PACIFIC CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD

A couple shots of the engine.  I'm going to put the mags and gearbox etc. piece on after painting the exterior so the cowling will be easier to mask.

Forgot to take a picture before I started painting the exterior colors, but I've still got the pre-shading on top and the completed bottom color.

Very fun and simple build!  Need to get it done by early October.  (This one's going to be a birthday gift)

Drew, Very excellent looking engine. The painting and wiring are impressive. The pre shading is well done  also. I'm currently getting ready to attach the PE wires on my engine. I have yet to try PE ignition wires over copper wire ones. Looks like I'm in for a bit of an adventure.

Hey Drew and Rob--very nice work. I love it.

Drew: That preshading turned out very nicely! I also really like the engine with all the wiring you added!

Rob: It's nice to see an update on the Devastator! I woul've never assumed there was a gap anywhere if you hadn't mentioned it! Great work on getting it filled so flawlessly!

Painting is all done - up next some future and decals

Nice!  I don't want to sound totally like a novice, but how do you plan on using the Future.

Just as a clear coat before and after the decals.  Straight through the airbrush.

Drew, Gorgeous paint work. Overall finish is excellent. Especially great job on the rudder stripes. I'm assuming you painted those. Also, the pre shading appears to have produced a nice effect. You may have mentioned it before but, what paint brand are you using? Very nice stuff indeed.

That's turned out really well, Drew.  Very nice effect from the pre-shading.  

Thanks guys, yeah I painted the rudder stripes - I figured the extra masking work was worth it over the decals.  I used Tamiya paints and the colors that the instructions recommended.  After I painted it I didn't like how the preshading looked.  It seemed a bit too exaggerated, so I added another coat and it looked more natural.  I then added some white to the paint and sprayed the middle of the panels to make them look sun faded.  It's more noticeable to the naked eye but I'm pretty happy with it.

Hey Drew,

Beautiful looking Wildcat; really captures the rugged toughness of a Navy fighter!

Drew, the pre-shading on your Wildcat looks great! The rudder stripes look very nice as well!

Not in the GB, but your paint job surely caught my attention, Drew.

Really nice!

I found a few minutes to work on the Hellcat.  I buttoned up the fuselage and wing halves, and added the control surfaces.  Now I have to fill some fine seams and sand a bit.  I may get this sucker done by the end of the year.

You're making some excellent progress flyerduke. Everything is looking real good so far.

Thanks Joe.  The fuselage halves didn't line up perfectly, so I got to do a little fill and sanding.  I also have the gap problem Bakster had with the wing mating to the fuselage.  I put a piece of toothpick in the opening to spread the wing just enough for a snug fit.

Craig

You guys are doing some nice work on here and progress is coming along.

As for me, I am still working on the IP and flight deck.  I decided to try something a little fun though.  I thought I would simulate glass over the PE instrument gauges. So I installed clear tape over all the PE instrument faces, and then glued the top PE layer over it.  It actually worked out well.  When the light hits the IP just right, the gauges reflect back just like glass.  

The image below is how it looks with the final PE installed.  I tried to show how the light reflects off of the gauges but it was tough going using my current camera setup.   You can see a little of it but the photo really doesn't covey it well.  Anyway--it was fun to try and the end result does enhance the PE.

Steve, Your very clever idea appears to have worked quite well. I've never seen that tried before. Very creative indeed. And thus, your IP looks great. I guess I have one concern about the tape method, and maybe you have already addressed it, but that is that over time the tape will lose its adhesion and the IP might fall off. Simply an observation. It's good to see you making such fine progress.

I'll have the engine done on my Hellcat here right directly and I'll get some pics up. I'm also about ready to start shooting some paint. It's just getting that stretch of uninterrupted and dedicated time in order to pull it off.

Toothpicks and tape--the things I don't learn around here!  Nice work, flyerduke and Bakster.  

Thanks Joe and Checkmate. 

Joe--I used packaging tape and the clearest I could find.  That tape has some strong adhesive.  I doubt the tape will fail, in my lifetime anyway.  If a person was in doubt though, they could meticulously cut portions away to expose some of the underlying PE layer.  That could give an additional glue point.

I am looking forward to see your progress Joe.

Thanks again.

Man there are some steady hands and lots of good talent going on in here!  Well hell Clemens , I'd better get in on this thing before I don't have enough time to finish it. I'm going to again step out of my Luftwaffe comfort zone after building a 1/48 BMW R75 motorcycle and build an F4U Corsair for a friend of mine for a Christmas gift. The man has been  a mentor to me and he loves the Corsair so that's what I'll be entering here. (Looks like I'll be joining after all Clemens!!-at least if you'll still have me. lol )

Lets get started shall we?

  I'm shooting for totally OOB save for masks(otherwise thiis is gonna be another 9 month build!) . I don't know if there is a set of canopy and wheel masks for this but I'll start looking.

It is completely fantastic to have you join us Joe. I'm looking forward to your efforts on the most awesome fighter of WWII.

'preciate it Joe!

It is now time for some further evidence that yes indeed, I am an active participant in this GB.lol. The engine is completed. I must say that Eduard did a stand up job of producing a beautifully detailed R2800 engine in 1/72 scale. The cylinders were finished with Alclad dull aluminum and the case in MM neutral gray. This was the first time I've ever worked with PE ignition wires and at first I was a bit frustrated with bending and gluing them but, once I got a routine down it went rather smoothly. Not a big fan of the "flat" shape of the wires but, once on they do reflect the look, at least in 1/72. Not sure I'd use them on 1/48 and larger. Also, the PE emblem and placard are a nice touch.

What proves interesting when modeling the R2800 engine for me is the color of the ignition wires. I have dozens of reference pics and although you see them in black, silver, or some dull gray or green, I could never find a reference that stated what color they actually were. Then, when sitting down and reading the captions of pics in the Squadron Walk Around book, there it was clearly stating that the wires were in copper sheathing. That explained the dull gray and green you see often as it is the oxidized copper. The book though had pics of the Smithsonian engine with the untarnished copper. Thus, I went that route with painting them for two reasons. first, I had already painted them copper and I was struggling with how to create the dull tarnished look. The second was a sort of artistic license approach in that the copper color creates an eye catching contrast thus drawing the observers attention to the detail in the otherwise hidden engine. Any way, here be a few pics of my efforts:

Good grief!!  . That's it ....I quit! You guys and your 1/72nd scale stuff! That looks really good Joe!!  BTW ...how long did that take you????

Nice work work on the R2800.  After seeing your photos, I think I need to add another layer of a darker wash.  The wiring does stand out nicely on your engine.

Lol! Thanks Joe. I worked on the engine during short sessions over the past 2 weeks but, if I added the total time spent It would be around 2-3 hours. The installing of the ignition wires would have gone much easier and faster had I remembered to adonize the PE with my mini torch first. That would have made the bending part far easier. But, I prevailed nonetheless.

Thank You Flyerduke. Yeah, I failed to mention that I gloss coated with Mr. Surfacer lacquer gloss and applied an oil wash using a mix of black and raw umber MIG Abtielung oil weathering paints thinned with turpenoid.

Joe..your engine looks awesome.  I love all the detail work that you did.  Thanks for sharing.

Steve

JOE RIX

The installing of the ignition wires would have gone much easier and faster had I remembered to adonize the PE with my mini torch first.

Awesome engine Joe! I can't believe that's 1/72!