Official Natural Metal Finish Group Build II

Scorpiomikey sounds like it might be warped, shouldn't curve down. Can you post a picture of it ?

Oh yeah i know about the dihedral, but the wing itself is normaly straight right? it doesnt curve downwards?

Scorpiomikey actually the P-47 does have quite a bit of dihedral in the wings and I think the Testors kit comes pretty close to being right in that respect. Heres a link with some pictures of the real thing, you will be able to see the angle of the wing fairly well in a few of the shots.

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=Republic%20P-47%20Thunderbolt

Sweet! Thanks for letting me in!

OWL

Ok so i dry fit the Jug together over the weeked and i have a couple questions...arent the wings on a p-47 meant to be straight?...yeah thats pretty much my only question, kinda dreading this build, the fit is utterly terrible. ill try get some photos uploaded tonight.

Fine builds still coming out of the woodwork!!! OWL I have that same kit and am looking forward to seeing your progress and taking notes!!!!

I went to a mate's place today to gobble up a few kits he wanted to get rid of and came back with a kit that was started but didn't give a .......well didn't care!!! KBC 1/72 727!!!!! The kit has American Airlines decals, the first time I had EVER seen that scale 727 anywhere and now have it in my possession!! Quite happy bout that lol. No, I am not committing a build yet but had to tell somebody lol. Got the Academy 1/72 B-29 Bock'sCar and Stratocruiser as well. Pushing the GB commitments but if I can I will surely do one for here!!!

stikpusher

Julez, I have both Mirage III kits, Hobbyboss and Eduard. Compared side by side the two kits are nearly identical part wise and just appear to be different surface detail wise. If there is a PE set for one, it should fit the other.

Hey Stik, Thanks a bunch for that info buddy I'll order that PE set, it usually takes 10 days to get my orders from Squadron so i'll get that P-51 and 38 done in the meantime...thanks again

Owl, to the GB, looking forward to seein some more of your work

Julez72 me thinks you are more than a "Competent " builder because that P-51D of yours just keeps looking better and better each time I see it. Wish mine looked half as good.

Kermit I can tell ya this group is building them fast and furious and all are outstanding builds too. I have a hard time keeping up with them.

CallSignOWL it would be a pleasure to have you join us with one of your fine builds. I have been watching your MiG build and cant wait to see your B-47. That MiG is coming along nicely too cant wait for the finish. Your build is in and will be posted in the line up on the front page this evening. With that being said to the shiny side.

SuppressionFire

OWL,

vetteman42 is a very cool easy going dude! Of course he will let you join, in fact I believe Peter Fonda's character on 'Easy rider' was loosely based on vetteman!

Supressionfire How'd you know that have we met ?

OWL,

vetteman42 is a very cool easy going dude! Of course he will let you join, in fact I believe Peter Fonda's character on 'Easy rider' was loosely based on vetteman!

Is it too late to join in?  I've been poking around the site for a while and figured I ought to try a group build. 

I think this one would be a good fit, my next project is the old Hasegawa 1/72 scale B-47 kit. Dad saw the kit at the model show we went to earlier this year and fell in love it.  Now every time I mention model airplanes, he asks if I have started his plane yet!!

OWL

Julez, I have both Mirage III kits, Hobbyboss and Eduard. Compared side by side the two kits are nearly identical part wise and just appear to be different surface detail wise. If there is a PE set for one, it should fit the other.

Yeah definatly Sim, I'li be flying solo on that trip (missus isn't interested) so we'll catch up for a cold one So the Me 262 and 163 are at Canberra eh, might have to make a slight detour on the way.....

So i got the Mirage 111 from HobbyBoss and i'm happy with the quality oob, some excellent detail although the rivet detail is a little strong but i think with the surface prep needed for a NMF with all the undercoats it should be ok....The HB kit seems very similar to the Eduard version so i'm contemplating ordering a PE set for the office, Highplanes models do a nice decal set for three versions of 75SQD none of them are for the NMF version but i'll have enough to do A3-32.....This will be my first fast jet and i'm looking forward to getting stuck in

Looking forward to hooking up with you hopefully!!! Ummmm, I believe the 163 and 262 are at the war memorial in Canberra.

