Shorts Tucano T.1 (Airfix)

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January 22, 2021
The venerable Airfix kit of the Shorts Tucano. Let's see what we can make of it.
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January 22, 2021
Not a lot of styrene...
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January 22, 2021
But I have a bunch of resin goodies from CMK.
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January 22, 2021
I think this display scheme is what I'll use. I like the overall silver with the fancy markings.
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January 22, 2021
The kit schemes aren't bad either.
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January 22, 2021
The CMK resin cockpit has a lot of nice detail.
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January 22, 2021
The open engine compartment and accurate prop/spinner.
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January 22, 2021
All the control surfaces with nice thin trailing edges.
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January 22, 2021
And some nice gear doors. I think I'll skip the luggage compartment.
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January 22, 2021
A nice comparison of the kit cockpit and the aftermarket resin.
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January 22, 2021
Some paint really brings out the detail!
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January 22, 2021
This is how much weight Airfix says you need up front - no way I'll get this to fit.
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January 22, 2021
Engine cowling removed.
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January 22, 2021
I shortened the nose gear bay to allow more room for the Liquid Gravity. This won't be seen.
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January 22, 2021
Flaps and ailerons removed from the kit wings. Resin part are much nicer.
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January 22, 2021
Resin cockpit fit without any grinding or sanding. Fuselage halves joined, and kit rudder removed.
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February 4, 2021
The resin engine and nose are on, along with the wings. A wee bit of filler around the engine area.
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February 4, 2021
A bit more filler needed to blend in the lower wing area.
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February 4, 2021
I used Floquil Old Silver to represent the aluminum paint - it has virtually no discernible grain.
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February 4, 2021
Ejection seats were removed to make it easier to mask off the cockpit.
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February 4, 2021
I made copies of the decals for the tail so I could use them as a template for painting the underside blue.
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February 4, 2021
And there it is - Roundel Blue from Hataka.
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February 4, 2021
I hope the decal template will work on the lower side of the tail!
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February 4, 2021
The unusual paintwork on the prop looks like an old TV test pattern.
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February 4, 2021
Nasty divot in the bottom edge of the canopy.
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February 4, 2021
Adding the resin nose wheel. I hope it holds!
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February 4, 2021
She's up on her legs! And the detail painting of the engine has been finished.
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February 4, 2021
Balance is precarious - once the flaps, ailerons, tailplanes and elevators are added, she'll be a tail sitter.
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February 4, 2021
Starting to apply the "swooshes" that are a big part of this one-off display scheme. My template idea worked perfect!
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February 4, 2021
There's always a feel of dread when one has to cut through a perfectly good decal...
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February 7, 2021
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.
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February 8, 2021
I scratch built a new VHF antenna for the spine aft of the cockpit. (Thank God for Legos!)
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February 13, 2021
The P. P. Aeroparts wheel chocks folded up nicely. These will be used to prevent the model from tail sitting.
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February 13, 2021
Had to repaint one of the ailerons (left) - matched the red of the decal (right) as best I could.
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February 13, 2021
The detonator cord decals were the fiddliest things I've ever encountered!
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February 13, 2021
I cut them into "manageable" segments and they still curled up and flipped over. Ugh. But it came out OK.
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February 13, 2021
I added the blast shield inside the canopy.
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February 13, 2021
I finally added the flaps and ailerons. as well as the exhausts and an overall coat of a satin sheen.
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February 13, 2021
The canopy sill was painted flat black - I had used the same grey as the pit, but that was incorrect.
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February 16, 2021
No more parts left, so she must be finished!
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February 16, 2021
The balance is very precarious - she wants to tip back all the time, even with the wheel chocks.
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February 16, 2021
I've ordered a base and will glue her down. That will keep her on her legs!
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February 24, 2021
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February 24, 2021
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Comments

29 22 January 2021, 15:44

Bill Gilman
My 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

Augie
OOo watching..

23 January 2021, 16:51

PetriO
Love the cockpit!

23 January 2021, 16:58

Mirko Römer
Wonderful beginning, good luck with the kit!

23 January 2021, 21:32

Łukasz Gliński
I have to watch this

25 January 2021, 10:14

Slavo Hazucha
taking a seat too!

25 January 2021, 12:38

Bill Gilman
Welcome aboard everyone! I will try to make the trip worthwhile. Cheers, Bill

25 January 2021, 17:44

Cuajete
Nice start 👍.
Pic 12 is Liquid Gravity from Deluxe?

25 January 2021, 19:39

Bill Gilman
Yup, 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 Gilman
The 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

Augie
Wow nice bill! looking like its going to be another stunner

4 February 2021, 15:44

Cuajete
Looks great so far!

4 February 2021, 19:02

Bill Gilman
Thanks! 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 Hazucha
Lovely little bird! You made the engine really pop-up with the treatment 👍

5 February 2021, 09:52

Gordon Sørensen
Great looking paint, Bill! She is going to come out a stunner!

5 February 2021, 12:45

Bill Gilman
Things 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

Cuajete
Very nice!

7 February 2021, 18:07

Alec K
Great project 👍

10 February 2021, 02:21

Bill Gilman
Coming 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 K
Looking 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 Gilman
The 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

Alec K
👍

14 February 2021, 19:43

Augie
lovely work in such small scale Bill

14 February 2021, 20:58

Bill Gilman
Thanks 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 Hazucha
Beautiful work - the LEGO Bricks reveal how small that thing actually is... Superb clean model of a cute little bird! 👍

16 February 2021, 01:17

Augie
Bill, you've done it again. Thats a stunning build, more so its in braille scale!

16 February 2021, 01:29

Alec K
Superb craftsmanship 👍

16 February 2021, 02:17

Hanno Kleinecke
Over 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

Neuling
Slavo is right. Augie is right. Alec is right. Hanno is right. What else could I say? 👍

16 February 2021, 10:21

Bill Gilman
Thanks 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 Gliński
Another lovely build Bill. Pity this kit is not easily available 👍

17 February 2021, 15:39

Cuajete
Very nice. Great job.
Congrats!

18 February 2021, 09:44

Bill Gilman
The 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

Neuling
👍

25 February 2021, 10:00

Cuajete
Superb 👍

26 February 2021, 18:44