Shorts Tucano T.1 (Airfix)
The venerable Airfix kit of the Shorts Tucano. Let's see what we can make of it.
Not a lot of styrene...
But I have a bunch of resin goodies from CMK.
I think this display scheme is what I'll use. I like the overall silver with the fancy markings.
The kit schemes aren't bad either.
The CMK resin cockpit has a lot of nice detail.
The open engine compartment and accurate prop/spinner.
All the control surfaces with nice thin trailing edges.
And some nice gear doors. I think I'll skip the luggage compartment.
A nice comparison of the kit cockpit and the aftermarket resin.
Some paint really brings out the detail!
This is how much weight Airfix says you need up front - no way I'll get this to fit.
Engine cowling removed.
I shortened the nose gear bay to allow more room for the Liquid Gravity. This won't be seen.
Flaps and ailerons removed from the kit wings. Resin part are much nicer.
Resin cockpit fit without any grinding or sanding. Fuselage halves joined, and kit rudder removed.
The resin engine and nose are on, along with the wings. A wee bit of filler around the engine area.
A bit more filler needed to blend in the lower wing area.
I used Floquil Old Silver to represent the aluminum paint - it has virtually no discernible grain.
Ejection seats were removed to make it easier to mask off the cockpit.
I made copies of the decals for the tail so I could use them as a template for painting the underside blue.
And there it is - Roundel Blue from Hataka.
I hope the decal template will work on the lower side of the tail!
The unusual paintwork on the prop looks like an old TV test pattern.
Nasty divot in the bottom edge of the canopy.
Adding the resin nose wheel. I hope it holds!
She's up on her legs! And the detail painting of the engine has been finished.
Balance is precarious - once the flaps, ailerons, tailplanes and elevators are added, she'll be a tail sitter.
Starting to apply the "swooshes" that are a big part of this one-off display scheme. My template idea worked perfect!
There's always a feel of dread when one has to cut through a perfectly good decal...
The tailplanes made her into a tail sitter, but I know how to fix that. All transfers are on - note the engine bearers up front.
I scratch built a new VHF antenna for the spine aft of the cockpit. (Thank God for Legos!)
The P. P. Aeroparts wheel chocks folded up nicely. These will be used to prevent the model from tail sitting.
Had to repaint one of the ailerons (left) - matched the red of the decal (right) as best I could.
The detonator cord decals were the fiddliest things I've ever encountered!
I cut them into "manageable" segments and they still curled up and flipped over. Ugh. But it came out OK.
I added the blast shield inside the canopy.
I finally added the flaps and ailerons. as well as the exhausts and an overall coat of a satin sheen.
The canopy sill was painted flat black - I had used the same grey as the pit, but that was incorrect.
No more parts left, so she must be finished!
The balance is very precarious - she wants to tip back all the time, even with the wheel chocks.
I've ordered a base and will glue her down. That will keep her on her legs!
Komentarzy
29 22 January 2021, 15:44
Bill GilmanMy next project is the old Airfix Tucano kit. I plan on tarting it up with the CMK aftermarket resin parts which should add a lot of interest to the finished model. The biggest challenge will be making sure that the model is not a tail-sitter. Airfix say you need 7g of weight up front - which would normally not be a problem. Just add it right behind the prop. Unfortunately, I can't do that since I've cut open the engine cowling and will be displaying a resin engine. I will most likely use the same trick I added to my Tigercat model - glue wheel chocks to the main gear tyres. That prevents the model from tipping backwards, and it adds some interest, too. I've uploaded a few photos to show the progress. Cheers, Bill
22 January 2021, 15:59
Bill GilmanWelcome aboard everyone! I will try to make the trip worthwhile. Cheers, Bill
25 January 2021, 17:44
Bill GilmanYup, that's the stuff. A WHOLE lot of little ball bearings in the bottle. Heaven forbid you have a spill!
