Merry Christmas to Chuckw and all his fans. HELLDIVER in short.

Monogram Promodeler SB2C Helldiver Intro

I was really glad when Accurate Miniatures re-released the Monogram ProModeler SB2C kit as the -4 variant. I had missed it the first time around, having spent many years in the stick-and-tissue world of Free-Flight Scale modeling. I collected reference and some choice aftermarket goodies, and have cleared my bench to start a comprehensive build. Here's my Chamber of Models:

The Tail Wheel

I thought I'd start at the tailwheel, just like everybody else. The tailwheel fairing telescoped as it compressed, and while on the deck, especially when loaded, she compressed all the way. The kit is properly molded for an in-flight posture.

That wedge in the middle need to come out!

Since that hub is plain to the point of being offensive, the etchmasters at Eduard have come to the rescue: Blinging Rims!!

Since I'm starting out by chopping stuff up, I thought it prudent to move to the bomb bay.

A lot of those structures had to go, so I whipped out mt Micro-Chisel from Mission Models and let fly. Note that I've also filled in the verdamt ejector pin marks with plastic discs.

Is smooth like butt of baby!

Being of unsound mind I decided to lower the turtleback. Here's the kit, and reference photo that will haunt my dreams. Thanks, Detail and Scale!

I'm using one of those European razor-sawblades- excellent!

Result: a very different silhouette.

Here's the cut part:

Some styrene is glued over the scab- modeling first aid! The doors themselves will be replaced with styrene copies- only the top fairing needs to be fixed up.

Well, now comes the fun part- you need to cut away the rear bulkhead on kit part, extend the floor and make a properly sized bulkhead. But... look at the gap! Whatever shall I do?? Stay tuned, bold readers!

The Bulkhead and Turtledeck

Here's that rear bulkhead, with stiffening grooves and rear laminations cut out:

...glued, shaped and in the process of test-fitting. Photographic proof that I am all thumbs!

Here are the new folding panels, from styrene, stretched sprue and Evergreen strip, plus the tail fillet. Note the rudder offset- that's not making fitting the bulkhead any easier!

Here's a detail short- this is one of the second set of upper panels. The first set was ruined when I tried give them a mild bend using hot water to better match the ones cut from the kit. Careful examination of photos of the rear turtledeck doesn't really show any curvature. I think I'll leave 'em flat.

That's it for now, True Believers!

Bomb Bay and more Turtledeck

I laid the photo-etch in the bomb bay- starting to look busy! The fit of all the little widgets is excellent- good job, Uncle Eduard! The trusses sport some excellent detail. Uh-oh! Lots of CYA "frost"- not to worry- this will disappear under a coat of primer. Lots of plumbing to be added as well! I'm still fussing with the turtledeck bits- here's the deck temporarily hinged with masking tape. I think it's gonna work. B) I did figure out a way to make those pressed stiffening ribs look less like these simple cutouts... ..just brush on a little Mr. Surfacer and let dry for 30 minutes or so. Then wipe away the excess with a q-tip dampened with laquer thinner- presto! Rounded grooves!

Calling Doctor Bombay!

back to that bomb bay! Here's an alert- one thing the good folks at Eduard fail to mention is this little stub spar in the wing root. Chop it out or the PE-enhanced bay won't fit! Here's what it should look like- easy! Before we go any further, here's a tip for straightening wire- even a kinked piece like this can be salvaged. Just lay it on a flat, hard surface- glass will do, but I use the base of my Mission Models Etch-Mate. Simply roll the wire with a flat tool, like the base end of a pair of tweezers. Hey, Presto! The wire is ready to become a simulated hydraulic line. The kit wing roots display some basic engraved detail- these appear to be the continuations of the hydraulic lines in the wheel well. They've got to go- scrape 'em out! Add some spacers from styrene stock and place your first wire- it's basically straight. Here the rest have been added. Using more spacers a second layer of piping has been put in place- not a thicker line form fine solder. I was having fun and this was going a lot faster than I thought it might, so I added a third layer, flush with the hull. Tiny blocks of styrene formed junction boxes which I linked together with neatly-bent lengths of scrap wire form the first two layers. Waste not, want not, move along quickly. Here's what it looks like with the bomb bay dry-fitted in place. I did the other side while I was all fired up. Test-fitting the wings saved me from an awkward time fitting the baomb bay later, but also revealed upcoming obstacles. The fit ain't so hot, and the chord on the starboard ming seems too long for it's root. Oh, Woes! Not to fear- I'll let this problem percolate through my chugging cranium. Victory shall be mine!

