DH.88 Comet Racer Project

1
May 16, 2020
In 1933 Sir MacPherson Robertson proposed an aerial competition from England to Australia, for which he offered a total of £15,000 in prizes with £10,000 to the winner. A year later the race was held and one of the 3 participating Comets won the race completing the trip in almost 71 flight hours.
2
May 16, 2020
These are the terrible pieces of the old Airfix kit.
3
May 16, 2020
These are the terrible pieces of the old Airfix kit.
4
May 16, 2020
Those diver heads and the floor where they rest must be removed.
5
May 16, 2020
Those diver heads and the floor where they rest must be removed.
6
May 16, 2020
Removed.
7
May 16, 2020
Starting to build the cockpit's interior.
8
May 16, 2020
Starting to building the seats.
9
May 16, 2020
Seats and new floor.
10
May 16, 2020
Building the bulkheads with a shape copier.
11
May 16, 2020
Copying the resulting shape.
12
May 16, 2020
Shape transferred to a piece of plasticard.
13
May 16, 2020
Internal ribbing, floor, bulkheads, seats and instrument panel.
14
May 16, 2020
Checking fit.
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May 16, 2020
Instrument panel layout and other cockpit elements.
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May 16, 2020
Instrument panel layout and other cockpit elements.
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May 16, 2020
Front panel and part of rear panel.
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May 16, 2020
Checking...
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May 16, 2020
Part of a PE at 1/32 scale.
20
May 16, 2020
Checking fit...
21
May 16, 2020
Gas levers.
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May 16, 2020
Other cockpit and navigation instruments.
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May 16, 2020
Ready to assemble.
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May 16, 2020
Checking again...
25
May 17, 2020
Landing light with a 3mm white LED (not functional. For optical effect only).
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May 17, 2020
Rip to make room.
27
May 17, 2020
Both sides.
28
May 17, 2020
LED also needs to be sanded to fit the interior space.
29
May 17, 2020
30
May 17, 2020
LED fitted in place. It will need some putty to finish integrating into the fuselage.
31
May 17, 2020
LED fitted in place. It will need some putty to finish integrating into the fuselage.
32
May 23, 2020
Engines and undercarriage bays.
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May 23, 2020
Cleaning and rebuilding...
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May 23, 2020
PC screws cut with Dremel.
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May 23, 2020
PC screws cut with Dremel.
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May 23, 2020
Front view of the engine. Need to be improved.
37
May 23, 2020
Drilling for the hole where the exhaust pipe will go.
38
May 23, 2020
Sheet metal to cover joints without having to apply putty.
39
May 23, 2020
Plastic strips and hypodermic needle for exhaust pipe.
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May 23, 2020
Strange mold shapes to be cleaned on propellers hub.
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May 23, 2020
Shaft to hold the propeller.
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May 23, 2020
Shaft to hold the propeller.
43
May 23, 2020
Putty and sanding in the joints.
44
May 23, 2020
Job finished... Comparison with the other engine pending completion.
45
May 23, 2020
Difference between one improved and one without improvement.
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May 23, 2020
Difference between one improved and one without improvement.
47
May 24, 2020
A few interior modifications like painting, seatbelts or changing the rear panel. Then close the fuselage and... putty...
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May 24, 2020
... putty...
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May 24, 2020
... and more putty.
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May 24, 2020
Sand...
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May 24, 2020
... sand...
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May 24, 2020
... and more sand.
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May 24, 2020
Injection marks.
54
May 24, 2020
Huge cracks at the junction of the wings with the engines.
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May 24, 2020
Huge cracks at the junction of the wings with the engines.
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May 24, 2020
Huge cracks at the junction of the wings with the engines.
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May 24, 2020
Fill with plastic strip...
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May 24, 2020
... and more putty and sand.
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May 24, 2020
In place.
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May 24, 2020
Sanding the top.
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May 24, 2020
