The Romsey Modeller - Romsey Modellers

MARCH 2013
THIS MONTH
This edition of the Romsey Modeller is slightly curtailed compared with recently months running at “only” 22
pages, however I guess compared to most club magazines that’s still pretty impressive.
What we lack in quantity we make up in quality with great build articles from Paul on his 1970 Lotus, Pat
pulling out all the stops on Airfix’s Angel Interceptor and Russell tacking something entirely different!
I compete the build articles by describing the rather frustrating construction of a 1/72 Trumpeter Fairey
Gannet. We also have plenty of club news covering our AGM and forth coming events.
Tony
This is the newsletter of Romsey Modellers a group of plastic modellers based in Southern Hampshire. We cater
for all modelling genres and skill levels from beginners to well seasoned gurus.
We meet on the 3 rd Wednesday of the month from 8pm to 10pm in Ampfield, Hampshire, where we often run
workshops and club competitions but more importantly have a good chat about our hobby. We also attend most
of the local model shows, where we exhibit our member’s completed projects.
We have an open door policy so if you want to sample how we can help you get more out of your hobby or just
come and have a friendly discussion (tea and biscuits provided) please feel free to turn up – see the last page for
details or visit our web site
www.romseymodellers.co.uk

CONTENTS
March 2013 ............................................................................................................................................................. 2
This Month ......................................................................................................................................................... 2
Contents ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Club News ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
February’s Club Meeting .................................................................................................................................... 5
Trumpeter 1/72 Fairey Gannet Mk1 by Tony Adams ......................................................................................... 6
Ebbro 1/20 th 1970 Lotus 72C Part 2 by Paul Adams ......................................................................................... 12
Not so Grand Designs by Russell Eden ............................................................................................................. 15
Angel Interceptor, Airfix 1/72 nd Scale by Pat Camp ......................................................................................... 18
Letters .............................................................................................................................................................. 21
Club Diary ......................................................................................................................................................... 22
Contact Info ...................................................................................................................................................... 22
CLUB NEWS
FEBRUARY CLUB MEETING‐ AGM
At our last meeting we held our annual general meeting – here are the key points
• Election on Club officers – Confirmed
o Club Secretary, Tony Adams
o Competition Secretary, Sean Summers (despite me forgetting to mention him –sorry Sean)
o Club Treasurer/Show Liaison, Steve Edwards
o Webmaster/ Magazine Editor, Tony Adams
o Assistant Webmaster, Dale Koppi
o Website Content, Russell Howard
o Show Project Leader, Paul Adams
• Club Funds
o In Steve’s absence we didn’t have exact figures but we are in a reasonably healthy state, no
increase in subs is required. We will spend some cash in the near future on the club’s show
stand.
• Telford 2013
o We will attend Telford ( club IPMS return has now been completed), we are expecting to
have several members attend the full weekend with other making day trips.
• Club Show 2014
o The proposal is to arrange a smallish show in 2014. Paul is going to take the lead in
organising this. The date may co inside with the Romsey Arts Festival. Ideally we would like it
to be held in Romsey, investigations are ongoing to find a venue.
• Competitions
o For the annual competition, a Sci‐Fi/ fantasy/Real Space class will be introduced.
Miscellaneous to be retained, but ‘I’ve Started’ is to be scrapped as it’s run its course. This
action is to prevent fantasy models competing in ‘real’ classes. There is likely to be a best
WWI model prize but this will not be a separate category.
o This years build a model in a day competition will be a group build of the same model (
aircraft or AFV )
• Club Activities
o We will continue to provide demos of techniques , a group build of a single model has been
suggested as a good means of achieving this
o A visit to Boscombe Down museum is to be arranged
o A number of members are attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday 12 th July
• We completed a contact list survey , at the time of writing we have 38 active club members
3

