Spaceowl's Roost

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Spaceowl
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Joined: July 1st, 2011, 8:41 am
Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

Last leg:

Image

Not much left to do now - a little bit of touching up the paintwork and putting on the few remaining bits including the underwing stores. I'll be glad to see the back of this one, to be honest. It's taken forever to get this far.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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gnomemeansgnome
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Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by gnomemeansgnome »

Sweet Saigon Spad.
Ego no habeo consilium.

ICBM = Insatiable Collector and Builder of Models
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Old_Tonto
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Joined: May 1st, 2011, 7:41 pm
Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples Republic of Teesside.

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Old_Tonto »

Lovely jubly.
2023 - A:0 B:0 C:0
Current Projects:
East German Air Force (1956-90)
South African Air Force (1958-93)
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jssel
Still crazy after all these years
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Joined: April 5th, 2011, 3:42 pm

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by jssel »

Now that is so sweet.
Besting 60 years of mediocre building of average kits in the stand off scale
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Spaceowl
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Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

The Skyraider is now complete and the finished kit is up on Aviation Modelling. Now I'm going back to the Congo project for my next build, another F-86, this time of the Ethiopian AF UN contingent.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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Spaceowl
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Joined: July 1st, 2011, 8:41 am
Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

Here's the thing about Skyraiders - you can't just make one :-D .

Image

This is the Hobbycraft of Canada kit from 1993, and I would describe it as being somewhere between the Airfix/Monogram and the Hasegawa ones in terms of complexity/general overall niceness. So far, I've drilled out the moulded-in engine (which wasn't very nice) and replaced it with an Aires resin one; fortunately lots of US aircraft of the time used B-29 engines.
The cockpit set up was a bit cartoony so I've scratched new side walls, built up sides to the seat and added a bit of etched brass from an Eduard fret for the Hasegawa kit, which although for a different cockpit layout isn't a bad fit.
The only problem is making the complex Douglas control yoke - does anyone have one in the spares box?
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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Spaceowl
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Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

Well, the office is installed:

Image

Sorry the photo is a bit blurry but I'm working against the technology here. As you can also see, the new engine is in the cowling. It's all a bit tight up front, but at least it all fits, and at least something more will be visibly there when I close up. It seems like a very cramped cockpit compared with the multi-seater Spad.

This is the colour scheme I have in mind, taken from the Carpena decal sheet:

Image

I love this one, especially for the tiger-stripe band around the rear fuselage. Tiger-stripe makes everything look gloriously tacky except, for some strange reason, tigers. :lol:
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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Spaceowl
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Joined: July 1st, 2011, 8:41 am
Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

After four hours of work, here we are:

Image

There was a nasty slip of about 0.5mm between the two fuselage halves that accounted for a couple of those hours - finally paring down with scalpel and blending in with 400 grit. I also moved the seat back a few mm so it's flush with the cockpit opening as it should be. However, I'm going to have to scratchbuild the canopy actuator as there is absolutely nothing for it in the box, an odd decision, Hobbycraft of Canada, as it is so incredibly visible back there. Luckily it doesn't look too hard to make one.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
ShaunW
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Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by ShaunW »

It's good to see another Skyraider on the go, Spaceowl. The cockpit is indeed very cramped looking for an aircraft of the Skyraider's size - it ain't that small for a single-seater piston powered machine.
Doing - Tamiya 1/35th Universal Carrier.

Work is the curse of the modelling classes!
IPMS#12300
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Spaceowl
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Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

Everything together and almost ready for painting now:

Image

Pieced a canopy actuator together from scrap plastic and fine fusewire - while not aftermarket standard it will do to fill the rear canopy. As a warning to anyone buying this kit, the fit is extremely sketchy. Got a lot of filling and sanding to do before painting can go ahead.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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gnomemeansgnome
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Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by gnomemeansgnome »

Nice work so far, and thanks for the head's up on the build challenges... Some local craigs liszt seller has one of these for sale and I was kinda tempted, though I have a Tsukuda SPAD in the ready stash already.
Ego no habeo consilium.

ICBM = Insatiable Collector and Builder of Models
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Spaceowl
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Posts: 1081
Joined: July 1st, 2011, 8:41 am
Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

gnomemeansgnome wrote: I have a Tsukuda SPAD in the ready stash already.
It's the same kit, GMG. Tsukuda reboxed it in the early 2000s, according to Scalemates.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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Spaceowl
Modelling Gent and Scholar
Posts: 1081
Joined: July 1st, 2011, 8:41 am
Location: Middlesbrough, Peoples' Republic of Teesside

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Spaceowl »

Just a quick update tonight:

Image

Masked up and undercoated, ready for pre-shading and painting.
Overhead a rainbow appears...in black and white.

Current Projects:
Aircraft of VMA-542, USMC
Peru-Ecuador War 1995
THK 1939-2023
Polish Air Force 1939
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skypirate
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Joined: May 1st, 2011, 6:13 am
Location: Port Macquarie, Australia

Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by skypirate »

Another great choice on the bench!
Nice work!

David
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Old_Tonto
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Re: Spaceowl's Roost

Post by Old_Tonto »

Wow that is looking very sharp just in the undercoat. Excellent bodging in the office too but you are correct, it does look very cramp after the multi-seat varient.
I love that scheme too. I think I have it somewhere on an old Esci sheet so if your Carpena decals explode I'll see if I can find them.

How is the Sabre build going?
2023 - A:0 B:0 C:0
Current Projects:
East German Air Force (1956-90)
South African Air Force (1958-93)
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