Thunderbolt GB 2016

That's an awesome Double Wasp, Lawdog!!

I've got the fuselage all together and am painting it.  No pictures yet, but I'm recharging the camera battery.

In the meantime, here's Sadaaki Akamatsu.  And another picture where he's posing with his buddy Saburo Sakai in front of Sakai's Zero.  (I think I did better on Akamatsu.)

Joe,

Sweet 'bolt man.  Love the look of the cowl.  Your work is amazing, hope mine come out half as nice.

lawdog114

 

 

rooster513

Looking very nice Joe!

I've unforunately have had to bench my Hasegawa until I can get some aftermarket decals. They pretty much disintergrated upon removal from the water! I've got to learn to test these things when I pick up old kits at the model shows. Just wish I had figured this out before I did the paint scheme on it

 

 

 

 

Andy, that's 1/48 right? I have left overs for Eagleston's ride.  Do you want them?  I might have some stars and bars too...

 

 

 

It's 1/72 scale but thanks for the offer Joe, it's much appreciated! I'm deciding whether I can justify buying decals for this bird when I only spent $2.50 on the kit at a show. I guess it depends on whether I plan to build another 1/72 scale.

I do need to decide which scheme I want to go with for the 1/48 tamiya I'll be doing. I've been looking around at decals but haven't nailed on down yet...

Such a beautiful build Joe! Fantastic job on the Alclad and the paint in general per your usual We would be glad to have you back! Which pic would you like on the front page?

I'm gonna deem this one done.  To recap, it's in the 334th FG markings of 14 kill ace Kenneth Dahlberg.  The 334th would go from the P-51 to the P-47, then back to the P-51 again.  On December 19th of 1944, Dahlberg would down 4 Bf 109s in this plane then go down to AA fire himself.  

Reference the kit, it's perhaps the greatest plastic kit on the planet (my opinion).  These are pure modeling bliss for me.  If I could just build Tamiya Jugs and sell them or a living I would die happy.  Too bad it comes out to about 12 bucks an hour.....  

I used an Ultracast seat and wheels.  Superscale Decals (To include the backwards Swastika talley markings).  I've seen this before, I wonder if it was done to mock the Germans.  I added 500 pounders because the 334th were bombers first unless they got into trouble.  On the 19th they were headed to the Battle of the Bulge as air support but the Luftwaffe had other plans.  next issue was the prop.  Superscale indicated this plane should have a Curtiss prop with the hub paintedyellow.  On "Dogfights" Dahlberg said his plane was fitted with the "new paddle prop" for better climb.  I went with the Hamilton Standard prop.   I kept weathering to a minimum because I dont think Dahlberg had this turkey for very long.      

Thanks for having me.  Maybe I'll drop back in with another Jug later if you'll have me.

rooster513

Looking very nice Joe!

I've unforunately have had to bench my Hasegawa until I can get some aftermarket decals. They pretty much disintergrated upon removal from the water! I've got to learn to test these things when I pick up old kits at the model shows. Just wish I had figured this out before I did the paint scheme on it

 

Andy, that's 1/48 right? I have left overs for Eagleston's ride.  Do you want them?  I might have some stars and bars too...

Lawdog and Rooster - great stuff! Your builds are inspiring me to get back to mine.

As for Alclad, I've never had issues with it pulling up under Tamiya tape that I de-tacked first (stuck to skin a few times).

I did take a spare fuselage piece of a plane (yep, every once in a while Eduard gives you a spare fuselage, haha) and tried it out as a test bed for masking, decal solutions, clear coats, etc. I was able to get it to pull up with Scotch tape, or with Tamiya tape applied too soon, and really pressed down hard. Once the alclad has cured (I waited three or four days), I was unable to get it to lift.

-BD-

Thanks for the link and tutorial thread Joe. I put it in my favorites for later refrence.

Lovely work with the Alclad Joe, thats a really nice finish.

Looking very nice Joe!

I've unforunately have had to bench my Hasegawa until I can get some aftermarket decals. They pretty much disintergrated upon removal from the water! I've got to learn to test these things when I pick up old kits at the model shows. Just wish I had figured this out before I did the paint scheme on it

Just Steelers.....It's Ravens week which does cause me serious anxiety.  I'm making the trek to Heinz Field for the Dallas game next week.  

