Secret Santa GB 2016 !!!

GH, you should give Flickr a try; I find it works far better than PB.

Well, it's official, I am off an running on the La-7. This one will be a fairly quick build.

BK

Been thinking about either that or Imagshack.  The yearly fee isn't any kind of issue, so might end up with Imag.

Nice start on the smaller items getting them ready for assembly.

Here are a few of where it is at now.  Masking for the bottom, hope to gt that done tomorrow.

GH, I don't recall ever seeing one of those in that scheme. Mightly sexy I think. It looks really good.

BK

According to a couple of the guys in the BUFF build, "H's" were never done in SEA, but the new Italari "G" has one scheme from around '68 or so in it.  Worked on the "G's" at Beale for a short time.  The old AMT 1/72 also has that scheme from around '72 or so.  Doing her to hang in the bedroom to remind me of those fun filled days.  Paint looks dark to me, but is Tamiya callout for SEA on their big F4C/D kit.

Thanks, appreciate the thought.  Won't get the bottom done today, but all masked up.  Decided to reshoot the pylons after the bottom is done.  Easier to mask those then.

Well, the little La-7 is proceeding quite rapidly. The kit is simple and goes together with very little fuss and I've only put filler a some small sprue cut locations and at the wing root to lower fuselage. Other than that the kit is trouble free. 

I have the cockpit done and, although simple, looks quite nice. I did add some color as the real cockpits are very very plain and offer little in colors. SO, I took some artistic license and added a touch of color simply to help make the pit a bit more lively. I hand painted the instruments and they have nice detail. Decals are not provided here but the surface detail is better than those anyway.

I have completed the exterior, and other than checking things over, it is ready for primer.

And if anyone is curious, I am now masking most of my canopies with Scotch tape. I can see exactly where the frame is and make very precise cuts that have extra crisp edges. Far better than masks. It takes longer to apply them but cutting is simple. Removing them does however take more effort. I do prefer this method to Tamiya tape, its easier to work with. IMPO

I must say that the La-7 is much smaller than I thought it would be. I was looking at pictures of it and I was thinking it was FW-190 in size, but it is similar in size to a Mig-3 which is a small plane. Certainly not a great deal bigger than a 109. Its short fat profile lends its looks to a bigger aircraft.

BK

BK, nice progress on it, now that you thawed out.  Looks great.

Question for anyone- On SEA camo, Tamiya callout for color on the underside (gray/white) seems a little dark.  Am looking at either MM4766 (camoflage gray) straight or a mix of that with flat white to lighten it up a little, probably around 10% white.  Any thoughts or what do others use for that color on SEA camo.  Most of my builds will end up with that scheme, as that is my era.

Wow !! I am absolutly SCREAMING through this build. I painted all the colors on the La-7 yesterday and did all the decals today. I will clear it later today and give it a wash and some weathering Sunday. This is really a sweet little kit to build. The fit is very nice and I only used a very small amount of filler. I'll post up more pice later.

BK

Looking good!  I may have to add one of those to the stash. 

That is a nice looking build you go there!  Think I might have to seek one out for my Russian collection!  Great work!

Bobby

Well gents, I'm calling this one done. It's a quick and easy kit to build and gives you no fuss along the way. It's a simple kit with low parts count and great fit. One thing I noticed too late to correct was that some of the panel lines are shallow and soft and won't take a wash. So, I ended up using a #2 pencil to trace some of them out after the washes were complete to make those soft areas show up better. Not a perfect solution but it works fairly well. If I had to do another I would simply deepen those areas to accept a wash better. 

The kit is a bit simlistic in detail and I'm sure there are other kits out there with more details, but this one looks pretty good and like I said, it goes together effortlessly. And we all need an easy kit once in a while.

Thanks for looking. 

BK

Nicely done.  I think Santa would be pleased with how you did.

Wow! That is seriously a nice finish!

Thanks guys. I couldn't locate any photos of these all weathered and worn. Most were poor quality shots, some decent ones. Most were fairly clean and kinda new looking, so I kept it clean. 

BK

Hey everyone.  Well, I finally got some time to start the Secret Santa GB!  But first I need to preface my entry with a tale of two kits.  LOL!  Let's see if I can make a long story short......It all started one cold winter day when...just kidding.

What happened was my secret Santa sent me my kit.  But the Grinch somehow intercepted it and it was not delivered.  BrandonK found that the kit had been delivered, but the day and time it was delivered, I was home and no package was delivered to my doorstep.  So, BK, being the super Santa, sent another package (kit)!  What a wonderful surprise!  Thank you Brandon!  It was a beautiful Zvezda 1/48 Yak-3!!!  I was like a kid at Christmas again, but felt so bad for my original secret Santa.  Well, time went on and around the beginning of March I was getting ready to start the Yak (literally..I had set all the parts out, wrote my notes on the instructions, and was ready to start building)..when the door bell rang.  Any guesses as to what happened next?  LOL!  This gentlemen was standing at my door and asked if I was Bobby G.  I said yes and he handed me a package from Delaware.  He told me it had been delivered to his house, but he had been gone for sometime (in Europe I think he said).  I don't remember much of what he said, due to the fact I was standing there dumbfounded at the arrival of this package.  I thanked the man and proceeded upstairs again.  I opened the package and found this...

I thought I had died and gone to heavan!  I promptly PM'd BK and told him the story and asked if he would like his Yak-3 back.  He educated me on it being a gift and you can't return gifts..again, thank you so much BK!!!!

