Model Train Journal

Since the basement is full of stuff I moved out of upstairs to accept the stuff pulled from my father-in-laws house it is very difficult to work on the trains. Since I have a big stash of model kits I have been working on those. This is a sample of four of the five I am currently working on. The one nearest completion is undergoing final decaling and assembly and I am waiting for cement to set. It's also the largest of the five, 1/48 scale Phantom II. I'll update with a some pictures in a day or so.

The rest are a combination of "study" models, 1/144 scale bomber, 1/72 observation craft, 1/100 scale satellite launcher.



B-58 is 1/144 scale. It has been primed with gloss black to enhance the metalizer topcoat that is coming. I am allowing the paint to harden before applying the Duraluminum finish. 1/144 is a decent scale for former SAC bombers. A B-36 in this scale has a wingspan exceeding 1 foot.

The Cessna is in 1/72 scale. Really old Airfix kit. It required a lot of filling/sanding/puttying. The green tint on the windows is Vallejo brand mask. I love this stuff. Easy to apply and it actually works. Model will get painted in the next day or so with PolyScale "new gravel gray" as it is closest to ADC gray.

The third object is the first and second stages of a 1/100 scale Round2 re-pop of the Titan III C kit. It is was an MPC kit and it originally came with parts to make an Estes flying model. This item shows how well the metalizer works.

Close up of the O-2





This SHOULD have been an easy build BUT the parts were warped and there was a huge mold sink in the fuselage bottom.

This is the "study model" or artists misconception of a proposed space craft from back in the 1950's. This is a Glenco re-pop of a 1950's era Lindberg kit. It's been primed with the gloss back surface prep and it too is "hardening" before top coat with Metalizer.



I have another one of these from Revell that is the Convair space plane kit. Still working on building that kit.

This is the paint system. It really works well if you follow the fairly simple directions. 100% acrylic so it's safe to use indoors. The grind of the pigments is insanely fine. You need to really agitate the bottle to get it into suspension and then only decant small proportions to get an even finish.



I have used Alclad 2 and it is great stuff BUT it really stinks. Too much fumes and you will be in deep doodoo. Also tried RubnBuff and a slew of other "coatings". Nothing has worked as well as this stuff.

chuck wrote:I have used Alclad 2 and it is great stuff BUT it really stinks. Too much fumes and you will be in deep doodoo.

What's the solvent?

What's the solvent?

Lacquer thinner. Newer versions with "lower VOC's". I think they just deleted/reduced the aromatic hydrocarbons from the formula. Mostly acetone and MEK? Smells different from the stuff my dad used when he was touching up the car. Really different from original DioSol. Still need to put a barrier coat between the Alclad and the plastic to eliminate possible meltdown.

Acrylic stuff can be brushed on and does not attack the plastic. You should clear coat to limit masking and decaling problems. Black undercoat just makes the metal "pop".

Models done or nearly so (some decals/small parts e.g. canopy)

Snark. box scale kit from the 50's. US first intercontinental Mach 2 cruise missile. About the time they got all the bugs worked out it was "retired" in favor of SLBM's and SAC bomber fleet. ICBM's in use at the time were Atlas and Titan 1, both non-storable liquid fuel. Minuteman was still a few years out. It was named for the Lewis Carol character, 1/2 snake, 1/2 shark, snark.



BOMARC. Another box scale kit from Revell. This was the only USAF SAM. The Air Force considered these to be unmanned interceptors. This is the
"B" model. Range 450 miles. Nuclear tipped. By the time they got the kinks worked out the Army had already deployed thousands of Nike Hercules. The Hercules was also nuclear tipped but a max range of 80 miles. Kind of close to the targets for my taste since these were supposed to be stopping soviet bomber carrying nuclear bombs.



I think it looks cool and it's name is derived from Boeing (airframe manufacturer) and Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (guidance system).



Some navy fleet air defenders

F-3 Demon, late 50's early 60's. Great airframe, terribly underpowered engine. Pilots launched with the canopy open in case the engine flamed out. Ditto fro landings.



