Grumman Bearcat - 1/33 - GPM

[7TP]

Nice and clean.
Engine and prop look so great!

[rockpaperscissor]

I had the same question that the other Don had, but I fear that hand skill is the essential element. "I get a solid center from the start." Hmmm. That's the trick. How to get a solid roll from the start.

I am reminded of a statement made once in this Forum by Golden Bear: "At that point the part just came together in my hand."

We will have to keep practicing and in the meantime admire your skill and talent.

I guess the question is akin to asking Rembrandt how he paints so realistically. The answer would likely be "well, I take this brush, and that paint, and I spread it around on the canvas until it looks realistic."

I too, will keep practicing.

[Erik Zwaan]

That's a very well crafted engine Ricardo. I can't stop thinking of a porcupine when looking at it. Does it revolve? I always like to fit a small brass tube through the center with a ditto metal pin through the prop hub. Spins like crazy if you blow the prop with a hair drier! And of course, it can create nice effects for a picture once the model is ready.

For jets, the effect is less dramatic ... A good reason to keep on building prop aircrafts.....!

Cheers,
Erik

[ricleite]

Thanks for the comments, friends

@ Don – To start rolling, I curve the paper leading edge as much as possible, sometimes up to the point of folding. This way, I get a “solid” center from the start. Maybe it doesn’t work well if the fingers are too dry…

@ Don (the other ) – You embarrass me. Thanks Hmm, what could I say more to help? If the roll is short (up to 10mm) I use tweezers, both to guide the paper strip while rolling and to avoid unrolling when positioning the fingers to roll a bit more. The trick is really at the beginning – to get a cylinder with the very first movement. I often fail and have to try again on the same paper strip. It is usually easier on the second try than on the first because the paper leading edge gets softer with a failed first try. With a longer roll, the tweezer role can be readily done be the thumb and forefinger of the other hand. In both cases, rolling is for the left hand and guiding/keeping is for the right hand.

@ Erik – I confess not to be careful on that respect. It does rotate but I don’t care to make it rotate very freely. On my scratch builds, on average, the airscrew rotated better It is fun on a WW1 subject because the whole plane shakes as if the engine was working…

The body of the external tank is made of 11 sections. The kit doesn’t include tabs to join consecutive sections nor internal formers. I added the tabs but not the formers, as they are not really necessary. The part that surrounds the body didn’t fit perfectly. It would be miraculous if it did on a stack of eleven sections! The solution was easy: cut the part in 4 sections (front, back and sides), trim as needed and glue them one by one.

[Erik Zwaan]

OMG, eleven sections! It looks like you just prepared a mini submarine

Erik

[Don Boose]

Many thanks for these gracious and helpful additional comments on rolling solid cylinders.

That drop tank looks so realistic that I can smell gasoline!

Don

[Richschindler]

Incredible, perfect alignment. Looks like this is going to be a good one!!!!

[Isaac]

That is a beautiful drop tank


Isaac

[ricleite]

Thanks for the comments, friends

@ Erik - good one! I have a small fleet of them

[ricleite]

Who is used to Halinski’s cockpits may not like this one. It has few parts, readily assembled with some extra tabs (not provided) and that’s it…