Operation "X-mas tree"

[TommyKillander]

HI Tommy, love it, unmask that canopy I can see why you are nervous, and it's a great addition to your "Santa air wing"well done .Just a thought next year how about Tommy's "Santa air wing" SIG.
Pete

Many thanks, Pete! I'm delighted that you like it!

If there are interest in such a SiG, I'm definitely up for it...
I just need to remember to propose it in time (almost forgot about it this year)

The builds are quite quick and easy, since they are built gear up with a minimum of details... Historical accuracy is kind of unrelevant, so there are lot's of opportunitites to improvise things or (like I did this year) play around with a new type of cammo-scheme. If it turns out like shite it's not the end of the world - Christmas trees often have a backside where it's not exposed so much


Tommy

[AdamLuscombe]

Great idea and some great builds!

[TommyKillander]

Great idea and some great builds!

Thank you, Adam !


Tommy

[Plopper]

Such fun I chuckled.

Great idea and they all look well festive.

Top marks.

[privatepete]

If there are interest in such a SiG, I'm definitely up for it...
I just need to remember to propose it in time (almost forgot about it this year)

Tommy

Hi Tommy I would sign up for it if you ever do one.
Pete

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

It's time for the Christmas Tree build again

This year Santa will follow the retro-trend of WWI aircrafts - so it will be a bi-plane:



Since Santa is on budget this year too (need all the money to pay salary to his helpers), he is forced to purchase a cheap kit from Revell - original tooling is from 1963


Revell instructions are just amazing


There is no way I can paint and rigg this aircraft without a proper reference photo

This is a photo of a replica of the aircraft I will try use to build, paint and rig the model.

Cleaning up the parts.....




Ejection pin marks on the topside of the wings...


I'll continue with these tomorrow... or should I scratchbuild new ones instead...



Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

AWEsome choice, if not such a great kit
Bugger, I am busy and can’t join in with you

[TommyKillander]

AWEsome choice, if not such a great kit
Bugger, I am busy and can’t join in with you

Thanks Scott!
This will (hopefully) be a quick build that I will squeeze in between my other builds.


Tommy

[sthornton]

nice job and yes make it a tradition then I can say to my wife see it a tradition so I can do it to lol

[TommyKillander]

nice job and yes make it a tradition then I can say to my wife see it a tradition so I can do it to lol

Haha... just do it!


Okey... I have continued with the Camel cleaning up the interplane struts, wing supports and the landgear construction... That took me a good hour before I was finished


Instructions are so ambiguous so I had to dryfit the main parts so I got a clear view on how to put the struts correctly


I will fit the interplane struts on the bottom side and clean that up, since they will be quite visible.





Tommy

[NorthernModeller]

I love this. its a great idea may have to do one myself

[TommyKillander]

I love this. its a great idea may have to do one myself

Thank you very much Ivan!

For me it's a fun tradition and it is a relaxed build aswell. I buy cheap kits for this so if I mess it up totally it's not the end of the world


Okey.. Did some more work today; there's an ugly sinkmark between the Vickers Mk1 gunbarrels, so I'm just hiding that with a piece of 0.1 mm plasticard.


The pilot is held in place by two pins that enters his hips from both sides(!). This design solution is not only extremely uncomfortable for our Santa; it's also visible from above, so I will try to fix this


The pilot seat now has a support. I will remove the pins tomorrow after the glue has cured.


Most parts have been primed today and I will put some primer on the last pieces tomorrow.


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hi guys!

Short update today.

Cleaned up the cockpit a bit and painted it with a base "wood" colour


Painted the Santa; the beard and the hat will go in last thing. I have a plan.....



Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

Life is crazy-much right now, but I managed to squeeze in some benchtime!

I have painted the inside of the cockpit tub with Abteilung 502 "Raw Umber" and glosscoated it.


Gave the prop the same treatment


The engine and engine cowling where painted aswell


The Santa have taken command of the aircraft!

My IPMS buddies thinks he's a Jack Palance look-alike

I have no idea why I primed the wings before assembly it sure seems like a bad idea now, since the fit is so bad that there are basically no meeting plastic anywhere - massive gaps everywhere


Just spam it with filler...


