Thread started by Soclakit86
Mathieu CACAULTadded a new photoalbum.
31 21 June, 10:03
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHello, thank you Robert Podkoński and Moreno Baruffini for your comment. 🙂
2 21 June, 14:41
Major OakAmazing work love this aircraft alot off hard work so far can't wait to see the end aircraft
1 21 June, 18:07
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHello, thank you Major Oak , Rando Dude and Thomas Bischoff for your comments. 🙂
22 June, 09:08
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHi everyone;
After looking at the documentation and the photoscopes, I realized that the structural lines proposed by Heller are incomplete and sometimes poorly positioned.
I finally decided to correct the errors on the aircraft's structural lines by focusing first on the port fuselage half.
For the re-engraving, I use the following materials:
_ A 0.9 mm mechanical pencil with a sewing needle inserted into it, which I sharpened with a Dremel.
_ A 0.3 mm mechanical pencil to trace the lines to be added, based on photos and the drawing on p26-27 of Réplic n°108.
_ Dymo tape as a guide for straight lines.
_ Special curvature masking tape for curved lines.
_ A fine abrasive sponge for cleaning.
_ Vallejo plastic putty to fill in any engraving errors or accidents. Once cleaned, all the engravings were given a black oil paint wash applied with a 5/0 brush.
The hardest part was doing the rear section because there are curves in all directions on what is actually one of the two main doors of the cargo hold.
However, this shade of plastic is very practical because once sanded, the old structural lines and rivets are still visible, which can be useful for redoing the rivets.
Judging by the photos, I'll still have to do a light filler around the portholes and the forward access door. The plastic will then be polished with a soft cloth to restore the shine to the translucent parts.
To make the second half of the fuselage, I'll first have to take care of the various subassemblies that make it up, put everything in place, close the fuselage, and install the front and rear bubbles. Once this is done, I will resume engraving before probably tackling riveting and adding various extra thickness elements.
8 25 June, 15:35
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorSalut Ben M , en même temps si on veut faire un Noratlas on a pas trop le chois
2 26 June, 13:31
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHi everyone;
Having been able to get my hands on the 1/72 re-engraving plans, I've made some progress by adding a few lines and correcting a few others, particularly on the rear hull.
I finally engraved the starboard half-fuselage and added 0.15 mm plastic card reinforcements, which are then sanded to break up the edges.
The filler around the portholes has also been done.
There's still a lot of work to do, but things are progressing quite well.
3 28 June, 11:49
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHi everyone;
I've started refinishing the wings, using 0.15 mm plastic sheeting once again, based on the plans and the photoscope of the aircraft from the CAEA in Bordeaux Mérignac:
nabe3saviation.web.fc2.com/waNorno1.html
There's still a lot of work to do. I estimate around thirty hours of work to finish the wings, booms, and tail, not to mention the riveting, which will still need to be done if I have the courage.
2 29 June, 12:44
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHello everyone;
The further I progressed with the re-engraving, the more I grew annoyed by this damned, lacking-width engine hood.
Finally, I got angry and resized and widened it; the engine will be entirely scratch-made.
The shoddy representations of the exhaust pipes have been leveled.
The metal sheets covering them have been notched in place before being covered with 0.25mm thick plastic card.
For the engine cylinders, I'm going to start with a stack of thin plastic card discs; this will allow me to represent their fins.
3 30 June, 16:32
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHello , Skyhiker ,Cuajete and Moreno Baruffini you for your comment. 🙂
1 1 July, 08:22
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHi everyone;
It's not enough to make a Noratlas Heller, but making it an original piece would probably be better 😁
To think outside the box, I finally decided to make the electronic warfare version, produced in 8 units (numbers 25-28-33-36-39-41 and 66), called Gabriel, whose acronym stands for "Groupement Aérien de Brouillage et d'Interception ELecronique" or "Groupement Aérien de Brouillage de Recherche et d'Identification ELecronique" (Airborne Group for Jamming, Search and Identification ELectronics).
This variant is characterized by the presence of a generator (APU) on the starboard side and various antennas scattered on and under the fuselage and under the wings. To build it, I'll be relying on Cyril Defever's 1/100 scale plan on pages 26-27 of Réplic No. 108
And on the information provided on these links:
16va.be/gabriel_part1_fr.html
16va.be/gabriel_part2_fr.html
I'll therefore have to replace the rudders on my model to install the shorter ones from the first 80 aircraft produced and build the APU and various antennas from scratch.
3 6 July, 15:24
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHello Moreno Baruffini, a genius? Not far from there, I have only been used to searching and thinking to find solutions. Thank you for your comment. 🙂
1 7 July, 03:56
Elias KorompilisNice work so far! What are you planning to do with the cockpit windows? The heller mold is not very accurate and the version you plan to built has sliding side windows
1 7 July, 14:57
Mathieu CACAULT AuthorHello Elias Korompilis, thank you for your comment. 🙂
I haven't thought about that yet but I still have time to see it coming.
7 July, 15:17
Elias Korompilisibb.co/RG4SmQqc
See the differences? Note that lower front windows are flat glass, not curved as heller had it and the different dimensions of the upper ones, also check the astrodome size. This is the reason I hesitate to start mine 🙂
2 7 July, 16:35