Yes i'm extremely jealous Richard, and Sim you just made it worse....I'm planning a trip to Washington next year but only for a couple of weeks....I'll be staying at the Smithsonian i recon cause once i'm in i'm not sure if i'll leave.....I should be in your neck of the woods for Xmas holidays this year though Sim, planning on going to the RAAF museum at Point Cook, there's a ME262 and 163 down there too....

Washington!!!! My sister lives just out side of Seattle!!! Beautiful wilderness country up there!!!!! Hope you are enjoying your stay in MY motherland. Have mentioned once lol, American by birth, Southern by the grace of God, and Aussie by choice!!!! Glad to know you are in a pretty part of the US.

Hey guys,

Just had a chance to get on the internet for the first time while i am visiting the US and i can see i will have a lot of catching up to do when i get back early next month. All of you are doing great jobs and i am almost drewling on my chair here. No plastic or glue at the cabin in the mountains where i am staying....*sniff*

Just wanted to say i take a peek whenever i can and i can't wait to continue on the P51 and B17...

Cheers from Wa.

Richard

simpilot34

Looking forward to seeing all these builds come together!!!! Will be taking notes on all techniques!!! Looking great guys!!!

Shame on you Jason for coaxing another build out of a master builder!!!!

I dunno about master builderPerhaps competent modeler....I'll be picking up that Mirage tomorrow

Hey i have a WIP Pic......

Looking forward to seeing all these builds come together!!!! Will be taking notes on all techniques!!! Looking great guys!!!

Shame on you Jason for coaxing another build out of a master builder!!!!

Mike I have a couple more in the stash. I have the 1/48 Me 109 B and a Spitfire Mk IX. The basic fit of the kit is pretty good. The decals are as thick as cardboard and these is alot of fine detail missing but for the price I think they are a good deal. A bit of scratch building mabye a little PE and some aftermarket decals and they can turn out pretty nice.

I have a bunch of seam sanding to do tonight on the P-35 trying to get the best finish I can for the NMF so probally not much to look at in the way of progress.

Soulcrusher

I've been following the discussion of the Hobbycraft P-35 with interest, as I have the raceplane edition of this kit -- a prime NMF subject. After my bad experience with HC two years ago I wasn't able to bring myself to quite trust them, buuuutt... I just started their Avia S-199 for IDF 2 and have been very pleasantly surprised -- so pleasantly I've already ordered another. If these moulds are typical of the Hobbycraft Bf 109 series, I sense some lower-cost Messerschmidts coming along. The fit is very nice, the plastic works well and the level of detail is most acceptable. The proof of the kit is in the building, and after 24 hours I'm appreciably along.

Obviously, I'll be monitoring the P-35 build closely -- if this one also builds well, my interest in the brand will be somewhat vindicated!

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Julez72

So this one is Suppressions fault.....

 

Thanks Jason...

Supressionfire Way to go buddy !!! What a terrible thing to be blamed for huh Jason

Julez72 now I cant wait to see this build come together shuweeettt

Soulcrusher from what you have planned with the white, black and gray panels under the Talon paints this P-35 is gonna be something else ( rubbing hands together in anticipation)

Randy from what I have seen any of the alluminum panels that were subject to alot of heat would usally be a bit darker than the other so I figured I would darken up the cowl a bit with the black primer. It should break up the monotone finish a bit. I am thinking of primering most of the model in a meduim grey and then mabye primer controls surfaces in white.

Julez that should be a nice build with all of that wing area to show off the NMF!

Soulcrusher

So this one is Suppressions fault.....

After he posted up the pic of the NMF Spit i thought "cool" so i had a look around the net knowing that the RAAF had a number of NMF Spits...Anyway i got sidetracked from my initial search and got a warm fuzzy for this...

My LHS has the 48scale for $30 (hobbyboss) and Aussie decals have decals so i'm doing one...

Thanks Jason...

Soulcrusher looking good, the engine detail is really good if its OOB and I have seen much worse in the way of seams.  The cowls always look a bit different from the fuse on real aircraft so I like the darker cowl effect. 

