Flamingo challenge…

[Tophe]

My dear friend from Alberta gave me a wonderful little kit (thanks!), while adding a challenge: “paint+buid the cockpit” what I usually don’t do…
I will try to do it, I swear, leaving the canopy clear, but I am unable to make something as perfect as http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal3...kan/gal2905.htm
Should I paint the seats and floor and sides and panel with different colours?

What I know I will do, what-ifing much, is having a long elegant nose, Mustang like (as I will explain in my Virtual Mustangs update topic) and no tailplane, for balance somehow…
Nothing is glued yet, except the spinner on the extension shaft and the broom-sticks on the floor. Thanks again JHM...
 

[Tophe]

The site above mentioned that the SIAT-223 of 1969 came from the Siebel 202 of 1938, but they don’t look like each other… Kind of Bubble swastika-less tricycle Si 202?

[John Howling Mouse]

Ha, this is great to see it on your desk next to your keyboard, Tophe!

Sure got to you fast, too!

Did you find the Me-262 canopy as well?

Yep, I figured this was a friendly, basic little cockpit for you to do with a nice, big open canopy glass to show it off.

I'd just keep it simple if you want: neutral interior.  Maybe two-toned seats?
Can't remember, was the instrument panel included or not?  Decal or plastic dials?

Can't wait to see you do something fun with this civilian plane!

   

[Tophe]

Yes, there was the Me262 canopy inside, thanks a lot!
And the decal sheet includes the instrument panel, I will try to do it...

[Leigh]

The most effective thing to tart up a cockpit is some seatbelts. Just cut very thin strips of masking tape, you don't even need to paint it and drape them over the seats in some haphazard way and a dab of silver paint on the ends for buckles. You'll never go back to painted canopies again once you've done that.

[Tophe]

I know this alas. Such cockpits were my goal during my JMN years, and the final result had been: stopping modellism... That is why I was preferring to focus on what please me (plane improved shapes, weird transformations) rather than what is declared necessary in 'good' modelism (realist details)... I may try, but only once, otherwise the risk for me is never finishing a model again, and loosing fun in modellism. Be happy with details if this is YOUR main interest, mine is simply different...

[Tophe]

The first seat I have painted since 1980... Please be lenient.

[Brian da Basher]

Nice looking seats there Tophe! You've already surpassed my detailing skills. I tend to just slap the pieces in and paint the entire cockpit all the same color. I have a feeling this one will come out better than you expect!

I'm looking forward to seeing more of this cool project!

Brian da Basher

P.S. I noticed that you and I have the same keyboard.

[Tophe]

Thanks for the support Brian, for me not to feel too bad...
The cockpit is installed now, the main work being adding putty again and again to the lengthened nose, than sanding/putty/sanding/putty/sanding, adding the control panel decal, painting 2 layers, painting the canopy, and it will be done.

PS. My keyboard is different from yours probably: the keys read AZERTY while yours read QWERTY no? And I have keys for éèùàç that are standards only for France and probably Quebec and a few other places.

[Tophe]

The nose lengthening/putty/sanding is finished and I was going to put the first paint layer when I changed my mind about the tail (that I considered without tailplanes): hey, where does this model comes from? John Howling Mouse, T-Tail man… So this will be a T-tail. I looked for the parts and found only (at first) one of the 2 tailplanes… No matter, that’s even better, this will be a (slightly asymmetric) t-Tail plane… Thanks again JHM!
 

[The Rat]

Wow, from that angle it looks a lot like a Tutor!

[Archibald]

I tend to just slap the pieces in and paint the entire cockpit all the same color.

Worse than that : sometimes, no cockpit at all. Or a cockpit, without paint... I'm actually building the Airfix/Heller J-29...a big, old crap!!       nothing fitted correctly (!) so I have to get ride off the cockpit!!!
courage, Tophe, moi aussi je DETESTE peindre le cockpit...

[Brian da Basher]

I like what you've done with this model so far Tophe! That asymetric tail is perfect! It's like your signature on this build!

Brian da Basher

[Tophe]

Here is the final result of mine   , compared to the expected result of the manufacturer . Conclusion: I am a what-if modeller ^_^ … not a great one  or at least a VERY dreamy one  (no landing gear, no propeller, no engine, no tail balance…)


And here is the answer to JHM's challenge: a cockpit and even control panel!  I thought I was not able to do that anymore… (the panel is from a Transfer, I could not have painted it…). Is the reasult acceptable, teacher?...


The reason why I did not paint all the canopy frames is double:
- this will match better my forthcoming P-51 (with similar fin)
- I had a hard time with this painted single frame and more would have been even harder…  

[seavixen]

Nice model Tophe, very unusual. But for the canopy framing, why not use masking tape to make painting easier?