Monogram Mafia Group Build

KM1 Looks good especially for brush paintng!

Nice Corsairs, guys!  I love your finishes.

I have that one in the stash, too

jschlechty

 

:550:0][View:http://cs.finescale.c

Does this mean I know have earned the right to wear the Monogram Mafia GB badge in my signature?

THanks Don Hammer!

Betcher azz, it does... And you're welcome... 

Ben fatto, amico mio ... Bella TBD & F-100 ... E benvenuti a questa Cosa Nostra ...

CallSignOWL

 

Thanks Hammer. I didnt know you so generous to boot!

....I only have the software that came with my camera. Otherwise all I'd have is Paint!

 

Anything to help out a fellow modeler, Owl... Heck, I don't even charge folks for stuff unless it's gonna cost me a substantial amount of material...  I've given folks decals, cast figures & engines for them, vac-formed canopies, etc... Even given away some kits...  

All I ask is that they "pay it forward" someday...

When my apartment got robbed during the flood evacuation a couple summers ago, quite a few members sent me a few of their old Monogram kits (as well as some other, higher-end kits. I think those guys had ulterior motives though,  as in, "We gonna get that effin' Hammer to build something that ain't a $1.09 kit from the 60's ), lol...

Speaking of that , the worm-hearted, pus-bags that robbed me took all the kits in my stash that weren't opened (most were Monogram kits), plus tools, like my Dremel and Dremel drill-press, lathe, vacuum-former, etc, then they trashed every one of my dioramas, as well as stealing quite a bit of my military collection, including WW2 Luftwaffe and USAAF uniforms and flight-suits, flight helmets, O-2 masks, a few WW2 weapons,  AND... My most prized (and quite irreplaceable) possession, Dad's WW2 leather A-2 flight jacket... 

However, I digress...

Anytime you (or any of y'all) need something, gimme a shout, either here or back-channel, and I'll see if I have what you're lookin' for, or at least can make a copy of it... My parts-box (which is actually about 12 boxes and even more bins) has parts from around 2000 kits and date from the 60's... Heck, I'm still carrying around a few hulks that I built in the 60s and 70s, lol...  Aircraft, armor, & autos... Still have the hull and suspension from my first armor kit, the Monogram 1/32 scale M-48 Patton... Got that sucker when it was released in the mid-70's with Shep Paine's diorama tip sheet...

"Hammer's Salvage and Parts Supply Center" is open 24/7, lol... A regular model version of the Ft Living Room DRMO... (Stik knows what that is, lol)

the Baron

Hans von Hammer:

...Now, I'm working the nimble little A6M5 Zeke, so far nothing to photograph.. I've dropped the flaps and added the internal ribbing in there as well as the ribbing in the cockpit area of the fuselage, and have started to work on the cockpit floor and throttle quadrant, along with the other greeblies that go in there..

 

You'll probably finish yours before I finish mine, padrone!  Of course, I'm waiting for some decal sheets to arrive, too.

Mine has the canopy attached, and several coats of IJN dark green down.  I abandoned the salt technique, though it left an impact.  I have to mask the upper surfaces next and apply the light grey.  Mine is pretty much out of the box, except for having drilled out instrument faces. 

 

I've since finished the panel, although I drilled out the instruments, I didn't go and scratch in the gauge faces... After test-fitting the panel with the new seat and stick in place, I saw they'd be invisible anyway after I installed the two cowl machine gun-butts, no matter waht angle...

Not trying to slam anyone, but that "salt technique" is, IMHO, a lot of hooey... Sure, the results are good, but the rubber cement method is just so much easier, and quicker too... I saw it as someone wanting to re-invent the wheel...  I'm sure it was innocent enough, but the way some people jumped on it and talked like it was the best thing since sliced bread, drove me nuts... I learned that rubber cement method back in the 70's, from model railroaders... I mean, those guys are from the REALLY old school, ya know?  They've been pioneering techniques for close to 70 years or so, scratch-building and weathering with stuff no one wold even consider these days... No hobby shops to carry "weathering powders" and all that jazz, ya know...

