Miracle on the Hudson - 1:144

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 3:38 pm

On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley Sullenberger landed a crippled Airbus A320 on the Hudson River near Midtown Manhatten. Shortly after takeoff, a flock of Canadian Geese was struck and both engines were damaged resulting in a total loss of thrust. The Captain quickly weighed his options and decided that a water landing was the best option. With only seconds to decide what course of action should be taken, Captain Sullenberger felt that trying to reach any airport would fail and ultimately end in disaster. As a result of his actions, all 155 passengers and crew were rescued with only a few serious injuries. This build will attempt to pay tribute to this remarkable achievement.

Kit: Zvezda Civil Airliner Airbus A-320 (7003)

**Image links to Scalemates Page

Decals: Pas Decals

**Image links to Scalemates Page

Reference Images

The last image is a still from the movie "Sully" and will represent the scene I hope to recreate.

What's the big deal?
Newsweek ran an article discussing water landings and why they are so dangerous. You can find a link to that article here. To recap the article, water landings are incredibly rare and not something for which pilots train. Doing this type of landing without any engine thrust makes the landing even more of a challenge. Furthermore, the impact of the plane hitting the water is massive. The chances of the plane breaking upon impact are quite high. In this particular case, the pilot maintained control and "landed" perfectly on the water. Had he been slightly off level one wing may have hit the water causing a cartwheel. Not only did the pilot do his job well, but the rest of the crew kept the passengers calm got everyone off the plane without incident. The passengers did not panic and followed the crew instructions. All of these factors led to the safe recovery of every person. This was easily a tragedy that could have claimed the lives of everyone on board.

jmurphy18 · Post by **jmurphy18** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:02 pm

Awesome Mathew! This looks to be an excellent build and a wonderful tribute !!

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:11 pm

The dude was an absolute hero...and class all the way calm cool and humble
Really looking forward to this, now I have to watch the movie

Kingdan · Post by **Kingdan** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 4:47 pm

Watching this one with interest

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Mon Jul 29, 2019 7:20 pm

Awesome, what a great scene to recreate and an event that definitely deserves to be paid homage, excited to see how it goes.

gaz45 · Post by **gaz45** » Tue Jul 30, 2019 2:30 pm

Very nice subject there mate i have watched that so i'll be watching this

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:43 pm

Started on the wings. I am building with the forward wing parts extended and flaps full. I think that is the correct configuration. I didn’t know what to expect from Zvezda, but am pleased with the fit.

They have you glue on these little parts right at the start. I wonder how many times I will knock these buggers off?

Kingdan · Post by **Kingdan** » Wed Jul 31, 2019 10:04 pm

Yeah I have a feeling your gonna end up scratch building those end bits before its finished lol take notes on what they look like just in case pmsl

DBMiller · Post by **DBMiller** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:23 pm

Wow! What a daring build!

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:50 pm

DBMiller wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:23 pm Wow! What a daring build!

That's one word for it!

I got a bit more done on the wings. The fit on this section of the kit is awful. Bandai and Tamiya surely have me spoiled. The Engine nacelles wouldn't key in at all. I tacked them in with T.E.T. then superglue.

Thankfully, this part of the plane will be almost completely hidden.

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 11:29 am

I have been fighting a bit with the fit on the kit and white paint. I have finally got the paint well enough to clear.

I used Aquagloss in several thin coats. Decals will be coming shortly. Hopefully...

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:03 pm

It looks fantastic Matthew, really smooth
I know you have been fighting this one, keep at her

Pete75 · Post by **Pete75** » Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:31 pm

Great idea for a build! Not seen the film yet, but I just love that guy's voice ("No, we're not going to make LaGuardia..." like he's saying he's gonna be late home for dinner!) & his name. He's basically a living and breathing comic book hero

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 1:16 am

Got the main part of the engines attached and painted.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:29 pm

Another one I missed when it first went up - the work you've put into the main build has certainly paid off as that looks really clean.

Very tidy work on the engines too.

