IPMS Ottawa - Monthly Plastic Model Contests: March 2021

Welcome to IPMS Ottawa's ongoing monthly SHOW & TELL, which allows club members to show off their completed work despite not being able to attend group meetings. Each member is invited to send in up to three photos of a model and some explanation. March marks our eleventh (11th) on-line show & tell. We thank all of our members and builders for keeping alive the hobby. This month’s theme is FRANCE. Vive la France!

The beautiful bleu, blanc, et rouge (red white and blue)

Bienvenue au montrer et dire mensuel d'IPMS Ottawa, qui permet aux membres du club de montrer leur travail accompli sans pouvoir assister aux réunions de groupe. Chaque membre est invité à envoyer jusqu'à trois photos d'un modèle et quelques explications. Mars marque notre onzième (11e) émission en ligne et raconter. Nous remercions tous nos membres et constructeurs pour avoir fait vivre ce passe-temps. Le thème de ce mois-ci est la FRANCE. Vive la France!

THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, and KEEP BUILDING.

! Miniature world domination !

Enjoy our show, and we all hope to meet again soon.

MODELS ABOUT FRANCE

Marianne (FeR Miniatures 1:12)

A resin bust of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic. I had submitted a WIP photo last month and went into detail about my techniques, however there were a few small things that I had to finish to get her ready for the theme. I experimented with some different skin tones and extreme contrast on this piece, attempting to spotlight the face and upper torso. Additionally, I worked in some texture on the hat and used true metallics on the sword. Overall quite satisfied with how she turned out.

Brian LaTour

Marianne - Vive le France!

Caudron G.IV (Copper State 1:48)

A challenging kit, tons and tons of Photo etch parts but very high quality as with any Copper State model A great fun build.

Marc Racine

(editor's note: The Caudron G.4 was a French biplane with twin engines, widely used during World War I as a bomber. It was designed by René and Gaston Caudron as an improvement over their single-engined Caudron G.3. The aircraft employed wing warping for banking. The first G.4 was built in 1915, and it was manufactured in France, England and Italy. It was the world's first twin-engine aircraft to be widely used, starting in March 1915. The Caudron G.4 was used as a reconnaissance bomber against the German Empire. Later, when Germany developed a fighter force, the aircraft was used for night bombing. The G.4 was in use in Belgium, France, Finland, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. WIKI)

Caudron G.IV

FT-17z Fumatorami "Gas Tank" (Meng + RPM 1:35)

Viva la France! I finished my entry for the "France" theme contest several months ago -- a French FT-17 tank converted to a FT-17z Fumatorami -- so I can finally reveal it to the club now. Nicknamed the "Polish Gas Tank" (because it was converted by the Polish Army), this diminutive tank was used to create dense smokescreens on the battlefield; only one known prototype was built and tested. The base kit is a Meng 1/35 FT-17 while the "smoker" parts were donated from an (atrocious) RPM FT-17z kit. There is not a lot of information available about this tank -- in fact, only a few scant exterior photos -- so I had to rely on some ingenuity to figure out how this thing might actually work. In the end, I went to town and did a LOT of scratchbuilding on the interior as well as improving upon the donated RPM kit parts using strip & sheet styrene and other preformed shapes. It afforded me the opportunity to try various weathering and texturing techniques. The base included with the Meng kit was fairly impressive, but in improving on it, it too turned into a mini project. (It was featured in the December 2020 online model show & tell.) The base was extended by about 3" and I added mud and many other ground effects using a variety of products and techniques. The trench was improved with the addition of shattered & splintered wooden boards and a walkway made with wooden sticks which were weathered in various manners. As a final touch, wooden retaining walls were added on the sides. All in all it was a fairly intensive project but it turned out very well. The full build may be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CuHsw9oHzapYwERx8

Glenn Cauley

FT-17z Fumatorami "Gas Tank"

Nieuport 11 "Bébé" (A-Model 1:32)

Flown by 17-victory ace Raoul Lufbery. One of the most respected aces of the Lafayette Escadrille. Because he served in both the French Air Force, and later the United States Army Air Service in World War I, he is sometimes listed alternately as a French ace or as an American ace. Officially, all but one of his 17 combat victories came while flying in French units.

Marc Racine

Nieuport 11 "Bébé"

char Leclerc T5 tank, MBT (Revell 1:72)

A last minute build as I was sure that I did not have a kit that would fall into this named contest.

