Life in Plastic (Styrene, specifically)

Fail

Here's a paint job gone bad. It went bad not due to chemical reactions or tape lifting anything, but poor planning on my part. The goal was (still is) a silver model with Arctic red trim. Note to self: Put the color on first, put the silver on last. I knew I was in trouble when masking off the red areas for their white base coat. There was going to be no way to rub the white and then the red smooth without affecting the surrounding silver. Rather than stop there and retreat a few steps, I pressed on, hoping for the best. (Hoping for a miracle?) Lay it down thin and carefully and I may pull this one off. Stupid move. Wasted time and paint. Major reversal, and I'm pissed. The only good news is this one has no deadline.

So I've stripped off all the previous white and red - or the majority of it anyway - and will redo in the order it should have been done the first time. And it's not like I haven't faced a job just like this before. I will blame this fuck-up on my old age and the heat. It was awfully warm and humid last month. Distractingly unpleasant. Anyhow, onward and upward. As my friend Mike would tell me, "Aim High." More significantly, hit the target.

If I had a nickle for every canopy frustration...

 

When I first started building models I always included a pilot in the seat. Since I was going to fly the finished product around, it didn’t make sense to have an empty cockpit. I always enjoyed peering into the canopy or turret or whatever and seeing a little guy behind it. That hasn’t changed. With the introduction of  Falcon/Squadron Chrystal Clear canopies, the attraction only got stronger.

 

Sadly, I’ve found the fit of these little gems in the closed position less than perfect. I don’t know what kind of test-fitting goes on at the Falcon factory, or if these things are intended for “serious modelers” who are big on tricked out cockpits and would never dream of closing a canopy. In most instances, the open look works fine. With some in-flight airplanes you can get away with that. Not a P-38, for instance. I struggled with the canopy allegedly made to fit the Monogram P-38 for a good long time before reluctantly abandoning it. It just didn’t fit the hole all the way around. Admittedly this is a hard test to pass considering the curves of the bottom of that particular canopy, but I found the mismatch between Monogram plastic and Falcon acetate (or whatever is used) hopeless. Bummer.

 

Well with hope springing eternal, and those shimmering canopies looking so good on their backing sheet, I tried the 72^ndF8F canopy meant for the Monogram Bearcat. About 15 minutes of careful, careful trimming resulted in a canopy that again did not match the contours of the airplanes fuselage. A spreader bar in the cockpit may have fixed things, but it would have been hard to hide. Glue a pilot’s head and shoulders on a spreader bar? Nah, not this time.

 

I glued the canopy on as well as I could and drilled a hole in the Bearcat’s belly to back fill the cockpit with Alumilite. With a solid canopy chunk, I can someday (maybe) fill the steps around the bottom framing and just paint the glass black or metallic gray (shows better against dark blue.) Suffice to say, that option compared to seeing a little pilot behind a glistening bubble, is anything but inspirational. This F8F goes on the “someday maybe” pile.

Structural Damage

Anybody that has indulged in this activity for any length of time will have developed a respect for the sharp tools involved. It should become second-nature to imagine where that blade or needle is going to go if it slips, and to make sure no flesh is in that location. I think I’ve gotten good at this.

I’m also the house chef. This is another activity requiring sharp tools. I’ve been wielding a chef’s knife for decades with nary a serious accident. Some close calls to be sure, but no blood spilled. That changed a couple days ago chopping fresh basil. It was the last ingredient to be chopped for the day after a bunch of chopping. In a momentary loss of focus – or something – more than the basil got chopped. I’ll refrain from gory details. It could’ve been worse. Supper at least was a hit.

I find self-inflicted wounds to be the most maddening. Fortunately it was the left index finger and not the right and more widely used. So I’m slowed for a while, but not out of action completely. Where does the cook apply for a Purple Heart?

Well here's a first

A first for me, anyway. Cruising along fat, dumb and happy with this Minicraft 1/144th C-130. Got to the test fitting of the wings and...what the_____...!?!

Turns out there are two sprues supplied with identical tank halves, engine fronts and a stabilizer. Both sprues are labeled B, but one of them has different part numbers than the other. One B sprue has two right wing halves and one B sprue (if the kit is packed correctly) has left wing halves. Guess if my kit came with two of the same, and guess if I never in a million years would have thought to check if there was a problem? Especially aggravating after spending a good chunk of time filling in panel line trenches and smoothing things out. How the hell do two sprues with different part numbers share the same letter ID?

Aaarrgghhhh. Well now I get to investigate the customer relations department for Minicraft models. Stay tuned.

Happy Ending

I in fact called Minicraft Models and spoke to a live human being. I explained my problem, supplied a pair of part numbers and inside of two weeks, had my left wing! Thank-you so much Minicraft!