Just pastels, pencil leads, BBQ ashes, clay powders, oil paints, real dirt, and lamp-black (soot, for you folks that aren't old enough to remember having a coal-fired furnace in your house)...  I still think "Old School is the Best School"...  Damn-sure's the cheaper one, lol...

troublemaker66

kustommodeler1:

When is the deadline to have both finito? With school, I havent got to pop the top off the cement bottle in over a month.....

 

I believe it`s 6 months from the starting date of your first build. I think all that info is in the initial post by Hammer.

Roger that... Six months from the start-date of your first kit, or 31 March, which ever was earlier... I put pressure on you mugs, becase it ain't easy bein' Mono-Mafioso, ya know...

Hans von Hammer

..., and lamp-black (soot, for you folks that aren't old enough to remember having a coal-fired furnace in your house)...  I still think "Old School is the Best School"...  Damn-sure's the cheaper one, lol...

 

And you can't forget the good old "clinker" that resulted.  Now that brings back memories, having to shovel the coal into a bucket from the coal room and dump it into the furnace hopper.  What a clean way to heat.

Not familiar with the rubber cement but have read a little about the salt.  Seems I got to learn the "heavy" weathering techniques before i get working on a couple of Japanese planes coming up.

Nice looking Corsairs!

Have made a little progress on the Wildcat.  Cut out the elevators and drilled and inserted some stiff, but pliable, wire to attach to the stabilizers so they could be in droop position.

Drilled the wings for armament and found some brass tubing for gun barrels.  All I could find locally was 1/16 in. tube which seemed to me to be too large, so filed down to a better size (was a tad tedious).

Worked on attaching outer wing sections today.  The port wing fit nicely, but the starboard one is a pain in the *#@.  Gonna take some creative filing.  I'm building the ship with wings extended, not folded.

Ken

Got it now, Stick.

Makes sense; seemed familiar, yet different.   Revell didn't do such a bad job on the retool.  What are your thoughts on it overall?  Guess it's a 'no go' for this group build, but maybe a project later down the road......

Thanks for the info!

DW

Great looking, Corsair.  Love that spinning prop!

ah... Don Hammerloni.... love the "junkyard"... wish you were closer, love wandering in junkyards..

Tal Afar Dave

Got it now, Stick.

Makes sense; seemed familiar, yet different.   Revell didn't do such a bad job on the retool.  What are your thoughts on it overall?  Guess it's a 'no go' for this group build, but maybe a project later down the road......

 

Thanks for the info!

 

DW

Yeah, the boss said no to that particular kit awhile back early on in the GB. My thoughts on the kit overall is that it is a nice affordable 1/48 Mustang that gives you plenty of bang for the buck. They took a proven older kit, modernized it to correct its few shortcomings (namely the cockpit and some exhaust ducting), and made a good thing even better. I have one to do "one day down the road" as well...

Can you get "made" twice? I like getting made...um..or am I thinking of somethin` else......

Anyway, a few WIP`s...

So far it`s been a sweet little kit with nice fit and detail. The only bit of trouble was with the ordenance and drop tanks...poor fit and a bunch of sanding but are starting to look like something.

Thanks for looking,

Len

stikpusher

Tal Afar Dave:

Got it now, Stick.

Makes sense; seemed familiar, yet different.   Revell didn't do such a bad job on the retool.  What are your thoughts on it overall?  Guess it's a 'no go' for this group build, but maybe a project later down the road......

 

Thanks for the info!

 

DW

 

Yeah, the boss said no to that particular kit awhile back early on in the GB. My thoughts on the kit overall is that it is a nice affordable 1/48 Mustang that gives you plenty of bang for the buck. They took a proven older kit, modernized it to correct its few shortcomings (namely the cockpit and some exhaust ducting), and made a good thing even better. I have one to do "one day down the road" as well...

I now have unbuilt examples of all three-the original kit, the ProModeler version, and the current version off my LHS' shelf.  I'm going to do a side-by-side-by side comparison of the parts, maybe as an article for our newsletter.  I also will include comparing the original with the -D kit, to see where Monogram improved their detail, when they engineered the bubbletop kit.  For one thing, they made the cockpit much more detailed than in the -B kit.

