Battle of Midway Group Build, 3 June, 2017 - 7 June, 2018

Cute kitties, Dwayne.  And they look so innocent of any evil-doing!  

I know what you mean about races through the house.  Sometimes I think we have horses instead of cats.

Dwayne, thats looking nice. Be good to see some paint on it.

Bish

Dwayne, thats looking nice. Be good to see some paint on it.

 

Check, yes they are cute, and they know it.  That's why we keep them, even after chewing the charge cord for my iphone (yes, the orange tiger again).

Our cats are particularly fond of ear buds.

Had the day off, so got some bench time.

Wings are on:

IMG_0727 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

But most of last night and today was wiring the engine.  Here it is before paint:

IMG_0724 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

Here it is with paint.  Photos of the engine show black wires and what appear to be glossy black on the push rods.  Not as visually appealing, but more accurate.

IMG_0731 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

Still plenty of work to do, but nearing primer stage.  There is a bit of a step where the lower wing fuselage joins the rest of the fuselage.  Not sure what to do there.  Any sanding will take away the bolt detail.  I suppose I will primer and see how bad it looks before deciding how to deal with it.   Here is the trouble area:

IMG_0733 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

and a little closer:

IMG_0732 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

Nice work, Dwayne.  Good looking engine.

As far as the step goes, when cleaning up something like that interferes with detail, I usually opt to preserve the detail.  But--that's just me.

By the look of it, the step is on the underside, and might not show up much when the Wildcat rests on its landing gear.

It's a tough call, I know.  Hope it goes well for you.

Looking good Dwayne, for that step, I've built up the low area of the step with some putty and then blended it with a small file or sanding stick.  I even blended by carefully cutting the step down with a very sharp exacto and using a magnifyer, then polishing it up with some thinned putty and small sanding stick.  I get into these problems a lot with 1/700 scale.  

It is along a panel line, and I think I left it alone when I built my F4F.  If you look at an actual aricraft, the panels are wavy and not in perfect alignment.  Especially if the airframes have high time on them.  

scottrc

Looking good Dwayne, for that step, I've built up the low area of the step with some putty and then blended it with a small file or sanding stick.  I even blended by carefully cutting the step down with a very sharp exacto and using a magnifyer, then polishing it up with some thinned putty and small sanding stick.  I get into these problems a lot with 1/700 scale.  

It is along a panel line, and I think I left it alone when I built my F4F.  If you look at an actual aricraft, the panels are wavy and not in perfect alignment.  Especially if the airframes have high time on them.  

 

I also really appreciate the comment about panels not always being perfect anyway.  This kit is not going to an IPMS show, so this helps me move on without obsessing over it (if you knew me well, you would consider this a minor miracle )

This is my third plane ever, so still learning even the basics.

Thanks for the feedback!

So I caught another freaking cold, and was home today.  Feeling lousy, but not lousy enough to keep me off the bench.  Spent a good chunk of the day masking.

IMG_0734 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

I get why folks buy pre-cut masks.  Takes me way longer than I think it should.

So the Wildcat is built enough for a primer coat.  Hope to do that later tonight.

IMG_0735 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

Had a minor modeling miracle.  Lost a small piece...the little bump you see just behind the cowl.

IMG_0737 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

My bench setup includes a "lap desk" which raises the desk a little, and angles my work.  This helps with the back issues.  I use some vinyl shelf liner to keep things from sliding, and while fidlling with something or other, some movement catches my eye.  Yup, you guessed it, the little part falls out of the shelving liner.

IMG_0736 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

I do my happy dance.

Sorry to hear about your cold, Dwayne.  Hope you feel better soon.

Nice progress.  Very good that you found the errant piece.  Most times, anything I lose disappears into another dimension of reality.

Hello all!  Stepping over from the Dark Side (Russian Armor GB) at the invitation of Dwayne to check out hisTamiya Wildcat. Reviewed the completed builds on pg 1 and they're all fantastic!   I wish I had more experience and skills with aircraft and ships to join this GB because the Battle of Midway has always fascinated me!  

Dwayne, the F4F is coming along nicely, looking forward to coming back to see your progress.  I've always loved the look and color schemes of that stubby fighter and how the pilots held their own against the superior Japanese Zeros.

On a side note:  before I read Dwayne's invite I was at a hobby store this afternoon to buy some supplies and actually picked up a 1/48 Tamiya F4F Wildcat kit thinking, Hmmm.....

Greetings, bufflehead.

Thanks for looking in.  Glad Dwayne pointed you this way.

When you're ready to commit, let us know--and I'll add your Wildcat to the build roster.

Got the F4F primed last night:

IMG_0738 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

IMG_0739 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

Was hoping to put on the bottom coat, but nothing shows the errors like a coat of primer.  They pop out like a poke in the eye.  Going to have to do some minor filling, seam work, and re-scribing before the paint goes on.

The step on on the bottom is still there, but you have to know to look for it.  This is not going to a show, and I can live with it.  Still have some more canopy masking.  Doing inside and out, as I may (have not decided yet) have the canopy open.  Depends on whether or not I think I can get it glued in place without ending up with a glue bomb.

