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Model Forum / General / Models / October 2005Best kept secrets of modelling
Anyone got any? ;-) Seriously, is there anything that strikes you when you look at kits at shows or from your own experience, that might apply - some little known tip or what have you. Not looking for Colonel Sanders secret recipe for model building or anything, just wondering if there's something you see that makes you wonder why more people don't do it that way. WmB If I told you mine, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? :-) Peteski > Anyone got any? ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > building or anything, just wondering if there's something you see that makes > you wonder why more people don't do it that way. Actually I do. Hidden right in plain sight. The models you saw? They were FINISHED. You're welcome. E.P. "Sheesh, maybe if I move this stack of kits, I can get to the ones that are started..." There's only one secret to modeling well. Seriously. All other tips and techniques boil down to one simple concept to GREAT modeling. Take your time; never hurry, and always try to do the extra thing to correct errors. Use your time to make sure stuff is aligned, and that seams disappear. Use your time to put on that extra coat of paint that was needed, and to rub it out well. Patience will produce a terrific model. ---Tontoni (I always rush, and you can see it) >Anyone got any? Treat each subassembly as a model in and of itself.  SignatureAl Superczynski, MFE, IPMS/USA #3795, continuous since 1968 My "From" address is munged - click "Reply To" to respond via email. Check out my want lists and eBay listings at "Al's Place": http://www.network54.com/realm/modeleral/ "Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to, and the critics will flame you every time." >> Anyone got any? > > Treat each subassembly as a model in and of itself. There is a lot to be said for this, especially in railway modelling. I have seen many kitbuilt locos where the build quality of the tender is lower than that of the engine itself because the builder has rushed to get the project finished and running on the layout. One method of preventing this is to build the tender first. SignatureEnzo I wear the cheese. It does not wear me. Always sand the moulded name of the manufacturer off the bottom of tanks.......u can loose a lot of points in a competition.......lol The quality of your figures can make or break the quality presentation of your model. Use a large piece of sandpaper on a piece of glass to sand mating surfaces flat before assembly. Almost all kits fit as well as Tamagawa "wunderkits" with this step. It takes a lot less time than filling. > Anyone got any? ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > WmB What an awesome tip! I do that when I build rockets and on wood working projects. I can't believe I never thought to transfer that technique to the plastic genre. Vic > Anyone got any? ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > WmB One thing I am just learning after almost sixty years of modeling- keep your hands clean. If you get glue or anything oily on your hands or fingers, go wash them off with soap and water. In modeling, I am learning, cleanliness is next to godliness :-) Another secret- good lighting. You need a positionable bench light. I use one of those ring magnifiers on a positional stand. It has a large magnifier surrounded by a flourescent light bulb. The positioning arms are spring loaded to make them "weightless" and have adjustable friction adjustments. Yeah, it was pretty pricy (about forty bucks) when I bought it, but they haven't gone up any in the years since I bought it, and it is GREAT for modeling. > Anyone got any? ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > WmB Tools - 1) The Flexi-File. Those that have, know. 2) A dentist's cavity file. Second only to the Flexi. 3) Scotchbrite. For use on anything but canopies - including paint. 4) Scotch tape. For masking canopies. 5) Used Bounce fabric softener sheet. For polishing canopies. 6) Sharpened toothpick. For chasing soft paint on canopies. Or anything else. 7) Watch crystal cement. For gluing on canopies. 