Hey RiK, nice work there. Always been a a little jealous of those who can draw, paint and otherwise create original artwork on paper or the computer. 

I'd heard the Shinden was meant from the beginning to be a jet thus dispensing with the giant prop and the ungainly long landing gear legs needed for it to clear the ground. Zoukai-Maru has a couple of excellent kits in 1/48th and 1/32nd though I think they're both OOP. As to 1/72nd I'm not sure what would be a good kit. 

From what I've read and searched, the Hasegawa J7W2 shouldn't be that difficult to find, unless you want that exact boxing.  Scalemates timeline has it backwards, but the kit was issued again last year with a pair of extra sprues of stores from a Zero kit.

A review states this likely isn't a Hasegawa original, but was obtained from a buyout from Mania in the 1970s, hence the presence of raised panel lines, particularly the fuselage.  If anyone can confirm these findings ...

regards,

Jack

A Shinden, nice idea ! I think Hasegawa kitted it if I recall correctly.

Cheers

Tony

Wow, that Kate looks very interesting in those colours. This certainly piques my interest. I have a series of books on Japanese Navy and Army colours, but they're packed away as we are moving house soon. I'm interested to go and read them now.

Cheers

Tony

Doug: Sounds good to me!

PJ: At least you got your money's worth out of that hose! And really nice work there by the way!

That's interesting about the ame-iro. Since each company used a slightly different shade for topside green and underside grey it makes perfect sense but I'd never thought about it till you guys brought it up.

Thanks Jack. The link is very interesting and new info keeps coming up. Hard to believe that out of around 1,300 Kates built, none survived intact. 

It gets a little involved with all the different paints the Japanese aircraft manufacturers produced. This particular Nakajima Ameiro shade is very attractive IMO.

PJ, I like the looks of that, and thank you for the link.  Also learned something new today with your mentioning of the Nakajima Amber Grey - I wasn't aware the colour varied with the plane manufacturer, but now I do.

regards,

Jack

modelcrazy

Oh the Japanese and their crazy wheelwell color. To bad about the hose PJ but good thing you were able to score a new one. I can't remember where I bought my hose from 4 years ago let alone the 70's.

 

 

Yes pretty far out colors they used. It's a tinted lacquer primer used inside the aircraft airframe parts. Outside the primer was red/orange.

I remember like it was yesterday buying the Badger 150, small compressor which still works and the hose from Gary Cruz, a real nice guy that worked in plastics at Orange Blossom Hobbies. Those were the good old days.

Oh the Japanese and their crazy wheelwell color. To bad about the hose PJ but good thing you were able to score a new one. I can't remember where I bought my hose from 4 years ago let alone the 70's.

Got some paint on miss Kate today. I used Tamiya metallic blue and added a few drops of Tamiya clear green and aluminum to fine tune the Aotake color. I read that Aotake shades can range from blue to green. For those not familiar with Aotake please read this:  http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2010/02/aotake-part-one.html

I sprayed the entire Kate with Colourcoats ACJ17 Nakajima Amber Grey. This is a really cool looking caramel color. I read that Kates were sprayed with this Ameiro color by Nakajima and then the greens were applied in the field by the air groups.

Masking removed from the wells shows the groovy Aotake color.

As I cleaned the ab and was about to switch to my xtra fine detail Badger for some green mottling I noticed something wasn't right.

My Badger air hose that I bought at Orange Blossom Hobbies in Miami back in the mid 1970's finally gave out after 43 years of off and on use. The fitting came loose and came off with no way to keep it in that fitting

Thank God for Hobby Town a few miles from my house! They had a new hose for $18 so off I went and got it along with more MM enamel paints. By the time I got home it was a bit late so to be continued tomorrow.

PJ,  Funny how that works, isnt it? lol...