I have Revell's old P-40E, and the ProModeler -E kit, to do the same kind of comparison.  I don't know-I'm just interested in the history of these kits.

Best regards,

Brad

Hans von Hammer

Not trying to slam anyone, but that "salt technique" is, IMHO, a lot of hooey... Sure, the results are good, but the rubber cement method is just so much easier, and quicker too... I saw it as someone wanting to re-invent the wheel...  

I think you've got a point there, Hammer.  I've tried it now twice; previously on a TBF, to represent the wear on the wing walks.  The main problem with the technique, I find, is that, with such a small amount of water, to get little flaked areas, the water beads into little droplets because of the surface tension, which just aren't the right shape.  I think it might work better to put the salt in a small container, like the well of a palette, then add drops of water and make a paste.  You can control better where it goes, in that case.  But that's a lot of chopping for the small amount chips that fly.

It's easier to take an old brush and some Model Master Chrome and do it that way.  Painting aluminum then the top coat, and chipping with an X-Acto is pretty simple, too.

Trouble with wing-walks is they're a different animal than a wing's leading edge... They don't chip as much as they get scuffed, so I think that dry-brushing that area produces a better result... 

Spraying an aluminum finish over a plane, then covering it in the actual camouflage color is what I do with most Jap Army aircraft... By mid 1943, they were mostly painted camouflage in the field, which led to hug areas getting chipped... What I generally do, in conjunction with the rubber cement mask, is to put masking tape on certain ares, then just pull it back off sharply... This will give those big, randomly chipped areas on the wings & fuselages..

the Baron

Hans von Hammer:

Not trying to slam anyone, but that "salt technique" is, IMHO, a lot of hooey... Sure, the results are good, but the rubber cement method is just so much easier, and quicker too... I saw it as someone wanting to re-invent the wheel...  

 

I think you've got a point there, Hammer.  I've tried it now twice; previously on a TBF, to represent the wear on the wing walks.  The main problem with the technique, I find, is that, with such a small amount of water, to get little flaked areas, the water beads into little droplets because of the surface tension, which just aren't the right shape.  I think it might work better to put the salt in a small container, like the well of a palette, then add drops of water and make a paste.  You can control better where it goes, in that case.  But that's a lot of chopping for the small amount chips that fly.

It's easier to take an old brush and some Model Master Chrome and do it that way.  Painting aluminum then the top coat, and chipping with an X-Acto is pretty simple, too.

I also hear guys using water to remove the salt...I don`t do that. My salt comes off dry, using my thumb and fingers mostly, and in the direction of airflow. I use this method primarily for Japanese A/C and actually got an added bonus on one model...the wet salt dried and stained the JN green paint and gave it a faded appearance. Anyways, that`s my experience and opinion...that and a buck-twenty-five `ll get ya a cup of coffee at WaWa!

Hans von Hammer

 ...is to put masking tape on certain ares, then just pull it back off sharply... This will give those big, randomly chipped areas on the wings & fuselages..

Boy I sure got the GB buzzing by just mentioning....... salt chipping............

Hey Brad,

That sounds like a great idea; I really love the old Monogram kits.  I grew up with them, and am still amazed at how detailed they are, and how well they still fit, almost 50 years later.

 I picked up an original P-47D in "Gabby" Gabreski's markings a couple of years ago.  Built it over 30 years ago, and still have great memories of that kit.  I just recently broke the old cellophane and looked into the box.  It had the little color brochures  and everything.  It was like being a kid again.....

Another favorite is the old C-47 Skytrain; I still have one with the Shep Paine diorama 'how to'  booklet......Waiting for just the right moment to open that one up.  

This has been a wonderful experience so far; just reading everyone's posts, and seeing all the great work being done.  It's inspired me to get out my airbrush for the first time in about six years.  Learning all sorts of new tricks and techniques.  Although, I may steer clear of the salt weathering technique!! LOL

MKelley

Boy I sure got the GB buzzing by just mentioning....... salt chipping............