On further stash reviewing I found this kit (03131) about a month ago. This is just another project completed as a retirement past time. Basically OOB, added 2 antennas, used Tamiya paints, some airbrushing with a little hand painting.

Looking forward to next years topic. Thank you.

Michael Roy

(editor's note: the char Leclerc tank was built from 1990 to 2007 for the French army and for the UAE army, with some 860 being produced.)

Leclerc T5, MBT

Aeronavale F4U-7 Corsair (Italeri 1:72)

Hi Guys!

Here is my model for the March theme- Any French Subject:

Aeronavale, Suez Crisis Egypt 1956

Terry Jones

(editor's note: These were tasked with destroying Egyptian Navy ships at Alexandria but the presence of US Navy ships prevented the successful completion of the mission. The Corsairs attacking Egypt dropped a total of 25 tonnes of bombs, and fired more than 500 rockets.)

Aeronavale F4U-7 Corsair

Renault R-39 tank (Heller Humbrol 1:35)

Renault R-35 light infantry support tank, but with the SA 38 turret gun making it into the R-39 tank used immediately after WWII. This version shows the tank in service with the French expeditionary army trying to re-occupy and pacify Indochina (Viet Nam) after WWII, but they were then totally defeated and humiliated at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. This was France's main tank in WWII, with a production run, until the Nazi scum invasion, of about 1600 units.

I bought the kit from Bill C. at Hobby Centre in Ottawa as a quick project, and it turned out okay for a three day build. Paint is a mix of Vallejo and Tamiya acrylics. The chain comes with the kit and is most appreciated. The tracks are the rubber-band type and of acceptable quality. The drive wheel has teeth which are far too large and close together to really fit into the slots in the track links. As the actual tank is very small this 1:35 scale model looks like a very large 1:72 scale kit.

The tank is photographed in front of a reproduction of a 1954 battle poster extolling the PAVN fight to win over the French enemy at Dien Bien Phu, Tonkin, Viet Nam.

John Clearwater

Renault R-39 tank in Viet Nam

OTHER MODELS TO ENJOY THIS MONTH

Mil Mi-24 Миль Ми-24 летающий танк (US name: "Hind") (Zvezda 1:48)

I used kit decals, Tamiya paints and sprayed the cammo freehand. I decided to have some fun wiring up the engines and equipment bays. None of it is in anyway accurate as the real thing is just a pile of spaghetti. I used a Quinta set for the cockpit and I have to tell you, what a great product! I don't think I will be going back to resin or photoetch now that I have tried this stuff. It is that good. I have written an article about the Hind and my impression of it and this model on my website - I think you will enjoy it. https://modelairplanemaker.com/2021/03/02/1-48-zvezda-mi-24-hind-a-model-of-the-most-destructive-military-force-ever-conceived/

Chris Wallace

(editor's note: The Mil Mi-24 Миль Ми-24 is built by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant and has been operational since 1972 in the USSR then 48 other countries. Project codename Yellow 24 was overseen by Mikhail Mil himself. Soviet pilots called the Mi-24 the "flying tank" (летающий танк; letayushchiy tank), a term used historically with the famous World War II Il-2 Shturmovik armored ground attack aircraft. Over 2650 have been built. For ten years it held the official world helicopter speed record. A design oddity is that the airframe leans to the left; the rotors to the right; and the tail is non-symmetrical all to account for various aerodynamic forces.)

Mil Mi-24 Миль Ми-24

Fokker E.III (Blueprint Models 1:24)

Another challenging build, a true multi-media kit including Vacuform body parts, white metal struts, undercarriage and engine cylinders, loads of photo etch parts including wire wheels, Brass sheet to form cowling, many resin interior detail parts and a collection of brass, metal and plastic tubing This large kit was an extremely rare limited run model, sent by the manufacturer in a plain cardboard box. Even included 3 identical sets of really good decals (in case you ruin one or two). I managed to "MacGyver" some brass hinges for the moving stabilizers and rudder.

Marc Racine

Fokker E.III

North American F.86 Sabre (Monogram 1:48)

A vintage built kit that I was given that I revived out of the ashes, was poorly built and painted in camo colours. Got the Canadian "Golden Hawks" decals and airbrushed it with Vallejo Air Gold acrylic.

