well, change of plans. this hasegawa razorback has major warp problems. im just going to turn it into an alcad 2 tester. 

time to break out the tam kit. 47D "bubble top" or 47M?

Frank - you're locked and loaded on the roster! Can't wait to see your Jugs!

Mike - after seeing the beauties that are your biplanes, I'm dying to see what you pull off with a P-47, even if it is in squinty-scale. I'm also not surprised to hear Tamiya's 1/72 Jug is as packed as it is. If it's in any way related to the 48th kit, well, I've said time and again it's one of the best 1/48 kits of anything ever put into a box. Don't know if I can call it the best, but top five definitely.

randy - -D or -M...hmm...I say the -M, just because nobody's done one in this GB yet!

47M it is. 

Doogs, thanks man! I'll try my best to keep the bar up to where you and the rest of the fellas have set it. Been havin' a ball with that little jug. The 'pit is done and I'll try to get some pics up tonight. One thing I'm rediscovering while doing this build is that where I had been looking at WWII subjects as decompression builds, I am again seeing that they are every bit the challenge that their WWI counterparts are, just in different areas. It's been a while since I've tackled a subject from WWII and I'm enjoying the heck out of it, challenges and all !

I admire you guys for tackling that 1/72 kit. It does seem nice. I've had it in my stash for a number of years, just never attempted it...yet. Going from a 1/32 Jug build to a 1/72 right away might be quite an eye opener! I look forward to seeing your progress, ruddratt.

OK fellas, here ya go. The pics may seem a bit dark, but man, that thing is so tiny and boxed in that it was tough getting enough light focused in there. I took a ton of 'em, and these were the best i think I came up with, some of the entire 'pit, some w/o the IP, and some of the IP itself. It was trial and error on the base color going for that particular green that seems common to these birds. My first attempt with MM interior green looked way off, my second, using Tamiya IJN green, looked better, but too dark, so I cut it with some white on my third attempt and that's where I left it. May not be perfect, but it's fairly close. Anyway, hope you like the pics......

Wow,, ! very nice job !!

Ruddratt: that looks amazing! Great work.  Can't believe that's 1/72.

Did it come with the harnesses or are they a/m PE?

I might have to pick myself up one of those kits next time i see one.

That is some great work there Ruddratt! What detail!

Holy Cow Ruddratt, that is really amazing! If it weren't for the tweezers in your pic I would honestly have a difficult time believing that is 1/72. Youd skills are excellent.

                                                                        Joe

Mike: Yeah, hard to believe that's 1/72nd! Gee whiz you have sharp eyes!

Many thanks fellas! With the 'pit and now the wheel wells done, next up will be to button 'er up. Should be happening in the next few days.

Chris - yes, the belts are PE from an old Eduard set I had kicking around. Along with a microscale decal sheet, they'll most likely be the only aftermarket used on this build.

Gamera - The credit goes to my magnifiers and optivisor. I'd be lost without those guys! When I take 'em off, I can't even see what I just worked on.

Very well done, especially considering the scale!

That green appears very closely matched to vallejo 'bronze green'. You must have a 10X magnifier on the ole optivisor!

Alright , the engine is finally complete. Albeit not detailed to the gnat''s a-- my intent was to give a nicer appearance in the the closed up cow;ing and try my hand at wiring a radial engine. As you may have noticed this is the kit engine. I opted to reserve the Quickboost engine for an open cowl job later on, (Darn, Shucks, that means I need to get another Tamiya Jug). In the number of photos I have of the R3800 there is quite a variety of colors for the wiring harness and plug wires. Thus, went with a couple of pics that were similar and painted the harness housing MM Jet Exhaust and the wires MM Olive Drab. They may not be exact but they give a nice contrast. Please share any obs, pro or con.

                                                                   Joe

Fine looking powerplant ya got there, Joe. I know what you mean about the color differences. When I was researching how to paint mine, I came across a variety of pics, and each one seemed a bit different than the one before in regards to color call-outs, so I went with the one I liked best. Good call on saving the resin option for where it will be seen in its entirety. With only the front really visible, the kit engine will work fine. Again, nice work!

OUT DOIN your self again Rudrat lookin good,hope you are getting on the rest this weekend still to much snow out side

Joe Rix - Beautiful engine! I really like the detail work, it will look great on the completed project!

Joe- I can smell the oil and grease from here

Finished painting the cowling on '2 Big and 2 Heavy' for the zillionth time last night! Somehow I scored a big gash from sanding her and I can't seem to repair it so I doesn't stick out like a sore thumb under the NM. I got my camera back last week and will post photos if I ever get the thing fixed!!!

