Just another Ballerina

[Martyn K]

Cowl and cockpit are amazing Chris. Very nice work indeed

I may have to revisit my cockpit this weekend. Its an area that I don't pay attention to normally as you cant see them of most of my models

Martyn

[Low pass Pete]

Chris your cockpit looks great. I have been scratching my head how to approach the combing. I had thought of using split fuel tubing painted once fitted. In the past I have used electric flex outer sheath as well. The chamois is a brilliant idea.

I have also been searching for some suitable pilots. The choice these days is not really great unless you want something that looks lifeless. I recall there was a company called Petes Pilots that had some good product but sadley no more.

Peter

[Masher]

Excellent work Chris - learning lots here.

Peter: Pete's Pilots still very active, see here

[Peter Miller]

Yes, Petes pilots is still on Ebay

Also Real Model PIlots have some interesting ones to any scale. Quite pricy but they look good.

I just ordered a jet pilot for my new model

[Craig Thomas]

I truly am impressed with the detailing you've added Chris. Simply things like the chamois leather make such a difference. Defo gonna attack and chamois leather when I get to that stage in my build. 👍

Edited By Craig Thomas on 12/02/2016 11:23:48

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Yes that looks really good, I had planned on something similar using fuel tube and a painted bit of balsa, yours looks much better than that would, and nice to see a wind screen on as well, I struggle badly with stuff like this.

John

[Chris Barlow]

Thanks guys. The coaming is just something I discovered when building my Puppeteer years ago. I tries rubber fuel tubing but wasn't happy with it at all, it just didn't look right but I had already glued it on! In an attempt to make it look better I considered wrapping it in leather but didn't have any and like Peter said before leather from craft shops etc is expensive so I tried to stain a piece of chamois to make it look like leather, but just made a mess. I had another go but painted it with Humbrol gloss which worked much better but cracked and flaked when dry and when I tried flexing it. The final attempt was to wrap the coaming around the fuel tubing, sticking it with cyano and painting it with Tamiya acrylic at the end.

When I restored a Tiger Moth before Christmas I made the head butt pads from foam and chamois, painted them with gloss brown and when dry flexed and scratched them to try to get an old distressed look.

It really is a nice material to work with and very cheap (got mine from Halfords). Ideal for older style models.

Just an hour or so on the Ballerina tonight. Got the elevator and rudder connected up to the servos and set up the throttle linkage for the engine.

These bits were done between spraying coats of high build plastic primer on the cowl. It's now had 3 coats and is ready for flatting down. The first few coats will be used to fill and minor blemishes, scratches and pin holes in the GF and so nearly all the primer will be sanded away with 600G.

[Devcon1]

Chris

Yours is going to look very atmospheric, the cowl is a real labour of love, thanks for sharing all those tips on the cockpit, there may have a few Ballerinas out there with some common genes .

John

[Chris Barlow]

Thanks John. The problem with GF stuff is that any blemishes left in the preperation show through in the final gloss coat and if you're not happy with it you're back to flatting it down again with wet & dry, primer, flatting and gloss coats again! If you're happy with little nibs and pin holes it's not so bad but if your standards are really high then it's going to take a bit of time. At the end of the day nobody is going to notice much when it's on the front of a model flying at 50'

Sanded the primer this morning and got it on the heater to dry out. The filler primer is very good at filling tiny holes of the glass cloth and even scratches you didn't see!

I only sanded it until the primer was removed from the high spots, leaving paint in the low areas. The cowl then received another 2 thin coats of primer.

This will be lightly sanded with 600g before moving onto the gloss coat. I used a plastic shopping bag over my hand and arm and pushed my fist inside the cowl to hold it. This meant that I could spray right up to the edge of the cowl without spraying my sleeve, which would upset the wife again! It also prevents yellow primer shapes being sprayed onto my hand through the various cut outs!

[McG 6969]

I really like (love?) your cowl, Chris A.

Very promising & making me a bit envious.