Root canal work

here's a shot of the root wearing some quick paint. Interior green it is! I'm not going too crazy because it'll tough to protect it from overspray.

I've glued the subassembly to the fuselage- no turning back now!

After relentless inspection of the photographic reference at hand, I finally realized what was missing from the bay. It's the actual bomb racks! Eduard referenced the surviving SB2C-5, which has had 'em removed. I swiped some PE racks from Classic Airframes' Brewster Model 239 Buffalo (Finnish version)- they're a nice surplus on the etch fret. I layered them with some strip of styrene to fit the Etched brackets. Kinda kluged together, but they look good and busy.

Here they are temporarily set in place- they're bare metal, so I'll fix them in after the Interior green is sprayed in.


My photos show a centerline rack fitted along with the outers- for a heavy payload. I'll be scratchbuilding this one- but now I've got to go wash the Spyder. See you next week!
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Cockpit work

So far, just the cockpit floor, bulkhead and one little sidewall bit are left from the kit parts. I've used all the Eduard bits and some of the better parts from from the True Details set. Here's an early shot of the starboard sidewall. Note the soldered brass legs for the control quadrant, the solder hydraulic lines for the wobble pump ready for placement- and the repair to the goofed-up PE quadrant. Oh, well- ya mess up these little bits once] in a while... I added a guage seen in a photograph. The True Details version was kind of lumpy so I made my own. The wire is stripped from an old bit of electric cable. Eduard provided this bracket, but I made the crank that goes through it. I drilled tiny holes in styrene and then punch out the discs for the knob and support spacer. Here's an annotated view of the sidewall listing all the scratchbuilt (and repaired) pieces. Likewise, a breakdown of the True Details elements. Let's see it without all that yammering: There's lots of pre-colored and printed PE to go in, but that will have to wait until after painting.... Every office needs a comfy chair, and True Details wins out here- check out the comparison with the kit chair. I like seat belts as they're molded here. Eduard adds this uber-nifty set of pulleys and bungees for the adjustment mechanism. I love this stuff!

Canopy Opening

I always study my ref before tackling a sub-assembly and noticed that the kit rear canopy opening was just plain wrong. Curses! The rails need to be fixed and the opening re-shaped. I've already glued a bit of styrene into the gap to shorten it up.

I cut a new opening, matching it to the PE inner rail and photographic ref. That notch is abit deep and got a styrene bit to fix it. Also note the block in place to level out the rail.

The inner rail is supported by a shelf. You can see a punch-disc pulley in the cut-out.

Here's the finished bit. Inner and outer rails have been added, the handgrip and circular port filled and rescribed.

A much more accurate set of rails for a late-model Beast. The compulsive nerd in me can now sleep at night... :coolio:

While I'm railing on- how about the gunner's footrail? The kit's is pretty basic, and that oxygen bottle has to make way for sweet, sweet resin....

Styrene rod to the rescue!

Now I could finally move on to the rear sidewalls- I'm working on the starboard side first. I mixed bits of the kit sidewall, the True Details O2 bottle, styrene, wire and solder.

A broken guitar string serves as the oxygen hose. I heated it red hot in a gas flame and let it cool slowly to anneal it and make it pliable. That white circle is a styrene disc filling an ejector pin depression.

