We set a new low temperature record on the house thermometer last night, February 6. The sensor on the tool shed had a previous low of -39.6C, set 5 years ago. This morning it showed -40.0C. Not sure if that was the actual low temperature or if the sensor doesn’t read any lower. It’s too cold either way.
This weekend became a mental health break. The work computer stayed in the bag and I did stuff I wanted. I spent a couple hours each day switching cars around the layout, and a couple more hours each day at the workbench.
737
I spent Saturday finishing the decals. The Nazca set had a lot of decal details that add to the overall character, but they take a long time to place. There were decals for every imaginable little detail, such as the boarding lights beside the passenger door. What, you never noticed the light beside the door as you boarded your 737? To simplify the process, I decided I wouldn’t place a decal if you can’t see it when you were standing beside it. I probably only used half the total number on the sheet. Even so, each engine has 16 little, separate decals!
With the decals finished, I needed to get the model up on its gear. I leave the gear to last, as I will break them 14 times if installed too early. With decals everywhere, the gear becomes important for protection.
The end is in sight, and there’s not much left to do now. The new decals may need another application of Micro Sol to set them properly. The landing gear doors and horizontal stabilizers need to be installed. A gentle wipe down to remove all the dust and little blue fibers - no idea where these come from but they have been a regular pain on recent builds - and then a gloss coat to protect the decals. I am really pleased with how this is turning out.
Avenger
After multiple applications of putty, I was finally satisfied with the canopy. That meant it was time to build a replacement canopy section. The missing piece was part of the sliding pilot’s canopy. The Avenger had an unusual pilot’s canopy configuration, with two separate glass sections on either side, sliding on a central beam mounted at the top center of the canopy. The missing piece was the right side sliding section.
The kit canopy came in four sections - the windscreen, the two sliding pilot’s windows, the main canopy, and the rear ball turret. I only needed to use the windscreen and the two pilot windows, as the Belcher Bits conversion replaced the main canopy and turret. Placing the pilot window I had over the main canopy section showed that I could cut a piece from the main canopy to make a new right side pilot’s window. After carefully cutting the required piece from the canopy, I added plastic strip to the top and bottom to replicate frames. A quick test fit suggested this would be close enough to work.
The Belcher Bits conversion thankfully included a canopy masking set. This was a great time and sanity saver, but still took almost an hour to install. I needed to alter the masks for the replacement pilot‘s window as the supplied masks didn’t match the replacement window framing. I also needed to create a mask for the front of the windscreen, as it was missing from the mask set.
I wiped down all the plastic parts with isopropyl alcohol to remove fingerprints prior to priming. As I wiped the starboard wing, I spotted a glob of something that had been spilled. It ran diagonally across the wing, from the right tip of the leading edge to the inside face of the elevator. No clue what it was, and it took some effort to sand away. With that complete, the plane was ready for priming.
The size of the Avenger becomes apparent during painting, needing three refills of my largest colour cup to prime the fuselage, wings and stabilizers. I like to use primer, as I find it gives the Tamiya paint something to grip, reducing the potential that masking will pull up paint. It also helps show up mistakes, and as usual, I can see a few areas that will need minor repairs. Happily, the work on the canopy appears to have paid off, with no obvious gaps or bumps. I will let it sit for a couple days before starting repairs and polishing the primer smooth. Here’s how it looks at the end of the day. Stay safe and warm until next time.
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