SPA Modeler

This bleeping thing. I shouldn't of pulled it out of the stash when I haven't completed a build since like February. I read a build review, and watched a build video before I even decided to it, and it didn't look bad. Wrong. The center wing section to the fuselage had huge gaps that I needed to shim, on both ends. The engine nacelles had some pretty serious steps once attached to the center wing section. So I had a lot of putty work to do. Once I got past all of that the painting portion went well. Aside from some paint pulling after masking it off to paint other areas. So I'm not sold on the durability of Mr. Color paints. The primer didn't pull, just the paint. Only in very small patches, in certain areas, so it was weird. Anyway.

It fought me the entire time yesterday while I was trying to do final assembly and detail work. I had to throw in the towel last night, and finish it today. The wings didn't want to fit on properly, the antenna wires were being a pain. Not to mention the amount of weight I stuck in the nose, aft of the cockpit section, and in each of the engines, and this thing is as close to the brink of being a tail sitter as it can get. I had to adjust the main tires a little bit to keep it sitting on it's nose gear. Take the disc off and it sits just fine. I had weighed it according to what someone else said they used in theirs, in the same wings retracted configuration, and thought I had enough. Checked it, and it wasn't quite enough, so I crammed the nacelles forward of the gear as much as I could. That is the last time I listen to someone on youtube.

The instructions kind of suck as well. They didn't have a call out for paint for either wing tip light, some part #'s were wrong, and the most annoying part was it showed no where in the instructions for the tall forward mast for the antenna wire, so I scratch made one. Well upon cleaning up didn't I see one on the sprue.

No more Kinetic kits for me.

Sounds like a real bear but what a great result. Turned out really nice.

Looking at the finished build, I would never guess that this one fought you so much. Bravo to you on a job very well done!
You're doing mighty fine! This sort of build doesn't just build character, it builds skills.

Almost bought this kit a couple time. I think Mike built one.

Worth the angst!

Looks good to me...

Then again.... don't believe everything you see or read on the internet or YouTube.

I've got 3 Kinetic kits in my stash - 2 F-16s and an F/A-18...

Lovely word!

Did you post a reel on FB of W7 making a windy landing at Geneseo?

Thanks guys, lol. It does look nice when done, but jeez. The only time I seemed to enjoy it at all was during the painting process, and once it was done.

LyleW wrote: ↑Thu Nov 23, 2023 2:16 pm Lovely word!

Did you post a reel on FB of W7 making a windy landing at Geneseo?

Nope wasn't me. I know the video you are talking about though. Our A&P shared it via email this morning. He's also one of W7's pilots,(wasn't flying her at the time of the video) and he went over what the pilots did to deal with that nasty crosswind. It was during our airshow this year. It was so windy we had to cancel passenger flights both days.

Well, you wouldn't know what a bear it was from the finished result. That is a great looking model, Keyda! Beautifully painted too!

I have to say you succeeded where I have failed twice! I started two 1/72 scale E-2C Hawkeyes and have yet to finish one. Not only did you finish a much larger one; you did it with such skill and finesse that there's no way to see how this thing fought you! What a stupendously masterful job you did!

I bow in the presence of greatness....