WIP: Tamiya 1/72 F4U-1D Corsair

Here's the little bit of work I've done so far:

Some general cutting and cleaning of various parts and some test fitting:

Completed the PE seat and mounting bracket:

Cut the original mounting tabs from the rear cockpit bulkhead and glued on the PE seat bracket. I then added a piece of Evergreen rod to the top of the bracket to create the top brace which the seatbelt goes over and then mounts to the rear of the seat. This and the seat were primed with MM flat black.

I opted to spray these while testing out my new "toy" that I received for my birthday:

It'sa very nice!

Joe, I normally don't pay too much attention to 1/72 scale builds (All my aircraft are 1/48) but the F4U is my favorite aircraft of all time. I'll be following along with interest.

The Badger Patriot is my favorite airbrush. I'm sure you'll appreciate it.

Mike

 P.S. I should mention that my father was an instructor/mechanic/pilot at Pensicola as well. Except he was there in 1917/18 during WWI. He flew and worked on JN-4's.

Fancy new toy you got there. Hows the ergonomics?  I noticed the hose attachment is quite close to the body.

You set yourself up really well for this build, I love those AM parts.  I really enjoy working with PE.  Everything looks great!  I'll be looking forward to this WIP.

Toshi

Mike: I'm really glad you are going to follow along. I also enjoy building in 1/48. I build in 1/72 not only because I enjoy it but, also from an observation from my wife who suggested, "Why don't you build the little ones first while you can still see them and then build the bigger ones later". She is indeed the possesser of much wisdom (and power).

The Badger Patriot has also been my standard airbrush. I am very fond of it. The Extreme features some new ergonomics, a finer needle and the airflow adjustment needle under the color cup. It's very nice and will get plenty of use but, my standard 105 will still be my general purpose go to.

Very interesting concerning your father being at Pensacola during WW I. Did he share much of his experience there with you?

Allan: The new ergos seem rather nice. The interesting change is the longer/higher trigger. A bit different at first but, I notice the difference in that my hand doesn't get as tired or crampy.

Toshi: I am extremely thrilled to have you following along. I figured that advertising a Corsair would draw you out rather quickly. I hope you will be patient as I do not build at the lightning rate that you do. Can't say as I really "enjoy" working with PE but, the results are definitely worth it.

Lookin' really good so far Joe! Man that airbrush looks "Bad A" man. Really nice!

Good start Joe! I'm currently decaling this guys big brother in 1/48 scale and have loved it. Really looking forward to seeing this one come together, you always do a great job!

Joe: It is indeed good to have you checking in my good friend. Always nice to have your encouragement and feedback.

Andy: Thank You for the kind praise. Don't hesitate at all to post some pics of your Corsair here. I always love to see what other Corsair builders are up to. Just might give me some choice ideas.

I'm glad you decided to do this W.I.P. and i will enjoy every step of the way Joe. I too am a VERY slow builder so I can relate.  

i also have the Badger patriot and the thing is a well engineered machine, and so easy to clean i even use it on small parts.

Funny how you decided to down size to 1/72.  I'm thinking of up sizing to a 1/32 Corsair and am saving up for one now.

I am constantly amazed at how some builders can put together such small kits. And here you go doing super detail PE work to boot. Crazy stuff. Very nice work and the coolest bird ever built.

BK

I didn't know Tamiya made a 1:48 Corsair, and I'm looking foward to watching you build it, Joe. I too have a 1:32 Birdcage on the shelf for someday.

Cool a/b, buddy. And your first WIP, wow.

Jay Jay: Thank You for the support. It is greatly appreciated. 

Jay Jay

Funny how you decided to down size to 1/72.  I'm thinking of up sizing to a 1/32 Corsair and am saving up for one now.

Yeah, that and the fact that I have limited display space may also be playing a large role in my decision. Oh, I WILL be to having me one of those choice Tamiya 1/32 Corsairs. Way too nice to resist.

Brandon: Very nice having you drop in. Thank You. There is definiely a reward for building in 1/72. When I'm showing friends and family my builds I reel them in with the 1/48 stuff and get a "Wow, That's cool". But then I hit 'em with the dinky stuff and that's when I get the "WHOA!!! How in the heck did you do that. That's awesome!" I love it.

Greg: Man, am I ever thrilled to have you stop and have a peek. Thank You so much. Yup, first ever WIP. Kinda cool, huh? Oh yes, Tamiya 1/48 Corsairs are definitely the cream of the crop. Beautiful kits.

I was speaking of your kit, Joe, and meant 1/72. 1/48 was a mistype.

Doesn't matter, who doesn't like a Corsair in any scale, right?

Joe,

You said:

"Very interesting concerning your father being at Pensacola during WW I. Did he share much of his experience there with you?"

He shared very little with my brother and me. He did tell us he landed in a tree one time which obviously turned out OK since both my brother and I are living testiments to that fact.

This photo was taken in 1915. I don't think pop was in the air corps before 1917 but I get a chuckle when I look at it. He was born March 15, 1896. I'm the eldest of his two sons and was born January 30, 1943 so he obviously put off having kids for a while.

http://www.airminded.net/jenny/treejn4_cstrm_1915.jpg

Thank you for sharing Mike. What a great story. Sweet photo too. 

My father had many great stories of his exploits as a naval aviator. He loved to to tell them. We had planned to sit down and record his Naval history and then submit them to the National Archives for history and posterity. Unfortunately he passed before we had the opportunity. Still eats at my craw to this day.

Thank You very much Joe. You are certainly one of the biggest influences on me for doing an individual WIP. I appreciate the inspiration and encouragement to open up to the modeling community at large.

Looking good Joe. The Eduard set will dress up your project. I love the Badger ABs. You can't beat their reliabilty, performance or value.

I was not much into 1/72 scales but some kits pack as much detail as the larger scaled ones so I have been picking up one or two once in a while.  I'm sure it is as good as their 1/48 Corsair.

Hey PJ, I appreciate you taking the time to drop in with the kind encouragement. 

