The Seven Crystal Balls (Short Sunderland)
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I was looking for this box for a long time, and then suddenly, there it was on the shelf at the local hobby shop. I think the thrill of the hunt ended up getting this one on the bench sooner than it might have otherwise been.
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Those are some pretty big fuselage pieces. Lots o' rivets too!
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Lots of little itty bits here too. I won't be using most of them though. No guns... this is a strictly civilian transport.
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Like most kits this age, it comes with some "functionality" in terms of moving pieces. Mostly just ill-fitting pains in the butt though... so I'll be glueing these in place.
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You won't be able to see much of the cockpit, and none of the interior. So mainly black will do. I'll still add these guys in though... why not?
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Lots of little round windows... make sure not to get glue on the visible clear parts!
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Almost look like the Thom(p)son twins.. I decided one guy needed a bomber jacket though. Otherwise how will I know which one is which?
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Fuselage put together. Fit is going to be a bit of a challenge. I can tell.
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Plenty of putty and sanding... and more where that came from.
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Not bad... now let's see what happens when I hit it with some paint...
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First the underside. I know in the Tintin album this plane is all yellow. But that's a bit boring, isn't it. Besides from the panel... it MIGHT be aluminum on the underside. It might.
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Pink primer for the yellow... but more sanding necessary.
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Back to the putty... more sanding... will it ever end?
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Okay... good enough for me. Still a bit suspect in places, but sometimes you just need to move on.
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And she's yellow! Next up is getting the DC motors set up in the engine cowlings.
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Lots of room in the wings to do the wiring afterwards. So handy.
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All buttoned up, but now for the big test...
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And... they spin! Might make a handy AC unit for the summer... lots of wind being blown here.
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A big blob of silicone water... and we're just about done. All that's left is some rigging for the flotation pontoons.
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Komentáre
62 3 March 2022, 07:56
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I stumbled across this kit today and just couldn't resist giving it a go. 😉
3 March 2022, 08:03
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It still makes for an impressive presence when finished! Having a peek….
3 March 2022, 08:40
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Are you really going to paint it in that sickly yellow-green colour it has in the book? 😉
3 March 2022, 09:29
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I see the name of your project is a TinTin book. I presume a Sunderland features in the story? My father flew in Sunderlands, amongst other aircraft, in WW2, so as a 'born again' modeller, I've just started building models of the aircraft he flew in, the Sunderland is on the list. Sorry, I've just seen the illustrations from the book.
3 March 2022, 10:20
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Defo following this one. One of my favourite planes, two in the stash and one on order. Looking out for the unique Greg treatment. Bright yellow, will be an unusual look for the this seabird.
4 March 2022, 07:12
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Thanks for all the comments! I've been looking for this one for a while, so when it turned up on the shelf of the local hobby shop, I had to grab it. I love flying boats, and yes Gluefinger… this baby is going yellow! It only appears in 3 panels at the end of The Seven Crystal Balls, transporting Tintin and Captain Haddock down to South America. One thing that's going to be a bit of a challenge is taking out the top turret and all the guns. Strangely, I've decided to put aside all my warplanes for the time being and concentrate on civilian models for a while, so this one fits the bill.
4 March 2022, 07:15
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Hah! Thanks Gary! I'm plotting a big yellow Sunderland, with spinning props, search lights and a water base… all in my Tintin « house style » so stay tuned! 😉
4 March 2022, 07:17
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>> and yes Gluefinger… this baby is going yellow!
OK, I shouldn't complain. I have a build of a well-known submarine coming up, all in... pink (shudder)!
4 March 2022, 12:48
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>> "Strangely, I've decided to put aside all my warplanes for the time being and concentrate on civilian models for a while"
Perhaps not so strangely... I have the same feeling...
4 March 2022, 20:46
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Got the wings on this beast. I also drilled out all the holes I'll need for the motors and lights. I've broken so many wires inside a model due to handling during the assembly and painting that I always try to leave as much of the wiring to the end as possible. The side bomb doors give a lot of access for pulling wires through, so I should be good to go.
