PACIFIC CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD

Excellent work, Checkmate! I find it too hard to build 1/72 aircraft already (that's one of the reasons why I stick to 48 and 32 birds) and I still can't really believe that guys like you build 1/700 ones! SImply amazing stuff!

cmking02 - that is some great stuff on those little guys.  Thanks for posting the in progress shots of the Enterprise.  They really show how little room there was below deck.

regards,

Jack

Thanks, Joe.  I hope it's more motivating than intimidating.  From what I've seen of your impressive work, I don't think you'll have any trouble!

I've got a Tamiya Hornet and Yorktown, and eventually want to build them in their Midway capacity, too.

I have Ticonderoga, also, and was planning on building it as "Shangri-La."  One of the original plank owners is a friend; he's 86 years old now and worked in the boiler room.  He's full of stories.

Oh Man Checkmate, that is some great stuff right there. I really like what you are doing there. Thank you for taking the time to post some pics of your Enterprise. I really have to get around to building one of my ship models. I've a few in my stash including the USS Hornet (CV8) and Ticonderoga. Now I have to decide whether watching your work on those little aircraft has either excited me or intimidated the hell out of me.

Here are a few shots of the SBD's installed on the hanger deck.  Test-fitting the flight deck I can see that nothing much will be very visible after the hanger deck is covered over.

Thanks, Joe and Dave!

Dave, after the decals came off the paper, I just slid them around with the point of a round toothpick until they went were they belong.  Then I put a little MicroSet on them; waited for that to settle in and hit them with a little MicroSol.  I left them alone for a couple hours, and applied more MicroSol until the carrier film pretty much disappeared.

They come from Starfighter Decals.  They make a wide variety of 1/700 decals for ships and planes, plus other scales.  I've used their 1/72 decals for some Navy aircraft previously.  Very nice quality.

Joe, here's a current photo of Enterprise.  It's still under construction, and I just attached the flight deck this afternoon.  Then I weighted it down to let it dry.

I started out in the Hollywood GB with George Peppard's Pfalz from "The Blue Max."  I was utterly defeated by the biplane wings, so I switched to Enterprise from "MIdway"--John Ford's 1942 Oscar winner and the '70's version with Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford and the rest of the big names.  The Enterprise build begins here:  http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/29/t/153706.aspx?sort=ASC&pi240=29

There are a lot of photos there of the ship under construction.

Crazy detailing on the SBDs; I can't imagine how you got the planes' numbers down so nicely...great job , Checkmate!!

Absolutely stellar Checkmate! Those Dauntlesses look fantastic. Hey, have you got any pics of the ship to share? I wouldn't mind seeing what you've done there so far.

Work last night didn't last as long as I thought, so I was able to finish up the SDB's for the hanger deck on my Enterprise effort.

The props come from the original Trumpeter kit, and I think they're a little bulky looking, since they're made from plastic.  When I make up some Dauntlesses for the flight deck, I'll probably use some PE props for a more delicate look.

These four planes represent aircraft that did not launch on 4 June, 1942 for the attack on Kido Butai.  However, according to the combat report, all of them did launch for further action between 5 and 6 June.

6-B-4  Lt.     L.A. Smith       CARUTHERS, H.H., AMM2c

6-B-10 Lt.     H.P. Lanham      GARAUDY, E.J.,ARM1c

6-B-17 Ensign  A.L. Rausch      JONES, H.L., AOM3c

6-S-13 Lt. PATRIARCA    BADGLEY, J.R., ACRM(AA)

Sometime today I expect to get them installed on the hanger deck.  Then I need to finish up Enterprise, and get some more of these little SBD's done up for the flight deck.

Thanks again, Joe!

Well, I can tell you Checkmate, that your slow meticulous pace is paying off in spades.

Thanks, Joe.  I'm looking forward to finishing the first four--but now I have to work late the next two nights.

Checkmate, Fantastic workmanship on your 1/700's.

Hey Rob, your Devastator is coming along nicely!  Enjoy watching your progress....will have to use some of your techniques when I get around to my Devastator kit....the AM details really bring life to the kit!

