SPA Modeler

Starting another one eh? What happened to the K-4? Hopefully that one gets finished!

Can you get some better light on the construction photos? The contrasty, black background shots look cool but its really hard to make out any details.

You can use a piece of clay to support the hollow part of the canopy when putting a saw to it.

Don’t have a Zero in my stash but I do have an Oscar though...

Best Actor? Best Picture? Special Effects?


Could not resist.

The way I would approach the open canopy would be to sacrifice the sliding section and replace it with a vacuform piece. I would make the cuts shy of the windscreen and aft canopy section and file back to the proper lines to get a good clean edge. The removed sliding section would never sit right even if you do make the cuts exactly in the right spot.

LyleW wrote:

BlackSheep214 wrote:Don’t have a Zero in my stash but I do have an Oscar though...

Best Actor? Best Picture? Special Effects?


Could not resist.

And he pays a buck an ear for corn..


Bruce, here is lots of good info for you

http://www.j-aircraft.com/research/otherres.htm#Zero

Thank you, everyone. I sincerely appreciate your replies and support and patience. We live in extraordinary times and kindness as well as support are cherished. I truly am grateful for all of you.

Floki/Clint - Skol, brother - I hope you and yours are doing well. I keep daily track of Ken X through FB and would definitely be honored if he had any ideas. His builds set a very high standard. My goal with this is simply to keep building as I’m sucked into other projects just like we all are....

Stuart - Cheers, mate - I hope you don’t think I was complaining about heavy panel lines. I think for a kit which retails for 9 USD this is quite an astonishingly well designed one. The plastic molding is soft and not my favorite though. I just prefer the hard surfaces of Hase/FM kits in any scale. This plastic is just tricky for me to “carve and form,” but I think I have the pieces ready for diagramming and scribing.

Lyle - Hello, sir - I have every project boxed save this one and an X-Wing. I figured I would take a break, feeling burned out, but I suppose I wanted to keep building, somehow more than not. I miss sanding and shaping, and I am looking forward to scribing! I have two scriber tips from Radu, of RB Productions, and I already started trying these out on the Kingfisher cowling.

John - I owe you a huge debt on the construction of the K-4 which I will never forget. Right now the aircraft is still drying, and I want to wait awhile longer. Point taken about better photos. I will do that.

Blacksheep - Hello, Tom! I would like an Oscar!

John Eaton - Thank you so much, sir. I truly appreciate your advice. My note was: “Good!” Just that note. I understand what you mean about blade cutting width. Even my Japanese saws are still going to reduce material. I have a feeling that the Airfix tooling will cut apart as you predicted and will adjust to remove the material only from the interior sliding portion.

Carlos Kahn - Thank you so much for the link! Outstanding!!!

Here I am tonight. This is pre-primer and showing what the CA-filled seams look like. I lightly scribed six guide lines - three on each side of the fuselage. These will, I believe, help me to establish the scribing depth more accurately.

Sounds like you got a good plan to move forward

Think so, too, but it is great to have confirmation from you, Clint. Thanks mucho... I spy what my Dad called a "hitch hiker" on one of the vertical panel lines (visible in the first photo) which separate the filled section from the untouched original surface. I am going to prime anyway with Tamiya white primer because that is merciless, man, it just brings out every little mistake. So, I think that will be good to address if need be after that happens. Also, I took the finish only to 2,000 grit. Not sure if that is too rough or just right, and the white primer will reveal that too. Until tomorrow!