Voir et Savoir 56 - J2M2 "Raiden"

Greg Baker
I was just itching to build something with a propellor... so here we are.

Alex K
Best wishes for the new endeavours in the "crossover" Voir et Savoir series... (he he, I always smile at how you jump from one thing to another! 🙂 )

Greg Baker
Thanks Alex. I like to switch things up regularly, that way it keeps it fresh. I have several builds on the go at any one time, but sometimes I just get hit with some inspiration and decide to go with it. 🙂

Alex K
... and, on top of that, you have also sudden urges to retro-fit old, already completed projects with USBs, and motors, and light and sound and what not... man, your drive is inspiring! 🙂 Keep it up, Greg, you spread good vibes!

Greg Baker
Well, the drive to retro-fit my already completed Area 88 1/144 projects was mainly because I was sick of worrying about them flying off the shelf. The USB cords were getting in the way and then acted almost like a strange boat anchor, which made them a hazard.

Greg Baker
Oh, yeah... THAT's why propellor motors are tricky. I forgot that trying to get a hole drilled perfectly in the centre of the prop shaft is nearly impossible. When I finally got it as close as possible, I realized the plastic shaft itself wasn't centred perfectly on the prop anyway. So, once again I cut everything and squeezed the motor into place so that the motor shaft can connect directly to the prop itself. I got them all glued in the right place though, so I'm happy.

Alec K
Propellors? I am IN 👍

Erik De Smet
5 V for the motors ? An spinning propellers , OK ,. but have you also pilots in the cockpits ?

Greg Baker
Yes indeed, Erik. I've got the small DC motors in place and the props spin like a charm. As you can see from the latest pic, I've also got pilots standing by. Now what I need are some painting guides for the A7M2 that seems to have tagged along on this J2M2 build. I think the Tamiya JN Green will be fine, but what colour is the underside? Preferably in Tamiya acrylics.

Greg Baker
Cockpits detailed, canopies on and masked. Guess it's time for painting!

Alec K
Nice progress Greg 👍

Greg Baker
Thanks guys! They're coming along, but now that we're just painting things are moving both quick and slow. Each coat of paint at 1/144 is over pretty quick, but the drying time is the same. Idle hands soon grab for another box...😉

Spanjaard
👍

Alex K
... wait, wait, wait... there's still a crucial question left unanswered - how can you build a model (the A7M2) without it being specifically assigned to a particular Greg Baker collection / project?!

Greg Baker
You made me laugh at my own quirk, Alex! Yeah... after a moment of crisis regarding the classification of the A7M2 in my project family, I simply decided to expand the concept of Voir et Savoir. There's a bunch of planes, such as the F4U Corsair for example, that Hergé tragically didn't include in the Voir er Savoir series. So, this way I can simply build whatever I fancy, however I feel like. 😉

I updated my blog (strobez.ca/wp/index...-144-scale-projects/) and put together a list of other planes that are more or less available in 1/144 scale to act as a bit of guideline. I'm still figuring out how to include a Caudron C.714 on that list though. 😉

Alex K
🙂 Both your "quirk" about proceeding within well-defined collections and projects AND the need to break the rules sound very familiar... Keep on doing your thing, Greg, and having fun - it's inspirational and spreads motivation and good vibes... PS.: I think... You're Gonna Need a Bigger showcase...

Greg Baker
Getting close to done. Weathering and decals to come. They're all wired up and spinning like they should.😉

Greg Baker
Famous last words. I got the decals on and just as I was putting the final touches on the A7M2, the support pole broke. While trying to get it to sit back inside the fuselage, I managed to snap one of the wires on the inside, next to the dc motor. So there was nothing to do but open up the patient and to a quick by-pass surgery. It was a terrifying game of "Operation"... don't touch the sides of the 1/144 scale fuselage, while soldering two tiny bits of wire together. Luckily, I was able to pull it off and the patient lived - albeit with a bit of a scar on the right side. At least that's the backside of the display pose.😉

I also managed to stick my fingers on the still wet base decal for the J2M2. What a stupid mistake! I spent 10 minutes carefully sliding the homemade decal in place, got it done and then put it aside to dry. Then, not ten seconds later! I grabbed it by the base and stuck my thumb right in the middle of it. A pain in the ass to reprint, but a mistake that's easily recovered from I guess. I will say I love my new 1/144 scale rigging thread. The radio antenna went on like a breeze and looks perfect.

Nathan Dempsey
Love the camo on this one Greg.