Aichi M6A1-K Nanzan, 1/48

Started by Erik Gjørup · 148 ≡ · ↻ 1 year ago · 1/48, Aichi, airbum, Atsua, catapult, conversion, db 601, Empire of Japan, EofJ, EoJ, floatplane, Haldværk, M6A, quarterscale, submarine, Tamiya
  • Profile Photo
    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    Assembly!

    The fuselage gets assembled

    I have detailed the cockpit, and after fitting the innards, glued the lot together.



    I dryfitted the wing, that got assembled the other day.

    One thing that I did before assembling the wing was to cut out the position lights



    That was of course done to enable me to make some clear fairings at a later stage.

    And to round it all off, a sneekpeek into the cockpits


    And with that it is on to one of the other builds on the desk – stay tuned

  • Profile Photo
    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    Looking great so far, my friend @airbum!
    Nice work on those wingtip lights!

  • Profile Photo
    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    Sanding, Filling

    With the fuselage assembled it is time to smooth things on the fuselage

    I sanded along the assembly with a fine sandingstick.




    I also opened the outlet on the side with a drill – some adjustment needed.

    The tip of the fin will need some LqS



    I gave it the first round and went over the seam all round with tiny amounts too – I had used Contacta for the assembly, and the squeezeout from that ensured that no filler was needed, but there are a few places where the fuselagehalves did not line up perfectly.

    next up the wing gets some TLC, and I suspect it might be installed too. Feel free to comment!

  • Profile Photo
    Louis Gardner said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    I have not made a comment on this build in a while. I am past due... I like what I see here ! It looks very good and you have mastered the fine art of using a sanding stick quite well. I'll be looking forward to seeing the next installment when you get busy with the wings.

    Your plane is looking very good my friend !

  • Profile Photo
    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    Looking great, my friend @airbum!
    Of course, I love all those microimorovements, such as the tiny air inlets drilled out: they make the model a realistic one!

  • Profile Photo
    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    Thank you my friends. The art of leading a sandingstick can be a challenge, but they are wonderful tools for most work on our little objects. And having a drill now and then . . . USING a drill now and then does indeed make an improvement when used with care - a lot can go wrong leaving a big mess (do not ask how I know)

    Anyway, a minor update should be here shortly @lgardner and @fiveten.

  • Profile Photo
    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    I agree about the microdrill "proceed with caution" attitude, my friend @airbum. I almost always start with the smallest drill, proceeding to the bigger ones. Also, when drilling out airscoops, I start to drill at an angle, so the drill tip can have a chance to positively grab, then I gradually proceed to the required angle.
    Waiting for your update!

  • Profile Photo
    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    And here we go @fiveten;

    TLC?

    More sanding and filling

    I did some more sanding on last nights LqS filler



    Now it is smoother, and I have re-scribed the panellines where they had suffered. Some that had become shallower were left as is, as I think that generally panellines on kits of this era are a bit on the large side.

    The top of the fin got its 3rd layer of LqS



    And should now be ready for sanding when cured.

    Having re-visited Pedro’s (@holzhamer) fantastic Seiran build, I went ahead and thinned the walls on the belly outlets


    If you haven’t seen it previously, do take the time to visit that build – it is to be found here;
    https://imodeler.com/groups/the-empire-of-japan-1919-1946/forum/topic/tamiyas-seiran/

    next up I hope to have the Canopy masked and the Nanzan ready for some primer. As always comments are welcome

  • Profile Photo
    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 10 months ago:

    Nice steps, my friend @airbum.
    The thinned walls add a lot to realism!

  • Profile Photo
    Colin Gomez said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Looking good, Erik. Your careful application of LqS and fine sanding work will make for a nice seamless finish. I have had less luck than you with homemade styrene putty, it tends to get stringy on me. Maybe not enough glue in it.

    I like your effort to thin out and drill certain components. It's an interesting aspect of planning during a build to figure out where these details will be most visible.

    Looking forward to more.

    BTW, sorry not to have commented on your fine build for awhile. I was really concentrating on pushing my Shiden Kai across the finish line as last minute finishing details kept cropping up.

  • Profile Photo
    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Thank you gentlemen.

    Spiros (@fiveten), it becomes an addiction to thin things 🙂

    Colin (@coling) no problem with the lack of comments - after all it is just for fun, and you have had quite a lot going on at your bench. In the beginning of using LqS I found that it pays to thin the stuff, apply it where you want it, move the applicator (cocktailstick?) just a few mm away, and the string will dissapear after a very short while. My own mix is beginning to be too thick, and I have a lot of flimsy strings. I am looking for a smaller container, perhaps an empty Tamiya paint bottle, before making a refreshed brew.

    All in all, try a thinner mix, that may do the trick - be aware that you also make the drying process longer!

  • Profile Photo
    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Ready for masks

    The last few details were added to the interior, and the greenhouse got fixed

    After some minor cleaning up of the edges, the transparancies went on without any fuss



    I used Tamiya extra thin as I use to, and no fogging or anything happened.

    Only issue was that I had to add some light pressure to keep the parts together as the glue set a bit



    I think that next time I do this one I will add a few more details to the insides – after all there were two of these . . . .

    I will sand the dry LqS when the masks are on



    I have the magnifier ready, and will be looking forward to for a nice masking session.

    now it is off to work for another 7-8 days of being away from home for 12 hours, so not a lot to be expected before next week. There may probably be some priming, as I plan on using a Tamiya aerosol white as a base for the Orange color – can’t wait for that

  • Profile Photo
    Greg Kittinger said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Looking lovely!

  • Profile Photo
    walt samardak said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Wow! It's looking great, awesome detailing work all along, magnifiers are wonderful tools!

  • Profile Photo
    Louis Gardner said 3 years, 9 months ago:

    Erik, @airbum
    This looks great ! It's really going to stand out from the crowd when you paint it Orange. I have a 1/48 scale Fine Molds Mitsubishi A7M "Sam" in the stash, and I have been toying with the idea of building that one up as a prototype aircraft. I don't have another one like it...

This site and web app uses cookies.
More information about this and other usage of our services can be found in: