gregbear, Doogs: Have you tried mixing the squadron putty with lacquer thinner? I found that you can mix it to any consistency you need. Keeps shinkage and crumbling down to minimum and I'm usually sanding in an hour or so.

DoogsATX

I also busted out the Barracudacals IP decal. Ugh.

Doogs, do you use the IP decal as a whole? Does it come in one piece? I got the Micromark hole punch, it's fiddly work but I punch out each dial and stick them into the raised dial surface on the IP. Also makes it easier for that drop of Future onto the dial.

Cheers

Greg - I'd recommend giving 3M Acryl a shot. I've got the Acryl Red (the highly recommended Blue appears out of production), and it's great. Dries a bit fast for my liking, but it doesn't go all crumbly like the squadron crap stuff.

Sounds like you are making good progress Doog.   Sand and fill, repeat.  I am having tough time on the nacelles, and I am going back and forth between it and my P-38M.  Next time I go to the hobby shop, I am buying some better putty!  This Squadron white putty kind of sucks, and it shrinks.

I bought a Fujimi F-4S from Hill Country Hobby while I was there.  Gary (the owner) is real good guy, and his "helpers"  (his daughters) are really nice too.  I was on a Phantom binge while I was there and also picked up 48th scale  Hase Fgr2 Brit phantom, 72nd  Fujimi Fgr1 brit with p.e. and metal parts, 72 Hase F-4S, and AM 72nd F-4C.  I also snagged a Fujimi EA-6B, and an Italeri B-57G, along with a bunch of decal and p.e..  And I finally found part two on the Detail and Scale on the F4U corsair!  For only $5 too.  It took a lot of self restraint to leave with just that.

Cheers,

Greg

Got a bit more done on the Mossie last night. Sprayed Alclad Duraluminum in the gear bays and on the gear struts. Steel in the radiator vents (Alclad Steel is rather dark). Then turned my attention to the cockpit. Last night was mostly detail painting...seat pads and the like. 

I also busted out the Barracudacals IP decal. Ugh. Great decals, very thin and gorgeous register, but the first decal landed on the IP and stuck. Slightly misaligned of course. I finally got it close, and figured with the closed canopy and all that it'll work. Then the second decal (the white for the gauges) stuck to my finger, curled, and I almost lost it. I applaud them the effort, but really, a one-piece decal would've been far, far better.

Eduard belts are going on next, then I'll be adding some wiring using the Aires set as inspiration. Hopefully I'll have some better pics to show after tonight.

Gregbbear

Looks nice Doogs.  The allies need the help.   Your idea about pre-shading black, and then using a black-gray sounds good.  That is what I was thinking of trying with my P-70.  Did you read the Night Stuka article last year in FSM?  That guy even mixed in blue in his black mix.

Did you come down to Modelfiesta?  There were some pretty awesome deals, and some great entries.

Cheers,

Greg

Blue? Really? For the preshade or the top coat?

I did head down for Modelfiesta. Wish I'd brought something to enter...there were some fantastic builds on display but I think I may have at least been competitive. I'll definitely be entering something at the Austin show this fall, not sure what yet though! 

Also managed to score way more kits than I intended:

• Hasegawa Typhoon Ib bubbletop
• Tamiya Spitfire Vb
• Tasca M4A3E8
• Cyber-Hobby Orange Box Firefly Vc
• Trumpy KV-2 in German use

Got the last three all in a bunch from Hill Country Hobby for 20% off, and the planes from a different vendor for $15 each. No complaints!

Also came REALLY close to finding the Lone Star Models PBJ wing radar pod...a vendor there had two of the nose pods. Guess I'll have to break down and order direct, but man I hate the whole printing out a form and faxing it in process.

Beaufighter is also on the way. I'm trying to figure out how to paint the thing. Tamiya's call out is for flat black... way too boring. I should have some paint on the interior later this week.

Looks nice Doogs.  The allies need the help.   Your idea about pre-shading black, and then using a black-gray sounds good.  That is what I was thinking of trying with my P-70.  Did you read the Night Stuka article last year in FSM?  That guy even mixed in blue in his black mix.

Did you come down to Modelfiesta?  There were some pretty awesome deals, and some great entries.

Cheers,

Greg

Gregbbear

Awesome stuff!  So far the Luftwaffe is ruling the night sky.  Thanks to jbrady and now NFN, their air superiority may be in jeopardy!

It's about time for the RAF to make a showing. Paint! On things!

So far, I'm really liking this kit. I'm glad I decided to save the Aires for later...the cockpit's relatively involved and I'd rather know the "lay of the land" before I go modifying things. That, and the Barracudacals stencil sheet comes with some gorgeous IP decals that I'm itching to try out (along with decals for the radios, several interior placards...).

I'm still fighting over what to use for the exterior. Right now I'm leaning toward pre-shading in black, then using Vallejo Black Grey (what the IP and other bits are painted with in this pic). Or maybe a 50/50 Black and Black Grey.