The True Details radio boxes are more square than the kit examples. Each box and rail is a separate piece and need to be glued, drilled and pegged. I used copper wire for that, clipping the excess off after the glue had set.

The TD parts have a lot of character- it's a shame I've got to scrape it off to make way for the Eduard printed faces- they can't be beat!

I started to replace the upper rack with a simple shelf, but photo ref revealed a much more interesting rack. As I'm building -4E model I'll have to scratchbuild the APNS radar set and it's components to mount here

The radio is seen temporarily in place- it's a busy little station!

The space behind the radios was wide open- I can't bring myself to hide it behind the kit "bulkhead". There's a rollover pylon, fuel tank and lot's of cool piping. I could open up some inspection hatches... do you dare me? :taunt:

Peer pressure!

So, here goes- I cut away the bulkhead, thinned the sides (sooooooo boring!), filled the ejector pin marks, thinned the sides some more and cut away the access panels. Not all -4's had the upper panel, but I figured screw it! I want this work to be seen. Next came the fun stuff- building up the inner ribbing. Aaaah- modeling heaven!


I began building from the front of the compartment- here are the two front legs of the turnover pylon and the pilot's armor panel. Details from bits of strip stock and sliced sprue, just like our armor-building brethren. See the notes for various details- and pitfalls!



The ribbing on the other side was a bit more challenging with the various subcomponents already in place. Not crushing things is always priority one! I glued the front assembly in and added one of the rear braces. Note that I've gotten those rivets installed correctly at last.



The fourth leg was carefully added- I did some test-fitting with the other fuselage half in place before gluing.
The radio is set in place temporarily to assess the size of the pylons. I'm doing this by the Mk I Eyeball method.



I did some caliper measurements on the space between the pylon legs, drew up some paper patterns and cut the endcaps of the tank from styrene. These in turn were glues to a small block of balsa wood. The tank is, lengthwise, flat along the top but sloped on the bottom, so these endcaps are differently-sized.



With a sanding block I carved the tank to shape- it was pretty easy, as the endcaps set the shape. I got the to and bottom angles right, but the tank was too long. Well, it's easier to take material away than add it... ;)



Using my trusty calipers I scribed a line around the rear end of the tank, held my breath and cut it off. Success! From here it was a simple trick to glue it a scrap of styrene and trim that down to match the balsa profile. Whew!



I wrapped a bit of paper around the tank to create a rough pattern, then used it to cut a piece from .010 styrene. Wrapped, glued and trimmed to shape, it's starting to look like a fuel tank! There's more shaping to be done- I'll break out the Miliput for that. This photo shows how much more internal ribbing needs to be added- not much, but that's for later! ;D

Tank and some wires

First order was to add the rounded ends of the fuel tank from Milliput, smoothed out with a wet, sloppy finger.  I usually hold the camera in my teeth for this kind of shot, but my wife helped out this time- thanks, Honey!   


While harding for the putty to harden I whipped up some sub-assemblies and such.  There's a big ring around the fuel filler cap, so that was first- here's how I did it:




Next came the filler neck itself.  I was guessing at the length- it was later cut to fit.  



The Helldiver's wing tanks were inked to the main tank by a series of beautifully bent, nesting lines.  A template is the only sane way to do this, so I broke out the calipers, took some measurements off the rear rollover bar and drew a guide onto some cardboard.  The various marks were used to bend the three differently-stepped lines.  I used copper wire for the lines, and bent them using my Mission Models Etchmate.   The template made it relatively easy.   


One week later I got back to the tank itself.  The Milliput sanded easily and to a beautiful surface.


All this from two old photos!  The notes explain a lot, but patience was the main ingredient.   I bent the three nesting lines first, then the feed lines from the tank itself.  The auxiliary lines that run under the tank were last.  The nested lines were glued first ( they run down into the wing roots and out of sight).  Next the tank was wiggled into place and its lines added.  lastly the auxiliary lines went in.  The fuel filler cap was the cerry on the cake.    :D









The radio got some love, too- but that's another story... ;)

Gunner Port Sidewall

I worked up the gunner's port sidewall today- lots of photo examination gave me a basic idea of how the reserve hydraulic system worked.  The central part was a reservoir tank, linked to a selector switch and a hand-operated wobble pump.   I started with the tank.  

