2nd Club Build - Lockheed's Constellation

Bill L. · Mon 06/19/17 01:01 PM

Still making progress. Next steps: Some touch-up and adding the antenna along the belly.

Bill L.

Herk · Tue 06/13/17 11:45 AM

Quote from: Bill L. on Mon 06/12/17 03:56 PM
A brief update: Work has resumed. Ready for decals and paint touch-up. I'll continue to work on this project this week as time permits.
Still need to attach all the little antenna on the belly, but that will be the LAST thing I do.

Bill L.

Very good looking - the camo EC-121s were always unique in their looks. DEFINITELY do the antennas LAST, as they will be the FIRST to break! (I have had to re-glue/replace more than one on the bottom of my EC-121 from this build.)
Regards,
Herk

Bill L. · Mon 06/12/17 03:56 PM

A brief update: Work has resumed. Ready for decals and paint touch-up. I'll continue to work on this project this week as time permits.
Still need to attach all the little antenna on the belly, but that will be the LAST thing I do.

Bill L.

Ryan K · Wed 05/10/17 06:59 AM

That's the spirit. I haven't given up on my M41 either, just not ready to proclaim a 2017 finish for it.

Bill L. · Tue 05/09/17 09:12 PM

Long delayed, but not retired. Gloss has been added for decals, and I'll need to touch up some areas.

This WILL get finished in 2017!!

Bill L.

Herk · Mon 08/08/16 02:41 PM

Bill,
Hope these photos and website help with your SEA painting.

http://www.westin553.net/batcat09.htm

Regards!

Bill L. · Mon 08/08/16 02:09 PM

Next and last round of Mr. Surface. Next will be all the little antenna cut-outs from sheet styrene.
Once I have all those along the bottom of the A/C it's into the paint shack for some 'Black Basing' !!

Next update will be when all that's done, and I'm ready to start laying down the SEA top colors.

Bill L.

Ronv · Mon 08/08/16 06:18 AM

Hey Bill it looks good!
Remember a Minicraft kit is a Minicraft kit. We bought them from Jon to help out "Kits for Troops". The goal was not to spend a huge amount of time on them but to have a "Club Build". A rough kit brings out the best in your modeling skills!
Looking forward to seeing it at the September meeting! If anyone else has since completed their Minicraft kit bring it to the September meeting also along with their summer car kit build.

RonV

Herk · Thu 08/04/16 09:08 AM

Bill,
Agree with our assessment of the model - mine went back in the bag (for now at least!).

Are you using any specific Warning Star as your guide? My research showed they varied from A/C to A/C - I think you mentioned one time doing a COLLEGE EYE A/C (camo paint scheme). I am doing the Revell WV-3 in the livery of AF 555 (Triple Nickle). Will be interesting to see them side by side. As mine is the old Revell "box scale" - 1/131 the comparison of scale will be a little off, but the paint schemes will be interesting.

See you in September!

Regards,
Herk

Bill L. · Wed 08/03/16 08:45 PM

OK It's been a while:

Back in the saddle and back in the man cave!!!

I manged to start getting the Connie's engine nacelles to together. To be very blunt, this is a crappy kit! So I am not going to spend a lot of time trying to fix everything that is wrong with it. Instead I plan to HIDE a lot of the kits imperfections with paint!
So - at that level of expectation I have continued with my club build EC-121 spy bird!!

Today i got the engines together and worked the seams to the point where I can live with them!

To Be Continued!!

Bill L.

P.S. - Yes that IS the Jonny Quest jet 'The Dragonfly" that is almost finished once I resolve some canopy issues!

Ronv · Wed 03/23/16 06:44 PM

Oh I wasn't taking your comments as a whine either. Minicraft kits are Minicraft kits.....some are better than others. A little expensive for what you get when purchased new, but they have unique subjects. We got these kits cheap and they are fine for doing club builds.

Mind you if I'm building a kit for a contest I'll build a box shaker.

thanks
RonV

Herk · Wed 03/23/16 05:14 PM

Excellent point on the nose wheels - fantastic photo of the gear.

I am also working on the old Revell EC-121 Warning Star - the walkaround photos will help filling in some of the details i.e. the prop rotation warning line on the #2 & 3 nacelles.
Regards

lgriffin · Wed 03/23/16 02:56 PM

For the Connie builders, note that the nose wheels don't sit vertical: They have positive camber - see attached photo.

Also, here's a link to a set of detail photos of an EC-121. I won't be doing any detailing on mine, just trying to make it a clean mostly OOB build.

http://daytonipms.com/walks/C-121/c-121.htm

Thanks,

Lee G.

lgriffin · Wed 03/23/16 02:29 PM

Stephen, I didn't take your comments as a whine. I don't mind dealing with kits that require clean-up, etc. We all have our limits. Some people won't touch any kit unless it's modern and easy to build because life is too short and there are too many models to build to spend too much time on one. Others love tackling the worst of sow's ears and turning them into silk purses. We all have our place along the continuum.

The Minicraft Constellation kit is going to require application of modeling skills to turn into a nice build. I hope I can get the wings straight and the dihedral right- the wings in my kit aren't level and there's a bit of slop in the fit to the fuselage.

Lee G.

Herk · Wed 03/23/16 10:31 AM

Maybe I sounded like a whiner about the Minicraft kit - what I was trying to say is that a kit that goes together well straight OOB is the minimum in modeling. I don't mind a "tug-of-war" with a kit, but going rounds with Joe Lewis over each part or assembly can wear you out. Correcting the manufacturer's mistakes does give a great deal of satisfaction.
Regards