50th Anniversary Vietnam War Group Build

Well here is the progress that I have been nickle and diming on my 113 this past week or so...

first up the machine guns. I am gonna replace the Italeri .30 cal that I had pulled out of the spares bin with a better one from the Academy US Machine Guns set, as well as the kit's .50

here some shots of those

both Academy MGs

Academy vs kit .50

close up of the Academy .50

Academy vs Italeri .30

Academy .30

modified drivers compartment with styrene added to fill a gap

modified inner face of the cupola. I filed gaps in the rotator ring to make it match up with the periscopes

and the cupola with the Academy .50 in place

engine deck with screen mesh added over intake and exhaust grills

and with engine exhaust and access hatch added

more to come soon...

Ah well, problem solved then LOL.

Theuns

Those Academy guns look pretty good.  I can't remember who talked me into buying a few for my LCVP in the Longest Day GB...

silentbob33

Those Academy guns look pretty good.  I can't remember who talked me into buying a few for my LCVP in the Longest Day GB...

A quick simple update for my 113 today. Lots of rummaging thru my spares bines turned up some stuff to bush up the drivers compartment. An instrument panel (from an AFV Club YPR kit) mounted on something from a Tamiya kit to represent the angle of the mounting box, some boxes that vaguely look like what I recall being down there from a Tamiya M60A3, a periscope from a Tasca Sherman to represent the IR periscope stowed there, and the radio that I selected earlier in the project...

Now it's ready for paint!

Lookin' good Stik!!

Wow! You guys are just cranking out some fine details to your builds. I don't want to leave anyone out cause too many to list but fantastic job on those cockpits, planes and  AFV's.

Here's another update on my Invader. I added another missing detail on the right side of the fuselage which is a small hatch door, hinges and the door handle. The vertical lines were scribed and the hinges and handle are stretched sprue cut to size then glued with slow CA applied with a toothpick.

before...........

and after........

The engines were painted metallic silver and given a black wash to pop details.

Engines and canopy are in place and secured

I recently read on one of the threads here in FSM about the wonders of "Perfect Plastic Putty" made by Deluxe Materials in the UK. This stuff is fantastic. It spreads very easily and sands extra smooth with super fine sticks producing an ultra fine surface.

I ran a Q Tip moistened with rubbing alcohol over the seams to check for defects. The alcohol lets you see while wet and glossy if any imperfections are visible. I then applied the Perfect Plastic Putty product over the suspected areas and let it dry over night. The directions said 20 minutes but bedtime was close.

The putty doesn't shrink and sands very easily with little pressure on the sanding stick. It took care of a couple of dips at the joins. Any missing lines were restored with the UMM Scriber, another life saver.

I even discovered a small dip on one of the tanks but the plastic putty took care of it.

Just when I think I'm getting ready for paint, I discover another missing detail. More to come.

Nice work PJ. That putty looks interesting, is that new, I have not heard of it before.

PJ, your -26 is coming along beautifully! I like the sound of that putty product. Anybody know if there is anything like it available here is the USA?

Bish

Thanks, This stuff is made in the UK so it should be fairly easy for you to get.

Stik

Thanks. This is a UK made product.   I tried to locate a US distributor with negative results but I was very surprised when I saw it hanging in the paint section at my Hobby Shop here in Orlando Florida. Great stuff.

Stik, I just remembered that it's available at Amazon.

Got some work done today on the F-4. Not much to photograph. Got the engines mounted and rear stabs. Also masked off cockpit area as I"m installing the canopies last this time as they will be open. Hopefully get the primer coat down tomorrow nite, but, may have to work late. We'll see.

I finished painting the SEA camo on the Phantom.  I'm pretty pleased with the results, despite some airbrush problems and some touch-ups here and there.  Now on to the wheel wells...

Nice looking SEA camo Bob! Nicely masked Radome too.

Great cam, bob..now I'm gonna be 'pained' for not going that way with my Phantom..looks great!!

Thanks Rob!  It took me the better part of a week to get it just right

Thanks PJ, I will see if I can find it. I might try and pop into my LHS this weekend.

Bob, great work on the camo. How did you get that radome masks so well.

Thanks Bish.  I very carefully lined up one edge of blue painter's tape along the raised panel line for the radome and burnished it down with the other end of a paintbrush.  Then I just layered on more painter's tape until the entire radome was covered.  It took me a couple of attempts to get it just right.

Well today I was able to get a coat of Tamiya White Surface Primer over the interior areas of my 113 that will be white, between my morning routine and going to work. Tomorrow I ought to be able to get the top coat completed in there and get it ready for detail painting.  I'll get some photos up once the actual white is on in there.

Great job Bob. The camo looks

Thanks PJ!

Just some small progress on my 113 so far

Tamiya White surface primer on interior surfaces

followed by a coat of Tamiya Flat White then a top coat of Gloss White.

Stik..is the Tamiya from the rattle can?

No, it's all bottle stuff airbrushed on. I am not a rattle can user...

Ah, ok.

Looking very good stik.

I'm not a rattle can fan either as it tends to lay too much paint out. However, Tamiya cans are pretty decent at spraying a good smooth coat.

Thanks PJ. I used some Tamiya rattle can paint on a project last year. Some of their Olive Drab 2 stuff for Russian armor. The color itself was great, but the paint came out in typical spray can fashion. It was old, because I had owned the can for years and never used it, so that may have been a contributing factor to the application. But I was not favorably impressed. I need to have a go at decanting the stuff, because I really like that color for Soviet AFVs and they do not make it in their bottle paint line.

Stik,

I use a thick oversized drinking straw from Burger King to decant. It works out pretty well.