In many instances it is hard to get the time to build AND post photos, but the holidays provided some extra time thankfully for some of these things. I mentioned in another thread, which brought up the topic of the Semroc USS America, that I would post a few photos of the build in THIS thread, so I will.
Primarily, I wanted to give Carl and Co. an additional plug (like anyone here really needs convincing that Semroc makes great kits!), but I guess they won't mind some praise now and again.
At this point in the build it is ready for primer; the cones have already been shot with two coats (been doing them in parallel with the construction).
Also, I have already shot the ramjet inlet and exhaust cones, the two larger 'exhaust nozzle' ringsm and the motor mount in silver. They will all be glued in place after paint is complete on the main vehicle. I also primed the ramjet tube assemblies before gluing to wing since it seemed they'd be hard to get primer to once glued in place.
The only really different thing I did with the kit was to replicate the long the launch lug on top of the main body of the Centuri original (Semroc's version use two smaller sections spaced apart).....I think the idea of the original made it look like a systems tunnel or similar, which I kinda liked. So I did mine this way.
The only other difference between the Semroc version and the Centuri original is that the molded cockpit on the main cone of the original is represented by a flat decal in the Semroc version. If one wanted, one could replicate the cockpit too with a folded paper one similar to the one in the original paper cockpit in the Centuri Quasar kit, which is what the plastic cone for the Centuri USS America is from (the Quasar kit originally featured a balsa cone with a paper cockpit to fold and glue in place, but was then replaced by a molded plastic cone sometime within a year of the Quasar's original release).
Anyway, I hope to get primer on the full model soon and paint thereafter. Damp, winter weather doesn't seem to be conducive to good painting, and if there is one area I'm sorely backed up building-wise, it's painting and finishing. I think I've got about 8-9 in the various stages of primer or intermediate final coats of paint.
Like tbzep says "I LOVE sanding"......
Earl