Way Too Many Props GB April 18, 2011 - Extended to July 28, 2012

Howard ,brilliant detailing on the interior!

Kevin thank you!

B17Pilot diving right into the Ventura,awesome! Looking forward to seeing this build up.

I've done the wash,a mix of my own on the top and Pro Modeller light dirt on the bottom. I'm totally disgusted with the canopy fit,really shows up ugly now in the pics. I'll be wrapping up all the fiddly bits antenaes,gun sights ect. and putting this build behind me.

Trey- You`re kidding, right?  That looks awesome to me, can`t really see the canopy issue. I know pictures tend to hide some imperfections but that 188 is spectacular. How `d you do the mottle...mask or freehand?

Len

Len thanks,yea the camera is being real kind. The frame to fuse areas are not great, I'm in the process of wet sanding and re shooting those areas. I did the rlm75 with a poster putty mask and the rlm 82 is free hand brush

troublemaker66

Trey- You`re kidding, right?  That looks awesome to me, can`t really see the canopy issue. I know pictures tend to hide some imperfections but that 188 is spectacular.

  Looks good from here! 

I hope to get crackin' at the engine/gear bays this week.  I will post some pics soon. 

Thanks Kevin

I wet sanded the bad join areas on the canopy and fuse and reshot them. I think its a lot better now,at least I can live with it. The finished shots,thanks again for all the positive comments and support.

.

Trey - Man that thing looks great!! Front page updated.

Macattack - Can't wait for those pics!

OK, I got a couple of requests to extend the date. I kind of agree don't think I'll finish next month either, so the dateline is now extended to July 28 (First flight of B-17).  Hopefully that will give everyone a little more time to finish up.

Better late than never, I'm finally ready to get rolling on this one with Revell's new PV-1 Ventura. I'll be building it as "Sea Deuce 2" of VPB-133. One of them Octopus-wearing PVs with the chin-mounted .50s. Should be taking the first steps tonight!

So far I like the kit! Got the cockpit painted and gave it a wash today.  Need to spray on a flat coat over it and then I can put it together.  So far its a really nice kit!  I'm doing mine in VP-135 based at Attu, AK; the one provided in the kit.

Trey, that JU-188 is like the Honeybadger.  Its pretty badass. 

I finally got started on the Lancaster last weekend, busted open the giant box and started cutting and organizing some pieces and subassemblies. 

Lots of clear parts needing masking! :

Finished an Easter Basket for Herr Goering a few weeks early:

Got some interior subassemblies done and primed, and test fitting the fuselage:

Cockpit floor is going to need some filler: 

I'm not going to get much done for the next week or two, since I'm heading out of town for a while.  Glad the deadline has been extended a bit!   More progress shots later...

Jeff

Trey - NiiiiCE!
DoogsATX - you can't go wrong with the flying octopus!
Zogg - Looking forward to seeing your Lanc getting built up. I got to see the "Mynarski" Lancaster in the air in Saint John when I was still in school. My photos were mysteriously lost between the developer & me.

Think I'm nearing completion on the Henschel, should be popping in here with my contribution shortly. Keep up the great work gang!

 Trey - I think the Ju-188 turned out great.  Dang !, those Germans sure know their  toy making don't they. I bet that cockpit got pretty warm om a sunny day under that greenhouse nose though. One wonderfully wicked looking warbird.

 Zogg- Another good looking bird, with the sound of four Merlins too. One  of these days I'll build up the 1/48 scale kit to go alongside my B-24 Witchcraft and B-17 Texas Raiders.

 I'll be watching with interest, the Ventura builds . I've also been  thinking of adding the kit to my stash. 

 Whew, glad to hear of the extension. Gives me time to correct the cowls on the C-47 and jazz up the engines a little. 

 As you can see , the Goon' is getting into full swing and occupying most of my ramp space. The wings on the C-47 were long affairs with some very impressive ailerons. 

Here's the progress on the cowls. The kit cowls seemed like they'd be too thin to do much filing and sand the correct contours and the reference I found on the web looks like the correct profile is a little heavier in out side diameter . I laminated a strip of plastic around the cowls for some "meat" to sand and carve on .    

Howard

B17Pilot thank you Sir!

Jeff thanks ,nice start on the Lanc!

Vance thanks looking forward to seeing the Henschel!

Howard thank you! That resin cowl looks nicely molded. Great progress so far looking forward to more!

Trey - great job on that 188! 

Zogg - Love me some Lanc! I've got a weak spot for British engineering, especially the "so ugly it's beautiful" school...

Howard - those Quickboost cowls look quite nice!

Didn't get to do much with the Ventura tonight, but I did manage to get an initial test assembly done. First impressions? One of the cleanest and best-fitting kits I've ever encountered. Up there with the Tamiya Jug and big Spitfire. Seriously. No slop, no flash, and while the wings could probably benefit from a longer spar, I think they're the first wings I'll be able to install AFTER I paint the bloody thing. Just have to be sure to sit the thing by the wings while they dry to ensure proper dihedral, but the wiggle is very minimal and the wings literally click into place.

