Larry Wolf Memorial Close Air Support Group Build 2021 Needs YOU!

BorisBaddenov

I'm a little shy about posting photos of my models, they don't hold a candle to the work I see the other posters put up.  But here goes

 

 

We all started somewhere and some of us can't hold a candle to the rest either but it doesn't matter. The Fourm isn't called Fine Prefectly Made Scale Modeler and I for one have posted some real dogs. Your Stuka looks great! Once you get rolling you'll learn techniques and before you know it, you'll look at some of the posted builds and while very nice, you'll know exactly how they did it and know you could replicate it if you wanted.
If you want to learn a technique just ask. Someone will answer. Usually many ones will answer.

Boris,

Just to add to what Modelcrazy said...

You'll have times where you might not be happy with how something came out during your build, but don't get discouraged.  Just stick with it and with each model you're going to learn something new that you'll apply to the next one.  That's what makes this so much fun, you'll always be experimenting and trying out new techniques.  Your Stuka is looking really good so far!

Looking good "O", the soft camouflage and home made stenciles look great.

Wow! I like the look of that Stuka with the wing cannons Boris, keep up the great work! 

cbaltrin, what did you come up with regarding the instal of the guns? Perhaps you can add the gun mounts and pods (less the barrels) prior to fixing the fuselage halves and just add the barrels to the gun pods through the windows later? 

And eagle cash867, that cockpit looks all the business, nice modifications and detail painting. I'm looking forward in seeing this come together. 

UPDATE:

Jarrod and I masked the windows and door openings. He does not like the masking part at all as he was already ready to P-A-I-N-T!. So after some time we mixed (thinned) the Model Master enamel paints and sprayed the initial FSN coded dark green, medium green, and dark tan as called out on the painting diagram. Because of his lack of fine motor skills I had to assist him some but he enjoyed it all the same. Like the masking, Jarrod does not like cleaning the airbrush components after each spray either, but he sure does like the airbrush painting of modeling. 







You may have noticed that since the last photos we also posed the plane in an attack vector on the stand. 

I still have much more to do including the painting of the black, gloss coating, decals, pencil panel lines, marking control surface points, another gloss coat to seal the detail, flat coating the top surface, adding the engines and props, adding the small antennas and misc. parts, weathering, rigging the antenna array, final dull coat to seal the weathering, removal of the masking, gloss coating the windows, painting the nose cone, detail painting (exhaust, chipping, stains) and touch-ups, on and on, etc, etc.  

We are having fun in this GB and enjoy looking at the variey and progress of everyones builds.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and critiques...Till next time...

Ben and Jarrod

Love the builds going on here.  Great work everyone!  This is my first group build and I am really inspired and motivated by your work.

Quick update on the hornet.  I painted the black pattern on the dorsal hump (no idea what the technical term would be!).  

I think she is ready for some gloss and then on to decals and weathering.

That thing is BOSS Ben 

Phillie, that's looking great

One of the benefits of working from home during this pandemic is the bench time. When I have a virtual meeting and listening to someone ramble, I can do some modeling while "listening." 

I'm working towards the finish line with my AH-1J. I'd say I'm in the last turn before the final straight. Now I'm at the point where I'm thinking the whole, "Oh, yeah, I still need to do that." before I get to the final assembly. While sitting at my table today, I tackled two of those "little things" that needed to get done.

The -1J had a shroud or shield (for lack of a better term) covering the canon's opening in the turret. The Fujimi kit does not have that covering.

Some -1Js during ODS did not carry them, but the airframe I'm modeling did. So, I scratched one from some stryrene.

It's not perfect, but I think it looks the part. 

Also, I realized that I lost the pitot for my kit. When I went to look at the one in AH-1G project to measure, I realized that one was missing too. So, I used the one on my USMC -1G for measurements and scratched one...er...two. 

Here's one. Again, not perfect, but I think it'll look fine under some paint.

I hope to have this kit wrapped up over the weekend. I just have a few odds-and-ends to wrap up before final assembly. Once it's done I'll be able to turn my attention to my AH-1G kitbash.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Cheers,

-O

Looking great "O" as its those little things that always bring a model to the next level, and the F-18 is starting to have the evil look as well PhillyPfan.

One more step forward, OK perhaps a couple more steps.......

1) I think I mentioned this much earlier in the build, but this kit has raised panel lines (RPL). I thought that since it was 1/72 it was not a major issue (not as if it were 1/32). So there are no recessed panel lines and no rivets, fabric, or anything but those RPL's. When I was assembling the kit in order to clean up the seams some of the RPL's were removed. Perhaps a better modeler would've kept them while cleaning up the seams (?). Since I am not a fan of RPL anyway, regardless of scale, I was not worried. Prior to the camouflage paint I sanded down most of them to a more acceptable small bump as they looked out of scale anyway. 