Jack, back to our conversation about office colors... after reading a bit about the different makers of japanese aircraft, your right, most did have various different shading and colors within the specs put forth by the military. Like most Mitsubishi aircraft had a blue/green color, Odd, but being used to the RLM specs of 02 or 66 I guess it just takes some getting used to! 

Cliff, I FINALLY decided on an aircraft to do. There are so many cool looking versions of this one. This will be of the 16th Dokuritsu (not sure if Sentai applies). Unless I'm really confused (as per usual) They had two versions, a Night attack aircraft that had a cannon that fired upwards at an angle and a recon version. This will be a recon aircraft. It will be dark blue with a red and white fuselage stripe. 

Take care all! 

Doug

Doug, thank you.

That interior looks the biz, super job on those details.  You know, I thought for a sec this was some modern jet at initial glance because of that aerodynamic nose, so good thing you posted the box beside it - lol.

regards,

Jack

Rigidrider

PJ... there is alot to say for the Tamiya kits and this one is awesome... going together easy and as you said, nice detail. I mean right down to where the pieces attach to the sprew has been thought out very carefully. They say with Tamiya kits, just put some paint and glue in box, shake well, and open to remove the completed kit. I can almost believe it! lol...

 

I just snatched one on ebay for $29 and free shipping. It's your fault my stash has another!

Cliff, yeah, I was thinking the same thing, BUT... I have to tape it! 

PJ... there is alot to say for the Tamiya kits and this one is awesome... going together easy and as you said, nice detail. I mean right down to where the pieces attach to the sprew has been thought out very carefully. They say with Tamiya kits, just put some paint and glue in box, shake well, and open to remove the completed kit. I can almost believe it! lol...

That is one beautiful Tamiya kit Doug. The level of the molded detail in the pit is awesome.

Doug: Looks great! And nice to know with those big greenhouse canopies you'll be able to see most of it. 

OK, a bit more from me... Before that though... Jack, the Claud is looking great! Lots of little details, Like it!

PJ... Your assy is really coming along, That is really going to look good when in the fuselage!

OK, here are my progress pics...

And thats where we stand for now... waiting for glue to set. More in a bit! See ya...

Doug

PJ: She's lookin' great! Always good to see the fusilage come together and then adding the wings etc and BOOM you're ready for paint! 

PJ, outstanding detail on that interior, specially  given the scale.  Thanks about my Claude, as well as the heads up on the Detailer.

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Cliff, thanks and I know all too well about broken antennas.  At these small scales, I don't even bother thinking about using the plastic ones, unless I pin them right from the outset.  In this case I won't bother attaching the pitot tube until the very end after painting.  I've some aluminum tubes for this which is perfect as they don't need to be painted.

regards,

Jack

Jack

I got The Detailer direct from the company located here in Florida. This stuff is like a thick ink and works best on aluminum metallic finishes like engines or car grilles. I've tried it on pits as a wash and I rather use my oil washes for that. 

Thanks Guys.

Jack you are doing one heck of a fine detail job on that Claude.

Here is the completed pit. I added some Eduard belts.

And added the engine mounts and engine. I didn't bother painting this area cause it will not be seen at all.

Some or most of the detail won't be seen once the fuselage is closed up so here is a look at some of the radio dials and gages.

These Dewalt clamps are great. I can align things and hit the seams wiith Plast I Weld to weld up the joins.

Miss Kate is shaping up. Tomorrow all the seams will be cleaned up and polished out so that's all for tonight.

scottrc

Hey Gamera,

I just wanted to say that I plan to carry over the Akagi to this build. All is left is to finish the aircraft and a few minor details, but life got in the way of getting any time near the workbench.

Scott

I think you mentioned this at the beginning of the year and then it slipped my mind. My apologies- just put you down. Looking forward to seeing her finished! 

Hey Gamera,

I just wanted to say that I plan to carry over the Akagi to this build. All is left is to finish the aircraft and a few minor details, but life got in the way of getting any time near the workbench.