MODEL SHOWS – POOLE VIKINGS
On Saturday April 13 th we will be taking our traditional trip down the A31 to Poole for the Poole Vikings Annual
model show at Parkstone Grammar School. This is generally one of the better shows we attend during the year
with good club attendance and lots of vendors (so remember to bring your wallets – or NOT!). Over the years
we have been quite successful in the competitions so it’s well worth bringing something along to enter. We are
likely to get 18 foot of table space ( hopefully in a better position to last year) . A full report on the show will no
doubt feature in next month’s magazine.
Further details at http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/poolevikings/show.html
ST GEORGE’S COMPETITION
April’s meeting sees our bi annual St George competition , so if you haven’t got a qualifying model yet you had
better get your skates on. To be eligible you just have to build a convincing argument that your model has
some link to the theme – i.e. England ( British , Scottish , Welsh and Irish subjects are allowed by default , until
Scotland votes for independence) .
ANDY ARGENT
I for one am desperate to understand how he achieves
such realistic weathering ( particularly with rust)
This is definitely a night to bring your camera as Andy
will be bringing along examples of his work.
Book now to avoid disappointment…
VISIT TO BOSCOMBE DOWN MUSEUM
We have a real treat in store for us on Wednesday as
we welcome Andy Argent to the club to give us a talk
on him models and techniques.
Andy (who Russell describes as his Nemisis) has won
countless awards for his outstanding AFV’s and
dioramas, most recently taking best in show at
Yeovilton and NewMod with two different models.
I am in the process of organising a club trip to the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection at Old Sarum Airfield . I
have contacted the museum and assuming we can get 10 members along we will get a reduced entry fee and
guided tour. The suggested dates are 27 th /28 th April or 11 th / 12 th May. For further details on the museum
see http://www.boscombedownaviationcollection.co.uk/
4

FEBRUARY’S CLUB MEETING
At our last meeting we have a very interesting talk from Barry Sharman assisted by Nigel on his 1/72 Flower
class corvette. Everybody was very impressed at the amount of scratch built detail that was packed into the
model, I kept finding more the longer I stared at to and have found even more as I reviewed the photo I took
reproduced below.
5

TRUMPETER 1/72 FAIREY GANNET MK1 BY TONY ADAMS
THE FAIREY GANNET – A POTTED HISTORY
This model was supposed to be a quick project while
over Xmas to bridge the gap between my 6 month
Dauntless build to my next major piece a work (
more on that next month). However things didn’t go
quite as planned due to my own stupidity.
The Admiralty issued a requirement for a carrier‐based submarine hunter in 1945 which yielded prototypes
from Blackburn and Fairey. The Fairey design was initially to be powered by a pair of Merlin engines connected
to a common gearbox, turning contrarotating four‐bladed propellers which could translate that high
horsepower into thrust. When the bulk of the twin‐Merlin installation proved impractical, Fairey adopted the
Armstrong Siddeley Twin Mamba twin turboprop engine design.
The Gannet first flew in September 1949, and on 19 June 1950, became the first turboprop to land aboard an
aircraft carrier. The type first entered service in 1953 after incorporating a radar, a third crew station, and
additional requirements into the airframe's design. Dubbed the AS Mark I, this first Gannet was an
antisubmarine warfare aircraft, and with that huge wing, could cruise at low speeds and low altitudes
comfortably.
Further developments of the type yielded a T.2 trainer, an upgraded ASW AS.4 version, and the rather ungainly
AEW.3 version which sported an APS‐20 radar under the airframe. A T.5 trainer and an ECM.6 rounded out the
family. Over 440 Gannets would be produced for the Royal Navy and for other services around the world.
THE KIT
The kit is moulded in Trumpeter standard light grey plastic and is presented on four sprues, plus a single sprue
of clear parts. Detailing of this kit is quite nice with finely scribed details throughout.
Markings are included for three aircraft:
• Gannet AS.1/4, XA322, CU/711, 769 Sqn, HMS Culdrose, 1957
• Gannet AS.1/4, XA402, B/327, 820 Sqn, HMS Bulwark, 1956 ( my selection)
• Gannet AS.1/4, UA+112, MFG3, West German Navy, 1960
6

