1:48 Tamiya Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat

I've got a question for any Wildcat enthusiast out there.  I often see an antenna or two on the under side of planes.  UHF or VHF and the like... I realize different units would have had different needs to communicate with which would possibly dictate what any one particular plane would have.  

So if anybody out there knows what kind of set up a Wildcat would have had on Henderson Field please feel free to share. =]

bvallot

I appreciate it Bob.  I'll give it a shot.  Now when you attach it, are you glueing it in place with CA?  Then shrinking it tight with the heat?

Yes, I use the CA to glue down one end, and after it sets up I gently stretch it and glue down the other end. I make a half hearted attempt to hold it in place for a few seconds, then it should be ready to shrink into place with the match head. If there are multiple attaching wires going to the main wire I tie those onto the main wire before I ever start the process. You can make the whole thing longer than necessary so that you have something to grip on to, then cut the excess off with the standard xacto #11 blade or whatever else works for you. When I did the SBD I made sure that the wire that runs down from the main wire to the fuselage just outside where the pilot sits was the correct length. Then I attaached it to the fuselage ( after looping it and tying it around the main wire ) , and the next step was to attach the main wire to the forward mast. The final attaching step was to pull slightly and attach it to the top of the rudder. Then the match head trick was used. Hopefully you can follow this sequence. Later...        Bob

I was peaking at this thread this morning and felt like I could put some things up on the joint for the brass bar.  I carefully drill out a point along the bottom of the fuselage that will be strong enough to carry the weight of the plane.  I'm careful to drill out a hole just big enough to snuggly fit the tube that will receive the rod.  Next, I'll insert a brass tube all the way to the top of the fuselage. CA or hot glue can be used to fix it to the top, but I don't think it's always necessary.  If you do put a drop or two on there, you have to move fast so as not to make a mess of the opening.  The other alternative is to take a thin tube to insert your glue aaaaannnnnnd be able to see what you're doing. =]

This brass tube acts not only as a means for me to better anchor the rod to the plane, but it also provides a visual aid to lift it off the rod itself.  Just that small step off the rod is a subtle way to dress up the base without getting in the way of the plane.  She's the main attraction anyhow.

2013-07-21 14.58.04 by brittvallot, on Flickr

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Again, I apologize for the clutter in the pics.  I was in a bit of a rush to snap these photos and get them on my laptop. =P

Thanks guys! =]  I'm still trying to get that pilot to fit in there Gary.  It's his arms that actually make it most difficult to squeeze in believe it or not.

But I certainly enjoy the warm words from y'all.  =D  I've already started on my Mustang.  I'll probably start posting some things about that here once I get a little further with it.

I appreciate it Bob.  I'll give it a shot.  Now when you attach it, are you glueing it in place with CA?  Then shrinking it tight with the heat?

Jester75

Gorgeous Wildcat bv!!

I concur!  Wow!  She looks fine, really fine. 

Gary

Gorgeous Wildcat bv!!

That looks great. I will let you know what I have used for my radio wires. A Fly Fisherman gave me some .0031 monofilament fishing line made by KROIC. It's French, I think. Before attaching it I use a Black Sharpie permanent marker to color it. Then after attaching it I shrink it with a match head. That's the tricky part. Kitchen match heads provide too much heat. It will snap instantly. ( Trust me, I know ). So I figured out that if you use the matches from a standard pack it will work. Just light the match then blow it out. Hold the warm match head near the wire and KEEP IT MOVING. Repeat as necessary. I did my P-39 with this stuff 2 years ago and it has stayed tight. It is a 1/48 scale plane so the wire may be a touch too small, but I like the looks of it. I would rather it be a touch too small than a touch too large. It looks pretty real. I'm sure that the others here at FSM have more experience than I do with radio wire, but this is something that you can try sometime to see if you like it. Thanks for posting the pictures for the F4F build. It looks great. Someday I hope to get to that level.                          Bob

And here it is.  Please mind the mess from my box o' supplies.  I don't have a light box or slide photo set up, so I'm using the lamp in my dining room. 

