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Project : 1918230HPWnWDH91/32
- Thread starter paddy
- Start date
paddy
Well-known member
structural rigging is done but another chunk of decal fell of the top roundel, its the 4th attempt at those and i give up, shame really it had the makings of a good kit, i will finish it but its place is already reserved in the bin 
I have tensioned the wires with a soldering iron but its amazing how, when you pick this up by the fuselage you can see some really slack wires and some like guitar strings, put it down again and they are all equal tension which just goes to show how flimsy this is and in fact how it does need rigging to hold it together.
I have tensioned the wires with a soldering iron but its amazing how, when you pick this up by the fuselage you can see some really slack wires and some like guitar strings, put it down again and they are all equal tension which just goes to show how flimsy this is and in fact how it does need rigging to hold it together.
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That's why i use EZLine. I could never get all the fishing line tighten up, get one done and the other goes slack. Short of having working scale turnbuckles I don't know how to get them all tight.
Sorry about the decal issues. Did you put a seal coat on after the decals?
Sorry about the decal issues. Did you put a seal coat on after the decals?
Brokeneagle
Master at Arms
A ship modeller friend of mine (the guy who does all the box art for the tumpeter battleship kits) gave a great tip for rigging. He does really nice battleship models and uses stretched sprue for all his rigging - a spot of super glue and its done without tightening issues. I tried it on my 2 WW1 plane builds from last year and it made it easy. I have the Ezy line stuff as well.
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Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
Sorry to see that you have been having so many issues with this build Paddy. I will take your issues to heart when I get around to my builds.
paddy
Well-known member
Its not the method or materials, its me 
I have done all this before and turned out a reasonable job. When i joined here is was fifty , now i am on a down hill slope to 70 and its hitting home that i cant do what i used to. My fingers are twice as thick now , i can feel much in the tips so i keep dropping stuff. Frustration gets the better of me. I cant do much about things like decals but rather than try and do what i used to do i need to find something to do that i can still be pleased with and really thats going to mean bigger scales i think. Large scale aircraft are out as i dont have the space to build or display 1/24. bikes are ideal because they can be as big as 1/9 and still only 8 inch long but things like a spark plug are still 7-8mm long. cars are ok but again they take up a lot of room in a scale where detail is visible and manageable. I dont know anything about Armour. I think the only real attraction might be the painting and weathering for me.
I could get into figures but i would have to learn to paint and i dont like the way the detail is molded in the bodies , i think straps and belts, packs and so on should be separate to be realistic. Figures are really the holy grail. There was a guy posted here with his perfectly built and weathered truck, his diorama of scrap metal, earth and grass, his tools etc were perfect and the whole thing was a lesson on reality, it fooled me completely.......till you saw the figures with shinny trousers and so on....
In days gone by Steve Ski would have been burnt as a witch now i think everyone aspires to be artistic like him. John Steinman is a master of diorama and Armour in my book and Alex De Leon is the king of scratch. i would love to have a specialty like them that i could work on and refine and improve on.
I have done all this before and turned out a reasonable job. When i joined here is was fifty , now i am on a down hill slope to 70 and its hitting home that i cant do what i used to. My fingers are twice as thick now , i can feel much in the tips so i keep dropping stuff. Frustration gets the better of me. I cant do much about things like decals but rather than try and do what i used to do i need to find something to do that i can still be pleased with and really thats going to mean bigger scales i think. Large scale aircraft are out as i dont have the space to build or display 1/24. bikes are ideal because they can be as big as 1/9 and still only 8 inch long but things like a spark plug are still 7-8mm long. cars are ok but again they take up a lot of room in a scale where detail is visible and manageable. I dont know anything about Armour. I think the only real attraction might be the painting and weathering for me.I could get into figures but i would have to learn to paint and i dont like the way the detail is molded in the bodies , i think straps and belts, packs and so on should be separate to be realistic. Figures are really the holy grail. There was a guy posted here with his perfectly built and weathered truck, his diorama of scrap metal, earth and grass, his tools etc were perfect and the whole thing was a lesson on reality, it fooled me completely.......till you saw the figures with shinny trousers and so on....
In days gone by Steve Ski would have been burnt as a witch
now i think everyone aspires to be artistic like him. John Steinman is a master of diorama and Armour in my book and Alex De Leon is the king of scratch. i would love to have a specialty like them that i could work on and refine and improve on.
I have NEVER been able to stretch sprue in my life. @phantom II did a demo for me at my old shop like a pro, when I tried it I just generated a lot of toxic smoke.
