The home of gnomemeansgnome

[Lone Modeller]

Both warships are extremely impressive. The flying thingie even more so!

[skypirate]

Eye-popping!
Love it! (them!)

David

[Softscience]

Your airship is really really cool. Will there be another set of masts and sails below?

[gnomemeansgnome]

Interesting notion but I have tinkered with the over/under setup on an earlier project (see the aero-dreadnought 'Process' on my flickr page) and I have found that is not a build and paint and handling-friendly setup. So to me it is pretty much done for now. I have some similiar ideas for future projects though, so I may explore that configuration. In the meantime, back to the Bell P-59!

[Morlock]

Very Steam Punk. Looks good.

[gnomemeansgnome]

Cheers Morlock.

[gnomemeansgnome]

Okeeeee……back to the Airacomet inspite of all that ridiculously sunny weather or whatever that is outside. Dry fit with painter’s tape to help give a very sketchy approximation of the aircraft’s profile. Clearly a lot more surgery needed, or ‘fettling’ as many folks here prefer. I have assembled various bits from spares to fill in the office space and the nosewheel/ tub as well. Baby steps, folks, baby steps. Loud music, beer and various summer shenanigans are merciless distractions!

[Stuart]

Eeek! That looks like fun - is it a Vacform kit?

[gnomemeansgnome]

Yes it is a RAREjets vacuform kit (one of their earliest I am led to understand) I picked up from a local vendor. It's pretty basic (no cockpit, nosewheel tub, exhaust cans or decals) and needs a lot of sanding and dry fitting as you can see. The Fulmar was an easier build. Much more futzing with the fuselage/wing fit to be done. And I also forgot to bring some lead for the nose, so that will set me back a spell too. The only other Bell P-59 kit in 1:72 that I know of is the AModel kit but I haven't seen one in a while and they can be pricey. This little artifact only cost me a tenner. The balance in price is offset by the work involved I will wrangle it into shape eventually. I also have a couple of other kits I brought with me to amuse myself while out of town, including that stalled contraprop FROG/Revell Do-335 that I have a cunning plan for, once I manage to force myself through a lot of futzing on it as well. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew with these two.

[Lone Modeller]

That looks like an interesting project. Lots of opportunities to make parts and improve on what is there - and you are making a first class job too.

[gnomemeansgnome]

So what do I do when I get bogged down on a project or lose interest for a spell because it starts to look suspiciously like actual work? Start another, obviously. I eventually return to most of the Shelf of Shame contestants so it’s all good right? This is a second hand twofer I found hella dirt cheap at a Sally Ann charity shop. It screamed “Dogfight Double” to me. Plus I will spend next to no time getting ocd about either of them. I have cleaned the parts up and sanded little burrs off here and there and some surfacer has gone down to expedite getting to their respective paint schemes. The Corsair is gonna need its exhausts fixed but other than that it will be very fast and simple (he said hopefully)……

[iggie]

Lovely work on Iron Duke, and Hyperion is simply fantastic and as I commented in its own thread it looks like something Roger Dean or his contemporaries would have dreamt up!

[Impisi]

Hey, this vac kit of the Airacomet promises alot of fun. not? Well, the other two do look good and look like some easy ones.

[gnomemeansgnome]

Thanks Jim, much appreciated! And yes Martin that is exactly why I took the snaptite pair out of the ready stash. They’ll go together in a flash and then I can spend time on their paint schemes instead. I need to wrap my brain around how to proceed with the Airacomet. The plastic is old and brittle, particularly where the exhaust cans are supposed to be. And then there’s the damnable fit between the fuselage and the wings to consider as well.

[gnomemeansgnome]

Dunno about you guys but it’s when I finally get the fuselage buttoned up that I feel like I am finally getting somewhere.


Also, just because it is a snaptite kit doesn’t mean it’s a pushover trying to get the seams right so there’s not much sanding and/or filling. As I said I want this pair of kits to be no-brainer shake and bakers.