1/72 O' Mania!!!

I always thought the twin Mustang was a fascinating concept, but I don't know anything about it.  How was it used?  It makes for an unusual kit; looking forward to see how it comes along.

I believe it was originally designed as a very long range escort fighter to provide coverage for the B-29 Superfortress bombing missions. One pilot could nap while the other flew and they would be ready to defend against enemy fighters. The need never arose though.

In actuality, it was used as a night fighter in Korea with a radar pod in the center and one of the pilots becoming a radar operator.

I think I would like to join. I have been having s serious case of AMS burnout. Maybe doing something OOB would cure that.   Have a Hasegawa P-51B and an Academy P-51D. Thanks. John

tcepilot

Anyone up for a 1/72nd scale GB? Any 1/72nd scale kit is eligible for this GB.

     Start: 3/10/13   End: 3/10/14 (Subject to change)

  For finished prodjects to be here on the front page please email me the pictures at tcepilot@gmail.com

 Roster:

tcepilot ; Airfix Kingfisher

eds : Monogram F-82 Twin Mustang

gunner_chris :  hobbycraft CF-18 Hornet

Helo H-34 : Wessex HU-5 RNAS Culdrose 1981 and Wessex HAR-2

duiker2106:  MPM Douglass DB 8A-3N Dutch Attack bomber and an Airfix Spitfire MK1 late

Bish :  MPM Me 262A-2A/U2

Duke Maddog :

Theuns : Airfix Canberra

checkmateking02 :

Blueline :

Cyber Hobby 1/72 SH-3D as 'Old 66' used in the Apollo recovery missions

 eatthis :

TREYZX10R :  Revell Ju290

Eagle90 : Yak-3 from Heller

 greentracker98 : YB-35 Flying Wing

RX7850 :

waynec  : WR360-C12 locomotive or hasagawa SHINKAI 6500 manned research sub

Rob Gronovius : JS-3 Stalin by Roden

 

Hey tcepilot,

Requesting permission to officially add another aircraft.  A Russian IL-10 to escort the Yak-3! No idea who the manufacture is.....everything is in Czechoslovakian!  The manufac. symbol has a "K" over it, but that is all I see on the box.  I sent a pic of the box just in case you might know what it is.  Thank you!

Eagle90

Oops. Going to have to drop the P-51D. It is the early style without the fin fillet and I don't have any decals for it.  I have a SBD-4 that I'll do instead. plus about 35 others to pick from

Roster has been updated.

Rob, thanks for the lesson about the use of the twin Mustang.  it's something I'd never run across in reading.

tcepilot:  please put me down for the Airfix Douglas Dauntless.  

I didn't realise the twin Mustang was actually used, i thought it was a Waht If. Nice info.

il be doing an f20 with a  delta wing and possibly canards

Not only was the Twin Mustang real.  It is credited with the first 3 kills in the Korean War. They were used extensively in Korea taking over for Black Widows that were getting tired.

It carried 6 .50's in the center wing and could carry either a 4000 lb bomb load or 25 5" rockets.  Oh and it had a top speed over 480mph.  Cool plane. John

Got some work done last night and this morning on the Dauntless.  Really nice kit no filler needed yet.  John

Sorry, tcepilot; I meant to write Airfix Douglas Devastator, not Dauntless.  My mistake --too many "D's."  I don't even have an Airfix Dauntless in the stockpile, yet.

I will change it.

I see we don't have a badge for our GB yet. I was just looking through pics and found this one. I like the idea of the magniying glass. If anyone can do the text on here feel free to work it into something better. Or even make something different.

Hey everyone,

Had some time to do a little more to the Russian Air Force.  Waiting on paints from Squadron to start the painting process.  As you can see, I have lots of gaps to fill in the meantime! 

Ken, i've been looking for some ideas as well. I like that pic. I was thinking about useing the Brailles dots for 1/72nd. I'll see what i can do with that pic.

Eagle, nice start.

Bish

Eagle, nice start.

Thanks Bish,

For the most part I guess the gaps aren't too bad, I think it is hard for me in this scale sanding down the fillers.  I'm trying not to destroy what detail there is.  Still having a blast doing the builds! Paint I ordered will be in this week, so hopefully I'll get some A/B time soon!  I'm thinking gear down on both.  I think they will look better sitting on a shelf next to each other.  Not much detail in the landing gear, but still will be cool.

Eagle90

Sanding is the tricky part. I find the wing roots the hardest, trying to get the sandpaper in there. Just have to take it easy and build the filler up and try and leave as little sanding as possable.

Bish

Sanding is the tricky part. I find the wing roots the hardest, trying to get the sandpaper in there. Just have to take it easy and build the filler up and try and leave as little sanding as possable.

Wing roots!  Man you aren't kidding.  I have all these expensive sanding tools and the best for that is a small piece of sandpaper folded over.  Time consuming and tricky with any detail around.  I really want to start a bigger model, but these little guys are starting to grow on me a little...pun intended.

