African Group Build - The Official Thread

taxtp

Hi,

Is the Suez campaign African enough ?

If so, F4U-7, 1/72 in French Suez markings.

Cheers

Tony

It's Aliiiiiiiiiive!! This hasn't been bouncing around the first page in so long I'd forgotten it was still active. Can we somehow find a way to blame that on the site re-organization??

Suez Crisis is certainly African enough for me. GO!!!

Since it's going again I will post pix of my 1/72 Hobbyboss MiL 24 Hind I am doing in either Angolan or Mozambique AF sceeme.  :-)

Might even add a 1/72 Italeri SAAF grippen crossover from another GB.

Theuns

Well it's not really "going again" - it just kinda slipped off the active topics list. The original post advertised "Runs October 1st 2011 - October 1st (ish) 2012", so, uhh, I guess it is still going!

Here is my Hobbyboss 1/72 MiL 25Hind. It will be Angolan or Mozambique AF collours.

Cockpit....

Starting to look almost like a MiL....

Theuns

I'll be keen to see that Theuns.

I just bought some glossy sea blue and interior green for my Corsair today, so that I'm ready once I start. has anyone had a look at Gunze Interior Green (H58). It doesn't look right to me. I'll try it and if I don't like, I'll rinse it off and paint it with trusty old Humbrol.

I usually go for MM Glossy Sea blue, which has a colour that I like, however, in keeping with my general trend towards acrylics, I've bought the same in Gunze. I'll let you know what I think.

Cheers

Tony

Theuns - love the look of the Hind, and looking forward to seeing it in African colours. I'm generally not a helicopter builder, but had a shot at picking up Italeri's kit, regretted not doing it, went back & she was already gone. Ahhh well, next time! (I did pick up their Mi-8 / Mi-17 Hip though)

taxtp - let us know how you like the Gunze stuff after switching from enamels. I'm in "no moans land" with my paint right now. Traditionally used ModelMaster & Humbrol enamels but had just started switching to Tamiya acrylics when the LHS I was buying them from closed up. Love the Tamiya in an airbrush, despise brushing it by hand. Trying out some Vallejo now, brushes quite well but have yet to run it through an airbrush.

MilitaryAircraft101 - in keeping with the tradition of many African conflicts over the years… I declare a coup!  No problem to take up the reins on this one for you. Make sure you keep an eye on us from time to time.

Good call VC - I'm keen to rejuvinate this GB - have lots of subject matter in my stash as I'm sure Theuns has!

I'm in same paint scenario VC taxtp - although just picked up pile of Testors/MM enamels at half price - like Vellejo but difficult getting these & AB thinners / cleaner locally at decent prices

Here's some pics of my latest SAAF effort - Avro Shackleton 1/72 from Chematic/Frog mould - pretty old & worn but fairly accurate - required some scratch building - still some finishing touches required, mainly the clear parts

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i1234.photobucket.com/.../DSC_0777.jpg

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Great job from an ancient kit, Needbeer. That must have taken a lot of effort to get it up to that standard. It looks good on the stand too.

Cheers

Tony

Nice job on the Shackleton. Either FlyPast or Classic Aviation had a feature on SAAF Shackletons within the past year I think. Very nice looking markings.

hmmmm - Just realized this one is on the go until October. Meaning I could double up with the French GB, I've got a couple of Heller kits that can be built up with yellow+red Vichy French striping.

Here is my Mil 24 in Angolan AF sceeme. I am just waiting on AM decals for it

I also need to do some painting of things like antenas radar and exhausts.

I will also enter these other builds.

a.1/48 Hobbyboss Mirage 3cz in SAAF early deliviry sceeme.

Cockpit of Mirage with resin MB Mk.4 bang seat

b. 1/72 Airfix AS 330 Puma also in SAAF sceeme

And although this next MiG 17 is not part of the GB you might be interested in the build.

1/32 MiG od Lt. Adreano Bomba who defected to the RSA with it in the 80's, also awaiting decals.

Theuns

Geez Theuns, you get through them quick. I find your choices of subject interesting.

