Rob de Bie

Dutch, ChernayaAkula and Hajo: thanks for the compliments! Here's the most recent one I built, a faux-metal deskmodel for Craig Kaston, my number one source of information of the AQM-34 website. Rob

Another very happy modeler here! Just a few months ago I bought the Black Dog 1/72 BQM-34A, but it was a huge disappointment. Here's my list of errors: overall length should be 275.71" = 97.3 mm. I measured 80.9 + 10.5 = 91.4 mm, 5.9 mm too short, or 94% of the real length the fuselage is too fat in the middle, giving it a pregnant look. It's also too fat behind the wing. Ryan drawings show 28.12" max width, 9.9 mm in 1/72, the model is 12.3 mm the nacelle is too short the wings and tailplanes have 'root ribs' embossed on the fuselage, to which the flying surfaces are to be butt-jointed. This makes for weak connections, difficult sanding, and missing gaps. The Italeri method with recessed pockets is so much better and realistic the wings and tailplanes all have a completely unrealistic wedge-shaped wing profile, flat on the top and bottom sides. The unique drooped-leading edge profile of the main wing is absent the tailplanes attach to the main parachute cone, that is ejected during recovery, instead of the rear fuselage the tailplane endplates are of a type that I have never seen the panel line that separates the radome from the fuselage is placed too far forward, making the radome far too small most panel lines on the rear fuselage are missing the electronics hatch on the rear left fuselage is positioned too far forward the spine starts too far aft the inlet shape looks strange there's a concave area behind the exhaust that does not exist the cart is of a type that I've never seen The new PlusModel Firebee looks good on the sprues. On the built-up models the vertical tail keeps attracting my attention, it looks like the sweep angle is too small. Both the LSM and Belcher first-generation Firebees (Q-2A / KDA) have problems, so I'm very happy that PlusModel gives these a go. I hope they do the air force version too, that has a smaller nacelle and no bullet in the inlet. I've been playing with the Italeri 1/72 BQM-34 for ages, modifying them into various AQM-34 versions, like the AQM-34M below. If you want to know more about the AQM-34, check out my website: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/aqm34.htm Rob

I recently read something new about vacform kits in the recent book 'Frog Penguin plastic scale model kits 1936-1950' by Peter van Lune. On page 192 it shows the 'Wimco Hollows', vacformed kits from 1956. The founders of Frog Penguin, austed by Lines Brothers, started Jetex and Wimco, all in the UK. The kits were 1/144 scale, and Canberra B8, Javelin and Valiant are confirmed. This really puts the claims of Gordon Stevens of being the first to bed! Rob

I looked again at the photos, and to my surprise there is no steel reinforcement (rebar) visible before the concrete is poured. The pouring casings are already mostly installed, but no rebar. Yet in the one photo where the shelter's exhaust is missing, I see lots of rebar sticking out vertically. I'm confused 😗 Rob

I just found a really nice set of construction photos of the TAB-Vs at Soesterberg: https://nimh-beeldbank.defensie.nl/foto-s/?q=shelterbouw&fq%5B%5D=search_s_mediatype:%22Foto%27s%22&mode=gallery&view=horizontal Maybe the details are useful for anyone building one in scale. Rob

To get that Alps running: try to find an old XP computer with a on-board LPT1 printer port. Otherwise it becomes rather complicated, with virtual machines etc. Rob

For a friend I 'redrew' an old ScaleMaster sheet in vector graphics, so it could be printed in white. I can send the vector file (for free) so you can have it printed by a custom printer. Her'es a list of those: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm#custom Rob

Here's the master in progress, about 3/4 done, with a first layer of paint to check for paint defects. I hade run a needle through the small rectangular fasteners, that's why they are so apparent. The chaff 'exhaust' was achieved by about half an hour worth of scraping with a small scalpel blade. The shape I saw in photos emerged slowly but surely. Comments are welcome! Rob

You could take some 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mm steel wires, or stretched sprues of various diameters, and fit them in the panel lines of various kits with engraved panel lines. That should give you an idea of what to use for your 3D model. Another method, quite a bit more laborious, is to make cross sections cuts of various kit parts, scan them at maybe 1200 dpi, and study the width and depth of the panel lines. Rob

Very interesting!! I would love to hear more, even if it's generic. I never experienced paint adhesion problems on resin parts before, so this 'incident' was quite an eye-opener. I always suspected that silicone oil from the mold would create most of the paint adhesion problems, so your comments are intriguing.. Rob

It was regular polyurethane resin, the caramel-colored kind. Is epoxy more difficult, in general? I did some epoxy resin casting 20+ years ago, but I don't think I ever painted those parts. Rob

This is not an answer to your question, but I found the following an interesting experience. In our club we built more or less identical resin models. I was the first to notice that paint adhesion was a real problem, everything got scratched very easily. We all tried various paints (enamel, waterbased acrylic, lacquer acrylic, Mr Surfacer) and nothing worked. In the end I found out that a *throroughly* dried enamel would stick properly. I'm talking 4-5 days of curing, or a forced heat cure. That was the solution that everyone used, then continuing with their paint of choice. For me it was the first time that I needed a paint with mostly adhesion qualities (call it a primer) before the 'colored' paint could be used. Rob

They still can't print white, that you need for all decals. Unless you only build white models, or just want to print black decals. Consider outsourcing the printing. Here are two lists of custom decal printers, Alps and others: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm#custom As an example, here's a sheet that Spotmodel did for me: Rob

Thanks again for all your information! Rob

I saw this on Ebay, does it fit your description in any way? https://www.ebay.com/itm/KOREA-AND-LATER-TARGET-DRONE-CHAFF-PACK-FOIL-SEVEN-WAVELENGTH-UNUSED/223807426375?hash=item341bf64f47:g:I7QAAOSwpBdd~VW7 Rob