Mighty 8th GB 1-Nov-2010 - 31-Oct-2011

First pics of the cockpit!

Overall, I'm ridiculously impressed with this kit so far. The cockpit is extremely well done. The IP decal is phenomenal. I've never had much luck with IP decals before, but this one's so good I don't see the need for an Eduard set. This pic is the decal still curing. I can't wait to see it once I've flattened the panel and added Future to the gauges to simulate glass!

Speaking of which, the Eduard placard set is pretty sweet in its own right. Love that it includes the throttle quadrant. If the levers look a bit silly, it's because several of them have CA beads that I'll be painting tomorrow.

There's also the Ultracast seat. This one has the belts molded on - definitely harder to paint than using Tamiya tape, but I think once the wash goes on it'll help pick out the contours and improve the look.

Wabashwheels

Hey Doogs, I can't keep up with you! La-5, P-38, P-47, P-51A,B,C,D...My head's spinning.  Petie 3rd looks pretty good, lots of color, and lots of markings, but it's also fun to lock in on personalities, research their careers, and build their aircraft.  But Petie 3rd is pretty!  Also, Squadron is running a pretty good sale on aftermarket decals this month.  There are a few Thunderbolt sets included.  They could possibly help you out for a great price.  Rick.

Yeah...I get almost as much of a kick planning future builds as I do working at the bench - love reading about the pilots and units.

For the record - I'm planning on doing both eventually. I'm just trying to narrow down with -D I want to tackle first.

Go with the Hun, Petie 3rd looks good, but blue noses are over done IMO. Hell theyve got an entire FS of replicas flying atm. (I think theres about 4 or 5 blue noses that turn up to oshkosh most years)

Hey Doogs, I can't keep up with you! La-5, P-38, P-47, P-51A,B,C,D...My head's spinning.  Petie 3rd looks pretty good, lots of color, and lots of markings, but it's also fun to lock in on personalities, research their careers, and build their aircraft.  But Petie 3rd is pretty!  Also, Squadron is running a pretty good sale on aftermarket decals this month.  There are a few Thunderbolt sets included.  They could possibly help you out for a great price.  Rick.

Alright gents - having a bit of a conundrum here.

I've got the markings for "Petie 3rd", blue nose and whatnot, but I'm thinking I might put those on hold and try my hand at Henry Brown's second "Hun Hunter ~ Texas", an early filletless P-51D (second in the image below). I'm already planning to build his P-51B, so it'd be a nice progression...and I dig the scheme...

What do y'all think? That, or Petie 3rd?

Yeah sorry 1/48 Accurate Miniatures.

jbrady

It should read an AM P51-B. I want to do Nicholas Megura's "Ill Wind". That's 4th Group 334 Squadron at RAF Debden. I think they were there from April 42 to July 45.

Is that AM as in AM Models. I take it it's 48th scale. I will add it now.

It should read an AM P51-B. I want to do Nicholas Megura's "Ill Wind". That's 4th Group 334 Squadron at RAF Debden. I think they were there from April 42 to July 45.

jbrady

 

Bish: Is it too late to add another... I got a line on an AC P 51B that would go well with this build.

Sorry mate, had so much to catch up on forgot about this bit. No, deffo not to late. Just let me know scale and unit and i will add it to your list.

Thanks Doogs, i will give it a look when it comes to it. Luckly most of my aircraft are German, and they mostly have hard edged schemes or mottle. But i might give that a go on my B-17 for the demarcation line.

1/72nd suits me not only because i am used to it but also because all my kits are built with dioramas in mind. So 72nd mean it takes up less space plau all the extras that are availiable.

Bish

Doogs I am having trouble getting a feathered edge useing putty, i would have liked less of a hard line on my B-24. But again, 72nd scale doesn't need to stand out as much and maybe useing just putty gives a good end result in that scale.

I used to build 72nd a lot as a kid. And I can see the appeal if you're doing bombers. Personally I'll never consider anything smaller than 1/48 again - even in 1/48 my eyes wig out on me sometimes. 

You should try the paper mask. I've had good luck cutting heavy stock paper (construction paper or even card stock) to the right shape, then putting risers underneath to keep it elevated. Only downside is that I have to hold the paper, I've never had any luck tacking it down. But it can give you a really nice, defined but soft demarkation. 

checkmateking02 You could be right about plastic being to stiff to conform. Your idea about paper masks useing the instructions to make them is a nice idea. The problem with 72nd is trying to get it just right. It doesn't want to be as feathered as a larger scale, but you want somthing that doesn't look like a hard edged scheme. I have done German mottle free hand on the tail of a 72nd Me 262 and that came out nice, so i am not sure yet weather to try masking or free hand. Guess i will cross that bridge when i come to it.

