. I just finished one up and think it turned out pretty well. Want to post a few pics and warn Scott that this is no shake and bake kit. Actually it looked easy but wasn't really. A weekender kit it ain't. Well here are some pics let me know what you think. Thanks!

 I have quite a few work in progress pics if you'd like to see them. Love this scheme but you really need some sun glasses  to stand it!  Night fellows, searching for that Bondoman fellow.

Very nicley done. I too like the colors

Jason

sfcmac wrote:

Sorry for the intrusion , I was going to join but saw Scottrc has claimed the 1/48 Grumman Goose. I just finished one up and think it turned out pretty well. Want to post a few pics and warn Scott that this is no shake and bake kit. Actually it looked easy but wasn't really. A weekender kit it ain't. Well here are some pics let me know what you think. Thanks!  I have quite a few work in progress pics if you'd like to see them. Love this scheme but you really need some sun glasses  to stand it!  Night fellows, searching for that Bondoman fellow.

Wow that is one cool looking paaint job was it tough at all?

Hi all,

It's been a long time since I posted, but I have a little progress on the Colt -- I painted the cockpit today. Here's the evidence:

" border="0" />

The cockpit is an unspecified light blue, and as I had a spray touchup to do on my Bf 109 for Battle of Britain GB I decided I might as well use RLM 65, which looks pretty close to the blue in my An-2 photo references. Now I have to wrestle with my impulse to scratchbuild the missing centre console before I can get everything into place and close the fusleage.

Cheers,

Mike/TB379

Wasn't even aware of this when I started my Kingfisher Dio back in August... It's still under contrustion though, any chance of getting in? This is where I'm at with it..

avadon wrote:

Yes I believe both of you are now in the list. What scale is that kingfisher. Looks like its coming along good. Did you actualy glue it into the sea before you airbrushed the aicraft? That sounds like a lot of masking?

 Oh nevermind that was a dumb question. This late at night with my tired eyes I couldn't tell the difference between out of the box grey and that light blue lol

Hans, mine will be similar to yours, but will have several differences. I'll probably drop the flaps and i'm using a resin cockpit. I'm going to do the water different too. Is that the Verlinden life raft? I was going to use that too, but have both aviators in it.

Yeah, that's the Verlinden raft...I'll have a total of five figures on the bird and in the raft when I get done... The dio is going to be based on Eddie Rickenbacker's rescue from his book, "Seven Came Through"... 

I left the flaps up, since I think that'd probably be the way that they'd be positioned if someone were to get out on the wing.. Also, and you can't see it here, the ailerons droop slighty, acting as auxillary flaps on the Kingfisher...  I may make that feature more pronounced, haven't decided yet...

avadon wrote:

What scale is that kingfisher. Looks like its coming along good. Did you actualy glue it into the sea before you airbrushed the aicraft? That sounds like a lot of masking?

Nope, it's sitting free at this time, I'll secure it later on... It's the Monogram 1/48th Kingfisher and I painted the innital blue/grey colors with rattle-cans of Model Master Intermediate Blue and Camouflage Grey, FS 35164 and FS 36622, respectively.  The cowl was cut off and I installed open cowl flaps made from strip styrene, and added another strip around the inside of the cowl in order to glue it back on the fusealge...  The pilot's seat-pan was cut out in order to make the modified pilot fit better into it, and I also cut off the main float for painting, then re-attached it by drilling matching holes in the fuselage and then the float mounts, inserting a piece of styrene rod for a mounting pin in each one.  The rear cockpit isn't going to get a lot of detail as there will be a figure in it lying prone across the deck to represent COL Hans Anderson, the sickest of the three survivors, Rickenbacker on the right wing and Bartek being in the raft... 

raider83 wrote:

Anyone still in this GB? Anyways, I finally started my Kingfisher. It will take some work, but I think I can make it look good.

Yeah, mine is still alive. I had a bad NMF experience on another kit which put me off of my build for this for awhile. I got a couple of other builds wrapped up to make some room and just picked up the Boeing 314 again, will post some pics when the paint dries.

