Hi, everybody!
I have finally finished this kit, which I first started back in 2006, when my buddy Brian Spruyt won it in our club raffle, and gave it to me, because he didn’t build aircraft. I started it with the intention of giving it to him, when I finished, but he passed away shortly after that. I had the fuselage halves together and the wings and horizontal stabilizers attached, and there it sat, until last year. At the start of 2009, I made a resolution to finish 12 kits that I had started in the previous years (here’s the thread, if you’re curious to see the others: /forums/p/107668/1064888.aspx#1064888).
I’ve worked off and on since last year, getting stuck from time to time, but this week, I was off, and I wanted to finish it for our monthly meeting yesterday. So, here is the completed model, finished as Lt. Frank Klibbe’s “Little Chief”, in its final version.
From the port side, front:
and from the starboard side, front:
A view into the cockpit from the starboard side:
and from port:
You may remember that I’m a big fan of Monogram kits, and that the figures that they included were one of the things that I always really liked. The pilot in this kit is no exception. Here’s Lt’ Klibbe, sitting in his office:
As a raffle kit, it was missing the clear parts and the decal sheet. I used EagleCal’s “Little Chief” sheet to replace the missing decals. Here’s the nose art:
I’ve learned some things, both in this build and in others that I completed while this one was in progress. I used Squadron’s vacuform canopy, to replace the missing kit part, and I also masked it using Parafilm. Both were firsts for me, and I learned that a vacuform canopy cut from its carrier and then masked is a very fiddly thing indeed. I used Silly Putty to support the canopy, when I cut it out, but I should have masked it first, before removing it from the carrier plastic. Once cut, it was just too weak, even with putty it in, to cut the framing effectively. Eventually, I cut pieces of Parafilm and filled the panels. But it came out ragged. In the future, I’d mask first, then cut away the carrier and paint.
Colors were applied in the sequence primer (WalMart’s automotive), then the gray, then the OD (Tamiya aircraft colors) all via rattlecans. Then a layer of Future (brushed), and then the decals. The EagleCal decals settled down without solution, which I used only on the Indian head. Some of the stencils did lift off during handling, though, and I re-attached them with Future. Then it was several coats of DullCote to seal the decals.
Though the weathering was light-“Little Chief” was well-maintained, and even waxed regularly-I had a mishap. I was using oil paints to apply a filter to fade some panels, and though I had used DullCote to seal the basic colors, I managed to remove the OD on the starboard wing. I was able to mask everything again, though, and reapply the OD, and in the end, it looked like a replacement panel, since the color is a little different.
And I learned a little bit about applying large decals to curved surfaces. The Indian head wound up wrinkling, and I should have cut it, and also not applied setting solution to the whole thing at once, but should have worked from one end to the other (a tip from a member of our club).
But in the end, I’m happy with the result. I’m not a competition builder, I build what I like, for my enjoyment. I like these old Monogram kits, too, though I’m eager to try the Hasegawa and Tamiya Jugs, too. But I’m glad, finally, to have finished, and to offer this as a tribute to my buddy Brian. Thanks, Brian, and here’s one to your memory (a beer as well as the kit), we miss you around here, man!
Thanks for looking, and comments/criticisms are welcome!
Brad