PACIFIC CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD

The "ounce of dread!"  Yeah, I know what that feels like.

Thank you Joe and Checkmate.

Yeah, I can't wait to get it painted and unmasked. I oh so enjoy that moment when one is filled with a mixture of excitement, anticipation and an ounce of dread.

Craig, well that looks really great--and fierce, too!  Nice come back.

Excellent Hellcat, Joe. It'll look really sharp in it's three-tone livery.

JOE RIX

Here's a quick pic of my current progress.

Thank You Craig. I'm using Model Master enamels. That and Gunze-Sangyo Mr. Color are my go to paints unless, there is a color they don't have or is a poor match.

Thanks Joe.  My back room still smells a little like vinegar.  I bummed the Micro Set solution and spilled half the bottle on the table.  The only real casualty yesterday.

JR - Your plane is looking good.  What paints are you using?

I'm going to have to work on my plane whenever I find a few minutes.  It's back to work today and my next few weekends are full.  Should be done by the end of the year.  Again, thanks for the kind words.

Craig  

Here's a quick pic of my current progress.

Man that Hellcat is looking GREAT Craig! I'm with Joe on the decals. 1) It's when you know you're getting close to the end and 2) it gives the model a personality.

Joe I hate to hear about the setback but also know that you overcame yet another obstacle in your build. Will talk at you shortly............er.............may have already by the time you read this. lol

Looks to me like you have done one heck of a job on your decals Craig. I love the "Growler" face Hellcats. I was going to do that one also on mine but, I opted to save that for when I build my 1/48 Eduard F6F-3. Sorry to hear that you struggled with your gloss coat initially but, it appears you overcame that hurdle just fine. i personally like putting decals on myself. That is when they are behaving properly. Otherwise it can be an absolutely friggin' nightmare.

I got the dark sea blue sprayed onto my wings and tail today. It took me a bit of extra time as I had an unpleasant issue with some pre used silly putty. Craig, remember when I told you that you could reuse silly putty? Well, I failed to mention that you can IF you thoroughly knead the old paint into the putty. You see, today I applied a piece of putty I had just used to mask the white half moons under the tail to the side of my fuselage for masking. Fortunately, I had it on there for just a short while as I was just sizing the piece I would need. Unfortunately, that was long enough for the little pieces of white paint to embed themselves into my gloss coat. Yup, I had not taken the time to knead the putty prior to using it. Thus, I had to take the time to spray on some repair IB and gloss coat. Thank God for hair dryers, as this allowed be to speed dry the paint and gloss coat so I could move on to the sea blue application. All is good with the world now though. I'll have some pics tomorrow.

Here's a few pics.  I'm not done, but you get the idea.  A couple decals are not centered perfectly.  So be kind.  I like the way the stencils show.  Gotta do the underbelly tomorrow.  I spent 6 hours off and on putting these suckers on.  It was tedious, but kinda fun.

Craig

I hate it when decals ruin an otherwise perfectly good build.  Can you get some after market decals?  That might be easier and less frustrating than having to change the paint scheme.

Man do I need a break!  It's decal day and it did not start off well.  Evidently,  I did not get a good enough gloss coat on the plane.  So I ruined the tail numbers when attempting to put them on.    Now this means I have to switch schemes.  Instead of the VF-6 plane, I have to switch over to the VF-27 scheme which is on the box top.  The cowling is the same for both aircraft.  Anyways, I shot a couple more coats of Future.  Hell, there must be 6 or 7 coats on the damn thing.  I guess I need to do a better job laying down the exterior flat coat next time.  I've been at it for almost two hours.  Those little stencils are a pain in the ass, but they really make the plane look cool.  I'm almost done with the starboard side.  My wife took her camera into town, so I'll post photos this evening.   Wish me luck.  This is the point of modeling when I usually get pissed and put the thing away.  That's why I'm taking a break and drinking a beer (SN Celebration).

Craig

Thanks.  I really enjoyed my time in the Navy.  I wish I would have made a career out of it.  I don't say that around my wife though.  She says we would have never met if I stayed in.  Hmmm?      Just kiddin'.

flyerduke

 I spent almost 4 1/2 years stationed about a helicopter carrier (USS IWO JIMA LPH-2).

That's really great to know Craig. Thank you very much for your service. I did not serve but, I come from a family of Navy pilots. My older brother flew MH-53's on board USS NASSAU. My father was a flight instructor at NAS Pensacola during WWII and flew, well, everything. Thus, my love for USN aircraft

That's coming along very nicely, Craig.  Great looking aircraft!