All it all the build looked pretty straightforward so as boxing day dawned it was time to hide from the kids and
crack on…
THE COCKPITS (S)
I decide to build the kit out of the box , the only exception
being the addition of seat belts made from foil from the top of
a bottle of wine ( there is always plenty of this material
available in my house) . No decal is provided for the instrument
panels so they had to be painted. The panel was initially
painted black and then the instrument details picked out by
dry brushing with light grey, the result was not too shoddy .
The foil for the seat belts were sprayed buff before being cut
out and buckles highlighted in silver, not startling but with the
canopy closed they would past muster.
With the cockpit components complete and after suitable photography it was time to close the fuselage.
The technique I have found works best for major joints is to flow Mr Cement the joint with a paint brush and
then apply pressure with clamps to squeeze some molten plastic our onto the surface. When dry this can be
sanded down to a seamless joint.
I attached the wings and nose section to the model and applied as small amount of filler where needed. With
the model clean and about ready for primer I had a niggling doubt – something was wrong – it took a while
before the penny dropped – NOSE WEIGHT!
There is no mention of needing to weigh down the nose in the instructions but it is a no brainier, the
undercarriage is very far forward and the tail is huge so this would definitely be a tail sitter‐ bugger.
In order to try and remedy the situation I prized off the nose and filled it with as much lead shot as possible
and some of the lead wheel weights Sean had given me.
7

Tail sitting blunder No 1 : After forgeting to add nose weight I had to add lead shot to the nose cone
Tail sitting blunder No 2 : With the radome fully
extended it would hit the ground
Also in this photo the engine exhaust location holes
that allowed me to fill the fuselarge with additional
weight.
In experimenting by balancing the airframe on cocktail stick it was apparent there was still not enough weight
in the nose so I resorted to inserting lead via the currently open fuselage holes destined for the engine
exhausts. It was surprising how much weight was required ( and how much the weights rattled) . In doing this I
also discovered another issue not covered by the instructions , namely that with the radome fully extended it
hits the ground! I did manage to push it in a bit at the cost of cracking its frame but it would be close.
The canopy had a prominent seam line that needed to
be sanded off and then the clarity of the clear plastic
restored through successive polishing with micro
mesh and finally a coat of Klear.
The fit of the clear parts was very poor and required
considerable fettling to get them to fit.
Once in place adhesive foil was used to mask the
canopies.
8

PAINTING
It was here that my major blunder occurred which I have mentioned in recent editions of the magazine. I
decided to do a strip down clean of my Iwata TR1 airbrush using my ultra sonic cleaner, something I had done
countless times before. As I was reassembling the brush, instead of finding the spanner designed for the job I
thought I could save a couple of minutes by using my pliers to tighten the nozzle to the body – dick head! I
overtightened the nozzle and stripped the tread from the airbrush body a mistake that would cost me £160 for
a new airbrush. The damage was not immediately apparent and I spent several hours trying to work out why
my impeccably clean brush was spluttering. Once I had worked it out my enthusiasm for yuletide modelling
disappeared.
PAINTING PART 2
After a few weeks sulking I resumed the project , now with Steve’s airbrush that he had kindly lent me ( brave
fellow). The canopy frames were first painted the interior colour before the panel lines were preshaded using
thinned Tamiya black.
The sky underside colour was added ( Mr Color) thinly using a couple of coats to slowly build up the colour
depth without obliterating the pre shade. This was masked and the top colour added.
A punch that I picked up in a pound shop was used to create masks for the wheels
9

Blunder No 4: Somehow I managed to get the
order of the spinner bands wrong
The stabiliser fins were masked and painted before
being attached.
The spinner is presented in several parts to support the
counter rotating propellers, I initially sprayed it white and
then masked it to allow for the red stripes. Unfortunately I
didn’t play enough attention to the order and ended up
spraying the wrong bands!
The process naturally had to be repeated to rectify the
error.
The undercarriage was constructed and fitted and the
model was given a coat of Klear to provide a gloss based for
decaling, which went without drama.
The model was then given a final clear coat to seal the
decals and followed by a panel line wash. The final painting
operation was to add exhaust stains to the rear fuselage.
Flory Modellers dark wash ( formally Pro Modellers
wash) was sprayed all over the model, went dry it was
removed with a soft rag leaving the panel lines nicely
highlighted.
After removing the canopy masking and cleaning up the residual glue ( a disadvantage of using foil) the model
was complete.
Considering it took well over two months, I can’t say I am thrilled by the result. If it had taken a few days as
originally planned I would have been delighted but at times it was a struggle to maintain enthusiasm on what
to be frank is not a fantastic kit. Still it’s another model to add to my growing FAA collection ( and it has
allowed me to fill 6 pages of this publication ☺ ).
10

