Viet Nam War Aircraft Group Build

These old kits are very simple and I enjoy them. They can be made to look nice on the shelf with a little effort. The major subassemblies for the MiG 15 are already glued together. Now begins the clean up. There's some flash to be removed and panel lines as big as ropes to be sanded off. The kit certainly shows its age, that's for sure.

Added to the list, Frank. 

jeaton01

Consider yourself having the number 1 in the draft lottery, Frank.  Let me know what you are going to build.

 

By the time I got my lottery number, which was very low, I was already three years into my Air Force enlistment. Fooled Selective Service didn't I.

I've made up my mind, Jeaton. I don't have any bad guys on my shelf yet so I'm going with these two:

I'm going to pose them the way jets look best: In flight. They're pretty simple kits and should go together pretty quickly. The kits are pretty old and the decals are dried up with age so I'll have to get some aftermarket decals to make them NVAF.

And away we go...

Jacknewbill, you are on the list.  Mind the greasetrap hazards.

Good luck on that seam, cbaltrin.

Consider yourself having the number 1 in the draft lottery, Frank.  Let me know what you are going to build.

Jeaton, is it too late to get onboard? Some of the aircraft in your list I already have on my shelf, a couple even in VNAF livery. In the meantime I have some of the kits on your list in my stash that I have been looking for a reason to build. They are mostly vintage kits that I find that build up well. A couple are new tool kits like the Airfix A-4 Skyhawk. I need to sort through what I have to see what strikes my fancy. Bish's 80 Years of Airfix is about to wrap up so I need to find another group build to keep me busy.

One already on my shelf:

cbaltrin

Got the fuselage buttoned up and the intake installed on the F-100D

 

 

Trying to get over the first construction  hurdle. There is a rectangular panel on the botton of the nose (to facilitate better molding of two of the 20mm cannon I suppose) and it does not fit that well. In addition to gaps on all four sides, the rear edge bulges up above the contour on the fuselage quite a bit and I am trying to get it filled and  sanded down without losing the gun detail.

I would like to join in this GB also. I dug through the stash and have decided on a Monogram 1/48 A-37 Dragonfly. I will get started on it this week and will get some photos up in a few days. I look forward to this one!

Great stuff here on the group build!  My paint arrived and I'm starting. 

Greg, my theory is that when you are looking at a reflective surface what you see is what it is reflecting, which on a good day is blue.  But really the gloss part is the most important and I just happen to have a lot of Ford Engine Blue from when I bought the paint stock from a hobby shop that was closing.

I have Italeri kit 091 of the An-2, and I thought maybe it might be a different kit, but the parts are the same.  That canopy is a nightmare, but then that's how Antonov built it.  I tried a test fit of the injected parts and it seems a workable strategy is to attach the two lower parts to each fuselage half first, then add the top part.  Definitely need masks.  Does anyone make them using them Tamiya type tape?

I probably got that little front triangular part a little low but given the acute angle a little white glue should hide that well enough.  It doesn't look to me like it is shaped quite right, and in any event there is an angle to the main canopy that it does not conform to and if a bend is tried there will probably be stress marks.  Might be better to use it as a pattern for a replacement acetate sheet.  Given the scale I don't know if it is worth it.  These pictures are a lot larger than the model, and the main canopy is just resting in place. 

The Pavla vac canopy does not look good at all, and the resin parts look pretty rough to me, in the pictures I found on the net.

Thanks for the tip about DDG.

 Here's a picture I found on Prime Portal.  Looks like the plastic part is too long and should only come up to the frame on the upper canopy, and the rest is sheet metal after the break.  Hope this isn't TMI, but once I get going on research...

John, you are cruising on the C-123!  My progress is shameful compared to yours.  Blue instead of black on the base coat?  Interesting, do tell... 

I have learned a couple of lessons.  1, if you build the An-2, get an aftermarket mask set.  2, if you want to actually find what you are searching for in relation to models, scrap google, and use duck duck go.  All the An-2 reviews I wanted BEFORE I started, and couldn't find, I now have.  

Cool on the Mohawk.  A very interesting plane indeed. 

Greg

jeaton01

Will do, Brandon.  Welcome!  1/72 or 1/48?

 

BK

The base coat of Alclad II has been applied over a base coat of Model Master Ford Engine Blue, which had been wet sanded with 2500 sandpaper.

Will do, Brandon.  Welcome!  1/72 or 1/48?