Thanks for the advice Joe.  I think I'm going to shoot some more Future here in a few minutes.

You are correct about the tire wear.  I spent almost 4 1/2 years stationed about a helicopter carrier (USS IWO JIMA LPH-2).  There wasn't a whole lot of what I would call normal dirt on the flight deck.  Lots of salt and grime.  That's why I went with the gray.

After this weekend my pace will slow.  Back to work.

Craig

Good Lord Craig, You're moving along faster than I can comment or provide suggestions. But, nonetheless, you are doing a terrific job. I'm especially impressed with your tires. I was going to get back to you to point out that since you are modeling an aircraft that operated off of a carrier deck that the tires don't really collect a lot of dirt and grime. Thus, I was going to suggest that you apply a gray shade to the tread to reflect wear and discoloring. But, alas, you are already caught onto that. Good show!

As for the gloss and decals, well, the glossier the better. This promotes the ability of the decal to be moved around easier without damaging it. It also provides a smooth surface for the decal to conform to once you apply your setting solution. Although, you may have a suitable surface as is. I'd suggest applying a nondescript decal first and see how well you can slide it around with a moistened paint brush. I personally start with the larger insignia decals and gradually work my way down to the small stencils.

Decal question.  How should I go about applying them?  Start with big to small, small to big?  Forward to aft?  Port to starboard?  What do I need to be careful about?  I have Micro Set and Sol.  I applied a coat of MM gloss and didn't get much of a gloss.  I just applied a coat of Future a few minutes ago.  Still not getting much of a gloss finish.  Do I need a super glossy finish to apply decals?  I sure the hell don't want to screw this thing up now.  Thanks.

Craig

The prop and wheels look great! I can't wait to see her with some decals on!

Just about got the prop done (almost).  Gotta touch up the yellow on the tips and hit it with the flat when the plane is done.  Main wheels are done.  You may not be able to see it, but I rolled the wheels over a thin layer of wet RLM66 that I painted onto some paper.  It's subtle, but it's there.  The plane is ready for it's gloss coat.  May be ready to add some decals tomorrow evening.  I might have to work Sunday morning and afternoon (all OT ).

Craig

Ready to rock and roll

Thanks guys.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  This is usually the point where I would box the kit up and move on to another.  These group builds are a real motivator.  I also helps having so serious time off.  Anyways...  I was about to shoot the clear gloss coat when I realized I hadn't added the black walk strips (or whatever they are called) on top of the wings.  They came out pretty good except for a tiny spot on the port side.  They are quite visible too which is nice.  I also touched up a couple spots with a brush.  I'll shoot the gloss coat this evening.  By the way, I did a test spray with the Future and MM clear gloss coat.  I like the way the MM goes on.  It's not as wet as the Future.  Both have a nice fine though.  Now, back to the landing gear and doors.

Craig

Humming along nicely with those beautiful shades of blue there Craig. I'd say you're getting fairly close after decaling.

Craig that paint looks pretty good to me, nice consistent coat

Craig, Your paint job looks great. I certainly respect what you wish to do. If it is all good for you then, it's all good with me. . Keep that good stuff coming.

Thanks cmk2.  Clemens, looks like I'm going to have to experiment with the washes.

I guess I need to lay down a clear gloss coat now.  I have Future and MM acrylic clear gloss.  Do I need to thin these?  Which works best?

Craig

Nice-looking results, Craig.  Good work!

There is no specific ratio. It all depends on the effect you want. Just grab some black and white oil paint and mix them untill you have a nice dark gray. Then take a bit of that paint and add some thinner (mineral spirits). You should end up with something that's more like tinted thinner than thinned paint.

Simply take a pointed brush and apply a bit of the wash to the end of a panel line. Capillary action should do the rest and pull the wash along the line. if it doesn't reach the other end of the panel line, add a bit of the wash to that side as well.

I think Mr.Color paints might be affected by mineral spirits though, so to be on the safe side test it on a scrap piece of plastic before ruining your Hellcat by accident. I don't know for sure though because I only use their Acrylics (no problems with oil paints there).

If the wash happens to react with the paint, you can seal your paint job with an acrylic clear coat before weathering the model.

Sounds like a good idea Clemens.  How do you mix washes? Ratio?

Looking very good there, Craig! I really like that dark blue!

One thing you could try to bring out the panel lines s to hit the entire model with an acrylic clear coat and weather them with a dark gray oil wash.