So.........I decided to do both kits at the same time!  I apologize for not posting pics as I did the build, but I will post them now in order.  Some Christmas story huh?

To both my secret Santa and BK...thank you so much!!!  They are awesome kits and I am having a blast building them both!  May you both be blessed a hundred fold!  Thank you!

Eagle90

That was super of BK to replace it, not to mention the man bringing the original to you instead of tossing it or returning it.  Kudos on him.

goldhammer

That was super of BK to replace it, not to mention the man bringing the original to you instead of tossing it or returning it.  Kudos on him.

 

You got that right!  Kudos to everyone!

Alright, as promised I have some pics.  As for the kits.  I really like them both.  Fit on both are really good.  The Zvezda kit is a bit more detailed in the cockpit, but the exterior on the Eduard is a bit better.  So over all, I'd say they are both really good kits. 

So here you go!

Zvezda kit:

Zvezda on the left, Eduard on the right:

Reversed:

Things are starting to come together now.  Again, Zvezda on the left, Eduard on the right:

More to come.  Thanks for looking!

Well Bobby, those are looking sharp. Two very nice kits indeed. One of these days, when I have thinned the stash, I'll add which ever one you think was the better of the two.

BK

BrandonK

Well Bobby, those are looking sharp. Two very nice kits indeed. One of these days, when I have thinned the stash, I'll add which ever one you think was the better of the two.

BK

 

Hey Brandon!  Thank you!  Man, they are both really good kits.  The Zvezda has a slightly more detailed cockpit and the landing gear are just a bit more detailed.  And if you want to do the engine up...wow!  There are 2 sprues just for the engine in the Zvezda kit!  I'm going to build it and display it next to the plane.  The exterior of the Eduard has a few more details on it.  As for fit, man, both have been really nice!  Very small seam at the wing roots, but I literally just put a bit more Tamiya extra thin on the seam, played with it for a sec and got a nice bead of plastic that was easy to sand down.  The elevators fit beautifully.  The Zvezda kit has poseable ailerons.  It also has a pilot with different arms and heads to use.  No pilot with the Eduard.  I think there are 2 or 3 different planes (decals) with the Zvezda kit and only one with the Eduard.  Honestly, on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give both kits solid 8's or 9's.  Just get one each!  LOL!

Thanks again for the kit and hope this helps your decision making.  

Bobby

It sounds like the Zvezda kit is just like the BF109 one that I did as far as kit design, so I know what to expect there. I have never done an Eduard, so yes, I'll just do one of each.

BK

Ach.  I've been bad with my lack of posts.  I assure you I have perfectly good excuses:

• New puppy
• Week vacation to fly in an L-39

I've been lurking around the post watching as you all complete your gifts.  I've seen some impressive work!  Great job!

All that said I can see the end of the line with the FW-190.  Despite my best efforts to test fit, I still got bit by alignment issues withthe Eduard kit.  As a result I wasn't able to keep the engine bay open as I had hoped as I found that when I tried to mount the MGs they skewed to the left in the troughs.  I also had an issue with getting one of the landing gear struts to properly align.  I'm taking another shot at that though.  I WILL post pics shortly.

Hey everyone,

Well, I got the 2 Yak's finished.  I must admit I'm not terribly crazy about my paint jobs, but they turned out pretty well.  I didn't go overboard with the weathering this time.  Tried some scratches to add some worn effect.  Overall, they were both good kits.  But as you will see, they each have their plus and minuses.  So here ya go.  Thanks for looking!

Eagle90

BK...thanks so much for all you did and for hosting a great GB!  Many thanks on many levels! 

Eagle, I've got the photos added to the front page. They both came out beautiful. Very nice indeed and you built them pretty fast too. Well done.

Not sure why I haven't added the completed builds to the front page, but I just did. If I missed anyone let me know. 

BK

Thank you sir!  They were really fun kits and I'd recommend to novice and advanced builders.  Thank you both for the awesome kits!

Thank you again for hosting a great GB!

Bobby

It's been kinda quiet in here lately...time to start my secret santa build in the summer! My first build this year took a little over 4 months, now my work bench is clean. I was trying to decide which plane to start next when it occurred to me that my indecision made for the perfect decision, time to work on a ship! 

I unwrapped the USS New York over Christmas and here is the official opening of the box (official in my mind meaning the intent to build lol). Everything is individually wrapped, some even in foam. I am surprised to see about 30 pieces of PE Too! Going to be a fun summer build. Here Goes....

YES !!! I am looking forward to this one. Have'nt seen any late model ships lately. Very cool.

BK

This will be a great one to follow!

So far the fit is great...although I found reading ahead is a requirement. Dont do step 2 before 3 if you want to have the hangarer bay open! Fortunately the glue hadn't dried. ill clean up the rough edges after the gumminess of the plastic goes away. The other oddity about this step is that you are supposed to put the walls of the bay outside the guide rails. I checked fit on this and sure enough that's what they intended. Since the rail would cover the lower part of the door this couldn't be the right approach so i changed it. Nice clean floor to wall joint now.

Step 1 was to put the stern on. I taped the deck on and made sure I didn't get any glue on the upper surface. This ensured it was lined up right since there are NO guide pins, just a tapered edge on the stern plate.

Well I have to pick up some paint before i go much farther on the hull and deck. In the mean time I started on the accessory pieces. It took me an hour to finish this one and I only prayed to the carpet monster once (with success)!