There's no doubt that manufacturers are turning out some wonderful stuff in 1/72. Including the AM stuff available. I just recently finished Eduard's F6F-3 Hellcat Profipack and that is one stunning kit. Seems to be some really fine stuff coming from Airfix now that I'm excited about. In fact I just received their 1/72 A-4 Skyhawk in the mail and out of the box it looks great.

I certainly agree with you concerning Badger AB's. You described them perfectly. I'm also very impressed with their customer service. Awhile back I scored a siphon feed Badger off ebay for like $10.00. It needed some TLC, like a new teflon bearing. I sent it into Badger for refurbishing and they did it for simply the cost of parts and S&H. Cost me about $12.00. Brush works great although, I don't much use it anymore.

Joe, per your permission here are a couple pics of the 1/48 Tamiya that I just finished...

Added some wire to the engine...

Looking forward to seeing yours...I know it'll blow mine away

Absolutely you have my permission Andy. Thank you for sharing your wonderful Corsair. It looks great to me. I really enjoy seeing what others have done building any Corsair and I encourage others to share their Corsairs on my thread. I'm currently leaning towards the same scheme as yours but, have yet to fully commit yet.

I especially encourage any discussion and experiences with any and all Corsair kits. I have several Corsair kits in my stash and I'm always looking to learn about how different kits compare and how other modelers appraoched their work on them.

As an update the build progresses slowly but surely. Most of the paint is on the cockpit and I'm currently in the process of adding the Eduard PE parts. I'll have some pics here soon. The weekend before last I had the wonderful opportunity to drive a 100 miles and join the members of the Grand Junction, Co. Modeler's Society for a build day. I took the Corsair over and worked on cleaning up the landing gear parts. Great group of gentlemen and had an awesome day of modeling with them.

As I'm sure you know the Tamiya went together beautifully. Only problem I had was some major silvering of the decals. I put down a nice layer of future under and Micro Sol over the decals but still got it. I'm sure most of it is user error but just something to watch out for.

I'd noticed the silvering in your photos. That is indeed a bummer. Yet, I'm not so sure that you are at fault as Tamiya decals are notoriously lacking in quality. I've had my owm issues with their decals either tearing very easily or not setting with Solvaset. It does baffle me that with the excellent quality of Tamiya's engineering and detail that they would make an effort to improve their decals. Or maybe they have on some of their newer kits. I've not heard either way.

What happens between all those "finally got the ..... completed" posts? Well, for me, it's a shotgun effect of partially worked on pieces in various stages. Not to mention the hodge podge of PE parts cut out and awaiting installation. Rather than tackle more than one kit at a time I utilize the method of working on different sections of model at a time. this helps me to ensure that I complete a kit prior to moving on to the next. I guess this is some self training for when I finally get around to building a ship model and work on different sub structures at a time. 

Since I took this photo I have sprayed the MM zinc chromet green onto the gear bays. I'll be to attaching some of the cockpit PE parts and some detail painting later today.

Lookin' great there Joe!! Looks like you've been working on just a little bit of everything.

Great job in organizing yourself like this!  Did you spray everything with your new AB?  I have several questions;

How do you like your new AB?

What did you use prior?

In a comparison, which do you prefer and why?

Why did you choose this new brush?

Would you purchase a different brand of AB like, Chandler & Thayer, Iwata, Harder & Steinbeck, Sparmax, etc.?  

Thank you in advance!

Toshi 

Joe: Thanks. It's headway nonetheless.

Toshi: Thank You. Well, it's more along the lines of organized chaos. It's all a matter of "what can I work on with just a few minutes on my hands?" or just working on something while paint or glue dries.

  As for the new airbrush, yes, I like it quite a bit. It's funny you should ask. I buoght it more on a whim than anything else. My standard airbrush that I use is the Badger 105 Patriot. And I love it. So, when I saw the new 105 Extreme with some of it's ergonomic upgrades I thought that maybe it might indeed be a bit more comfortable to use and cause less strain on my hand. Not to mention I'm a bonafide gadget addict. Anyway, what I did not catch in any of the advertisments or reviewswas that the Extreme has a smaller needle than the standard 105. Thus, it's mainly for finer lines and detail work. Not a big deal other than I already own a Badger Renegade with an even finer needle yet. So, after a little test spraying and practicing I did indeed paint some of the cockpit areas with it. It took a bit longer to get the coverage I'm used to as it puts out less paint. It worked nicely. But, when I'm after some quick decent coverage the standard 105 is still the go to brush. I've only used Badger airbrushes. I simply like their quality, reliability, ease of cleaning and their customer service is excellent. I would not be opposed to trying another brand but, the Badgers are definitely what I'm happy and comfortable with. In a nutshell, I really love the standard 105 Patriot. I'm actually able to just about everything with it with the proper PSI's and paint thinning. About the only thing I'm not able to do is pencil thin lines and getting in close in tight spots. I hope this answers your questions Toshi.

JOE RIX my friend, yes you've answered my questions.  I want to thank you for enlightening me in regards to the Badger 105.  Currently I use a NEO CN and a TRN1 Iwata airbrush.  Both are gravity fed.  The needles and nozzles are both 0.35.  I'm able to get pencil like lines and also get a wide coverage area.  It's an all in one, like you being dedicated as a Badger fan, I'm a rabid fan of everything Iwata.  

When I first started, I've got to try a Paasche, Badger, and Iwata.  I just fell in love with Iwatas ergonomics and durability.  Since I started building kits approximately one year ago, I've quite possibly utilized the NEO CN every single day.  Only recently I've had to replace my nozzle and needle due to me being a novice.

JOE RIX, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule and answering my questions.  This means so much to me!

Toshi

P.S.  I too have issues with my hands due to fatigue and arthritis, hence I purchased the TRN1.  It's a gravity fed pistol grip AB.  I can work for hours with the Iwata TRN1 without any issues what so ever and I highly recommend any pistol grip AB.  

Sheesh! Hard to believe it's been nearly a month since my last update. I've made some progress albeit it's not monumental by any stretch. Got most of the cockpit PE parts in place and have applied a coat of Alclad aqua gloss in preparation for an oil wash. I hope to get that applied tomorrow as it's going to hit 105ish here so best to be in an air conditioned man hangar. Either that or I'm going to go sit in a cool movie theatre and catch the new Star Trek movie. Hmm, maybe both? Here's where I'm at so far:

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

That's looking great. The pre painted pe is great specially in that small scale. 

Dont feel bad as here in Florida  has been near 100 some days but the heat index cranks it up to the triple digits. It's miserably humid and hot here and I can't wait for fall and winter.

Glad i spotted this before it was to late. Nice work on the pit. Even thoufgh PTO subjects ain't really my thing, i do like the Corsair. Look forward to seeing more.

Thank You PJ and Bish. Much appreciated.

I do feel for you PJ. At least here in the desert it's a dry heat.

You're plugging right along, Joe. Albiet slowly, still a whole lot faster than me.

Toshi beat me to the punch, I wanted to know how it's going with the new Patriot too. Thanks to you both (Tosh for asking, you for 'splaining).

Stay cool, the Star Trek movie sounds fun, and BTW it's even hot here in Northern Indiana believe it or not.

Great work on all the interior paneling and pieces Joe. Looks to be a good shade.

Greg: Thank You. I hope the info I provided on the Patriot was in some way helpful. By the way, It's darn good to hear from ya.

Joe: Appreciate it Bro. Yeah, I'm a might partial to the MM chromate green. Looks right to me.

I got the oil wash on today as well as the rest of the PE in the cockpit. For me, that is one awesome bench day. But, alas, I was unable to make the Star Trek movie, which is all good.

Alright, I'm making some measureable progress on the Corsair. The cockpit is pretty much complete. I just need to paint the gunsight to hopefullly be added on later. An interesting issue I encountered was that the PE instrument panels top edge sat high on the kit area and thus preventing the fuselage halves from closing fully. I had trim and file this down to get a solid fit. Hence, you will notice the top instruments have the top edges missing. This is all good as it will be hidden under the hood when installed and pretty much unnoticeable. After the aqua gloss coat I applied a wash of a blend of black and brown Mig Abteilung weathering oils thinned with turpenoid. I then shot it with Mr. Clear Coat flat. This was followed by some dry brushing with gray on the black panels and lightened interior green on the chromate areas. I then hit high wear areas with a silver pencil and follwed that by applying some Mig brown/black blend pigment to dirty it up a bit. I then finshed it by spraying the entire cockpit with Tamiya buff highly thinned with isoprpyl alcohol to tone it down and blend it all together along with giving it a slightly dusty effect. Thanks for looking gents. Any feedback is much appreciated.

The pit looks well done.  Nice work.  

WIP's are a beast to their own.  When some do them they are a story and each chapter brings the viewer deeper and deeper.  I believe some of the best builds are enhanced by the WIP threads.  Now if I could just figure out how to do one right.

Every a/c builder should do up a corsair.  I have built up a couple but have the 1/32 F4U-4 in the stash and hope to take a shot on it soon.

Joe

Hey Joe, alas I have found your WIP. You are doing very nice work. The pit looks excellent. And by the way, you are doing a really nice job with the WIP. Now that I have found it, I will be following along.

Thank You very much Joe and Steve. I appreciate the compliments.

Joe - I know that I regret having not done WIP's sooner. I hope to get much better at them myself. Do you happen to have the Tamiya 1/32 Corsair? I may not have any where to display it but, dad gummit, I've got to build me one of those some day.

Steve - I am thrilled to have you following along. Now, it's high time I got over and get caught up on your Mayflower build. I have been rather remiss in my duties.

Thank You Joe and John. I always appreciate feedback from each of you.

Hey I'm behind in my reading, just picked up your WIP. Looking good of course. Carry on!

Max

PS--Envy, my hands and eyes don't qualify for that scale. lol

Great looking pit JR!

Mucho Thanks PJ. Glad you like it.

Really nice detail Joe, especially at his scale!

Thank You very much Andy.

Everything looks great, I can't wait for your next stage.  I'm very excited for you!

Toshi

Thank You Toshi. I sure appreciate your encouragement.

lawdog114

Gorgeous Joe...

 

He is a good looking guy, isn't he, Joe?

Good looking pit there, boss. Thanks for detailing all those steps to make it look so good. One of these days I must procure some Mig washes to try.

Greg

lawdog114 Gorgeous Joe...  

He is a good looking guy, isn't he, Joe?

'Bout dadgum time I got some recognition for my pure handsomeness.

Thank You Greg. Although the Mig weathering oils are indeed nice, you can still get comparable effects with, say, Wayne & Newton oils for less cost.  

JOE RIX

 

 

Greg

lawdog114 Gorgeous Joe...  

He is a good looking guy, isn't he, Joe?

 

 

'Bout dadgum time I got some recognition for my pure handsomeness.

Thank You Greg. Although the Mig weathering oils are indeed nice, you can still get comparable effects with, say, Wayne & Newton oils for less cost.  

 

 

My thoughts exactly.

Back to the weathering, maybe I'm mixing my fig newton stuff with the wrong thinner. Mona Lisa orderless something or other, never had a bit of luck with it. Or maybe cheap oils.

When I get back at it, I'll give you a shout and maybe you can help.

I thin all of my artist oils with turpenoid. Works just fine.

Greg

I thin my artist oils with plain thinner from Home Depot or Lowes, they work out very well. Just remember that a wash is not thinned paint but lightly tinted thinner. Making your own brew gives you more flexibility with color range and is a lot cheaper than the pre mixed commercial product. Same goes with the "chipping effect" line. Cheap hairspray from the Dollar Store decanted and shot thru the ab will yield the same result as the super expensive AK product.

Great job on that pit I can't see that small . 

Very impressive 'pit work on a 1/72 scale kit!

Thank You crown & Allan.

Oh, man....a build to honor the driver.  Damn.....
Myy grandpa was like that.  Drove LTS's and LCM's for the Navy island hopping through the Pacific on the way to Japan.  Had the most amazing stories.

So much of America's history.....lost...when these men pass.  It hurts.

My wife's father was a nucelar weapons tech in the Navy.....23 years.  Saw (but didn't meet) Einstein and Oppenheimer at Alomogordo.  So much history....gone.

Love your work.....enjoy.  Live the build.  Remember!!!  Remember everything about him.  They lived things that are gone.....never to be seen again.  Build that thing!!!!!

Thanks for the thoughts on thinner for washes Bish and Ernie.

Ernie, you are probably right, my mix might be off. The only color I've really tried is black, and I have no idea if I ever got the ratio right. Maybe playing with some other colors might help me learn the proper mix.

Thanks for the wonderful response and thoughts LeeTree. It is indeed nice that we are able to, at the very least, reproduce some of that lost history in our hobby. It's certainly one of the unique characteristics of scale modeling that many just don't quite understand.

I've encountered a welcome bout of motivation lately and, as such, I have made some decent progress on the Corsair. The fuselage halves are together. A little seam work was required. Touched up with some Mr. Surfacer 500/1000 and then lightly sanded. I test my seam work by "drawing" along them with my trusty Testor's Silver Paint Marking Pen. This reveals any further blemishes very well. A touch of Mr. Surfacer here and there and a finish of wet sanding and polishing. The wing halves are also glued together and currently undergoing the same seam treatment. No, the wings are not glued on yet. I'm simply doing a bit of test fitting. Thanks for having a look folks.

It's startin' to have the looks of an airplane!! She's lookin' real good so far Joe! BTW.....don't you ever elude to me building 1/72nd scale aircraft in conversation again. That aint happenin'.

Yep, you slap those wings on and just like that, you got that Corsair look going on.

Looking good, Joe.

Corsair is looking good Joe. Need to get another one in my collection. 

Thank You Joe, Greg & feldgrau. It is much appreciated.

mustang1989

BTW.....don't you ever elude to me building 1/72nd scale aircraft in conversation again. That aint happenin'.

Now Joe, how on earth could you possibly think that I would ever "elude" to you building in 1/72. Not even. Why would I "elude" when I will actually resort to guilting, blackmailing and coercion.

Once you put those ubiquitous gull wings on, you know it's a Corsair!  It's looking great so far!

Toshi

Thanks Toshi. It's definitely is beginning to look the part.

JOE RIX

Thank You Joe, Greg & feldgrau. It is much appreciated.

 

mustang1989

BTW.....don't you ever elude to me building 1/72nd scale aircraft in conversation again. That aint happenin'.

 

 

Now Joe, how on earth could you possibly think that I would ever "elude" to you building in 1/72. Not even. Why would I "elude" when I will actually resort to guilting, blackmailing and coercion.

 

Joe and Toshi, 

I think once one has acquired quality airbrushes, painting becomes more a matter of trial and error (thinning properly for specific paints, establishing the proper psi, etc.). For me, at least, that's the key. I still have trouble finding the right ratio of paint to thinner AND psi since I haven't written anything down and relying on my fading memory banks is not working as well as it should. 

I did start my airbrushing with some cheap brushes but I soon found out the purchase, at least for me, was not worth the money. I've since bought and continue to use 3 brushes that do everything I need - and could probably do a lot more than I have the skills to utilize. 

Sorry for diving back into the beginning of this thread. 

Joe, your Corsair is coming along brilliantly. I know I can't work in 1/72 and am barely able to see - even with visors - some of my 1/48 parts. So, the distaff part of your family certainly is a smart cookie. As you said she is "...the possesser of much wisdom (and power)."

[URL=http://s36.photobucket.com/user/1943Mike/media/_current%20brushes_zpsdyvv6bjc.jpg.html][/URL

Mike: Thank for replying. Sorry that I'm late on the comeback. That is indeed a sweet trio of airbrushes. Boy, can I relate to you in lacking the skills to get the very best out of my airbrushes. I still practice as often as I can to see what I'm able to do with 3 airbrushes that I use. And sure enough, that Patriot is one versatile tool. I love mine. 

I've made some modest progress on the Corsair. I've got the wings, tail planes and forward canopy glued in place. A smidgen of putty was required along the wing roots and some work with putty and sanding was required where the oil coolers fit into the wing. Otherwise, all has gone quite well. I've started the masking in preparation for prime and paint. Thanks for having a look everyone.

This build is coming along in a fantastic way.  It just looks like a 1/48 kit that you're working on.  I would have never guessed that this was 1/72.  I believed it was 1/48 in that I just had Mrs. Toshi purchased a Tamiya 1/48 Corsair kit!  

By the way, your Tamiya 1/72 Corsair is coming along amazingly highly detailed!  Wow!  I swear it's was a 1/48 all this time until I happen to glance at the header at the opening of the thread and saw 1/72!  Wow!  Wow!  You're doing a fantastic job on the Corsair.  This is something else!  I wish I can do that with 1/72 kits.  I have a important question for you.  What do you find and how many items do you find most challenging when working with this Tamiya Corsair kit?  Thank you in advance and thank you for your continuous support in my projects, especially the read and replies!  I so enjoy our conversations!

Toshi

If I may reiterate back to AB, as every forum member has, they have a particular and very personal favorite type and brand of AB.  For this, there are no wrong or correct answer for this.  Some will tout a Harder and Steinbeck, Grex, or Iwata.  So on and so on!  By the way, I am no AB specialist and do not tout this.  I'm just stating my preference and this is just my humble opinion since we were on the very important conversation of particular AB.  Forgive me if I upset you with this conversation sir.  I just have a passion for AB as I'm a gadget fan like you!  LOL!