Thank You Gentlemen for the positive feedback. Your words are definitely encouraging as I am making a push to get "Eight Nifties" done in time for WestFest 2012 in Grand Junction, Co. on April 28. It's a stretch but I'll give her a shot. Regardless, WestFest is what I get to do for my 50th birthday so I've got my Spit from the Spitfire GB and a 1/48 Hasegawa Typhoon Mk Vb to enter.

                                         Joe

Quick update everybody- Ms. Second Front is out of the booth and ready for completion. I mixed up Tamiya OD with some Khaki  about a 3-1 ratio, and thinned it out a little. It laid out nice, and I followed that up with some clear. I'm pretty happy with her.

halk, the honey-do list was a long one this weekend. Got a little more done on 'er though and should be posting some pics soon.

Gamera - bummer about that scratch, man, 'cuz I want to see some pics of that guy! Any luck with Mr. Surfacer?

Joe, wishin' you luck at the contest. It'd be cool if you can this guy done in time, too.

Ed - man, what can I say-----you are a Jug assembly line! Gorgeous builds all of 'em so far, and this one's shaping up real nice. Great paint work!

Joe: Great work! Love the white accents.

Mike: Thanks! Working on it, I've sprayed her with several coats of Mr. Surfacer and used putty. Don't know what I'm doing wrong but it's visible each time. A decal will cover part of it but still I'd like it as smooth as I can get it.

Gamera - man, that's a puzzler. Hard to imagine Mr. Surfacer not doing the trick. How about maybe just hand-painting the stuff into the gouges. I've had some success filling 'em that way, then letting it set up before sanding it out.

Joe Rix: great looking engine!  that wiring looks spot on.  i agree about colours and contrasts.  Looks good to me though.

Gamera: sorry to hear about the scratch - nothing worse than getting ready to move on and seeing somethin like that.  Hope you can buff it out without too much stress.

Von Sisco: coming along nicely!  The cowl looks terrific.

As for me - i've buttoned her up, but am now facing the dreaded task of sanding seam lines - i rate this as one of my most loathed aspects of building.

To make matters worse, was playing goalie at indoor soccer on the weekend my right forefinger tried to stop a ball the wrong way - finger is now purple and looking like a bratwurst.  Assuming this week is largely written off modelling wise for me...

Have been looking forward to a solid 4 day weekend of building too!

Mike: Thanks, I'll give that a shot!

Chris: Ouch, sorry to hear about your finger Give well soon, I'm looking forward to more photos from you!

Cliff

Chris, that's a real bummer at any time, but with 4 days to model away 'till your heart's content makes it even more painful. Hope it mends up quick and gives you some quality time at the bench.

Got a few more pics for you fellas. She's startin' to look like a Jug finally. Fuselage halves are joined & the seams all cleaned up, as well as the wings, and the underwing stores (after seeing the builds of 'em loaded out to the max, I just had to go that route - absolute bad-a**!). The engine, as tiny as it is in this scale, still packed a lot of detail into it - just added some ignition wiring to beef it up a bit and make it look busy. After I took the pics, I noticed I had neglected the seams on the belly tank, but that has been remedied. I'll mount the navigation lights and underwing pylons to the wings before the wings are attached. The inner gear door surfaces have all been painted and weathered, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting more paint on this guy. With a 3-day weekend coming up, I'm hopeful I'll get at least that far.

Ruddrat - Wow. What can I say, not only am I duely impressed I stand here humbled. Sweet Engine.

Ed - Top notch paint job there. Looks excellent.

cml - Aww, man that bites. If unable to manipulate parts, tools or airbrush maybe sooth yourself with some quality refernce material time.

Gamera - Odd indeed your issue. Have you tried brushing Mr. Surfacer right on the scratch in a few layers and then sand?

You guys are making me jealous with all the powerplant detail! Excellent work!

Ed. I like that "cut" on the OD. Looks nice.

Gamera. Hope you get that scratch worked out. Have you tried lathering some liquid cement, like Tamiya extra fine, along the scratch then sanding it down?

Thanks for all the compliments guys, I am just a humble model builder in awe of your skills! This is a great GB, lots of expert builders.

Tom- Thanks again. I like the OD as well, but I forgot it would darken up a little bit when I applied the clear. Had I remembered that fact, I would have lightened it a shade more.