Will be watching with interest to see how you bring this all together and create the river.

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:53 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:29 pm Another one I missed when it first went up - the work you've put into the main build has certainly paid off as that looks really clean.

Very tidy work on the engines too.

Will be watching with interest to see how you bring this all together and create the river.

The engines came out better than they probably should have. I made a boo-boo and primed the engine parts in grey. Since the wings and nacelle mounts were white (and cleared) I had a bit of an issue getting the blue to match. Took several light coats of thinned paint many runs and spider webs as I think it was too thin. Finished it off with a single coat of non-thinned paint. Some angles show issues, but at least they will be well hidden by the river.

Speaking of the river. I picked up some Woodland Scenics dye for their water effects called Murky Water. After re-watching the movie recently, the water is actually a little bluer than I had originally anticipated. My LHS just happened to have the same product in blue. I figure I will mix them and see what I get. I was planning on pouring the resin with the plane already placed, but I think I will just do a straight pour and Dremel out a channel for the plane after the fact. This way if I screw up the pour I won't take the plane out as well. Let's face it, that is a VERY real possibility! I watched a neat video just this morning of a very nice looking ocean scene that just used aluminum foil, PVA glue, and paint. I may try one of those too and see which I like better.

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Wed Dec 04, 2019 10:55 pm

Wow! That was not fun. Theses decals are awful. First off they are printed on plain inkjet decal paper. This means that the entire thing is carrier film. I had to spend a good bit of time trimming the red stripe. Secondly the decals break apart when you look at them. There are no layout instructions and no clear marks for reference. That means a lot of guessing and repositioning. Guess what happens when you try and move those decals. Yup they break! I think I got them down close enough. I need to let them dry a bunch before masking around them. These red stripes were not fun.

Hooray for whiskey.

digger303 · Post by **digger303** » Thu Dec 05, 2019 12:01 am

Well you wouldn't know that those decals had ever broken....good work no doubt a testament to your patience.
The kit looks marvelous

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Thu Dec 05, 2019 12:28 am

I suppose I should mention the tab on the tail end. One of my least favorite aspects of painting is figuring out how to hold it. Since this area is hidden, I decided to glue on a handle. It also works as a mount for drying paint.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Thu Dec 05, 2019 12:43 am

I am sure the Hudson is a pristine body of water....or is that bodies in the water
I have never modelled scale floating turds before, that should be interesting to see

digger303 · Post by **digger303** » Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:15 am

Twokidsnosleep wrote: ↑Thu Dec 05, 2019 12:43 am I am sure the Hudson is a pristine body of water....or is that bodies in the water
I have never modelled scale floating turds before, that should be interesting to see

Major environmental disaster

Did anyone bother to find out if the poor old fish coped with 80t aircraft just dropping in.

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:44 am

Well, today didn’t go well. I stuck those damn things down with set and sol. Then for good measure, Ultimate extra strong. Let that sit over night. Then another dose of extra strong. To be extra sure they stayed, another 2 coats of aquagloss.

I used Tamiya for curves tape to follow the red stripe to create a space before spraying on the blue. Once I finished that up I used de-tacked Tamiya wide to cover up the stripes and prevent overspray. While repositioning the tape the decals pulled up with no effort.

Most of the decals came off without trying, then about 10% required so much scraping that I need to respray the base coat. I used Tamiya 1500 sanding pads to clean up before repainting.

I did start work on the “river”. I used toilet paper, PVA glue, and water to make a base. Once dried I will decide if I need a second application of tissue and glue.

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:28 am

Here is a picture of the "river" after the first application of toilet paper and glue.

EDIT: I also found a different set of decals. They are also laser printed, but hopefully, the paper is better. It can't really be any worse!

Post by **Tomcat64** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:08 pm

Man this thing is fighting back all the way!

I was going to play with inkjet decal paper a little while back but the requirement and enthusiasm for the project took a tumble.

Is it worth a try coating the decals with microsol decal film while they're still on the paper?

