BOEING 314 CLIPPER (Airfix)

Several years ago I got it into my head that I needed to build a civilian flying boat. An IPMS Ottawa member was selling the newer Airfix kit (A04172) of the Boeing Clipper in 1/144 scale, and I snapped it up for $10. It then languished for a year before I did basic body work and then destroyed the windows, resulting in having to dig out the clear parts and further damaging the structure between the windows. Eventually I painted it with Alclad aluminium and then added Vallejo green to the hull and after a year added the Vallejo orange to the top. It was a mess and I left it in the lobby of my building for anyone to take. Yesterday, after being gone for more than a year, it showed up in the lobby with a thick layer of dust, so I cleaned it up and fixed a painting error and photographed it for this blog. Do not look too closely, but try and imagine yourself crossing an ocean in the cavernous hull/fuselage in 1939. They were operated by Pan Am Airways and BOAC during and immediately after WWII. None of the twelve built remain, but a single airframe of the very similar Sikorsky version (the S-44A) can be seen in the New England Aviation Museum. Now the model goes back out in the hope someone else will take it.

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Boeing Clipper

Third place winner in the Airliner category at CAPCON 2017 on 30 September 2017.

WEST LAKE PLEASURE BOAT

This is a 1/30 (?) scale all-wood model of a Chinese pleasure boat still seen on West Lake near Beijing.
It is a plank-on-frame construction without metal parts. I added the brass bolts for look and strength. The hull wood is dark, possibly mahogany, but has been stained with furniture repair felt pens, then coated with clear varnish.
I am very pleased with the outcome of this Chinese wood model kit I acquired from AliExpress for about $20.
It was a first place winner in civilian ships and boats at the Montreal MIMM 2016 contest.

 

 

 

CHINESE WAR JUNK

Here is my newly-finished Chinese War Junk with five masts.
I know nothing about the actual ship as the instructions (seen in the first image) are totally and completely in Chinese, without even dates showing in English.
This would have been a huge ship, and until the ruling class forbade distant sea travel, would have been the battleships of their time ranging around Asia prior to 1490.
It is an all-wood, plank-on-frame laser-cut kit I bought on AliExpress for about $15.
The colouration of the hull was accomplished with furniture repair felt pens which have various wood stain dyes, and are excellent for adding colour and depth to the actual wood. The deck was rubbed with grey powder to wear and wash out the new wood look. 
Now that I have more experience with Asian sails, I was able to build the sails and masts and rigging in a single weekend.