old stuff

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

No! This is not the old Airfix, out of the bag, 1/72 Defiant. It's actually a pretty accurate cottage industry Vacuform kit that arrived in a kit pal swap. There was also an A6M-21 in the bundle, but my friend kept it because it was more accurate that anything on the market at that point in time. Photo 1r is a top shot. A newly acquired Passhe VSL airbrush was used for the paint job. You can tell immediately by the shape of the fuselage and wings that it isn't the commercial kit. The absence of rivets is another give away. photo 2r is a shot of the underneath. At the onset of WWII a barrage of often conflicting color regulations was issued. Fighters operating over England were not to have roundels on the underside, but differing markings and colors were in profusion. This particular machine had no markings at all. Photo 3r shows that the transparency of the glass has yellowed since the early 1980s. Photo 4r shows the paint job has held up pretty well. Some weathering was done with aluminum paint applied using a very dry brush technique. Photo 5r is a starboard profile. Having no idea what type of plastic was used for the canopy, the only adhesive that would attach it to the fuselage was an epoxy, which was over applied. On the other hand, even after forty one years there is no way that canopy is ever going to come off. Although the air scoop is off center, the last photo shows the defiant was a pretty clean aircraft. Who knows how good it would have been without the weight and drag of that turret and forward firing guns.

Regards, rjccjr

[rjccjr]

Hi All;

Here's an old Tamiya 1/48 Mig-15 built sometime in the late 1990's. At the time it was a very good kit. Having wrestled with trying to amend major difficulties with the old Monogram kit, referred to as a "piggie miggie." this kit was a welcome delight. The other being promptly consigned to the receptacle of modelers frustration. The parts fit was excellent, and the model came with an exposable well detailed engine. The aircraft paint was Floquil platinum mist. Panel shading was partly masked and partly bounce shaded. The engine was primarily Antique Silver and details were tinted with varying amounts of added black. Photo 1r shows the model before cleaning, though the dust and grime were nowhere near as bad as some of the other models on the shelf. Notice that the engine is still in pretty good shape. Photo 2r is a closer view of the engine. The variations in color intensity are a matter of the degree of black added to the silver. In the case of the exhaust exit the additive was a red brown mixture. The mounting struts were interior green. The front half of the auxiliary unit, commonly referred to as an "engine doo dad" is apple green. Photo 3r shows the underneath with open flaps and air brakes. Photo 4r shows a rear view. Notice that the exhaust exit is slightly burned, but not overly dramatic. The last photo shows the cleaned model. The canopy is clear and you can see the interior fairly well. The varying shades of aluminum are clean and not disruptingly over dramatic to make the effect unrealistic. Yesterday I managed to get to a local model show and the kit could be had for ten dollars. Today I looked it up on line and it can be obtained for three to four times that. Good Grief! Let's hear it for model show vendors.

Regards rjccjr