StephenL

It's real, no grease trap for me

You will need the grease for your elbows with that kit!  I have the JOV-1 and it is a poster child advertising the pitfalls of Roden.  To be fair, the kit was from several years back.  But still, the soft moldings, ejector pin marks in lousy places, and tricky fit all add up to a tough build.  The greasy plastic and lack of space to fit the copious amounts of lead weight add to the fun.

But the Mohawk is a fascinating plane that really stads out in a collection.  Best wishes on your build!

Well, I see you have an F-14A listed. I just so happen to have one of those in the stash. Put me down for a 1/48 Academy F-14A.

BK

It's real, no grease trap for me

In that case, back to tedious masking... 

Funny about the soccer comment.  The RF-8A's used during the Cuban missile crisis had little Fidel wearing a baseball uniform painted on them. 

Heading to the bench. 

Greg

StephenL

Recently started the Roden OV-1A , guess I'm in.

 

You are on the list, Stephen.  You are committed.

Did I mention that anyone who doesn't finish gets a year on mess hall grease trap duty?

Recently started the Roden OV-1A , guess I'm in.

Gregbbear

I got this book in the mail the other day.  I would love to build an RF-8.  The recon aircraft are definitely unsung heroes.  It was a quick read, but interesting none the less.  Somewhere, I have most of what it takes to make one in 1/72.  Once I get past the Antonov and phantom, I might just dig the stuff out.  I'd love to see the other carrier recon birds here too.  

Greg

 

 

Lots of good stuff getting done!  The Hun is looking good. 

As for the Antonov, the glazing fits bad and doesn't hardly look like the real thing.  I'm masking it before I assemble it an get it on the fuselage.  It was a real let down that the Pavla vacuform windscreen didn't fit, as it has the right look.  

I got this book in the mail the other day.  I would love to build an RF-8.  The recon aircraft are definitely unsung heroes.  It was a quick read, but interesting none the less.  Somewhere, I have most of what it takes to make one in 1/72.  Once I get past the Antonov and phantom, I might just dig the stuff out.  I'd love to see the other carrier recon birds here too.  

Greg

John,

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Shane

jeaton01

The F-100 is coming along nicely, cbaltrin.  If you're not careful you may be first to the finish line.

Yeah, that will be the day! I'm sure I'll get hung up painting the natural metal on the rear fuselage...

John,

You are making that C-123 look like a "good" kit!  Well I suppose you could have started with a lower bar by using the dreaded kit from Mach-2!    Roden > Mach-2 any day of the week.

I have only completed one Roden kit (1/32 Dr.I) and it was a tough build, although to be fair the Eduard PE set caused its fair share of problems.  It seems Roden masters their parts nicely, but their low tech molding lets them down.  But sometimes they get plain lazy, like their C-141B Starlifter.  I have read several glowing build reports, so I must have gotten one from an alternate universe.  My kit is thick, poorly detailed, and has a major fit issue with the wing roots being thicker than the stubs molded to the fuselage.  The C-141's level of (poor) detail makes the C-123 look like a super detailed resin kit!  And the scale difference (1/144 vs 1/72) is not the issue, as their VC-10 airliner has fine, profuse detail everywhere.

I'll get to the Vigilante at the beginning of 2020, as I have to try and finsih other GB kits!

Shane, don't let the panel lines turn you off.  I usually sand them down a little, but pretty often if you sand the model lightly after the color coats they have a nice appearance.

The F-100 is coming along nicely, cbaltrin.  If you're not careful you may be first to the finish line.

Buddy, the A-6 is a tough pick for a weekend build, as you say, too many pieces to the fuselage.  You noted that the model has to be unstarted, that must be a holdover from your writeup for the Weekend GB cause we ain't got no such rule here.  Nice complete report, I'll note your 201 file.

Thanks, Greg.  It's been a long time since I've been to Waco but I remember it being nice there.  I don't like the traffic in Austin either, but Kings Hobbies is a great shop.

 As for the C-123, not much to report, I'm working on the belly seam.  This thing has a belly that goes on forever and is flat as a pancake.  Getting that kind of seam to disappear is not fun.

John,

Your build is lookin' good!

I, however, am disappoint in my model choice, because of the raised panel lines.  I will try to work this out to my advantage.  I did order a resin interior and Eduard PE to spice it up a bit.  The future has brass gun barrels and vac-form canopy in it.

Got the fuselage buttoned up and the intake installed on the F-100D