Jump to content

Douglas Skyflash


Roktman

Recommended Posts

This kit has been on my desk since the before the IPMS Nationals. I started out to be the easiest short run resin kit I ever worked on. Then when I started messing with seams to get them perfect it became a monster. I should have remembered what I was told years ago "Don't ruin a good (fill in the blank), by trying to make it great..."

 

Here's the kit box art and parts -
001.JPG

 

While there is an instrument panel, there is no detail to it. There are no decals for it, so I just added a few dots of white to mimic instruments. It looks like there's not a lot of room in there so this should suffice -

002.JPG

 

Not a lot of room seems to have been an understatement ;) I also added some Tamiya tape seat belts -

003.JPG

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nose cone added. This is going well -

004.JPG

 

The fuselage is mostly complete - Time to fill in the seams.

007.JPG

I applied Tamiya filler for the seams. While I'm waiting I painted the landing gear, wheels, and landing gear doors.

008.JPG

 

Added primer to see where I am re: the seam lines. Not bad, but I'll give a few spots a second go round. This is where I took my "Going to the Nationals" break.

009%2B%25282%2529.JPG

 

 

Thanks for looking. Back w/ part 2 soon.

Edited by Roktman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, don't know what happened with that spacing glitch in the middle of that last post.

 

Anyway, Well, I didn't get it finished, but I am still progressing forward.
I added the landing gear and then realized the wheels were a little wonky. They had to be broken off and realigned to the jet.

 

003%2B%25282%2529.JPG

 

While the wheels were drying, I turned my attention to masking off the canopy. It was then I noticed I never even touched it. So I dipped the canopy in Future. While *that* was drying I went back and had a look at the wheels. Looked good. Then it suddenly struck me that I never put any weighs in the nose. Oh boy, I hope it's not a tail sitter. Turning it over while half wincing, I gave it a try. Whew, it rested on its wheels -

 

001%2B%25282%2529.JPG

 

Now I turned back to the canopy. Now in the past 3 planes I did, the vac form canopies gave me fits. So I started my cutting, sanding and fitting with some trepidation. After about a half hour, I gave it it's 3rd fitting and Holy Moley, it looks good!

 

006.JPG

 

I was very happy and with that fit and decided to not press my luck and call it a session (BTW that piece of dust is not in the paint, and was easily whisked off).
Check back for the finale. Thanks for looking.

Edited by Roktman
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! That rocks man! I commend you for working on a resin kit as well. I always puncture some finger or other when I work on them. This really looks like it is falling together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys. Since I have such a narrow range of build interests, I'm afraid that a large portion of my stash are resin kits. The big plastic Co's just don't make 'em. I haven't tried all the GK guys, but IMHO the easiest ones to build are from Anigrand, Planet, and Fantastic Plastic. On the other end Unicraft and Sharkit are tough to work with. But as you would figure, sometimes they are the only game in town for certain odd ball aircraft...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I completely understand Kev....in military aircraft CollectAire was a big maker, and the quality of their stuff could vary greatly, especially from the rough, earlier kits to the awe inspiring later releases. Other resin makers like Classic Castings and Medallion were way ahead of their time; while RVHP and C&H Aero seemed to vary from molding batch to molding batch.

 

Like you said, when it's the only game in town, you bear down and grin...which is where you're shining with this one!

 

GIL :smiley16:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks guys.

 

Getting back to the Skyflash after being a bit ill for a few days, I started by painting the vac form cockpit. Once painted, and glued on, I noticed that I could have sanded the front a little more. It looked cocked backward a bit to me. Oh well, theoretically my next one will be a little better.

Next on the list was to apply the decals. Odd for Anigrand, the decals were a bit thick, and took several applications of Micro Sol onto them to get them to conform to the curved shape of the fuselage. even after 3 or 4 applications of Micro Sol I still needed to cut the decal where it rode over a panel line. Luckily for me there was just one panel line in the way on each side -

 

007.JPG

 

Having a relapse I left it for a few more days, and when I got back to it I wanted to apply a gloss coat over the decals to seal them in before continuing on.
Here's where disaster struck!

I sprayed on the gloss and all around the cockpit the paint alligatored!!! Bad! WTF! :angry: :angry:

 

I was so PO'd I just walked away. I really wanted to fling it off the wall.

Check back to see if I did fling it, or tried to fix the paint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I had the same issue with my C-118! Exactly the same! And then when I masked off everything to re-spray the color (after spraying several coats of clear,) my decals lifted when I shifted my frisket film to better cover the area!

 

Good luck in getting this fixed.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I had the same issue with my C-118! Exactly the same! And then when I masked off everything to re-spray the color (after spraying several coats of clear,) my decals lifted when I shifted my frisket film to better cover the area!

 

Good luck in getting this fixed.

 

Thanks. I looked at it today and only 1 section remained alligatored. The other sections drop down to a rough pebbly feel. I'll leave the paint harden some more for another day or so and then *hopefully* I'll be able to smooth the areas and repaint. I guess the bright side is that Anigrand sells extra decal sheets - in case I f*#k them up... <_<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a bonus having extra decals. I have to rob another kit to replace mine! I'm simply waiting for the weather to cool before I try shooting anything. It's been 100+ degrees here all week!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a bonus having extra decals. I have to rob another kit to replace mine! I'm simply waiting for the weather to cool before I try shooting anything. It's been 100+ degrees here all week!

 

I'm sure really any GK Co. will have service like that. Big Co's... hmmm not so much. ;)

But yep, it's good to have a choice to buy extra decals and vac canopies if you want. I think each is only something like 50¢ or so...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We last left off with me ready to smash the model off the wall. I didn't.
Looking at the model the alligatoring clear coat in many places had settled down to just a rough pebbling. Being the pebbling was very close to the decals I wanted to be ultra delicate so I wouldn't have to redo the decals. I had 3200 sanding sticks and went to work. Not strong enough. I moved to some Ultrafine sanding pads (I forget the number) and once again started in. Even that wasn't budging any of the material. Finally I got out the regular "Fine" pads and started in this seemed to work. After a few minutes of light scrubbing I had the fuselage to where I wanted it. I got a little too close to one of the decals, but some paint fixed the goof.

From there my next step was to mask off where the anti-glare panel -

012.JPG

Yellow tape is Tamiya, Green tape is Frog tape - good stuff

 

Using Vallejo's Black and my a/b set to a low psi, the panel went on with no problems.

Now, back to the clear coat. Trying not to repeat the problems, and knowing Future is self leveling, I took a wide brush and brush painted on the Future -

013.JPG

 

I'm happy to be calling this one done... Thanks for looking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought I was finished until I came across the landing gear doors while I was cleaning the work table. So I go out the CA and now I'm really done. ;)

I thought to "celebrate" I took out my "airfield set" and set the jet up. Thanks for looking.

 

002.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

This plane must have been a real treat to fly with the size of the control surfaces.

 

Bill

We'll never know, since it was never built. Reading the proposed flight profile though, it was more akin to a re entering lawn dart than an airplane. Would it have worked? I'm sure it would have gone up, and come down. I'm not so sure it would have been a fun ride.

 

Rick L.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...