8) Berna Assembler clamps. Simply the best, easiest, most efficient to use. Signature- Rufus Tube cement for slow drying. Allows some movement to properly allign pieces such as fuselage halves. Cyanoacrylates such as Super Glue for smaller parts that need little or no allignment. Use Zip Kicker to make an instant bond. Instant adhesives such as Super Glue dries harder than the surrounding styrene plastic so be carefull when filing and sanding. Never use a standard steel file on cast resin. The resulting dust will clog the file and require frequent cleaning. Go to a beauty supply shop and get some four grit sanding sticks. They are cheap and last a decent amount of time. Styrene cement does not work for injection molded kits. Use five minute epoxy for parts that need positioning, cyanoacrylate for the rest. As someone stated earlier, finish a model. When a few uncompleted projects pile up it's time to finish one, not start yet another. On that note I better get back to the Yak-11s project. Tom If you can get it easily, try MekPak liquid cement. It works well on most kit plastic and I've found that canopies don't fog with it. Perhaps I've been lucky but you could try it with a scrap canopy and see how you get on. It's a stronger joint than white PVA or Clearfix. It's the only plastic cement I use now. Gordon McLaughlin > Tube cement for slow drying. Allows some movement to properly allign > pieces such as fuselage halves. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Tom >If you can get it easily, try MekPak liquid cement. It works well on most >kit plastic and I've found that canopies don't fog with it. Perhaps I've [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >> >> Tom I know its some distance but we stock MekPak - and ship it postage free within the UK. David www.sbxmodelshop.co.uk >I know its some distance but we stock MekPak - and ship it postage >free within the UK. > >David >www.sbxmodelshop.co.uk Did you get that, Jules? ;) SignatureAl Superczynski, MFE, IPMS/USA #3795, continuous since 1968 My "From" address is munged - click "Reply To" to respond via email. Check out my want lists and eBay listings at "Al's Place": http://www.network54.com/realm/modeleral/ "Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to, and the critics will flame you every time." And what about "Future"? Great for everything... JR >> Anyone got any? ;-) >> [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > 8) Berna Assembler clamps. Simply the best, easiest, most efficient to > use. > And what about "Future"? Great for everything... Could be. Rumor has it some women have found a use for it on their kitchen and bathroom floors. Sounds like a bit of a stretch though. WmB > > Anyone got any? ;-) > > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > -- > - Rufus The whole realm of women's cosmetics apparatus, which usually exists beyond the radar of male modelers. Tweezers, nippers, sanders, files, adhesives, polishers, buffers, lacquers.... my Happy Day now is when the papers have a coupon for "$1 off any Revlon product". This one should get the Captain Obvious award. When you have a big pile of unbuilts on your shelves, especially if you've been catching some flak. When you head out to the shop to get the new kit you've been waiting for, always plan you trip so at the very least you can sneak the new purchase in the house. > Anyone got any? ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > WmB > This one should get the Captain Obvious award. > > When you have a big pile of unbuilts on your shelves, especially if you've > been catching some flak. When you head out to the shop to get the new kit > you've been waiting for, always plan you trip so at the very least you can > sneak the new purchase in the house. Amen to that! I started out sneaking kits into the house when it was my mom griping about my spending money. Later, after I'd been married awhile I found it necessary to sharpen my skills again. Wow, what a feeling when the wife moved out. I could just walk right in the door with a kit! I guess it was easier for me to sneak kits in than it was for her to sneak men. ;Þ Bill Banaszak, MFE Ya, I'd have to agree there. Kits do tend to be a little more on the quiet side. >> This one should get the Captain Obvious award. >> [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Bill Banaszak, MFE > Anyone got any? ;-) build for yourself and don't feel that you have to compete with the images you see in the modeling mags. It is your hobby first. Craig > Anyone got any? ;-) > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > WmB Funny, I was just thinking about my "best kept secret" and wondering about submitting an article on it to somebody... Here it is: I do not follow the kit instructions. I build a lot of 1/72 WWII fighters (including old kits where the subject can't be found in a new one). The instructions always say (or imply with pictures now-a-days) to glue the wing upper surfaces to the (usually) single "lower surface" and let this dry. Then attach the wing assembly to the fuselage. This leads to errors in the dihedral and major gaps at the wing root. The solution is to attach the wing "tops" to the fuselage FIRST. Make that wing root joint one of the first things you glue. (Yes, it require patience and some skill, but it's not that hard). Align