War In The Pacific Group Build 2009 - 2010

Luftwoller wrote:

Guy, you might want to recomend that tool to Charles too.  Looks like it would be usefull for removing belly fuzz too! 

Some seriously good looking work going on here.  All these Japanese floaty things are a real treat. 

Hey ho, I got a bit more paint on the main float and started with the weathering process. This will give you an idea of how im going to do the weathering on this one. The red propeller band (To warn where not to stand) was sprayed on, as were the white arrows and lines. This should make wethering the whole thing easier. At the moment its still in the early stages. I still plan on fading everything with pigments,

...Guy

Guy the float great now! Can't wwait to see it with the pigments

Jason

Guy Your float looks great!!! Very nicely done weathering, not overdone!!! Nice paintwork as well!!

Thanks Jason, and Dave!!! Jason the rigging is something called knitting-in elastic. You should be able to get it in thecraft section of Wallyworld(Wal-Mart) or if you have a craft store or Hancock fabrics. Neat stuff. First time I have ever used it and wish I had this stuff awhile back. It's sort of like a nylon type cable as you can actually split the really fine threads and make it a smaller diameter. Beautiful thing about it, with pre-planning and pre-drilling you can anchor it on one end and pull other end stretching it a bit and anchor the other end and you have dead straight rigging with no fear of it sagging as it is under a bit of tension. Haven't tried shrinking it with heat yet. HTH!!

Hi everyone

It's been a while since I worked on my El cheep-O SBD Dauntless. Truth be told I was ready to dump the kit into the trash. I got so completely frustrated (My own fault) with working these cheep kits. I just don't have the skill or desire to bring these to a point where they are some what correct. Right now I want to focus on the kit itself and the details of what I have in my mind.

 To make a long story short I decided to take the little SBD and just "try" different things that I would be afraid to do on a (Lack of a better word) good kit.  

Well here she is with both the top and bottom painted. There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to re-energize a modeler.

I still need to find someone who has the 1/72 black letters and numbers decals I need.

Richie- I like your progress, well done!  Looks very convincing to me.

Guy- Excellent work, how did you do the scratches?  I like the effect very much.

Dirk- I think you are DEFINATELY on the right track with the SBD.  It may not be the most detailed kit, but by realizing this early on, and deciding to build it simply to enjoy it and try new things- means you will look fondly upon this build for a long time.  Looking forward to seeing more!

Darren

count me in  will be doing 1/32 scale from Revell the wildcat during the battle of Guadalcanal.  will be starting after nov since i have other gb to compete okay?

Dirkpitt289 wrote:

There's nothing like a fresh coat of paint to re-energize a modeler.

Amen brother!!! Dirk your lil SBD is looking rather nice I think!!! With kits like this you are doing it the right way, having fun whilst experimenting!!!

Frank, thanks mate!!! Yeah I like this stuff, really easy to use!!! Another BIG benefit is that if you put a finger in it it stretches and springs back straight, does not pull out or break!! Can't wait for your Zeke to grace these pages!!!

silentmodeler aboard mate!!! Looking forward o seeing another Wildcat!!! Especially one from the Cactus Air Force!!!

I haven't had much time to build, but I finally got a little more done on the Duck. Hopefully I'll get both my days off this week and can get some real progress done on it.

The pics are a little off, I've got the settings on the camera set funky but not a whole lot to show so it will work for now.

simpilot34 wrote:

Looking good Aaron!!!! What markings is it going to be in again? Was it Pearl Harbor?

It's going to be marked for the USCG base in San Francisco on Dec 7, 1941. 

Aaronw wrote:

simpilot34 wrote: Looking good Aaron!!!! What markings is it going to be in again? Was it Pearl Harbor?   It's going to be marked for the USCG base in San Francisco on Dec 7, 1941.

Oh thats right!!!! Looking forward to more pics!!!!!!!

Daywalker wrote:

Guy- Excellent work, how did you do the scratches?  I like the effect very much.

Cheers Frank. It was surprisingly easy actually. I squirted the whole float with Airframe alluminium and then coated the ally with Tamiya Clear. This stuff sets like concrete so is a great covering to scratch onto. I then painted over with the top colours (Green and grey) and as soon as it has gone off, which is within a minute or 2 (I use Laquer thinners always) I pick at bits with my nail or a piece of shapened sprue. Sharpened to a flat and not a point.

Dirk, id love to do a cheapo kit, just to practise different paint techniques on. I also think that you get more out of a cheaper kit as there is no pressure to get it perfect due to the cost.

Aaron, that has to be one of my favourite looking floaters. One day one of the mainstream manufacturers may make one. In 1/32 would be great. Common Eduard, listen to the masses!! LOL.

...Guy

Dirk the little SBD is coming along nicely.

Aaron did you rivit the the duck or were they molded in

jason

Luftwoller wrote:

Dirk, id love to do a cheapo kit, just to practise different paint techniques on. I also think that you get more out of a cheaper kit as there is no pressure to get it perfect due to the cost.

I think you hit it right on the head. I like to work in 1/72 scale and I'm constantly trying way to hard to get everything perfect and am constantly disappointed. Once I decided I didn't care and took on the WTF attitude everything seems to have fallen into place.

In other words I've discovered that state of mind can have more of an outcome on the finished product then skill. To prove this to myself at the time I purchased this lil SBD I also purchased the Testers F4U Corsair. Once I opened it I was disgusted with it and tossed it aside with the thought that I would never do it. Once I had my epiphany I retrieved it, assembled it and just cave it its first coat of painting it and I must say again I'm very happy with the outcome.