Bish

Ken, i've been looking for some ideas as well. I like that pic. I was thinking about useing the Brailles dots for 1/72nd. I'll see what i can do with that pic.

Okay Bish, No problem.

 If I can help, let me know

for wing roots i tend to use vallejo runny putty stuff. its liquid but it doesnt run.

get a bead of it in the root then get your finger in there straight away and remove the excess BEFORE IT DRIES no need to sand at all then.

if i ever have to sand and edge like a wing root i fold sandpaper over but try to keep the edge rolled so its round not flat

for bigger work the only putty iv ever got on with is that nasty green stuff  

Eagle, if the wing and fuselage on the prototype was a place where the two assemblies joined together, and if there was a noticeable join line at that place on the prototype, I don't think I'd try to eliminate the seam on the model.  Normally, I fill that area with thinned white glue, let it dry, then wipe it down to eliminate any "overage" on either side of the seam.  Then after I paint, I run a little pin wash in there, and it looks like the rest of the panel lines.

And there's no danger in sanding off detail.

The method was written up in FSM years ago, and I used it on both examples below.  It saves a lot of frustration, although it might not work with all models.

eatthis

for wing roots i tend to use vallejo runny putty stuff. its liquid but it doesnt run.

get a bead of it in the root then get your finger in there straight away and remove the excess BEFORE IT DRIES no need to sand at all then.

if i ever have to sand and edge like a wing root i fold sandpaper over but try to keep the edge rolled so its round not flat

for bigger work the only putty iv ever got on with is that nasty green stuff  

Hey eatthis,

Can I get more info on the Vallejo runny stuff?  Is there a number on the bottle so I can order some from Squadron?  Heck, post a pic of the stuff.  I'm all up for anything that will make this process easier.  Thanks for the info!

Eagle90

checkmateking02, first, those are some nice builds!  And I had wondered about white glue if that would fill gaps.  Man, you guys are just chuck full of cool info.  Does the white glue shrink any?  How does paint (are you using acrylics?) adhere to the glue?  When I was younger, I was into doing rockets also and that is how you smoothed the joint between the body and the fins.  Glob the glue in there and run your finger down and it just made the rocket look better (and more aerodynamic if you're into that stuff).  And for life of me I don't remember if the glue shrank, what the paint looked like afterwards......that was a long time ago!  Again, thanks for all the great info!

Eagle90

Eagle, if the white glue shrinks any it's something I really don't notice and can't see.  It usually settles in pretty well, and is comparable to a regular engraved panel line (that is, if the manufacturer engineered the parts to fit snugly enough).

I use enamels and haven't had issues.  When it's fully set, white glue can get rock hard.  If you are airbrushing, it shouldn't be an issue.

Usually, the only problems I encounter on a regular basis is when a little air bubble forms.  Those are tough to fill in sometimes, but the process if pretty forgiving.  You can always wipe it out with water and start over.

Whatever you try, good luck with it.

Thanks checkmateking02.  Great stuff there.  I tried some on the IL-10 right after I got home and it worked very well!  A little cleaning up (fat fingers), but it turned out great.  I'm going to try a little around the elevators now and see if I can get some good looking joints.  I'll post pics of the results.  Thanks again! 

Glad it worked, Eagle, and you're welcome.  I truly believe in the path of least resistance, and sanding wing roots is resistance.

If fingers are an issue, you can use a q-tip, slightly damp.  Doesn't take much to clear it off unpainted plastic.  

I forgot to mention that you can apply the white glue with either a toothpick or a small paint brush, depending on the job at hand.

Checkmateking02, great stuff!  Thanks again!  I neglected the "thinning " part you mentioned.  I think doing that will help tremendously.  I did some elevator joints last night and again they turned out great.  I can't wait to see what the paint looks like on them.  I'm going to let them dry until the weekend before I paint...make sure everything is rock solid.  Also, do you remember which issue of FSM had the article about this?  I can rummage through mine and find it, but if you knew off the top of your head.  Thanks again for the great advice!

Eagle90

Oh, it was a looooong time ago.  I used the method on the first Hasegawa B-17 I built in their "Nose Art" series, and that came out in the spring/summer of 1990, although I don't remember if it took me a while to get to it, after I bought it.  My guess would be it's somewhere between 1990 and 1992.

I can look through my files of articles and see if I can find it.  

As for thinning, it helps the mixture of white glue flow if you add some dish soap when you thin.  But be careful not to get it too thin.  Too much water can cause excessive shrinkage, leaving gaps.  You can also add more, and then smooth it down again.

I mixed up a bottle so I have it all ready, and don't have to make a mixture every time I need it.

Plus, sometimes you don't even have to mix.  If the gap is larger, you can use white glue straight from the bottle.

Another point:  sometimes it's hard to see whether the gap is completely filled.  At times, I've painted and then discovered a pesky gap.  It that case, you can add a little glue where the gap is, even though you've already painted.  Wipe it down, repaint--or even leave it, and cover it with a pin wash when you're ready.

Glad you find it useful.  Experiment around with it, and good luck.