7 March 2022, 06:32
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Can't wait to see this bird in pink undercoat for the yellow. 😎
7 March 2022, 07:45
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I detect a familiar shape of rocket in the background of some of these pictures...
10 March 2022, 09:58
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Well, it's taken some work to get this far. I had to use some CA glue gel to secure the pontoons properly because the holes were too big for the supports. I also managed to fill the hole where the top turret would be. I also managed to get a big dribble of cement run down the center of the main canopy, so that took some sanding to buff out. Still a bit cloudy, but good enough for me.
12 March 2022, 07:41
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Fantastic work Greg on this classic Airfix kit. And i have to say lovin' the pink primer... cant help but think of this....🤪
Youtube Video
Great work so far, keep it up. 👍
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15 March 2022, 07:46
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Joining y'all. Always wanted to build this very boxing, since I learned to use the styrene glue 🙂
16 March 2022, 14:35
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Oh, boy. Am I glad you asked! 😉
I seem to have developed a bit of a reputation around here as the pink paint guru. The plane itself will be mainly yellow (and bare metal to give it a bit of contrast) but I'm evangelical on using pink as an undercoat for painting anything yellow. It gives the yellow a very rich tone, and it also makes the notoriously difficult to paint yellow go on in usually one glorious coat.
This project has been stuck at the sand the seams endlessly point (the fit is very suspect given how old the mould is), but I'm just about to move to the yellow paint phase, so stay tuned!
24 March 2022, 23:19
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I've convinced Robert of the wonders of pink undercoats... you can see a live discussion on the topic here - Colours of freedom | Album by podkon (1:72)
24 March 2022, 23:20
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Not sure I dare ask, but I will 😄 Can any old mix of red/white=pink be used as a viable primer or are you using something special?
25 March 2022, 13:44
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I'm just using Tamiya X-17 Pink, but I don't see why any mix of red/white wouldn't work. In fact, a lighter shade of pink (i.e. less red) might be useful in changing the tone of the yellow overcoat. Likely the less red, the less rich (and a bit orangey) the yellow I'd guess. That actually might bridge the gap between those that like using white as an undercoat for yellow. It would be interesting to see what amount of red in the white is actually the "tipping point" to make the 1 coat yellow viable. Great question!
25 March 2022, 15:19
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I have used sand color as a base for the yellow. I'll have to try that magical pink recipe. Thanks for the explanations!
25 March 2022, 19:47
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I'd think the more red, the more orangey, and the more white the more desaturated/pastel
27 March 2022, 21:51
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Yes Ben, with pink primer the yellow will go towards orange, with white primer it goes towards lemon.
28 March 2022, 06:44
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As a huge Tintin fan, todays news has left me a bit torn… hopefully Erik and I can still be friends. 😉
1 April 2022, 19:29
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Haha. Not that Belgium is even going to notice as they drive over Canada. 😉
I'm not sure I can abstain from Waffles, Chocolate, Stella Artois, and Tintin…
2 April 2022, 14:40
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This one is almost done. Given how bad the fit was on most of the seams, I more or less just gave up. Happy that I waited to near the end to string the wiring. Lights. Check. Motors. Check. Now just the base to finish off.
4 April 2022, 05:40
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The pink primer looked crazy, but the yellow looks so much better for it! 👍
4 April 2022, 21:00
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Hey Greg, I'm not sure if you are calling this one done yet. Is it like that 24 hour Canadian, is it a keeper sunderland?
27 April 2022, 07:28
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And I finally got around to doing the rigging and taking the final pics on this build. Done!
Hopefully no one will spot the drop of glue that hit the upper wing near the fuselage. I just let it dry and it really only lifted a small spot of paint. A bit of pink primer, a splash of yellow... back in business. 😉
20 May 2022, 17:03