Great work as usual Jess!

Got a couple of days off, getting some work done on the Accurate Miniatures 1/48 Yak-1:








Cockpit actually went together better than I feared. Kinda lousy pics though, not sure what happened there.

Michael

Just about ready for painting:





Michael

That Yak goes together so very well

Here's the North Star and DC-9 wearing Alclad black primer. It went seriously splattery as I sprayed it, which is strange given how it's supposed to be glass smooth

My first foray into spraying Alclad Aluminium went well enough, although it reveals the fact that I could have spent far longer cleaning up the undersides.

I need to sand the orange peel off the North Star so it didn't get painted tonight. I'll have to leave that job until next year.

When I first investigated using Alclad , I was warned off using Alclad's black undercoat.
Tamiya rattle can gloss black enamel was recommended to me, and you know how relaible and nice that comes out, nothing better -
and it worked perfectly under the Alclad, the few times Ive done it.

I can see why. Perhaps you're supposed to thin the Alclad black? It felt like it was clogging in the nozzle as I sprayed it, and then splattering off in huge blobs.

It can be tricky using new stuff. Alclad works great once you get the hang of it, but I've chickened out since then and gone back to the old standby, Floquil. Still, looks like you've got a great job going there Jessie!

Michael

I had the same issue with the grey alclad primer. It's effectively useless.

Masking off


Decals going on


Now to let that lot dry and get on with the layering.

Good Lord, you DO move fast!

Michael

After a nerve wracking hour with the North Star, the decals are on. I used the Minicraft de-icing boot and wing walk decals. They were somewhat troublesome and will need some touching up tomorrow. The Main colour scheme decals were very fragile, and insisted on breaking, trying to fold into useless little balls and otherwise not co-operate. I've finally fought them into submission although they didn't line up well at the nose. Don't look at this one from head on

I'm very close to finishing now. I need to do a few more touch-ups and then I can call this one finished

Well done Jessica!
Nice to see, like Canada a Civil entry

Excellent work!

Michael

Jessie, I like that North star! Your Alclad came out pretty dam shiny!
Ive been hoping to build one of those, with (most of ) that decal as well.
This one in fact, owned by AVCO electronics, formerly CF-TFF -

Photographed on Kwajalein by JD Voss with a lot of spooky antennas stuck on it.

Where did you get the Merlin engines?

Welsh has a Northstar kit, but its been on back order for close to a year, along with my DHC dash 8 for the DeHavilland campaign.

The Merlins are from Bra.Z resin. I bought them from AHS.

cool. they look great. i will bookmark this thread for guidance on the install.

I declare completion of my first pair of Then and Now subjects. The North Star as it appeared in approximately 1955 and the DC-9 in 1985

For my next pair, Lockheed's L-1049 Super Constellation and Boeing's 787-800

You are certifiable. There, I said it, and I ain't takin' it back.

Nice work though!

Michael

Nice work on the first two, Jessica. I'm more attracted to the North Star. Thats only because I'm a prop-head, though. Plus, I've flown Air Canada and have memories making me wish I'd flown Air Cessna instead.

Moving on to the 787, the fuselage fit is pretty good

Only a skim of filler is needed on the bottom

I blocked off the APU exhaust hole with a piece of styrene tube and filed it to shape

The wings also fit well

except where I stuffed up the assembly. But filler and sanding will save that

A test fit reveals the size of the beast

Turning to the engines, a coating of Humbrol Polished Aluminium on the fan bits

While the hot section gets Polished Steel


That lot can sit aside and dry while the primer dries on the Constellation

Boeing paints the 787 in mostly overall white rather than their usual grey. Thus I'll use white as a primer

Oh dear, the camera reveals a nasty paint sag below the forward windows. Must remember to sand that out once it's dry.
The engines are lovely little assemblies. What I thought would be a two layer fan turned out to interlock into a one layer fan which would have been impossible to mould cleanly because the blades are so close together. Zvezda's engineering here is very clever

I painted the insides of the cowlings with Alclad Duraluminium on the bare plastic, hoping to achieve a light metallic colour

The engine assembly is very positive with no fit problems

As I had hoped, there's a subtle tone difference between the fan cowl and the intake

Engines assembled and awaiting their intake rings

The engines and tailplanes are a friction fit

It looks like an airplane now.

The Constellation is mostly assembled, apart from the tiny bits which are so easy to knock off

And the 787's main gear is assembled and drying. The fit is tight enough that I didn't need to glue the struts into the well, which will make painting so much easier when I can take them out after the glue dries.