US CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD 2013

That Cutlass is a neat looking aircraft, looking forward to this.

Joe, the pit is looking good.

I was going through my E-2 yesterday, I just wanted to make sure I had all the markings as I am using some AM ones. I have also decided to get some PE and other bits, they are meant for the Hase kit, but I am sure they will fit ok. But the discussion on cockpit colours got me thinking. One of the Goffy models resin sets I have includes the compartment behind the cockpit with and open entry hatch. Would all this be painted the same colour as the cockpit.

And secondly, I remember building a few modern USN aircraft many moons ago and the instructions all called out for gloss white underneath. Would this be right, or would you go for a more semi gloss finish.

I won't be starting for a while, my current estimate is Sept, just trying to get everything ready.

Still haven't started yet, I need to order a desk from Ikea so I have somewhere to work.

That with the markings is a pity Stu, but why should your bird be disqualified? Read through the rules again

Clemens

Well the Eduard Hellcat fell together nicely.  As close to a shake-and-bake kit as you can get.  I painted it in overall gloss sea blue and was able to get the few decals applied.  Here's where things got interesting.  As the decals were drying I was re-reading the Info on the particular aircraft I was doing.  I had mentioned I was doing an aircraft from the USS Block Island.........Unfortunately in an effort to get the marking to match the gun setup (I wanted to use my Quickboost 2X 20mm/ 4X .50) I got the descriptions mixed up and ended up building a night fighter that operated off of Okinawa, not a carrier.  So shame on me for not paying closer attention.  So this one is technically disqualified as it was not a carrier bird.  Good news is I'm 100% sure my Tomcat was a carrier plane.......

Thanks Clemens and Greg. I'll be moving on to the instrument panel next. Will be cutting the panel out of the Hasegawa bird and tossing that decal IP that monogram provided! It's a little bit of cutting and fitting but will work out.

Excellent work one and all. Those "offices" are shaping up very nicely.

Looking nice, Joe! The chipping on the seat looks awesome!

Here's the Dauntless cockpit as she sits now. I painted the seat silver prior to the zinc chromate finish and then after it was mostly dry I chipped away some of the chromate to reveal a metal underneath. The seat belts are lead foil with Toms Modelworks buckles( its been a long time since I have seen any of Toms stuff but this photoetch kit is 17 years old). Gunners station is from Hasegawa and had to be shortened to fit in the Monogram kit. Gun sight is from Toms. Again seat belts are lead foil with Toms buckles. After the tub was dry I applied a MIG productions wash to it and highlighted side consoles with a white lead pencil.

Man that is good work on that cockpit Dre! Lots of detail! Will be looking forward to following this one.

Looks good Dre, nice work.

Good choice Shivinigh, I want to build one of those so I'll be watching yours.

DRE-great work on the cockpit

haven't had a chance for some bench time but figured I should post some pics of my kit

have 3 options for squadrons and will prolly go with the experimental squadron because of the paint skeem. It uses a for of aggressor grey colours

No problem at all, Rex!

I changed the entry. As for the biplanes: I'll build my F3F anyway, so we have at least one biplane in here, even with yours away.

Do you know what color the seatbelts of the Wildcat were?

Clemens

I need to change my entry, please

I just found out about a bunch of things I am going to want for my Biplanes,,,,,,,,,,and since they cost so much for the resin kits, I want to build those after I get some of the goodies

So, if you would please just change my entry to "1/72 Skyhawk", I will build a few of those and put some of my new weapons under the wings, as I create them,,,,,,,,I can do four, just from the things that will come off the carving bench in the near future,,,,,but, one at a time for now

Nice work there Dre, looking good.

Got pics of your progress?

Looking really good, Dre!

I can't find my stupid brush set, so no dryybrushing for my pit atm

And a few hours later I've airbrushed the cockpit tub, sidewalls and RIO center console dark gull grey, followed by a casual shading of higher wear areas and highlights with a lightened mix (roughly 50%) of the grey.

The IP clusters, rear deck and canopy frame were painted flat black and then a list misting of highly thinned panzer grey was added to highlight areas to break up the black.  I usually don't use extreme shading percentages when I paint, so some of the effects are barely discernible now and will be most likely gone by the time I start weathering...

I'm going to let these parts and the wheel wells cure for a few days before I start getting in there and painting the details.  

FS 36231 Dark Gull Gray- roger that, TarnShip.   I hope i have that on hand....

Looking nice, Dre!

I got me some nice AM stuff for the Wildcat yesterday! ´Just some minor imprvements for the otherwise great kit:

• Eduard Masks (they are so easy to use that I buy them for every plane model that has none included)
• Quickboost engine (the kit one is meh, but the QB one is really nice) 
• HGW seatbelts

Like I said, nothing fancy, but some improvements for not-existing/bad-looking kit parts.

I'll continue work on the Wildcat today and tomorrow and post some more pics tomorrow or on Tuesday..

However, I do have some problems with the HGW belts: I can't figure out how to build them up..

So here are my questions to ya all:

What glue should I use?

How are they placed in the cockpit (reference pics would be nice)?

What color where the belts (the HGW belts are white,,,)

Cheers, Clemens

here's that cockpit shot I showed earlier, it might help:

again it's an -A, but as Rex wrote, the pattern was pretty much standard.

36231 Dark Gull Gray,,,,,,,,, all Navy cockpits with Light Gull Gray or later paint schemes have the Dark Gull Gray,,,,,,,,,,,with the following exception

I just read a variant in a post on another site, that shows that Super Hornets have a Dk Gull and Black combo cockpit, though (just a tidbit, we don't need that info for our Tomcats and Phantoms)

Rex

I got a little work done the last few hours...  mostly just basic painting.

Last night I hand painted the resin wheels and wells with MM panzer grey as primer (it was conveniently on hand) and shadow base and then let them dry so I could paint them gloss white today.   I wasn't too concerned with good painting technique so much as filling in the dark voids so the white paint would stand out better...

Early this morning I airbrushed the wheels flat black and the wells flat white and later this afternoon I used gloss white to finish off the wells and hubs.   I'm going to let these cure for a few days before I start detail painting.   Looking at the reference pics, theres a ton of detail and not a lot of color to these areas.

And finally I hand painted the main cockpit pieces flat black so I can throw some grey on them tomorrow.

So... oh, wise gurus...  what color should the cockpit be?   I don't have my notes in front of me, but i've seen either gull grey or a medium grey mentioned.   Or, does this answer totally depend on the aircraft its suppose to eventually represent?

Ghostrider114

stikpusher

Dre, those Tomcat parts look great! Are you planning on arming it up with all six AIM-54s?

You know they hardly ever flew with that load, right?  The plane would be too heavy to land on a carrier safely, without first jettisoning the missiles.  They pretty much only carried a full load of six if they new they were going to use them, like in a live fire exercise or a Deck Launched Intercept during wartime.  As I understand, the normal load was two Phoenix, along with two Sparrows and two Sidewinders.  Even putting Phoenix on all four of the centerline racks would be pushing it. 

Yes I was aware of the weight issue, that was why I was asking the question. Not to also mention that the D had also come along into the fleet after the Soviet threat that the Phoenix was esigned to counter had disappeared. IIRC, the D was used more as a fighter bomber than as a fleet protection interceptor.

the rear Phoenix pair could be loaded on land-based aircraft for practice, training, show or actual usage

they could only be loaded on carrier based aircraft if it was actually doomsday, and the carrier needed to launch flights of six-packs to knock down hordes of Bears and Backfires, etc

the reason is that the rear end of the missile hit the carrier's deck on Launch,,,,,,creating the possibility of launching with six live, but, only being able to fire 4, 5 or 6,,,,,the risk was considered worth it, considering the dire threat if it was needed

so, trapping above the maximum gross weight (with 6) never came up, on the deck, just in discussions

it is a well photographed, legal load, though,,,,,,,,seen at a lot of shows and bases in the seventies

Dre

Quick work, Stu.  Looks good.

I didn't know that about trying to trap a 'Cat with 6 tons of Phoenix onboard...makes sense.                  You knowledgeable guys can help keep me honest on this one, but I'm a long way from even thinking of the load out.

if I remember correctly the 6-Phoenix load was called the "doomsday load". Or something like that

Quick work, Stu.  Looks good.

I didn't know that about trying to trap a 'Cat with 6 tons of Phoenix onboard...makes sense.                  You knowledgeable guys can help keep me honest on this one, but I'm a long way from even thinking of the load out.

Nice looking pit, Stu!

Bruce: Welcome to the GB! There is no problem at all with adding more projects laer on! I've put your Phantom on the entry list. Just tell us, if you want to add another model.

Clemens

Disco, nice work on the pit.

Dre, those missiles look nice, and those wings look very detailed.

I didn't know that about the F-14's load out, but they do look nice with all 6 on board.

Yeah, the Tomcat never got AMRAAMs, those are probably AIM-7M Sparrows

I don't think the F-14 was ever setup to fire the AIM-120.  There were proposed upgrades late in its life but I think it was just cheaper to move to the F-18E/F.