Thanks, Clemens!  And when I'm done with the four for the hanger deck, I'll still have at least twelve to do for the flight deck.

So. Damn. Tiny!!! You're doing some fantastic work there, Checkmate!

Undersurfaces of the Trumpeter (1/700) SBD's, showing landing gear installed.

One mis-hap was losing a tailwheel.  It fell off somewhere, and I haven't seen it since.

Next up will be finishing the props with yellow tips, and installing them.

Well, and now I went and bought a recent Devastator release from Admiral, and can look forward to more corrugations even more delicate than the old Airfix effort.  If you have suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them. Rob!

Thanks for the kind words guys.  This is a learning kit for me as I re-enter the hobby from a 30 year hiatus.  Its the second build I've worked on since coming back.  I remember building this kit as a lad some 40+ years ago.   I didn't worry too much about seams or gaps, heck I didn't even know there was such a thing as putty or filler.  If you don't care about things like aligning the corrugations, I do know that you can eliminate the gap between the upper wing and the fuselage easily enough by pushing the wing into the fuselage, 'cause thats what I did way back when!

And yes checkmate... sanding those corregations is a real nasty job.

Great looking Devastator, Rob.  The TBD is an appealing plane.

I built a Devastator in 1/72 from Airfix, and sanding all those corrugations at the leading wing edge was a harrowing experience.

Great looking Devastator, Rob.  The TBD is a appealing plane.

I built the Airfix offering in 1/72 a while ago.  Sanding the leading edge of the wing with all those corrugations just about drove me to the Guinness.  It made Trumpeter's 1/700 Devastators almost pleasant.  They were too small to have the corrugations.

It just might be the Opti-visor, Dave.  Even with it on, dealing with the small parts kind of leaves you cross-eyed for a while.

Rob, Despite the kits shortcomings you are doing one heck of an excellent job on it. Your gap filling appears to have worked out nicely. When somebody hands you lemons, Rob, you sure know how to make lemonade. Good job.

You must be speaking of the Opti-Visor!  I got one for Christmas and have been trying it out from time to time.....it is really an adjustment.  Almost fell down after taking it off my head!!!  

Hi everyone time for another update.  Luckily it is March break here, and as I am a teacher it means I have some extra time for modelling (the wife being away on a business trip certainly helps too!).

Thanks for the kind words regarding the PE checkmate.  It is only my second time ever using the stuff, and I have come to the conclusion that some of the super teeny tiny bits just aren't worth it.  I prefer to keep my equilibrium thank you very much!

I've finally made some substantial progress on the airframe.  Being an old (1970's) Monogram kit, the fit of the parts is far from ideal.  Here is a shot of the starboard wing.  Note the the huge gap between the top of the wing and the fuselage, as well as the rather nasty gap where the wing fold goes.  Fortunately I am going to pose the aircraft with this wing folded, so one less gap to fill!

The port wing is going to be fixed in the open position, so I have filled the gaps in using stretched sprue as a filler.  I read about the technique in a few places and decided to give it a try.  So far I am pretty pleased with the results.  The trailing edges of the wings also had some rather nasty gaps that I was able to easily fill using this method.  One big advantage is that it is really limited in how much of the surface it affects, and so it wasn't too hard to preserve most of the rivet detail near the fuselage seam.

The underside of the aircraft had a large hole which the tail of the torpedo fits into that simply opened up into the empty fuselage.  I decided to blank it off with some sheet styrene.  As you can see there is another nasty gap where the underbody of the fuselage meets the tail... luckily there is a lot of sprue in the kit! 

The wheel wells could also use some TLC but frankly, I'd like to finish the model at some point too!

Thanks, Dave.

I think I have lost my mind--or at least my equilibrium--a few times.  Fortunately, they've always come back!

Lookin' good, Checkmate!!! 1/700 scale with that much detail and effort AND decals too? I think I'd lose my mind!! LOL...

Thanks, Clemens and Joe.  I've actually gotten to like building planes in 1/700; but I still like 1/72 the best.

Nice Checkmate. You've got those little buggers lookin' right sweet. Thanks for the bit of history too.

That are some insanely small planes. Major kudos to you, Checkmate!