them so the there is no gap, and let the "fuselage and wing tops" assembly cure good and solid. Then, attach this entire structure to the single "wing bottom" part. Now the "bad fit" (if there is any, and I just completed an old Heller kit and a new Italeri kit where the fit was bad) has been "moved" to the area where the forward wing section mates with the lower nose. This is much easier to fill or trim than the wing root. No filling is required at the wing root-- even with an old, old kit! Also, the dihedral will be CORRECT! Try it. >> Anyone got any? ;-) >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Here it is: I do not follow the kit instructions. I suspect a lot of us fall into that category - often times intentionally, as you no doubt are suggesting. > I build a lot of 1/72 WWII fighters (including old kits where the subject > can't be found in a new one). The instructions always say (or imply with [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Try it. That is an interesting out of the box solution (bad pun intended). I can honestly say that never occured to me. Let's get into the "attaching" part - I'm guessing you attach both halves to the fuselage at the same time and flip the whole thing upside down to support the fuselage and set the dihedral??? That does sound like a pretty simple approach. I wonder if any manufacturer ever considered designing a kit this way, with a connecting spar running under the cockpit joining the two upper wing pieces? I don't recall seeing that approach before - Bill, Al, Tom, Timer, anybody... Bueller? I think I'll give your method a shot - probably on an upcoming build over the holidays. Cool idea! WmB >I wonder if any manufacturer ever considered designing a kit this way, with >a connecting spar running under the cockpit joining the two upper wing >pieces? I don't recall seeing that approach before - Bill, Al, Tom, Timer, >anybody... Bueller? There have indeed been kits with functional wing spars but they're usually designed to have a completed wing slid over them on each side. SignatureAl Superczynski, MFE, IPMS/USA #3795, continuous since 1968 My "From" address is munged - click "Reply To" to respond via email. Check out my want lists and eBay listings at "Al's Place": http://www.network54.com/realm/modeleral/ "Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to, and the critics will flame you every time." (snip) > That is an interesting out of the box solution (bad pun intended). I can > honestly say that never occured to me. Let's get into the "attaching" part - [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > WmB Actually, I attach each wing top seperately. With the fuselage sitting on it's belly, the wing will need support to dry at the correct angle. So I pile stuff under the "wing top" to support it until it dries. Here's a step-by-step explanation. First, I set the fuselage down (belly side down) and then set the "wing top" next to it. The next step is to shove "stuff" (paint brush handles, folded post-it notes, razor blades, whatever) under the wing until it is in the position it needs to be in-- with the wing aligned properly with the fuselage. Now "wick" some liquid cement into the joint (I use Micro Weld-- seems to give me more time to work) and do any final adjustments to the whole setup. Allow to dry. (Remember when kit instuctions said that?) Repeat for the other side. Now you have a strong assembly that will actually spread the fuselage slightly to allow for proper dihedral, when the "wing bottom" is attached. I've been experimenting with this approach for a while and I would never go back to the old method. Of course, you need to tailor the technique to your particular project. Super glue can be used, too, but that's an "advanced" skill that's beyond the scope of this course.;) Good luck! > I wonder if any manufacturer ever considered designing a kit this way, with > a connecting spar running under the cockpit joining the two upper wing > pieces? I don't recall seeing that approach before - Bill, Al, Tom, Timer, > anybody... Bueller? Some Accurate Miniatures kits and the Tamiya 1/48 P-47's have a spar. >> I wonder if any manufacturer ever considered designing a kit this way, >> with a connecting spar running under the cockpit joining the two upper >> wing pieces? I don't recall seeing that approach before - Bill, Al, Tom, >> Timer, anybody... Bueller? > > Some Accurate Miniatures kits and the Tamiya 1/48 P-47's have a spar. And wouldn't you know it, I passed on the Tamiya P-47 kit the other day in HL. Of course if I had bought it last week, it would have been another six months (optimistically) before I would have discovered the upper wing sections were mated. ;-) WmB IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. Our