TOMc

I just can't do blue so I will leave the major paint work primer gray or unfinished so to speak. Next to build are the two (Type 50B) 420hp supercharged engines. The Type 50 racing engine was developed by Bugatti and raced at LeMans 24hours in 1931. The block is one piece cast aluminium with a double overhead camshaft. It was the powerplant that the 100P airplane is built around.

All the parts are first class with no warping and minimum flash. The painted plywood base color and large decals are giving me some difficulty but that is my probem not the product and as long as most of the learning curves are on the bottom I can live with it.

This is the Fisher Kit in 1/24 scale. It is a beautiful 100% resin aeroplane kit with great detail. For reference material I am using Japp Horst's "The Bugatti 100P Record Plane" book. This book costs $160.00 but I gave up smoking when a pack cost $.65. Since then I have saved enough money to purchased this book plus a couple of cars. The enamel paint worked a lot better as you can see by the below pictures. I am using Super Wing "Wood Grain Decal Textures" that I purchased for my 1/32 Horten Ho229 but didn't use. The set of six 5x8 inch panels with wood grain textures are enough to cover the Bugatti. The original wood 100P Record plane was never finished so I feel free to present it in an almost compleated display, exposing some of the plywood wing construction.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I first washed all the parts with a soft tooth brush and hot soapy water. Then after overnight drying I painted most of the resin parts with acrilic primer. Well that didn't go well. I stripped all the paint off with Easy-Off oven cleaner and have now switched to enamel paint and everything is proceeding as planed.

The base and cover are finished and the Ohka is mounted, just waiting for the ID Model name plate.

TheModel 100 was designed by Louis de Monge, Bugatti's chief designer in 1938 as an air racer. Construction was mostly wood much like the Horten 229 and was powered by two (automotive) Bugatti 50P Straight 8 engins with 450 hp each. It had a length of 7.75m (25ft 5in) and a wingspan of 8m (27ft). Construction of the aircraft was never compleated due to the conflict between France and Adolf Hitler. A French militarizesd version, Model 110P was considered for production but never impemented. In 2015 a reproduction aircraft named Blue Dream was built and flown proving the design viable. The box is open and I have just begun to fiddle with the parts, but I can tell you this right from the get go, it won't be blue. Just because it was that color when they found it under some hay bails in a barn, dosn't mean it wasn't some old paint they found at the back of the paint locker and just used it in a pinch.

The Ohka is finished. It was fun and I look forward to my next 1/32 build. The subject matter is a bit macabre but I felt that it was quite suitable for todays world. I want to thank Jaroen for his idea of using a 1/35 flatbed rail car to display the Orka. I down't know if it qualifies as a diorama but I think the transport combination will look a lot more interesting in the display case. Thanks again. I have a 1/32, ZERO T 21 that was to be my next build. When I was a teenager I read a book about a Japanese fighter pilot. I do not remember the details or his name but I do remember his courage and tremendous spirit. So it will be built, just not yet.

My aproach to rigging and securing a load is to "keep it right, keep it tight and keep it simple" . The wings and cart are stowed and ready for rail transport. I found some chain in the SPB that came out to be equal to 3/4 to 1 inch link. Three of thease should be enough to hold down a empty 440kg Cherry Blossom.

Found a couple more pix of the Horten worth posting. Once again, it was a real adventure in 1/32 scale construction and I realy enjoyed it.

The cart is finished and will be stowed forward on the flatcar. The Ohka would need a more substantial cradle for transport so I will use the one that came with the V-1. The cockpit went togteher ok with the photoetch parts and cloth seatbelts that came with the kit. They came out pretty good for my second try,

Thanks for the pix Jerone. I think I will just drill a couple of accomodation holes for the aileron control cables and replace the stubs with threaded studs. Seems like it would only need a couple of nuts and bolts to keep that small wing from falling off. Why over think it. I added some wash to the railroad ties to lighten them up. They will be in shadow when the cart is mounted. Added 160 lag-bolts to the flatcar floar. You can never have too much detail or too many rivits.

Wings off, which poses a question of what the wing stub detail should/might look like. The cart is a detailed model in itself. I have made some scratch parts for more detail and this dosn't include the 12+ photoetch parts to be added. A lot of fun work for such a small model. The rail flat car was a bit strange. It was built more like a hay-wagon with hang over and no accommodation to tie down or retain cargo. I replaced the floor and ends with spair 1/4" wide cherry slats and fabricated some parts to convert the car into an open-side stake body truck configuration. Just need to add a hundred or so lag-bolts and the floor will be finished. I didn't think they made a stake body truck bed any more but I actually saw one in a parking lot today, brand new even. .