Doogs I am having trouble getting a feathered edge useing putty, i would have liked less of a hard line on my B-24. But again, 72nd scale doesn't need to stand out as much and maybe useing just putty gives a good end result in that scale.

jbrady Echo what the others said, nice looking finish you have got. Can you just confirm what you used for the wash.

I started out on 72nd aircraft so i guess its all what your used to, and i have noticed the same reaction as you from guys who build larger scales. For me its just the norm. I do have a few 32nd scale kits so i am hopeing they will be a breeze after the smaller scale.

I have no idea how you can work in 1/72... I can barely see what I'm doing in 1/48. Don't get too exited about washes just yet. I tried the underside a little while ago and now I am remasking to completely repaint. No idea how there could have been such a difference between the OD upper and gray lower but there sure was. No matter what I did I couldn't get the wash to come up without taking off the paint... Oh Well

jbrady:  your wash looks excellent.  I may give washes another chance after all, if I can achieve the results you obtained.

Doogs:  I see what you mean; the freehand looks better.  I have a Paasche single action, and since I only do 1:72, I don't think I could get the precision you're getting.  On the other hand, 1:72 is so small, it maybe isn't as obvious.

While my daughter is at work (now) I found her camera and took the photos below.  I still don't have the hang of her camera!  But maybe the general idea comes through.  I taped the windows in place while I ran some superglue in at one lower corner; let it dry, then tacked down the bottom edge.  When that was dry, I repeated the process with the top edge, since the windows did not want to lay flat on the fuselage sides by themselves without a little persuasion.  I used the wind deflector inscribed on the kit to keep them level and straight, so I didn't glue the sides down.  I will fill these little joints with diluted white glue, which I usually do in some areas to avoid filling and sanding.  Most times it works out just fine.

One thing I've found handy when using superglues and clear plastic is a small battery operated fan (the kind "junk" stores sell to keep you cool in summer).  After I have the glue on, I aim the fan at it.  The moving air keeps the superglue from leaving that nasty white deposit.  I've heard that dipping the part in Future floor wax also prevents this, but I guess I'm too lazy to take that extra step.

Again, after I mask and paint, these might require more tweeking--I simply can't tell yet (even under magnification) if they blended in acceptably.

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OK here it is with the wash. The gloss coat made all the difference in the world. The wash came up with just a little water and rubbing.

Bish: Is it too late to add another... I got a line on an AC P 51B that would go well with this build.

P-47 Update:

Got the cockpit, engine and gear bay bits primed last night. Painted the major cockpit and engine pieces this morning.

Not wanting to use White Ensign again (people love it...but it has several characteristics I don't like), I went on the hunt for a Model Master equivalent of Dull Dark Green and came up with Euro I Dark Green. It's actually a closer match to the one pic I have of a P-47 still sporting its DDG wartime interior (most of the refurbs adopted interior green). 

Found an Eduard placard set at the LHS, too, so I'll be adding it into the mix along with the Ultracast seat.

Hopefully I'll have some pics to share tonight.

I've used the cutout/float method before...I actually really like it for top/bottom demarkations, but I'm not sure how well it'd work for as complicated a camo scheme as Schilling's ride. 

I actually started with silly putty masks, then moved to freehand on my La-5 when I had to repaint. I couldn't get the White Ensign enamels to spray fine very well, but I still liked the freehand better.

Here's the masked:

and freehand:

jbrady--It looks like you are making good progress.  Congratulations.  I think modeling is all about try and try; maybe fail; and try again.  I now have a big collection of spare B-17 parts from "fail" over the last twenty years--which will come in handy if Airfix doesn't get me my missing fuselage-half soon.   

Doogs--I've never seen anything like the response you got with those decals.  Some I've had did emit a milky substance, which I suppose is the glue; but it always cleaned up with water.  Never have seen the kind of bubbly winkling you got.  On the plus side, maybe you've just discovered a new scientific principle of some kind.

But then there was the time I picked up the wrong bottle off the table, didn't check the label and used Micro's "liquid decal film" instead of "MircoSet."  That was a mess that wouldn't be undone.  I had to repaint.

Bish--below is a P-47 I finished 3 or 4 years ago.  I used masks cut from paper, made from photocopied enlargements of the kit painting diagram.  I used rolled up masking tape to "float" them above the surface.  The demarcation did not still come out as soft as I would have liked.  This is the Academy 1/72 kit, 56th Fighter Group, pilot was Francis Gabreski.  I've never tried plastic.  Do you think it would be too stiff to conform to the surfaces of the model? 