If I may allow myself a tip before your final sanding. Just take an spray can of a contrasting color to your primer. In your case, black should be perfect. Lay down your cowl on a piece of cardboard and spray to it from a distance of about 50-60cm, not pointing at it, but aiming higher above the cowl. The 'paint mist' (fog?) will descend to the cowl & form some very tiny droplets on it. Let it dry and just use the 'drops' as a sanding guide allowing you to avoid over sanding an area or not sanding off enough another one. When all black 'marks' are gone, you're done... Simples.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Spray Control

[Peter Miller]

I have done the odd fibreglass cowl. I never get anything likex that. MInd you I probably (Certainly) do rush things.

[Devcon1]

Chris, I do a bit of Airfix bashing and for some the aim is to go for an "in service, weathered" look. Look closely at most full size aircraft close-up and they do look less than perfect. I think we beat ourselves up unnecessarily over the perfect look...😇

[Peter Miller]

How very true!!

Even the most carefully looked after private light planes have the odd oil stain and paint peeling off fasteners such as often used screws and Dzus fasteners.

[McG 6969]

@ John, you(re perfectly right in most of the cases, but composite structures seem to have a 'better life' than ali or covered surfaces;also depending on the 'person' in charge of the'care', of course.

I could show you some pics (they're on ol' deceased pc) off my former full scale txo seater EXP looking like it was 'just born'.

Hakuna matata

Chris

BRU - BE / CTR Composite Care Control

Edited By McG 6969 on 13/02/2016 21:43:43

[Chris Barlow]

John, if this was a scale model I'd definately go for a used look, especially a warbird in active service! As it's more a sport model I'm going for a shiny new look except perhaps for the exhaust eflux. Them inline engines can get quite sooty!

Chris, by the time I read your post I'd already sanded and sprayed the first light coat before I went out! I'll try using an overspray coat on the Mosquito when I get around to it as that'll be covered in epoxy glass.

Peter, I had to giggle when I read your last post! TBH even the most loved and carefully looked after models suffer dirty and chipped paintwork too, especially after ploughing into the strip! If this Ballerina goes in it'd better be tail first and save the cowl!

Well, back to the warm shed for the final gloss coat.....

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

It's an i.c model, the weathering will happen naturally, just like a real one.

John

[AndyD]

love that cowl,ive made a few but because im a heavy builder they really do come out heavy,lead who needs it heavy,great job.

[Chris Barlow]

Final coat applied and touch dry.

I have very carefully assembled the cowl onto the fuselage for a couple of photos but it is still going to be relatively soft so I've finished early for the night so I don't mess it up! Still needs buffing to a shine after it's fully cured but looks like this so far.

Overall it's a very close colour match considering the yellow colour of the primer underneath. After it's hardened for a day I'll drill it and screw it down!

[Peter Miller]

Just gorgeous!!

And on weathering...Mine seem to come out of my workshop pre weathered!!

[AndyD]

for coaming i use tv aerial cable as it useually brown but its not a patch on yours.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Good colour match Chris

John

[Chris Barlow]

Peter. My models come out of the workshop dusty, not weathered! I have tried flying the dust off but mustn't be going fast enough!

This is the first time I've had to use solarlaq to match solarfilm and I'm very impressed with the colour match. Definitely worth the extra postage cost instead of running around trying to match it myself.

Edited By Chris Barlow on 15/02/2016 11:30:41

[Devcon1]

Now that's another proper workshop .

You've got more glues and potions in there than I've ever used in my lifetime.

[Peter Miller]

Posted by John Milne on 15/02/2016 11:40:16:

Now that's another proper workshop .

You've got more glues and potions in there than I've ever used in my lifetime.

Well, I can't recognise all his but.

Aliphatic resin, Superphatic glue, CA hot, CA odourless, Spray impact adhesive, 5 minute epoxy, Spraymount, Acetone, Meths, Filler paste, Silicone sealant, Bakers Fluid, Sanding sealer, Davids Isopon. I think that is about all that I have.

[Chris Barlow]

On the shelf there is...
Aliphatic, superphatic, PVA, thin & thick cyano, 5 min 20 min & 30 min epoxy, finishing resin, cyano kicker, spray contact adhesive, brake cleaner, canopy glue, UHU glue, airbrush cleaner, prit stick, stick stuff remover...
Under the bench there's std cellulose, anti bloom cellulose, acetone, white spirit, a high mouse and a dead cat!
I'm not listing whats in the paint cpd, there's a lot!