2013-07-21 14.59.11 by brittvallot, on Flickr

2013-07-21 15.00.06 by brittvallot, on Flickr

One happy accident I found was that Tamiya's "shaft" for the prop allows it to spin freely.  So I opted not to  glue it in any fashion which allows it to spin easily.   Here it is. =]

2013-07-21 15.11.23 by brittvallot, on Flickr

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So, I've finally cut, sanded, and stained and sealed the wooden base for this Wildcat.  I've got a theme going with the colored stains for Marines pilots (walnut) and Navy pilots (dark cherry).  This one is in walnut of course.  I've bent a brass rod (5/32 I think it was) around a small paint can to keep it smooth and even.  It still takes a bit of fooling with to gently get it just right after you're done with setting everything together.  I'll be showing that finally and I retouched the paint along the spine of the fuselage...so there's that too.

One thing I forgot to mention...I placed the finest mesh I could find at the time over the oil coolers along the wings.  Just recently I found something a little finer on spruebrothers, but I think this suffices. 

2013-07-21 16.04.40 by brittvallot, on Flickr

The radio line is one of the most delicate and difficult things for me to tackle.  I pull these as thin as I can, attach them to a thin piece of brass rod (.02mm), let them set up, tack them onto the rudder and pull them forward to the mast.  This becomes a very frustrating process.  If any of you have a particular trick you like to use, I would greatly appreciate hearing it.  I really enjoy mine, but man it tests my patience. =P

2013-06-26 13.10.33 by brittvallot, on Flickr

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Next is the prop.  It's been primed and done in the Alclad black gloss then duraluminum.  The flat black is Tamiya's acrylic flat black.  Flat Yellow tips taped off and painted last.  The hub is Alclad's white aluminum.  I wanted something a little brighter since everything I'd been seeing seems to shine a little lighter.  I think I'm going to stick with it.

2013-07-21 14.51.34 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Also, along the hub I've taken a thin brush and gently placed a few drops of Alclad's pale burnt metal to add some depth.

Thanks Darren.  I'll take some better photos of these two another time and post.  I would like to share them here.  They are the most recent builds prior to this Wildcat.

I took your advice too on the panel lines.  I went back and lightly touched up the panel lines along the fuselage on both sides.  Blending them into the a more uniform color along the paint surface has made all the difference.  The kit itself already does a fine enough job of casting the shadow necessary to display the panels.  I think I let too much show through when I began putting on my blue-grey.  I started getting used to it and stop thinking objectively about what I was seeing.  It happens! =]  I may leave the upper wing surface alone though.  I'm afraid to over work what I've got on there already.  But the fuselage isn't getting walked on the same so it needed some attention.

I'm much happier with it now.  So kudos to you.  And Thanks.

Gorgeous Dauntless!

Britt, the pilot looks good, but it's the suck that he won't fit.  Have you thought about "thinning" him some, especially on the figure's lower part?   Good luck!  

btw, the Dauntless and Corsair look great too!

Gary

Now I'm finding that the pilot won't fit in the Aires cockpit.  uggggh!  I might try filing some of the sides down a bit, but I'm not sure if it's worth it.  Anybody else run into this problem before?

So I felt moved to try painting up one of my pilot figures I have from a Corsair kit.  Here it is Gary.  I think I turned out better than I thought they would.  I might try to touch up the face a bit more.

photo-4 by brittvallot, on Flickr

photo-5 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Here I thought it'd be nice to see the pilot next to these drop tanks while I had them off.  It literally looks like they streamlined 55 gallon drums and put them on a plane.  They're huge aren't they!

photo-3 by brittvallot, on Flickr

And here are the other pics I've been promising.  The first two are of the Flat Aluminum wash on the Dauntless. The other is the Boyington's Corsair I have mounted.

photo-1 by brittvallot, on Flickr

photo by brittvallot, on Flickr

In better light the aluminum shines more. 

photo by brittvallot, on Flickr

photo-2 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Personally, I don't think you could do much to improve or detract from that build, it is fantastic!

Thanks Gary.

I've been trying to figure that out for the last couple of planes I did.  I do find I like seeing just the plane for what it is.  When I put them up on my wooden base (I'll include a pic later) without a pilot, it seems like a phantom pilot is in there behind the stick.  It has a certain appeal.  But to see a pilot in there I don't suppose would take away from any detail in the cockpit.  I'm just reluctant to try.  Maybe I'll do a couple of them this weekend and see how they look.  I think my biggest concern is that they won't hold up to the same level of detail and take away from the plane.  Making a convincing face is the real trick here I believe.