F-14 A. Great airframe with and underpowered engine. Not so much as the Demon (take off and landings with the canopy closed). When the Navy started using the GE-F110 engines the plane was able to achieve its true potential. Older planes were re-engined and designated F-14A+, new airframes were F-14B. The last version, the D had the avionics suite updated to "modern" standards and the plane could perform multiple roles besides air superiority.



F-15C. Air Force primo air superiority platform until the F-22 came on line. E model still in use and is being upgraded to the EX (Strike Eagle).



Avro Arrow. Canada's last interceptor. It was way ahead of anything we were developing but it was expensive and the exotic material lead to Russian spies taking an interest in the production methods. US had the Canadians shut the program down and swopped in to take over the advanced manufacturing techniques. Stuff went to Lockheed where it wound up being used to develop and make the Blackbird Mach 3 planes.

Really pretty plane, also a very large plane.



All of these have been built since the end of December. I started watching a YouTube channel Max's Models and got inspired to really start working on the kits. Some are 30 years old. The plastic held up well but not so much the decals. Some of the kits (e.g. F-15) I am waiting on replacements from mail order. I did try to "rescue" the originals with limited success.

Nice models and commentary.

Nice models and commentary.

Thank you!!!!

Hey Chuck,
I don't know if there is a Hobby Lobby near you but they are having a sale on boxed model kits at a 40% discount, ending Saturday. With all the model building you're doing, it could be a good time to replenish your stash.

I've been watching Max's Models on YouTube and I think I've seen you in the comments.

Regards

Thanks for the tip. There is a Hobby Lobby about three miles from where I live and I do stop by about once a month for supplies. While there about two weeks ago I picked un the AMT Bulldozer (at 40% off). My dad was in heavy construction and I just need to find the depressed center trailer to almost finish up the collection. The cement mixer has just been re-released (I think it was last issue 30 years ago) and I picked that up from "The Model Cave" in Ypsilanti. I have my Autocar dump truck and an Autocar tractor to pull the trailer. I am hoping they re-release the John Deer 310 back hoe. That would complete my set of heavy equipment. Love Max's channel and Mike Machat's as well. Very different styles of delivery but both are extremely effective and their love of their topics shines through.

This is my collection of Vettes. I've got one of each generation except the current C-8. No plastic model kit in 1/25. The first car I remember as being something distinctive was the 63 Sting Ray. I only began to appreciate the older models as I grew older. The only Vette I find aesthetically unpleasant is the C-4. I know they have a good reputation mechanically but they look like a door stop or a wedge of cheese.

C-1. This is the Revell Monogram kit. 1958 car. A lot of chrome trim but I chose this model because it had steerable front wheels and a full trunk. Nice kit.





C-2 This is a Revell Monogram kit of the 65 version of the car. I had built up a 1963 edition from AMT but messed up the paint job. So bad that after three strips I just gave up and bought another kit.





C-3. The shark! I like this design although I know a lot of vette purists are rather ambivalent. While the C-2 looks like it's doing 120 mph while sitting in the driveway the C-3 looks like its moving at warp speed while parked at the curb. I believe it is the longest length overall of any of the vettes. Kit had the "T" top that I tinted the panels a smokey blue gray.





C-4 The cheese wedge.





C-5. No cute names for this or the 6. They are just sharp looking sporty cars. Main exterior difference is the 5 is the last of the vettes with the hidden headlights.





C-6





C-7. Last of the rear wheel drive vettes. I like the way it looks.