PHOTOS
11

EBBRO 1/20 TH 19770
LOTUS 772C
PART 2 BY PAUL ADAMS
SECONDD
PRACTICE
The Zeroo
sealer went
on well ennough
to
cover thee
red plastic beneath, butt
it went
on with a lot more texxture
than I wwas
used
to seeingg
from the Zeero
pre‐thinned
paint
range. I resorted to lightly sandinng
down
the paintt
surface whicch
left it very smooth,
but that was not beffore
correctinng
some
joint issuues
on the nose and aiir
intake
cowling. I followed up with 2 ccoats
of
Halfords white primerr
which I thinkk
ate into
the sealeer
as in placees
some faint red was
showing through. I coontinued
withh
2 coats
of Zero bbrilliant
whitee
which look great on
it was onn
but I later ddiscovered
that
it had
too driedd
with a roughh
texture.
With all oof
the parts inn
primer or s
plan this month was tto
get the bod
colour annd
clearcoateed,
and to sp
the otheer
parts in thheir
base colo
write thiis
on March 13
deadline by at least 2
problemss
have occurr
been bussy
– oh, and
Enough eexcuses?!
th ealer, the
dywork in
pray all of
ours. As I
, I’ve missed m my
2 weeks as a couple of
red and famil ly life has
it was a short
month.
Beforee
I was able too
mask up for r the red, I
lightlyy
sanded backk
the white to
smooth
it out and set about
masking up the white
areas using Tamiyaa’s
trusty tape e, a sharp
scalpeel
and measuuring
callipers s. I used
the kkit
decal sheeet
to determine
the
placemment
of thhe
masking line by
measuuring
the heigght
of the white
decals
that mmodellers
cann
choose to use over
the baase
red colour
should they want. On
the mmonocoque
annd
radiator shrouds
the
lines wwere
straight,
but angled slightly s to
allow for the raake
of the car. The
windsscreen
cowl oon
the real car
is made
in onee
piece from ttinted
Perspe ex and the
lower half is painteed
to match the
rest of
12

the car and
Ebbro have
followed suit
with their ddesign
of it in the kit. The kiit
does have a red decal to cover the
appropriate
area with,
but you’ll thhen
have to mmatch
you red d paint to it. Iff
painting is yyour
thing (mi ine is) the
builder hhas
therefore tto
mask up thhe
screen and paint the low wer half, whichh
I can tell youu
is not an eas sy task for
many a mmodeller
incluuding
the expperienced
onees!
I used a tip t from the iinternet
and masked off using u Bare
Metal Fooil
which was burnish dowwn
gently andd
trimmed wit th a new blade.
After a fiddly
45 minu utes I had
achievedd
what I hopee
to be a clean
separation line. The insides
were maask
off to prevvent
overspra ay. I think
Ebbro should
have proovided
the moodern
solution
this is problem
and provided
pre cut mmasks
as an option o as I
can see tthis
being a stumbling
blockk
for a numbeer
of builders.
The nosee
of the car ppresents
somee
masking
hurdles as it requiress
three colouurs
to be
sprayed unless you use the gold
decals
which I hhad
read are a challenge to fit. To
make matters
even more interessting,
the
mask linees
are curvedd,
and those ccurves
are
of a decrreasing
and inncreasing
radius!
I used
the kit ddecal
as a guuide
and purrchased
a
drawing aid called a French
curve, wwhich
is a
bit like a flexible ruleer.
This enabled
me to
draw thee
line onto thhe
masking taape
(once
removedd
from the deccal)
and then cut it out
using thee
same tool bbut
using the scalpel. It
took sevven
attempts to get a maask
I was
happy with
and even then I had to modify it
to look correct
accordding
to referennces.
On the sseventh
attem mpt the decal cried enoughh
and broke away
from
the backiing
sheet....
With thee
masking upp
complete itt
was on withh
the paintin ng…except it wasn’t. I reaadied
my airb brush and
compressor
only to find
that the ccoiled
hose beetween
the air
outlet and water trap had
split….the cause no
doubt of my rough paint
finishes prreviously.
A wweekend
of painting
and proogress
was waasted
while I waited w for
an internnet
ordered reeplacement
too
arrive. Anothher
good excu use!
The red ppaint
I was using
was a coloour
matched item from Hir roboy ZP‐10744
(the set alsoo
provides the e gold and
white) annd
went on bbeautifully.
3 coats were eenough,
but I made a mistake
when sprraying
the vent
on the
nose aand
manage to
get 4 coats on which
resulteed
in a patchyy
finish, not something s
I wantted
after speending
so much m time
maskinng
off the whiite
area.
The wwindscreen
neeeded
to show
red on
the innside,
so the
paint was s applied
carefully
directly oonto
the plas stic (I did
sand itt
slightly withh
some worn 1500 grit
paper) ) , the only problem was s 3 coats
didn’t match the main mono ocoque….I
later rrecoated
oveer
the red with w white
and reapplied tthe
red to o match
elsewhhere.
I generally
remove
the
maskinng
tape as soon
as I’m able
and the
result was a nice cclean
line between
the
colours. As I write thiis,
the nose iss
being repainnted
after bein ng stripped annd
covered onnce
more in the
yellow
sealer. I’mm
so looking fforward
to maasking
that onne
up again!
13