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:09 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:08 pm Man this thing is fighting back all the way!

I was going to play with inkjet decal paper a little while back but the requirement and enthusiasm for the project took a tumble.

Is it worth a try coating the decals with microsol decal film while they're still on the paper?

That possibly would have kept them from breaking up so much, but I don't think it would have changed how they adhered. Hopefully, the next set of decals will be better.

Kingdan · Post by **Kingdan** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:45 pm

kick its ass sea bass

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:54 pm

bfrd wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:09 pm
Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:08 pm Man this thing is fighting back all the way!

I was going to play with inkjet decal paper a little while back but the requirement and enthusiasm for the project took a tumble.

Is it worth a try coating the decals with microsol decal film while they're still on the paper?
That possibly would have kept them from breaking up so much, but I don't think it would have changed how they adhered. Hopefully, the next set of decals will be better.

? do a 2k clear over them before the tape
That stuff is bullet proof

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Sat Dec 07, 2019 3:01 pm

I watched another video on this incident and wanted to share it with the group. An actual airline pilot is going over the crash sequence from the movie and discussing some of the things that are going on. It also shows just about all of the crash sequence. I still highly recommend the movie, but this video does show a good portion of the crash sequence.

I also grabbed a few screenshots to help with the decals whenever I get the new ones or if I just paint most of them.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Mon Dec 09, 2019 3:32 pm

bfrd wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:09 pm
Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:08 pm Man this thing is fighting back all the way!

I was going to play with inkjet decal paper a little while back but the requirement and enthusiasm for the project took a tumble.

Is it worth a try coating the decals with microsol decal film while they're still on the paper?
That possibly would have kept them from breaking up so much, but I don't think it would have changed how they adhered. Hopefully, the next set of decals will be better.

Yeah you're right - brain fart on my part.

Hope you get a solution sorted - I seem to remember someone around here actually using painted tape (or foil?) for lining something out, is that an option?

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:06 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Mon Dec 09, 2019 3:32 pm
bfrd wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 3:09 pm
Tomcat64 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:08 pm Man this thing is fighting back all the way!

I was going to play with inkjet decal paper a little while back but the requirement and enthusiasm for the project took a tumble.

Is it worth a try coating the decals with microsol decal film while they're still on the paper?
That possibly would have kept them from breaking up so much, but I don't think it would have changed how they adhered. Hopefully, the next set of decals will be better.
Yeah you're right - brain fart on my part.

Hope you get a solution sorted - I seem to remember someone around here actually using painted tape (or foil?) for lining something out, is that an option?

Painted tape, pin striping tape whatever you can get.
You can paint Tamiya tape and cut it surprisingly well on those Laser cut orange cutting board thingies

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 11:23 pm

Finally got this one back on the bench. The new decals came in, but I didn’t like them. I decided to just bite the bullet and paint.

The first thing I did was to lay in a 2mm tape for the red stripe. Once that was down I placed 2 more strips on either side.

I could then remove the inside tape and use additional masking to paint the red stripe.

Once the red stripe is painted I remove the masking from the belly and cover up the red stripe.

Paint that blue and I am done.

It isn’t perfect by any stretch, but it looks the part well enough. I may brush in some additional red to wing roots. Depending on time. I lost a little paint due to tape tear out, but less than I anticipated.

Thanks for looking.

digger303 · Post by **digger303** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 11:49 pm

wow you know your stuff

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Wed Dec 25, 2019 12:03 am

digger303 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 11:49 pm wow you know your stuff

Ha ha, nope. I just fake it well!

digger303 · Post by **digger303** » Wed Dec 25, 2019 12:11 am

bfrd wrote: ↑Wed Dec 25, 2019 12:03 am
digger303 wrote: ↑Tue Dec 24, 2019 11:49 pm wow you know your stuff
Ha ha, nope. I just fake it well!

Nope painting and masking skills can't be faked

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Wed Dec 25, 2019 2:06 am

Looking good, great work and perseverance

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 11:43 am

It will be a miracle if this gets finished by the deadline...

