hey stik

we canm start an ipms chapter in the looney bin. i do this a lot but, as i have a flexible schedule, i look at my model building dreams as my subconsicous focusing on what it considers important at that time. i consider this means this is what i want to focus on.

We are not alone Wayne! I'll bring the paint! But I don't think they will let us have sharp tools in there...

todays update... scratch work in the radio compartment... first step, bare plastic... on the rear bulkhead, I added a portion of the cockpit bulkhead salvaged from my orginal Maurader built way back when... in teh second step I show the added work with strip styrene and components salvaged from various builds... and finally my use of wire to replicate various lines. While none of it is exact and precise, it is all based upon photos of "Flak Bait" in this area and looks the part...

Front bulkhead

rear bulkhead

Stik: That's some really neat scratchbuilding work!

Another middle of the night "eureka"... I was trtying to figure out a chair base for the radio station and just was not coming up with anything in my spares bin. Then in the night it came to me, I remembered that I had cut off a radial engine crankcase gearhouse and I could modify it into a part the generally resembles the real base... so first thing this morning I went and found the part and  filed in some grooves, then made some strip styrene adjustment tracks. I also modified a pilot's seat salvaged from my original Marauder build, removing the base mounts

Next I scratch built the floor area of the compartment from sheet and strip styrene. I made the floor path corrugations from triangular strips 10mm long... many of them...

then I made the framework for the radio rack and navigator chart table

then I reached the point where those parts were nearly finished

then I put it in place for a test fit

then just to make sure I was not missing anything I had another look at photos of "Flak Bait's" radio compartment. I noticed there was a rather prominent lamp for the chart table. A few pieces of rod and strip styrene

glued into place on the front bulkhead

and with it test fitted in place

OK, it's official, I have too much time to work on things like this. This work will barely be visible...

Stik, your scratchbuilding looks amazing!  I've been reading up on scratchbuilding for my Revell Dauntless and Avenger since there doesn't seem to be much in the way of resin cockpits for those two birds in 1/48.  I just might have to consult you when I get around to building them.  And it doesn't matter if it's all that visible or not, you'll know it's there...

Thanks Bob. I have one of the old Monogram SBDs that I have slowly been working on over the years. I just wish that my scratch building on that had been at the level that it is now. But I still have the TBF to tackle one day as well. With the lessons learned on both. But feel free to hit me up- hopefully I can help. There used to be AM sets for both of those kits. Eduard made stuff for the Avenger, and a company called Medallion Models made resin & white metal updates for both.

Hey SP, that looks great, you should have done a cut-away so people can appreciate all the extra work you put in there!  

I have never done one of those before. But between the single window on each side, and the open front , most of my work will be visible from one angle or another.

Great work there Stik. I am getting the bug for scratchbuiling myself after the He 111Z and current 88. And as bob says, you know its there, and it can be seen if you look hard enough I am sure.

After this one, I will have to confidence to do the Revell B-17F that I have been wanting to do that is in my stash. It's not as hard as I thought to do this stuff.

Stik,

Those scratch-built modifications are really great!  This needs bigger windows. 

Gary

Thanks Gary. In for a penny, in for a pound... I am now debating how much to add to the rear or the aircraft at the gunners stations... There will be some... Just not sure how much...

Funny story: After much-too-much stressing over using accurate paint colors, I finally told myself to stop it.  I'd get as close as I could and just get a @$&* model built.  So after many weeks of stressing about it, I see in my pictures that my camera (well...me) is unable to accurately reproduce the colors I used anyway!

So, anyway here's my cockpit pics.  The green is quite a few shades darker than it appears.  There seems to be a ton of discussion on what color green to paint the Mustang interior.  So, I took the advice of one guy (can't remember who or even which site) and mixed 10 parts Model Master Green Zinc Chromate with 1 part Testors Flat Black.

And I took my first stab at weathering.  I painted the floor Testors Gloss Wood and then went sloppily over the top with Flat Black.  I then carefully scrapped away a little more right where the pilots feet would be.  I think it turned out OK.  Something I'll have to work on.

The office:

Fuselage halves assembled:

Mike - looks good to me, but I'll let the experts weigh in.

Along those lines, I took my first stab at doing an oil wash today, after much research and dithering.  I figured I'd post a pic and let you guys tell me if I'm actually doing this right, lol.

I think it captures the dusty look that I'm after, but I'm not sure if the color is too light or not. I used Burnt Umber. It actually looks a bit more red in the picture than it does in real life.

Yup, you can mull over perfection and accomplish nothing, or make a decision and go with what you have or can get and get something done...

