Frog 1/72 Dornier Do 17 Z, DN 51, 2/LeLv 46, Noljakka, 1942.

[speedgraflex]

That is gonna be excellent, Stuart! I cannot wait to see the sprues and what you do with 'em. Cheers, mate.

[Stuart]

I suspect I'll be enjoying it more than the Hunter and will be having less fit issues!

[KSaarni]

Sculpting the nacelle in progress

Wouh!
Such a big difference adding one spinner in the build.. Even if the small piece perhaps represents only 5% of the build, it surely makes a huge difference. The DN-51 is starting to come alive!

- Kari

[Stikpusher]

One bullet or pair of bullets averted! Let us all hope the seams stay together. (I am not even sure if I should make a joke about this.) However, these seams are backed up with enough Milliput which is hardened against the top bead to really make a solid piece. I suppose for Frog it was just easier and possibly more fun to have the nacelles and the cowlings made of two pieces which glue together, but avoiding a seam line and gaps has been mighty tricky! There is also some CA up top that I am putting faith into not giving up the ghost any time soon.

I am not sure what to do next. Wait for the cockpit, wait for scribing tools or build and detail the landing gear? I was thinking at the start (things I would like to do) and I was thinking one might be to build front landing gear out of brass tubing because I felt I had a lot of it in my inventory... but I don’t know if that is true, I may have used a lot of it up and just forgotten about it! The other thing I was thinking about was priming the underneath, using grey where there is grey and white where there will be yellow... and adding the yellow after that. I would end up with the main wing partially painted but that could work out alright. I’m not sure. Any thoughts? Maybe I will paint engines. I am not really sure what finish to give the braces.

I was researching Frog's history—Frog was a major manufacturer of aircraft recognition models during WWII. This certainly helps explain why the sculptural form of this model is really on point for the era.

Great work on the nacelles. I am enjoying watching how you are bringing this one along and really bringing out its best assets.

As far as the outline accuracy goes, last nite at IPMS, we had an example of that. There were two 1/72 DeHaviland Sea Venom builds entered and on display, an old Frog kit and a newer Dragon kit. Also included was a comment sheet by the builder mentioning how while the Dragon kit was better detailed, the Frog kit was more accurate in outline. And whoever built them did beautiful work on both!

I suspect I'll be enjoying it more than the Hunter and will be having less fit issues!

Think positive and keep plugging away at that Hunter Stuart. I’m sure that you can handle those gaps. And I look forward to your Do-17 as well.

Sculpting the nacelle in progress

Wouh!
Such a big difference adding one spinner in the build.. Even if the small piece perhaps represents only 5% of the build, it surely makes a huge difference. The DN-51 is starting to come alive!

- Kari

[speedgraflex]

Kari and Carlos, Thank you both for your encouragement. It does feel good to see the plane emerge from a swirl of thoughts, and a stack of sprues. I still have to decide if a vac-form canopy will make the most of added cockpit details. I was thinking about the observer and radio operations stations opposite the pilot, and how these look like folding chairs from Ikea with interlaced webbing on a tubular frame. I guess the crew seated in those chairs rested their feet against a fairly narrow side beam? What a view!

Carlos, What you wrote about your IPMS meeting and contest are fascinating insights into what others are doing locally and I truly thank you for sharing them—not just because you are writing about Frog kits (well yes, please!) but also because you are writing about the fellowship of our Southern California model Builders, which is cool peek into the IPMS world!

[Stikpusher]

Bruce, you really need to try to make it to an IPMS OC meeting sometime. To me, they are just local fellow modelers, but the talent there is nothing less than incredible. These guys (not me) are the ones who consistently bring back awards at regional and national contests. True masters of this craft. Last nite we also had a slide show review of the entries at Orangecon. Many of those were also entries and winners at the IPMS Nationals in Phoenix this past summer. Picking those guys brains in person really helps to improve my own builds.

[speedgraflex]

Carlos, Thanks once again for your insights. I did read the contest judging rules recently for a particular contest (IPMS, I think) and the scoring system did make me rethink cockpit element ideas for the purposes of points. I could tell that a great cockpit build up would definitely increase one’s chances at the tables. I am sure spending time with fellas who are on top of their contest game as well as their model building must be extremely worthwhile.

[LyleW]

Bruce, you got this. I can only offer encouragement, but hey, someone has to be the water boy. Rah!

[mostrich]

Now look what Bruce did. A flying pencil on a lying pencil.


When Lyle's the water boy, I'm the server of cheap jokes.
Bruce, this is first class craftsmanship.

[LyleW]

Now look what Bruce did. A flying pencil on a lying pencil.


When Lyle's the water boy, I'm the server of cheap jokes.
Bruce, this is first class craftsmanship.

That was a Sharpie reply! I red it to the end! Mark(er) my words...you are good.