1945 GB

Thanks Bish! I am really interested in getting this one done properly after reading up on them.

Andrew: That cockpit looks really nice!

Stik: Some lovely work on that Tiffie of yours as well!

Thanks, Spartan.

Stik: Can't knock the history behind a Typhoon build. In a different time or place it would have been an even better plane than it was. All of the continental countries put range at the bottom of desirable characteristics and each of them (with the possible exception of the USSR) learned to regret it. German fighters failed over Britain because the "loiter time" of a 109 was maybe 20 minutes. When the allies began to blanket LW air bases in 1944 the poor range of German planes gave a lot of allied pilots shots at aircraft landing and taking off. The RAF built splendid aircraft, but had such short legs that they sat out the massive aerial slugfest over Germany from late 43-late44: making the P51 the most useful fighter of the war almost by default. But once the RAF had bases in France and as allied lines moved east after St. Lo RAF bases were right behind the lines. This not only added to the Typhoon's extremely powerful ground attack capability but also revealed it to be a first rate fighter at mid-altitude. (Tempests were even better but many were held in the UK to kill V-1s.) Because the LW was forced to support their ground forces to some degree, that gave Typhoon's a good number of air targets to add to the staggering number of ground targets bagged. (I was told by a P-47 pilot that tiffie jockies specialized in trains - dangerous work - like all ground support, much riskier than fighter cover. Typoons/Tempests relied more on rockets and canon - US aircraft on rockets and small bombs: both a lethal brew.) They drove the LW nuts by late 44 when Typoons/Tempests, often getting "high cover" from Griffon engined Spitfires, sat on top of German airfields waiting for say a Me-262 or FW-190D to land. Splat. Anyway, a great plane when conditions allowed it to overcome the defects inherent to its design philosophy. Both late model Spits and Tempests were among the last piston driven aircraft produced.

I've heard that the Revellgram Typhoon is a good build and I do see some on eBay. Italeri has recently reboxed the Hasegawa version which is usually good (new and neat decals) but bad here because of D-Day decals (which I've done by hand and can't be reproduced any other way.) Anyway, it's a plane I need to model and if the Revellgram is a good build...maybe.

I had Master AB. I believe that's the name given to ABs imported by TC Global. Free is a good deal, especially if it comes with a compressor. I admit that I thought the Master, although cheap, a waste of money. Yes, it worked. I remember it being very difficult to clean quickly and extremely hard to keep running without delay. A nozzle became frayed and I threw it away because it became more of a problem than a solution. In a world where spending money is easy and big money non existent I collect airbrushes. I do have two houses and think ABs should be thought of as regular paint brushes- a big is not good or bad, it's good or bad for a job. I know that you can buy neeldle/nozzle arrangements of differing sizes for the same brush, but in the real world, that kind of change is needed at exactly the wrong time. Anyway, I have a Harder-Steenbeck holding the fort in California and an Iwata Evolution playing the role in St. Paul. Both are very good, detail oriented brushes. Larger nozzles are better for several tasks so I have a Paasche Talon (with a .38mm tip) supporting the HS (.20) in one place and a Paasche VLS .77mm backing up a Iwata .35 in another. Paasche are really neat brushes in my view and the VLS is available for under $40 new - Talon is about $75. (ABs are really cheap on eBay if you know what you're doing.) The problem is getting them working with the compressor. Paasche uses "inches/feet" for its fittings and everything else uses metric which means you have to find the right fittings for the right hose. (BTW: if you've got a free compressor, you might want to check the hose. A bad hose leaks around poor ones are common. The compressor itself should be fine.)  I know that some great modelers like Gary Edmundson use single action brushes but if you find you prefer the double action Paasche makes some good ones cheap. Paasche has another advantage - their nozzle/needle sets are about $10 or less. In past years I've bought my Harder Steenbeck a new needle for Christmas which improves performance greatly but costs $30 or so. You can't win for losing.

Eric

Ken, I got a badge sorted yesterday. Took me all damn day as I couldn't work out how to do the circles. Going to post it up now.

Read my email notification about a required badge for here, so cobbled this together over the afternoon:

regards,

Jack

That's nice jack. Well, we had a choice last year, so I see no reason not to have 2 this year. Thank you.

Thank you, Bish.  

Sorry, I missed the announcement, and see now you have uploaded your design on the first page.   Your approach is much better,  it follows  the pattern set out by the previous GB's.  As moderator, any final decision will be respected.

As it is, wouldn't be surprised of criticism in my including the flags of just three nations.  So if it is pulled or flamed, I look at it this way, I just put something together to share.  Maybe even help alleviate some of those winter blues.

regards,

Jack

Well, given that 1945 saw the final allied victory of the Axis I think its appropriate to have the 3 Allied flags. All of the traditional badges have an allied theme as well, what with the pin ups and American aircraft. I think if I can live with all that, I can't imagine anyone else will have a problem.