Here it is propped up ever so slightly. Perfect join.

This one's going to be fun!

 Just wanted to clarify. The image comparing the Quickboost cowl I found on the web and using as reference only.  They do look very nice, however , I'm having to reshape the kit cowls to the correct profile. The images of the Quickboost cowl will be very handy as reference.

  Wish I could afford many of the aftermarket items out there, but with my modeling budget being snug , it's better for my funds to go into kits, tools, and supplies. That's why so much of my detailing is scratched. Actually forces me to be more creative sometimes in figuring out how to make what I'm looking for.

  In addition to reshaping the kit cowls, I'm also going to make open cowl flaps with thin sheet stock. That should give a decent view of the backside of the engines , exhaust manifolds, etc. 

 The kit engines are well detailed, but I may shave off the molded on ignition wires and go with my tried and true black polyester thread. The molded wires are just too straight.

 To be honest , do to the cost ( got mine with a 50% off sale through Dragon) of the Trumpeter kit and the amount of work to correct the little flaws , one might be better off going with the Revellogram C-47 kit. Don't get me wrong , this kit is great and would build OOB into a beautiful replica. But, for the money , it should be more like a Tamiya . 

Doogs -  Glad to hear the good news about the Ventura. Definitely sways me to have to have one side of things. 

Howard

daddy1

  In addition to reshaping the kit cowls, I'm also going to make open cowl flaps with thin sheet stock. That should give a decent view of the backside of the engines , exhaust manifolds, etc.

Having just scratchbuilt flaps for another GB, I'd suggest finding something other than styrene sheet. It doesn't really go all that thin, and when it does it's a paint to cut without messing it up. 

Cutting up and aluminum can would give some awesome material for cowl flaps. Or you could use stencil paper...nice and thin, very workable. Used it for the bracing for my flaps and yeah, it sold me on thin but workable...

[/quote] To be honest , do to the cost ( got mine with a 50% off sale through Dragon) of the Trumpeter kit and the amount of work to correct the little flaws , one might be better off going with the Revellogram C-47 kit. Don't get me wrong , this kit is great and would build OOB into a beautiful replica. But, for the money , it should be more like a Tamiya . 

[/quote]

That's my problem with most Trumpy kits to be honest. 

 I do have some pretty thin sheet from an auto dealer tag, also a for rent sign that's pretty thin . I used it to make the cowl flaps on my Revelogram 1/48 B-24 a couple years ago and it looked pretty good . It's a softer grade of styrene and cuts fairly easy with light pressure. I'm also giving the aluminum can way serious thought. It would even have a degree of curve to it already. 

 The fuselage halves have a fair amount of concave at the join edges. Had to put a shim between the underside of the floor and bottom of the fuselage to bring it even with wing trailing edge. Still needed several layers of putty/file/sand to smooth it out, top and bottom. 

 Howard  

Interior is complete.  Now its time to future coat the clear pieces and get them and the cockpit installed.  Though I noticed that an extra chair is provided but not used in any where, so I'm thinking another version is in the works, PV-2 perhaps?

Anyway here's the cockpit:

All together:

Trey, That is a work of art! 

B17Pilot, Looks great!  You're off to a good start.

Kevin thank you very much!

B17Pilot office looks superb,nicely done Sir!

Sure am glad this thing was extended, as soon as the Val is finished I'm cracking the B-36 open.... but given the size it may be July of 2013 before it's completed!  Although I'm not going to sweat it all that much detail wise, it'll just be hanging in my 7-yr old's room.

 B-17 Pilot- That flight deck looks good . Definitely have to add one of those to my stash.

 Reasoned- I'm also glad for the extension. Now, I can relax and detail up the engines, gear wells, etc. on my Goon' without having to rush it a bit. Looking forward to seeing the Peacemaker go together.

 I built the first release of that kit years ago . I added some detail to the flight deck and nose area but really couldn't see much because of the small 1/72 scale windows. As I recall, it went together fairly easy and made for an impressive model due to its size. The only difficulties were the typical Monogram issues and easily overcome. Actually, the most difficult part was handling it while painting because of its size. The Aluminium Overcast was a huge airplane!

 Been making forward progress on the Goony . Started work on removing the molded ignition wires and cleaning up the cylinder banks. Tedious work, but will make a big difference in the finished product.  

First step , shave off the molded detail and clean up the cylinder.

Rescribe cooling fins with sharp #11 blade.

drill plug holes front 

and back. 

While I'm at it, I'm drilling mount holes for oil returns, etc. 

The holes look large when the pic is this close and magnified to see the details, but they are an appropriate size.  After all this shaving and such , a final clean up with 800 grit sandpaper to remove the plastic fuzzies and remaining mold lines.