While geetting
the cowwlings
sorted oout
I’ve also aairbrushed
a multitude m of pparts
with basse
black for th he various
Alclad finnishes.
The baase
black variees
from matt to gloss depe ending on the required finish.
The engine
was my
next focuus
and this waas
undercoateed
in Zero semmi‐gloss
black and sprayed wwith
Alclad Poolished
Alumin nium. The
semi glosss
undercoat subdues the ootherwise
verry
shiny finish h. This was theen
flattened ooff
with Hannants
matt
varnish ssealing
the paaint
from the washes to follow.
The cam m covers and gearbox received
Humbrol’s
superb
gunmetaal
which has a little polishh
from a flat paint brush to t highlight vvarious
areas. . The Ford lo ogos were
highlighted
with a silvver
pencil. Thee
fuel rails weere
assembled d and drilled out to receivee
Model Factory
Hiro’s
fine fuel tube (MFHP9958)
which beehaved
impeccably
during the t delicate ffitting
stage, aas
did their bl lack spark
plug wiree
(MFHP961) which was pplumbed
into the distribut tor nestling between
the bbanks
of injec ctors. The
photo’s sshows
the commplete
enginee
before washhes
were adde ed and offer a glimpse of the
gearbox. The T intake
trumpetss
are courtesyy
of Acu‐stion. .
Hopefullyy
this build will w gather
more paace
for next month’s
instalmennt
and my re eport will
contain leess
excuses!
14

NOT SO GRAND DESIGNS BY RUSSELL EDEN
Those who know me well enough will have noticed I like doing
something different occasionally.
Whilst surfing the net I came across Tabletop World – these
guy from Croatia make rather stunning houses for war‐games
/ RPGs.
‘I must get one,’ I thought, but how to justify yet another
project? I know, I’ll paint one for my mum’s birthday; which is
in October so I have plenty of time. I painted her a
Warhammer castle many years ago which she loved. She
agreed and I spent the money – good timing as it happens as I
got a set of furniture thrown in for free. I decided on the
townhouse as it doesn’t need a base, was robust (2 parts), was
within my budget and was large enough to fit the furniture in.
But arrives like this –
A finished house looks like this
Cast in a very nice white resin – not too soft or too hard. Note the dog – missing from the finished one. I think
I’ll leave him there but he has air bubble where his nose should be – oops…
15

This is the set of furniture, and a cat
they very kindly included for me. No
house should be without a cat!
Although like the dog he has an air
bubble where his nose should be –
double oops…
Note the house has no cooker but a chimney – this will need sorting at some point – time for a surf and
research session… More on that later.
Whilst having a mental block with various other projects I’m working on I wanted something simple to paint so
got on with painting the furniture.
After cleaning them up – hardly any needed, I drilled them and fitted veropins to make them easier to handle. I
added a small chest to the table and then
got on with the painting. They were primed
with Halfords grey primer and painting with
Games Workshop Vermin Brown.
They were then given a wash of Agrax
Earthshade ink, (don’t ask, I didn’t name
them!)
And finally drybrushed with Vomit Brown
and then Bubonic Brown to bring out the
detail.
The metal work was painted Boltgun Metal
and washed with Nuhn Oil black ink.
16

