Very nice looking C-47's, Gary and B17pilot.  Very attractive work.  The invasion stripes are impressive.

I masked the canopy for the cockpit of "Aries."  Don't have all the photos of any further progress off the photo chip yet, except two of the canopy.

I used thin masking tape, and followed the framelines.  Then trimmed them after they were in place.  Following the tape, I fill up the centers with MicroMask.

At this stage, it looks like a rat's nest.

That must have taken forever but I'm sure it will look great!

Thanks, 68GT.  It does get tedious--a B-24 has a lot of windows in the cockpit.  Here's how the windows looked when the masking was done.

I used the same technique for the fuselage windows, which sort of have rounded corners; but if the tape is thin enough, you can poke it and prod it into shape.

Also got busy with the propellers.  After I painted them black, I used masking tape to mark off the yellow tips, then mummified the blades by wrapping them up from the hub.  Then I overpainted the tips with black again to seal the tape, then applied some white as a base and finished up with the yellow.

I intend to paint the hubs some kind of silvery-metallic color.  I usually use silver, but think I might try MM Steel this time.

And finally for tonight, I worked on the engines.  I'd painted the central portion earlier with MM's Neutral Gray (which doesn't look anything like WEM's Neutral Gray; MM seems to be a bluish kind of gray).  After it was dry, I masked and painted the cylinders with some old Floquil "Weathered Black."  It's more of a dark, dark gray, so I should be able to run a black wash to bring up details.

Looking good there cmk!

As for me, now that my K-200 is done, I pulled my Marauder off the sideline this morning and resumed work. I only scratched up the turret gunners foot rest from some brass rod bent to shape and attached it with CA. But that is all that I had time for this morning before work after my bike ride & breakfast with my family. I will get some photos up tomorrow or the day after. ;-)

I seriously doubt that it will be done by the 6th, but it will be done in the next few weeks!

Gary, Great job on the C-47. Sorry to hear you're having eye-sight problems. I hope you're doing better. Thanks for the kind words about my geschutzwagen. The description of the thing is a mouthful, for sure. It was a lot of fun to do. Best wishes on future modeling.

B-17: Beautiful job! Love the nose art, just all around great work!

CMK02: She's coming along great! Gawd I hate masking canopies...

Thanks, stik and Gamera.

Masking canopies is a pain sometimes.  The tape and MicroMask method seems to work best for me.  Never could quite get the hang of other methods people use.

I regret that I have but one model to give for this GB.  

Great job on the Mustang!  I really like the exhaust staining

Thanks, its just a little charcoal dust that was brushed on.  I tried to use it for gunpowder stain but don't think it came out so good.  It might just be because it is over the white stripe though.

I was wondering if it was just me or does the Mustang look too clean?  I know I forgot to give it a wash but I'm not sure.

She looks good to me! Really nice work on the tricky cowling checkerboard decal.

You could go with a wash or just leave it. It would pick out the rivets etc but you certainly don't have to do one- she looks fine as she is.

That's a great looking Mustang, 68GT.  Really outstanding work.

Check, great work there, how do you find the micro mask. I have a bottle but can't get used to it. I find it a real pain to remove.

68, I like it a lot. You could give it a little wash, but I don't think that essential. really nice. I'll add the top pic to the front page.

Ok guys, I am calling last orders. The GB will officially end at 23.59 BST Fri night, that's just over 48hours away. You have until then to show some progress pics to qualify for the GB.

Hoping to have final pics tonight or tomorrow at the latest!  My first armor build completed!

Eagle90

Well, I wont be finishing this one in time for June 6, but I am still plugging along. Now that my K-200 is done, this one has moved back to the front of my workbench. I have been nickle and diming work on it this week before I go to work. Earlier in the week, I created the gunners footrest for teh turret with some brass wire

then I started work on the engine nacelles- I opened up the vents just ahead of the wheel well and cleaned up the mold ejection pin parks before gluing them together. Lots of test fitting and sanding is gonna reduce, but not completely eliminat the gaps where these fit onto the wings. That is probably the roughest fit area on the kit. But it can be minimized I am finding.

and lastly I added some strip styrene to catch the overhead waist gun ammo bins mount in the vertical tail. Unfortunately during the sanding/fitting process I damaged one of the tail gun ammo chutes... forward three step, back one...

I am on days off after today so more progress soon...

Look forward to it eagle.

And no worries stik, we have some progress pics, and that's enough. Nice work so far, I like the foot rest.

Thanks Bish. I think over the next couple of days I will have lots of progress photos. I am at the point now where many things will come together and show.