The interior of the doors, in progress. Need to smooth the insides of the cargo doors and add various handles,etc. to all three.

 One question though, what did they do with the paratroop door on airborne drop missions?  Was it left in place till the drop zone?, or left at the home base?, strapped to the rear bulkhead, or what?

 The reshaped kit cowls. Notice a more tapered, rounded profile. 

 There's my update , keep up the good work everyone.

 Howard

daddy1

  One question though, what did they do with the paratroop door on airborne drop missions?  Was it left in place till the drop zone?, or left at the home base?, strapped to the rear bulkhead, or what?

I believe they just left it at home base since it was removable.  Plus after the drop they would have the static lines from the parachutes hanging out the door that can be reused upon the bird's return.

B17Pilot

 

daddy1:

 

  One question though, what did they do with the paratroop door on airborne drop missions?  Was it left in place till the drop zone?, or left at the home base?, strapped to the rear bulkhead, or what?

 

 

I believe they just left it at home base since it was removable.  Plus after the drop they would have the static lines from the parachutes hanging out the door that can be reused upon the bird's return.

 That's what I thought , but wasn't sure. Hadn't seen it strapped inside in any ref. pics. I don't think I'll bother with more detailing of that particular door since it really won't be part of my display anyway.

 I'll still tack it in place for painting though.  What else to plug that hole for painting but the part that fits there,right.

  A thought I have about invasion stripes. We see many different articles about painting nice and neat invasion stripes, and on models, nicely weathered ,etc. Many pics I've seen of the stripes being applied in real life show them being hastily applied with large brushes and more of a rush to get them on the vast numbers of aircraft being used .

 Thus, the edges often weren't always crisp. There were probably drips of both black and white paint around where the stripes were and probably a fair amount of the color underneath showing through. Also , they would look fresher than the surrounding finish due to their newer and temporary application.  

 Not that I'm going to be sloppy when applying the invasion stripes on this C-47. I will, although, keep this in mind and more than likely , hand brush them on at such a time in the finishing/weathering process to capture a bit more realism. Just my .

 Howard

daddy1, your off to a good start with your engine overhaul.  Looking forward to seeing more of you progress.

Just got the Fiat out of paint, so I'm hoping to start making some real progress on the PV-1 tonight.

One thing - don't buy the True Details prop set. The blades have a notched end that's supposed to line up with the hub just so to nail the perfect pitch. Only three of the blades are loose (no pour block), with the notched end totally missing. WTF?

Ordered the Vector set today, and I've got tires and exhausts coming from Lone Star. Good times!

 I've got the tail feathers on the Goony. Decided to give the rudder a little kick to the right and droop the elevators for a more candid pose.

Also have the cargo doors in place. In the process of rescribing the lost detail along seams and the fuselage is ready to go. I'll tack the jump door , fwd door, and top hatch in place with white glue to mask off those openings for paint, but will display them open.

I've done some pre-assembly in the landing gear wells prior to a base of interior green. These wells will lend themselves nicely to a bit of jazzing up.

Gave the cylinders a base of thinned flat black, followed with a drybrush of MM steel for a bit of contrast with the aluminum detail painting to come. 

 I'm not a fast builder ,but things are progressing steadily. 

Howard

BTW- In case I don't get back here before tomorrow,  Happy St. Patrick's Day to all . Erin Go Braugh!!!  Now go have a pint of Guiness lads ( and lass, Miss OWL).

Looking good Howard. I need to dig into my Pucara before too much longer - I have a Heinkel 177 starting to eat up space on the bench right now though! Even in 1/72, she's a beast!

And I come from the non-drinking end o' the Emerald Isle - someone else is welcome to my share of the green beer tomorrow!

Nice work Howard!  The engines are looking good!

I haven't had a whole lot of time at the bench the past week.  I did get most of the engine nacelles/gear bay parts ready for assembly.  Hopefully I will be able to get those together tonight. 

Looking good Howard! Speaking of invasion stripes, been trying to find a picture I saw of some paratroopers waiting to board a C-47 and saw that the paint from the invasion stripes had run down the side and onto the star and bars insiginia.  Talk about putting them on in a hurry.  Man where did I find that picture?

Question for the group - the Ventura's my first "windowed" build in a LONG time. How do you all deal with masking windows that have to be inserted before the fuselage is closed up?

I'm thinking there are three options:

• First - just try to mask the things with tape. Difficulty - curvy windows.
• Second - put them in, try to mask them in position with something like white glue. Difficulty - getting it off, chance of knocking out window, etc.
• Third - prime and paint exterior color around window area, then mask window + area around before real painting.

I'm leaning toward the latter, figure I could paint pretty large areas around the windows (they'd be either intermediate blue - or white for the various nav lights), just mask a small area, then engage in blending so there wouldn't be a "square of masking" left behind. 

Also, assuming rain tonight, I should be moving into detail painting the interior tonight. IP is more or less done, and relevant pieces have been interior greened.