Sheet metal to cover the front of instrument panel and putty.
62
May 24, 2020
Also puttying the nose light part.
63
June 7, 2020
Now the canopy does not fit well, does not include uprights and distort because it is very thick.
64
June 7, 2020
Now the canopy does not fit well, does not include uprights and distort because it is very thick.
65
June 7, 2020
Now the canopy does not fit well, does not include uprights and distort because it is very thick.
66
June 7, 2020
So I thought the best solution would be to make a new vacuum canopy. But I had to build a vacuum box.
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June 7, 2020
Make holes with a drill. After gluing all the sides of the box seal well at the joints to prevent air from escaping when vacuuming. I varnished the box, although it is only an option.
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June 7, 2020
On the other side make a hole for the connection of the vacuum cleaner.
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June 7, 2020
Connect the vacuum cleaner tube and then use blue-tack to cover the gaps where air can escape.
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June 7, 2020
Fill the original canopy with some type of putty to avoid possible breaks with the pressure of the vacuum.
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June 7, 2020
While the vacuum cleaner is running, use the hair dryer's heat concentrator to fine-tune the canopy shapes on the acetate sheet.
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June 7, 2020
Use the dull edge of a knife to make the shapes fit snugly around the edges of the canopy.
73
June 7, 2020
Now there is no distortion in the canopy, but it still doesn't fit well. I will make more copies and trim until I get a good fit.
74
June 7, 2020
Now there is no distortion in the canopy, but it still doesn't fit well. I will make more copies and trim until I get a good fit.
75
June 7, 2020
Meanwhile, I am thinking how to make the canopy studs.
A possible solution could be to use Christmas tinsel strips, but they seem too thick.
76
June 7, 2020
This is only a test. It won't be like this.
77
June 7, 2020
This is only a test. It won't be like this.
78
June 14, 2020
Wing joints with fuselage needs a lot of putty once again.
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June 14, 2020
Wing joints with fuselage needs a lot of putty once again.
80
June 14, 2020
Some areas need to be rebuilt at trailing edges.
81
June 14, 2020
A lot of putty, a lot of sanding and a good mask necessary to avoid ingesting all the large amount of dust from the putty when sanding.
82
June 14, 2020
Checking for imperfections with metallic paint in some areas.
83
June 14, 2020
Polishing with Micro-Mesh style sandpaper of superfine grain and also with Tamiya's Compound paste of the three grains (coarse, fine and finish).
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June 14, 2020
Polishing with Micro-Mesh style sandpaper of superfine grain and also with Tamiya's Compound paste of the three grains (coarse, fine and finish).
85
June 14, 2020
Primer with Mr. Surfacer. There are still flaws that need to be sanded and polished again.
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June 14, 2020
Primer with Mr. Surfacer. There are still flaws that need to be sanded and polished again.
87
June 14, 2020
I forgot to make a holes for the front of the motors. But in the attempt, the small drill broke, leaving the tip trapped inside.
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June 14, 2020
I had to break into that part in order to get the tip out of the drill.
89
June 14, 2020
And rebuild with more putty.
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June 14, 2020
Rebuilt.
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June 14, 2020
Before re-priming I thought I'd try modeling the flight lights with more putty (once again). Not included in this model.
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June 14, 2020
Modeling the flight lights with Tamiya's putty.
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June 14, 2020
Sanding to shape it.
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June 14, 2020
Flight lights done.
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June 14, 2020
Checking the smallest crack to continue correcting before the final primer.
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June 14, 2020
At simple sight no small cracks hardly appreciated.
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June 14, 2020
Final primer after correcting the last few small cracks.
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June 14, 2020
... And polished again with Compound before painting.
99
June 14, 2020
Counterweights made with small threads and a little white glue on the tips.
100
June 14, 2020
Ready to paint.
101
June 17, 2020
Humbrol Enamel H21 Black Gloss.
102
June 17, 2020
Humbrol Enamel H21 Black Gloss.
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June 17, 2020
Humbrol Enamel H21 Black Gloss.
104
June 17, 2020
Humbrol Enamel H21 Black Gloss.