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A progress report:  I installed the Fortress's waist windows over the weekend.  It's difficult to say how they've turned out until I paint.  They seem somewhat thick to me, and didn't quite fit, so I had to use gap filling superglue.  I sanded as smooth as I think I can get them.  Will try to post a photo when I can get my daughter's camera again--otherwise things are hard to see since the window and framing are all clear vacu-formed.

Doogs Feel for you mate, that was looking sooooooooooooo good. Hopefully this time you will be happier with the paint scheme as well. One tip i read about getting a lightly feathered edge was to cut out stencils out of somthing like sheet styrene. Instead of haveing it right next to the model, attache it useing rolled up putty so it stands away slightly. I haven't tried it yet, but might be an idea.

jbrady Looking good, that deffinatly coming along nicely. Thats what i love about this site. I have picked up more in the last two years on here than i had in the privious 20 years of modelling.

In addition to "Hairless Joe", I'm also ramping up a P-38F at the moment, and in my initial research I came across definitive proof of center-of-panel fading:

Turns out when P-38s were shipped out, anywhere that moisture could get in (basically panel lines) was sealed with a clear varnish. Thus, when they hit service, the unvarnished paint faded faster than the varnished, leaving the center of the panels faded versus the perimeters...

I dont trust my airbrush skills enough to try free hand... though I did discover tonight I can get a pretty fine line. I have to remind myself my girlfiend keeps telling me patience. This is only the third plastic kit I've ever attempted. As long as I see improvement in each one that should be good enough.

I did find that I can completely remove hard acryl washes using alcohol and a little scrubbing. Doesn't seem to damage the enamel at all.

That Razorback's really looking awesome!

Don't feel bad about not knowing - I can't tell you how long it took me to come to some of the realizations I did around aircraft finishes. When I was building models growing up, weathering meant slathering the thing with paint chipping. I discovered washes toward the very end...but I was disgustingly heavy-handed with them:

I've only really been trying to vary up the actual paint itself since I came back to models this summer...every kit so far has been a valuable lesson in what works and what doesn't (latest lesson - DON'T USE OLD KIT DECALS!). Here's hoping this next Bolt goes the way I want (I'm also thinking I might freehand the camo this time...the masking always seems to give me too hard of an edge).

I can't thank you guys enough for the advice on painting this beast. I lost some of the panel detail but I think a thin wash of burnt umber will bring it back. I can't believe how much better it looks now... actually I didn't know enough to know how slilly it looked before I took your advice.

DoogsATX: Sorry for the setback. I really appreciate the painting tips. When I was mixing up the lightened base coat I had my doubts. It just seemed like the chalkiest mess. But spraying at low pressure with a fine tip worked well.

Dang that sucks doogs, I'm always affraid of messing up a model but since I'm still fairly new to it, its going to happen more than I like, expecially aircraft. Just seems like money waisted to me and I always try to finish it no matter how it looks.

I did see that very P-47 at an airshow, Im not sure if I have any pictures of it or not, If I'm able to dig anything up I can try to scan and send them to you.

jbrady - I can already see a difference with the lightened coat - lookin' good!

Removing the decals created its own havoc...there's still residue left over and soaking the kit did bad things to the paint...

It was about to go on a one-way sortie against the garage wall, but the wife persuaded me to put it back in the box for later.

Thankfully, it was an old Monogram I'd scored for $10, and I hadn't put any aftermarket into it aside from the wheels, which haven't gone on yet.

In the meantime, I'm going to try again. Ordered Aeromaster's sheet with Hairless Joe's markings, and picked up a new airframe...

Just got it washed off in the sink...the sprues are drying now and I'm planning to dive in tonight...

Bish, would you mind changing the kit from Monogram to Tamiya?

What's that carrier film made out of?... rubber With my temperment there would be a pile of plastic in a corner right about now.

This is where I'm at now the first pic is before a lightened coat without panel accent.

The difference is subtle but I still have another lighter coat that I hope will tie it together.

Ouch, thats nasty. Other than more setting solution afraid i have no idea. Not come across that yet.

Well, I spent last night fighting with the old Monogram decals. Lost the invasion stripes under the fuselage, and that's such a nasty area to mask I'm probably just going to leave it off. The rest had some milky white junk going on, and didn't really like the idea of laying down. Finally got them relatively clear and settled down and went to sleep.

Woke up this morning to find this:

Gaaaaah!

Now I need to figure out how to fix it...