Yeah its all your fault MKelly geeze

Monogram =

MKelley

Boy I sure got the GB buzzing by just mentioning....... salt chipping............

LOL.. Yeah, well... I don't like to tell others how to do their stuff, but I do chime in with the "Old School" tips and techniques when someone has re-invented the wheel...  (Not to mention FSM's  "Reader Tips" that someties show up as "new" when actually, I first read about them in something like, FSM's April '85 or Scale Modeler November 78, lol)...

The main thing about about the salt-chiping technique is like what TM pointed to... Some can do it first time out, some can't, some have trouble with removing the salt, etc..

Not so with the rubber cement masking... It's usually a 100% success-rate, even for first-time users (although I recommend a short practice session and  try it on a hangar-queen first, just in case)...  It also works for masking cockpits (just cover the canopy in cement) and for masking those pesky little windows that have to be installed from inside fuselages... 

While I do see some benefit in salt-masking in certain areas where the fit is tight, it seems to me as it's more labor-intensive than it needs to be...

Bottom line is that I'm not saying, "Don't use salt".. I'm just saying, "There's an easier way"...

Hans-

What brand of rubber cement do you use so I can try it?

One advantage I can see for salt over rubber is that salt is granular. Depending on how "nuts" you want to get with your weathering, you could really get a sand-blasted, debris-strike, look to leading edges of wings ,props, cowls, etc with very sparsely placed salt. Probably look awesome in larger scale models. I`m guessing rubber cement goes on blobby..for the lack of a better word..lol...but not sure.

I really do want to try rubber cement, who knows..if it does give the same result as salt but alot less work, I`ll be the biggest convert.

Hans von Hammer

MKelley:

Boy I sure got the GB buzzing by just mentioning....... salt chipping............

 

LOL.. Yeah, well... I don't like to tell others how to do their stuff, but I do chime in with the "Old School" tips and techniques when someone has re-invented the wheel...  (Not to mention FSM's  "Reader Tips" that someties show up as "new" when actually, I first read about them in something like, FSM's April '85 or Scale Modeler November 78, lol)...

The main thing about about the salt-chiping technique is like what TM pointed to... Some can do it first time out, some can't, some have trouble with removing the salt, etc..

Not so with the rubber cement masking... It's usually a 100% success-rate, even for first-time users (although I recommend a short practice session and  try it on a hangar-queen first, just in case)...  It also works for masking cockpits (just cover the canopy in cement) and for masking those pesky little windows that have to be installed from inside fuselages... 

While I do see some benefit in salt-masking in certain areas where the fit is tight, it seems to me as it's more labor-intensive than it needs to be...

Bottom line is that I'm not saying, "Don't use salt".. I'm just saying, "There's an easier way"...

[/quote]Who`s "britches are burning"? I`m asking because I think I`m the only one that went on at length that was pro-salt weathering and there was nothing "explosive" on my end...lol. That`s why they make chocolate and vanilla...and a thousand other flavors...don`t like one then try another...

I use Elmer's...

As for going on, it depends.. I use a stabbing, stippling motion with the applictor brush... While the "blobs" can get "high", they don't really get "wide", if you understand what I'm trying say... A build-up of cement of ok... For smaller areas, and their resulting smaller "chips", I use #2 round that's been cut to about 1/8th" long bristles.. Below is typical of the large brush:

troublemaker66

 

I never took it as don't use this or that. I just thought it was kind of funny how that little mention of salt chipping was like throwing a match on a puddle of gas. Kind of like Yosemite Sam when his "britches are burning"  

[/quote] I was referring to how I made mention that I used salt chipping on my Corsair and Hans posting that he thought that the rubber cement way was easier. A little later I posted how I buzzed up the GB when I made mention of salt chipping. It was meant as a joke, if I offended you I apologize for that. I was not trying to imply that anyone got his britches burnt with what was posted. Sorry

Who`s "britches are burning"?

Yosemite Sam's...