I just saw Porco Rosso.. you guys should see it. Pretty cool if you like animation/cartoons.  :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porco_Rosso

Well this stinks. I had an airplane death :(

 I was drying one of the last yellow coats on my DeHavilland Beaver when it fell from the clip that was holding it up near the ceiling. It fell, smacked the pavement, broke the prop, both wings, and screwed up the paint. It was enough for me to say forget it and just scrap the aircraft. Sad day! Oh well, I have till the deadline. Hopefully I can get another seaplane rocking by then. Anyway I did take progress pics up until its death and you can see those. This kit is not bad, it's big 1/24'th but the parting lines are fairly noticable and it doesn't have a cockpit. But if you like a big seaplane this is a decent kit.

and here is it's inevitable ending in the trash. To bad it would have made a good model albeit fairly big sitting next to my standard 1/32 aircraft. As you can see I motorized it, put a switch in, and a small battery pack (two AAA's)

Revive the Beaver; all good bushplanes have flaws.

Anyone remember the movie "Never Cry Wolf"?

Best bushpilot movie ever.

I've got a few coming, and here's my last one:

Thanks much. it's 1/72 Hasegawa, and at that scale measures 22" across the wings!

I am working on a whole bunch right now. I may not peel one off yet for this GB, but I'll do crossovers.

avadon wrote:

I just saw Porco Rosso.. you guys should see it. Pretty cool if you like animation/cartoons.  :) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porco_Rosso

avadon wrote:

Just a little reminder, there is only about 6.5 months left for this group build and we know how time flies. Don't miss out. Everyone should try to get at least one seaplane in on this build. Remember the Seaplane championship of the universe is at stake here :P

ahhh.............

glad you reminded me,i've just dug out my republic seabee............time for a serious amount of sanding on the seams

I didn't realize we have an extension! Well, I've got a Revell "boxscale" Martin P6M SeaMaster multijet attack seaplane that I'd like to try to build before the end of this GB.

You guys have done some great stuff while I wasn't looking! Aren't seaplanes wonderful? Maybe they'll get some to use against those Somali pirates. Sort of a modern day Porco Rosso!

Kenjitak -- I have that old Seamaster kit too, somewhere in my stash, so I'd be very interested to see it go together! I've often thought it would be a good starting place to measure up, correct errors against research info and build her from scratch at a decent size. Of course, I'd need a spare year of evenings...

I'll be glad to get that An-2 on floats done and a decent rigging job done -- one day!

Mike/TB379

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures just in case some of youngsters might not know what a P6M SeaMaster is:

Needless to say this kit has raised detail and lots of rivets! And just in case you weren't sure where the decals should go they molded outlines of most of the markings. I'm tempted to leave that all there and do it as I would've back in the day. What do you think?

Argh! Sand it all away, sand it all away! Rescribe the major panel lines only and ignore the rivets, they'd be invisible at this scale! There, that feels better... I have the History Makers photo-box edition. Wow, that is some impressive aircraft... What a tragedy she was cancelled when the program was already so far along (16 aircraft delivered, IIRC). I've been fascinated by this plane for the last 25 years.

Mike

IIRC her mission was to lurk on the sea, undetected as a nuclear deterrent, and if/when called for, launch and go strike, after chucking out the sandwich wrappers, of course. Rendered obsolete by satellite intel.

Sand it down but the rivets and lines'll still show which is a good thing. There's some vidies around of the beast taking off, try Youtube.

Kenjitak, I had never heard of a P6M SeaMaster until know. I love those inlets ontop of the wings. So when this thing would strike, was it's payload nuclear?

(yes we have till Oct 01, but i'm thinking be prepared to have finished all models at or around mid september and probably not decide to build a model after about mid to late august unless your extremely fast.)

She's a beauty! Great photos too!

When I grow up I wanna be just like Billy Bondo!

hEY ALL...IS IT TOO LATE TO JOIN???

I AM STARTING A TAMIYA 1/48TH SEIRAN AND AS A SEAPLANE FAN I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN UP!!

CARLOS

carsanab wrote:

hEY ALL...IS IT TOO LATE TO JOIN???   I AM STARTING A TAMIYA 1/48TH SEIRAN AND AS A SEAPLANE FAN I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN UP!!   CARLOS

Nope, not to late.. you have till october 1'st. I will put you down on the list :)

Hi all,

Was August 2nd the last activity on this GB? I just checked back and found the end date had come and gone -- there was no way I was ever going to get the time to do the Trumpeter AN-2, sadly, just too many things happening. I have been rifling my stash today and came across a Hasegawa N1K1, the sort of project I could probably knock out quick, but not by midnight!

This was a great idea for a GB and attracted some good work, it's a pity it's not been one of the more active builds (yeah, right, I need talk!)