MAI Payen Pa.22 doesn't have much in the way of allignment pins and the like. I have built a couple of these and other kits where a stronger wing to fuselage join is needed. I usually use brass rod, especially if it is concealed beneath the floorboards or isn't visible after the fuselage is closed up. Another option for larger models is a stiff sheet metal such as brass used in the same way. The one that I have trouble with is when an aircraft has a lot of glass where the wing attaches such as the Cessna O-1 and Westland Lysander. Tom Lego blocks make great jigs for holdng a model while cement, paint or putty dries. Also great to hold the parts while applying rigging. No one has mentioned the single most important "secret" of scale modelng. If you model naked be aware of the potential damage that a dropped X-Acto knife with a #11 blade can do. Let's say that you only do it once, or so I have been told. :-) Tom Who needs to drop a knife to do some great damage? Probably the best tip I've got is to keep those band-aids close at hand! I've almost come to the conclusion that its not a true model unless you've really put some blood into it! OK, so in some cases a phone with 911 on speed dial might be better! :-) Bob > No one has mentioned the single most important "secret" of scale > modelng. If you model naked be aware of the potential damage that a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Tom > Who needs to drop a knife to do some great damage? Probably the best tip > I've got is to keep those band-aids close at hand! I've almost come to the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > > > Tom If you've got a round handle on your X-acto, glue a piece of anything to it so that it can't roll. --- Tontoni Stephen Tontoni <tontoni@comcast.net> wrote > If you've got a round handle on your X-acto, glue a piece of anything > to it so that it can't roll. > > --- Tontoni Woosy-boy - where's your sense of adventure?? (c; RobG > Stephen Tontoni <tontoni@comcast.net> wrote > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > RobG Grins.. guilty! Well, I remember doing that...but I'm a confirmed scalpel user now. Talk about adventure; there's a tool that'll slice and dice better than any X-acto! --- Tontoni > Well, I remember doing that...but I'm a confirmed scalpel user now. Talk > about adventure; there's a tool that'll slice and dice better than any > X-acto! Heh, I've been using scalpels since I was 12....it helped that dad was a surgeon and brought them home for free. >> Stephen Tontoni <tontoni@comcast.net> wrote >> > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >--- Tontoni Beware of the instinct to grab when you drop a scalpel, though! David Office supply stores have a solid rubber triangular thingy with a hole through it. The idea is to slide it onto a pencil to keep it from rolling off of the desk. Works great with an X-Acto knfe as well. Dremel tools and air brushes always get knocked off of the table. Screw a cup holder hook to the undersde of the table nearest the edge close to you. The Dremel has a nice hole to hang onto the hook and air brushes can be slung from their air supply hose. Have a small box top (or bottom) handy when painting. Place the opened bottle in the corner. If you knock it over the paint (should) stay in the box. Tom > Dremel tools and air brushes always get knocked off of the table. Screw > a cup holder hook to the undersde of the table nearest the edge close > to you. The Dremel has a nice hole to hang onto the hook and air > brushes can be slung from their air supply hose. I made a "holder" for my airbrush out of coathanger wire that will hold it even with the hose and color cup attached. In fact, I put it in there when filling the color cup. I put my tools on an old serving cart from a yard sale. I then made a cover for it from heavy plastic sheet, which keeps the dust off "between models". KL >> Dremel tools and air brushes always get knocked off of the table. >> Screw a cup holder hook to the undersde of the table nearest the edge [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > KL One of he handy things I use is a Pringle can. I use the lid to put some CA-glue or mix paints on. when it's full you can just flake off the panint/and or glue. The can itself I use as an on-the-desk-miniature-garbage can. All the off cuts, tissues, used blades, you name it go in there. When the can is full, it's probably time to dispose of the lid also, so close the can with it and throw away the lot. Time to open a new can of Pringles!! Dennis > Stephen Tontoni <tontoni@comcast.net> wrote > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > RobG ...found my first X-Acto lying in the street walking home from grade school one day...picked it up, put it in my coat