Oh that would suck bigtime Trouble! I hope that you weather the storm with minimal loss and trouble there.

FJS, coming along very nicely. That is one sleek looking design.

...lookin` good. My bench is probably underwater right now....I live on a lagoon on Mystic Islands,NJ, and Sandy landed in my backyard! Got evac`d 6pm last night...tried sneaking home this morn but the cops stopped me a 1/2 mile from my street. The road was flooded but looked minor at the time. The Barrier islands and low-lying areas around me are in bad shape. My house is on one of the highest lots in the lagoon area but I think we`re gonna flood anyway. Last time it flooded like this was during Hurricane Andrew...got 18" through the house...thank God for flood insurance!

Sorry for the minor hi-jacking but it sounds like you`re affected by Sandy too. Good luck with the storm and keep up the good work...cockpit came out great!

Len

Yeah, the cockpit looks even better now that it's fitted inside.

Good work on the cockpit !!

Button her up you say?  Why there's a hurricane coming!  Actually I did a lot more than that.  Had a GREAT day at the bench and I got quite a bit done. 

Fuselage all closed up

Wings and tail planes attached

Canopies in place

Seams filled and sanded.

Basically the kit is ready for painting after a good scrub down.  I even cleaned up the seams on the landing gear, tail wheel, props and spinners. 

One of the things I did NOT like about the kit, is that you seem to have to pose the cockpit closed.  It comes as a multi piece affair with the different sections, but the only way they fit right, is to close it up.  I usually like them open so I was not fond of this.  However the kit is moving right along and is now in first place as the fastest build I've even done. 

Here are the pictures SO far:

Thanks again for looking and depending on what happens with this stupid hurricane, I'll have a lot more done tomorrow.  Hoping to get a little masking of the clear parts, and some painting of the landing gear, props and maybe the bottom color.  We shall see!

Regards,

Freddie from LI

Fjs3: nice work! Lots like you're about ready to close up the fusilage there.

FJS, the decal seatbelts worked out pretty good I think. The paper backing gives a much better "depth" to the belt itself rather than the decal without the paper. I have used a few decal seatbelts in the past and never have been quite happy with that aspect. I will have to try your method. Very nice work on all the rest of the interior as well.

Shell, about eight years ago to the day here, I arrived at Ft Lewis in your neck of the woods in preparation for an all expenses paid Uncle Sam sponsored overseas package tour. I got acquainted with the Pacific Northwest weather quite well over the next few months and and when we returned some 13 months later...

Okay, after knocking out he Finemolds Ki-43 III I was looking for another Japanese kit to do.  I was looking through the stash and out from the pile, literally drops Tamiya's Ki-43 III "Dinah". 

I got busy working on the cockpit and fuselage by painting and weathering the parts involved.  Not to difficult a kit, kind of sparse on the details ,but still enough there to make a decent OOB build, which by the way is the way I prefer to build models.

I thought I would try something I have never done before.  I used the seat belt harness provided with the kit.  I cut them both out of the decal sheet and glued them in place with white glue.  I don't think they look that bad considering they are decals.  Most of the time I use a regular strip of paper and cut them to length, and fashion the harness that way.  However, in the interest of saving time and trying a new tactic, so here are the pictures...

Cliff , no i hadnt looked at the completed builds out front but after you suggested it i have ..............very nicely done builds guys !!!

Thanks for the invite to phase 2 .

Stik , up here i dont get to look at my models in the sun light to often ........ I did grow up down there in So.Cal though .

SP: the Chi-ha would be really cool too. Started one years ago trying to add a bunch of PE and kinda screwed the kit up. Would like to see how the kit would have turned out.

Shellback

Stik , your color match looks dead on .

In direct sunlight there is a tad bit of contrast, but I am not gonna mess with this case of 'close enough'.

I have the old original Tamiya Chi-Ha in my stash that I have been eyeballing to build for quite awhile now, which is actually quite a nice kit.

Carl: you've very much welcome. If you haven't already check out all the awesome builds the guys have finished back on page one.

And you're welcome to join Part 2. We've had aircraft and ships but not a japanese tank so far. Thinking of doing one of my Finemolds kits or the Dragon Ka-mi myself. Too many choices!

Cliff

I just popped in for a look see at your G.B. Gamera ................

Stik , your color match looks dead on .

Looks really close to me. And I have to agree with Waikong about the weathering - if you're going to add a wash the area around the lights will darkened somewhat in any case.

Well my latest attempt had better results. I mixed up a shade of red that is pretty darn close.

After the washes, top coat, and weathering, I am pretty sure this will be hard to see once complete.

Good  idea... LOL! I am gonna have one more go at the red before I try the weathering cover up approach. ;-)

That has happened to me too many times to mention. The last time this happened to me, I used the lightest grit sanding stick and lightly went over the ridge area. Created a light weathering worn effect and hid my mistake all in one.  When in doubt, weather!

Aint that the truth...

Well here are the touched up Hinomarus... the red touch up does not quite match... 

Yes it will be worth looking up to me. I am finding out that the photo references are a bit contradictory and confusing at best...

SP: sounds good!

Btw: someone did a model on this site with the modified wooden fins for shallow running about two or three years ago. It might be worth looking up.

Well I got the red on the control linkages on the upper wing Hinomarus touched up. Hopefully it will dry a good match.

That was an additional fitting. The photo that I posted above is of the unmodified torpedoes on board the carriers shortly before they sailed for Hawaii.

Here is the remnants of a Japanese torpedo recovered from Pearl Harbor now on display at the Arizona Memorial center

and a poor quality view of one type of wooden fins that were fitted over the existing metal fins.

Not familiar with the 8 fins but have read that they were made of wood, due to the shallowness of PH.

I have both as well. I was planning on doing the Hasegawa kit as Fuchida's  mount, or possibly the one from Soryu credited with dropping the bomb that sank Arizona. In either case as a Pearl Harbor level bomber. But my Nichimo Kate will use it's torpedo and be a Hiryu bird. On the Nichimo torpedo, you will need to add four more fins, as it had 8 tail fins and not just the four molded on in the kit

stikpusher

 

On a related side note, whichever way this goes, put me down tentatively for a Nichimo 1/48 B5N2 Kate....... So an old school Kate it will be for me. 

Hey, great idea Stik.  I'll tell you what, I've got both the 1/48 Hase & Nichimo B5N2.  My plan is to build a PH version bird with the Hase and use the torp from the Nichimo.  Upon inspection, the Hase kit looks superior but does not come with a torp.  I'd love to do a side by side build in the Jap GB 2.

Great guy! When I get home I'll see about getting things lined up.

SP: about the FX shots being taken as combat footage - that's what the guy on the DVD said it may likely be sheer bauderdash. Or now I'm thinking he said that was the first evaluation which was later discarded. Anyway it's been years since I've seen Tora! 3x. Seems the cable stations used to show it all the time but it seems to have been largely replaced by Midway.

Well well!! i'm agree with part Two Cliff.

Also wishing to freeze the tenzan so i can finish others GB running where i don't finished a single kit again .. and there finished four