I think it was Jarone,s idea to use a railroad flatcar as a display feature for his Reichburg Re-4a Pioleted V-1. I found one on ebay in 1/35 scale and it looks like it will work out just fine. Thanks for the Idea it will make this little bit of human insanity a bit more interesting. The Single-seat suicide aircraft Model-11 Ohka (Cherry Blossom) carried a 1,200kg Warhead, range 20 naut. miles with a max speed of 350kt at 3,500m. I won,t go into the mind set of the pilots or there situation other than to say it must have been desperate.

Well the Horton is finished. My first venture into 1/32 scale and I like it. The spooky superglue problem has returned to normal so it is on to the next project. This was a great build with incredible detail and I enjoyed every minute of it. I have chosen the HPH Ohka Model-11 for my next project. There are less parts so there is no reason to skimp on detail or subject matter. See you later.

I have been using superglue for many years and it never acted this way before. The Zip Kicker works, maby too well. It activates the glue with just fumes. I am not so sure that I want to breath this stuff. Another thing I noticed, with just a drop of SG at the tip of the piano wire applicator. The glue will jump from the tip to the plastic, like a positive to negitive charge, room temp 68deg, humidity 50% and spooky at 100%.

I down't know what is going on but it is takeing the superglue forever to dry, no matter what brand I use, room temp OK, humidity OK. I know that my mood and work has been slow of late. Maby the glue is a reflection of that reality. I sent for some Zip Kicker and expect this to make a change in the process.

It took some fancy tweezer work but the center section is assembled. I am not sure if it will be needed but I added some BBs for added weight to the Nose wheel. I added some Micro-Glaze to the Instrument Panel gauges and it does make them stand out more. Thanks for the suggestion Jeroen. There are so many interconnections to the framing that nothing can be rushed.I will finish the panel install when my brain settles down.

Good idea Jerone, I have some never used Micro-Glaze that just might do the trick. I was going to install the gage pannel tomorrow but instead, I will take some pictures of the frame while the glaze dries. The construction of this wing is a thing to behold, both the Horten Bros. original design and the out of the box SWS model is amazing. I built a 1932 Ford, retro-conversion, Roadster in 1/8 scale. The brakes, clutch and engine were all controled with levers and rods, even the Houdaile shock absorber utilized a big lever to connect the axel and frame. So I wonder, if in 1944 the Horten Bros. used off the shelf technology instead of hydraulics which would have required machining and engineering design.

After expermimenting with the instriment panel and ejection seat I decided to go with the photoetch parts. The belts didn't come out perfect but it was a lot better than my attempt at painting. The +400 reading glasses from the dollar store were a great help and made the effects of caffene obvious. Maby it is time to go back to tea. I am haveing a great time with this 1/32 "large scale" modeling and with the space that I am saving I'll be good for years.

The plan is to have it exposed and displayed in a display case dipicting a simple work enviornment, a floar with a couple of mechanics. This model will be about 24" from wing tip, to wing tip so it will take up space on a table or shelf. My last model was a 1/8 scale Sopwith Camel. Even with the wings clipped it took up all of the allowable display area in the living room. So when the Horten is finished the camel must go. I painted the frame with something resembling the color of olives, not good, so I ordered some new paint of a lighter color. Meanwhile there is pleanty to do.

As you can see I opened one of the Komo engines. It should fit in with the exposed infrastructure of the rest of the wing. When I build a model I try to think of the setting in which it will be displayed. Right now I see it in a repair facility.

As this is my first 1/32 model, I have nothing of this size to compare it to. I can only say that Zoukei-Mura Inc. has produced one fantastic kit. For this Ho229 to be built the parts must come together perfectly and they do. I desire only the skill to do it justice.

Well here it goes. I will build my Horten as an open and exposed wing. I have read Ho229 Consept Notes and the Instruction Manual by Zoukei-mura, both are a visual and informative delight. I started with the engine display stand, just to brake the ice. Next the engines, one will be open and exposed and the other detailing all of its exterior sub assemblies. Among the "Super Wing Options" Combustion Chamber parts was one that was warped. I was able to replace the damaged section of the part with a kit section. That saved me alot of trouble. A benefit of only having one engine open is that I can practise painting its interior parts. If I realy make a mess of it I have another. I beleave that is true about life, at least mine.