Monogram Mafia Group Build

Reasoned - great looking Mitchell!    Looks like you put in a lot of hard work on all those glass panels!

Ken

Reasoned - Nice!

Glenn

Well "Father" Hammer, I present my final build for "the Family", the B-25J "Finito Benito".  It was rough.... but it's done!

Thanks for the kind word, y'all! I thought I would hang her up on the wall, but it's too heavy for that now. Not quite sure where I'll end up putting her. If I ever build it again (what am I thinkin' about), tape is the way to go for the wing walk stripes. It really helps that Monogram molded the outline on the wings. As for the engine, Len, it's too bad it won't shoehorn in an F8F Bearcat for Reno

Glenn

mississippivol

Got a day to decal today. Very few of the wing walk decals matched up to the directions, and I had to flip a couple to match up. Now I know why the guy in the IPMS Journal used tape. I still have to paint the anti-glare panel (forgot to do that already), and the props, then frame up the canopy and she should be pretty much done.

Glenn

Len

kbuzz01

Mike and Glenn - those are real good lookin' builds!!    Where are you gonna put that monster, Glenn?

Ken

I have to agree.....great builds.  And that is one big plane Glenn.  I've been postponing buying & building a B-17 in 1/48 for lack of space....I can't imagine where I would put that one....

Mike and Glenn - those are real good lookin' builds!!    Where are you gonna put that monster, Glenn?

Ken

mississippivol

Got a day to decal today. Very few of the wing walk decals matched up to the directions, and I had to flip a couple to match up. Now I know why the guy in the IPMS Journal used tape. I still have to paint the anti-glare panel (forgot to do that already), and the props, then frame up the canopy and she should be pretty much done.

Glenn

Glenn, that is a load of plastic and she looks great (from what I can see).  I think I read where the wing decals were a mess and you are better off using tape.  Noticing you did gear down, some reviews recommend wheels up for this one (just for shelf space), what's your thoughts, have you a place to display?  My 6 yr old thinks it would look good hanging from his BR ceiling but I can see him taking a broom handle to nudge it near to the ceiling fan.

Got a day to decal today. Very few of the wing walk decals matched up to the directions, and I had to flip a couple to match up. Now I know why the guy in the IPMS Journal used tape. I still have to paint the anti-glare panel (forgot to do that already), and the props, then frame up the canopy and she should be pretty much done.

Glenn

Mmmm...  Kingfishers....  

Hans, didn't you start that dio a couple of years ago??  I really should talk though..  I'm pretty slow.

I have made some P-40 progress though.  Getting down to just some detail stuff now.  

Prop isn't on yet.  If you notice, it's steel.  The early P-40s had props that were steel gray on the front and flat black on the back.  No yellow tips either.

Could have closed the wheel wells in with some tissue soaked in white glue, but decided against it.  I still wanted to see some of the Monogram details..  Decals are still drying in this pic.

Notice, no roundels on the fuse.  There was usually a squadron insignia here or stripes for lead elements.  Also, if you look at the cowl guns, I chopped them off and replaced them with some brass rod.  Early P-40s had long blast tubes here so I figured I'd try to replicate it a little.  That's where it sits now.  There's some minor weathering and a little painting left to do.  Enjoy.

Mike

My all-time favorite Monogram kit too..

I "opened" the cowl flaps on mine, but it still didn't show off my engine....

I REALLY gotta finish this one..

Live long and prosper!

Great NMF.  awesome work.  Wish mine would have come out that nice......my impatient teenage brush painting left a lot to be desired!!!

Reasoned

 

Tal Afar Dave:

 

Still trying to get it all together.  The P39 still fits great, with a little filler needed and a ton of fishing sinkers in the nose to keep it from tail sittin'.  Some issues with decals; knotted up one of my national insignia and attempted to use the old Monogram sheet as a replacement.  It disintegrated as I tried to place it.  A lesson learned; if you want to use the kit supplied decals; build the dang thing less than 10 years after you buy it!!

Comments and suggestions always welcome!

 

Talafar D.

 

 

Tal, that P-39 looks great, really like the paint scheme, have it in the stash for a later date. I've heard good things about that old kit (I'm sure from The Father ). 

Thanks, Reasoned; greatly appreciated.  It sure was a great build.  I really hated to tear apart the cannon and MGs in the nose bay for the fishing sinkers.....a lesson learned for the next one!!

Good to know there's a solution out there.  Unfortunately, all the hobby shops around here are drying up and leaving town.   May have to order some from online.  

Thanks to all you mugs, learning some new tricks.  This has helped out greatly as I broke out the Aztek airbrush for the first time in several years, and used it for pre-shading panel lines.

Krylon makes a good matte finish in a big rattle can for about $5 or so.  Used it on the P39 and it really helped the decals to blend into the overall finish.  Good stuff; glad I got two cans!!

Any tips of finishing up the NMF Mustang??  Anyone? Bueller????

Must be some kinda Vulcan mind meld, or something.....I was thinking about an F14, but the only one I have available is a post merger Revell cat....almost scary!!  Looking forward to your pics as well!~

Fletcher Class... USS Stevens...

First of all, the OSU is my favorite, because it's clearly the best Monogram kit ever.

That being said, 1/48 destroyer, what class???

