US CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD 2013

mustang-No, I don't live in Pensacola but I do visit the Orange Beach Alabama area a few times a year and make it over to the aviation museum. I will definitely check out the hobby shop though, always leave a lil room in your luggage for a few new projects!

Tony-Thanks for the compliments! I think between the gas hog reputation and the short operational span this bird really doesn't get a lot of attention. Plus, let's not forget that the Phantom was the plane that replaced this one so it's easy to see why this one gets lost in the shuffle!

Tony:Thanks for the comments man! I see another Pacific aircraft build down the pipeline.

mrmike:Welcome back in here!

Congrats to SS and all the participants in this build - just noted 1500 posts! I've been lurking along for the duration and have really enjoyed the builds and the friendly tone. Put me in for Part Two with a 1/48 Kinetic Hawkeye, sorta started, but not much real progress (fits and starts?).

Mike

Great work on the Demon, Von Sisco. It's not an aircraft I  know well, but I like the look of yours.

Mustang, your SBD is terrific, I love the finish on it. I need to do one of these, I hope it's as good as yours.

Cheers

Tony

Hey Von Sisco:Do you live in Pensacola or just visiting. Either way there's a hobby shop there called Bobe's Hobbies. A guy named Mike Bobe runs the place. I used to do business with him in Dallas. Know the one I'm talking about?

stik-I know what 'ya mean, she's not gonna win any beauty pageants that's for sure! It wasn't called the "pregnant guppy" for nothin'! Still, there is a certain kind of strange beauty in it, I think I spent a half hour just walking around the one at NAS Pensacola. VF-31 markings help her out too!

VS, I have always thought that the Demon was one ugly SOB of an aircraft. But yours makes it look so good I might have to pick one up one day.

Thanks for all the comments and encouragement guys, that's why I like these group builds!

sparty:The Hobby Boss kit is really excellent, I have had no issues with it whatsoever. I have always heard canopy fit is kind of fussy but I will let you know when I get there. I will snap some pics tonight and give an update.

stik:I/P is lookin great!

68GT: I appreciate the comments buddy. Thank you!

shivinigh:Thanks for the good comment.

Clemens:First off thank you for the opportunity to build here with you all. Lots of supportive and friendly folks here! As far as picture selection for the "Wall of Fame" its a toss up between the 2nd and 4th photos. I like #2 because its a decent overall view of the whole aircraft from the front and #4 just because it's a killer view!. As far as round 2 ,  that's gonna have to be another time as I am turning my attention back to my D-9 for my Butcher Bird GB. I appreciate the invite though bud.

Greg:I appreciate your comments as well and thank you for the words on the paint. This was, I feel, my best painting yet. Looking forward to building with you again in my Butcher Bird Group Build.

stikpusher:First off thank you for all of your comments and support along the way. Secondly, a BIG thank you for the ammo belts for the rear flex gun!!  Really gave it a nice look back there!

gregbale:Thank you too sir for all the support and comments pal.

Joe Rix:Thanks for peeping in here from time to time and eggin' me on with this build and giving the atta boys along the way.

everybody:One of these days I may do another Pacific War plane. I dunno which one though. It may be American or Japanese. I have a couple of kits for both sides. I am eying the Eduard Hellcat somewhere down the line though. We'll see. I'll pop in from time to time and harass you guys. Thanks again, Joe

Very magnificently done Joe. You have done a tremendous job of turning that old Monogran kit into something stellar.

Joe, beautiful job on a favorite old kit! Finish and weathering are magnificent, and I'm especially glad you left all the Monogram "signature touches" in place. It's been a real treat following your build.

The 2nd part of my reply somehow didnt show up

Stik: Those decals look really nice! I normally just use the kit decals, but I cut out  all the individual dials with a new xacto blade to make applying them easier.

Ed: You are doing a suberb job on your Demon! How is that HobbyBoss kit?

Mustang, that looks so good! Excellent work! You may have left some of the fun 60's stuff still there, but the finished results just say WOW-Look at me!!!! Very well done sir!

Greg the instrument decals are fun, but a bit time consuming. Those Air-decals ones are a step or two above the Pro Modeler ones that I have been using in both finesse of detail and quiality of the decal itself. Quite a bit priceier, but worth it.

Ed, your Demon is looking great! Excellent detail, and that's also some excellent decal application. I agree, the scheme looks really cool!

Stik, never tried instrument decals. Looking good, and looks like fun,  .......I think.

Joe, your Dauntless is beautiful, my friend! All the work you put into the early exterior paint work really came together nicely in the end. Like your weathering very much, looks very authentic from where I'm sitting. This was a fun (and educational, for me) build to be able to watch from start to finish, for sure!