Marc Racine

F.86 Sabre

AVGP Cougar (Trumpeter 1:35)

Hello, Everyone,

I finished this build about a month ago. It’s the Trumpeter 1/35 scale AVGP Cougar (Early Version) as used by the Canadian Armed Forces. There is a personal connection to this model as it represents one of the vehicles that I crew commanded during time with my Regiment in Petawawa. The Cougar (a Fire Support and Reconnaissance Vehicle), along with the Grizzly (an infantry Armoured Personnel Carrier) and the Husky (a Mobile Repair Vehicle) came into service in 1977. I joined an Armoured Recce Squadron in 1981 on posting to Petawawa and became the Squadron Battle Captain, callsign Two Bravo. I used this vehicle for two years before being posted to Brigade Headquarters in Petawawa.

The Early Version of the Cougar featured two propellers at the rear of the hull in order to do any amphibious operations. A later version did away with these propellers and fitted extra storage bins in their place. The build is very straightforward: good instructions, a fair number of external stowage and fittings and a well-detailed suspension system. One thing to watch for is the incorrect disruptive pattern provided – only Olive Drab and Black. In fact there are three colours to use: a medium Olive Drab, a mid-Green and a faded Black. I used Tamiya paints and free-handed the disruptive pattern with an Iwata HP-C airbrush. The license plates (fore and aft) came from JBOT Decals but I’ve had them for several years and I’m not sure if he is still in business.

COVID-19 didn’t adversely affect my building habits or processes very much. I’ve got a fairly good cache of kits plus a sufficient supply paints and glues, tools and styrene strip, rod and sheet. The internet and my local hobby shop came to my rescue now and then when I needed a special aftermarket item. Being retired and being locked down gives me a green light to the modelling table once any home-based tasks or duties were completed.

I hope that you’re all in good health and are taking good care of yourselves and your families. Here’s hoping that we’ll meet together soon!

Best Regards to All!

Gary Barling

AVGP Cougar

F4U Corsair cockpit (Aerocockpit 1:4)

I meant to build something french but I never got it going. It was going to be an awesome Corsair with cool suez markings.

Here is my 1:4 Scale F4U Corsair Instrument Panel by Aerocockpit. It is a generic instrument panel designed for RC models but it has sufficient detail to make a cool piece of art. This is not as accurate or as detailed as the 1:4 scale panels that Eduard makes but they only make two panels. Aerocockpit makes many many more. I wrote an article about it and you can check it out here: http://modelairplanemaker.com/2021/02/09/and-now-for-something-a-little-different/

Chris Wallace

Flettner FL282 V-6 Kolibri synchrocopter (Miniart 1:35)

With only a few hours to spare, I can now move this build to the "completed" list and share it with the club. Coming on the heels of my first MiniArt kit (Avro gyrocopter), I decided to build a second kit by MiniArt: this time a 1:35 Flettner FL282 V-6 Kolibri synchrocopter. This early version of the German synchrocopter truly showcased just how well MiniArt engineers and molds their kits. The skeletal framework and linkage components are truly marvelous to behold and are for the most part very well crafted. The fit is a bit finicky at some points due to the complexity of the assemblies and sometimes small attachment points. There are lots of mold seams to remove and smooth, and so a steady hand and a LOT of patience is beneficial to a good build. Since I wanted to display this helo in a partially-disassembled state, I added a lot of detail to the engine bay and linkage components. I decided to leave the detachable rotor blades off -- they were installed before flight -- and so posed a single rotor blade in a scratchbuilt wooden storage box. During painting I used my tried & true blackbasing process using AK Real Color lacquer paints, my "go to" paint brand for several builds now (highly recommended). For weathering I was a bit more heavy handed than usual, as it is my plan to build a diorama base of a ship deck with the weather-battered Kolibri shown before a flight.

The full build may be found here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/gpAuWD5ugRvdJaAz9

Glenn Cauley

Flettner FL282 V-6 Kolibri synchrocopter

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS

Leclerc MBT (Revell 1:72)

WIP – or actually stalled!? The kit is the early model of the Leclerc, the French discovered, like a few other countries that tanks in a desert environment NEED an a/c system. The white plastic on the r/h rear of the turret is basically the a/c module, there are some vents and grills that stopped up this work, but recently I have found some ways to get by them but not in time for this month. I did buy an after market resin replacement turret but found it was a copy of the Revell kit and the added detail was a bit too soft for my taste! So it was used to get measurements to replicate the addition in styrene. The other half of this project is to build the French ARV, and that got a good start by stretching the hull to 7 road wheels vice 6 but then the scratchbuilding prospect slowed it down. Must get this one started up again and finish it off!!

