Hi all,
Here's my latest. I did a buddy build with a friend using the 1980s Fujimi kit - he built the D4Y-2 inline engine version, and I built the D4Y-3 radial.
The interior is very basic, because very little of it can be seen beneath the THIRTY THREE PANES OF CANOPY GLASS THAT I INDIVIDUALLY CUT MASKS FOR, not that it was frustrating in any way. I did add seat harnesses from kabuki tape, but that's about it.
Other added details include the antenna, wiring for the engine, brake lines and clamps for the landing gear, and scratchbuilding the faired-in nav light on the tail.
The kit has extemely fine recessed detail, and while it generally fits well, it ain't modern Tamiya quality. I ended up rescribing a LOT of the lines on this kit because they were easily obliterated by sanding. The kit was also molded in a shade of Nuclear Meltdown Orange that required a lot of paint to cover properly, which led to more filling in of the tiny, tiny panel lines.
The orange paint job was done by mixing together a couple different shades of Gunze acrylics in different ratios. The orange paint was very translucent and absolutely required a strong undercoat of white. This made touchups a bear, and I think by the time I finished I had basically painted the whole model about three times. The black was done the same way - it's a mix of Tamiya Royal Blue and Satin Black, mixed in different ratios and layered on. The black, at least, was far more forgiving to work with.
The national insignia is masked and painted - I bought a compass cutter and tried it out for the first time with this project. The wing insignia is too large - I used the kit decals as a guide for my masks, and - surprise, surprise! - they were wrong. I didn't have the heart to go back and repaint them once I realized my mistake. The oversized white border on the fuselage insignia is copied from a photo. The tail codes and data placard are the 33-year-old kit decals.
After paint, I weathered the model with Mig Ammo washes, pigments, and fuel/oil staining effects. I was going for a plane operated of a sod field. I overdid it a bit, but it was my first time using a lot of these products.
Despite its warts, I like the finished product - it's certainly the brightest model in the display case!
Feel free to fire away with any comments or criticisms!
