The Seven Crystal Balls (Short Sunderland)

I was looking for this box for a long time, and then suddenly, there it was on the shelf at the local hobby shop. I think the thrill of the hunt ended up getting this one on the bench sooner than it might have otherwise been. 

Those are some pretty big fuselage pieces. Lots o' rivets too! 

Lots of little itty bits here too. I won't be using most of them though. No guns... this is a strictly civilian transport. 

Like most kits this age, it comes with some "functionality" in terms of moving pieces. Mostly just ill-fitting pains in the butt though... so I'll be glueing these in place. 

You won't be able to see much of the cockpit, and none of the interior. So mainly black will do. I'll still add these guys in though... why not? 

Lots of little round windows... make sure not to get glue on the visible clear parts! 

Almost look like the Thom(p)son twins.. I decided one guy needed a bomber jacket though. Otherwise how will I know which one is which? 

Fuselage put together. Fit is going to be a bit of a challenge. I can tell.  

Plenty of putty and sanding... and more where that came from. 

Not bad... now let's see what happens when I hit it with some paint... 

First the underside. I know in the Tintin album this plane is all yellow. But that's a bit boring, isn't it. Besides from the panel... it MIGHT be aluminum on the underside. It might. 

Pink primer for the yellow... but more sanding necessary. 

Back to the putty... more sanding... will it ever end? 

Okay... good enough for me. Still a bit suspect in places, but sometimes you just need to move on. 

And she's yellow! Next up is getting the DC motors set up in the engine cowlings. 

Lots of room in the wings to do the wiring afterwards. So handy. 

All buttoned up, but now for the big test... 

And... they spin! Might make a handy AC unit for the summer... lots of wind being blown here. 

A big blob of silicone water... and we're just about done. All that's left is some rigging for the flotation pontoons.