AIRCRAFT - Pearl Harbor group build - FineScale Modeler - Essential magazine for scale model builders, model kit reviews, how-to scale modeling, and scale modeling products

obiwan

Member since
May 2003
From: Malaysia

Posted by obiwan on Saturday, February 28, 2004 7:21 PM

wow really coming on nicely
a real beauty .cant wait till she s finished.

What baby wants baby gets

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:21 PM

Thanks, fightinjoe & nick !

nick - I masked the canopy with Scotch "invisible" (frosty) tape. For a monochromatic paint scheme, I usually add a little black to the base color for the wash. But, since I used acrylics for the airframe, I had to do it a little differently. I always use enamels for the panel line wash. I couldn't match my base color, so I had to do a generic wash with RLM 66 blackgray. There's more contrast than I like, so I applied it very thin. The wash refused to go over the decals, so I'll probably go over them with a technical pencil.

Glad you like it so far, and thanks again !

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nmayhew

Member since
July 2003
From: Kent, England

Posted by nmayhew on Saturday, February 28, 2004 4:08 PM

lookin' good pix!! Smile [:)]

was that a "home-made" mask you used for your zeke canopy? it worked whatever it was! Wink [;)]

also, the panel lines look cool, yet discrete; was that a watercolour wash?
thanks for the pointers on the landing gear; that's what i went for.
i've got to seal my decals with a coat of future, then probably going to attempt some exhaust stains (for the first time...[:0])...then a dull coat and i'm pretty much there. Big Smile [:D]

regards,
nick

Kind regards, Nicholas

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fightnjoe

Member since
September 2011

Posted by fightnjoe on Saturday, February 28, 2004 2:37 PM

wow. looks fantastic pix.

joe

Veterans,

Thank You For Your Sacrifices,

Never To Be Forgotten

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 28, 2004 2:00 PM

nick - I would go with aluminum for the gear legs, and neutral gray for the "hub cap." Most P-40 that I have seen are done this way. Hope this helps !

I got the semi-gloss coat on the Zeke, and finally got the canopy masks removed. Removing the masks is always a high point for me.

I still have the metal portions of the prop to paint, as well as the the inside of the gear covers, flaps, wheel wells, wing folds, and nav. lights. I will probably be done in a couple of days.

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nmayhew

Member since
July 2003
From: Kent, England

Posted by nmayhew on Friday, February 27, 2004 6:46 AM

guys

, a quick question: what colour should my p-40 landing gear be? i've done the wheel wells US Interior Green, but should the actual gear be that colour as well? also, what about the wheel hubs? Int Green for the inside and underside grey for the outside (the hub cap, if you will)?
regards,
nick
ps yes, i am currently having a nightmare with the decals!! Angry [:(!]

Kind regards, Nicholas

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nmayhew

Member since
July 2003
From: Kent, England

Posted by nmayhew on Friday, February 27, 2004 2:57 AM

pix hi Smile [:)]

thanks for the advice re scanning...it'd be a great idea but i have no access to stuff like that unfortunately, so i guess i'll just have to take the plunge!![:0]
regards,
nick

Kind regards, Nicholas

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 26, 2004 10:32 PM

Bummer with the decals, Nick. If you really fear the #300 decals, try scanning them first. You can use it to make masks for the numbers, if the decals fail. Put some low-tack tape on a clean piece of glass. Then, after cropping the scan into a rectangular box with all the numbers, use a glue stick to attach it to the non-sticky side of the tape. With a sharp #11 blade, slice through the scan and the tape. You can make multiple copies of the scan, in case the knife slips. Banged Head [banghead]

Its a good "insurance policy" if you're worried about the decals.

Looking forward to the build !

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nmayhew

Member since
July 2003
From: Kent, England

Posted by nmayhew on Thursday, February 26, 2004 1:55 PM

hey guys

i started putting the decals on my p-40 earlier this evening and had some "interesting" experiences Black Eye [B)]

...
now never having built a hobbycraft kit before i have nothing to go on, but for anyone else doing this kit all i'll say is be careful!
the first star/roundel i tried to move from the backing paper was only 99.9999% ready and thus promptly ripped into 3 pieces[:0] Black Eye [B)]

; lucky for me they provide extra ones Tongue [:P]

....then with the numbes that go on the tail fin i obviously left it in the water for 2-3 hundredths of a second too long, and basically dissolved as i tried to put it on my plane Angry [:(!]