Additional highlights were added in Chainmail. I used a light drybrush of Vallejo Sand to bring out more details
and lined the edges of the planks with Nuhn Oil.
That’s finished the wardrobe. If only all
DIY was that easy!
The top sheet and pillow on the bed were painted Bleached
Bone – I don’t think they had ‘whiter than white’ washing
powder in medieval times! I gave it a thinned sepia wash and
mixed white to bleached bone to blend it all together and make
it paler but not white. I fancied a bit of colour so painted the
bottom sheet light blue with white highlights.
The rug was painted Vermin Brown with a black ink wash and
drybrushed with Dark Flesh which has a red tint to give it a bit of
contrast to all the brown wood. I then gave the edges a dry
brush with bleached bone – purely by accident as I was
drybrushing the sheet – oops but it doesn’t look too bad.
As I was doing the table I also painted some of the accessories I
bought form Maxmini. The parchment on the table, the skull and
all the candles were painted as per the bedsheet but with added
earthshade ink to give a darker shadow where needed. I painted
the extra the details – quill, wax stamp and ribbons and they
were done. I doubt I’ll use all the candles but they’re painted if
needed. I also painted a metal chest I had spare too at this point.
Next month – DIY SOS – finding a cooker and starting the interior painting. And I might knock up a bookcase if
there is room.
17

ANGEL INTERCEPTOR, AIRFIX 1/72 ND SCALE BY PAT CAMP
PART DEUX: LE POSTE DE PILOTAGE.
I thought I would be at the painting stage by now, but progress with finishing the assembly has been slower
than I had hoped for.
The air intake areas were airbrushed with white H34 with a touch of sand colour. The intake was a tad narrow
on one side and so some plasticard shim was glued into place to the intake so it matched up with the fuselage
[13]. Even so, a large quantity of modelling putty was needed to fill the gaps [14].
[13]. Strips of plasticard applied to one side of
the intake to shim the part to match the
fuselage. Note also masking has been applied
because it would be easier to do it now than
when the intake was glued into place – not that
I decided on the colour scheme as yet!
[14]. Generous quantities of modelling putty
were needed to fill the gaps between the intake
and the fuselage. I used (for the first time)
Tamiya putty mixed with Mr Hobby self‐
levelling thinners to get a paste that could be
trowelled on
The decking behind the pilot’s seat was detailed, referring to photographs and diagrams of “the real thing”
that I found on the internet [15]. The radio set was a chunk of resin that was sawn and filed to shape, a pair of
plasticard rails with holes drilled through (I always drill the holes before cutting the plasticard to size: there is
less chance of the piece cracking if you do it that way around) and a pair of hydraulic jacks for the canopy that
were electrical wire with the insulation trimmed back. Wiring and hoses were from rolled Milliput, following a
technique described to me by Guillaume Monnier from the Toulon club, who is an absolute wizard in the art of
fine detailing.
All I did was to roll out a small piece of Milliput into a fine filament (Guillaume actually rolls it out finer than
mine, but I was happy enough for this first attempt) and give it a curl before cutting to length. Pick up the
piece using a moistened paintbrush and put it into position. Use the brush to tease the piece into place – there
is no need to use Superglue to hold it in place. It was a lot quicker and gave a better result than using wire.
Whilst I had the Milliput out, I fashioned a headrest and back cushion for the pilot’s seat [16]. The real seat
has indentations moulded into it and I copied these as best I could. As a final measure, the pilot was pressed
into the cushion so that the Milliput would take up her shape.
I have a number of different pilots to hand and could not decide which to use. I had one around 1/100 scale,
which is about right for this kit (rather than the 1/72 nd it says on the box). Nevertheless, I selected a 1/72 nd
pilot in the end as I did not want to have a different “scale” in my collection [17].
18

