PACIFIC CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD

Folks all I can say about this kit so  far is that if you're lookin' for a challenge in seam filling then go down to your local Hobby Lobby and pic one of these bad boys up. The least that can be said so far is that the fit/ alignment is horrible. Initially I had given thought to trashing the whole project and starting over with a Tamiya or Hasegawa build  but I re thought it and I'm going to trudge ahead here. Its a true lesson in patience and perserverence.

This is where we are right now. I'm going to try and re-rivet this thing. God help me please!

Mustang... You are a better man than me.   Those are some challenging issues. Like you said, it will take patience and perseverance. I am pulling for you.

Good luck!

Steve

Thanks Steve. I applied some rivets this morning using dots of super glue applied by toothpick. This thing has raised panel lines so I'll be stretching some sprue later for that.

Mustang..that is an neat idea to use superglue for rivets. I would like to see how that looks.  If you have the time to post a photo...that would be awesome.  Same with the panel lines when you get that far.. No pressure though.  I know it takes time to compose and post photos, so only if your are up to it. 

Thanks.

I'm back from a fun filled week in San Diego.  You guys made some nice progress.  Drew, that Wildcat is awesome.  I hope to get going on the landing gear soon.

Craig

Nice work Joe. Hey, You've at least got that nasty seam filled and puttied.It looks real good. Looking forward to seeing your rivet and panel line work. Your doing just fine Joe. Just hang with it and you'll end up with a gem on your hands.

That's a pretty nasty seam there Joe, I can't wait to see the new details you're putting on.

Thanks for the kind words everyone!  Looking forward to seeing how the panel details will look mustang.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I got about 3/4  of the "rivets" done yesterday. Sloooooow process and it aint perfect but its a helluva lot better than what I started out with. Pics coming soon.

Ok fellas. My attempt at rivets..............

I made some pretty clost to the windscreen that aren't in the photo here that didn't turn out too good and will have to "re-rivet " those.

Here are the future panel lines from stretched sprue:

I've got tension on the stretched sprue so it'll be straight later:

We'll see how it  goes from here folks.

Very very well done Joe. Man, Those look great.

Mustang--thanks for taking the time to take photos and share what you are doing.  As some of you know, I am new to some of this and its great to see how you guys are tackling some of these problems. You are doing an awesome job!

I appreciate the vote of confidence fellas. I've got a long way to go up here in the cowling area.

Guys I think I'm getting ready to quit while I'm ahead here. Here's the few panel lines that I "erased" during the sanding process and most of the rivets are in place.

Here's before panel lines:

and after installation of panel lines. It's my first attempt ever so go easy on me.

Looks good, mustang, and with a coat of paint over the rivets, things'll probably look even better.

Mustang; looks pretty convincing.  What are you making your rivets out of???

TAD

checkmatking:Thanks man! This is taking alot of time and patience and since it's not that detailed of a build for me I'm holding back the horses on rushing this thing.

TAD:Thanks Dave! The rivets are made out of tiny drops of super glue applied with a needle with the very tip of the point cut off.

Looks pretty good to me Joe, I always sand as carefully as I can because I'm so afraid of destroying the raised details. I don't know if I have the ability to pull it off like you did. Great job

Thanks Jim! I could really do more but have put the cart BEFORE the horse yet once again. I should have drawn lines or etched a line for the panel line/sprue first and applied the rivets on both sides. Applying them now would result in me removing the panel line by sanding and I aint prepared to do that. I'm just glad this aint one of my more detailed builds........................wait a minute! If this WERE to be a detailed build I would be building a Tamiya version instead and I wouldn't be having these issues. This is actually a good thing because it's giving me practice on something that I'm weak in while being between those detailed builds.....dealing with seam issues.

Ok gang. I've got the lower center wing section installed and have a whole new set of gaps to fill. lol . I installed the nose section and painted her up to make sure I've got the right color and it looks like we are on. I'll mask the engine assy with silly putty when I paint the whole bird. Her she is so far..............

Aw Heck Joe, you've got that sucker looking sharp. Great work on the rivets and panel line. The engine is looking right nice too.

Okay, I've got the MM white on the underside and on the landing gear and gear doors. Sorry about the poor light but, trust me, it's white. Next up will be to mask with some silly putty sausages and shoot the intermediate blue on the sides and tail.

Thanks for the kudos Joe and your Hellcat is looking great...........and I do trust you..........it's white!

Both those planes are looking good guys.  I'm not too far behind you Joe.  I'm at a point where I need to primer the plane and paint the landing gear.

Craig

Thanks Craig! Let's see some pics man.

Thank Joe and Craig.

Glad to hear you're hanging in there along with me. I'm also anxious to see some pics from your Hellcat.

Dammit Joe!  I went and got me this yesterday!!

I now need a Weekend Edition of this kit but can't find one that's around the 20 dollar mark with free shipping in order to get the folding wing AM kit to fold one wing back. I got plans.......

And thankfully it aint involving the Revell version!! lol

Joe--

Your plane is looking good.

I finally have some work done that I can post.  The flight deck is coming along, at last.   PE is on, and I made my first attempt at weathering.  I have a few more things to do before I can button up the fuselage but that is not that far off now. Maybe another two weeks if all goes well.  Maybe--just maybe--I will get this done by December.  

Steve

Man there's lots of detail in there. Say........is that an Accurate Miniatures TBM?

Very impressive work Steve. Your office looks great with the nice detailing and weathering you've done. I do believe you are getting the hang of this aircraft modeling quite nicely.