Airfix 1:72 Douglas C-47 Skytrain

[Guest]

Hi everyone! This is the third model that I have ever built. I thought I'd do a progress thread, since I am still a newbie and might have lots of questions along the way. And heck, it might be fun to show it off, too.


I painted the inside with some craft acrylics, and I think it turned out pretty well. I hand-mixed all the colors to try and match the suggested Humbrol paints.


Here is a nice side view before I put the fuselage together. (I accidentally snapped off the steering wheel shaft on the right side here....But hey, who needs a co-pilot, anyway?)








The control panel:





Here is the troop section:





Here it is with the fuselage put together (more or less):





The fuselage was so hard to put together because it was so big. I had a hard time holding it together while it dried. So a lot of the seams look like garbage:





Then at the bottom the plastic never seemed to dry after using the glue. It was just like putty.





I don't have any putty and have never used it before, but I might have to try it to fix the seams. There are parts where there are holes, and other parts where I need to sand. I'm hoping I can fix this, as the C-47 is my dream kit. Everything else looked great up until this point!

[Guest]

Wow, I don't know why that last image is there...but now I can't edit it any longer. Sorry about that.

[Guest]

That's coming together very nicely. I've a soft spot for the Dakota, it was the 1st plane I ever flew in aged 11. Although landing in an unpressurised aircraft was painful!


It's a bit late now, but if you're going to build anything with a large fuselage invest in some Tamiya Extra Thin cement or similar. You can then tape or clamp the halves together & run the cement into the seams. It avoids the problems you're encountered already.

[Guest]

Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind for future projects. Right now I am just using some Testors glue.

[Guest]

That build is coming along nicely. For the fuselarge or other larger parts try holding them together with elastic bands, masking tape or I sometimes use the elastic type bands that my daughter uses to hold her hair in tails. Once secured in the posistion that you are happy with then  run extra thin  cement liquid poly or similar( I use Tamiya extra thin) along the joint line. This will seep into the joint and leave you with a neat tidy seem. Dont be tempted to remove the tape or bands etc for a good hour or so to allow for the joint to set.


Keep up the building and most of all enjoy and have fun.


Cheers

[Guest]

Thank you! I will try that. Will it still work even now that the plane is (partially) glued together already?

[Guest]

Unfortunately no it wont not if you have already painted the surface but yesvif not painted.


For the gaps and seem lines there are plenty of fillers on the market that you can use and it certainly isnt to late to apply that then naturally paint over it once sanded smooth.


I like to use Delux Materials plastic filler as it can be thinned with water and wiped into seem lines. They have a youtube video on their site worth looking at.

[Guest]

Alan has basically repeated what I said, but I wouldn't add any more cement until what you've already applied is fully cured.


Adding anymore is likely to turn the plastic into a soft mess & cause more problems.


If there are any gaps where your cement dried before the fuselage halves were placed together, fill these with a plastic putty. That will (obviously!) fill the gaps & provide strength.


Most plastic puttys are water soluble so any excess can be removed by a moistened cotton bud. Leave the seam slightly proud in case the putty shrinks as it cures. If you don't, you'll have to apply more!


Once the putty has cured, sand it down & re-scribe any lost panel lines.


When tackling seams on aircraft, I've found spraying them with some light coloured Tamiya paint really helps to see if they've blended in.

[Guest]

Thanks so much to both of you! I am relieved that there are still options for me to fix this. I haven't painted it yet, so I should be good for using a filler.


I'll look into picking up some plastic putty this weekend and giving that a shot.

[Guest]

That's coming along nicely  (I can't build a plane to save my life) so you're doing great from my view.

[flyjoe180]

Nice work so far. Agree with you, the C-47/DC-3 is an iconic aircraft that even now has a place in many peoples' pasts. As for co-pilots, I often wonder that myself

[Guest]

As per some great suggestions here, I have bought some modeling putty and I'm working on filling in the gaps and ugly seams.


I bought this stuff, as it was recommended to me by the staff at the model shop I frequent.





(Reading the back of the container, I realized this is some pretty nasty stuff! Just to be safe I'm running a fan, opening my windows, wearing latex gloves, and covering my face with a bandana. D


I'm applying the putty with a toothpick, since I don't need that much. It's just a pain because as soon as I take it out of the tube, it starts to harden. I have not yet been able to get it onto the plane in a semi-liquid state. It just crumbles on. :\ I don't know if that is something I'm doing wrong, or if it's because it's pretty hot out today and the temperature is setting it faster?


Since I have no idea what I am doing, I'm testing out a little bit on the bottom of the plane first. After a few hours of drying and some sanding, if it looks decent I'll fill the rest of the gaps.

[Guest]

If I'm not much mistaken, that Tamiya putty is much the same as Humbrol filler. Both can be difficult to work with in warmer weather. You can make it easier to use with cellulose thinner. Also adding liquid poly cement will keep it from drying out too quickly.


The downside is that by adding more solvent in the form of cellulose thinner or poly cement, the shrinkage is increased.


I guess I should have been more specific in my previous post regarding plastic fillers. I meant something like Perfect Plastic Putty. Rather than being solvent based, it's water soluble so somewhat easier to use & less likely to attack the plastic if over applied - my bad o.O  

[Guest]

It's interesting because when I went into the model shop, I remembered your post and I did ask if they had any water soluble putties, but they hadn't heard of that, or at least didn't carry any. Though I think that the water-soluble type IS newer, so maybe the shop is just old-fashioned? For now I am stuck with this type, so I'll try to work with it.


Thanks for the tip! What do you mean by "attack the plastic?" Should I be concerned about leaving it on for a long time to dry?

[Guest]

Any solvent based product can damage plastic. In the same way that glue/cement bonds by melting the joining surfaces.


That's what happened to the fuselage of your Dakota. The excess cement caused the plastic to become weak & soft. If solvent based fillers are applied in too great an amount, it'll have the same effect.


Give any application of filler at least 12 hours before adding more or sanding it. It might seem dry to the touch before then, but it won't have properly cured. Until it is, you won't know the extent of any shrinkage & sanding uncured filler can cause it to crumble , ruining your remedial work.