I fall into the later category.  I currently own (As you may well know by now) a NEO Gravity Feed Double Action AB by Iwata and a NEO TRN1 Pistol Grip Gravity Feed Double Action AB by Iwata.  I have a third AB that came with my compressor that I purchased from Harbor Freight Tools.  It's a siphon double action AB that comes with a cup, a bottle, (Both of these are compression fitted like the majority of the siphon feed AB) and a AB holder.  This AB of course is a cheap Chinese version AB copy.  

Eventually sometime in 2017, I'd like to purchase the Iwata Eclipse Gravity Feed AB that has a 0.35 needle and nozzle.  I currently have on both Iwata's a 0.35 needle and nozzle.  This size allows me to make a pencile thin line as well as to create a wide spray pattern (This really helps when it comes down to priming and a first coat of base paint especially with a 1/32 model of which I've done and assembled several such kits.  These happen to be my favorite scales at 1/32.) with the 0.35 set.  It's a all around versatile needle set.  

JOE RIX, thank you for allowing me with this AB tirade.  I humbly appolagize yet I'm great full that forum members as well as you would allow me such a conversation that I feel is important and pertinent to any and every build.  Thank you in advance!

Toshi 

I do believe that there is startn' to look like an airplane Joe. I get the heebee geebee's at this point because after this is when the primer has to go on and show whatever flaws may not have been addressed yet. Speaking of that I'm looking forward to that primer, repairs and paintwork that's yet to come.

Its coming around nicely Joe.

I have owned and used the Paasche VL, H, Omni 5000, and the badger 100G. I stopped purchasing airbrushes when I purchased the Iwata Eclipse. It is very versatile in this hobby. I have the HP-C and the Eclipse. The HP-C has too fine a tip to be much use with the MM enamels I like to use. The eclipse atomizes all model paints, wether acrylic or enamel, very well. I love mine.

Toshi: Thank You for the very kind words. As for the kit, well, it's a beaut. The over all fit and detail is marvelous. The couple of issues I've encountered, which may be of my own making, is the mating of the wing root and fuselage. I actually had to scratch my head on this one as the top of the wing did not quite extend far enough up the fuselage to close the opening there. i fiddled with this repeatedly and in the end had to apply some Mr. Surfacer 500 to close the gap. I'll see how I did once I get the primer on. The other was the fit of the oil cooler inserts into the leading wing edge. That took some doctoring to smooth out. Again, the proof will be in the pudding.

No issues what so ever about discussing airbrushes. In fact, I have no issues discussing  anything model related or otherwise on my WIP thread. That's what these are all about. I consider it an open discussion platform. So, relax and feel free Toshi.

Joe: Thanks Buddy. No doubt about applying the primer and the associated angst that goes with it. On the other hand, it is truly rewarding when you shoot the primer and find little or no issues. Then it's happy dance time.

Chris: Thank You for the positive thoughts. My Badger Renegade is a very fine needled airbrush and I have not encountered any issues shooting MM enamels through it. So, I find that interesting with your Iwata.

Well, I've got the socks and underwear on. Now it's time to start getting dressed for the prom. I used Tamiya tape, dense packing foam and silly putty(over the head rest) for the masking.

Am I wrong, or are you about to put paint on it?   :)

M. Brindos

Am I wrong, or are you about to put paint on it?   :)

 

Looking good, can't wait to see it. 

Thanks 7474.

The primer coat of Mr. Surfacer 1200 from a rattle can is on. Very pleased with the fact that all seams and lines look good. Very little to clean up at all. Using a testors silver paint pen to check seams is instrumental for me to getting any gaps or cracks corrected prior to getting the primer coat on.

Yes. That is certainly looking good!

Thank You Mike. I appreciate you having a look.

Hey everyone. It's about time for a long overdue update. First off, I've decided on a scheme for my F4U-1D. Going to try my hand at a Montex mask set. The set is for a Corsair of VMF 512, USS Gilbert Island, 1945:

This will be my first try at painting an insignia from a mask. So, in the meantime, I've painted the ends of the wings and aft fuselage MM white in preparation for the masking of the markings and insignia. Sorry that my pics do a poor job of showing the white paint in contrast to the gray primer.

I've also used copper wire to simulate the brake lines and the ignition cables for the HVAR rockets. I have some PE wires for the rockets that call for them to run from the rocket into the wing just forward of the flaps. Yet, reference photos in by books show that they actually run into the back of the rear launch stub. Hence the copper wire. In addition, I've done some painting on the prop and just need to pain the hub. 

Thanks everyone for having a look at my progress and I hope to grace you all with more progress soon.

Regards, Joe

I'm glad to see an update out of this one Joe. All the details are looking good and I see what you were talking about with the rocket wires now. Good luck on painting the insignia. You're a braver man than I am that's for sure.

I've never used a mask system to replace decals.  I'm looking forward to this technique!

Toshi

Thank You Joe, Johnny and Toshi.

As far as "looking forward to it" I have to say that I'm more apprehensive than excited. It is indeed an interesting sequence involved with their masks. I do appreciate the support though.

Sweet looking scheme there Utah Joe! Good call with the masks. I've used only one Montex paint mask set before for a Japanese subject, but i've used their mini canopy masks sets lots of times, with good results. I just wish they came with some actual instructions or hints and tips for the markings part. Also, they seem to skimp on a few things, my mask set came with the fuselage numbers and Japanese Himonarous, but negleted the tail and fuselage stripes. Does your set come with some masks for the white fuselage stripes?

Thank You very much Nathan. This set does indeed come with strips of masking so one can do the fuselage and wing stripes. It provides decals for nose art and aircraft numbers as well as the insignia:

I found this tutorial on how to use Montex masks for various insignia:

http://www.montex-mask.com/en/tutorial-jak-malowac

It is quite helpful.

Hey Joe!

That's looking awesome. And painting on the markings is super ninja level stuff... Nice! I also love the added wire detail on the rockets.

Thanks for doing a WIP. I, for one, am really excited to see it come together.

-J

Thank You Johnny. And Thank You for dropping in and having a look. I appreciate that.

Looking forward to seeing the masks and how they work out. I've wanted to try them as well. Can't beat the painted on look!