Comments

81 16 May 2020, 18:16

Bernhard Schrock
Welcome in the Stone age kit modeling club! 🙂

16 May 2020, 19:10

Cuajete
Thank you, Bernhard...
I started building several years ago, when neither SBS nor KP kits existed.
At a certain point I gave it up and recently bought the KP kit, but now I've thought "why not try to finish it and then do the KP kit?"

16 May 2020, 19:35

Cuajete
New pics upload.

23 May 2020, 18:09

Ho Ko
Nice job

23 May 2020, 18:11

Daniel Klink
Wohhoo count me in... That really demands hammer and chisel..
Great progress and effort so far Cuajete.. 👍

23 May 2020, 18:13

Cuajete
Many thanks, mates 🙂
Daniel, this kit is made for masochists like me 😄

23 May 2020, 18:47

Choppa Nutta
Good effort Cuajete and a good example of how to make a silk purse from a pigs ear 🙂
I particularly like the screw being used for the engine cylinder😉
but that scratch built cockpit in 1/72 is impressive work !

23 May 2020, 20:26

Bill Davis
Great job on such a rough kit.

23 May 2020, 21:22

Christoph Kunz
Oh man, you're doing an excellent job. I'm building mine just oob, and I think all that putty is more expensive than the kit.

23 May 2020, 22:37

Cuajete
Thank you for your words, Choppa Nutta, Bill and Christoph. I'm glad you like it.

@Christoph Kunz, I still have putty to spend, but I think I will need all the Tamiya production for this perverse little kit 😄

24 May 2020, 18:20

Cuajete
New pics upload.
The current state is only a test. It won't be like this. I have to find a definitive solution in the canopy.

7 June 2020, 19:55

Andy Ball
that's a sweet subject!- great tip on pic.10- oh my..I've just scrolled through the rest...that's some putty work with plastic in-fillings 😉

10 June 2020, 08:12

Łukasz Gliński
How come I'm not following this yet?

10 June 2020, 08:32

Cuajete
Many thanks my friends!
Andy, indeed, this kit has a putty soul 😄
Łukasz, you're welcome one more time😉

10 June 2020, 19:14

Łukasz Gliński
This is some serious scratchbuilding and a great tutorial at the very same time 👍
Feels more like Amodel kit😉

10 June 2020, 19:21

Cuajete
Thank you, Łukasz 🙂

10 June 2020, 19:42

Zbynek Honzik
Fantastic job! I'm following.

11 June 2020, 05:52

Cuajete
Many thanks, Zbynek. Take a seat, please😉

11 June 2020, 18:37

Christoph Kunz
This kit really gives hell to you. Thanks four the tip using compound to get a nice surface.

14 June 2020, 19:30

Cuajete
Thanks a lot, Christoph. I have assumed it will help the paint to have a better glossy finish 🙂
Comet ready to paint.

14 June 2020, 19:43

Cuajete
New pics updated... I used Humbrol Enamel H21 Black Gloss. Brightness of this black is very nice. I also think that is one of the best to use as a base coat on some metallic paints.

17 June 2020, 19:49

Spanjaard
that seems a very shiny plane 🙂
all the sanding paid of 🙂
about the canopy studs, why not mask and pain, first in interior color, then exterior.... being 1/72 it may just look in scale.
try in a spare canopy first of course😉

17 June 2020, 21:05

Skyhiker
This is how to do 1:72! Congratulations. Loving every photo!

17 June 2020, 21:43

Maciej Bellos
Some serious work here. Well done!

17 June 2020, 22:04

Christoph Kunz
Great job. This is going to be a real beauty.

