Official Alley Cat GB Sept2010-Sept2011

Very nice looking Cats people. 

That F7F is a beaut! Have to agree I'd have loved to have seen what the "1946" fighters could have done with a year (heck - 6 months) to prowl the South Pacific. The Tigercat, Bearcat, F2G Corsair...

Just so people know, this GB is still active. Im just not on as often as id like to keep things moving.

Just want to let everyone know that i haven't forgotten about this GB.  Things just haven't been going well over the last 5 weeks or so.  We had a few deaths in the family followed by a couple of hospital trips by my brother, mother, and now most recently, my 19 year old brother (who we found out has Type I diabetes).  Needless to say, it's been fun.   

The builds so far look great.  I'll be making some updates and taking some pictures soon. 

Mike

wow dude, and i thought i was in the wrong lane of lifes highway. Good luck with everything and if i can do anything to help lemme know.

Great looking builds everyone!  Sorry I haven't been able to start on my builds yet.  I got 2 to finish then the F4F-4 will be on the bench.

Mike, Good luck with everything.  We are here if you need us.

I finally got some work done on my F6F-5 Hellcat for the Blue Angels.  I made a mess of the paint job.  The paint was too thin and there must have been an Afghanistan dust storm going through my basement, judging by the crap that settled in the paint.  It would be too much work and destroy the detail if I sanded off, so I am just going to live with it and hope the pictures don't show it too much.

Darwin, O.F. 

yardbird78

I finally got some work done on my F6F-5 Hellcat for the Blue Angels.  I made a mess of the paint job.  The paint was too thin and there must have been an Afghanistan dust storm going through my basement, judging by the crap that settled in the paint.  It would be too much work and destroy the detail if I sanded off, so I am just going to live with it and hope the pictures don't show it too much.

Darwin, O.F. 

you may have had a Static issue, if you did alot of sanding, or polishing, you may have built up some static cling. Next time try, rubbing the model with a dryer sheet,, you wont have to rub the whole plane, just the body and wings. the sheet will disapate the static.. less dust next time..

Nice tip. Ill have to remember that.

Any photos yardy?

Yes, nice tip.  I'll try that next time.

No pictures at the moment.  I'll try to get some taken and posted soon.

Darwin, O.F. 

Well, I am finally going to call this mess finished. 

-About a ton and a half of dust settled on the paint as it was drying and looked like death  warmed over.  I buffed out the worst of it and then put on a couple of coats of Future.  It looks a little better, as long as you don't look very closely.

-The paint job is horrible and the decals aren't much better.  The decals are by Draw Decal and are printed on an ALPS printer.  I went with that set because they are gold instead of yellow and I think that is correct.  I used Micro Set to put the first one on and man was THAT a mistake.  It is the big NAVY under the port wing.  The decal shriveled up like a prune and kept getting worse as it dried.  I have used Micro Sol and Solvaset before and the decals wrinkle to some extent, but then they flatten back out as they dry.  This one rolled itself up in a little ball.  I soaked it in Future and kept working with it until I got it back flat.  I used Future to set the rest of the decals and they worked fairly well, but they still wanted to roll in a ball.  Comments welcome, good or bad.
 
-Photo proof of the disaster.

It was still looking pretty good at this stage

The end result.

Darwin, O.F. 

She actually looks pretty good. However i believe the markings were in fact just yellow. Gold paint in 1945 would have been worth more than the aircraft. 

Scorpiomikey

She actually looks pretty good. However i believe the markings were in fact just yellow. Gold paint in 1945 would have been worth more than the aircraft. 

The markings probably were just gold colored paint rather than actual gold.  Commander Butch Vorris, who formed the original team and was the first commander/leader, said in his book that the Hellcat used gold markings.  That is the primary reason that I went with gold.

Darwin, O.F. 

fair enuf. Seems odd that now they use bright yellow, even on the bearcats they use bright yellow. could've been a change for cost, or possibly the gold didnt stand out enough? Whats his book called?

You are probably correct in the reason for the switch from gold trim on the F6 to yellow trim on the F8.  Even on the little model, that gold doesn't have nearly as much contrast as the bright yellow. 