Thanks Andy. Yeah, I'm getting antsy to find the time to sit down and start laying these puppies down. 

JOE RIX

And Thank You for dropping in and having a look. I appreciate that.

Of course! I'm so glad I did. I'm looking forward to seeing it progress.

Hi Ho Gang. I regret that I have laid idle on my Corsair for so long yet, the time has come to get this build moving along again. I've been distracted by life things and just experiencing a general "meh" attitude towards modeling. Not to mention that I've been rather remiss on my participation on the forums overall. High time to pull my dying fanny out of the funk. Now, the advantage to this hiatus is that it has allowed me to take a fresh look at what I'd done so far and thus, see flaws that I need to work on. So, recently I have been rescribing some panel lines and rivets and generally dressing up some seams with putty and sanding. In addition, I've opted to fore go the Montex masks. I performed some practice runs on some home made masks and realized that I need some more practice on their process to get acceptable results on the model itself. That's where the lack of motivation started. I recently acquired this Starfighter set that's got me going again:

Out of this set I'll be settling on one of these two:

I do hope that I'm able to finally get some paint on the Corsair this weekend. I appreciate everyone's patience and I'm quite excited to get back into this WIP with you all. I also look forward to getting back to being more active here on the forums. I have missed being involved with each and everyone of you.

Well, time to get rolling.

Cheers, Joe

First off , this whole "meh" thing's gotta go budro! Now let's see some recap pics of this thing and some bonafied progress.

Thought you'd enjoy this since you're a cat lover Joe. I know I did! lol

Welcome back JOE RIX!  I for am excited to see some progress at this point on your Corsair!

Toshi

mustang1989

First off , this whole "meh" thing's gotta go budro! Now let's see some recap pics of this thing and some bonafied progress.

 

Thought you'd enjoy this since you're a cat lover Joe. I know I did! lol

 

And the cat will never talk to you again.

Thatsoundslike the fun we have putting flea droips on our pair of moggy's.

Rix, good to see you back at this. Let the Gloss Sea Blue fly man! Keep practicing on those masks, and in the meantime, enjoy that Starfighter decal sheet. They are excellent quality and I can definately recommend them.

Thanks Joe and Toshi.

Yeah, I'm good Joe. I'm feeling duly inspired these days. I'll get some new pics up here soon. Now, concerning the whole cat washing thing. Fine in theory. Not so good in reality after coming home from the ER to assess how much remodeling to your home will now be required.

Hey Toshi, Yes it is good to get back into it. I greatly appreciate your encouragement. I've perused your P-38 and I'll be getting on there to administered some well deserved kudos.

Thank You Nathan. Always great to hear from you. That's exciting news concerning Srarfighter Decals. Funny, as I just ordered their Set for Naval Reserve Corsairs.

Hey Folks. Happy to report that inclimate weather bought me some overdue bench time. Thusly, I was able to to shoot the Corsair with it's paint job of MM dark sea blue. Now, to let that dry, take a nap and maybe tackle some work on the engine later. Thank You for having a look.

That is a very nice job you've done!  I love the color and how nice you've laid down the coat of paint.  What kind of AB did you use to spray the Corsair?  Thank you in advance.

Toshi

I too like that Dark Sea Blue. Is that the MM enamel? Looking forward to seeing more!

Andy & Toshi, I am very grateful for your kind and positive respones. I used my Badger 105 Patriot to shoot the MM enamel dark sea blue.

 I'm one who is a might partial to enamel paints. I have a suitable paint booth in my room that vents well enough to keep the fumes out of the house quite nicely. I'm quite sure of this as my wife has an uber sense of smell and if I can spray in the house without her complaining about the odor well, then I am good to go. I just appreciate the control I have with enamels and the ease with which they airbrush.

Thanks again.

Joe Rix!

I was wondering about this one. Congrats on overcoming the mehs! 

The dark sea blue looks great. I've always been a non-specular blue/sea grey or tricolor guy when it comes to USN/USMC WWII aircraft, but I've recently started coming around to the later war finishes. Those markings will look cool as well (though I'm personally slightly bummed you aren't going for painting them on... oh well).

Looking forward to the rest of this.

Cheers

-J

Got 'er done and it came out smoooth!!! Hellava job Joe. I was beginning to wonder there for a minute doncha know!

Thank you Very much Johnny & Joe. I very grateful to have you both respond with great encouragement.

Johnny: I completely agree as I'm a big fan of the tri color scheme. Yet, if I want build late and post war USN aircraft then I've got to grow an appreciation for the DSB scheme. Which I am in that one does not have to mask or be precise with an airbrush. One color, one coat and BOOM your done and moving on. Love it!

Joe: I regret that you had to wonder but, you are instrumental in keeping me in touch whilst I "mehhed" around. Thanks my good friend.

So... what happened? How'd it come out? (Or how's it coming?)

-J

Hey There Folks. I am way overdue on resurrecting my 1/72 Tamiya Corsair WIP. I regret that I have been rather inactive here. Other things, nothing bad mind you, have required my attention for the past few months. Unfortunately, I then just plain had a tough time getting the ole gumption back to build once I had the time for the bench. Then a couple of weeks ago some of the members of the Grand Junction, Co. Modelers Society accepted my invitation to make the 2 hr. drive to my home for a group build day. We all had one grand day sitting around building kits, talking shop and gorging on my wife's sandwiches & cookies. Needless to say, this was the jump start I needed to get back to the Corsair with renewed enthusiasm.

Johnny 1000: I am so sorry that somehow I missed your post from a month ago. Thank You for checking in and hopefully you will stop back by and follow along.

So, what happend? Well, I came to a screeching halt once the weather turned nice. So, what have I managed to get accomplished the past few days. First, I clear coated the main body with Alclad Aqua Gloss and it is now ready for some decals. Secondly, I have painted the engine, clear coated that with future, applied an oil wash, and then clear coated again with MM semi-gloss. I then drilled holes in the ignition harness in order to fit ignition wires. I've glued the sets of wires into the harness and now I just need to glue the engine parts together, trim the wires and bend them into the cylinder heads.

