Clearwater Models: September 2021

Sunday 26 September 2021

SWAP MEET MODEL SALE TREASURES

I have waited nearly two years for an Ottawa plastic model kit swap meet and sale. And today was that day. I have been counting sleeps until the event. Thanks to Bill at Hobby Centre for hosting this highly-anticipated event. It was a beautiful day with a lot of sunshine and a lot of vendors set up in the backs of their automobiles. Many IPMS Ottawa members were selling and buying, or both. It was great to see so many club members. Thanks to Ken and Terrry (buy high, sell low), and Brian and Steve and Michael. And thanks to Glenn for the early Christmas present. Hello to Benoit and Patrice and all the other members I may have missed.

None of the items on my 'to-get' list were on offer, but I still came home with eleven treasures to keep me happy for a year. The Leopard 2A6 tank will be shipped to a friend in Alberta after all the parts are spray painted right on the sprue -- he can assemble it himself. Here are my varied treasures:

ps. while cleaning and making room for these new kits in the storage closet I found two kits I did not even know I had, but which I had clearly started years ago.

Tuesday 21 September 2021

NIEUPORT 17 XVII C.1 in RUSSIAN SERVICE (Eduard)

The Imperial Russian Air Service Императорскій военно-воздушный флотъ Nieuport 17 XVII C.1 s/n 4187 flown with the 22 KAO Корпуснои Авиационный Отряд (air detachment organic to an army corps) in September 1917 just before the revolution. This is the Eduard limited edition 1:48 scale kit #1106 with a choice of four decal sets.

Wiki says: The Nieuport 17 XVII C.1 was a French sesquiplane (one and a half wings) fighter designed and manufactured by the Nieuport company during The Great War (1914-1918). An improvement over earlier versions and better adapted to the more powerful engine. Aside from early examples, it had the new Alkan-Hamy synchronization gear, permitting the use of a fuselage-mounted synchronised Vickers gun firing through the propeller arc. At the time of its introduction in March 1916, the type's outstanding manoeuvrability and excellent rate of climb gave it a significant advantage over fighters on both sides and was described as "the best pursuit plane of the day". The Imperial Russian Air Service operated large numbers of Nieuports of all types. Being largely reliant on aircraft procured directly from France, there was pressure within Russia to establish the domestic manufacture of fighters and the type was produced under licence by Завод «Дукс» (Dux) bicycle and automobile factory (Завод #1; later the Polikarpov design bureau). Inexperience and the limited availability of trained personnel to assist, and poor quality raw materials, limited quality and quantity. Many of these were operated on the Eastern Front against the Imperial German air force, and during the Russian Civil Wars. Surviving aircraft were divided between the new Russian government, and the "White" Czarist Russians during the brutal Civil War. Russian Nieuport aces include Alexander Kazakov, who flew the type against the Germans and later fought for Churchill against the Russian government during the civil war.

Length: 5.80 m

Wingspan: 8.16 m

Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9Ja 9-cylinder rotary engine, 82 kW

Maximum speed: 170 km/h

Endurance: 1.75 hours

Service ceiling: 5300 m

Never has a kit caused me this much agony. Near the end of the build I crushed the model while holding pressure on the wings to allow the CA glue to set on the struts. This was also my first attempt at rigging, but only the tail section is rigged. Decals sit nicely on a coat of Future floor wax. There are about 25 photo etch parts in the build; almost all of them tiny and easy to lose. The masks provided were of very poor quality. Basic colour is Vallejo acrylic aged white.

Nieuport 17 XVII, 22 KAO , Sept 1917

attempting some tail rigging with stretched sprue

Saturday 18 September 2021

50th ANNIVERSARY of CUP NOODLE カップヌードル (BanDai 1:1)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! This is the very unusual 1:1 scale plastic model from BanDai of the famous CUP NOODLE カップヌードル Kappu Nūdoru original product from Nissin of Japan in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the instant ramen cup noodle on this day, 18 September 1971.

The model was released in celebration of the impending 50th anniversary of Cup Noodle 発売50周年を記念するCM. Instant ramen noodles were invented by Momofuku Ando in 1958, and the three-minute Cup Noodles premiered on 18 September 1971. Sales of Cup Noodles begin at Isetan Department Store in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. If you happen to be in Yokohama or Osaka Japan feel free to visit either or both of the Cup Noodle Museums (https://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/ja/) for the full unadulterated cup noodle experience, and to buy cup noodle merchandise if what you need is cup noodle merchandise.

The kit is without doubt some of the best engineering of plastic model parts I have ever seen. Several of the ring parts are moulded with the sprue on the inside of the ring so that removal does not leave any visible signs on the outside of the parts. Amazing! The whole thing is a snap-together model, and the tolerances and fit are superb. Who needs glue?

Nissin writes about the model: "Make without eating. Cup noodles become plastic models! ?? Bandai brings together the technology to faithfully reproduce every detail. "1/1 cup noodle plastic model" that can not be made in 3 minutes is born!" Further it was noted "Capturing the unmistakable styrofoam packaging of Cup Noodles, the 1:1 model was created from a 3D scan of an on the shelf offering to accurately represent the cup, noodles and flavoring accouterments."

