SEAPLANES & AMPHIBIANS Official Group Build May 08-09

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:

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

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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.

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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

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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.