Any suggestions?

Are you going to give her a pilot?  That Wildcat's looking good!

Gary

This is a really nice Wildcat.  Great work on it.

Here it is with all of the last touches of oils and what not done up and the flat coat to seal it.

2013-06-13 03.08.32 by brittvallot, on Flickr

I'll take a scalpel and lightly pick at the screws along the cowl to show the work on taking off the panels.  You'll see that Alclad coming through there. =]

2013-06-13 03.09.07 by brittvallot, on Flickr

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I haven't really spoken about the under surfaces much yet.  The third formation light (amber) is not apart of the kit and had to be scribed in.  I start the light with a reflective color like Flat Aluminum here.  Then I'll place a the appropriate color from Tamiya's clear section...Clear Red, Clear Blue, and Clear Orange.  Lastly, I'll place a small drop of future to seal it and set it off from the flat surface around it.  That will help to make it pop from further out (even though it won't be well seen from underneath).

When I begin painting, I start with the under surface color first and bring it up a little higher than what I need to.  This over lap allows you some wiggle room to find that "line" you're looking for between your colors in your paint scheme.  I'll tape it off and pull the surface back off the plane some to allow for a slight amount of overspray.  This keeps that line from appearing too sharp.  Some were sharper than others.  Some were quite worn away.  It'll just depend on the individual aircraft.

2013-06-17 12.09.30 by brittvallot, on Flickr

You can also see in this photo where I've attached the anti-sway brackets for the fuel tanks I'll be putting on next.  These were cut and filed to shape from a sheet of tin.

And I needed to go back and repaint the hubs on the wheels.  They were supposed to be Light Grey. 

This next photo is skipping ahead to the Alclad on the drop tank.  I robbed these drop tanks from Hobby Boss' F4F-3 for Butch O'Hare.  I think they're a little nicer. I wasn't crazy about the braces and brackets the Tamiya kit provides.  I also did my best to detail them up from a Wildcat reference book I found.  I realize there were several kinds of braces to modify the drop tanks to fit the Wildcat, but the I went with these since they fit the only photos I could find in detail.  After I committed, I would later see a pair of brackets on the ground in the Marion Carl pic on his Wildcat that seems to favor the Tamiya's kit more.  C'est la vie.

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Brackets only:

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And here they are painted.

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Fuel line, sway braces, anti-sway bracket and receiver

Sorry this photo isn't quite in focus.

The only real decals on this are the stars and victory flags.  I got the idea from my best friend who happen to mention it when I was complaining about the Corsair I was trouble shooting.  So I cut them carefully from the decal sheet and pop em on there.

2013-06-11 16.59.53 by brittvallot, on Flickr

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The panel just aft of the cockpit had an access door for the fuel tank I believe it was.  Help there if I'm wrong.  It's missing on the kit.  I scribed it in very lightly

2013-06-12 15.17.26 by brittvallot, on Flickr

On the dash I've started by airbrushing some Flat Black [XF-1] and then taking a small brush and dry brushing some Flat Aluminum [XF-16] and red brown that I've lightened with Flat Yellow [XF-3] and marking some spots I would imagine getting dirty.  Then, I'll come back with the Flat Black again and dry brush to reduce it where it seems over-worked.  The gun reflector starts with a drop of the Flat Aluminum and covered with a thinned out drop of Metallic Grey [XF-56].  Later you'll see a thin piece of Acetate cut to fit the glass here, and I've thinned out some Clear Green to paint it and seal

it with future.

Also, here's a chance to see that leather headrest pop out a bit with some pretty, worn leather colors happening there. =]

Next I gave the canopy a little love and thinned out the back side that will be visible so it's closer to scale. I had given some thought to purchasing a Rob Taurus set for this build, but they've been out of stock for so long that I'm beginning to think I'll find 9mm ammo again before I ever get to see one of these. =D

2013-06-12 22.45.15 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Some of this next phase I'll move though more quickly.