The most amazing aspect of the kit is the plastic wrap stickers for the shrimp parts. The shrimp are moulded in an orange plastic which does not look much like cooked shrimp. The plastic sticker fits almost perfectly on a bumpy compound curved surface and instantly gives the proper colour for shrimp. It is hard to believe just how well thought out is this kit. The food parts are astoundingly life like, if you consider instant ramen to be food. DO NOT EAT THIS - IT IS A MODEL! The glossy wet-like surface of the food parts was done using Future floor wax.

In celebration of Cup Noodle I have purchased three flats of chicken (flavoured) Cup Noodle. Sadly these are not the Japanese original, but only a US made licensed product. It is very tough to get Cup Noodle in Canada, Mine came from Staples business supply store. Photos of the model with the real thing appear below. The model looks good enough to eat. DO NOT EAT THIS - IT IS A MODEL!

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE.
Real (US made) chicken Cup Noodle (left) beside the model (right).

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE.
The noodle pack, with egg bits, shrimp bits, leeks, and "mystery meat" bits,
coated with Future floor wax.

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE.
The ten part noodle pack.

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE.
Sprue

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE.
Lettering for the cup and sprue

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE.
Cup with a trap door for looking at the noodle pack.

BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE

shrimp decals for BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE

shrimp with decals applied on BanDai's 50th anniversary 1:1 scale model of Nissin's CUP NOODLE

Tuesday 14 September 2021

Tupolev Туполев Tu-22M2 Maritime Bomber (Dragon)

Tupolev Туполев Ту-22M2 Tu-22M2 long-range maritime strike anti-shipping missile bomber of the Soviet Naval Aviation Fleet (Авиация военно-морского флота), circa 1984. The supersonic (Mach 1.65) variable sweep swing-wing Tu22M2 entered service in 1972 and of the nearly 500 built some 80 airframes are still in use by the Russian air force (Военно-воздушные силы Российской Федерации). The distinctive feature of this version is the upright side air intakes. Only 211 of this version was built between 1972 and 1983, mainly to sink US carrier battle groups. Problems in design and production of the basic airframe and engines led to an appalling service rate, and even prompted the Soviet Armed Forces to try and sue both Tupolev and the factory. The aircraft commonly carried one or two of the Kh-22 X-22 (Missile Complex-22) long-range anti-ship heavy cruise missile designed by the MKB Raduga (МКБ Радуга) bureau in the early 1960s and in service starting in 1971. The bomber has been used as recently as 2021 in the Syrian war.

This is a Dragon 1:700 scale model, so it is only about 55mm long. It came in kit #7006 with two submarines. There are 6 parts and 10 decals - all tiny or microscopic!

Tupolev Tu-22M2 Туполев Ту-22М2 maritime strike bomber of the
Soviet Naval Aviation Fleet Авиация военно-морского флота, circa 1984

Tu-22M details sign at Central Air Force Museum in Monino, Moscow region.
Центральный музей Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации

Tupolev Tu-22M2 Туполев Ту-22М2 maritime strike bomber

Tupolev Tu-22M2 Туполев Ту-22М2 maritime strike bomber
with X-22 Kh-22 anti-ship heavy cruise missile

Tupolev Tu-22M Туполев Ту-22М2 bomber at the Central Air Force Museum, Monino, Moscow.
Note the X-22 Kh-22 anti-ship heavy cruise missile on the ground. (author)
Центральный музей Вооруженных Сил Российской Фед.

Tupolev Tu-22M2 Туполев Ту-22М2 maritime strike bomber

Sunday 5 September 2021

Sensō-ji Temple 金龍山浅草寺 (Doyusha)

This is the 1:400 scale temple kit from Doyusha models of the Sensō-ji Temple 金龍山浅草寺 in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan, a mere two minute ride north from Tokyo main rail station.

The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a five-story pagoda and the Asakusa Shinto shrine. During World War II, the temple was bombed and destroyed during an air raid. It was rebuilt later and is a symbol of rebirth and peace to the Japanese people. In the courtyard there is a tree that was hit by a bomb in the air raids, and a new tree has grown in the husk of the old tree. It is the most visited spiritual site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually.

The Hōzōmon (宝蔵門, "Treasure-House Gate") is the inner of two large entrance gates. Hōzōmon's second story houses many of the Sensō-ji's treasures. The first story houses two statues, three lanterns and two large sandals.

The five-story pagoda is one of the most famous in Japan. Its height is 53.32 meters. The original pagoda is said to have been built in 942 CE in the Edo period. At the bottom of the pagoda there are 100 statues and more than 10,0000 ihai tablets. Buddha's ashes, officially inherited from the Isurumuniya temple in Sri Lanka, are stored on the top floor.

This was a fun weekend Covid-19 build. I want to build more kits from their castle and temple series. The giant red lantern in the gate building has the actual Japanese character inscription written on it by me with a fine Sharpie pen. The sign over the gate does not appear in the instructions, but is in the kit. I painted it to match the actual sign, and used a gold paint pen dry brushed on to make the lettering stand out.

Sensō-ji Temple 金龍山浅草寺

Sensō-ji 金龍山浅草寺