1945 GB

Thanks Joe Rix: I did paint the tools prior to gluing them on, my last Sherman I glued them on first to the hull then painted them. Don't think I'll ever do that again. I did use CA to on the painted tools. Nice work on your P-47, the inside looks great. Those Eduard and Tamiya kits are frustration free. A few years back I built Tamiya's 1/48 Bf 109 E-3 for the Battle of Britain build, it went together flawless.

Thanks BrandonK. This is my third or forth piece of armor, think I'm getting the hang of post shading.

Thanks Bish & Stikpusher.

I have both track sides glued up, and airbrushed the extra link.  They are flexable but stiff in some links.

As amazing as it may seem. I actually did something today. It has been 6 months since I touched a mode . So...sprayed the RLM 83 on today. John

Bish: Those flexable tracks are for my M4A3E8 Sherman, the Instructions don't say what type they are but I think they the T66 type.

John:  Great paint job on your Fw 109.

I dry fitted on the T66 tracks again, with the idler wheel being adjustable you can put in or take away slack in the tracks. These are the five crew figures I'll be using. I plan to glue on the remaining parts then touch up the need be areas after. These maybe the best looking tracks I've put together.

TempestJohnny - I love the paintwork on the Dora. Great job so far!

Dan - That Sherman looks great. I remember that set of figures. I had them as a kid, but never painted them. I believe I still have them in a box here with about 100+ others. If I ever get back into armor... Anyway, I like the way this is headed.

-BD-

Dan, she looks great. I thought it looked good before, but now with tracks is looks awesome. Looking forward to seeing the figures come to life.

BK

TJ, she looks good. Looking forward to seeing more pics of this build.

BK

Hey Dan, Thanks for the encouraging words on my P-47. Your tracks really look excellent and your figures will certainly add to the the overall build. I have yet to complete an armor build but, I have a Tiger I started and I planned on adding the tools on after painting. For me it would seem daunting to detail paint with them already attached. Great work.

TJ: Very glad to see you back at the bench and to having you join us here. Boy, you sure get back into it with a bang. Sweet paint work on the D-9. Really well done.

I have the fuselage halves glued together on the P-47. Now, down to some putty and sanding work.

Really glad to see some active and excellent building going on here. I get the impression that other GB's are bogging down a bit. Great work everyone.

Thanks for the info on the tracks Dan, they do look nice, as does the whole Sherman.

And thanks for all the work guys. As Joe mentions, many of the other GB's are flagging a bit for what ever reason. But you guys are keeping this one going. The host can only do so much, its those who join who really make or break a GB.

Alrighty then, I've finally completed all the decalling and it came out great. The decals from the kit are superb, no issues at all. They went down where I wanted and sank into the detail very well. I could not have asked for better.

Now on to the small stuff. Detail work on the engine and landing gear. Clear coat and pin wash, exhaust stains, antenna wire and some odds and ends. It's starting to look pretty good.

BK

Brandon: Starting to look pretty good? Son, that there is some top flight modeling. In fact it looks pretty darn awesome to me.

Bish: Hey, You've perked my curiosity. I know of your passion for luftwaffe aircraft but, what exactly is it about RAF aircraft that doesn't quite make your cake rise?

Time for some more updates from my corner of the bench. Got the fuselage glued together. I didn't get the mating surfaces aligned perfectly so a bit of Mr. Surfacer 500 and Perfect Plastic Putty was required along with some careful sanding to avoid eliminating detail. The one issue I have with this kit is the molding of seperate fillets for the upper fuselage/tail section in order to to build different models of the same plane. I understand the thinking of the manufacturer in that this facilitates not having to make an entirely seperate mold. Yet, it sure makes getting the fit right rather challenging. You also find this on the Hasegawa Typhoon and their P-40 line. In the case of my P-47, I glued the sections onto each fuselage half seperately prior to gluing the halves together. This still left a small gap when I joined the halves. This I filled with Perfect Plastic Putty which is the first time I've tried this product. Fairly pleased with it as it's water based and easy to smooth out with a damp cloth.

With that said, after the initial putty and sanding treatment I break out my trusty Testors silver paint pen and run a line of paint along the seams to reveal any flaws that need to be addressed. Overall, my first go around worked well with just a couple of spots that need to be redressed.

Here's a couple of pics of the PE work I've done so far on the gear bays. There will be some more added but that will come after I've mounted some of the landing gear components.

Thanks for having a look gents.

The PE rivit detail really adds a nice touch. Love the Jug, nice work.