Cheers,

Mike

Sorry I didn't get back here sooner. Yes Oct, 01 was the cut off. We ran this build for over a year. It's kind of hard to generate interest in seaplanes, but thanks to everyone who participated, regardless if you finished your aircraft or not. All of the models looked great and those still in completion, feel free to post here after you complete them. After all google searches will still turn up this thread even if it's buried. 

 Now onto the seaplane grand champion-master of the universe

**************Drum Roll**************

 (Opens envelope)

Ladies and Gentlemen it is a two way tie between..

Bondoman and 12wings for those impressive PBY-Catalina's, boy did they look great.

Wow, I forgot about this one.

Kind of ironic too because I've got 4 seaplanes and a float equipped helicopter in progress.

Aaronw wrote:

Wow, I forgot about this one. Kind of ironic too because I've got 4 seaplanes and a float equipped helicopter in progress.

Sorry guy, I even have a few float planes in my stash left but I couldn't really see running this GB longer then almost 1.5 years. If there is enough people interested though maybe we can make another one sometime.

Nope, not asking for an extension, just forgot about it. I would have thought it would have done better being an interesting subject but these things happen.

Avadon- create Seaplane II. It's a win for most GB's if they roll over. After all there have been collected a group of folks who have a common interest!

In my stash: Martin Marlin, Martin Mariner, and an "Emily".

Here's my most recent build:

Finished- the Matchbox 1/72 Supermarine Stranraer. All OOB except for a set of exquisite Lewis guns from Ivan at ukmodels. Humbrol paints, including "shadow effect" of the lower wing.

Superb work, Bondo! I've long looked at this beast and thought it would be a real challenge. I got a few photos of the real one at Hendon, she was a huge piece of hardware, that upper wing was a towering structure.

If we go for Seaplanes II I'll definitely pull out the stops and take part properly this time, with an N1K1, by either Hasegawa or Tamiya, and maybe a Zero floatplane. I might even get around to the An-2 as well!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Beautiful ship Bondoman. That rigging is impressive. Do I even want to know how long that took. Eee-gads! lol :) Really, you have some serious talent! You need to work for the movies!

I wouldn't mind making a seaplanes II or even just continuing this thread as it's still rather in it's infancy. But if were going for a new GB, then probably someone like Bondo should take it, as he's prolly here more often then i am. There are times when I can't be here to much, even up to a week or two without logging in because of my work. I am a welder/fabricator and i own my own company and so when things get really busy alot of the fun hobbies go by the wayside unfortunately. I'm up for doing whatever you guys want. If you want to start a new thread i'll even help photoshop some sweet graphix for it. If you want to continue here I can even change the logo's. Thoughts?

Well I'd join another one. I'd have to see what I have though.

Bondo, that is incredible Stranraer. Looks better than the one I built. Awesome job man, and I love how you photographed it with the water in the background too. Brilliant!

Thank you very much. No GB hosting for me, just a builder. About three months of once a week at 4 hours. The big breakthrough here was using Humbrol paints for the Coastal Command color scheme, and in particular the one step down in colors for the lower wing, the so-called "shadow effect". And the invest cast brass Lewis guns at $ 4 each worked for me. I used .010 brass wire for rigging; way too thick. I'll look for a better solution on the Heyford. Thanks to Chris Hall. I photocopied the camo pattern and replicated it with blue tape; thought about a "soft" edge butdecided ot didn't make sense at 1/72.

Here's a link to my lateist:

A solid weekend of work has the two Seagulls finished for the USS San Francisco. I'll save you the "fits on a penny" shot, but these a/c are small. Tom's PE set came with one set of interplane struts, luckily two propellers, so everything else is from scratch with .010 wire.Pretty so-so.

Hans Von Hammer thank you for the paint mix, I like it.

Now, eight 5" guns.

Max...and all....looking thru I noticed that at some time I asked to join the GB...and sorry I seemed to have lost track of this GB I've been busy with others...Oh well no excuses.... I said I would build a Seiran...wel I did...and also a Rufe

Heres a pic and a link to the Seiran....this was a fun kit....decals bit the big one though,,,

/forums/30/1148739/ShowPost.aspx#1148739

and the Rufe..This is the Hasegawa 1/48 kit....had a little extra fun with this one..see second link

/forums/55/1148739/ShowPost.aspx#1148739

/forums/56/1148739/ShowPost.aspx#1148739

Oh and Bondoman...great idea of the pics with the bay in the backround....really bring out that great looking Floatie!!!