Dear all,
I am still alive, I am still here working as I can whereas unfortunately, thousands and thousands of people in this world aren’t. My best regards to their families and with hopes that this hard time can pass, at least that this rate can slow down.
I have been making more GSE units and I am also at the same time testing new items, I am still adjusting the 1/200 models since they are very small, they require extra work.
I am also doing my first tests with a fuselage extension for the Zvezda 787-8 to make it 787-10, I am thinking that if I am going to release this, that at least I can also make the fuselage windows and include a set of clear windows.
I am doing the first tests with the new A350 sharklets, and also I am at a very advanced stage with the new A319/A320/A321 Neo engines, both variants the LEAP and the P&W.
I will release these engines due the requests I got in the last months, I believe that they can be a very good addition for Zvezda kits but also usable for the Revell kits since the wing shape is the same thus the pylon fits the same way. I am not going to make them only resin/PE, but I want to create a photoreal and detailed decals for them. These engines are brand new, I designed them in 3D by using real reference images and measurements.
Thus, differences on both engines are noticeable, the LEAP has its characteristic lump at the left hand side, and the whole cowling is straighter whereas the P&W has a more pronounced slope towards the rear end of the cowling. Also the positioning of the spoilers are different and the pylon thin side is different as well. The exhausts are completely different, as well as the exhaust difusers.
Obviously you can see a small gap in the joint of both halves because these aren’t glued yet, the assembly will be cleaner because the two halves have been cut within the software, panel lines are now better represented and the size of the engines matches even closer to what they should be in 1/144 scale.
There will be a few extra resin parts than before, as you can see from the photos, but PE parts will need to be present as well for which new fanblades have been designed. I will be making some molds at the end of the week and will start the decal artwork soon.
I did not want to finish this entry without saying a big thank you to my dear friend Frank, who has been kind enough to send me a set of DVD’s with the story of KLM (photo of this in the next entry). I am at the moment enjoying every second of it, and for a youngster like me, it is fascinating to see the schemes from the 70’s all through the 90’s, not only of KLM, but also of other airlines now extinct. This is for me a very big source of inspiration to create more things in the future, trans-kits and perhaps even liveries from that era, which I now understand the nostalgia that can bring to people.
That is going to be it for now, I am still working as usual but with the difficulties added of the current situation. I have to use gloves for my work, I am dealign with lots of toxic stuff, the resin, the silicone and its catalyst, the acid from the etching process… so there is a high demand/donation to the nurses, carers, doctors, police who need the gloves much more than I do.
So, I keep progressing as best as I can and besides new stock of GSE items, I hope to put all these new items available when time comes.
Best wishes,
Guillem