I'm in for an update.  I've been plugging along.  I switched gears (pun intended) and turned focus to the Pratt and Whitney R-2800.  As I've always said, I don't think it's Tamiya's best work as the "visible" cooling fin detail is very soft.  I spruced it up by adding ignition leads with styrene rod and then ran plug wires with copper wire.  Here it is after a wash, a postshade, a blast of X-19 Smoke, then a final dull coat.  

If you would like to try this with your next radial, here's how I do it.  It's really not as hard as it looks: 

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/149327.aspx

I then taped off and painted on the Olive Drab glare panel and fuselage invasion stripes.  These were then sprayed with Alclad gloss for decaling and wash.  It's not necessary to gloss over the Alclad surfaces for decaling as it is smooth enough as it is.  

Time to start decaling...

The Thunderbolt is looking really nice Joe! Great job on the Alclad. I also found in my limited experience that it works better to spray the Alclad first and then do the masking. I'll have to keep that pylon tip in mind when I build my Tamiya. I'll definitely check out that article, thanks for giving the link!

This will tell you everything you need to know about Alclad...great article!

http://www.arcair.com/tnt1/001-100/TNT009-Alclad/00.shtm

Nice work Andy.  As long as the surface prep is good, Alclad's "regular" shades are very durable and will not pull off.  Thats the beauty of this stuff.  Be careful with the polished ones though which I hear are weaker.  Micro Sol has no effect on Alclad.  For dull coat, I normally just use it on the decals and painted areas, like ID stripes and anti-glare panels.   

I had minor step issues on my F-86 by doing it that way.  On my second one I found that if I throw down the NMF first then add the stripes and such, I had better results.  Looks like were building the same plane.  

Well, here's where I'm at.  After I primed it with Alclad grey, I started with Alclad Duraluminum which to me is the perfect "combat" shade.

Then the fun part.  I taped off various panels and spray them different shades of Alclad.  Here I have Aluminum, White Aluminum, Magnesium, and some a few mixed together.  I also sprayed the cowl Steelers colors at this point.  The yellow is XF-3 Flat Yellow with a few drops of XF-7 Flat Red added for intensity... 

I did the same for the bottom.  I removed the starboard pylon because the huge star and bar decal has to go there.  I'm glad I realized that before the glue dried....

I still have to add the OD anti-glare panel and fuselage invasion stripes.  Then I'll get cracking on wiring that Pratt and Whitney...

modelcrazy

Great looking Jug. I love the look of those fat big birds!

As far as the Alclad, I usually seal before decaling, but that doesn’t mean I'm right.

Be careful using Microsol. Make sure it just gets on the decals even after sealing. I have seen the Microsol mar the finish just a little.

 

Do you flat coat over the Alclad at the end Steve? I've heard that it kills the shine but I'll want a flat coat on all other painted surfaces so I'm not sure what the best technique is.

I'll be extra carefull when applying the microsol/microset as you suggested. Thanks for the feedback!

Great looking Jug. I love the look of those fat big birds!

As far as the Alclad, I usually seal before decaling, but that doesn’t mean I'm right.

Be careful using Microsol. Make sure it just gets on the decals even after sealing. I have seen the Microsol mar the finish just a little.

Alright I have a n update here. I sanded down the wingroots and other areas with rough finish and repainted the Alclad as Joe suggested by lowering the pressure and getting in close. I'm happy with the results for my first time using Alclad. Prior to this I sprayed the green. I have a small ridge where the masking tape was that I will lightly sand smooth. Last pic is of everything I have painted up so far.

I should be decaling soon. Should I seal Alclad before/after decals? I have a seperate part painted with Alclad to test my microsol setting solution but does anyone have experience using it with Alclad?

Thanks for looking and any comments/critiques are welcome! 

I'll have to keep that construction tip in mind joe. Got a question for those who have used alclad...do you clear coat before decals and weathering? Have heard of some clear coating and some not.

I see fearless leader is underway.

And your Tamiya is looking good, Joe. Thanks from me too on the Alclad tips, hopefully will be giving it my first go soon.

Your welcome.  The problem with distance is that the paint can dry in the air which causes the pebbling.  I get the same problem at the wing roots....and often.  I find that if I get in close it's not as bad.  I tried dialing down the air pressure too, which helps.  I'm usually at 10 psi.  The sandpaper is a lifesaver. 