Beautiful work on both of those badges, Bish and Jack! Both of them stunning!

This last week has seen me join my fuselage halves.

I've done a little filler along my weld seams, and re scribed as required.

I've got my nose cowl built up, and added a few etched pieces provided by the Eduard kit.  Again, a bit of filler along the liquid cement seams as needed.

That grid work was a pain, four little pieces of metal that have to join up square and then fit into the intake, if I had any hair I'm sure I'd have ripped it all out doing that.

I've also got my wing walk strips laid in.

I have a little excess epoxy to clean away, but I'm not too far off joining them up.

I was disappointed to see that the kit would leave an opening for that port wing light, with only a clear part as a lens.  You'd see right into the unpainted inside.  I decided to make a few templates, work up some 20 thou styrene strip to shape, and box it in.  I then raided the little lady's craft storage and found some small silver beads that will become the lamp.

With a little dry fitting, admittedly everything held together with masking tape and very roughly fit, I can see I'm going to have a gap along the wing root.  Oh, so typical of you, Hasegawa!  I'm thinking I'll likely attach the nose, join the upper and lower wing halves, then bring in the lower wing.  A little contrary to their instructions, but I think it will result in less misalignment.  I'd like to join the top half of the wings to the fuselage and then bring in the lower half, but the gap would lead to so much chance for misalignment.  Today, I've decided to sit and fret about it all, working up the nerve to start gluing and bring in the inevitable filler.  Though so far I've primarily used Tamiya's basic putty, along the wing root, where sanding and fairing out is tougher, I'll use Vallejo's putty and just wipe away with rubbing alcohol.

Somehow, I always reach this point in a build - everything's gone together reasonably nicely, and this next step will either have me finish it off happy because it went together well or rush to slap it together because there's a massive step along the wing root.

Thanks Andrew. The build is coming along nicely. I have noticed that same winglight issue on a lot of kits. I don't see what they just don't have the wing edges meet at that point.

Great work on the Stuka Andrew!

As for the badges, if Jack's was round, like the theme already established, I would be tortured to decide which to go with. They are both friggin' awesome!! My only regret is that I joined FSM too late to earn the 43 badge to have the set!!!

Rob, I think this all started with 42, but I missed that one and only joined for 43. But if you hang around a bit you will have another chance. All being well, I plan on staring the whole thing in 2019 with a 39 Gb and going all the way through to 46.

Bish

Are you going to do 46 next year then?

Yep, will be a 46 what if GB.

Hmmmmm... I'll have to give that some thought.

It will be quite open. Not just to designs that were only on the drawing board but also open to late war designs, that could well have still been in service in 46. In about Sept I will post a thread with my outline of it and open it up to ideas from everyone else.

That sounds like a really cool idea.  I'm working on a F-80 for the Dawn of the Jet Age GB, and I know they were being developed as early as 1943.  It would be kind of cool to build one dressed in WWII colors...

Yeah, also the Bearcat, Sea Fury, and even the Pratt and Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major equipped F2G Corsair. Not to mention all the jets like you said.

A '46 GB sounds cool indeed! All those late war vehicles and aircraft that just missed taking part in actual combat operations... Some would get blooded in Korea, others in the colors of countries that did not build them, yet others never at all... Oh the possibilities...

Well, I have been nickle and diming progress on my Tiffy when and where I can before work over the past few days. I even have been taking progress photos... But not enough time to get them uploaded and posted right now...

Bish

Rob, I think this all started with 42, but I missed that one and only joined for 43. But if you hang around a bit you will have another chance. All being well, I plan on staring the whole thing in 2019 with a 39 Gb and going all the way through to 46.

On the theme of 1946...sorry for the distraction to 1945, but, you guys have to check this site for ideas:

www.militaryfactory.com/.../ww2-aircraft-1946.asp

Oh yeah, I forgot about the military factory. Great site.

Andrew, The Stuka is looking sweet so far. Really nice work.

I be to lovin' the idea of a 1946 GB. I've got a few choice candidates. Namely an F7F Tigercat screaming to be built.

There is also a site many of you may have heard of, but for those who haven't, its dedicated to German aircraft designs known as Luft 46.

http://www.luft46.com/

Ok, a weeks worth of nickle and dime progress, with a bit more solid work done today...

I started simple with basic airbrushing of black where needed... and learning how to do tighter fine lines with the DA airbrush

then detail painting...

then I added some Pro Modeler wash

and some Monogram ProModeler decals on the IP

PM wash cleaned up with a damp cloth...

and finally dry brushed highlights then sealed with a flat coat... I also added some exterior colors into the oil cooler opening inner surfaces.. and a touch up of Flat Black on the pilot's armor plate

More tomorrow...

Right on Stick. Fantastic start!!

Thanks Rob... I gotta do you Canadians up right...

Nice work Stik. You'll master that AB before you know it