The book that I was referring to is: "First Blue:The Story of WW-II Ace Butch Vorris and the creation of the Blue Angels"  by Robert K Wilcox.

Darwin, O.F.

Ill have to keep an eye out for it, thanks for that.  Hows everyone going? Do i need to post some motivational photos?

Scorpiomikey

Hows everyone going? Do i need to post some motivational photos?

I'm hitting the home stretch on my two Commie bastards, got the Monogram P-47 about 2/3 through the cockpit detailing, and am about to pull the Revell P-38 out of its box.

After those are wrapped I think I'm going to tackle an armor kit, then I'll probably swing back around and start on my Eduard Hellcat...

My Panther is waiting in line for a paint job.  I've broken the nose gear off for the millionth time too!  It shouldn't be too much longer......

Cheers,

Greg

Doogs. 

Youve got a month hehe.

Greg.

Landing gear are a PITA arent they? Do you have any photos of its current status?

Hey guys, ive come to a decision. Im doing my bearcat up as a racecat. However, i need some help with a design.

Race number will be 19.

Favorite colours include, Black, Red, Lime Green.

I dont enjoy too much masking.

Not Keen on NMF (looks awesome, but dont enjoy making it)

Any other questions, just ask. Ill post designs when i can.

Ill be making all my own markings.

Thanks for any assists guys. 

I have the cockpit trapped in my Panther fuselage and I'm getting the wings on. I'll post pictures this week. Maybe I do need motivational pictures.

Dean

Theres a handful to get you started.

Mikey,

Is that first picture a Cougar? Recce maybe? I've never seen that pict.

Dean

Yes its a cougar, not sure what model, just said something about grummans first attempt at swing wing?

Ok, so heres what im thinking, Overal black. Bright green chevrons. 1 at the front which covers from the rear wingtip to the front of the engine cowl. A second one about half way down the fuselage. And a green 19 on the tail. still not sure what to call her though (this is for my bearcat btw) im also gonna forgo the breach bumps on the wings and im going to fill in the ejector ports and gun barrels.

Scorpiomikey

Not to be argumentative, but this photo is NOT a Cougar.  It is Grumman's XF10F Jaguar, a one-of-a-kind prototype intended to introduce the swing-wing concept to the Navy.  It had too many unsolvable problems and was cancelled before it went into production.  After 32 test flights, several near disasters, the prototype and one partially finished model were shipped to the Naval Material Center in Philadelphia for barricade testing.  Corwin "Corky" Meyer, Grumman's chief test pilot of that era said it had the most viscious spin characteristics of any airplane he had ever flown.

Darwin, O.F.

yardbird78

 

Scorpiomikey:

 

 

 

Not to be argumentative, but this photo is NOT a Cougar.  It is Grumman's XF10F Jaguar, a one-of-a-kind prototype intended to introduce the swing-wing concept to the Navy.  It had too many unsolvable problems and was cancelled before it went into production.  After 32 test flights, several near disasters, the prototype and one partially finished model were shipped to the Naval Material Center in Philadelphia for barricade testing.  Corwin "Corky" Meyer, Grumman's chief test pilot of that era said it had the most viscious spin characteristics of any airplane he had ever flown.

Darwin, O.F.

Unsolvable problems. Several near disasters. 

Yep, sounds like a Jaguar to me!

I bet the electrical system was a mess, too...

The Navy was smart to bail before the warranty expired. 

Thanks for the correction darwin. still a grumman cat

At last I have the fuselage together and the wings on the Panther. This is a very good fitting kit. Are all Trumpeter kits this good?

Dean

 There's some beautiful work going on hear guys. 'Bout time I got in the mix.

Finally getting my twin 'Stang racer about finished up ,so I've started on my Hellcat-3.

First , I've picked a cat from the Princeton for my markings. Love the face and of coarse ,an ace's mount.

While the kit interior would look nice with paint detailing and canopy closed , I decided to detail up the office ,starting with some structural ribs. 

The ip, floor and rear bulkhead are basically going to serve as a blank canvas for some scratch built detailing.

I will build up better side consoles as well.  I may even open up the canopy further in the build.   

 Putting on a coat of interior green at present . More to come.

 Howard