I-16 Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 (edited) I'll start my thread today, and get cranking on the model next week. The Glen kind of facinates me as it was developed as a sub borne observation aircraft, designed to be stored in a water tight tube on the deck of certain Japanese subs. One of them did a post-strike recce on Pearl Harbor, and another fire-bombed the forests in Oregon (across the river from where I live in Washington State). This was the only air attack on the continental US during the war. I like strange one off aircraft, so the attraction was natural... The Wings kit is a typical cavity molded Vac, good detail, crisp moldings. It comes with a small flat of resin bits, which has been added as their upgraded kits. If you haven't tried a vac, Wings/ Eagle Talon are great to start with. I enjoy vacs, as they test your skills, and sometimes your paitence and vocabulary. Cutting and sanding will begin soon. CH Edited December 2, 2006 by I-16 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
indydog Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 EEK! You are a braver man then I. Looks like a beautiful kit though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 sub borne like the seiran eh? probably got the idea from the Glen, cant wait to see it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
desmojen Posted December 4, 2006 Share Posted December 4, 2006 That's a nice looking aeroplane, looks very similar to an AR196 from those pics. Jen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted December 4, 2006 Author Share Posted December 4, 2006 (edited) Main parts freed from sheets. I score and snap them out, which seems to work well. Now its time to start sanding. It does look a bit like the AR 196, all be it is is somewhat smaller, I believe. CH Edited December 4, 2006 by I-16 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 Not to much progress to report. Sanded wings down, and they are ready to go together. Glued floats, and they do float. Starting on interior. The kits fusalage is smooth, but checking some photos, it turns out the back half is fabric. I'm adding stringers on the inside of the 'pit, and will attempt to simulate fabric and ribs with tape and clear coat.. On to detailing the insides. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ranger74 Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 You got thru all that sanding quite quickly! Looks like you're off to a great start. How do you like the Wings kit. I have several other Wings 48 & 72 kits waiting in line. Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted December 13, 2006 Author Share Posted December 13, 2006 The fit seem sto be good, and the detail is nice as well. The only issue I have had so far is a lot of lumps in the plastic. They are easily sanded off, but finding them all is a pain. Thats what the dots are, I mark the imperfections with a marker. Before sanding, it looked like it had the pox. I have a Wings D XXI, and the plastic is dead smooth. CH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted December 14, 2006 Author Share Posted December 14, 2006 Got the interior close to complete. Here it is being dry-fit. I looked at some photos, and added bulkheads behind pilot and observer. I have no clue how the observers gun mounts up, as there are only 11 pictures of the Glen on the web, and all are of the observer facing forward. So I will build it with the gun stowed. Might paint tonight. CH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brews Posted December 14, 2006 Share Posted December 14, 2006 The lumps are pinholes that allow airflow during the vacform process. It's an inevitable artefact of vacforming. Nice work so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted December 22, 2006 Author Share Posted December 22, 2006 Fuselage together, wings attached. Need to do some clean-up on the wing to fuselage joints. One minor issue I ran into is the cowling. It came out way undersized. I will add some plastic card spacer to make it larger in diameter and more rounded. More later. CH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
erwin Posted December 23, 2006 Share Posted December 23, 2006 Looks good so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ranger74 Posted December 25, 2006 Share Posted December 25, 2006 Great progress - you're embarrasing me with my progress on my vac Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted December 26, 2006 Author Share Posted December 26, 2006 I was able to pull two weeks of vacation over the holidays. So.... lots of time to work on models, and chase around the kids! CH Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Fester Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 Great progress Yes I'll second that..... ;) Chris that is looking a great build and a little daunting from someone who has never attacked a vac kit before Keep posing the progress. Doc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zdenko Posted December 26, 2006 Share Posted December 26, 2006 You make it look so simple to build vac kit. They stil frighten me. :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
michaelx Posted December 27, 2006 Share Posted December 27, 2006 You make it look so simple to build vac kit. They stil frighten me. Me too. I can't even do a good job on vacuform replacement canopies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted January 10, 2007 Author Share Posted January 10, 2007 (edited) More progress, a few steps forward, giant step back, then moving forward again. How many of you actually test paint or primer on plastic prior to coating? I don't, and it bit me. I often use automotive primer as it is heavy and sands well. I grabbed a can out of the garage, and hit the Glen, and realized it was a type I have not used on models before. Proved to be a little "hot" and I watched as it began to craze the plastic before my eyes. A bunch of bad words came from my mouth. Fortunately, I had clear coated the back half of the model to seal the tape which represented the fabric ribbing, and that protected the stuff I had really worked on. So more wet sanding, and I got to do some scribing, using Dymo Tape (which is easier than a ruler) and some more sanding, and more foul words. So, I am now back to pre-priming. I shot it again, (after testing my primer) and it looks ok. Floats have a recessed area in them for the strut attach points. I cut slots, and used Evergreen channel glued in, and sanded flush. One of the pix shows the process. Now she is setting on the floats,ready to drill the attach points. Time to start on the undersized cowling, which I have been avoiding like the plague. Seeing some awsome modeling from the other entries! If I get this guy done soon, I'm going to build an injection molded Hanriot Floatplane Fighter by Eduard, just for a lark. CH Edited January 10, 2007 by I-16 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted April 1, 2007 Author Share Posted April 1, 2007 After a lull in modeling activity, I'm back at it. The Glen is up on the floats, flaperons are on, and I, busy hacking at the canopy(s), my least favorite modeling activity. Hope to finish her off this week or next. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted April 18, 2007 Author Share Posted April 18, 2007 About there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
indydog Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Most excellent! You make those vac kits look so easy. Great job. <_< Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Fester Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Looks amazing so far Chris, can't wait to see the finished article. Doc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 lookin really nice! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I-16 Posted April 27, 2007 Author Share Posted April 27, 2007 Done. Will get my wife's good camera for the web page pics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dr Fester Posted April 27, 2007 Share Posted April 27, 2007 Turned out really fine Chris, a great build of quite a stubby little plane. Looking forward to seeing more pics and well done for finishing. Cheers Doc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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