Zenrat's Flying Circus

[PR19_Kit]

First rule of airliner decals, scan the sheet before getting them wet. Then you always have the makings of a spare set. 

As the aeroplanes are all long and thin, the decals are too, and lots of them stretch, darn it.

I've even had some of my own printed ones stretch AFTER they've been on the model for some years, producing gaps in the decal stripe! The worst case of that is my Aer Turas DC8-83, which now has three quite substantial gaps in the green/yellow stripe.

I'm not quite sure how I can fix that, as the 'repair bits' might shrink as well. 

[zenrat]

Yes, scanning might have been a good idea.   

[buzzbomb]

Really nice. My one airliner.. a Soviet one at that ended up in Military colours...so this is nice to see. Would I fly on it... Nyet !!!

[Rick Lowe]

But then I discovered that a website in Germany would sell me a set already made specifically for this kit.
And not only that, they have detail like curtains, reflections, shadows, and faces looking out.  And they include the cockpit and nose glazing.

That's a nice touch. 

[zenrat]

I've now got the cheat lines down both sides of the Tu-134.
You can see the difference in demarcation line height where I goTu-134 WIP 09-01-2026 starboard by Fred Maillardet, on Flickrt the masking wrong.
Tu-134 WIP 09-01-2026 port by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

I've also got the fuselage of the Airfix Vanguard together and have begun sanding...
Checking parts it appears that in addition to three broken props there are a couple of main undercarriage doors missing.  Annoying, but nothing some sheet styrene and bog won't fix.
I'm thinking of making this a mixed cargo/passenger aircraft.  Passengers up the front, freight down the back.  Lose the windows in the rear half and scribe some big cargo doors.

[Old Wombat]

I can see where the demarcation on the port side is lower than on the starboard ... but only because I was really searching for it ... because you told me it was there.

I guess competition judges would mark you down for it but I doubt most punters would even see it.

[PR19_Kit]

The 134's looking very 'Russian' Fred, which is all to the good. 

You can get decals for 1/144 cargo doors, much easier than scribing the darn things. Or print your own even, which I always do.

[NARSES2]

I can see where the demarcation on the port side is lower than on the starboard ... but only because I was really searching for it ... because you told me it was there.

To be honest I had to really look for it as well. Besides you can always put it down to sloppy Soviet era pratices, maybe to much Vodka 

[zenrat]

It's the usual story.  I know it's there so I keep looking at it.   

I'm not building this to show (not that I ever do).  Its aim was to see how I got on with 1/144 scale aircraft modelling.
Well it seems OK to me.  I'm enjoying it (although I avoided the really fiddly bits by building it wheels up).  Just as well really as I seem to have somehow acquired a bread crate full of kits already...

As for the Vanguard, seeing as i'm going to have to draw up transfers for the cockpit windows anyway doing so for some doors will be easy.
I'm thinking about giving it to Air Gully International flying mixed freight and passengers up Australia's East coast into PNG.
It'll join the Ziking Ragnar in their fleet.

ziking Ragnar  - 1 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=46265.msg853039#msg853039

[Charlie_c67]

When you do the Vanguard windows and doors Fred, would it be ok to have a copy please? I have one in the stash which won't be staying as the manufacturer intended 

[Rick Lowe]

Tu-134 looks good, Fred - couldn't see the error in the demarcation lines, myself. 

[NARSES2]

I'm not building this to show (not that I ever do).  Its aim was to see how I got on with 1/144 scale aircraft modelling.

I've been aquiring some 1/48th scale kits recently, haven't started any yet, to see if I get on with the detail parts better than I do with 1/72 nowadays. Inevitable given certain medical issues, but do you think 1/72 manufacturers should be worried ? 

[zenrat]

When you do the Vanguard windows and doors Fred, would it be ok to have a copy please? I have one in the stash which won't be staying as the manufacturer intended 

Sure.  When I eventually post the finished pics remind me and i'll send you some.

I'm not building this to show (not that I ever do).  Its aim was to see how I got on with 1/144 scale aircraft modelling.

I've been aquiring some 1/48th scale kits recently, haven't started any yet, to see if I get on with the detail parts better than I do with 1/72 nowadays. Inevitable given certain medical issues, but do you think 1/72 manufacturers should be worried ? 

I don't buy enough new stuff for any of the manufacturers to notice me.  But I have no intention of trying to build anything smaller than a C-46 in 1/144.  It's a way to build some of the bigger stuff without taking up too much space.  I have a C-124, C-133, and a couple of ekranoplans all of which would be way too huge in the one true scale.

Remember the Northrop Delta float plane I put on hold last year?  Well I pulled it out of the box and gave it a couple of coats of Alclad Aluminium today.  It looks good.  I might give it some red cheat lines.

[Rick Lowe]

Silver & Red go well together. 

[zenrat]

Today I put Aqua Clear over the Alclad on the Delta.  I did what I usually manage to do and put it on too heavily (I have issues with patience) but for once managed to rescue it by judicious application of a cotton bud and aligning the parts so it flowed out instead of gathering in corners.
One day i'll learn LIGHT COATS.