B17Pilot> Thanks for the info on the control surfaces.  I thought they were all cloth covered.  Good to know for certain.

And that's one nice C-47.  Wish mine could turn out as good.

68GT>  That's a very good P-51!  Up to you about the wash.  You might try some on the bottom.  What with the rain around D_Day the top might not have been so dirty. 

CMK02>  That's a lot of masking!  Good luck on the B-24.

As for me, I've run into a bit of a road-block, so I won't have this done in time.  I was hoping to print decals for the serial numbers and ID letters for this aircraft, but the letter color is so light and the OD so dark that they just don't show up.  I can't print the decals dark enough and come up even close to the correct shade.  I may have to do the lettering by hand, but that's a difficult path with my eye in such poor shape.

I'm feeling rather down and may just take a break for awhile.  Maybe I'll get back to this later and have a better idea about what to do.

Thanks for running this GB, Bish!

Gary

B-17Pilot and 68GT, grats on the completions, very respectable builds - I like them both!

-----------------------------

Gary - I know Techmod makes US serial markings (available in white, yellow and black) in various sizes.  Yea, it's impossible to use a clear printed decal on anything but a very light background.

----------------------------

Looking forward to whatever else crosses the finish line.

regards,

Jack

You're right, Bish.  I find MicroMask nearly impossible to remove from painted surfaces, so these days I only use it for clear canopies, outlined with masking tape.  

I used to paint wheels with the tire color, apply MicroMask, paint the hubs--and nearly always the mask wouldn't budge.  I even tried applying a gloss coat, then the MicroMask, hoping it wouldn't stick so well to a slick surface.  Still had trouble with it--even after letting the paint dry for days.

I tried soaking it in water for days at a time; it still wouldn't release.  Tried scrubbing it with a tooth brush; no dice. 

The perverse part is that when it does lift off, it frequently takes the paint with it.

I don't know what's with the stuff, but for masking painted surfaces now I use only low-tack masking tape or poster ticky-tacky.

Progress looks good, stik.  You're not the only one who won't be finishing by 6 June.  The longest day just got longer.

Lol! Yes it did!

This GB is getting as busy as Ike in June 1944 (or something like that.) Very nice work (do like the P-51: mine was more romantic because it was Polish, but I suppose the USAAF was there too) all around. In retrospect I should have made the argument that the build should stop in late July with Cobra (the real end of the longest six weeks) but a card layed is played and the year duration does have logic. Anyway, like some others here, I'm putting on the gas to try to get my Piper L-4 ready by June 6. Think it'll be done, but close. It's a very modest effort in modelling terms, but I just don't like the idea of Panthers running around and causing trouble for the forces of good. So what better anecdote than some flying eyes that could bring down artillery shells - including some very large ones - literally on top of German strongpoints and AFVs. With the Shermans and Cromwells the free world has delivered to the bocage, we need some help. Here's what's on the way.

Eric

.

EBergerud

This GB is getting as busy as Ike in June 1944 (or something like that.) 

Eric

WOW!  Some awesome work everyone!  What a great GB!  Many thanks to Bish for hosting!

So I think I'll get the Puma finished tonight!  Along with the /1 that was a surprise addition to my build.  All I have left to do is the decals and a few little weathering details and they will be done!  The pics here are from last night.  I spent some time working on the tires for the Puma.  Like I said before, the /1 was what I was originally using to try things out on before I committed them to the Puma, but things turned out well for both and I kept going with both kits.  So you can see I didn't do too much weathering with the /1 tires, but did a little more with the Puma.  Tried my first wash too!  Not sure if it turned out as well as what I have seen on here, but I tried.  Also tried adding some "camo" netting to the vehicles.  Not familiar with camo netting so I hope I'm close.  Also, hard to see, but the mirrors on the Puma are 'weathered".  The one on the left (hardest one to see) is scraped up and battered.  The one on the right side is "broken"!  You can kinda see it in the pic.  I put different equipment on the 2 vehicles and painted the tools slightly different colors on each one.  Tried to mix it up a little.  Figured they would not have been cookie cutter vehicles out in the field!  So I should be able to get the decals on tonight and have thing one and thing two ready for deployment on the 6th!  Thanks for looking...enjoy!

Eagle90

Great work all around guys!

SP: Looks good, sorry you couldn't hit the end date but you can't rush perfection eh?

Eric: Very nice work there too, I really like the painted effect you have on the invasion stripes.

Eagle: The two armoured cars look great. Love the broken, damaged mirrors.