Thank You all for patiently hanging in there with me. I'll be seeing you all among the forums.

Now for some progress pics:

FYI, I am test driving postimage.org for a new photo hosting site in order to replace Photobucket. Seems to be working out well.

Hi Joe

So glad to see you back at it. It's looking really good. I just went back and reviewed the work along the way--this is going to be a really nice build with so many great little touches. 

Looking forward to seeing the next update.

-J

Nice to see you again sir.  Everything looks great as usual!

Toshi

It surely is nice to see you around, Joe.

Your Corsair looks good. The powerplant, at this stage, looks like a porcupine needing a barber.

How long did you let that oil wash dry before the next clear coat?

Thank You Johnny, Toshi and Greg. It's very encouraging to have your support. Again.

Greg: I waited a good 24 hrs plus (maybe 48+). That was not planned it's just when I found the time to get around to it.

Speaking of time, just when I get some momentum it's one small thing after another that demands my attention. Yes, mostly wife unit induced. But, no worries, I have plans to stay on it regardless.

Howdy stranger!!! Man this thing is gonna look TOPS when its finished Joe! The two Joe's I'll tell ya! Takin' our sweet  time building and loving every minute of it. 

Model on brutha!!! 

Thanks Joe. Means the world to me to have you chim in on my WIP.

mustang1989

Takin' our sweet  time building and loving every minute of it. 

LOL! LOL! Man isn't that the truth. We're just team Slow Mo Joe's. But, no doubt about enjoying the modeling regardless of how long it takes.

You look to be moving about as slow as me Joe! Great looking Corsair. That 1:72 stuff is too much for me. My hat's off to anybody that gets after it. The PE helps out a good deal too. I have a hard enough time with 1:48 PE, you must be looking to get cantonized a saint. lol. 

Dont rush a good thing. Looking forward to the end. =]

JOE RIX

Thanks Joe. Means the world to me to have you chim in on my WIP.

 

mustang1989

Takin' our sweet  time building and loving every minute of it. 

 

LOL! LOL! Man isn't that the truth. We're just team Slow Mo Joe's. But, no doubt about enjoying the modeling regardless of how long it takes.

 

I'll show you slow... ;)

-J

[quote user="JOE Rix

Speaking of time, just when I get some momentum it's one small thing after another that demands my attention. Yes, mostly wife unit induced. But, no worries, I have plans to stay on it regardless.

[/quote]

Lol, I know what you mean. I have been selected by the wife to install some flooring ASAP.

The Corsair is looking great! 

Johnny1000

 

 

JOE RIX

Thanks Joe. Means the world to me to have you chim in on my WIP.

 

mustang1989

Takin' our sweet  time building and loving every minute of it. 

 

LOL! LOL! Man isn't that the truth. We're just team Slow Mo Joe's. But, no doubt about enjoying the modeling regardless of how long it takes.

 

 

 

 

I'll show you slow... ;)

-J

 

[quote user="plasticjunkie"]

[quote user="JOE Rix

Speaking of time, just when I get some momentum it's one small thing after another that demands my attention. Yes, mostly wife unit induced. But, no worries, I have plans to stay on it regardless.

[/quote]

Lol, I know what you mean. I have been selected by the wife to install some flooring ASAP.

The Corsair is looking great! 

[/quote]Thank You PJ. Always great to get a good word from you.

Yup. Case in point. Woke up this morning with the wonderful thought in my head that I actually would have a couple of hours at the bench. But, no siree, I ended up building an outdoor turtle enclosure that we've had planned for quite some time. It amazes me how the wife unit can sense hours in advance that you might just have some extra time on your hands. LOL!

Joe,

You came over and made same very outlandish claims about my build, but Joe, you have blown my build out of the water. You have created another, of the many I have seen at FSM, outstanding builds.

The work you have done on your entire build todate is just excellent, I'm just annoyed I didnt look in early.

Well done!

Damian

[quote user="JOE RIX"]

[quote user="plasticjunkie"]

[quote user="JOE Rix

Speaking of time, just when I get some momentum it's one small thing after another that demands my attention. Yes, mostly wife unit induced. But, no worries, I have plans to stay on it regardless.

[/quote]

Lol, I know what you mean. I have been selected by the wife to install some flooring ASAP.

The Corsair is looking great! 

[/quote]Thank You PJ. Always great to get a good word from you.

Yup. Case in point. Woke up this morning with the wonderful thought in my head that I actually would have a couple of hours at the bench. But, no siree, I ended up building an outdoor turtle enclosure that we've had planned for quite some time. It amazes me how the wife unit can sense hours in advance that you might just have some extra time on your hands. LOL!

[/quote]

Its learnt at an early age. Apparently, they go off to top secret lessons on how to mess our lifes up.

Of course, you never heard me say that

Thank You Damian. It is indeed a real pleasure to have you drop by and have a look. I appreciate the very kind response. Please feel free to give me any honest feedback. I'm all about improving my skills.

Making some actual progress. Finished up the nice little RW2800 engine that comes with this kit. Hole for the wiring were drilled out with a #80 bit to start. This was a slow and tricky process to do along the narrow ignition harness. The cylinders were painted with MM oiled steel and the rest with MM dark ghost gray and black. I then brushed on a coat of Alclad aqua gloss, let dry and then applied an oil wash. I then installed the wiring with thin copper wire. These were then painted Tamiya metallic brown X-34 to darken them a bit and also to flatten the sheen. Thanks for checking in and having a look.

And for perspectives sake:

Noooooo!  No ignition wires on 1/72, not allowed!  Noooooooo!

jeaton01

Noooooo!  No ignition wires on 1/72, not allowed!  Noooooooo!

 

The tears are evidence of my modeling mediocrity as exposed by your efforts!

Well done Joe, I really like the work you did on wiring the motor.

Keep up the great work.