Cheers

Tony

I love the not-so-typical machines as well. Nice-looking seat in that Mirage Theuns!

Thanx guys. I am a selfemployed aircraft rebuilder and sometimes I have allot of time imbetween contracts so then I build like mad to keep me from thinking that there is no $ comming in till the next job :-(

Here is the latest on my Puma. The cowls inside are very crudely painted, but very little will be visable anyway.

My first ever helo flight was in the back of one of these during my basic airforce training ,so I have a special place for it. Also O fhing the French got the look of this one just right!

Theuns

~insert shameless BUMP here!~

Alrighty Vance, I'll bite...

I am building the Italeri 1/72 F4U-7 for this GB, in French Suez Crisis markings. Tonight I've clipped all the parts off the sprues and done the basic cleanup or mold lines, ejection pin marks and sink marks. I've also drilled out the attachment holes for the ten rockets that mount under the wing, and drilled out the spent cartridge ejection chutes which are molded very shallow.

To clear out the ejection chutes, I usually drill out as much as I can, then use an Exacto knofe to cut out in between the drill holes. Final clean up is with a strip of wet and dry paper cut and folded to shape.

I'd be interested to hear how others do it, especially the final sanding.Do you have files that fit the chutes ? I have a lot of small files, but nothing suitable for this.

Not worth a pic tonight, maybe next time though.

Cheers

Tony

Sounds like my process for clearing out various chutes & holes, classic woodworking technique. I generally try to do as much as I can with the Exacto knife & don't go too heavy with the sandpaper - at some point (in 1/72 anyway), only you will know how much work has happened in there!

I said before that it's not worth a photo, and this will prove it. Just clearing out the chutes and lining the inside of the wing with plastic card has tripled the depth of them, and will enable them to look sufficiently deep.

Cheers

Tony

Howzit guys?

Tony I built that same Corsair (in Marines sceeme) earlier this year and it is a really nice little kit, only hassle is that on mine the decals fell apart in the water.

I have been batling all day yesterday with the front canopy on my Puma. It needs allot of work to get it to seat well, lots of filling and sanding to be done. This needless to say removes the rivets tha I then need to replace !

Theuns

The SAAF used different sponsons and I had to mod the round ones.

Theuns

taxtp, theuns - nice attention to the details!  I like seeing little things like that done to improve the final product.

Hi Theuns

Replacing rivets sounds  about as much fun to me as water boarding. I'll be keen to see how you do it, as I'm sure I'm going to bump into it again one day soon. I think when someone starts a new GB, I'm going to have to try and find a helo. I've seen anumber around lately on here that have fired me up.

Cheers

Tony

Found some time to work on the Corsair tonight, here's the result.

Added some framing to the cockpit, It's curiously truncated as thats where the cockpit tub meets the sides. It's just getting a coat of green zinc chromate now. The silver blobs are where I tried to mark the fuselage for where the tub would meet it.

Started priming the Wright Cyclone R2800. They only give you one row of a two row engine, and not much detail on the crank case. It's probably a good candidate for an aftermarket resin replacement, but then you have to move the firewall too. I might just add some detail, I might not, haven't decided. Painted silver, ready for some detail painting and washes.

Cockpit tub, just added a front rim to the seat so far, belts and stuff to come.

I joined the upper and lower wings. The upper wing has a deformity at the leading edge which will be dealt with in due course. It could have been worse I guess, should be simple enough to fix.

That's it for now.

Cheers

Tony

Tony, that wing join is a little gappy isn't it! Nothing a little styrene or putty can't fix though.

I have been working on the Puma's canopy as the fit is really not good. I eventually managed to get it acceptable....I think.

These pix of it before sanding

Mirage wings on...

Theuns

ahhhh - glass on a chopper! Isn't that the most fun part??? Man, that Mirage is pointy on every corner possible isn't it?!? Shaping up nicely.

Progress update  on the F4U-7. More work on the cockpit, although I'm not done yet, and the prop and wheel wells.

Cheers

Tony

Another update on the Corsair...

Cheers

Tony

Looking good Tony!