PACIFIC CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD

Fuselage and wings put together.  I have to say for the most part the fit of this kit is superb.  just a few tiny gaps here and there.  The only problem is where the lower wing meets the fuselage in the back underneath.  It took a bit of putty and "persuasion" to get it to where I can sand it without fear of ruining any of the detail.

Looking really good, Bob!

SchattenSpartan,

Is it too late to get in this GB?

If not, could you add me to the list with a 1/48 AM SB2U Vindicator:

Coming right along Bob, looks great!

Here are the final pictures of the Corsair I promised (though not as soon as I promised sorry).

Here are some pictures in it's final resting place so to say...thought It'd be appropriate to post because of the subject, though the zero was completed before the group build started.

Looks good Josiah!

That Corsair turn out sweet! Great job!

Bruce 

Nice work for you both, Bob and Josiah!

Thanks guys, It'll be a bit before I can start on the Hellcat, hopefully not too long though!

Josiah: Your Corsair came out excellent. As well did your display. Nice work indeed. Now, I'm looking forward to your Hellcat.

SB: Man, you are bookin' it right along. Great looking work so far.

Bruce: Welcome to the GB. That AC Vindicator is definitely a great subject. I'm excited to see how it builds up.

Thanks guys.  Joe, it helps being a teacher with summer vacation .  I did the preshading today and I'm hoping to have her painted up next week.

Nice pre-shading sb. That should definitely create a sharp effect. I'm curious, what airbrush do you use?

I have to agree with Joe Rix, the pre-shading looks great. Can't wait to see the effect when you are finished.

Bruce

Thanks guys, I was having some issues with the paint when I was doing it.  Too thin, then too thick, having to change pressure...that's what I get for using old paint.  My airbrush is a Master Airbrush model E90.  Just a cheap double action I got off of Amazon when my old Testor's compressor died.

Is that so sb? Well. if that's what you are able to do with a so called "cheap" airbrush then I can certainly imagine the awesome stuff you could pull off with a sweet Badger or Iwata in your rather capable hands.

Thank you Joe!  I've been learning a lot through trial and error with it.  I tried preshading once with my old Tester's airbrush and it was a disaster.  I can't believe I was able to do a German "worm" camo scheme on a Fw-190 with it.  Before that all I ever used my airbrush for was spraying large patterns for colors I couldn't find spray cans for.

That preshading sure looks nice, Bob!

I added you to the build list, Bruce. Welcome aboard!

Painting is done and she's glossed up and ready for decals. The engine is also finished ant the ordnance.

Wow! SB, looks fantastic!

Bruce

Awesome paint job, bob!

I got your Corsair added to the front page, Josiah.

Thanks guys!

Very nice Bob. The pre-shading definitely had it's desired effect. It turned out great.

Thanks Joe!

[Insert Tim Allen grunt from home improvement] thats a big bomb!   It's looking fantastic thus far bob!

Looks good, Bob.  Pre-shading is something I don't have the nerve to try.

Only a 1000 pounder Josiah 

Thanks for the complements guys.  Preshading isn't too bad once you get the hang of it, like anything else it just takes practice.  And the nice part is you don't have to be too careful since most of it will be covered up with paint.  You just want a subtle appearance of it.

Hey Bob, I forgot to ask you, what did you use for a gloss coat?

So far all I've used is Testor's clear gloss lacquer out of a can.  However, I noticed that when I sprayed a flat coat on the decals for the seatbelts, the lacquer made the decals kind of shrivel a bit.  That leads me to the conclusion that I need something not quite so strong, so I'm going to try using Pledge Floor Polish (or Future) over the decals before I do my final flat coat.  And just to double check with anyone in the know, I use isopropyl alcohol to clean the airbrush when I'm done correct?

So I'm working on decals, and I hit a couple of problems.  The first is that the fuselage stars and bars seemed to be a bit too big and didn't fit well.  I accidentally tore one trying to get it to conform to the surface, but luckily I had some spares that I could raid from a Revell kit which were a bit smaller and much easier to work with.  Second problem is something I've not encountered though.  This is my first kit with recessed panel lines, and I was wondering if there was a way to get the decals to somehow sink into the lines.  I tried using setting solution but that didn't seem to work.  Any ideas?