17 June 2020, 22:12

Gordon Sørensen
Looking good, Cuajete! Nice work with this old kit, that gloss black looks like it went down nicely.
Hard to tell from the pictures, but did you fill in the incorrect rudder hinge line below the stabilizers? And your flight control balance horns look to be more 'in scale' then my attempt.

17 June 2020, 23:30

Cuajete
Spanjaard, I will consider your advice. Thanks friend 🙂

Gordon, many thanks for your words. Although I think I did nothing... what do you mean with incorrect rudder hinge line below the stabilizers? Sorry for my bad english.

Skywalker, Maciej and Christoph... thank you very much for your kind words and tips. I'm glad you like it.

Unfortunately I have had to stop this work for a while, due to the attention that other personal projects require. But when I can I will finish this beautiful aircraft.

Thanks again for follow 🙂

9 August 2020, 19:04

Robert Podkoński
Absolutely great job. I have got one in my stash, but now I am even more reluctant to start it...

13 April 2021, 18:36

Spanjaard
another option for the canopy could be to use bare metal foil or something extremely thin. but i have never tried that myself.

13 April 2021, 19:35

Hanno Kleinecke
Absolutely amazing amount of work that you invested into this crappy lump of plastic to get this fantastic result so far ! I gave up on it back then and built the fantastic SBS resin kit instead....

13 April 2021, 19:56

Cuajete
Robert, Spanjaard and Hanno... Many thanks for your lovely words. And thanks to the rest mates for the likes 🙂
I would have liked to buy the SBS kit, but it seems to me to be quite expensive, so I bought the KP kit instead, but I have seen that it has flaws starting with the horrible shape of the canopy.

14 April 2021, 18:09

Robert Podkoński
You are welcome, Cuajete... You can always try strips of decal. Techmod offers sheets of blank decal that can be printed on a laser printer and then given two coats of transparent lacquer, or simply painted with appropriate paint (I tried laser printing and also painting with Tamiya sprays and it works with some attention). Also, there are sheets with strips of decals of different width and colours offered. Tedious work, nevertheless... But, presumably, you are not afraid of such tasks🙂

14 April 2021, 18:46

Cuajete
Many thanks for your help, Robert.

I considered the option of using the decal strips method, but I am not achieving good results with the vacuformed as I do not have a good base to work with. I am considering the option of vacuum forming the KP's kit canopy to leave it open, even if it is not accurate.

15 April 2021, 11:29

Amenofys
Este avión tan atractivo se merece todo el curro que le estas echando. Lástima que solo exista en plástico (al menos que yo sepa) el modelo de Airfix/Kp con un molde tan antiguo y con tan poco detalle.

1 July 2021, 17:46

Cuajete
Hola Amenofys. Existen otros moldes antiguos del Comet en plástico como este de Airfix. Por ejemplo el molde de Frog. El más reciente en plástico es el de KP, pero el canopy está mal diseñado. También hay un kit muy bueno en resina de SBS Model, pero es muy caro.
Muchas gracias por tu comentario 🙂

1 July 2021, 18:19

Neil
Following 🙂

30 September 2021, 10:57

Cuajete
Thanks a lot, Neil. I'm trying to do a new canopy so I can continue with the project.
Thanks for your likes, mates 🙂

30 September 2021, 19:26

Neil
It looks great, the finish, as others have said is 💯👍

30 September 2021, 21:23

Andy Ball
You're so close Cuajete- I feel your pain of a long and complicated build. Results speak for themselves up to this point!!

30 September 2021, 22:06

Cuajete
No pain no gain, Andy 😄 😄 😄
Many thanks, my friends! 🙂

3 October 2021, 18:22

Guy Rump
Looking really good Cuajete, looking forward to when you get the new canopy. 👍

14 November 2021, 22:22

Michael Kohl
I am in too.

15 November 2021, 17:38

Cuajete
Thank you for your motivating words, mates! Very much appreciated.
Welcome!

15 November 2021, 20:08

Marko
very nice! skillfully built with all of the detailing. Also a very nice racer, by the way.