BK

JOE RIX

 

Bish: Hey, You've perked my curiosity. I know of your passion for luftwaffe aircraft but, what exactly is it about RAF aircraft that doesn't quite make your cake rise?

 

I honestly don't know. I have always been interested in the Germans when it comes to WW2, not just in the models but the vast majority of my reading material is WW2 books about the Germans. I think when it comes to the models, the variety of the schemes and markings makes the German stuff stand out more that the British.

I do have some RAF builds, but thats mainly because of a project i have to build aircrfat from the airfields of my home county of Norfolk, so its not really the subjct themselves that interest me.

Its really hard to explanin, i guess i come across like a typical German fanboy, but i hope i ain't as blinkered as many of them.

Thanks BK and Bish.

That's a good enough explanation for me Bish. I certainly have some interests and disinterests in certain subjects that I just can't quite put my thumb on. I share your reading interest. Although my favorite reading is anything PTO, I really enjoy reading about the Germans efforts during the war.

Glad I could introduce you to a helpful tip. The silver definitely is effective in revealing any slight flaws. It is then doubly effective when you lightly sand away the paint due to the fact that the silver paint remains in any cracks or crevices and is quite visible where to putty and sand.

Bish,

The Germans definatly made things interesting on many fronts. I can see why you enjoy exploring them. I however, am just in love with all planes military. I don't seem to have any one favorite over any other. I just want to build as many as I can. It seems that every single kit I see I want, no matter the scheme or country. Lately I've had a serious desire to build some modern jets, like the ones I built nearly 30 years ago. So, I've been buying up a bunch of the more famous jets and will fit some of those in also. I'm gonna call this my styrene "crack" addiction. I just can't help it.

BK

Was able to start decaling today. 

At this point I am calling my F6F MkII complete. 

I worked on the weathing and painted the exhaust stains. I added the shots with the cowl off so you can see how great the OOB engine looks. One could add more wiring to it but I didn't feel like it, it looks fine as is. 

I completed the final assembly and I have to say I am very happy with the kit overall. Sure, its got some spots I'd like to revisit but I can live with it. This kit is very much on the list for buying more, what a complete pleasure it was to work with. Get one guys, you won't be sorry. Here are the final shots. Thanks for looking.

BK

TJ: The D-9 is looking sharp in it's decals. Nice work. Are the Reich Defense bands decals or are they painted on?

BK: Now, that is one fantastic looking Hellcat. I love it. Everything looks sharp and clean and the subtle weathering is not only effective but, extremely well done. What did you use for the aerial wire? Give yourself a healthy pat on the back for a job well done. Bravo! By the way. you mentioned a recent interest in jets. I've been afflicated by the same desire. Lately I've found myself acquiring a handful of USN jet kits and accompanying reference books.

Bish: Actaully, yes, silver is indeed necessary. Silver or any natural metal paint has the nature of amplifying even the smallest of blemishes. Thus, the need to have an absolutely smooth surface when applying an NMF. Sorry, if you were already aware of that. I will be more than happy to send you one of these pens.

JOE RIX

 

Bish: Actaully, yes, silver is indeed necessary. Silver or any natural metal paint has the nature of amplifying even the smallest of blemishes. Thus, the need to have an absolutely smooth surface when applying an NMF. Sorry, if you were already aware of that. I will be more than happy to send you one of these pens.

 

Ye, good point. I knew about haveing a smooth surface when useing Alclad, but i thought that was to avoid exposing the undercoat when polishing, a lesson i learned thehard way. I did not realise silver on its own had this effect. Going to reply to your PM now.

JR,

I use fishing line for the antenna wires. It starts clear, but using a large permanent marker I pin the line down and drag it out from under the marker a couple of times and that makes it permanently black. Then using crystal clear white glue I set the front mast and let it dry, trim it off, then I pull the line carefully over a drop of white glue on the rear mast. The trick is to get the line to just rest on top of the mast and dab of glue. I use a small clothes line pin to add some weight to the end of the line so it pulls is straight, not necessarily tight. Let the glue dry and clip off the end. Once this is done I paint the ends of the line with light ghost grey paint for insulators, done and done. 

WIth regard to the jets: I've been buying mostly US naval planes and AF planes. I have some Soviet stuff also and I'm trying to find a reasonably priced Frogfoot in 1/48. I have about 50 kits in the stash, all 1/48, so I have more than enough to keep me busy for some time in the future. But, I still buy more and more. I can't help it.

BK

Will Jack be making another alternate badge for the 1946 GB? And also, when will the 1946 GB start? I'm planning on starting a 45.02 (P) H or a Waffentrager sometime in late Nov.-Dec or the beggining of next year.