OK, I know this isn't a vette but it was one of the first "advanced" car models I built growing up. An IMC kit of the GT-40 that lost the race at LeMans the first year out. If you haven't watched Ford vs Ferrari, do so. Great movie. I am looking out for a kit of Ken Miles winning car. I also purchased an original kit to rebuild this one. It's a Testors re-pop and the years have not been kind to the mold. The front and rear covers open up as well as the doors and the front suspension allows you to pivot the wheels. I have a JoHann Turbine car my daughter bought for me. To me, this was the holy grail of 1/25 scale model cars. Hood, trunk, doors all open. The seats fold down and the front wheels are steerable. Have to order some "Turbine Bronze" paint!. BTW, all of these models were painted with automotive touch up paint, not "model" paint

Lovely work Chuck. You are a skilled model builder. I have fond memories of the Russian bomber kit (cannot recall the name) that my grandmother bought me one weekend at the Colony Card Shop on 73rd Avenue in Bayside back in 1958 or so. Cannot recall what happened to it after my uncle built and painted it for me. Plastic models are still popular apparently, despite the trend away from kits in the R/C modeling industry.

With Revell going out of business, I bought a few kits just to have them and display the boxes (Spitfire, Mustang). I particularly enjoyed your missiles, shades of the 1950s and 1960s. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. It was probably the Russian "Bison", aka the Ilyushin 38, a box scale kit (aka model parts were scaled to fin in the box).

Revell isn't gone, yet! You can still buy new kits from Revell USA and Revell AG. Some of the older molds that Revell/Monogram had acquired over the years have been sold off to Atlantis which is re-issuing them. Atlantis has bought up Revell, Monogram, Hawk, Aurora, and Lindberg tooling and is re-popping a lot of these "vintage" kits. Round2 has acquired the AMT and MPC catalogs of automobiles/trucks/sci-fi kits and is re-issuing them. Model kit building has apparently become a big deal in China.

Some of the newer kits are being molded in color to limit the need for painting (less headache and less fun).

I think the first kits that my grandfather and dad made for me were an F-100 Super Sabre and a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. The later didn't even have a cockpit. The pilots head was sticking up out of the fuselage like bust on a desk top. Neither lasted long as I wanted to "play" with them. First kit I bought and built myself as an Adams Thor Agena missile. My mom wouldn't let me use model cement so I tried to assemble the kit with Elmers. My dad was able to convince her I was going to try to sniff the glue and I was able to wash off the Elmers and assemble it "properly", complete with fingerprints etched into the plastic. This was back in third grade.

I watched an online local estate sale. The seller must have had a tractor trailer filled with vintage models. They were sold at auction in lots of 5,6,7 and 8. Planes, train, automobiles, Star Trek, star Wars, Tanks, trucks, all kinds of things. I lost count of dollar amount around $70,000. lots of 8 models would bring $1,200 and up. Funny thing almost no action on the train models.

Sometimes the boxes are valued more than the kit inside. Revell used to issue models with art work by John Steel or Jack Leynwood where the illustration did not have the usual markings for a model kit box top. No identification (e.g. USN Nautilus) over the painting. The art was printed on textured paper and was suitable for framing. A box in primo condition can fetch a very high price. Most of the plastic in the box can take a bunch of punishment and still be usable/buildable. The boxes are a different story.

"Russian "Bison", aka the Ilyushin 38,"

Thanks, that's it. Hope someone reissues it, but it's unlikely, I'd guess. Pretty obscure. I probably picked it out because I liked the box art at age 10. Certainly wasn't aware of the Cold War at that time.

Mike Machat is a well respected aviation artist and a former editor of Wings/Air Power magazines. He has a YouTube Channel. Really great channel.

Here are a couple of videos he did on the box top art:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sHWWKM6v6A&t=22s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQqtQqeJLmg&t=3s

He describes what techniques were used to catch/draw our attention to the kits.

The bisson is in that "splash page" at the opening of the video. Revell's last re-pop was in 1974 by the Brazillian affiliate, Kikoler. Don't know if Atlantis acquired the molds. The original kit may be rare but the 1974 edition should be available at more reasonable prices. There is a 1/144 scale version of the antisubmarine version of the plane that was released in 2017.

https://www.ebay.com/c/841864814

The original Revell kit was actually smaller, around 1/169