24 November 2021, 07:10

Matthew A
👍

24 November 2021, 12:34

Alec K
Wow, marvelous effort! Not sure how the heck I missed this so far…

24 November 2021, 13:23

Cuajete
Many thanks my friends!
It is a simple and hard kit, but with work it can be improved a bit. The biggest difficulty I see so far is the replacement of the terrible canopy and its fit after the initial cockpit's emptying.

I still have to think about how to rebuild the landing gear, because the one on the real model is not as simple as the one in the kit includes

24 November 2021, 20:45

Pierre Pierre
this is a very impressive work, more scratch building that assembling. very inspiring

1 December 2021, 00:54

Cuajete
Thank you very much for your words, Pierre. I don't think I deserve that much 🙂

2 December 2021, 21:13

Olivier
That model was the first ever I built a long long time ago. So I have a soft spot for it.
What you make of it is just fantastic.

2 December 2021, 21:18

Daniel Klink
Of course you do so Cuajete!
that KIT IS NICELY said "Crap". And you are doing a fantastic job about turning this into
a little gem.. Keep it up mate 👍

2 December 2021, 21:20

Spanjaard
i fully agree with Daniel!

2 December 2021, 22:34

Cuajete
Many thanks for your nice words and likes, my friends. Your comments are very encouraging. I hope it won't take long to continue this project 🙂

5 December 2021, 18:55

Skyhiker
This one has been on the shelf for a while, but it is soooo close. We are all looking forward to its progress. Good luck mate!

5 December 2021, 19:03

Cuajete
Thank you Skywalker. I'll try 👍

6 December 2021, 10:10

Oleg Smilyk
Beautiful plane, Cuajete!Fantastic Job👍

6 December 2021, 18:28

Cuajete
Thank you so much, Oleg. I'm glad you like it 🙂

6 December 2021, 18:46

Jan Peters
Excellent work on this stone-age kit

6 December 2021, 19:03

Cuajete
Thanx for your support and motivation, Jan. Your comment is encouraging.

7 December 2021, 21:10

Greg Baker
Oh my…. Black!

8 December 2021, 07:17

Pierre Pierre
I am just wondering how did you manage to make a spray so clean without dust or splash ?? i am just struggling all the time.

8 December 2021, 08:30

Cuajete
Greg, Pierre... Thank you very much for your motivation words. And thanks to the rest mates for the likes 🙂

Pierre, putty and sanding surface imperfections and after priming with Mr. Surfacer 1200 I achieved that surface in several polishing sessions with Tamiya Compund products (starting with the coarsest grain and ending with the finest). You can see these products in pic 98. Then I painted with Humbrol 021 gloss black enamel. This is one of the best paints to achieve this effect, even as a very good base for metallics. Another good primer for this is Alclad Glossy Black.

11 December 2021, 19:37

Pierre Pierre
thanks for answering, looking forward to the next step.

12 December 2021, 13:06

Cuajete
🙂 👍

12 December 2021, 18:58

Charlie Spitfire
very nice

3 March 2022, 20:49

Cuajete
Many thanks, Charlie.

4 March 2022, 19:13

Jv
Great looking plane now
thats was alot of pain to achieve that
I think now all kits will be easy for you lol
I'm in to

12 March 2022, 16:44

Cuajete
Thank you Jv! I really appreciate your words.

12 March 2022, 19:53

Moreno Baruffini
Read today all the story, great project and and a very great build! 👌🏻

6 October 2022, 16:13

Cuajete
Thank you very much, Brown. I'm glad you like it. A few days ago I saved this and the other kits I started for a transfer to another place. I hope it won't take long to resume all my open projects.

Thanks again to all mates for your likes 🙂 👍

6 October 2022, 17:37

Oleg Smilyk
Great job!Very difficult project.

6 October 2022, 17:58

Michael Kohl
Holy Moly. That kit gives the word "coarse" an entirely new meaning. I pull my cap for your perseverance.