Ok,, jumping back in with a Monogram Kingfisher,,, building it for a buddy who's building a 1/48 scale destroyer... adding a resin upgrade kit from Lone Star Models..

Here's the first few shots..[box top...:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[Resin cockpit sidewalls, new float, electric motor for the engine, and various other goodies..:550:0]

[Port cockpit sidewall:550:0]

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

[Resin engine, rear, I hollowed it out, started w a small bit, the progressed up 2 more bits to a 1/4" bit,, reamed a bit with a file to smooth it out...:550:0]

3 v motor inserted... then epoxied...:550:0]

shaft view,,,:550:0]

thats all for now...

Looks like William Holden's flight helmet...

Well here is my F9F up to now... Aluminum pplied to leading edges,wing roots, and tip tank tips. Still gotta do the white trim on the tips of the horizontal and vertical stabilizers.. then touch up the sea blue from some accidental aluminum overspray.

Hans von Hammer

Kewl.. What's the story on the "Navigat-lette's build?

One day she was watching me and asked to do one herself. Her favorite car is a GTO so  we went with that one. I showed her how to paint and away she went. Did the chrome w/Polly Scale stainless steel for the paint job. She liked the photo of the Royal Bobcat 68 goat, so we copied that with the 2-tone black plastic/ flat aluminum.The finished result reminded me of my 55 Chevy from way back when.

Kewl.. What's the story on the "Navigat-lette's build?

Tal Afar, we are on the same page!! We're both building the P-39 & P-51. If you have a Tomcat on the bench, I'm going to get scared. 

Hans, here's an update:

Tomcat- 90% built, now painting. Have to redo the paint, looks like someone dumped a bucket of gray sand on it. Going to sand the offending areas with 2000 grit and respray.

Airacobra- Painted during the hurricane, ready for decals and weathering. Doing the OD/NG kit version based in N.Africa

Mustang- 90% ready for decals, not an official entry but I didn't think you'd mind some pics. 

I'll get some photos of the prop planes up in a day or two.

Mike

It disintegrated as I tried to place it.  A lesson learned; if you want to use the kit supplied decals; build the dang thing less than 10 years after you buy it!!

I've told this tale about twenty times on the fourums...

I've used kit decals that're 20-30 years old (after I started buying on Ebay, that's an all too regular occurance)without a hitch after I learned ONE lesson, and I'll pass it on to you too..

Get yourself a rattle-can of Testor's Decal Bonder... That stuff is PERFECT for keeping that from happening... It's actually made for spraying over ink-jet printer-made decals, but it's solid for restoring old ones too...

It should be on your bench an' right up there with brush cleaner and model cement as "must-haves"...  It's expensive (about 5.49 a 3 oz can), but no moreso than a rattle-can of Model Master paint (you can get it at Hobby Lobby with 40% coupon too), and it's a damn-sight cheaper than a replacement set of decals...

Just be careful that you don't get it on the back of the sheet or the decal will NEVER come off...

All y'all are looking good, and I'm damned proud to see so many folks finished and Made, and those in the home-stretch as we wind down here...  I'm also hoping to see all y'all return for Round Two, when the Mafia Ranks will be added, from Piciotto ("Button Man") to  Capo Bastone (2nd in Command of the "Family", and who moves up to "Capo" should the current Capo die, go to prison, or worse, get caught building a Tamigawa before finishing here)...

Don't try for Capo de Tutti Capa though...  I'll whack yas...

Nice work, Tel Afar!!!!

Looking good guys.. !

I might be rejoining the crew with a Kingfisher... gotta ck the rules tho.. I'm adding lots of resin, this is going to end up on a 1/48 scale Destroyer a friend in my model club is building..

"Hey hey, you decieded to build the "monster" huh?  i have that one to do for the Too Many Props GB and am delaying as long as possible.  She looks great, any things to watch out for..... other that the size? "

Reasoned,

Actually, for it's size, it's a simple build. If you want to keep it off it's tail without a prop rod, it's going to take a lot of weight (I finally had to stick a long shank padlock in it to get the COG past the wheels). There is quite a bit of seam filling to do on the fuselage, wing edges, and wing/fuselage join.

Thanks

Glenn

Thanks kbuzz

mississippivol-that's one big plane.  Looks great too.  Silver shows any flaws and yours looks great.

Tal Afar Dave-love the Cobra-great paint work.  I'm gonna have to add that one to my stash.  Your Mustang is looking good too.  Can't wait to see more progress pics.

I'm running out of time (my fault) so I'm rethinking some of my 'detailing & weathering' plans on both the Mustang & Cobra.  Thinking that both will be put together without much detailing-washes, weathering and wiring-maybe I'll go back and do those things at a later date.

Tal Afar Dave

Still trying to get it all together.  The P39 still fits great, with a little filler needed and a ton of fishing sinkers in the nose to keep it from tail sittin'.  Some issues with decals; knotted up one of my national insignia and attempted to use the old Monogram sheet as a replacement.  It disintegrated as I tried to place it.  A lesson learned; if you want to use the kit supplied decals; build the dang thing less than 10 years after you buy it!!

Comments and suggestions always welcome!

 

Talafar D.

Tal, that P-39 looks great, really like the paint scheme, have it in the stash for a later date. I've heard good things about that old kit (I'm sure from The Father ).