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
Paddy, I have mostly built aircraft over the years. Armor was a little bit here and there. The big scale stuff that Tim and I are building now is all new. Some of it is quite reasonably priced for what it is. Recently I pondered on Trumpeter's Tiger II for quite a while then finally hunted till I found a price point on it that I decided I could live with. The box for it is that of a large suit case and I could easily put almost all my Das Werk kits inside that box. Thing is, as large as that box is, the built tank is sized between a 1/12th car and a 1/8 car but has more detail than I would ever be able to display. Pondering on getting info on the big overhead cranes and building one of those to have the Tiger II open for rework. The Tiger II V2 is still in existence and they are in process of restoring it to full running and operational condition with posts on Utube. Then there is another Tiger II #300 that is running around as well. I have had no info on any of these, but have been able to go online and find plenty of info.
The 1/16th sFH 18 I am currently working on was started with no info at all. All my build info came from online searches which have given plenty of info to do all the rework I have done.
Age, I will be 70 in January. Am still working and will probably be doing so for at least a little while yet. I guess I am lucky for the health and abilities I have which are still holding on well enough. Was having some minor memory issues, but have changed my diet a little and that has gotten a whole lot better. Just need to get to bed earlier to get enough sleep.
As to building, I just don't rush it any more. If I am dealing with issues or problems, I ponder them for a while. Usually do my major building on weekends (not this Saturday, going to an airshow WWII aircraft Woo Hoo!)
The most boring part of building a tank is the tracks, and I just situate up, put on a video or two, get the parts organized into piles and go through each part in each pile and clean it up. Then I do 10 link assemblies, but only up to what will fit a full length of track. If I have a track that uses 77 links, I build seven 10 link sets for each track. Then do the individual links to flush it out. Have found that the number in the instructions might or might not be right, and now try to keep the tensioner part loose so that it can be adjusted.
I am enjoying these builds more than I have a lot of them over the years which is why I have been obtaining the 1/16th scale kits a lot lately.
You might try one of the Takom 1/16th scale Jeeps. They are reasonably priced, have all the parts (engine, suspension, transmission, etc) and yet are in the car category, yet you can weather them up or not, up to you.
The 1/16th sFH 18 I am currently working on was started with no info at all. All my build info came from online searches which have given plenty of info to do all the rework I have done.
Age, I will be 70 in January. Am still working and will probably be doing so for at least a little while yet. I guess I am lucky for the health and abilities I have which are still holding on well enough. Was having some minor memory issues, but have changed my diet a little and that has gotten a whole lot better. Just need to get to bed earlier to get enough sleep.
As to building, I just don't rush it any more. If I am dealing with issues or problems, I ponder them for a while. Usually do my major building on weekends (not this Saturday, going to an airshow WWII aircraft Woo Hoo!)
The most boring part of building a tank is the tracks, and I just situate up, put on a video or two, get the parts organized into piles and go through each part in each pile and clean it up. Then I do 10 link assemblies, but only up to what will fit a full length of track. If I have a track that uses 77 links, I build seven 10 link sets for each track. Then do the individual links to flush it out. Have found that the number in the instructions might or might not be right, and now try to keep the tensioner part loose so that it can be adjusted.
I am enjoying these builds more than I have a lot of them over the years which is why I have been obtaining the 1/16th scale kits a lot lately.
You might try one of the Takom 1/16th scale Jeeps. They are reasonably priced, have all the parts (engine, suspension, transmission, etc) and yet are in the car category, yet you can weather them up or not, up to you.
Brokeneagle
Master at Arms
Hey Bob, its a soft touch approach...........Hold the piece of[longish] sprue over a candle but far enough above the flame to take longer to melt. Turn it around like a spit roast as as you see it start to melt over the heat, pull it evenly and gently both ways (like a tug of war) until you reach a length and thickness you desire.
paddy
Well-known member
I was going to say this thing fought me all the way but in truth i think i fought it My interest in the build was blunted by a series of awful decals., no ones fault after all they were cartogragh but age wasnt on their side and patience wasnt on mine.
Looking at the pictures the gun mount needs a pin wash. overall its turned out OK if you dont look to close which cameras always do
My interest in the build was blunted by a series of awful decals., no ones fault after all they were cartogragh but age wasnt on their side and patience wasnt on mine.Looking at the pictures the gun mount needs a pin wash. overall its turned out OK if you dont look to close which cameras always do
Nice going Paddy, she stands proud.
Heavens Eagle
Well-known member
Overall, it looks really good! I know you are disappointed due to the decals. I get that, and that is where I will stall out on builds, because I have seen (and had) decal issues. Something I will have to get over if I ever want to build most of the kits I have.