Scott

Jack: Looks like a bear but you're doing a great job on her. You're probably better off replacing those small parts with tubing anyway, I've had really bad luck with resin stuff like that breaking way too often. 

And thanks guys. Now that I think about it I'm wondering if aiming the camera between the two figures caused it to focus on the pattern in the background. Well, hopefully a little more sun sometime this weekend and I'll try again. 

Doug, very nice work there.    Same here, I'm not sure about the cockpit colours - or probably just have forgotten as I don't regularly build Japanese subjects.  I do recall the colour varied somewhat depending on the factory name - Mitsubishi, Nakajima, etc.

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Pj, you too have great stuff going on with your build.  That Detailer product sure does the trick.  Is that available only direct, or do some other web shops carry it?

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Cliff, those figures look good, wish the image was clearer.    Seems the background is more in focus than the subject.   Could be you were too close, or because the background has a texture to it the camera focused on that?

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Since these photos were taken, have already sprayed primer, so better catch up with the particulars...

My kit sample looks to have had the molds slipped, so a lot of the details are lopsided/excess flash.   Much of the tubular shapes were just replaced with brass rod instead of trying to sand down the excess plastic - they were thick for the scale anyways. 

The wheel spats were suppose to insert into the wings via tabs, but just like the tail planes, they did not fit.  So they were pinned in place with brass rods, and have also added green putty to act as a "boot" to strengthen the spats as well as fill in any spaces.

 

Cowl and engine are almost done, so just a test fit for now.  Have fashioned a mouning point from a section of sprue that will fit into the fuselage -and yes, the prop still spins.

regards,
Jack

Thanks Cliff... I think you and I have near the same weather... I'm always a bit hesitant about building and specially painting in lower temps and te humidity... But yes, shes coming along pretty good. So far, tha near flawless fit you expect from a Tamiya kit. I'll have a bit more in a bit.

PJ, Yup, its the Dinah version 3 I think. I;ve seen a very similar unit designated a 2 with a slightly different nose, more along the line of a stantard looking aircraft.Love the IP look, your at about the same point I am by the looks of it. 

Take care all...

Doug

PS... Some day Cliff, I want to try some figures... just not that good atthem... but I do want to try to improve! Those two are cute...

Well, I took a half-dozen photos from different ranges and angles and this is the only one that came out mostly focused. Guess I need to learn to use the manual function on the camera.

PJ: I've never tried 'The Detailer' but love the results you've got there with it. Beautiful work on the engine and the IP and rest of the cockpit don't look too shabby either! 

Confession on my part, I primed my two figures over the weekend and then sat down last night with the intention of just putting in the main colours. But then I got on the jazz and ended up painting their faces, hair and a good bit of their outfits. And once I got into it I never grabbed the camera. Sooooo, they're about halfway done and no in progress photos. 

I'll try to take some of where I am tonight. It's been overcast all day so I'm not sure how they'll turn out though. 

Doug

That one looks kind of like a Dinah. That is one sleek looking aircraft and you are off on a good start.

I put the small Kate engine together and brushed it wit Alclad Aluminum then it got a Wash of The Detailer.

There are some tiny pipes that are to be attached  but they won't be seen once the cowl goes on so no need to deal with the fiddly tiny things.

The IP is actually quite well done. I dry brushed the instruments with a 10/0 brush and then each one got a small drop of clear parts cement for the glass.

Got the pit almost done and just need to add the MG ammo drums, seat belts and a few other tiny details. Much will not be seen once the fuselage halves are joined even with the open canopies.

I forgot to take pictures of the radio instrument faces before gluing them into the pit. They actually have some nice molded details like dials, knobs and gauges which also got a drop of Clear Parts Cement for the glass. 

Gamera

Hey Bsyamato and PJ, thanks guys for getting us off to a great start! 

..

Just a resume from the previous GB done works, the jake is already (..jake in the box  )  in the box 

I'll unfreeze it asap

Well done on the kits guys