Larry Wolf Memorial Close Air Support Group Build 2021 Needs YOU!

Hey Tomcat,

Great minds think alike!

The first one is my "mini", the second is the larger one my friend made for me 30 years ago.  Vac-formers might be considered passe', but they can make diffcult parts easy!  Besides, 3D printed crystal clear parts are not economically available at the moment.  Maybe a couple of years down the road.

keavdog

Wow Mark - what a putty monster!  Coming along nicely.  I tried smash forming a long time ago with mild success.  I wonder if there's a 3d clear print capability...?

 

With todays technology, that would be the way to go.  But I'm too old-fashioned....too cheap to invest in a 3D printer. Yeah, I could have it made for me but where's the fun it that? The whole point of this model is to challenge me some, to overcome some obstacles and maybe learn something new all the while having fun, if you can call this fun 

Wow Mark - what a putty monster!  Coming along nicely.  I tried smash forming a long time ago with mild success.  I wonder if there's a 3d clear print capability...?

It's been a while since my last post. This Invader has been kicking my butt. Howver progress is being made. Here the props, wheels, landing gear have been primed and the hubs have been painted...

The interior has been fashioned and added and the front landing gear bay filled in...

meanwhile, the airframe with all its gaps and sink holes have been filled, filed and sanded waiting primer for a final check...

As for the canopy, I did manage to secure a replacement. However before screwing up this one,Ii decided to try and create a vacuum formed one. Many years ago I made a home made vacuform machine but never managed to test it. Well, no time like the present, so I'm going to try it out.

Here is the replacement canopy and the block of wood I will use to create the canopy form...

I will get out my coping saw and files and start hacking at it. What I would give for a scroll saw.

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After all of the cutting, carving, filing and sanding, here is the canopy blank mounted inside of my homemade vacu-form machine...

I have a few more things to clear up before trying out the machine, so wish me luck.

Nice builds, fellas!

Finally got all the detailing done inside the gear wells, so I'm working on closing them up inside the engine nacelles.  Figured it would be better to attach the inboard halves of the nacelles to the fuselage to try to ensure a more solid bond.  Seems like a pretty critical stress point on the model that I want to be as strong as possible.  I'll probably drill some holes through the contact points on the fuselage so I can get Tamiya Extra Thin to disperse over a wider area after being dropped into those holes.

DRUMS01, your Commanche Stealth Hellicopter is terrific. Is part of the camouglage actually pink/magenta? Very well done.

My motivation has been lacking here lately, but I did start work on a Pro Modeler 1/48 F-84G the other day. So far the cockpit is done and some weights added to the nose so it stands on its gear. I'll close up the fuselage sometime today.

The A-37 that has been on the bench for a while has been sitting for a week or so but it's ready for primer. We've had a lot of rain recently so I havent been able to get out on the patio to paint, and now I'll have to wait for Elsa to pass before I can get some airbrushing done.

Anyway, here are a couple of pictures of the progress on the F-84:

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There aren't any seat belts because I will be putting a pilot in the cockpit.

I don't see why not.  I followed your build and love the digital camo. Added to the front page.

With your permission... I would like to add my just completed RAH-66 Comanche to the Close Air Support GB, even though I already have the gunship already completed. The build string is located under the Helicopters tab.

Here is my 1/48 Italeri RAH-66 Comanche stealth helicopter. This was an aircraft that was developed and tested right up to production but then cancelled at the last minute. 

Added items include Quinta 3d Studios cockpit items modified to fit this kit; pilot and RSO figures as the kit did not have any. They were also highly modified to for the cockpit confines and to handle the controls; Eduard resin and PE Hellfire Missiles, scratch built entire cockpit including fire extinguisher and first aide kit; scratch built many items in ammo storage bays; scratch built items on weapons pylons and the control boxes for the Stinger missiles; highly modified mask set for a Su-25 digital camouflage that was change and applied to the Comanche; purchased stand that was modified to fit the model and the plate description is a modified lapel pin glued to identify the aircraft. The decals are made by Caracal for the AH-65 Apache but modified for the Comanche.

A mixture of model Master, Vallejo, and Tamiya paints were used along with markers and pastel washes.

Turned out great.  I added to the complete page - let me know if you want a different pic.

lostagain

That looks really good castelnuovo, great finish. I like the dive brakes and actuators, they look really fine are they PE?

 

Thank you gentlemen. The actuators are plastic. The only PE part with this set were the seatbelts but they were too small to handle so I used the decal belts.

