Hawkwrench

Last night I was able to do a little bit more work on the 172. Nichimo gives you 2 sunvisors, and wants you to just glue them the the top of the fuselage, but I opted for some more detail. I scratchbuilt an overhead light/map console with the speaker from sheet styrene and PE from my spares box. The speaker grill is a seat cushion decal from a 1/48 F-14. I also uses some lead wire and L shaped styrene for the sunvisors and finally glued both of them together and onto the cockpit ceiling. That's all for now! Tim

Thanks Peter! Hopefully more progress this weekend! Tim

After a long absence and a forced change of jobs due to my plant closing the doors, I found a new job and finally some benchtime. The cockpit is completely done FINALLY! Until next week! Tim

Can't wait for the new-tooled hawk myself. Hopefully the detail is even better than the Kitty Hawk kit! Tim

After looking at the baggage compartment more, I decided to add a little more detail to the back of the 172. I scratchbuilt a storage case and painted and weathered it to look like a well used wooden box. I found some 1/24 3d printed prepainted oil quarts on ebay and the shop rags are painted lead foil. I also scratchbuilt the fuel sample tool. Now the back looks alot better!!!

Love the toolbox you've made. You got the people at evergreen working overtime to make more styrene! Lol Tim

Thanks, hopefully it doesn't get crazy again. Peter, does Maru still get on here??? Tim

Tonight, I scratchbuilt a tow bar using .035 lead wire bent to shape and painted red and glued it to the baggage compartment floor(where it usually goes). Afterwards, I painted the exhaust headers a hot, rusty look and glued them to the exhaust box. I can finally say the engine assembly is ALMOST done! Comments and critiques welcome! Tim

Wow, 5 months since my last post! Sorry, but life and work has gotten in the way. For now, I'm back. I've been SLOWLY working on the interior of the 172, having to custom mix the interior colors to match the customer's colors. More updates tomorrow night. Comments and critiques welcome! Tim

I'm back from being AWOL. Life just got really busy and they changed my work schedule, so modeling got pushed to an every once in awhile thing, but for now, I'm back working on my builds. Will be posting more WIP pics of my Cessna 172 soon! Tim

Myself, Floyd and Ray from Wernerswings along with several other H-60 pilots and crew chiefs were the research and development team for KH's line of H-60's. Our team made numerous callouts and corrections for the models. When it came to looks and getting it close to the real thing, KH listened. We tried to get these kits as close as possible to the real helicopters. One place they went on their own was with color callouts and the instructions. Tim

I'm definitely gonna follow this as well. I hope someday, the Kitty Hawk H-60 kits get rereleased. I love my hawks! First Oliver, then Pete and now you! Tim

I Set the engine aside for a few and decided to tackle the instrument panel and center console. For the instrument gauge glass, i used laminating sheet. The layout of the panel is different than the kit part and was supplied by a fellow Cessna 172 model builder. Thanks John!!! The radio stack was custom 3d printed by Arms Corps Models and his work is amazing!!! That's all for now! Tim Tim

Finally rounding third and heading for home on the engine. I finished wiring the spark plugs and wires and made the engine baffles from construction paper and tamiya tape. It looks rough, but all baffles are like that from the cowlings being taken on and off repeatedly. I also scratchbuilt a oil dipstick tube from spare parts and glued a Anyz 1/32 WW2 knob onto a punched disk to make the oil cap. Just a few more hoses and wires and she'll be done. The firewall is about done as well. I just have to figure out from actual pics where the hoses go. That's all for now! Tim

I thought she was over here now. Did she leave??? Tim

Thanks all for the comments. It's a slow build seeing I only get to build 1 day a week and that's on Saturday night. Slow and steady wins the race I guess! Lol Tim

Tonight I worked on painting alot of the accessories to the engine like the alternator, belt, starter and the cylinder covers. That was followed up by a dirty wash using Tamiya black panel accent color. The cylinder covers were painted using the new Vallejo Game Color Blue. That's all for now. Tim

I did a little bit more work on the engine accessory section tonight. I painted the oil pan gunmetal followed by a weathering using a AK aluminum pencil and white pastel chalk. The oil filter was a big oversized cylinder, so I scratchbuilt one from my spares along with a generic decal and then glued on a resin bolthead. Waiting for my plug wires to come in to start wiring it up. That's all for now!

Tonight I decided to start work on the engine firewall. It was airbrushed using Vallejo MC Dark Aluminum. Afterwards I painted the voltage regulator tamiya rubber black and applied a placard from my decal spares. My wires are red stretched sprue to be glued later. I first cleaned up the pin wash that I applied followed by painting the battery box tamiya rubber black. Next, I put a couple of spare decals on the top and superglued the battery box onto the firewall. Next I painted 2 lengths of detail master coolant hose off white to replicate the battery wires. I also added the ignition coil and wire. That's all till next weekend! Comments and critiques welcome. Tim

After looking at the nose a little longer, my AMS kicked in and I had to make it better. First, I took a scrap piece of .010 sheet styrene and glued it to the back to make the mounting wall for the landing lights. Secondly, I then took a strip of .030 styrene and heated it up using my floor heater and began to roll it back and forth using a paintbrush handle till I got the rough shape and then snipped it and glued it into the opening to look like the bezel. Finally, I took Vallejo putty and filled in the gaps and sanded. (Looks like a small gap needs more). I temporarily placed 2 resi-cast 4mm light lenses inside to see how much it better it looks. I think it looks ALOT better. All I need to do now is glue on some resin rivets and I'll call it finished. Chow until next update this weekend. Comments and critiques welcome! Tim

Another masterpiece being made by the "P"! Looking awesome so far. I love the IP and how real it looks. Those Quinta sets are the cat's meow!!! Tim

Glad I could take you down memory lane, it's good to go back once in awhile and think about the good memories!!! Tim

Thanks Paul. I remember one Saturday, my dad and I rented a 172 and took off from Ft. Knox and just puttered around the surrounding base for awhile. It's a memory I cherish so much! While I wait for the Vallejo putty to dry on my seats, I decided to tackle the oval that houses the dual landing lights under the nose. After a few hours of shaping and sanding with files and sanding sticks, I have the rough opening finished. In hindsight, I wish I would have made it a little smaller, but it's done now so it is what it is. Hopefully as I fill it in with details, it will look a little closer to real. Tim

No, this model has to be finished by the nationals as I am delivering it to a youtube pilot's father who lives in San Marcos. Once it's done, I'll finish up the blackhawk. I'd love to you work your magic with this model Shark!!! Tim

Well, it turned in to more than a few days, but I finally started on the pilot seats. First up was the left seat. I added the forward/aft handle from .030 rod bent to shape and the 2 ends of rods are for the crank handles for height adjustments. I also added a back pouch made from 2 part aves putty. More later tomorrow after church. Tim