Here's an overall view- the body of the pump came from a plastic model railroad part, a classic tip from modeling grandmaster Shep Paine. 

The selector switch is a simple assembly of styrene bits.  Pre-drilling holes will greatly help when fitting the wire plumbing.

Plumbing commences.  I have no idea what that puch is, but is in the photo, so... ;)

After some practice the wirebending gets to be a lot of fun! 

Here's the assembly all knitted together.  I'll add the actual pump handle later, to spare myself the fun of breaking it off and regluing, breaking it off and regluing, ... :blink:



More to follow in the coming days- until then, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!  

Photoetched and is that Chuck and Abe together for the first time?

Photo-etch can seem like some mystic art if you you've never tried it before, but it's really not that tough- all you need are the right tools.  I use the Mission Models Etch-Mate and love it, but I know several guys who work wonders with a pair of flat-jawed pliers alone.  This series of photos will show you the basics of bending PE, so read along as I build up the rear gunner's ammo boxes.  Apologies if you've heard this one before!  ;D






















So that's it for now- hope this didn't bore the pants off you!

Rear Gunner Seat and Ring

On of the focal points of any military planes is the gun turret- there's just something visceral about a pair of menacing machine guns that makes the inner child run around buzzing "rat-tat-tat!"  I started working on the rear gunner's seat and ring and, well, my inner child took over.  I've found good reference, and that always makes the kit parts look a little sparse to my AMS eye.   Iwas really only going to replace the telescoping elevation leg...

Brass was the answer, and that meant breaking out my soldering gear!


While I had the gear out, why not replace the seat mounting frame? I couldn't sleep last night (partying neighbors), and thought this process through.  











Next, I'll knit this assembly together- stay tuned, and the best to you and yours in 2008!

More Gunner Seat Goodness

You think this is sick- I've gotten hold of the pilot's manuals- and now I know what most of this stuff actually!  The real challenge now will be to keep this danged thing real and not get bogged down in attempting to reproduce every last nut, bolt and wire...  

Meanwhile, back in rear pit, Gunner Joey Olafson is getting tired of standing out on the wing, so let's get that seat put together. Styrene to the rescue! I tried to de-solder one of the two- left-handed armor plates with a butane torch- bad move! The part was largely burned up! I made another armor panel form styrene, but in comparing and test-fitting the parts I felt they weren't long enough- Joey deserves decent armor protection from those deadly Zero attacks! I made two all-new armor panels- penance for my flub with the torch... This PE part needed some support, as well as beefing up in the thickness department. Man, do I hate to bend music wire! I've got all these little stab wounds in my fingertips- be careful, kids. Using a jig is the best way to assemble the fiddley bits- and this was fiddely! :o In the end, I think this was worth it, but whew!

Controlling the situation

I got copies of the pilot's manuals for this birdie and now that I know what all these odd little gizmos are I moved on to the pilot's port sidewall.  What an amazing conglomeration of controls scattered about the walls and floor!  These guys had to be sharp- and flexible- as well as brave and cool in battle.  Image reaching for an oddly-placed lever in a screaming dive as flak hammered up at you- WOW!  Talk about sheer courage...

The Eduard color PE is very nice, but sometimes the parts let you down a bit- the throttle quadrant has no sides! Gotta take care of that...





A bunch of PE work later....

There are components on the floor as well as the sidewall.  





That's all for now- see you soon!  