...i know i've gone in for some heavy weathering, but this is taking it way too far!! Black Eye [B)]

had better luck with some others i put on, but i must say that i'm not looking forward to putting on those big "300" decals that go down the side of the fuselage[:0]...i may have to cut tehm up into smaller pieces to avoid "CDF" (catastrophic decal failure Tongue [:P]

)...
let's be careful out there! Smile,Wink, & Grin [swg]

regards,
nick

Kind regards, Nicholas

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obiwan

Member since
May 2003
From: Malaysia

Posted by obiwan on Thursday, February 26, 2004 1:23 AM

here is what i got http://www.hannants.co.uk/cgi-bin/search.pl?Mode=view&Database=cat&R=ESP48034&P=1

there is a val markings there and i 'm sure it will help.
i will mail them to you on sunday.

just send me an email with your address
obiwan@pd.jaring.my

What baby wants baby gets

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tempestjohnny

Member since
November 2003
From: Naples, FL

Posted by tempestjohnny on Wednesday, February 25, 2004 7:16 PM

thank you obi wan and Pix -----------Pix I just tried your hot water technique and it worked of course. But now I'm down one wing hinomaru and the whell spat decals. Obi wan if you have this sheet I will be most grateful. JOHN

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 7:33 AM

tempestjohnny, glad to see that obiwan (great guy !) can help you, as I used those markings when I built my Val a few years ago.

Moisture and heat are the two enemies of decals. If you live in a humid area, try putting your decals in a ziplock bag, and throw in one of those silicon(e) packets that are usually included in electronics packaging. They will absorb the moisture before the decal paper will.

I've also noticed that Hasegawa decals that are not new sometimes need Very hot water to release them. I run my tap water as hot as it will go, and it hasn't damaged any Hasegawa decals (yet...Murphy's law, though...)

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obiwan

Member since
May 2003
From: Malaysia

Posted by obiwan on Tuesday, February 24, 2004 4:07 AM

tempestjohnny: I got some spare val markings , gotta go home to check it out
wiil only be home on sunday.
I'll be glad to send it to you for free.

What baby wants baby gets

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tempestjohnny

Member since
November 2003
From: Naples, FL

Posted by tempestjohnny on Monday, February 23, 2004 8:59 PM

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!! I have just come to a complete stop. The decals that I have for my Hasegawa 1/48 Val will not come off the backing sheet. I have ruined 3 of the decals trying to get them off. Does anyone have decals for the Val with the markings for BI-231 from the Soryu. THey came in the Hasegawa kit. Also I believe Aeromaster had a multiple set called Tora Tora Tora part II with the same markings. I will gladly pay for either of these sheets. My val is all painted in the appropriate colors for this aircraft and then I realized that my sheet is bad.*&^$^%^T&^%

By the way how do you store decals mine seem to be all bad. JOHN

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 7:59 PM

Thanks, fightinjoe & AJACKETSFAN !

AJACKETSFAN - the "custom Aotake" is the Japanese metallic blue, used on the wheel wells, flap interiors, wingfolds, and inside the gear covers. I'll be painting Alcad II Aluminum, followed by Gunze Sangyo clear blue. Many paint manufacturers make the metallic blue as a color. The real Aotake was an anti-corrosive tint applied to the metal.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 7:49 PM

That looks really awesome Pix. I think you got that color match right on... and the red markings really look great against the other color. I hope mine looks half that good when I'm to that point. Can't wait to see the custom markings.

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fightnjoe

Member since
September 2011

Posted by fightnjoe on Monday, February 23, 2004 5:10 PM

looks good pix. very good.

joe

Veterans,

Thank You For Your Sacrifices,

Never To Be Forgotten

Where you can find me:

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, February 23, 2004 4:09 PM

The decals went on the Zeke 21 today. The markings, AI-154, are for an aircraft from the Akagi. This plane was shot down, and the pilot was KIA. I'll be painting the custom Aotake after the final coat is on the model.

