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

Hey guys, just letting you know im still perservering with the stang. I went at it with a different outlook (of just build each bit as it comes to you, dont get overwhelmed) and its coming together alright. Its a shocking kitm, but i think once its done it will look semi ok. Im contemplating wether to use the kit wheels (poorly molded vinyl) Or get some AM stuff.

Thanks for checking in Scorpio. Will be nice to get this GB going again for the last 4 months. I am sure you will do a good job on the kit. Look forward to seeing it.

Ran into a little problem with the Mustang yesterday.  I was dry fitting the canopy to see how it sat and it turns out I installed the pilot seat too high up and it interferes with the canopy.  I carved a little bit off the top to see if that would help but it didn't all that much.  I plan on having it open though, and it doesn't seem to interfere with the canopy that way.....hopefully I'm the only that notices when I finish it   Other than that I'm getting close to paint for both planes, I just need to stock up on some OD

O bugger. I bet alot of us have had that at least once. One of those things that reminds you to dry fit next time.

Is there no way the seat can come out and be trimmed from below.

I thought I dry fitted before I installed, but something musta gone wrong.  If I tore it outta there now I'd just be asking for trouble.  I probly could, but I don't want to risk messing it up more.  More dry fitting is showing that the open canopy isn't being interfered with, so I think everything will work out.  I'm anxious to get this done, so if I can avoid doing something that will mess itup I will

Sometrimes it can be best to just leave it, especially when its not that big an issue. I know the feeling about being anxious to get the build done, i feel like the B-17 has been going ages.

I know the feeling.  I've only been working on the fighters since Christmas, but my B-17 has been going on for 4 years now

redraider56

I know the feeling.  I've only been working on the fighters since Christmas, but my B-17 has been going on for 4 years now

Ok, perhaps i'll stop complaining. Mines only been going 5 weeks. Will get the pics up in the m orning. The caste comes off on Wedensday, just in time for me to start on the intricate PE bomb bay.

I may get some pictures up myself.  I should resumre painting on the Mustang this week, focusing on the natural metal. I had to order a vacuum for canopy for it though since it has a slight incorrect shape and doesn't sit right on the fuselage.  I also figured out why the seat was too high.  I had a canopy from an old Revell kit on the bench and must've used that when fitting the seat because I tried it yesterday and it clears the seat lol

Dang...notice another thing

The small grille on the lower cowling under "Jasper" appears to be plated over in this photo but I dont really feel like filling this in on the model

Redraider,  I think I might have the solid air filter cover plates you are looking for in my photo-etch stash.  I think only the P-51K had the solid plate cover, but I could be wrong.  If I find them they are yours , I just need a address to ship them out. 

Thanks Little J, but I can just fill it in with super glue and sand it....no big deal

Glad you have got the canopy sorted red. I do like that nose art. Looking forward to seeing this.

So that Spitfire IP that had me looking seriously askance at Eduard's effort on the P-51? 

I just can't resist showing it off. 

Hopefully the resin will arrive soon! Also, my tubing order should be coming in tomorrow, so I may start building up the wings and moving into gun surgery this weekend!

Deffinatly worth showing off. I take it yours just replaceing the guns barrels.

just realised the time. Either your haveing a late one or your up damn early. I thought i was bad.

Right, finally some progress pics. Not alot done for 5 weeks, but things should be picking up now. Got my motivation back this last week or so, and once the caiste comes off, i won't be so restricted.

Theres been hardly any plastic glued yet, its been almost all PE. And theres alot of it.

Firstly the pit and bombadiers station. I have since fitted bomb site, the IP and the wheels onto the sticks.

The right and left sides of the front of the fuselage. These also show the mounts for the Oxygen tanks i was asking about on another thread. And they match nicely with the oxygen system layout stik posted. The tanks are on order from hannants and should have arrived by the time i get back to work on Wedensday.

The radio room. This has not been fitted into the fuselage, the left side has been left off for now. Still got to add the seats.

And an all over view of everything done so far. Theres not that much detail in the waiste positions, i am going to try and add what i can especially around the windows themselves.

Interiour was painted Interiour Green from xtracol,our. I then used pro modeller was and tamiya weathering dust silver. Hopefully more to follow at the end of next week.

Nice looking interior, Bish.  Glad that you're getting back into things.  How's the bone healing?

Thanks checkmate. The last x ray 2 weeks ago showed the fracture had gone, but it was still painful, so they put me back in a caiste for 3 more weeks. I get this off next Wed and then have to wear a brace and have pyhsio. Its a bugger of a bone to heal properly. But at least i can take the brace off and use my hand as normal. Its just awkward trying to get my hand in the right poisition for certain things, and to rest the hand to steady it. Hence why i nhave taken so much time. Things should progress better once its off.