Gun Ring finished

I had the chance to park my butt at my bench yesterday and today several hours.   :D   I did a lot of little bits here and there- there's so many little sub-assemblies and such...    :o

Furnace tape is wonderful stuff- it's like duct tape but made of heavy-guage aluminum foil.  I got a roll at Home Depot and have actually used it on the ducting for the dryer, but it made a dandy life raft-

It's finally time ti start painting in ernest- whoo-hoo!  That means masking and finding ways of holding all the little doo-dads while spraying paint at them.




Wow!  A little paint makes a HUGE difference!

If you've never done any post-shading before, here's a little how-to info.






We're rolling now- more fun detailing to come! 

Full bodied lil' chuck, messing with oils.

Now, the last thing I did after painting was to give the green areas a good coat of Future floor wax.  Sprayed without dilution at about 8 psi, it provided an armor plate against the oil wash I'll detail now.   
To help emphasize detail and break up the monotone of the base color I applied a wash of dark, brown-green oil paint.  My oils are from student days in the dim recesses of the last century- they'll last a long time in their tubes!  Be wary of using straight turpentine- it'll eat through all your paint coats!  










Next: a matte coat and drybrushing- don't touch that dial!  

Dry brushing and details

I've been hammering away at the interior- there's just so much of it in there!  My flat coat, btw, is Humbrol Matt Cote.  








   

The Wings

Well, I'm trying something with that radio, but in the meantime thought I'd crack into the wings.  It's been a busy week, so I only got one done...  take it away, Lil' Chuk!

PE Wheel Wells

 I've had to beg, borrow and steal modeling time lately, but here's the latest installment- enjoy!

More wings and inaccuracy fixin'

I'm back! Work has been exciting- and quite busy as of late. Ah well- it could be worse- I mean, I am getting paid to draw semi-naked chicks with big guns! No, really!! Anyway, I have managed to get some modeling time in here and there- here's a recap of the past month:

A lil' of this and that

I've been futzing around with a bunch of miscellaneous crapola on the build.   ;)  Sooner or later I'm going to have to close up the fuselage, but in the meantime there's so many little things to do !

Elevator Going up, and full color lil' Chuck!

Well, I had a fair amount of time at the bench- and even a little at the beach, too.  It's bikini season in LA- WOOF!!  ;D  But back to building...

Radio!

Oh, and one more thing...



:D

Nailin' her together

Guys, this week's installment is a little light, as I've had a lot to do this weekend that's kept me from the bench. In addition to what's shown here I also worked on a lot of little tid-bits that didn't quite get done, so they'll be in the next thrilling episode!  

Rudder

I once again felt a need to add to the parts count of the kit , so I sawed off the rudder.  Well, with all the other surfaces animated it was just beggin' for it!   :thumbsup:










All right, men- at ease.  Smoke if you got 'em, and see you next time!  

Fillin Seams/Gaps

Well, filling seams is probably my least favorite part of the build- but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.  Me, too!   :rolleyes:  :lol:

Scratch building and dials.

Well, my friends- much has transpired in the last 48 hours- read on!   If you dare.... :o

Engine

It's been a busy weekend!  Here in the states we've just had our Memorial Day weekend (really the 30th), in which we celebrate the beginning of summer- and solemnly remember the sacrifices of those who have served our nation.   


But, returning to our series, Li' Chuk has rescued Giant Penny Abe from th clutches of the Helldiver with a tantalyzing offer: read on! If you dare!!!

Wiring the Engine

I'm back with the latest report this week.

Dry Brushing Wheel Wells and Bomb Bays

I'm a bit behind, so I hope you won't mind if I just go straight to the meat-and-potatoes- cheers!

Canopy and Vacuforming

Well, I'm calmly sitting before the screen, sipping the grapefruit daiquiri my lovely wife has just handed to me- it's summer!  But wait- is that the sound of distant combat I hear?  We'd better check in on Lil' Chuk and giant Penny Abe!  

Battle Plan

I'm running late, so I'll just say many thanks to all! I've gotta get this movie screen up before the Major gets here!