pocket, and continued walking home. I still have the scar... Signature- Rufus > >>If you've got a round handle on your X-acto, glue a piece of anything > >>to it so that it can't roll. > >> > >>--- Tontoni > > Woosy-boy - where's your sense of adventure?? (c; > > > > RobG > ...found my first X-Acto lying in the street walking home from grade > school one day...picked it up, put it in my coat pocket, and continued [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > -- > - Rufus OUCH! That's the kind of lesson that would last, probably gave your Mother some gray hair as well. I stuck myself with an Exacto bad just once. My Mother said that was the end of the hobby and things got real tense for a while. She finally relented when she found her kitchen knives getting used for carving balsa. Bill Shuey >> >>If you've got a round handle on your X-acto, glue a piece of anything >> >>to it so that it can't roll. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Bill Shuey Greetings Friends! I received my IPMS number and membership kit today so to celebrate I thought I'd share a bit of information that a very good friend put me onto. He introduced me to the newsgroup and IPMS; I had the good fortune to attend the Nationals in ATL with him this summer. The credit for this bit goes to him. He is currently seeking refuge from Wilma, so he most likely won't see this. He introduced me to the pasche H airbrush. Just the thing for a beginner, IMHO. Then he showed me how to save paint, avoid making a mess and how to make airbrush cleanup a snap. These little plastic gizmo's are called "LifeScan Disposable Fine Tip Transfer Pipets." They resemble a "tadpole" in that one end is a closed bulb (like an eye dropper) that terminates with a small opening at the end of a tube about an inch long. In fact, the pipet *is* a miniature eye dropper. The entire bit is approximately one and one fourth inches in length. One simply squeeses the bulb end and draws paint (by suction) through the tube and up into the bulb. Then squeeze the bulb to release the paint directly into the airbrush. No need for a bottle or paint cup. So there is no clean up at all, save the airbrush. Thin the paint as usual, and use the pipet as one would use an eye dropper. It's been my experience that only a few bulbs full will cover most of a 1:48 aircraft and there is NO waste. Flush the airbrush with lacquer thinner or mineral spirits between colors and chase the airbrush with a pipecleaner soaked with the appropriate solvent and simply toss the pipet in the trash when finished. Then it's time for the next color and so on. Pipets work with any paint and will hold perhaps one ml (if that) of material to be airbrushed. A box of 500 is less than $20.00. Per unit cost is less than $0.04. (dirt cheap?) Given the cost of paint and cleaning materials (saved) I suspect a box of pipets would easily pay for itself. Pipets can be ordered by your pharmacist and do not require an order from a physician. The NDC number follows: 53885-316-50-010-316. Made by Johnson & Johnson Hospital Products, LifeScan Division, Milpitas, CA. And NO, I don't work for LifeScan/Johnson... But I really like their pipets. If there is interest I can photograph a sample and post on alt.binaries. I hope someone finds this "little secret" useful. I was sold the first time I saw and then used them. Bruce Apple IPMS Newbie #44200 > --- > avast! Antivirus: Inbound message clean. > Virus Database (VPS): 0542-5, 10/21/2005 > Tested on: 10/21/2005 10:58:05 PM > avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software. > http://www.avast.com --- avast! Antivirus: Outbound message clean. Virus Database (VPS): 0542-5, 10/21/2005 Tested on: 10/21/2005 11:40:06 PM avast! - copyright (c) 1988-2005 ALWIL Software. http://www.avast.com Odd things incorporated into kits: The original Monogram B-52 had a device that, when activated, sounded like jet engnes. I don't remember actually hearing one in action, but it sure sounded neat. My favorite was the IMC kits that included replacement parts for battle damage., Tom > Odd things incorporated into kits: > > The original Monogram B-52 had a device that, when activated, sounded > like jet engnes. I don't remember actually hearing one in action, but > it sure sounded neat. As in the idea sounded neat? My first large B-52 had that feature but I never built it. By then I was a 'serious' modeller and wouldn't touch a toylike feature such as that. :) > My favorite was the IMC kits that included replacement parts for battle > damage., Neat idea but I never used any of those either. I always had some other plan for building the kit. It also may be that I liked aircraft shapes too much to deliberately build one 'wounded'. Bill Banaszak, MFE Aurora used to make tanks that had a little periscope fitted to the commanders hatch. When you looked down it there was a colour transparency of the tanks interior. I think they were 1/48th scale, I definately remember a King Tiger. When MPC released a bunch of Airfix kits they included a batch of chrome plated parts, some of which had nothing to do with the subject. They also included custom car style decals for each kit that dd fit the specfic aircraft. It was kind of neat for the kids, although it never really caught on. Tom >When MPC released a bunch of Airfix kits they included a batch of >chrome plated parts, some of which had nothing to do with the subject. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Tom what was the story on those retarded "custom" decals with some ac kits? the ones with the he177 were just plain stupid. did i miss something there? > >When MPC released a bunch of Airfix kits they included a batch of > >chrome plated parts, some of which had nothing to do with the subject. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > some ac kits? the ones with the he177 were just plain > stupid. did i miss something there? Here's something we agree on, E.. they were just plain stupid! grins... --- Tontoni >> >When MPC released a bunch of Airfix kits they included a batch of >> >chrome plated parts, some of which had nothing to do with the subject. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >--- Tontoni i still don't get it. did they think kids would think they were cool and buy them? it's retarded.... > >> >When MPC released a bunch of Airfix kits they included a batch of > >> >chrome plated parts, some of which had nothing to do with the subject. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > i still don't get it. did they think kids would think they > were cool and buy them? it's retarded.... Yep. MPC was hoping that the same 'customising' fever would strike kids with airplanes as car models incited. It never bothered me too much because MPC's decals were trashworthy anyway and the chrome plated parts went into the spares boxes. There are still some there and they have been used over the years. Bill Banaszak, MFE I'm certainly happy that MPC did the chrome parts, especially the P-40 prop spinner. Slightly shortened at the base, the P-40 spinners made perfect spinners for the pair of Yak-11s that I'm doing. They fit the Tracker props with very little tweaking. Never throw anything away. :-) Tom >Lego blocks make great jigs for holdng a model while cement, paint or >putty dries. Also great to hold the parts while applying rigging. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Tom and your fresh, hot cup of coffee will suicide up to 15 feet to hit your lap. > >Lego blocks make great jigs for holdng a model while cement, paint or > >putty dries. Also great to hold the parts while applying rigging. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > and your fresh, hot cup of coffee will suicide up to 15 feet > to hit your lap. ISTR one of our members here had a similar problem with super glue. There's something I wouldn't want to go to the ER with. Bill Banaszak, MFE >> In article <1129701114.472060.315850@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, >> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > >Bill Banaszak, MFE wanna hear some scary stories from my emt days in the 70's? > IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. True - but the wings are seperate assemblies. I was thinking along the lines of where a lot of smaller monoplanes have a single piece for the lower wing and two seperate upper halves, has anyone reversed that; a single upper wing piece (joined by a spar concealed by the fuselage) with two seperate lowers attached after the single upper is mated to the fuselage. Of course single wing pieces (upper or lower) are not practical for big bombers where there are size constraints (press size, box size, etc.). Planes with provisions for folding wings might put you a back to scratch too. It's all a trade off somewhere I suppose. Speaking of fuselage lines, has anyone ever seen a kit with a horizontal seamline along the side of the fuselage instead of the traditional vertical centerline (viewed nose to tail)? Not that I'm advocating that approach. I'm not really sure what you'd gain as opposed to what you'd lose and the technical difficulties you'd encounter; Just curious if a manufacturer ever went off the map with that approach. As a matter of fact, what is the strangest feature incorporated in a kit that you've seen or built. For me, it's those damned rubber tank tracks! As a kid I wondered why they just didn't shoot the blasted things in freaking styrene. WmB Monogram did a 1:48 F-104 G Starfighter split horisontally >> IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > WmB >Monogram did a 1:48 F-104 G Starfighter split horisontally don't forget the revell he 219. love that cheesy little kit. > In article <43565a79$0$9146$edfadb0f@dread15.news.tele.dk>, "VAS > FLSFRH" <vas@flsfrh.svn.dk> wrote: > >>Monogram did a 1:48 F-104 G Starfighter split horisontally >> > don't forget the revell he 219. love that cheesy little kit. And most of the F/A-18s, Su-27s, MiG-29s ets have at least the main fuselage parts as a horizontal split, with the cockpit/nose area in the 'traditional' vertical. And I think (sometimes....) that the old Heller Javelin is horizontal too. RobG > >Monogram did a 1:48 F-104 G Starfighter split horisontally > > > don't forget the revell he 219. love that cheesy little kit. I knew there were some that came that way. IIRC, the 1/50 Heller Etendard kit was laid out that way, too. Bill Banaszak, MFE >> In article <43565a79$0$9146$edfadb0f@dread15.news.tele.dk>, "VAS FLSFRH" >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Bill Banaszak, MFE is the artiplast 1/50 walrus now the smer walrus? there's one on eekbay and they look very samilar. >is the artiplast 1/50 walrus now the smer walrus? >there's one on eekbay and they look very samilar. Yep, it's the same. And, just for you and Milton, I've changed my sig and headers... ;) SignatureAl Superczynski, MFE, IPMS/USA #3795, continuous since 1968 My "From" address is munged - use 'modeleral (at) swbell (dot) net' to respond via email. Check out my want lists and eBay listings at "Al's Place": http://www.network54.com/realm/modeleral/ "Build what YOU like, the way YOU want to, and the critics will flame you every time." > Speaking of fuselage lines, has anyone ever seen a kit with a horizontal > seamline along the side of the fuselage instead of the traditional vertical > centerline (viewed nose to tail)? Not that I'm advocating that approach. I'm > not really sure what you'd gain as opposed to what you'd lose and the > technical difficulties you'd encounter; Just curious if a manufacturer ever > went off the map with that approach. Monogram 1/48 F-100 and it was a PITA to clean that joint up. >> Speaking of fuselage lines, has anyone ever seen a kit with a horizontal >> seamline along the side of the fuselage instead of the traditional vertical [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Monogram 1/48 F-100 and it was a PITA to clean that joint up. Dynavector Sea Vixen Classic Airframes Sea Hawk - front fuselage; rear part standard vertical *time is an enemy* Hasey F-18.... Not too bad though. SignatureRich Cox -------------------------------------------------------------- À la gloire éternelle de l'infanterie... miroite le nommé de RodgerYoung. >> IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > WmB > Hasey F-18.... Not too bad though. Agreed - the top/bottom molding of F/A-18 kits works pretty well...and the later Russian jets in 1/32 from Trumpeter - the Su-27, Mig-29 (as well as Revell's), and most others 1/48 offerings of the same. So does the aft end of any Tomcat kit I've seen...and my Tamiya F-15s. And my 1/32 Revell Toronado. Mold follows form... Signature- Rufus those horizontal seemlines go along way. trumpeter's 1:72 SU-27 most F16 kits I've seen >> IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >WmB >>IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > technical difficulties you'd encounter; Just curious if a manufacturer ever > went off the map with that approach. Yeah - quite a few recent jet kits go together that way, and it works quite nicely, I think. > As a matter of fact, what is the strangest feature incorporated in a kit > that you've seen or built. For me, it's those damned rubber tank tracks! As > a kid I wondered why they just didn't shoot the blasted things in freaking > styrene. > > WmB Hmmnnn...either the "wind-your-own" electric motor, or the rubber-band operated ejection seat I had in a couple of Lindberg kits as I was growing up...the motor was in a Stuka, as I recall...can't think of which kit had the band actuated bang-seat. Signature- Rufus >>Speaking of fuselage lines, has anyone ever seen a kit with a horizontal >>seamline along the side of the fuselage instead of the traditional vertical >>centerline (viewed nose to tail)? Not that I'm advocating that approach. I'm >>not really sure what you'd gain as opposed to what you'd lose and the >>technical difficulties you'd encounter; Just curious if a manufacturer ever >>went off the map with that approach. Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer How about the RenWall tanks with the crewmen who emerged from the hatch when you pushed the gun barrel down and went back when you pushed it up? How about all those Japanese kits of girls with big boobs and little to no clothing. I can't wait to see the array of photo etched private parts that will soon follow to enhance these naughty kits. > How about all those Japanese kits of girls with big boobs and little > to no clothing. I can't wait to see the array of photo etched private > parts that will soon follow to enhance these naughty kits. They ought to be vinyl or RTV rather than PE, for more realism. KL > >>Speaking of fuselage lines, has anyone ever seen a kit with a horizontal > >>seamline along the side of the fuselage instead of the traditional [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer Heck, every Buccaneer that I know of! Bill Banaszak, MFE Why Trumpeter would go through the trouble of casting their instrument panels in clear plastic.....but having holes for the instruments.......with no glass! WTF! SignatureScott A. Bregi "Imagination is more important than knowledge" Albert Einstein Model Building is FUN!.........model building is fun.......model building is ?$#!!*?##!%$?&%$##!! >> >>Speaking of fuselage lines, has anyone ever seen a kit with a >> >>horizontal [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Bill Banaszak, MFE > Why Trumpeter would go through the trouble of casting their instrument > panels in clear plastic.....but having holes for the instruments.......with > no glass! WTF! Aaayyy Men! Bill Shuey Tank tracks with end connectors that connect nothing. I cannot fathom how you make that mistake and then not correct it. I'n talking Mono Lee/Grant, Sherman, even the Patton! And Tamiya Lee/Grant and M3/M5 light tanks. Even Airfix got the tracks right on thier Lee/Grant and that was approximately contemporary. I love the old Monogram kits, I'm trying to buy up all the Pzkw IV variants on eBay. The Lee/Grants and Shermans are there, too. But I won't touch 'em. I did the Grant back in the day. I'd done the Stug IV with the damaged schurzen beautifuly rusted, made crates and bedrolls, even a wire for the TCs headset and the Pzkw IV done reasonably good for a kid, even made a dio of a wrecked house with the Panzer coming through it like in the Shep Paine flyers. I did a nice job on the Grant, even sorta scratchbuilt a breech for the 37MM you could see through the pistol port I'd cut open. Did a great job on the figures, nice little dio of it moving in a marked lane through a minefield. Now I couldn't look at it, the damn tracks would make me crazy. I know as a kid it didn't matter to me, but how can you go to the trouble of getting measurements, etc and blow that? Frank > Tank tracks with end connectors that connect nothing. I cannot fathom how > you make that mistake and then not correct it. I'n talking Mono Lee/Grant, > Sherman, even the Patton! And Tamiya Lee/Grant and M3/M5 light tanks. . . . > I know as a kid it didn't matter to me, but how can you go to the trouble > of > getting measurements, etc and blow that? I'm thinking it was not an error but deliberate. It was probably a case (in Monogram's case) of the vinyl they were using at the time not being flexible enough to bend around the sprockets and wheels closely enough if the thin sections between the blocks were stiffened by end connectors in the correct locations. (Look at Italeri's M107/M110 or Sherman tracks. Correct, but stiff as bandsaw blades.) In the case of Tamiya it was probably a combination of that with weakness of the end connector attachments to the tracks. Because these kits were motorized the sprockets drove the end connectors, so it would matter. The ability of the vinyl compositions to flow in the more intricate "realistic" molds might have been a factor in both cases. KL >> Tank tracks with end connectors that connect nothing. I cannot fathom >> how you make that mistake and then not correct it. I'n talking Mono [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > KL Makes perfect sense. Airfix managed to get it right, though. Funny how that works. > Makes perfect sense. Airfix managed to get it right, though. Funny how > that > works. But were they flexible enough to fit and look right? If not . . . KL > IIRC the huge Monogram B-36 uses a true wing spar through the fuselage. The AMT flying wings had some structure inside too. (snip) > Another option for larger models is a stiff sheet metal such as brass > used in the same way. One of my early attempts at a vacuform employed a spar of sprue. It still came out with crooked wings. Not sure if the roots on the fuselage were at the same height on the fuselage or my spar was skewed. > The one that I have trouble with is when an aircraft has a lot of glass > where the wing attaches such as the Cessna O-1 and Westland Lysander. Same here. I'm mildly concerned about my Pegasus Albacore on that point. Bill Banaszak, MFE |
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