25 January 2021, 20:12
Bill GilmanThe Tucano is starting to come together - I've uploaded several new photos showing the progress. Still a lot of work to do, but I like the way this special display scheme looks. Cheers, Bill
4 February 2021, 15:08
Bill GilmanThanks! I'm really starting to like these display or anniversary schemes. It breaks up the monotony of Dark Earth and Dark Green over Sky...not that there's anything wrong with that mind you. 🙂 🙂 🙂
4 February 2021, 20:10
Slavo HazuchaLovely little bird! You made the engine really pop-up with the treatment 👍
5 February 2021, 09:52
Bill GilmanThings are picking up, but as they say two steps forward and one step backward. The rest of the decals are on, and I have to admit that she looks right dapper. The instrument panels, coamings, and ejection seats are back in the cockpit, and I've added the tailplanes and elevators along with two antennae on the fin. I constructed the engine bears (with some devilishly small gussets) to match photos of the engine, and then added the gear doors. Those are my two steps forward. The one step backward? First, adding the tailplanes turned her into a tail sitter, but I expected this. I have another way to get her back on her nose gear without adding any weight or gluing her to a base. Then, somehow a drop (or two) of lacquer thinner landed on one of the ailerons and quickly consumed the decal. The resulting bubbles looked like a virus from outer space. Anyway, the aileron has been stripped of all remaining gunk and is in the process of being repainted. I have no more decals for the red and white "swooshes" so I will have to paint those on. Hopefully I can match the red! Cheers, Bill
7 February 2021, 14:54
Bill GilmanComing onto the home stretch now. Airfix provide decals for the canopy detonation cord, but they are major league fiddly. I decided to cut them into "manageable" pieces but they still curled up, flipped over, or in general just created havoc. Eventually I managed to get each piece in place and looking somewhat like they should. Remind me not to do that again! I also added the blast shield inside the canopy, as it was not included with the kit.
I was able to get a pretty good match to the red in the "swoosh" decals so I could repaint the damaged aileron. Once that was done, I finally got around to adding the flaps, ailerons, and exhausts. I gave the model an overall coat of Floquil Flat which produces a really nice satin sheen - like an egg shell. Then I realised I made a mistake and had painted the canopy sill grey like the rest of the cockpit. It should be black. I had to be very careful masking it off to apply the flat black.
Not much left to do. Add the prop, rear view mirrors, wheel chocks, and mount the canopy. I also have to scratch build the canopy actuating mechanism, which I don't have a good photo of. I'll figure out something. Cheers, Bill
13 February 2021, 14:42
Alec KLooking really great Bill. On the evil canopy decals: I always wondered how to make the canopy clear again after they are applied (I assume they are not as transparent as a Future coated canopy)? Or are they?
14 February 2021, 13:00
Bill GilmanThe canopy had a bath in Future prior to painting and decal application. When I apply decals over clear plastic I trim away as much of the carrier film as I can. Luckily with this kit, there is very little carrier film. You can hardly see it. Sure am glad I didn't have to try and cut close to these buggers!
14 February 2021, 15:05
Bill GilmanThanks mates. The model is finished, with the last work being the canopy, prop, and wheel chocks. The chocks don't prevent tail sitting, as the main gear legs are quite spindly and are actually flexing. I've ordered a diorama base and will glue her down. I've uploaded a few photos of the finished model, and will post more after she is on the base. Cheers, Bill
16 February 2021, 00:14
Slavo HazuchaBeautiful work - the LEGO Bricks reveal how small that thing actually is... Superb clean model of a cute little bird! 👍
16 February 2021, 01:17
AugieBill, you've done it again. Thats a stunning build, more so its in braille scale!
16 February 2021, 01:29
Hanno KleineckeOver again it is amazing to see what you are able to get out of a tiny 1/72nd kit. Superclean and delicate Work Bill !
16 February 2021, 07:19
NeulingSlavo is right. Augie is right. Alec is right. Hanno is right. What else could I say? 👍
16 February 2021, 10:21
Bill GilmanThanks everyone. This was a fun project and I really enjoyed it. The kit is quite simple by itself, and the CMK resin bits make it stand out. I have an airfield base arriving soon, and I'll post more photos once I have the Tucano glued onto it. Cheers, Bill
17 February 2021, 15:02
Łukasz GlińskiAnother lovely build Bill. Pity this kit is not easily available 👍
17 February 2021, 15:39
Bill GilmanThe final photos are uploaded. I've glued the model onto an airfield base from Coastal and that keeps her on her legs. Enjoy the pictures! Cheers, Bill
24 February 2021, 20:28
Album info
Airfix kit with a lot of CMK resin goodies.