Fixing the Canopy, again

I've had three days to build- and still get some holiday in.  I really am just making this up as go along, and still find that sometimes you just need a bigger hammer!

Fixing Wing Roots.

Life's been pretty busy- lots of stuff going on here on ChukWorld.   Got some hammer-and-saw work done at he bench- here's the scoop on filling the wing roots.  

Prop Painting and Engine modification/installation.

We now rejoin our somewhat brief program already in progress.

Its the Little Things

First of all, many thanks to all who helped with research on the color scheme- a lot of folks dug and dug, and the results came up... overall Glossy Sea Blue!   I'm busy consulting and reconsulting my Magic 8-Ball to see if it will be a yellow-nosed bird from the Bunker Hill or a White-striped Beast from the U.S. Randolph.  Answer hazy- ask again later!    In the meantime, here's a tale of dogged perseverance against events both physical and metaphysical- read on, if you dare!

Strategy and Tatics

I've been adding to the build all along the way, and this weekend the Beast has turned a corner- read on, faithful comrades!   

Hangar Rash

Happy Labor Day, America!  Or what's left of it, anyway- I spent my long weekend with my wife, catching up on my to-do list- and modeling!   Her's what went down:

Stars and Bars

Running late with this update!  It's been a really busy day, bunkies- read on!

Basic Nomenclature

I've managed to push this donkey a little farther down the road- take a look!  

All Washed Up

 Another week gone by- along with the last remnants of Summer.  Here's to the coming Fall!

Color Filters

Hope you enjoy this somewhat brief update!  

Upstairs, this is my buddy.

my friends- this update's for you!  

Fall in for Inspection

Today's update is a bit early, as I have to dust off my tie and tails for a social engagement this evening.  Ta, all!  :D

On Your Feet

Here's a quick post for tonight- and I'll have a few days at home to keep pounding this anvil, so stay tuned!

Landing Gear Supports

I'm back from a little R&R- and the Palm Springs Air Museum!  I got to meet some great folks, stand up in a lot of bomb bays and wheels wells- and take a bunch of pictures!  Ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby!  Without further ado, here's the progress I made before jumping ship- enjoy!

State of the Union

Major assemblies commence- with minor details filling in the gaps!

Bombs Away

Ash has been raining down, fouling everything, and reminding us of the tragedy unfolding for our fellow Californians who have lost so much.   Give 'em a kind thought, won't you? :(

Back to lighter things, I've been reducing the parts count on the Beast- get ever closer to the elusive all-in-one....

Search and Rescue

Well, the Carpet Monster has struck in a most heinous manner- read my most sorrowful tale of woe!

Minutiae!

The holidays are roaring toward us like some unstoppable engine of good cheer, so I've been spending time puttin' up some ho, ho, ho!  I did manage to get some time in at the bench- take a look!

Cranked Up

I've been really busy as of late- work and holidays (and parties!) are in full swing.  Needles to say, I'm bearing down on the finish line- take a look.

Penultimate Post

Barring events unforeseen, the next post will see this bird finished. Just a couple of things to add- read on to see what. I did forget to add one thing- a Quickboost Mk VII gunsight- on its way from Sprue Brothers. I'd like to take a moment to wish each and every one of you and your families peace on Earth, and goodwill towards man.

I will put in the final posts and build when they are showed.  I truly hope this gets pinned somewhere and saved somewhere so it doesnt get burried, took alot of work and time.

Daring and comprehensive undertaking StV! Nice work!

It probably won't be an issue here, but I think chukw is serious about protecting the rights to his posts.

Hopefully this post is viewed merely as the tribute it is intended to be!

Very good compilation.....(that take 5 minutes to load all the pics even on a fairly fast PC and cable connection!)

Heh, I hope people get a good use out of it.  I was trying to find the bits where he painted the interior, to see how he did it, took forever to find it, so I decided to take my time and do this.  His build diserves it, and I think it will help a ton of people

If you think it takes long to load now, you should have seen it when it was all in 1 post.