...and hopefully we can solve it with some sanding


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Your wood looks great
They should have named those paints 'Aqualung'....I am very disappointed

[TommyKillander]

Your wood looks great
They should have named those paints 'Aqualung'....I am very disappointed

Thanks Scott!

Aqualung...
Sorry, I don't get it.....


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Your wood looks great
They should have named those paints 'Aqualung'....I am very disappointed

Thanks Scott!

Aqualung...
Sorry, I don't get it.....


Tommy

Damn, I just showed my age
Jethro Tull song from the seventies, he was a bit, oh odd and I do think drugs were involved

[DrSprue]

Your wood looks great
They should have named those paints 'Aqualung'....I am very disappointed

Thanks Scott!

Aqualung...
Sorry, I don't get it.....


Tommy

Damn, I just showed my age
Jethro Tull song from the seventies, he was a bit, oh odd and I do think drugs were involved

Oh I got it!!! ooo you did mention showing ages!

[TommyKillander]

Your wood looks great
They should have named those paints 'Aqualung'....I am very disappointed

Thanks Scott!

Aqualung...
Sorry, I don't get it.....


Tommy

Damn, I just showed my age
Jethro Tull song from the seventies, he was a bit, oh odd and I do think drugs were involved

Aha!
Jeez... I listened a lot to Jethro Tull when I was younger... Stormwatch was one of my favorite albums back in the days.
I still think that Ian Anderson is a great performer, pity I never saw them playing live


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Whew, I was feeling like the old fart around for a second

[DrSprue]

Whew, I was feeling like the old fart around for a second

Me too!!! hehe!!

[TommyKillander]

Whew, I was feeling like the old fart around for a second

The younger generation will never appreciate a bearded man running around on stage playing flute wearing tights...

Whew, I was feeling like the old fart around for a second

Me too!!! hehe!!

Okey, just a short update to bring this build back on track again... I'm running really late and I think I have to cut corners with the weathering if I'm gonna finish before Christmas Eve.

Sanded the seams, so they look decent.


Primer on the whole aircraft.


Next up will be some basecoats...


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey guys!

I have continued with painting... First some White Aluminium on the front that have been masked. After that I use XF-78 as a "wood" basecoat.


Next up is XF-55 Deck Tan for the underside.


Thin stripes of masking tape to highlight the structure of the wing.


I airbrushed a thin line of XF-57 Buff centered over the masking tape - or atleast I tried to


Anyway, let's mask that and continue with the green top colour


For basecolour I used a mix of XF-67 Nato Green with a couple of drop XF-3 Yellow (to lighten it up a bit)


Same procedure with the masking - note that I saved the strips for the second colour


The result got a little better this time


All parts have been glossed with Aqua Gloss and I will continue with the decals tomorrow. The deadline is a little bit too close for comfort


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Well... I kind of blew the deadline - but I'll finish it anyway

Decals...






Decals went on really good except for the ones on the tail - they didn't fit at all, so I had to cut them.


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

Did some "wood" painting on the interplane struts and wood around the cockpit area


Assembled the landing gear



Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Not much left to do on this build now... Just final assembly



Gave Santa a beard and a hat


I will finish it tomorrow I think.


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

There you go Tommy, she is coming along nicely. Great paint and decals
Santa looks hilarious with his hat blowing in the wind
This is a wonderful tradition you have started and I like that you keep the previous year’s thread and add to it.
I can see I had my nose in your build last year as well

Happy New Year

[TommyKillander]

There you go Tommy, she is coming along nicely. Great paint and decals
Santa looks hilarious with his hat blowing in the wind
This is a wonderful tradition you have started and I like that you keep the previous year’s thread and add to it.
I can see I had my nose in your build last year as well

Happy New Year

Thanks Scott!

Yeah, it's become a tradition and I intend to keep it up as long as I feel motivated. Normally this should be a relaxed build, but I underestimated the amount life-stuff going on during December so I didn't make the deadline this year

Anyway, I got the opportunity to try some new things that I think will be useful when I build my next WW1 aircraft.

Thanks for keeping an eye on the build-thread and throwing in cheer or two when I get stuck


Here's the pictures of the finished aircraft!






Tommy