Nice job, very smart indeed!

That looks really good castelnuovo, great finish. I like the dive brakes and actuators, they look really fine are they PE?

We,,. lets call this one finished

I like the Beaufighter Hutch.

It's time I tossed mt hat in.

Started on the MiG 27. Doing it OOB, nothing fancy. A typycal early Hase kit, nice fit but very little detail. I'll add the detail with the air brush. Quick build except for the seam filling, but it's almost done. Then on to the fiddly parts and paint. I had to go the the store and get some of that Russian interior turquoise, but you probaly won't see it anyway.

I remembered to add some weight to the nosecone.

I didn't get as much bench time as I had expected (the resident Domestic Engineer had a few tasks lined up), but I did get the engines assembled.  These were temporarily pushed onto their locating plugs for a coat of primer from a rattle can -

The primer has revealed a few bits of tidying up for me to do, then I can touch-up the primer & apply some colour (hopefully. this weekend!)

keavdog

That will look sharp Frank.  I've never used those sentcils - how are they?

 

The stencils are really good. They make a complex camouflage much easier to paint than trying to do the paint freehand. So far I've used Aero Mask stencils on a Hasegawa Bell P-400, an Airfix P-40B Flying Tiger, and a Hasegawa Spitfire Mk VIII. Excellent results every time. As complex as the Vietnam camo is, these stencils are the only way to go for me.

That will look sharp Frank.  I've never used those sentcils - how are they?

I have Aero Mask stencils coming for the A-37. I decided to go ahead with the Vietman U.S.A.F. camouflage for the airplane.

Vultee seemed to like that wing planform and used a very similar layout on this experimental to the same contract as the XP-55 and XP-56 pusher fighters.  The forward swept trailing edge does have some positives as it tends to improve stall characteristics.

modelcrazy

 

I think they put the outer wings on upside down and thought it was too much trouble to correct them. 

Another beauty build Piers 

 

Like that Steve!

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Yep, there was a range of opinions of the Vengeance, and they only were in active service for under a year.

Funnily enough, the RAAF Vengeance squadrons were next given the B24 Liberator - a bit of a change up!

keavdog

Curious about the wing design.

I think they put the outer wings on upside down and thought it was too much trouble to correct them. 

Another beauty build Piers 

Well done!  I'd never seen this airplane before.  Curious about the wing design.

Very nice, Piers.

lostagain

 

Frank straight into the A-37 – the cockpit is looking great.

 

Castelnuovo, I do like those dive brakes they have come up well.

 

Hutch, yep that is the same one you built back in the dim distant past. I picked this one up in Czech republic back in ’94.

 

And this is what it looks like finished:

Thanks for keeping this going in Lewbud’s honour.

 

 

Thanks lostagain, yours looks super 

lostagain

Hutch, yep that is the same one you built back in the dim distant past. I picked this one up in Czech republic back in ’94.   And this is what it looks like finished:

Cracking job, mate, I love the finish - very nice indeed!

The recognizable perforated dive brakes added

Just installed the cockpit in the Monogram A-37. The build is going along pretty quickly actually. As old as the kit is, the fit and detail are pretty good. I read a couple of good reviews on the kit after I started the build. The pilots and cockpit are black-based. The interior is MM Light Ghost Gray enamel over Tamiya Rubber Black. The pilots are MM Faded O.D. over the black. After some detail painting, everything was highlighted with Tamiya Black Panel Liner. I might give everything a shot of Dullcote to knock some of the shine off. Just about ready to close up the fuselage and do some seam clean-up. Just an FYI: the finished build will not be in Vietnam camouflage we are so familiar with.

Hutch6390

 

 

fotofrank

I have this in my stash: Think I'll give a try.

 

 

Blimey, Frank - you just keep churning them out - I haven't built that many this year!

 

Well Hutch, it's either build model airplanes or sit on the couch and watch cable news all day.

fotofrank

This entry is a "what-if" fictional "P-74" Corsair fighter-bomber. The kit is Tamiya's F4U-1A. The build depicts a Corsair assigned to the 527th FS, 86th FG, Pisa, Italy, 1944. The primary mission of the 86th FG was close air support. The reason for this build is I just wanted to see how an NMF Corsair would look wearing USAAC livery. Kinda flashy, I think. The 86th Fighter Group website: http://www.86fighterbombergroup.com/

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Coming up next? Not sure yet.

 

 

This looks pretty cool