The Blueberry-Bench

[TobyC]

I read it as Marnie on the rear and thought that's an odd name for a jet

One too many gins?

Ooh no. Not had gin since a rather unfortunate incident with a Black Maria and two policeman in Hampton Court when I was 15

[AndrewR]

That's looking very nice.

[Asoka]

The F-5 is very nice and the Starfighter looks good too, but the canopy looks like it 's the two seat version??
Strange to see Elvis piloting a German Starfighter!

Cheers!
Asoka

[TobyC]

The F-5 is very nice and the Starfighter looks good too, but the canopy looks like it 's the two seat version??
Strange to see Elvis piloting a German Starfighter!

Cheers!
Asoka

I think during his national service he was based in Germany so it may have happened.

[AndrewR]

The F-5 is very nice and the Starfighter looks good too, but the canopy looks like it 's the two seat version??
Strange to see Elvis piloting a German Starfighter!

Cheers!
Asoka

I think during his national service he was based in Germany so it may have happened.

That could only happen in the movies.

Oh, hang on...

[Blueberryruby]

Starfighter looks good too, but the canopy looks like it 's the two seat version??

The whole model is misshapen and lacking detail but I've come to quite like it's uniqueness! Besides it's a little piece of histroy.... who knew that Elvis flew Starfighters... for the West German airforce?!

I was going to finish the model by sticking a stand on it but Mrs Blueberry says that it would look too much like an "ornament" so i'm just going to leave it on it's belly. Besides it means i can now fly it around the garage making jets sounds without the stand getting in the way!

So now that's finished time to move on.....

[Blueberryruby]

For my next trick i shall be sticking some more bits of plastic together and calling it an Airfix English Electric Lighting F.2A 1:72.

Mrs Blueberry brought me this one for Christmas and i'm under strict instructions to make it look "smooth" (whatever she means by that) so wish me luck!





The decal sheet is massive!



I set to work pre-painting as much as i could on the sprue and then put the cockpit together. This model is a "wheels down" version so no Elvis this time.





For a new offering from Airfix i was surprised that they are still not making raising buttons and dials on the instrument panel and instead still relying on decals to give the detail. However i do like the added detail elsewhere in the cockpit, esp the ejector seat handles.

To keep the nose down you have to add 4g in here. I haven't got anything that weighs 4g that can fit in here but i've heard that fishing weights are a good bet so before i can stick everything together i need to find a fishing shop!



I've added the optional refueling probe. the instructions say that you need to drill a 1.0mm hole, i found it had to be 1.6mm. The ends of the winds also don't feel right to me, they look fine here but the two halves don't quite match up in depth. It means that the lower half of the wing sits ever so slightly proud of the upper wing half.



Overall through the level of detail has impressed me, just look at this bit for example. It's going to be completely hidden inside the belly of the beast yet they still shape it and ask for it to be painted a different colour then the rest of the insides.



It's come along much quicker then i thought it would but now it's time for an enforced break as i go off to find 4 grams.....

[BlohmWolf]

That's very kind of Miss-Blueberry to give you a big 1/72 model!


I bought a re-seal pack of fishing weights, barely measuring 2 to 5 mm in length, which in the pack, have a total weight of 50g, with a single one weighing something quite good for it's size. Best part: 75c for it all.

Also, if you have any plasticine, compress it as much as possible, then press it down inside the front of the nose, then fill the remaining areas with weights.

[Blueberryruby]

That's very kind of Miss-Blueberry to give you a big 1/72 model!

She know's it's the scale that all the cool kids use! To be honest i was amazed that she actually got it for me, she's not exactly a fan of this little hobby of ours!

[splash]

I find for nose weights, air gun pellets are quite good you can crush them flat and shape them with a pair of pliers, also you can by a product called "liquid gravity" it comes in a plastic bottle with a poring spout and contains very fine balls of what look like lead, its ideal for things like the Lightings nose as you can pore it in add thin supper glue and it all sets solid.

Regards Splash

[TobyC]

There used to be a fishing tackle shop not far from the Scilly isles roundabout near Esher on the Hampton Court way on the green. If not there's one in Addlestone.

[Blueberryruby]

As a slight diversion from the lightning (and because i have a strange need to have everything that i've done in one thread) here is my Hurricane group build....

http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=268&t=9007

20140331_202202 by Blueberryruby, on Flickr

20140330_205028 by Blueberryruby, on Flickr

[Blueberryruby]

There used to be a fishing tackle shop not far from the Scilly isles roundabout near Esher on the Hampton Court way on the green. If not there's one in Addlestone.

I might have to check that out at the weekend.

air gun pellets are quite good you can crush them flat and shape them with a pair of pliers

I quite like that idea, it seems like you should be able to tuck them away in to all sorts of handy hiding holes and therefore get the weight to fit your model, rather than the other way round!

[splash]

Nice work on the Hurricane, that's looks the Bees knees.

Regards Splash

[BlohmWolf]

Smart looking Hurricane, very flat and smooth finish.