Rob, no worries mate the decal sheet you ordered is a very nice one, i like all 3 but the yellow nose with the skull is very cool....Looking forward to seein your completed build

SC, nice progress mate,those molds do look crisp and the engine looks superb

OK here is where I am at right now. This kit is pretty basic and it went together pretty quick yesterday. It is definetely going to take alot more time to sand and fill all of the very small imperfections than it did to glue it together. I painted the cowl black so the NMF will be a bit darker on the cowl to give it some contrast. The engine is pretty nice right out of the box.

Soulcrusher

IBuild148 - Thank you for your answer to my question. I just airbrushed some flat black and will soon be on to the Alclad Aluminum. Finally! I plan to apply Future over the flat black, so essentially will have gloss black underneath the NMF. I have some Dark Aluminum on hand so I may highlight a few panels with that.

JMart - Thank you for your input too. I'm intrigued by the approach you mention for painting a spinner. It sounds simpler than the "hardware gauge" technique I outlined. Let us know how it turns out. Where did you buy the rubber sleeves? A hardware store?

Scorpiomikey my guess would be from what I know the BMF foil comes in sheets of 6" X 12" and thinking of scrap and such I would say a minimum of 3 sheets to do the job, I dont know how many come in a pack. You might be able to get away with 2 sheets but you would have to be very careful about the layout of your cuts.

Supressionfire hey thanks for the heads up on the book, I dont see many Canadian aircraft ans its nice to build a model with not so common markings. I will be keeping my eyes open for it.

Maxfax your Jug is looking really good Actually I really like the shade difference between the cowl and  the rest of the model, you are really making that Testors kit look top notch. Seems to me that white always takes 3 or 4 coats to cover any other color even  bare aluminum, I have tried both enamel and acrylics. Yellow and red are 2 other colors that drive my nuts.

Soulcrusher cant wait to see what you do with the P-35 especially after witnessing your FW190 build. I have been looking for a P-26 Peashooter kit and now may have to look for the P-35 as well, geeze. So many to build and ....................

Jmart thanks buddy. The cold didn't go bad like it normally does so I got lucky this year, the cough is almost gone now. So now I have some modeling catch up to play as I have 2 group builds ending soon.

Catching up with this great GB…

MaxFax – Pit and engine looks great! Ditto the comments left by others… I do like the fact that the cowling is a different ‘shade” than the rest of the fuselage.

NiceFit – Sorry for the delay in answering… I hand brush a lot, mostly small parts/assemblies in the winter. My AB cabinet is in an unheated attached garage.  I use MM/testors enamels. After a bit of trial and error, I found out that the brush makes a HUGE difference. I got myself some nice camel hair brushes (using the 50% coupons at Michael’s craft stores). I also have to thin the paint just a tad, nowhere near what you would thin for an AB of course. Finally, use slow steady overlapping strokes to diminish the “build up” at the end of the brush. Thanks for posting the spinner technique, will give it a try! For this one, I will try a rubber sleeve (shrinkable with heat). I cant recall the exact name of the product, its used to wrap electrical lines, apply heat, and the rubber sleeve shrinks.. it is basically an elastic tube, so you can pull the spinner (or ordinance) thru the sleeve till the paint demarcation line and AB away. Do not use heat of course lol

Julez72 – Ditto vetteman’s comments; looking forward to your build!  Academy, Haseg, all better than the old Revell ones! I have three boxed away to build once I have a clue what I am doing ;)  Looks like you definitively got things right, I will copy your ‘rig” idea to align the booms. Mustang coming along great!

Fermis – looks great! Hope my (Revell) BBD ends up looking half as good as yours.  You finish a model in the time it takes me to catch up reading the GB thread! LOL  Oh, and great stable shot! I am officially jealous

IBuild  - Beautiful work on your F-86F. I recently trashed an old testor’s P-51D (I know, a sacrilege!) But the molding was toylike, fit was horrible and the nostalgia effect wore off. I should have given it the fire-cracker treatment ;) Your decals/stripes paint jobs are spot on.

Stikpusher – Love how yours is coming along; I love the “old” lines of that jet (old referring to the jet, not the kit!).

vetteman42 – hope you feel better from your cold! (Yes, Im up to page 17!)

jmabx – very interesting bird! Love the pics, look forward to the rest of the build.

Max that is some great progress!!!! Sorry to hear about the decals tho.

Julez, good save on the stripes!!!!