The Accurate Miniature SBD and TBM are both brilliant kits. I built their TBM as it appeared in Atlantic service on USS Bogue for the 1943 GB. (Actually kind of fits here - the some of the US "hunter-killer" groups were covering the Bay of Biscay area as part of the huge and successful effort to keep U-boats out of the Channel during the Normandy campaign.) I have two of their SBDs - one's going to get RNZAF garb and have examined the kit closely and it looks very goood.

Eric

EB, that is a beautiful build of that TBM. 

well more scracth work today. this time in teh gunners compartment and rear bomb bay. The rear bomb bay is barely gonna be visible, only thru two small windows in the bomb doors now that I have created another bulkhead for inside the fuselage, and thru an open passageway in that bulkhead. So here we go.

first up, I had to sand off some of the interior aluminum paint and then I added a bit more rib work inside the fuselage using strip stryrene

Then I cut out two circles, for rear fuselage interior bulkheads. Why two? because I needed to create some partial ones, so two were needed. Then on the primary I added and ribbing and cut out the hatchway. In photos that I found, this bulkhead had no hatch and appears to be permanently open into the rear bomb bay- sorry that the flash drowned out most of my work. It took a long time to do the fine tuning sanding here before I could glue things in place

then a test fit in place... not perfect, but close enough

afterwards I had to scratch a shelf for the top turret. the lightening holes are only approximations of what is really there. and the rear partial bulkhead from the second one that I made- with some ribbing work from more strip styrene. Starting to run low. I need to make a run to the hobby shop for more for this project.

next I glued more of that second bulkead to the top of the rear wall of the front bomb bay, added some rib work and the hatch that I cout out of the other bulkhead

then I glued the turret shelf in place on the scratch bulhead and gave them a test fit

more to come tomorrow...

Eric: That is one beautiful Avenger!

SP: Very cool! Though I think I'm going to wuss out and build my Marauder straight-outta-da-box and not add a bunch of cool stuff since those windows are sooooooo small!

LOL! Well Eduard does make a set of useful things that you CAN see if you choose to add to the interior. I do not know what has gotten in to me here. I know that this is a one time only Marauder build for me, as all the stuff that I am adding from my salvaged/spares bin can not be replaced at this time. unless I just skip building a few kits in my stash and send them straight to the spares bin themselves...

Well, you might as well use those spare parts here unless you were saving them for another project. 

I'm just so lazy though it takes me forever to build anything much less then adding yet more detail to something... 

Mike, nice work. As much as we might strive to be as accurate as possible, we can only do so much and some we have to say that enough.

Steve, personally, I think the oil wash needs to be darker. Its pretty hard to see, but then I am pretty new to that sort of thing myself.

stik, that's coming along nicely, a lot of work your putting in there.

Eric, that's a great looking build there.

Thanks Bish. I blame it all on Shepard Paine...

Bish

Steve, personally, I think the oil wash needs to be darker. Its pretty hard to see, but then I am pretty new to that sort of thing myself.

I agree; I'm going to give it another try, but with raw umber instead of burnt umber....   Thanks for the input, Bish.

Today's update: last night I added some more framework in the bomb bay. And then I ran out of my thinnest strip styrene, so today it was a trip to the LHS for more. I also picked up some channel styrene, which was perfect for the first task that I had today. Build the ammo feed chutes for the tail guns.

after which I glued them in place along with some salvaged ammo boxes

then I built up a catwalk for the rear bomb bay- again only partially visible once everything is closed up, but it conceals the lower part of that area and the work that I did not do there 

next I created a pair of gunners jump seats from some bench seats salvaged out of an old C-47 build, along with the track rails for the gunner's window hatches

then a test fit of all the rear components in place so far...

getting kinda busy back there...

That's the kit I'm building, 68GT.  Although I'm just doing it OOB as Bud Anderson's "Old Crow".  I'd love to see someone else do the same kit.

If you go with Bill Overstreet's "Berlin Express" check this page out...if you haven't already.  www.cebudanderson.com/357profileberlinexpress.htm

That's actually the site where I got the mission info from.  The Eagle Strike decals depict a P-51B, 43-24283.  It's olive with the gray bottom and a Malcolm hood.  It also shows three kills so I'm not sure if it was before or after the one in your link or if someone got the graphics wrong.

Was thinking of just hanging metal or the paper tanks below and no bombs or rockets.

I want to put the rockets and bombs on mine, but no photos I've been able to find show Old Crow with them on; just the drop tanks.  Does anyone have any knowledge (or educated guess) as to what ordinance they would have had during the invasion?

On D-Day they flew into France for the sole purpose of harassing the Luftwaffe, so I assume they'd just go with the extra fuel if they were anticipating air-to-air combat.  But, starting D-Day +1 they went on strafing runs, so I would think they'd then want the rockets and bombs...?