She's looking absolutely gorgeous, mate! Fantasic work! Just tell me the pic you want to see on the front page and I'll add her to the wall of fame!  Is there any chance of seeing ya in round 2?

Imcredible work  mustang.

Excellent work!

stikpusher:That IP came out great!!! Awesome detail to the max!!!

Everybody:Well I am officially done as of this morning after installing those gun belts that stikpusher was talking about (in which I am thoroughly impressed with!), I would like to thank Clemens for throwing an awesome Group Build and am glad to have had the opportunity to finish my ol' Dauntless here, stikpusher for providing the rear gun ammo belts and the rest of the gang here for the support and encouragement..

 The following pics were taken this morning and I shot the first pic or  two with the pilots sliding canopy installed and then opted to shoot the remaining pics without it. In about a month I will procure a vacuform canopy and replace the kit supplied part with a more accurate scale thickness piece.

Here goes:

a small comment about the next picture. I took this one with the purpose of showing the model/ replication of 22-C-14 after it was first loaded onto the carrier Independence. I tried to get the paint scheme as close to this bird as possible so I'll have this pic and then following that the actual pic of the plane(which you all have seen here already but not right next to one another). One thing I did notice when it was too late is that this aircraft only had one roundel on the upper wing on the port side! Good thing I wasn't striving for total accuracy on this build.

and then finally the cockpit with most of the upgrades from Hasegawa's SBD-4 kit, Toms Modelworks and stikpushers PE ammo belts for the rear flex gun:

All in all this was a fun build for me. Accuracy was really only there in the paint and there are flaws throughout the build that I would normally take care of. With fun in mind I mixed accuracy with original Monogram intent,however, none of the features that I wanted to work in the beginning of the build work in the name of getting things to fit right and proper so I left alot of Monogram signatures on the aircraft such as the copyright year on the elevators, part numbers in the middle inside portion of the dive flaps and the incorrect centerline bomb and bomb strut. Thanks for the fun of this group build and I will continue to pop in here regularly until the end date. Now its off to stikpushers Weekend Madness GB and a month off until I get kickin' on my Fw190 D-9 for my Butcher Bird GB in January!!

VS, the Demon is looking real good!

Mustang, looking for those ammo belts to be mounted soon...

as for me, now that my Thanksgiving hnagover is gone, today I resumed work on my Scooter. Just a little bit of work really, but intricate work. I am adding decals to the instrument panel.

I will get some better pics up once I am all done in the next few days.

Shivinigh: Thanks bud! I went light on the soot because it's a newly arrived aircraft.

stikpusher:Thanks again for that PE!! I painted the ammo belts this morning with a shot of gold. Don't worry. These things are in good hands and they'll look the part. Stay tuned!!

Greg:Thanks for your encouraging comments. She's almost ready!!

Von Sisco:Man youre really putting alot of work into that Demon. Good work!!

Amazing work you all have been doing in this GB! I have been unable to work on my Demon up until the past few days. I have been installing true nail in hardwood floors in not only my house but my sister in law's house as well. In the future I will only take on one job at a time lol! I did manage to sit down and do my decal work, the Hobby Boss decals are thin but excellent. I think the VF31 Tomcatters scheme looks great on the ol' girl!

Thanks for the explanation on the primer, ajd. For whatever reason, I was thinking a custom mixed primer instead of a custom color. :)

Joe, she's looking more better with every finishing touch! So much fun to watch these come together towards the end.

I am very happy to see that the PE arrived safely... Go Postal!! 

Good job their Mustang. Like the exhaust staining.

ajd3530 welcome to the GB and I always did have a soft spot for the lines of the Corsair. Looking forward to seeing it complete

Ok folks this is where we are at now at about 95% complete. The Yagi antenna are fairly visible under the wing there:

and I just got this in today for the rear flex gun to make it 100% complete after tomorrow or Friday thanks to stikpusher.

Well to the best of my knowledge, Vought coated the early Corsair airframe with their own brand of zinc chromate tinted with indian red, which made a salmon-ish color. Now after that, it gets choppy. Some sources say the salmon was then painted over, while others say it wasn't. I might be going alittle Bob Ross on everyone, but in MY world, these happy little Corsairs didn't have their salmon primer covered up. It may or may not be actually accurate, but I like it. Adds alittle character I think.

Looks like a fun kit, ajd. I've also always been fond of the Corsair airframe, and intend to build one sooner or later.

Glad it was just a nick. Be careful, and keep us posted. Why the custom primer? Just curious.

Sorry to hear about the cut ajd. I've been on the receiving end of an x acto blade a time or two in my time. Hope all's ok man, Joe

P.S. Good progress report on the Corsair and you are right. It's a beauty of an airframe!