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fightnjoe

Member since
September 2011

Posted by fightnjoe on Sunday, February 22, 2004 3:32 AM

pix, ajacketsfan, obiwan, and scottc, thankyou for the encouragement. i did use the wrong paint on the a/c. went looking and found a color chart for many types and generations of a/c. http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/stuff_eng_colorcharts_us.htm
for those interested found many good sites using usaaf as a keyword.

as for the overexposure of the camera i am afraid i am stuck using this one until i can get ahead again. funds are nearly exhausted and it looks to stay that way for a few more weeks.

joe

Veterans,

Thank You For Your Sacrifices,

Never To Be Forgotten

Where you can find me:

Workbench on FaceBook Google Plus YouTube

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 8:39 PM

fightinjoe - the color appears to be a shade of green. Its a little difficult to tell the shade, as the pic is a little overexposed. If you can get a light source that's more diffuse (scattered light as opposed to direct light), it will be easier to tell. I believe (but I could be wrong) that the Pearl Harbor P-40s were OD over Neutral Gray.

Your build looks really good ! Let us know what paint you used, and maybe someone more familiar with the P-40 than I can provide some info. Keep up the good work !

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fightnjoe

Member since
September 2011

Posted by fightnjoe on Saturday, February 21, 2004 2:40 PM

ok just put first real paint on.

the color looks a bit off to me. may try again with different shade.

joe

Veterans,

Thank You For Your Sacrifices,

Never To Be Forgotten

Where you can find me:

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 10:09 AM

Have you seen my site for your PHGroup Build? Im still doing it. Big Smile [:D]

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fightnjoe

Member since
September 2011

Posted by fightnjoe on Saturday, February 21, 2004 4:31 AM

pix, btw tried to glue to upper wings first then the lower. worked good and did not have as much of a gap to fill. still havent used swannys gap filling techniques but will be trying that on an f4f that i am building.

joe

Veterans,

Thank You For Your Sacrifices,

Never To Be Forgotten

Where you can find me:

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 21, 2004 12:37 AM

Pix, thanks for the tip... when I'm ready to paint that's how I'll do it.

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st_gorder

Member since
January 2004

Posted by st_gorder on Friday, February 20, 2004 4:42 PM

Pix
Don't have a digi-cam as of now; a funds problem. Will just have to communicate with words.
Steve

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 1:31 PM

AJACKETSFAN - I just poured the old concrete color into an empty bottle, and kept adding the green and stirring until it started to get close. Then I put a drop on a piece of paper & compared it to the image on my monitor.
Whenever I do a "custom" mix, I ALWAYS make more than I think I'll need for later touch-ups, if necessary. You will NEVER mix the same color twice. Always better to err on the side of "too much," than "too little."

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 12:35 PM

Hey Pix. that color looks really good... can you give me a hint on the approx. mix of each?

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scottrc

Member since
December 2003
From: 37deg 40.13' N 95deg 29.10'W

Posted by scottrc on Friday, February 20, 2004 8:31 AM

Your planes are looking really good.

Still waiting my P-36 from Great Models Whistling [:-^]

Scott

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fightnjoe

Member since
September 2011

Posted by fightnjoe on Friday, February 20, 2004 12:24 AM

been looking for others but that is the best i have found. just wanted to make sure it worked and was not a "bad link".

pix, have you tried trumpeter? want something better in the 1/48 p-40b.

joe

Veterans,

Thank You For Your Sacrifices,

Never To Be Forgotten

Where you can find me:

Workbench on FaceBook Google Plus YouTube

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 20, 2004 12:01 AM

I think you'll like the Hasegawa kits. The detail, especially in the cockpits, is rivaled only by Accurate Miniatures & aftermarket resin & photoetch. I actually prefer Hasegawa.

There is a link somewhere in this thread that lists every aircraft at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Its quite extensive, and all the kits available may not be in the same scale (some are produced only in 1/72). One kit that will be tough is the Douglas B-18 Bolo. It was based on the DC-2, which differs from the DC-3. There are no B-18 kits, and I believe there is only one DC-2, in 1/72.

For Midway, there are also Vought Vindicators (Accurate Miniatures has one in the works in 1/48), B-26 Marauder, B-17E (with remote belly turret), PBY Catalina, and possibly more (I'm not sure)

Good luck on your ambitious project ! Looking forward to seeing some pics !

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AIRCRAFT - Pearl Harbor group build