I have a quick update.  I put the frame together.  I added the upper wings to the fuselage first and welded the wingroot with Tenax.  Then I added the lower wings.  This was the most painless Jug I've ever built.  I usually have an issue somewhere but everything just fell together with this one.  A seam check with a silver Sharpie and we are ready for primer.  I hope to start on that Pratt and Whitney monster soon.  

lawdog114

Looking great Rooster. The secret to Alclad is light coats and build it up slowly. I get in close so it goes on wet, otherwise it might pebble. If it does, use 2000 grit sandpaper to smooth it out.

 

Thanks for the tip lawdog! I watched a couple videos and most guys were spraying from a pretty good distance, which is what I did, so next time I'll try it up close. I did get some pebbling in the wing root which has been a problem for me in the past. I'll hit it with some sandpaper though. Any tips on painting wing roots??

Impressive cockpit Lawdog, and thanks for the Alclad tip. Nice work too Rooster, great progress and a clean job.

Cheers

Tony

Really impressive work guys. I can't believe some of you are already done. I'm still trying to clear the bench of some in progress stuff - I've not painted figures in years and I said I would do it for the Panther I'm building...

Ok here's my kit. Like I said I bought this off ebay and it came with a resin cocpit. There's no instructions so not only have I never used resin, I have no idea how it goes together and what I need to do to make it fit the kit. Something to learn. I like to push myself in these group builds. I'm also pushing myself with the paint scheme. The two tone grey looks great - I always wanted to do a jug this way and I never did because this is no German mottled camo, the pattern matters. Now add invasion stripes! woohoo. a challenge for me indeed. Here's a picture of the kit.

     dupes you are more then welcome to join whenever you get started!

     Colin that's a really nice start!

     lawdog, I'm glad you've got started on the bubbletop. I'll be doing the same kit, so I'll be watching closely

     This is where I am with the 1/72 Hasegawa. To say that cockpit detail is lacking would be giving it too much credit...it's basically non-exsistent Which is fine as I'm using this as a test bed for Alclad as I've never used it before and plan to on my Tamiya. Here is everything assembled and shot with a coat of semi-gloss black...

Should be laying the Alclad on soon I hope...

Can I jump in?

First off, Keyda, Toshi, splendid work indeed.  Brandon and Colin, great starts.  Colin, when I built my Jack I went with Aotoke (clear blue/green) in there.  I sprayed silver then went back with a mixture of Tamiya clear blue and green...very diluted.  I liked the effect.   Reference the gray, sometimes restorations can be wrong.  

Well, I had a last minute change in scheme for my Jug.  It happens .  I was originally going to do Fred Christensen's "Rozzie Geth", but I have switched to a 354th FG bubbletop flown by 15 kill ace Kenneth Dahlberg.  On December 19th 1944, his squadron tangled with 70 Bf 109's shot down 4 of them.  He was also later known for getting tangled up in the Watergate scandal but was never charged in any wrongdoing. Back to the model. I'll do the usual with an Ultracast seat and wheels.  I may add Master gun barrels too.

I started with Tamiya's amazing cockpit.  It's nothing short of fantastic with the only addition being an Ultracast seat, and that was only because I was too lazy to add a PE harness to the kit part.  My mix for Republic Dull Dark Green was XF-58 Olive Green with a few drops of XF-8 Flat Blue.  The instrument panel is the kit decal.  It works great on this kit.  

I snuggled the pit into the side of the starboard fuselage.  Like a glove.  Interestingly, I had no trouble with the top fuselage spine inserts on this kit, which has been a problem area for me in the past.  Here I taped them tightly in place from the outside then carefully tenax'ed the joint from the inside.  It worked....  

 I'll be closing this one up soon. 

Great builds Toshi and Keyda!  

I've been remiss with pictures.  Here's my instrument panel, the cockpit picture turned out blurry.  I put the wings on last night.  Falling together quite nicely!

Any ideas about the actual colour of the wheel bays?  Other Mitsubishi aircraft had a clear blue coating, but the only pictures of a restored J2M has light grey.

Hoooooo boy...been a while since I've been over here at FSM (so long that I only recognize a few names on the roster)! Just happened to be poking around and saw this GB. Coincidentally, I have a P-47 and A-10 and Raiden all in my build list for the fall/winter, so it looks like I'm a solid candidate to contribute to this one.

Will let you know the details once I crack into the first one.