Graham Mansell

Various French Aircraft

A couple started before contest announced,rest started last year, but what happened to my time? Should be finishing several as year marches on...

Ken Allen

ELASTIC VISE

This handy tip may be too much for those who may be squeamish about real life situations. I understand if you would prefer to stop reading here.

As part of a medical predicament I had a catheter...which has a leg urine retention bag at one end, and the bag had to be changed weekly. Low and behold they each come with a pair of nice new elastic leg straps......now what can I use these for??

Elastic vise maybe, as they can wrap around various shapes....

Spitfire mark XIV (Airfix 1:48)

It sure feels good getting back to my work bench, it has been a while. I had a couple of projects on the go and had to verify where they were in their stage of constructions.

1- The first one that I started last year when we had our first Build Blitz back in May 2020 was the Airfix 1/48 Spitfire mark XIV in Canadian marking. It had been painted but there were seams showing through the paint that I couldn’t let them go without fixing them. So, it was back to sanding and filling the cracks and repainting the repaired zones. Now it is at the stage of doing the markings not using the decals but painting my own markings. After buying a Silhouette Cameo 3 last year, I started fooling around doing stickers for my daughters and finally had enough experience with the supplied software to start doing my own masks. That wasn’t a big issue. How to get them painted is another problem. These markings have 4 different colours, so the method is going to be doing one colour than masking, doing another colour than masking again until complete. The big problem is that the whole plane is already painted. So, as you can see in the pictures, I have done a lot more than I will need just in case I screw up. I will keep you guys posted on the results via Facebook or next month’s meeting

2- While I was preparing the masks for the Spitfires, I also did the ones for my Daunting Dauntless in both 1/48 and 1/144. Even at this scale, my Cameo 3 can cut the stencils down to 1mm which is great because the markings for the 1/144 scale weren’t the one that I needed. These markings will be a lot simpler than the ones of my Spit. I’ve also tested out on a very old Monogram kit used as a mule, various paints to obtain the very faded look compared to the original colour marked with an arrow. Of course, these are all new techniques that I never tried. We’ll see what it looks like.

3- Last, I have been working on my Caudron Racer until I stopped doing models for a while. This model was for this month's theme and of course it is not complete. The whole cockpit was scratch built. The fuselage was completely sanded for removing the raised seams and I replaced them with grooved panel lines instead. The exhausts were all scratched built using aluminium tubing that was bent to shape, then cut in the desired angle and polished for bare metal look. Even the marking of this racer where designed on the computer because the original decals were not great looking.

Royal Aircraft Factory BE2c (Airfix 1:72)

Sorry. It isn’t French; it isn’t even a Royal Flying Corps aircraft that made to France.

I bought this model at one of our swap meets (remember when we had those!). I think it was from Marc Racine, who always inspires me with his WW I models, although it is hard to imagine him parting with anything that has multiple planes and requires rigging! As seems standard with the new Airfix, the fit is excellent. There are jigs for the placement of the interplane struts plus a one piece combination of the cabane struts with a part of the upper wing and of the fuselage that should lock everything into place. (As you will note some of my interplane struts have wobbled out of alignment but that is my fault and they should be easy to correct when the upper plane is joined to the lower.)

One of the options in the box is William Leefe Robinson’s 39 squadron aircraft with which he shot down airship Schütte-Lanz SL 11 on the night of 2-3 September 1916. This was the first instance of a pilot shooting down an airship over England, for which he was awarded a V.C. Except for the area of the forward fuselage most of the aircraft is in clear doped linen. In various photos I have I was stuck by how the ribbing stood out through this. I tried to simulate this by outlining the rib positions with a brown fine line Sharpie. (Any blunders, such as getting your own thumb in the way and ending up with a semicircular outgrowth from a rib can be easily corrected with a Q-tip just moistened with thinner.) I include two photos, the first the lower surface of the upper plane with a first fine spray of CDL and the ribs outlined (with some evidence of correction as mentioned). The second shows the upper surface of the upper plane finished. Something about the lighting in our kitchen minimizes the rib effect; it is actually just noticeable when viewed in person, a subtlety I usually don’t achieve, but which you will get to judge for yourselves someday in the future.

Eventually this will be joined by a 39 squadron Canberra PR9, the hemp upper surface perhaps harkening back to the CLD of the BE2c.

John Greenhorn

IPMS Ottawa - Monthly Plastic Model Contests

Monday 1 March 2021

March 2021 IPMS Ottawa On-Line SHOW & TELL

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