So, how will I show the variation of panel lines in 1/72 without looking further out of scale? I decided not to pre-shade them by airbrushing over each RPL as that would be to large in 1/72. My solution was to use a straight edge and a extra fine lead pencil. Once I had them drawn I lightly airbrushed the same color over the lines but not to obscure them, but rather tone them down. Once again Jarrod got bored quickly watching me draw all the panel lines, but he did like using the airbrush to lay down the ghost spray over the top of them. 

While it was drying we looked at more photos of the black paint treatment.

lazy waterfal with ripple waves


tall even waves


erratic waves up into the cockpit glass


busy even waves:


So the next question is which style do we want on our aircraft? My choice was to merge a couple together. We are going for the lazy even ripple wave in front and something similar but a little busier in the rear. 

Once the camouflage was dry we began masking for the black camouflage. Next was helping Jarrod spray black on the lower fuselage, lower wings, jet engines, and tail. Now we need to let it dry a day or two before we gloss coat it for decals. So, after several hours drawing panel lines, painting over them, masking, and painting the black, this is where we are at the end of the day...

Hopefully, if you stand on one leg, close the left eye, and tilt your head just right, you can see the panel lines in this picture. Oh, and sorry for the cluttered dirty hobby table. I'm getting a new cutting mat as that one is several years and many models old:



And here is a picture of some of the black camouflage. And yes, that is a very old Testers airbrush cleaning station behind the model; then no, there is nothing in the Sprite can except Sprite:



Well, not much more to do at the moment than wait, so we say good bye for now.

Ben and Jarrod

I like that scratch building O. I've been delving into scratchbuilding much more over the years and now have quite the Evergreen and thin copper stock built up.

Ben, I can see the panel lines. Looks enough like the real thing to pass just fine. That's what the manufactures of those cast resin display planes do for their panel lines.

From the photos on the box and the painting instructions it seems as if there should be a right and a left gunn-pod.  But the kit did not build that way.  So I had to file out one of the gun pods so that little wing thingie would fit in the proper way.  You can see where I've been working on filling that out with putty.

I'm also trying to smooth out the joins of the wings to the body.  I didnt notice until I took this photo, but I dont have the gun pods on very straight, and those littel wings look crooked.   I'll have to pay attention to that closer on a future build.

Peace-

Boris

Boris, i am afraid the instructions are wrong. There is no left and right gun. The ammo feed clips, the larger of the 2 parts sticking out the side, should be on the right side. This means they are on the outside on the right wing and inside on the left.

Nice work though.

Bish

Boris, i am afraid the instructions are wrong. There is no left and right gun. The ammo feed clips, the larger of the 2 parts sticking out the side, should be on the right side. This means they are on the outside on the right wing and inside on the left.

Nice work though.

 

Well poo.  Live an learn :)   Thanks Bish.

Peace-

Boris

No worries. It does seem like they should be left and right. I have built 4 87G's and i have to check every time.

OK gang, I'm posting some (OK, a lot!) of photos of my finished AH-1J from HMA-775 circa 1991. 

This is Fujimi's kit in 1/48 with Cobra Company's resin cockpit. It's the first time I used a resin cockpit in one of my builds. It was a challenge, and a great learning opportunity, for me. The ECS hoses (wire wrapped in finer wire), turret-opening cover/cannon surround (sheet styrene), pitot (styrene rod and very fine tubing), RHAW receivers on the nose (punch sheet stryrene), FOD covers (red napkin soaked in diluted white glue) and rotor tie down (paper strip with a random PE buckle) are scratched. The whip atenna on the tail is painted monofilament. The blade antennae on the belly are from the spares box. The CC resin set comes with some chaff dispensers, but I swapped them for the plastic ones from Italeri's AH-1W boxing. The tail's squadron code and the nose's MODEX are painted on using home-made stencils. The branch markings on the tailboom and national insignia are decals from the drawer. 

It's painted using MM enamels and weathered with pastels and Flory washes. 

Well, it's another 3-footer to lay on the shelf. Here are the photos. Remember, you were warned. There are a lot of 'em...

Just for fun, here are a couple of "buddy pictures." Here's one with an AH-1G I kitbashed a couple of years ago.

Here's one with the AH-1(4B)W I Frankensteined using Italeri's AH-1Z boxing.

I realize that the dihedral on the stub wings is a little steeper than it should be. That was the angle I had to use to keep the gaps to a minimum. It's something I'll just have to live with.

Thanks for looking and thanks to lewbud for hosting the GB. Feel free to share you comments, questions and/or criticisms. Now to move on to my AH-1G!

Happy modeling!

-O

PS: lewbud, here's the glory shot for the main page:

Short update on my F84, ready for gloss black enamel then some Alclad paints for a nmf.