Thanks NFN, hopefully she won't look too shabby when I finish her. And after the learning experience of building the first one out-of-box I think I'll know what to look for dealing with the pratfalls if I should try to do a second putting more work into her.

Greg: Great looking stuff, despite your problems with the kit she's coming along well.

Hopefully will have photos of the cockpit soon, about 97% done with my subject for the Korean War GB and trying to finish her off first.

Awesome stuff!  So far the Luftwaffe is ruling the night sky.  Thanks to jbrady and now NFN, their air superiority may be in jeopardy!

Nfn, that is awesome work on the Widow!  I love seeing veteran kits build up by someone skilled like you.  It makes me really appreciate a kit more, when someone takes an older or more challenging kit and makes it museum quality.  My kit is certainly challenging, but it won't be museum quality!  All the builds here took incredible craftsmanship.  I was just at Model Fiesta IPMS show, and I think anyone of the completed kits here would have taken top honors!

On the other end of the spectrum..... I attached the fiddly landing gear, and then the nacelles the other day.  The nacelle fit is every bit as bad as the nose and tail!  I made some faux 20mm cannons for the gun pack too.  This way it isn't just an empty hole when you look in the gun ports or shell ejection holes.  The engines came out good.  I used the kit engines with some cylinders robbed from the Verlinden set, and the Verlinden plug wires.  Regardless of my whining, I think these AMT havoc's have a lot of potential.  I just hope I have the skill/patience to get 'er there.

Cheers,

Greg

I think you're underestimating yourself.  :)  Nothing wrong with straight out of the box.  Honestly, I just make this stuff up as I go.   My first attempt I spray painted with rustoleum because I didn't have an airbrush.  I still have one more to go.  I'm debating on doing a P-61B called First Nighter and this one will be pretty much out of the box.  :)

Wow, NFN that looks fantastic!

You're making me look so bad! I'm going to stuff my P-61 back in the box, bury it in a hole, and find someplace to hide.

Seroiusly I think I'm just going to do mine straight out of the box, I don't think I have to skill to pull off that kind of modification.

Not too long...  Just a few James Bond movies...  :)

Hercmech

I think " added a few riviets" was quite the understatment!  Looking great!

yea thats like saying the elephant man had a little swelling

NFN thanks,still trying to wrap my mind around the time it must have taken to do those rivets

Gamera thanks ,it was an obscure version for sure

Manny thanks , research was a challenge on this one glad you like it!

That was beautifully done.  :)

TREYZX10R

Doogs do the 110 !

some finished shots, thanks for all the kind words everyone hope I did it justice

its beerthirty now cya

Worked on the motors, tyres, and propellers...

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Also did the internal support for the cone window in the rear.

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I think " added a few riviets" was quite the understatment!  Looking great!

added a few rivits to the fuselage...

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Trey: Wow! Another winner there. I didn't even know there was a 189 nightfighter till you started on her. Great job on the weathering, the engine, hey great job all around.

Jbrady: She looks good to me, congrads!

Greg and Doogs: Great stuff, keep 'em coming!

Afraid I've been a bit under the weather so I'm moving even slower than usual. I'm still in, hopefully I've get some photos up before toooooo much longer............................

Finally got started last night - nothing major, just gluing some of the bigger interior pieces, drilling out the necessary holes, blah blah.

I've also decided I'm going to go with the kit's cockpit and save the Aires for a later build. Got a later Mossie project I want to save that for, plus I'm kind of looking for a relaxing build right about now...

jbrady nicely done,getting the weathering right on that is a challenge that you dealt with nicely .top notch build!!!

jbrady, it is the AMT P-70 Nighthawk version in 1/48.  Italeri and RoG have re-issued the other Havoc variants, but not this one.  I bought a PSP display base today.  It is the Eduard one.

Cheers,

Greg

Damn first birdies are complete. I needa get a wriggle on...actually i just need some motivation. Ive been in a real model building funk latley.

Greg thanks for the comments. What kit is the Havoc? I always wanted to build one of those. Looking forward to doing the night Beaufighter as soon as I finish the F4F I'm working on.

jbrady, the Hellcat came out great.  I have one in the stash, I hope I can do half as good as you did.  Ever since I read Squadron's "Night Wings", I have been fascinated by the night Hellcats.  Ze Germans are lucky the Marines stayed in the Pacific!

Here is the P-70 as a couple of days ago.  I put it next to my P-38M to give it some perspective of size.  The tail was every bit as atrocious fit as the nose.  The wings, luckily, are pretty good, and won't require much filler at all.  It is finally looking like an airplane!  I love the lines of the Havoc.  It was a really pretty plane.

I will update the finished build page later today.

Cheers,

Greg

The best I can do. The last peice was the left wingtip navigation light... it took a flyer off the tweezers and I can't find it. Tried to use Micro Krystal Klear not real happy with the results. Overall though a fun build and a good kit.

Next up is the Beaufighter MK VI... should be fun I know nothing about British aircraft.

jbrady

Exceptional

Yeah... What he said!!! 

Exceptional