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VF 27 Hellcat (redux) – ’the Shark, the Cat, and the Sub’

Started by david leigh-smith · 61 ≡ · ↻ 4 years ago

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Jeff Bailey said 6 years, 2 months ago:

David, as suggested by James Robinson in the recent "A Day At The Museum ... " (SBD) post, try these folks for some silly-vilian figures - http://reedoak.com/

Glad to see you're getting on with the "Poopie Cat" again.

I'm still mulling over Robert's comment about swimming off of his carrier. I'd probably be right next to him ... watching the others swim! During WW Twice my Dad taught survival swimming because he thought he (apparently) was part dolphin and LOVED the water. When I asked WHERE they went swimming on a WWII carrier, he said "Off the deck! You're in the middle of the biggest swimming hole in the WORLD!" I just shuddered and said to myself that the only way I'D jump off the carrier deck was if my life actually DID depend on it!
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 2 months ago:

No thanks, Jeff. Reminds me of the famous quote about skydiving, “why the hell would you jump out of perfectly working aeroplane?”
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 2 months ago:

I thought I’d share some more research photos of this project.

P38 near Papua New Guinea

A Stuka off the coast of Croatia.

A Blenheim bomber in (well, near) Malta.

The B17 wreck ‘Blackjack’ off Papua New Guinea. Love this one...

A Catalina off the coast of Biak, Indonesia.

There’s something ‘other-worldly’ about these images and they capture what I hope to represent in this project.
4 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Peter Hausamann said 6 years, 2 months ago:

This is a very exciting project you got going, David.

I knew there was some twisted instinctual drive arising in you 😉 . At least this environment is open to amazing colours of life morphed from death. . . Just playing with ya.

Have you considered how to thicken the atmosphere (or appearnce) to look like it's underwater?
Perhaps a display case which the glass, or Perspex, is slightly tinted.
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 2 months ago:

My plan is to make a tubular mould, lay the ‘ocean’ floor, position the wreck, fill some two part resin water with gradully darkening tints, let it harden, then layer in the shark and sub, pour in more ‘water’ and let that harden. Put the LEDs into the sub, fill the tube, take away the mould and hopefully have an atmospheric bedside lamp. Well, I say “that’s the plan”...

Forty years ago the plan was make a couple of million, retire to the Caribbean at 35 and play guitar in a hammock, drink pina coladas, and read all day...
Peter Hausamann said 6 years, 2 months ago:

We all have unmanifested plans which in many cases still stay as a dream. Perhaps put it in your bucket list. As we get older we tend to revisit such dreams. For me, model making was one such dream.

David, Prudence told me to tell you: please do small scale test / trial run(s) first. Use scraps with overhangs that trap air etc., Prepare for the worst, plan for the best. Become more confident knowing how to best attack such a method (with tinting).
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 2 months ago:

I have done very small scale models which seem to suggest some form of success with this idea. You are correct, Peter, prepare for the worst and hope for the best; it’s a great model for life, let alone modeling.
Peter Hausamann said 6 years, 2 months ago:

Good to know. I'll tell Prudence not to worry 🙂

Looking forward to seeing the update photos. Please show process pics.
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 2 months ago:

Let’s agree to put Prudence on standby...
Paul Barber said 6 years, 2 months ago:

Not one to be rushed I am guessing, although I just love watching your ideas play out. You make brave choices and that’s what makes it all so absorbing!

And you know this was certainly nothing I’d ever wanted to do. But having seen some of the ideas here and after looking at the history of Dunkirk recently I started to think of ditching planes and rescues. This could be the inspiration for something in 2019. Can’t wait to see it all unfold!

On another note I reckon you’d have tired of Pina Coladas!
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 2 months ago:

Hi Paul. I’m actually hoping this is a relatively quick build. I’ve tested it the water (so to speak), the sub is a very simple build, and the electrics (such as they are) are easy. What could possibly go wrong...
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 1 month ago:

Paul, Pina Colada From Easter ‘til Halloween - Old Fashioned in between.
Peter Hausamann said 6 years, 1 month ago:

"What could possibly go wrong…"
As you pour the resin the sub keeps afloat on the resin.
david leigh-smith said 6 years, 1 month ago:

Or the tinting in the resin could look awful, the shark could react chemically to the resin and turn yellow, the LEDs may look terrible, the huge seam in the middle of the sub sphere may completely mitigate any suspension of disbelief necessary to 'get' the dio, the 'coral' could react with the 'water', the numerous holes in the WIldcat could trap air bubbles in the resin. the Nose Art ( thanks for the group build, @jetmex ) may not show up in the final stages, the lights on the sub my diffuse rather than focus the attention, the whole thing may look stupid, the resin could eat the sand I have as a base...

I could go on.
Peter Hausamann said 6 years, 1 month ago:

Ah, what a brave man.
I'll still be your friend. Even if it's considered worth putting on your list of things going wrong.

Viewing 31 - 45 of 61 posts

Nose Art Group Build

VF 27 Hellcat (redux) – ’the Shark, the Cat, and the Sub’