PACIFIC CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD

I feel your pain checkmate - I live near Ottawa up here in the Great White North.  Total accumulation so far this winter is 163.2 cm (about 64.3") and we've had the coldest winter on record for the past 20 years.  Once the wind chill takes you to minus 40 as it has here, it doesn't matter if it is Celsius or Fahrenheit anymore!

We've had MAYBE 20 inches total accumulation, probably less than that...

It's funny you mention the Civil War though...I live near Fredericksburg, and for my American Military class I read "The Twentieth Maine" and in it the author mentions letters home where the soldiers talk about how weird the weather is, one day it it would be as cold as maine, the next there'd be unbearable heat....

Another source, though I have yet to check the validity, claims that many got frostbite in one week, and sunburnt the next

Rob--and I thought we had it bad here!  There's usually someone who has it worse.  My daughter's fiancé lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, so when she comes home from visiting, I get some sense of Canadian conditions.  I've only been to Canada in the summer, when it's been pretty pleasant.

Josiah--I think I read that book on the 20th Maine years ago; Joshua Chamberlain?  A notable regiment for defending the Round Tops (or one of them) at Gettysburg.  Two college friends and I went visiting the battlefields just after graduation years ago.  We were all three history majors with BSEd degrees.  Fredericksburg was one of our stops.  I remember Marye's Heights; very bad news for the Federals!

I used to do ACW re-enactments/living history in the dim and distant past--on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line.  Was with the 30th Georgia Volunteer Infantry when I lived near Atlanta; moved to North Carolina where they were short on Yankees, so found a group calling themselves the 2nd Wisconsin.  While I lived in the South, we tended to call it "the War Between the States."

It was a living history that took me to the Shenandoah; did a re-enactment of something called "the field of Lost Shoes" near New Market--where gooey mud sucked the shoes off some CSA cadets.  

Memory lane!  Better get busy with the SBD's tonight.

Sounds like you've been around a bit there, Checkmate!  Didn't think that I'd see the "Field of Lost Shoes" in an FSM forum post!!!!  While a young Virginia Military Institute Cadet, I too also re-enacted the Battle of New Market as a VMI Cadet.  The 'Keydets' were called up by CSA General Breckenridge to fill a  major gap in the Confederate lines.  Ten cadets were killed during the battle.... For those that didn't know it already, General Stonewall Jackson was an instructor at VMI prior to the war, and also taught Cadets how to employ artillery.  The guns of the Cadet Battery, "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John still watch over the VMI parade field...

.Good to know that there are a few History Majors here on the boards....That figures!!!  Great work on the SBDs, they are coming along nicely!!.

Good information, Dave.  I'd forgotten the VMI connection.

I love the South and would like to move back some day--maybe after retirement!  

It took four days, but I got the last of the decals on.  Some glare from the lighting obstructs some of the markings, but you can see the number "4" on the topside of the wings on one of them.

The canopy masks are still in place, too, at this point.

From the combat report, VS-6 and VB-6 each had 18 planes, plus the Enterprise air group commander.  Three aircraft from VB-6 were not flying on 4 June, 1942 (B-4; B-10; and B-17) and one from VS-6 (S-13).  However S-9 encountered mechanical problems after the launch and returned to Enterprise.

So those are the numbers from the decal sheet I applied to these planes.  I made up the sixth plane for the Enterprise group commander (designator was "GC").

What's left now is to apply the final clear coat, add the landing gear and then attempt the propellers.  These I've learned from previous Trumpeter planes are pretty fragile and I've consistently broken them, but I'll give it another go!

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

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

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

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

Thanks, Dave.

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

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!

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!!!  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

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

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

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

Thanks again, Joe!

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.

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.

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