Trainer GB 2014 #CLOSED#

some new aerials made from plasticard, not exactly a work of art but better than the plastic lumps that come with the kit.

and one of my favourite bits, the decaling has started. The xtradecals are nice , they react well to microsol and microset and are reasonably tear resistant. i couldnt quite get them to match up but thats probably my fault not theirs.

That's one cool looking color scheme, Misty! Perfectly executed as well!

Wow, that looks stunning! I would never even have attempted such large decals, well done!

Weather here still not good enough for painting, so all my builds are on hold :-(

Theuns

Hey Theuns, I'm afraid i have to drop out of this one. The P-47s won't get to me in time, so I'm definitely not able to complete within the time frame (or even near it)... I'm still going to comment on the wonderful builds in here though.

Hey SS, I am sorry to hear you dropping out mate. I understand, no worries.

I will keep you on the roster in the meantime, maybe you "score" some time somewhere :-)

No pressure though.

Theuns

the decal i was worried most about is on, and thankfully is about 95% ok. it took about an hour and a half of microset, hot cotton buds and a two of surreptitious incisions with a scalpel to get it in place. these decals are amazingly resiliant and go down well with a lot of persuasion.

and a closer look

That's sharp!  Those markings look smart and you've done a great job on 'em!

-O

The Hawk is really going to be a sharp looking model, nice work!

There are a few details the camera is telling me to go back and clean up a little, but the Stearman is complete.  I'm so happy Revell has chosen to make such a nice kit of the airplane, and I see more of them in my future, Navy one in yellow, maybe an all aluminum Army airplane, and certainly a duster. So many possibilities.  I added javelins to the flying wires made from .020 plastic rod.  The flying wires are an elastic thread from Wing Nut Wings, with just a little copper paint to represent the clevises at the ends that had them.  A pitot tube was made of .015 music wire and attached to the left N strut.  Fuel lines are .032 safety wire, and the fuel sight gauge is fiber optic filament.

I left the right cowl loose to show off the firewall detail, it's a bit of a loose fit and to get the best fit it would be better to permanently attach the cowl parts.  The engine mount is just trapped in between the engine and firewall.  There is normally a gap at the bottom of the two side cowl panels on the Stearman so don't try to get rid of that.  This kit is really a great compromise between having detail and being easy to build.  You can go either way easily, simple or detailed, and a real modeler could go much farther with it than I have.  Are you listening, John Vojtech?

Someone was asking how the Stearman compared in size to perhaps the Spitfire, so the last photo has the Tamiya Mk I Spitfire, and the ProModeler P-47N.  The Stearman was not a small airplane.

Thanks for the  kind comments John and "O", theres plenty of time left to mess it up :-)

I do love the colours on the stearman, its a real looker

Exelent work all round guys!

I am rather "green with envy" that I can't build in this weather:-(

John, can I put a pic on the front page yet ?

Theuns

Misty - good job on that huge marking.   I think that is the first time I've ever seen a decal over the landing gear bay - did you have to trim that area out?

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John - excellent work with the Stearman, and good comparison shot with the other aircraft types.    Have you a lighter background to take the photos with?   That deep tropical blue is really fighting for attention, and takes a lot of 'umph' away from your handiwork.

regards,

Jack

Thanks, Jack.  I just bought that paper today and I am struggling to find a lighter blue.  I can't find a cloth that doesn't have too much texture.  Color me frustrated.

Yes, Theuns, take your pick, it's done.

Thanks, Misty.

Jack - yup it comes as one big decal.. wasnt hard to cut the bays out, was harder to get it down in between the intakes and fuselage though.

John, that's a nice lookin' Stearman.  Great build!

Thanks, Omar.

Decaling done, clearcoat on, and cockpit unmasked and finished. havent decided if i am going to try and polish it up a bit yet.

Stop now, it's perfect!  The black finish looks very nice.

Looks great to me!

*sigh*  

Why do these things happen to me?  

I finally got the courage to cut out my first vac canopy, and I did a pretty good job too, but then Hardwood Floor Monster steals part of it.  Yep, you read that right.  The Hardwood Monster ate one of the three sections of the canopy.  

I already bought one canopy, now I have to buy a second.  I don't have a much of a modeling budget and now replacement parts are costing me more than the kit itself!  Ugh.  

Maybe I'll get moving on the Corsair while I decide what to do with the SNJ.

Cheers!

-O

Oh, and Misty, your Hawk looks awesome!

Bummer Omar.  They didn't include a spare?  Rather than spend more money, why not make do with the kit parts?  If it bugs you that much, you can always replace it at a later date when money is more plentiful.  Speaking of saving some money, I'd like to change my build.  I forgot I scavenged pieces out of my spare kit to fix a mistake on one that's under construction.  So rather than buy a new kit, I'd like to build one I've already got.  Revell Germany's reissue of Matchbox's T-2C Buckeye in 1/72.  Nice work on the T-38 and Stearman John.

Hey lewbud,

Using the kit part might be an option.  I originally bought the vac replacement because the kits parts were old, thick, and cloudy.  I may just have to use it as a temporary fix.  Ebay has a few vac canopies on sale for a small discount.  I'll keep my eye on 'em.

-O

Misty: The finish looks perfect to me. Very nicely done!

The monster ate my whole clear parts sprue, omar,  so i know how you feel buddy.

That's bad luck Omar. The floor monster owes me a Chipmunk wheel too, Think I'll have to go through the vacuum cleaner crud.

Really nice work on the Stearman John. It has come up really well.

That's a great decalling job on the Hawk Misty. I don't think I'd polish it personally, and it looks terrific.

Theuns, I hope this is the scheme you wanted.

And another Canadian one that might get sprayed today.

That chippy brings back many pleasant memories of my flight training :-D

As for the PT-20, the weather here seems a little better so I sprayed the fuse normal hunbrol 56 alluminium. I was not in the mood to try and re-do Alclad if I messed up.

Although no where near how I wanted it I will just leave it and do final assembly as soon as the paint cures.

Pix to follow.

Theuns

'Tis done.When i looked in the box i didnt think much of it, but with an AM pit and wheelwells it hasnt come out too bad.The lighting kit is a bit of fun too.

That came our real nice, John.  It's so hard to get a black finish to look that nice, especially when you have to handle it so much with that much decaling.

Agreed, that Hawk trainer is very cool, nicely done!

regards,

Jack