Wow, great job on that Engine in that scale!

Toshi

No worries John. I followed you!! =] I was thinking the same thing while shaking my head. ...and at 1:72 too. Damn ambitious Joe. Looks like she's coming along. Paint looks beautiful. =]

jeaton01

The tears are evidence of my modeling mediocrity as exposed by your efforts!

 

Damian - Thank you very much. Really glad to have you drop in. I'm excited to see your next bit of progress on your Corsair.

Toshi - I always appreciate having you drop in and give me your input. I'm a bit over due for checking on your progress. I'll be by. Thank You.

Bvallot - Thank you for taking the time to stop in and give your kind praise. Said ambition does require time and patience. Sometimes it can get a bit frustrating as progress is slow at times and as such I get a little antsy. I just take the time to walk away for a short while and regather myself. Thanks again.

I had pretty much the same reaction of John when I saw the comparison with quarter pic and re-realized this is 1/72.

That's some stellar work, Joe. I know I've seen this before in 72nd from you, but time passes and I forget.......

Why Hey Greg! It is indeed wonderful to have you tune in. Not to mention just darn good to hear from you.

Thank You for the compliments. Yeah, you get inactive for a while and you find that you got some catchin' up to do. Like reminding everyone what you've been working on. Lol! And that's on me.

Always good to hear from you my friend.

Came to check it out as promised Joe. Another bar setter man. Love the detail on such small scale.

Thanks Joe. I'm quite thrilled to always have your input and encouragement. Means the world to me. 

Speaking as a relative neophyte, it looks totally great!

What made you pick this particular Tamiya Corsair? Just curious, current dilemma and I only want to order one.

Bender 80

What made you pick this particular Tamiya Corsair? Just curious, current dilemma and I only want to order one.

Thank you Bender. I appreciate the positive feedback.

If you mean by what made me pick this particular kit, then it is because the Tamiya 1/72 Corsair is by far the best of all the 1/72 kits available. It is the most accurate, best detailed and the most well engineered. It is an absolute dream to build. Academy & Hasegawa make nice Corsairs themselves that build up right nicely but, the Tamiya is in it's own league. You will love it and I do hope you share your Corsair build with us.

Cheers, Joe

JOE RIX

 

 

Bender 80

What made you pick this particular Tamiya Corsair? Just curious, current dilemma and I only want to order one.

 

 

Thank you Bender. I appreciate the positive feedback.

If you mean by what made me pick this particular kit, then it is because the Tamiya 1/72 Corsair is by far the best of all the 1/72 kits available. It is the most accurate, best detailed and the most well engineered. It is an absolute dream to build. Academy & Hasegawa make nice Corsairs themselves that build up right nicely but, the Tamiya is in it's own league. You will love it and I do hope you share your Corsair build with us.

Cheers, Joe

 

Hi Joe, 

Thanks for the reply. What I was really trying to get at was why the -1D over the -1A or the -1 Birdcage, among the Tamiya offerings? Thanks!

Bender 80

 

 

JOE RIX

 

 

Bender 80

What made you pick this particular Tamiya Corsair? Just curious, current dilemma and I only want to order one.

 

 

Thank you Bender. I appreciate the positive feedback.

If you mean by what made me pick this particular kit, then it is because the Tamiya 1/72 Corsair is by far the best of all the 1/72 kits available. It is the most accurate, best detailed and the most well engineered. It is an absolute dream to build. Academy & Hasegawa make nice Corsairs themselves that build up right nicely but, the Tamiya is in it's own league. You will love it and I do hope you share your Corsair build with us.

Cheers, Joe

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Joe, 

Thanks for the reply. What I was really trying to get at was why the -1D over the -1A or the -1 Birdcage, among the Tamiya offerings? Thanks!

 

Thanks Joe. And I'm with you, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on I like the look of the -1D a lot more too. Might just have to build one.

Thanks again for the replies, as someone just returning to the hobby after years away this sort of engagement means a lot.

Bender 80

Thanks again for the replies, as someone just returning to the hobby after years away this sort of engagement means a lot.

You're welcome. It is absolutely my pleasure to help you out in any way. Please feel free to ask any questions, any time. Really glad to hear that you are returning to the hobby. You have certainly found the right place here on the forums to find an endless source of very talented and helpful folks.

UGH!! It is mind boggling to me that it has been 4 months since I've done anything note worthy on my Corsair. Where on earth does the time go? But, alas, I'm still plugging away at it and bent on finishing it. I just got all the decals on.

These are for the F4U-1D of VF-83 USS Essex flown by Capt. G.H. Wallace. They are from the Starfighter set:

I'm not completely impressed with them. They took a few shots of Solvaset to get to lay down. But, they do have some sweet subjects and schemes so, they are acceptable.

Thanks for hanging with me everyone.

Cheers, Joe

Looks really nice with those markings. I am not so keen on that late war scheme, i much prefer the earlier 3 colour one, but those markings really do liven it up.

The white seems to have gone down well on the dark background.

Joe

Great to see an update--it's looking splendid. 

Cheers

-J

Looking really good Joe! I've seen those Starfighter decals aroud but have shied away from them as I wasn't sure how they'd go down. As you said they do have some nice schemes. 

Decals! Cool!

Good to see you still at it, Joe.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

Bish: I agree about the all dark sea blue. But, as you noted, some of the markings you'll find definitely jazz them up a bit. The white decals did indeed cover fairly well with only a tad of opaqueness. 

Greg

Decals! Cool!

Good to see you still at it, Joe.

 

 

Good to see this one back out and some progress being made on it Joe. Decals are lookin' fantastic there my brutha!

Impeccable!  The blue paint scheme being offset by the white decals looks fantastic.  I couldn’t have built a better Corsair than that.  I envy you.  Great job sir!

Toshi

Thank You very much Joe & Toshi.

Thanks TJ. It's just 4 1/2" PVC tees unmounted so I can move them around for whatever I'm working on. I've fiddled with several variations. The things you find to do on down time while working in a hardware store. Lol.