Looking really good Chris! Looking forward to seeing it with the better decals. If I might ask, what blue did you use for the topside? I like that shade.

All I can say is that I am impressed, Chris. Those colors are amazing! But it is a shame about those decals. They look horrible! Worse than Revell's standard issue! Those I've figured out how to work with... but yours look naff!! What a way to let a builder down.

Everything else looks amazing!  :D well freakin' done. 

I'm sorry and feel your frustrations about the decals.  Though everything else is superb.  I love the finish on your F4F!

Toshi

If you were to paint the nat marks, faded and chipped, this would be out of this world.

rooster513

Looking really good Chris! Looking forward to seeing it with the better decals. If I might ask, what blue did you use for the topside? I like that shade.

 

Actually, the topside shade is just the mix described by Tamiya in the instructions.  I believe that it's a mix of XF-18 Medium Blue with XF-2 Flat white.  I'll check the instructions when I get home, but I believe it's a 3:1 mix, majority Medium Blue.  

Thank you gentelmen for the kind words.  I did have fun with the paint on this one.  Maybe I should mask and paint the insignia.  I'll check into that.  

Ah;

 Now this is why I got to hate decals . All that work and them thick wrinkly things . Drove me bonkers . Finally got back to using them when the aftermarket came up with high quality thin ones .  T.B.

ridleusmc

  

Thank you gentelmen for the kind words.  I did have fun with the paint on this one.  Maybe I should mask and paint the insignia.  I'll check into that.  

 

 

If you want to go this route, look into Montex masks.  They work great.  Once you use these its hard to go back to decals.  I get mine from ebay.  

I've seen them on Amazon.  

ridleusmc

Hello Everybody,

I picked up Tamiya's 1/48 F4F-4 Wildcat from a vendor table at a local show, and I was very excited to build it.  The reviews were very consistent, and most reviewers liked the kit.  Each reviewer did mention the very thick decals.  

I didn't want to spend any money on aftermarket stuff for this project.  I've been doing that too much lately, but I did want to make some improvements.  

One thing that I missed is the cockpit floor of the kit isn't correct.  It should be cut out along the sides from the bases of the instrument panel and the aft bulkhead.  This is to allow the pilot to be able to use the windows on the underside of the fuselage.  I read about this detail too late, but I'm generally happy with the pit.  The seatbelt is the only addition, and it's from an old photo etch set from another project.  

 

 

I wanted to pose the Wildcat as it would have sat on the flightline of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the autumn of 1942.  The aircraft in the pictures tended to have off-center rudders, drooping elevators, and open cowl flaps.  Cuts were made.  

Other than the modifications, construction was straight forward.  Finishing was fun.  I wanted to try black basing as described by doog.

https://doogsmodels.com/2014/07/03/technique-black-basing/

I don't think I got the technique 100% correct, but I was pretty happy with the results. 

Decals, I hate the decals. They're thick and they don't want to settle in.  This is while using Micro Set in applying the decals, and while using Micro Sol after applying them.   

And, notice the white edges of the upper wing star decals.  

I've decided that I don't like these decals enough to try any harder to save them.  I just ordered a set for Marine Corps birds at Guadalcanal.  I hope to update this thread soon with a nice completed model.  

Thank you for looking,

Chris 

 

 

 

 

 

 !

 

 

 

 I've always loved the wildcat line, and this one is spectacular!   Except the decals....being out of register, makes them just about unusable!  But, I have has successfully used Tamiya x20a acrylic thinner as a solvent, and it worked a treat on my ROG Lancaster bomber's thick, unruly decals, after several applications. ..

Can't wait to see her all finished

Thank you all,

I was able to get the decals off last night.  There was some damage to the paint, but light airbrush touch up should even it all out.  I don't know how long the decals will take to ship, but it shouldn't be too long.  

I'm getting the decals here:

http://fineartofdecals.com/goodies/f4f-wildcat-photo-page/

The set is at the very bottom of the page.  I was thinking I'd go with either Joe Foss' bird or the "unknown unit" aircraft.  

-Chris

I repaired the damage to the paint caused by decal removal.  I feathered in some flat black.  Then I covered masked panels with my Medium Blue mix.  I believe some clear coat will adequately reduce or eliminate the contrast between the new and old paint.  

IMG_1861 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

I'm calling this one done.  I had trouble with the new decals as well as the old ones.  Overall, I'm happy with the it.  I set it next to a 1/48 Corsair, and it looks tiny.  I'm posting with flickr now.  It seems ok.  

IMG_1906 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1909 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1910 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1911 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1912 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1913 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1914 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1915 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

IMG_1916 by Christopher Ridle, on Flickr

That looks great!

That didn't turn out just good, it turned out great! That is nicely finished, Chris! :D

Thank you, 

I tried black basing for the finish.  I think it works well with these colors.  

That really did come out great! Nice job all around!

Oh cool, super job there! 

Thank you gentlemen.

I think I'll stay in South Pacific mode for a while.  I have a P-400 going, and I'm tempted to start a Zero that the LHS got for me.  

A P-400 you say? Oh tell us more. :)

Yeah, I've jumped into Eduard's P-400.  It's a nice kit, and I promise to post about it.  So far, I've assembled the cockpit and joined the fuselage halves. I've been taking pictures, but I'm going to wait until it's at completion before I post about it.  Sometimes, work, family, and/or life causes a subject to stall, so I want to avoid in-progress build logs for now.  

I will say this.  Eduard put some thought into the kit, and it shows.  It shows in the masks included in the kit, and it shows in the instructions.  The parts go together well.  I joined the fuselage halves together tonight.  It took a minimum of finger pressure to get everything to line up nice.  I did some sanding, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary.   

I found a 1989 boxing of Monograms P-39 and I plan on giving that one a go much later. Slowly but surely I'm tracking down all of the old Monogram kits around town lol. 

Since you won't be making a WIP thread for that P-400 I guess I have no choice but to wait for it to pop up eventually. Maybe I'll be building mine by then lol.

Looks really good! The exhaust and gun deposits look very realistic. I'll be thinking about opening up the cowl flaps just a tad on at least one of my aircraft in my stash thanks to you.

1943Mike

Looks really good! The exhaust and gun deposits look very realistic. I'll be thinking about opening up the cowl flaps just a tad on at least one of my aircraft in my stash thanks to you.

 

I was surprised with how easy it was to open the cowl flaps.  I just repeatedly scoured the seams between the flaps with the back side of a #11 blade until they were thin enough to cut.  I scoured the leading edges of the cowl flaps until they were easy to bend outward.  I had to be careful with my passes with the blade, but the occasional slip sanded out.   

Really great work, I think it turned out fantastic. Your decal issues are why I'm going towards painting as many of the markings that I can. 

Nice job. I love the Wildcat. On the one hand, I think it's such a stubby, ungainly looking plane, but on the other hand, what a workhorse, and so much history.

-BD-

lawdog114

That turned out great. Tape over the gun ports is a nice touch.

 

Thank you, the tape is just the new Tamiya curve masking tape.  It's the 3mm wide stuff cut to 3mm in length.  I like how it turned out.  

7474

Really great work, I think it turned out fantastic. Your decal issues are why I'm going towards painting as many of the markings that I can. 

 

Yes sir, 

me too.