Hello everyone. Well, I have been working on this build for 9 months and she is finally done percolating. Like after given birth, a big sigh of relief.
Joe and Greg want to break out some Popcorn for this reveal, so I promised to provide an extended version. Heck. This is my first born, so the first is always the one you don’t forget. So like a proud papa, I want to break out the cigars. I hope you can put up with me on this.
Many of you are probably familiar with the case of Flight 19. If not, type that into Google and you will easily see the odd events that surrounded that squadrons disappearance. Not only that squadron, but with rescue missions that followed. That case always fascinated me. I thought it would be cool to build the squadron leaders plane, and so that is what I set out to do.
Prior to this build if you would have talked to me about a TBM-3 Avenger I would have said, huh? I did my research as best as my limited knowledge afforded me, and I decided on the Academy Models version of that plane. In retrospect, I probably should have searched out an in-flight kit since that was what I was looking to build. I didn't though, and so it was a bit more difficult of a build for me.
In general, the kit offers a lot of nice detail. You may remember my earlier ramblings about fit issues, sink marks, and poor instructions. Those were all true, but to a skilled modeler (not me), the kit would be a cakewalk. None the less, this kit forced me to get my skills moving in the right direction. Thus, I have no regrets.
Before we get into the slideshow, I should mention that I did not install the antenna wire. I have plans to, but I am holding off until I decide about adding a pilot to the build at some future date. I need to keep the main canopy section unattached if I am going to do that, and I can’t add an antenna wire until I attach the canopy. Also, you won’t see the front side windows in any of the images and for the same reason. I tried resting them in place but without tacking them in somehow, they would just fall out. So for the purposes of this GB, this kit is complete.
I should also mention that I did some weathering in the last few weeks that I didn't cover on the GB. Sadly, those effects are lost with the limitations of my photos. I added some paint chipping to the canopies, guns, and I added some washes to the prop, the office, and I even toned down the decals with a misting of very thinned down black paint. Anyway--I did try to weather some.
Well Greg and Joe, do you have your popcorn?
Below: With this image, I just want to make a few comments.
1. Many of you may already be doing this, but it was my first attempt. Rather than using a canopy or white glue, I opted to try using Future to tack pieces like this in place. It worked absolutely terrific. There were no worries of gloppy messes and the end result is a very clean install. It has decent strength to it and even better, it was so dang easy. I laid the piece in position,dipped my #0 brush into Future, dabbed off the excess, then pulled the brush along the joins. Capillary action drew the Future into the join and you are done. Let it set, and forget it. Sounds like an infomercial doesn't?
2. I used Tamiya clear to paint the bulbs and for the base color I used Alclad aluminum. When ambient light hits the bulb just right, it looks absolutely gorgeous. It almost sparkles at you, like a gem. The painted bulb gives the look of translucence, as bulbs are. I just thought I would share that.
3. In my research about these position lights I had read one thread where it was said that on some planes, the lens covers were colored. Reading this sent me off on a tangent to find out more. The thought of colored covers sounded kind of cool to me. I searched and searched, but I was not able to confirm this. Then one day, I went to a local HS to pick up some paint. In the store was a customer I had talked with before, and the guy claimed to have worked on refurbishing Avengers. That is a long story in itself but if true, what are the odds I would meet someone that has firsthand knowledge about this plane. Greg, you know this story. This was a second meeting with him, and not the first I told you about. I thought, great! I’ll see what he has to say. To my surprise, he confirmed that both had been used. He explained that if the mechanic was out of stock on colored bulbs, he would install the colored covers and use clear bulbs. He said they would use whatever they had in stock at the time. Everything the guy said made sense, and he even told me stories about how they converted some Avengers to be more of a transport plane. They pulled out a bunch of stuff from the cockpit and fitted in more seats. He went on to say that the Avengers flew like a dream. BTW—the guy firmly believes the military knows exactly where the lost squadron went down. He said the military gets weird when the bodies are still in the planes, hence the secrecy. I can’t speak to that but I thought it interesting. At the end of the day, I opted to use colored bulbs. I felt that odds are Avengers came off the line with colored bulbs and clear covers.
Before I close this out. I want to thank everyone for their patience with me, and for all the help and comradery. It was fun, and a great learning experience. Also--a special thanks to Clemence for running the GB. I especially thank you for extending the time frame. When you first floated the idea of an extension you mentioned something like 3/1. Today, I am really glad you decided 3/31. I needed every day of it to finish this.