Lessons learned so far:  1) get PE seat belts.  Masking tape is kind of OK, but PE would be a huge improvement, and is not that costly. 

2) Slow down when gluing, and be absolutely sure the parts match properly to avoid steps.  This is a fantastic kit, and I tried my best to ruin it by not being patient.  Mate the parts properly, and let the Tamiya Extra Thin do it's job.  (I know this is basic construction, but sometimes I am a slow learner)

Thanks for looking.  Still have the landing gear to work on, but the parts sprues are getting bare, so I must be nearing the end. 

Yeah, not really, the painting will take a long time before I am happy.  Going for light weathering as the F4F-4 was a fairly new introduction to the carriers prior to Midway.

Good looking work, Dwayne.  Despite the frustrations, you're making it go.

Great Dwayne, almost over the line.

Keep up the great work.

Thanks for the encouragement.  All frustration is self-inflicted, and certainly not due to the kit.  This is my third plane, and I am learning with each build.  As one of my IPMS local chapter mates said, "you learn from each build, and you get better like everything else, experience and practice".

And despite my whining, I am having fun. 

I have a very little more to show on the B-26.  I have been working on the fuselage.  The lower aft windows were different on the early models so I have been filling the kit windows in that area in preparation for putting in two more in a little different location.  I have also replaced the other fuselage side windows with oversized clear cut from a DVD case, and am sanding them smooth to conform to the fuselage curves.  Some are sanded out in these photos and others are just inserted.  I don't like the look of the windows on the Monogram bomber kits, they don't fit well, also true of most other maker's bombers.  Since the clear parts are oversize I can mask them down to proper size and have well faired windows.  I sure hope this plan comes together!

The Monogram B-26 kit is a nice build. But not an ideal choice for a GB with a time deadline if you’re doing mods... been there, done that. 

Nice work, John.  Precise and well done!

Point taken, Stik.  I do feel like I will get close if I can stay focused.  Hey, it's not like I am trying to turn the kit into an F or a G, now that would be a job.

Today I cut out the aft lower windows.   I do not agree with where Mike placed those windows, I think his template shows them more forward than they should be, so I reworked the template he supplied to move them back to where I think photos show them.  I still need to refine the shape a little, stupid camera never lies.  Those openings will not be filled as I doubt they were at Midway. 

I filed and sanded the remaining fuselage windows to shape and polished them.  The nose gear doors were different on the early B-26, missing a bulge that continued on to the fuselage in front.  The fuselage area had already been filled with Aves Epoxysculpt and it was sanded to contour.  Lone Star supplied new resin nose gear doors.  Still to do is the resin tail stinger but I think I will have to join the fuselage and install the tail surfaces before I can fit that part.

Photos of the above work.

Excellent work with the modifications, John.  It's fascinating watching how you do these.

Hey John, watching your build closely.  I have this exact kit in my stash.  Wasn't sure I was even going to keep it, but your build will likely make me want to.    Well, at some point.  I don't have your patience or skill yet.

So I finally reached the paint stage with the Wildcat.  I decided on the closed canopy simply because I did such a poor job on the seatbelts.  Will be buying PE belts for any future builds.  Lesson learned.

Anyhow, Mission Models paints were used.  I really like these paints.  They are very forgiving.  I think they absolutely nailed the colors for this plane.

IMG_0744 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

IMG_0745 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

IMG_0746 by Dwayne Munk, on Flickr

I have a little touch up work to do.  I used silly putty as a mask for the first time, and one side isn't quite the way I want it.  This is Jimmy Thach's plane, and has a distinctive pattern on the side of the plane.  Hope to have the clear coat on this week so I can do decals over the weekend. 

Then "just" the landing gear, prop, and some light weathering.

The Wildcat looks nice, I like the color same as you.

Nice paintwork, Dwayne.  Really looks sharp.

I haven't heard of Mission Model paints.  Are they acrylic or enamel?

checkmateking02

Nice paintwork, Dwayne.  Really looks sharp.

I haven't heard of Mission Model paints.  Are they acrylic or enamel?

 

https://www.missionmodelsus.com/ 

Thanks for the link, Dwayne.  I've never used acrylics before, but I like to keep up with developments in paint.  I use enamels, since they seem to have better adhesion qualities than acrylics--at least, so I have read.

Check, i have been useing enamels for years partly for the same reason. But these new acrylics seem to be a vast improvment over the older types.

Hadn't heard that, Bish.  May have to give 'em a go.  Every now and then, some paint I'd like is only available in acrylics.

checkmateking02

Hadn't heard that, Bish.  May have to give 'em a go.  Every now and then, some paint I'd like is only available in acrylics.

 

I'm planning on switching over to Mr Paint for the majority of my subjects. main reason is because i like adding oil washes and am haveing problems with it efefcting the enamels. Alos, the amount of paint i lose from tins going funny i think it will save me money in the long run.

Dwayne, thats looking great, the results of the masking looks well done in those pics.