[15]. Detailing added to rear deck of cockpit. [16]. Modified kit seat
with plasticard panel
behind head. Headrest
and cushion added from
Milliput.
[17]. Kit pilot underwent an
enforced drastic weight loss and
sex‐change surgical operation
(you can’t do enough for a good
hobby!). I wish I trimmed out
around the neck some more
because “she” ended up more
like a Russian shot‐put athlete
than a young “Angel”!
Guillaume Monnier had also explained to me how to mould the new canopy by what he termed “smash
moulding”. Basically, you take a piece of transparent polystyrene food packaging and heat it using a candle.
Once it has gone soft, you “smash” it down over the mould. He said that you must keep moving the plastic
over the candle flame – if you stop it will melt through. He also said that I would need a few tries before
getting the hang of it and that if the plastic had not flowed enough then you can reheat it once again and have
another try.
I epoxied each of the two Super‐Sculpey moulds to lolly sticks and clamped these into place for the smash
moulding. It all went exactly as Guillaume had predicted, and I ended up with two or three usable canopies
from each mould. The plastic from the deeper canopy was a bit thin after moulding, but the shallower one was
okay. I also tried some clear plasticard, but this was impossible to mould: the clear food packaging was much
easier (and cheaper!)
One further advantage of doing your own mould is that it is easier to trim the part to fit. You pop the part back
onto the mould and trace along the joint edge using a CD marker pen. Then take the part off and trim it using a
fine pair of nail scissors and a scalpel. Any residue of CD pen ink can be removed with a paintbrush dipped into
meths.
Having selected the best results for my model (one from each mould), they were dipped into Klear and left
until the cockpit had been painted up.
The cockpit, seat, pilot and instrument coaming (fashioned from a resin block) were undercoated H66 dark
grey and then a lighter tone, H64, was applied as a highlight from above. The rear deck and inside edges of the
cockpit were sprayed H120 green, this being a reasonably close match to the photos found on the internet.
Some AK‐Interactive wash was applied to the green decking before the detailed items were picked out in their
correct colours.
White, H34, was sprayed onto the pilot from above, except for the legs that would be shaded by the
instrument coaming. The pilot’s hair visible through the flying helmet was painted with various tones of oil
paint [18].
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[18]. Detail painting. Shading was done using oils.
[19]. Cockpit completed and ready for the
canopy to be attached.
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The young Angel was then glued to her seat and some seat belts added from thin lead foil held in place with
Gator’s Grip acrylic adhesive. I couldn’t believe these were actually finished in deep pink – it so clashes with
the colour of the seat cushions. Small pieces of fine plastic rod were attached to the shoulders of her flight suit
and painted in white and gold. Here collar and cuffs were finished in gold with brown oil paint as shading.
Now the time came to assemble the pilot and instrument coaming into place. The agony was not over for the
pilot, as I temporarily had to lop off her arm and fix in place later. Still, she did not complain and took it all in
her stride – very stoic these Angels.
The instrument decal supplied in the kit was used on the coaming.
A few final touches were made and I am now ready to attach the canopy.
LETTERS
If anybody was inspired by Barry Sharman’s Flower class corvette here is an opportunity:
Hi Tony,
I was given your address by Phil Butler. I’m looking for someone to undertake a commission and he
said you had more ship modellers in your group than he had in his. I’ve promised a friend of mine that
I would arrange for a model that he started many years ago to be completed. It’s the Matchbox 1/72
Scale Flower Class Corvette, plastic with a brass fittings kit.
The model is largely completed but not to a good standard. I’m looking for someone that can finish it
off to high standard.
If you have any members that can help I’d appreciate you putting me in touch. I live in Chichester but
I’m happy to drive over to your part of the world.
Regards,
Adrian
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CLUB DIARY
March 20 th
Club Night
Andy Argent
April 17 th St George Competition April 13 th Poole Vikings Show
May 15 th Club Night May 19 th Hendon Show
June 19 th Club Night June 1st IPMS Salisbury Show
July 17 th
Trumpeter/
Dragon Competition
August 21 st Club Night
September 18 th Club Night
October 16 th Club Night
November 20 th Annual Competition
December 18 th Xmas Night
Ampfield Village Hall
Morleys Lane
Romsey
Hampshire
SO51 9BJ
TBA
September 21 st
November 9 th /10 th
TBA
Next Meeting: Wednesday March 20 th (8pm to 10pm)
Thank you to this month’s contributors to this publication
Paul Adams
Tony Adams
CONTACT INFO
Russell Eden
Pat Camp
Build a Model in a Day
IPMS Farnborough Show
Scale ModelWorld 2013
Middle Wallop Show
Web Site wwww.romseymodellers.co.uk email info@romseymodellers.co.uk
Club Secretary Tony Adams Tel: 01794 519153
Magazine Editor Tony Adams Tel: 07736555664 email: tony@romseymodellers.co.uk
Treasurer Steve Edwards
Competition Secretary Sean Summers
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