I always prefer to build up the exhaust manifold on these prop engines.  The more I can build up a truer piece by piece engine...the more I feel my plane comes to life.  With the Quickboost engine in here there just isn't any room for it. =[   However, I still made some cuts to allow for the ends of the exhaust that I made out of aluminum tubing to fit in nice and snug where they belong.  It gives a better sense of depth that is lacking in the kit exhaust tips.  And they're thinner.  

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by brittvallot, on Flickr

Primed them.  Painted them a dark brown, then a slightly lighter red brown in a spotty fashion.  The light grey on the tips and interior is making up the lead deposits from the high lead content in the fuel the Allied Forces used in the day.

2013-05-30 01.50.19 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Here's the cowl put on, cleaned up and resanded/repainted.  This white 2 was just too small to make a stencil for and after numerous efforts, I broke down and just decided to trust my hands and paint it on myself. Twice.  I do things like this quite nicely and I was so relieved to get this the first try on both sides.

2013-06-11 12.34.45 by brittvallot, on Flickr

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Done with the 4th's festivities.  Now I'm trying to finish posting these photos.

On to the engine. 

2013-05-14 00.15.15 by brittvallot, on Flickr

2013-05-30 01.45.09 by brittvallot, on Flickr

I've dressed this engine up a little with some brass rod and stretch sprue for the wiring harness and ignition cables.  It was a bit of a challenge to squeeze it in there around everything already glued in, but it'll happen.

2013-05-29 23.22.23 by brittvallot, on Flickr

Thanks Eric.  If you have any useful tricks up your sleeves...please share 'em.  I think the most frustrating thing for me is placing the radio line on the antenna mast.  It may take me up to a week to finally get it on there.  I'll be showing you that too.  I like how it turns out, but i sure could do without the stress.

Maybe you have a better way. =]

This is really great work bvallot! I have really enjoyed this wip so far as you have provided a lot of insight into your techniques.

Yes.  I definitely agree.  It's definitely an example of what I try to avoid. I think it's fine for some folks, but I'm looking more for realism.  One thing we were taught in school was, "trompe l'oeil" which is french for tricking the eye.  It's another thing I consider when I'm approaching these scaled down versions of reality.  Some things I leave a bit exaggerated so they are at least getting noticed whether you realize it or not.  Your brain is pulling all this information together in an effort to create something it recognizes. I try to balance things that stand out from afar without being to dominant a feature up close.  I do feel like the spine of this Wildcat is too much now.   Now I'm going to have to go back and fix it! LOL.

Ahhhhh. I see.  I agree.  Sometimes I think it's overdone with the heavy preshading and what not.  I try not to let it get away from me, but I do find it to be an effective means of revealing the underlying structure and ribbing of the aircraft.  On my SBD-1, I did this more with oils after my coat of future.  I only hit the lines that were huge joints for the plane with preshading.  On this one, I wanted to see how painting these features on there first would turn out.  I suppose the panel lines behind the cockpit along the spine are a bit heavy.  I'm looking at it now.  I think I'm starting to agree with you.  Now I'm not going to be able to stop looking at it. lol

Definitely post those pics though.  I'm happy to learn. =]

Since I'm a jet guy, here's a link to another modeling site where a gentleman finished an F4D Skyray. This is a good example of what the "Spanish" method is. It's very artistic and pleasing to the eye, but it's nowhere near what the real thing looks like. The second link shows what the real plane looks like.

s362974870.onlinehome.us/.../index.php

www.fiddlersgreen.net/.../Douglas-Skyray.html

In the second link, there is a picture of a dirty Skyray (scroll down), but you'll notice that the weathering is not uniform across every panel line. Some panels you simply can't see. Others tend to get dirty. The majority of pictures show them to be relatively clean, though. Hopefully this will be better than my lame attempt at trying to describe it!

The Spanish method is having very prevalent preshaded and darkened panel lines with faded panels. It has a very uniform appearance. I'll try and find a picture and post it to show what I mean. Your work with the small details (dirt, grease, stains, etc) is quite nice. I'm more referring to the panel lines and faded center panels, which is why I referenced the "Spanish" method. Let me see if I can pictures of what I'm talking about. Pictures will be much more illustrative.