I fought with the decals some more last night. The "tribal" decals on the back of the plane completely broke up, so I had to use the ones from the second set. They are sturdier, but all separate pieces. With no accurate guide marks, I just guessed and laid them down however I could get them to fit. The window decals were not scaled properly so I had to cut them and reposition some of them.

Still, it looks like the right aircraft. I hope Sully would not be offended.

Stokesy44 · Post by **Stokesy44** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:10 pm

Now that does look nice.

Donkeywalloper · Post by **Donkeywalloper** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:41 pm

Such a cool job you're doing here.
Dramatic and testing i.e. the build quality.
Great job chap

DW

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Fri Dec 27, 2019 1:51 pm

Thanks guys! Amazing how much the comments keep the mojo flowing on those builds you would almost rather see in the bin than on the shelf!

gaz45 · Post by **gaz45** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:21 am

Awesome work there mate looks great

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 1:40 pm

I decided to put some paint down on the "river". I used some cheap acrylic paint thinned with water.

I mixed up some Olive Green and Blue and a touch of Black for the base layer. I then put a second layer of the same mixture with a lot more blue added.

I will go over this later with some Tamiya Transparent Blue and perhaps some Smoke. Unfortunately, the water in the paint caused the tissue substrate to completely lift off of the foam backing. It also shrunk quite a bit.

I didn't scuff up the foam board before starting.

The first time I did this it took 3 days before the tissue was actually dry!

I'm not that great at math, but my fingers tell me that there aren't enough days to start over. I am trying to flatten it out with some weight while I am at work today. If that doesn't work I may have to enlist the use of the oven and pray my wife doesn't notice.

Post by **Tomcat64** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 3:22 pm

Great work on the red & blue livery Matthew - and the decals look good in the shots as well.

Hope you manage to get the river section sorted out without:
1. Setting fire to the house
2. Your wife finding out

Not necessarily in that order

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 5:51 pm

Foam/ styrofoam are a B to try and glue to either no stick or it melts on you.
? shift to plywood base if you can get the top layer off clean
I use a lot of wall joint putty in dioramas as bulk filler, terrain shape...mainly as the drywall guy left an entire box of the stuff behind.
But it is cheap and works well to form shapes and it paints easily.

I love the pic of the cat under the car, hilarious

Kingdan · Post by **Kingdan** » Mon Dec 30, 2019 6:15 pm

Nice work since far mate the decal debacle has come out outstanding your doing great but if you think that you might not make it in time just set it on fire and say it burst into flames after everyone was saved

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 1:53 am

Getting closer.

I sprayed a mixture of Tamiya clear blue, Tamiya smoke, and MLT. Due to time constraints I then dried it with a small heat gun. Next went on two coats of Aquagloss again dried with a heat gun. Here is a sample pic showing the scale of the base with the plane.

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:37 am

That’s looking great
Any sewage floating planned???

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 10:52 pm

Still trying my best to get this finished before the deadline. I tried my hand at making waves with silicone. I spread some around a spare piece of glass and let dry for an hour or two.

In the meantime I cut a hole in the “river” and painted it white.

Next, I took some more toilet paper, glue, and water and fashioned some “impact foam”.

Here is the result with the plane just resting in the hole.

Unfortunately I made the hole too close to the edge and my plan for finishing up the edge is shot. I think I will use this as the “final” for the sig but create another river afterwards.

Hawkmoon · Post by **Hawkmoon** » Tue Dec 31, 2019 11:27 pm

Looks good to me and we all kick our selves thinking it looks like dog doo doo and nicely done.

digger303 · Post by **digger303** » Fri Jan 10, 2020 1:43 am

Nicely done I'm more interested than ever.

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Fri Jan 10, 2020 12:01 pm

digger303 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 10, 2020 1:43 am Nicely done I'm more interested than ever.

I suppose I should have posted a link. Final reveal pics are here.