STORMO! :: View topic - RIK's 1/72 Scale Italian Aircraft Model Collection

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 5:35 pm

That is one beautiful model! Article please! Incredibly we don't have one Z.506 in the Gallery!

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:58 pm

Editor wrote:

That is one beautiful model! Article please! Incredibly we don't have one Z.506 in the Gallery!

Composing article as I write Wink

Picking up display cases tomorrow from the fabricators, the Z.506B is will have its very own - of course!

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:05 pm

You've built some really nice models so far, but this one ranks right-up-there, its a beauty! Nice weathering.

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 8:41 pm

Editor wrote:

You've built some really nice models so far, but this one ranks right-up-there, its a beauty! Nice weathering.

Thanks. The Mainwing-Fuselage Collar fits are awful, should had been puttied & sanded but would had ruined surface detail never mind my having spray painted everything before discovering how bad the fits are!

The Z.506 like the Z.1007 were difficult builds, glad won't ever do them again though have an extra Italeri Z.506 kit in case SEM Model rereleases their Z.506C civil airliner conversion kit.

Am still waiting for Italeri to rerelease their S.81 kit so can build the SEM Model S.73 conversion model, if they don't by this time next year will have to make do with S.81 SUPERMODEL parts though will need Gnome et Rhone engines & cowlings, may need help from others getting them.

Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:35 pm

1973 First Issue Box Top Art:

- > C.202 Centrifugal Supercharger Straight Inlet

- > C.202AS (Africa Settentrionale) Dust Filter

- > C.202CB (Caccia Bombardiere) Bombs/Drop Fuel Tanks

- > C.202D "Chin" Radiator

- > C.202EC (Esperimento Cannoni) 20mm Mauser Cannons

Build Items Layout:

Additional Research Material Will Be Incorporated Throughout The Build Process

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:55 am

Whilst building the SUPERMODEL Z.506B kit had to extend all Fuselage-Float Spars by cutting off spar ends, glue on cut sheet plastic then the spar ends, sandpaper everything smooth. This was done OK but better if spare spar parts had been used instead of sheet plastic.

Yesterday October 10th sent Italeri an e-mail for set of spars as spares for the extra Z.506B kit I've got when building the SEM Model Z.506C kit conversion. I'd heard Italeri was notoriously slow about getting kit spare parts from so was surprised they'd replied to me within half a day. Italeri wanted 5 Euros to mail them to me from Italy, told them this was ridiculous, forthwith cancelled the request.

One of the LF Models Reggiane Re.2005 kits I'd bought didn't have Main Landing Gear parts, e-mailed them for a set, mailed them to me free of charge. Whilst building the Choroszy Modelbud Savoia-Marchetti S.78 I'd needed another decal sheet to complete it, e-mailed them for one, sent it to me free of charge as well.

LF & Choroszy Modelbud were terrific helping me out with providing kit parts, sadly can't say that about Italeri. The former two are small-time model makers Italeri one of the world's largest, lesson here: bigness doesn't mean best when it comes to customer service!

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 6:15 am

Same thing with Special Hobby they'll send you missing parts for free - I haven't tried ordering new parts.

I think I paid approximately 1/2 the price of a kit for 4 small parts for an Italeri kit I started on last year - Italeri are expensive for replacement parts but if you need parts, which they seem to have for the most unusual kits, that's all you got and keep in mind the modeling industry isn't growing. Most Kids today play video games where many of them sink allot of money into them (the Games are advertised as Free but once hooked extract enormous amounts of money from these kids) and then complain about the cost of a kit. And also keep in mind Italeri is a gigantic company and they probably get thousands of requests for replacement and missing parts, so you can imagine to keep the requests legit, they charge a hefty price.

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:55 am

Editor wrote:

Same thing with Special Hobby they'll send you missing parts for free - I haven't tried ordering new parts.

I think I paid approximately 1/2 the price of a kit for 4 small parts for an Italeri kit I started on last year - Italeri are expensive for replacement parts but if you need parts, which they seem to have for the most unusual kits, that's all you got and keep in mind the modeling industry isn't growing. Most Kids today play video games where many of them sink allot of money into them (the Games are advertised as Free but once hooked extract enormous amounts of money from these kids) and then complain about the cost of a kit. And also keep in mind Italeri is a gigantic company and they probably get thousands of requests for replacement and missing parts, so you can imagine to keep the requests legit, they charge a hefty price.

Guess I'd be in the illegit category here, had to try nevertheless. In 1965 I'd requested number of B-17G et. al. parts from Airfix Of America, they were very good about sending to me, think I'd also asked Revell for some when they were operating from Venice, CA. I definitely need engine & cowling parts building the SEM Model S.73 kit in the future so will be begging folks here at STORMO for them, won't mind paying for them either.

Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2018 5:58 pm

- > Fuselage & Mainwing parts separated from sprues, trimmed & sanded, fit tested today October 13th.

- > Tailcone of one Fuselage Half broke off, is now in the Twilight Zone, fabricated a replacement.

- > Parts separating & fit testing resuming tomorrow.

Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2018 6:40 pm

- > All Mainwing Landing Gear Parts sprue flash trimmed & painted with Testors Flat Aluminum October 14th, Oleo Strut sections Testors Silver today the 15th.

- > All Pilot Seats also were painted Testors Flat Aluminum on the 14th.

- > All Landing Gear Wheel Hubs successfully mounted on rubberized Landing Gear Wheels today, could had been problematic, i.e. hubs popping off fingers Shocked

- > Main Landing Gear Door Parts painted next followed by assembling 5 sets of Main Landing Gear Units.

Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2018 3:42 pm

- > All Main Landing Gear Strut & Wheel Assemblies completed October 16th.

- > All Fuselage, Mainwing, Main Landing Gear Door Interiors painted today October 17:

> Two sets Testors Model Master 1726 Flat Light Sea Gray enamel replicating Grigio Azzuro Chiaro 1,

> Three sets 50/50 mix Humbrol 78 Matt Cockpit Green + Testors Flat White enamels replicating Verde Anticorrosione,

> Each mix lightened 36% Testors Flat White by volume.

- > All Instrument Panel fronts painted Testors Flat/White special mix, backsides Verde Anticorrosione per above for interiors today.

- > All Major Mainwing parts were assembled today also.

- > Blade Backsides of one Propeller painted Testors Flat/White special mix, Testors Model Master 2078 RLM 65 will be painted on the fronts later.

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 4:47 pm

- > All Instrument Panel/Rudder Peddle Bar parts fully painted with press-on decals & hand-painted instruments today October 18th.

- > All Main Landing Gear Door Panel Actuators & Control Columns trimmed & painted Testors Flat Aluminum enamel today also.

- > Pilot Figures base painted out-of-bottle Humbrol 29 Matt Dark Earth today as well, will be detail painted after thoroughly dry.

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 5:08 pm

Wow looks like an assembly line Smile

Looking great!

Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 6:33 pm

Editor wrote:

Wow looks like an assembly line Smile

Looking great!

This is the largest "assembly line" build since 1985 when constructed eight FROG C.202s in Regia Aeronautica Italia (RAI) livery. The early 1970s Microscale decal sheets didn't include RAI unit fonts so had to use ETRL-ESCI C.202 decals, got "archive" copies of all their RAI & Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana sheets, are extremely brittle, dare not use them, those I'd used in 1985 fortunately were in mint condition.

Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2018 6:08 am

Man! You're on a mission!! Looking good.