Dirk Wtg thats the attidute I need sometimes

Well here are some shots of OSCAR all dressed up. The decals gave me fits"they don't play well with others"

And the last one I was looking through some pics in on of my boks and the canopies were all strached up so I decided to give it a try. I took a silver colored pencil and tapped it all over the  canopy and fuselage.

Jason

I'm digging those markings on the Oscar, Jay! I hate it when the decals don't play nice, but it looks like you likced them. I like the canopy "nicks", too. She's coming along nicely.

I'm making pretty good pace on ,my  ki-115 Tsurugi. With any like she'll be rady for some photos tonight.

 Great work going on, and lots of it too.

 Dirk, great to see progress on a kit that nearly made it to hangar 13. Have fun. Don't sweat the small things.

 Aaron, the Duck is looking good.

 Jay, Very nice, The engine looks great setting under the cowling. Very cool.

 Looking forward to updates,

 Mo

Jason, i like the idea of a chipped canopy framing. I may have to steal borrow that idea

On mine and jap planes in general, Ive read that the undersides fared a lot better than the top surfaces so for that reason my underside will just look faded and stained. Im painting the thing at the moment and im wondering about trying the salt technique on the leading adges and the wing root. Need to do some research.

...Guy

Airfix provided the rivits, I wouldn't even know where to start to add my own.

A 1/32 Grumman Duck is one of the aircraft that would lure me into me to building a 1/32 kit.

Guy, the float is looking great.

I've got one of those scribers, found it useless for scribing, but great for picking at stuff.

Dirk, the SBD is looking really good.

I like cheap kits as you can experiment without guilt if it all goes horribly wrong.

Jay, the Oscar is looking spot on.

I always think you don't see enough Oscar's when compared with Zeros & Franks.

Progress (or lack there of!)

I ended up stripping the paint off the Tojo with some Modelstrip.

This stuff is meant for taking the paint off model trains but works just as well on acrylics and enamels.

While I waited for an opportunity to pick up the Modesltrip, I had a play with Tamiya's metalic acrylics on Hobby Boss's F-84E.

As a result I'll be finishing the Tojo in Tamiya, rather than Gunze acrylics. They don't look as good, but they are a lot tougher.

Just need to finish of the F-84 and the Puma, before work resumes on the Ki-44.

Karl

Luftwoller wrote:

Jason, i like the idea of a chipped canopy framing. I may have to steal borrow that idea ...Guy

Guy feel free I just amazed that no one else has ever though of it

Kj thanks the f-84 looks really good to me in the tamiya metals

Jason

Hi Karl, Great looking F-84. What metalic did you use to get that finish? It looks superb. What was wrong with your plane that needed a total strip. Remember im new here. Also cant believe you couldnt get on with the BMF scriber. I love mine. Ive even tried it on my belly button fluff, works well there too.

Anyhoo, ive done a bit of research into the salt technique and the biggest prob i found was that it doesnt really like sticking to a NMF. Bummer, that being the case, i decided to try something a little different,

i tried it on an old kit (My very first NMF plane) a Tamiya Mig 15, with pretty good results,

I blobbed it on fairly thickly just to try out the stuff, then gave it a coat of green,

Not bad i reckon,

I wondered if i could get it thinner for panel lines and access panels, I used a pointed cocktail stick for this,

The result looked favourable so it was on with the Alclad Aircraft Alluminium,

More soon,

...Guy

Very nicely done, Guy!

Karl, I'll eat my words on the Tamiya acrylics if that's what you used. The F-84 looks very realistic. I takit it that's 1/72? Tremendous job on that build.

Guy I like the effect for the chipping. Did you try thinning it with anything yet are you not going to?  The NML looks fantastic almost a shame to coverit up.

Jason

Well Ive given my Rufe a nice soapy bath and we are off to the races....another floatie coming to the GB..gotta luv it!!! 

Hey Guy...Great chipping with the liq mask...gives me an idea of what to do with that bottle of the stuff Ive had for while....dont use it too much. I use a silver coloring pencil to highlight access panel lines....good sharp point give a fine wear line...try it...

Jason..the oscar is looking great...a tip....i take a very sharp xacto and cut the hinos along the panel lines and them hit them with settling solution...after a shot of dull coat at the end you would swear they were painted on...just make sure its a new blade so as not to break the decal....thats ahappened to me then its like putting a jigwas puzzle together. overall..Very Very nice looking Oscar

Dirk...take a shot of tequila as usual and you will see the kit in a new light....the paint looks good Im sure it will be a fine looking SBD.....Adm.Sandecker.

Carlos

Guy, I used Tamiya acrylics on the F-84, having used Gunze Mr Metal Color on the Ki-44.

The Gunze metalics are great, with very fine pigments, but are also very delicate. I protected mine with several coats of Future, however when I went to mask up the ailerons & elevators, the Tamiya tape just lifted the top layer of the paint! 

Even de-tacking the tape on my forehead didn't made a difference, and I was left with a lumpy looking finish, not at all suitable for NMF, hence the complete strip.

Like Carlos, I use a silver artists pencil for the scratching around access panels etc, as it is very controllable.

Mucker, the Tamiya metalics do look a little grainy up close, but are fine at normal viewing distances.

I think the base coat of gloss black helps even out the finish a little.

Karl