Bish - that interior's looking great! The IP in particular looks awesome from here!

As to your question about the gun barrels - mostly correct. I'm replacing the blast tubes where they exit at the leading edge of the wing. The kit's rendition of them is pretty basic, and rather going with the whole Ultracast replace-the-entire-thing approach which seems a nightmare, I'm going to drill them out and replace them with tubing from Albion Alloy. They've got a range of micro tubing that's sized so the smaller ones slide perfectly into the larger ones. Now I just need to figure out how to drill out what's there cleanly! Should look pretty awesome in the end, though, especially if I can get away with leaving them off until after the painting's done.

Well i can't take much credit for the IP. Its one of the eduard coloured sets, so all i had to do was glue it. The hardest bit was fitting the various levers.

O yes, i keep forgetting those US fighters have blast tubes that stick out from the wings and not the barrels.Sounds like it will look nice, but then given what i have seen of your previous builds, i think we have come to expect that.

Bish

O yes, i keep forgetting those US fighters have blast tubes that stick out from the wings and not the barrels.Sounds like it will look nice, but then given what i have seen of your previous builds, i think we have come to expect that.

Yeah the end result I'm trying for is something like this:

Here's how the kit captures it:

The scary thing is that the "blast tubes" are molded to the upper wing surface, with semi-cylinders protruding where they fit into the lower half of the fairings on the lower wing. Drilling that is going to be rough going. But I did do something similar with that Monogram P-47, and those drill points fell right on the upper/lower divide so this can't be any more trying than that!

Ye, certainly needs working on. The blast tubes on the model also look to large when compared to the real things. I am sure you will be able to sort this out.

So my resin pit was waiting for me when I got home Thursday, and I decided to give it to another kit and steal said kit's instrument panel. And with that, the cockpit floor is complete and ready for a wash!

I used Airscale's instrument panel decals for the gauges. Even though they're 1:48, the only ones that would fit in the Tamiya gauge faces were the smallest. Still, with Future on top of them, they look pretty darn tootin'.

Overall, a big improvement over the Eduard PE, IMO.

for the sake of comparison:

That does look very nice. Nice wear and tear on the panel and seat as well. What did you use for wireing the batteries behind the seat.

Bish,

Would you allow me to enter a Revell of Germany 1/72nd P51D? Ive been wanting to enter this GB for ages but never had anything suitable in my stash... Just picked up this kit from the LHS and it is very tiny, very basic but offers decals for a crate stationed at East Wretham 1945 with 359 FG, 368FS 8th af.

Richard

Course you can Richard. and nothing wrong with 72nd, thats my scale of choise. And i would be interested in seeing the markings for this. I have been trying to find markings for the P-47's from Wretham, but can't find anything. I already have the markings for the Bodney P-51's.

I was up at wretham camp last Sunday and the Sunday before. It's now an Army camp and alot of the buildings are lefty overs from WW2, and some of the old perimiter track can still be seen around the area.

Just realised the GB badge has gone. I think i must have moved it on Photobucket. Will get it back on now.

Bish,

Thanks for the welcome!. This mold looks like it has many moons under it's belt (stamped Venice Ca., raised detail...) and from a first look at the instructions it doesn't even have a control column (to be adressed) but i was in for a fun "quickie" and i liked the markings.

Took some shots for you guys to see what i am yacking about:

Boxart. Love the green nose:

For EUR.4,99 you get a lot of extra flash to make up for the low parts count:

But the decals are the usual great cartograf ones. They never let me down sofar:

Making a start on her ASAP.

Richard

Does sound like a new release of an older Revell kit. But i am sure you can deal with that. Are you adding any AM for the pit.

I do like that Green nose, not noticed that before. I am not sure if the P-47's had it. I have a long term personal project to build aircraft from all the 37 military airfileds in Norfolk. There were only 2 8th AAF fighter bases in the county, Bodney and Wretham. As i already have _-51's for Bodney, i really want to do 47's for wretham. But there are no markings. maybe this will give me some ideas on doing my own.

Bish,

Any adding i will be doing will have to be scratched detail. I have yet to buy my first AM pit or PE set. Might have to do that one day but not on a 5 euro kit

Don't know if the green nose is a distinct Wretham thing... Must say that doing my first research all i can come up with sofar is that CV_D "cookie" was piloted by Lt. John T Gordon and that the aircraft was lost on july 23 1945 from what i think is a taxi accident but i am not fully clear on that. Nothing on unit markings or anything like that...

Richard