THE BIRDS (all things bird model related!)

[Kevin WS]

Nice start johnny. And you are spot on - the expression is very Muppet!

I am back in town now - heard a bee Eater, but did not see it. Saw a secretary bird though!

[JohnM]

Originally Posted by SCEtoAUX

Here are the Birdmobile robin and kingfisher. Sure are some small birds for being lifesize.

In UK both of these birds are smaller than a sparrow.

Johnny.

[JohnM]

The Eagle continued ...

After gluing the body blocks together, knowing that others have had trouble with the wing sockets, I decided to jump forward a few pages and complete the skeleton before dressing it.



The wing connectors can be put in any one of four ways, so the wing position can be like this ...



or like this ...



Or like this ...



or like this ...



or even like this ...



I don't know yet whether these positions are meant to be variable options or not, but I suppose it will become obvious as the feathers go on. Perhaps the wings are detachable for transit, like the Osprey.

Johnny.

[JohnM]

OK, back on track now with page four completed.

The body is now almost fully clothed ...





Well maybe not ... there's loads more body feathers on page five. See ya tomorrow.

Keep on snippin'

Johnny.

[SCEtoAUX]

Hah, wing posit 5 looks like a Tony Manero pose.

The eagle looks to be coming along quite well. I have seen bald eagles in the wild. Thems is some big birds.


A few months ago after I had finished the European robin I looked up the size to see if the model is indeed lifesize. Indeed it is.

[Vermin_King]

Originally Posted by SCEtoAUX

Hah, wing posit 5 looks like a Tony Manero pose.

I thought of a synchronized swimmer ...
Epson - Exceed Your Vision

[JohnM]

Tony Manero ? I had to google that one, but I see what you mean.

Amazin' what you learn here innit! I followed that Epson link from VK and Chrome offered to translate it from Chinese (Han) into English. I've been using Epson printers for years, but never realized they were a Chinese firm. I always thought they were Japanese or Korean. Or maybe Koreans use Han ???

The Epson Olympic figures are very good too. Not for me, but I'm surprised I've never seen them before.

Back to more serious issues ... I can see where the weak spot will be in the wing joints. Although intricately shaped, the connectors are still basically little boxes and easily crushed. I need to find some sort of substance to inject into them that will set hard. I first thought of builders filler foam, like I have previously used to fill cartoon figures. It makes them a lot sturdier for children to handle but I don't think that would would be strong enough in this case. Substituting a straight piece of square wooden rod would be ideal, but it wouldn't make a very interesting wing angle.

Anyone got any suggestions?

Johnny.

[rickstef]

Originally Posted by JohnM

The Eagle continued ...

After gluing the body blocks together, knowing that others have had trouble with the wing sockets, I decided to jump forward a few pages and complete the skeleton before dressing it.



I don't know yet whether these positions are meant to be variable options or not, but I suppose it will become obvious as the feathers go on. Perhaps the wings are detachable for transit, like the Osprey.

Johnny.

I kept my connectors loose, so I can remove the wings and store them easily for transport

[JohnM]

Originally Posted by rickstef

I kept my connectors loose, so I can remove the wings and store them easily for transport

Have you experimented with the connectors in different positions Rick, or does the feather arrangement not allow this?

I'm toying with the idea of re-making the connectors in box wood or balsa, but first I'm looking for some sort of resin that can be injected in to fill the original paper ones.

Johnny.

[rickstef]

i glued the connectors to give the wings the position like you have in the 4th picture showing the position
i think the instructions only show the 4th wing position, no others suggested

I stuffed my connectors with thin toilet paper