6 October 2022, 23:21

Spanjaard
Good luck with the move 🙂 may all arrive safely

7 October 2022, 11:18

Alec K
Yes, hopefully nothing breaks in transit.

7 October 2022, 13:04

Cuajete
Many thanks friends. Your words are greatly appreciated and motivating 🙂
I also hope that the models arrive safely at their new destination 👍

8 October 2022, 12:38

Cuajete
Thanks again for your likes, mates 👍

9 October 2022, 18:43

Cuajete
J35J and other mates, many thanks for your likes!

8 January, 20:42

Cuajete
Ethan Flory, thank you so much 👍

9 January, 19:28

Andy Ball
Piano-finish black!....bravo, C!!

9 January, 20:40

Cuajete
Andy, many thanks for your words, my friend. I'm glad you like it 🙂
Thanks again for your likes, mates! 👍

10 January, 20:56

Cuajete
Marius, I appreciate your like 🙂 👍

11 January, 19:05

Nicolas
Great build so far, joining in.

11 January, 19:24

Cuajete
Nicolas, I appreciate your motivating words.
Bernd Grün, thank you for your like.

12 January, 19:22

J35J
Great progress so far, paint finish is spot on!👍🏻

12 January, 20:54

Cuajete
Thank you so much, J35J. Different grain sandpaper, polishing pastes, a good primer, Humbrol's black gloss, a lot of work and large doses of patience are to blame 🙂

@Miroslav Kuky, thanks for your like 👍

13 January, 19:03

bughunter
Looks like greatly primed for Alclad as the next layer 👍 😉 😉

13 January, 19:14

Rando
Oh wow, I built Grosvenor House (the red one) a year ago as my first practice kit returning to the hobby. Stone Age modeling indeed, but was a fun little project. Very interested to see what you do with this one

13 January, 19:19

Rando
Also, what is that tool you used to get the shape the interior cross sections? That's amazing, I'd love to have one myself

13 January, 19:22

Cuajete
Hello Rando, your words are very appreciated and motivating. The paint finish on your Grosvenor House is very good.
The tool you mention is a shape copier. I got it at a modeling fair in Madrid, but I don't remember the name of the brand. This one in particular is not very good. There are better ones and with thinner spikes. I've seen them in other online stores, but right now I can't remember where. Sorry. There are also them in DIY stores, but they are much larger and have plastic spikes. I hope that with this information you are lucky and can find one.

Thanks again to all mates for your likes! 🙂

18 January, 19:18

S M
This is cool dedication! Well built model 😎

18 January, 20:25

Patryk S.
Following! Looking very good!

27 January, 20:46

Cuajete
I appreciate your words, SM. The big challenge with this kit is the cockpit.
Matti Thomaes, thanks for your like 👍

27 January, 20:47

Jennifer Franklin
following 👀

3 February, 02:25

Cuajete
Welcome, Jennifer. Thanks for watching 🙂
Curatorm and other mates, thank you for your likes 👍

4 February, 20:05

Cuajete
Many thanks, John E 👍

5 February, 20:29

Cuajete
@David Smith, many thanks for watching and like 👍

8 May, 18:46

Neil Patrick
Congrats on turning such an unpromising ancient kit into a masterpiece. More putty then plastic by now I guess! Outstanding. 🙂

9 May, 06:37

Bernd Grün
Promising start, Cuajete! 👍 Following with Interest.

14 May, 18:37

Cuajete
@Neil and @Bernd, your words are very motivating and inspiring to continue moving forward with this hard kit. Many thanks!
@Freder Rouge, thank you so much for your like 👍

19 May, 18:00

Project info

DH.88 Comet Racer "Black Magic"

104 images

1:72

In progress

1:72 DH 88 Comet Racer (Whirlybits WBA 72006)

1:72 De Havilland DH.88 Comet (Airfix A01013)

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