Official Alley Cat GB Sept2010-Sept2011

I am really stunned by that awesome cockpit.

Darwin, O.F.

 Cockpit complete! I still need to weather with some washes and such,but I couldn't resist some pics mocked up with the fuselage taped together. 

Next, to dress up the kit engine. It has some nice basic detail, but definitely could stand some correction and enhancement.

I like to start with a coat of flat black on the cylinders , now I'll dry brush MM steel over the black. I use steel for a darker tone and more contrast with the detail painting and aluminum dry brushing to come. 

I do this step first to create my base canvas for the enhancements to follow. I've also painted the rear bulkhead flat black for better contrast of the engine in the completed model.    

 It may take me a couple days to get back to this one. Need to detail the cockpit of my Lightning build.

Building both models together allows me to time the use of certain paints/tools . While I have the cockpit colors and plenty bits of plastic and stretched sprue on the desk, might as well bring the other build up to the same point of construction. Like a small assembly line.

Howard

 Got the port side of the cockpit done, seat and floor board almost done. Still have the make up the rudder pedals, but that's pretty easy. Anyway , here's pics of todays work. 

This first pic shows how I used the printed copy of the Eduard PE set as a pattern. I do feel it may be "cheating" a little bit , but you can see how everything is still pretty much scratch built.

Those minute switches and levers get tedious rather quickly , but worth the effort.

Howard

Nice work on the Hellcat.  I love the cockpit detail

Darwin, O.F. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Spent the day eating turkey and building up the right side wall and console of my Hellcat.  Here are the pics. The model , not the turkey.

Notice the pencil mark about halfway up the cockpit wall for the height of the side consoles.

The IP and cockpit floor tacked in place with a couple drops of Elmers white glue. 

I found an image on the web of the Eduard PE set , reduced to scale and used as a pattern for consoles which are made from sheet plastic. Switches , levers, knobs,etc made from bits of plastic and stretched sprue. Then detail painted . 

A fairly accurate representation, I think.

 Now to shift focus on the left side of the office, followed by the seat and rudder pedals.

Howard

Awesome job guys. Both birds looking gorgeous so far.

Howard,

The IP looks really good.

Whenever I see a Panther, I also think of "Toko-Ri".

Dean

Nice Panther,Dean! Makes me think of the movie Bridges at Toko-Ri. There is some good footage of Panther carrier and combat ops in that film.

I've got the IP finished . Currently building up the cockpit side consoles . 

I told myself I would build this OOB, dressing up the kit detail where needed. Next thing you know , I'm scratching the cockpit. It needed something more accurate. The kit parts were OK ,but then I down loaded reference images .Scaled them for my purpose and started cutting plastic.  

Here's the pics so far.

Howard

The Panther has been primed and next time you see it, it will be the proper color.

Dean

Howard, great choice of markings    Nice scratch work so far too.  Looking foward to more pics.

Dean, your Panther is coming along nicely too.  I can't answer your question on Trumpeter kits.  I  haven't built one. 

I am closer to starting this GB.  Gotta finish up painting and weathering the Lancer and the HRS-2. 

 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

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

Thanks for the correction darwin. still a grumman cat

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. 

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.

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.

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

Mikey,

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

Dean

Theres a handful to get you started.

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

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. 

Doogs. 

Youve got a month hehe.

Greg.

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

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

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...

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

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.

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?

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. 

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. 

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.