Pearl 2017...Final Reveal

Good Luck with it. I'll subscribe to this one and see how that Special Hobby kit builds up. I have a couple of Special Hobby kits, and have yet to build one.

I'll be following!

Toshi

Interesting subject Joe. I rather like SH kits. will be nice to see how this one builds.

OOOOO how cool !  I just love this era of aircraft. Where did you find this one ?

Many many thanks all.

I have done a few Special Hobby kits with mixed results to be honest.  This one was purchased by my eldest daughter a couple of years ago for my birthday.  

Joe

Well here is a quick follow up to the intro.

I would show you a couple of pictures of the sprue but to be honest I dislike those as they really show nothing.  For myself I like to see some progress.

As the title says it is the beginning.  

First up, I rarely do things as the instructions call for.  Just not how I build.  This build is no different.  Because of the amount of clear in the fuselage the first thing I want to tackle is to get the exterior paint and the interior paint out of the way.  To that end I wanted to try something different.  Tone variants by changing the base color.  I used Testor Gloss Gray, Model Master US Navy Gray, and Testor Creatix Gloss Black.  I picked out some panels to try it out.

I then sprayed Alclad Chrome.

While this dried I played some with the interior.

And with some paint.

Next up will be to get some color on the interior walls and then move on to the clear parts.

All comments, critiques, and criticism is encouraged.

Joe

Truthfully there is coming, very quickly, a rather large issue.  

The wing roots are off by almost a quarter inch out of the box.  Hopefully an update soon.

Joe

Well folks everything was moving along smoothly.  

The interior went in with no fuss.  Although way off it will work when all the "glass" is installed.

The fuselage looked to be a pretty simple project to close up.

And then the honeymoon came to an abrupt end.  Well crashing halt.  Well total and complete standstill for a while.  

The OH MY GOD, ARE YOU KIDDING ME moment came when I attempted to attach the wings to the fuselage.  It was just as a bad joke.  

The carnage...

Not too bad you say???  Well to compliment that after a lot of sanding to try to get the engine nacelles to fit this was the best I could get....

Now the best part, no picture of this though, after much use of adult language I test fit the stabilizers and they fit a dream with little to no seam.  I was fit to be tied.  

Well after a trip to the big city on Saturday I was able to obtain some Apoxie Sculpt and so that is now drying, thinking I didnt mix it exactly right, and that should fix my gap issue but holy crap that was a large gap.

More on this soon.

All comments, critiques, and criticism are encouraged.

Joe

I like it!  I love the B-18.  I didn't realize that it had office space on the flight deck behind the pilots.

The B-18, so ugly she is beautiful.  

I knew there was little detail in the interior on the 1:1 bird but I also did not realize just how much.  

Joe

These kits that test our skills are the ones we hate building but when they are done, wowzers, it will be a stunning kit in your hands.

BK

Hang in there. My Monogram 1/48 B-26 was not any better for fit ,but if it's the only game in town...

It will take some TLC for sure.  

Joe

Now for an update on the 1/72 B-18.

The wings and the wing roots are now attached, puttied, cleaned up, and now painted.  This kit has been a major chore all the way through.

Next will be to get the markings on, some custom, and then finish out the small stuff.

All comments, critiques, and criticism are encouraged.

Joe

Wow, that looks great.  It's really interesting to see some less common subjects, too.

Pat

May have been a chore but its looking like it was worth it. Really nice work there.

Way to hang in there. your results look like they where worth the effort.

Well done, Joe.  Nice finish on that beast.

Great job, Joe! You did the right thing by putting it aside for a while, calming down, then getting back to it. I ran into the same wing fit issues with the Monogram TBD-1 Devastator that I'm building for the Monogram Mafia IV Group Build. You should take a look at that thread (page 12, I think). Big gaps on that one, too - at least a millimeter everywhere the wing met the fuselage.

Anyways, you made that tough kit into a gorgeous replica. Way to go!

Gary Mason

Many many thanks all.

Gary I will have to check out your build.  Time has been pretty short supply around here for a while.  Hopefully I will have a chance to catch my breath soon.

Joe

Well my friends we call this one done.

Well we did a while ago just never took the time to finish it out.

Added were custom decals as well as the finishing touches for the props and such.

All in all this is to represent an aircraft of the 1st Bomb Group.

The pictures turned out like garbage though.  Not sure how or why.  I know that I have something on one of the inner workings that is causing some issue but these show a ton of crap.

All comments, critiques, and criticism are encouraged.

Joe

I don't see a ton of crap. Just one beautifully built B-18 that I gotta have . Well done Mate  

it's too bad that your technique of different basing under the Alclad didn't show up in the pics, but I bet it's spectacular.

She really came out beautiful, well worth the effort.

The B-18 looks real nice, Joe.  It does look like you are due for a sensor cleaning, though.  The little specks really show up with high f-stop settings where you get the best depth of field.

Many thanks all.

The speck has been a constant for a while now.  Will have to get it cleaned.

Joe

Excellent build and presentation!

Your friend, Toshi

Many thanks Toshi.

Joe