Got the clear parts masked. The upgraded canopy had reinforced tape which was an off white color, not silver as the main frame is so I have those masked and after spraying them will mask again to shoot the nmf for the main frame.

The rear canopy deck got some scratch built additions and pe parts to add more details

Some great work here. I haven't received yet an oficial green light for close air support from the boss so I am engaging on my own free will and cracking open this one

I was hoping it can be built with folded wings as shown on the picture but it does not come with that option. Oh well...

Great stuff so far.  Loving the 119 Drums.  Boris I have that Stuka on my shelf.  Haven't been bold enough to start it yet.  You're off to a good start.  Good job on the Cobra O.  Always like the Marine scheme on that chopper.

As for my Super Bug.  It is glossed and decaled.  Inching closer to the finish line.  I'm a little nervous about pulling the mask off the canopy.  To get in to place I had to apply some pressure and heard something crack.  Hoping it isn't the clear plastic.  Fingers crossed.

A little more progress this week on the cockpit.  Got the tub touched up and the Quinta Studio side consoles glued in (used clear epoxy for that).  Also did a wash on the wire bundles with Tamiya Hull Red mixed with lots of Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver to simulate the coating (fire retardant?) on the wire bundles in the real thing.  

Got the glareshield all painted and detailed.  The HUD lens was domed resin in the middle, but I chiseled that out and made a flat recess that I dabbed a little clear epoxy into for a more realistic-looking lens.  Tried the Flory Grime Wash for the first time, and its going to be my go-to for cockpit weathering from now on.  Didn't require any protective coating on the paint work and appears to have even eliminated the need for a follow-up dry-brushing.  

I managed to get some darker gray on this morning. Still have the engines to mask and spray. So maybe more progress by Tuesday.

More progress on the Eagle for me. Got the titanium sprayed and started on the gray for the upper side.

Another session or two should see the bottome finished up. Then I can paint and add the drop tanks as such.

Let's see, for some additional Close Air Support, I pulled an AMT F7F Tigercat out of the stash. It's been laying around for a few years and I thought this Group Build would be a good opportunity to get it built. Below are the cockpit with home made shoulder harness and lap belt made from Tamiya tape and the R-2800 engines. The engines are painted AK Dark Aluminum with Tamiya Black Panel Liner to give the cylinders some depth. I'll be hanging rockets and bombs under the wings and I'll make cannon barrels from tubing instead of using the kit supplied barrels.

In addition, the F9F Panther has received many layers of MM Dark Sea Blue and now the airplane is sitting while the enamel paint cures. Right now the enamel paint smell is still very strong. Maybe next week it gets the Tamiya Gloss Clear then decals.

Take a look at the picture. Is the paint too faded? In real life, it doesn't look that faded. Just wondering.

Some detail parts arrived for the A-4, so progress can be made.  I got an Eduard color PE cockpit set, along with their leading edge slat set and their resin MERS and Mk82 bombs.

I'm not sure I'll be using the L.E. set in its entirety, but it included teeny tiny vortex generators which will be tedious to install, but will really look better than the kit's molded in "candy bars".  The MERS and bombs were brought in because the kit parts look weird.  The MERS are notiecably skinny and the Mk82s have an overall shape that just looks wrong.

I also got a Quickboost pilot, because I like crew in my models:

And I started by gluing in all those annoying separate service panels all over the fuselage, and did a quick test fit to identify problems.

And a slight change in plans - the kit will be an A-4E, not an A-4F as advertised on the box.  Why?  Well, I have aftermarket markings for an A-4E, and the kit is missing some A-4F specific details like the cranked refueling probe and steering mechanism for the nose gear.

Looking good FF and G.

shot the black gloss enamel in preparation for the Alclad paints. Will let this one cure for a few days then polish up the paint to get a smooth aluminum finish.

I did some quick masking and finished up the grays including a false canopy.

I see most everyone currently working on kits is in the painting phase. That gloss black under the alclad should come out really nice on the old Korean war bird. 

Have to say that the skull and bones F-18 is looking super nice! 

Hey Ortiz "O", that pale camouflage on the AH-J is wonderful. The finished build is clean and sharp, GOOD JOB!

Hey FF, regarding the color fade, it is hard to tell in the photo. Lighting can play tricks in pictures, specifically hard or soft light, direct or reflecting lights, artificial or natural light, etc. So it may be just right and as you intended. Most important is that it is up to you and your opinion regarding the tone of the paint. (2) If you gloss coat the color (especially if it is flat or satin) it will darken up some too. Personally I like it and the sprayed panel relief underneath the color.    

I also like the care and detail going into the A-4. During the Nam era, it is one of my favorite aircraft. I'm looking forward to see how she turns out.

The A-10 is moving along too and the false canopy is a really authentic touch. Is it going to have a full combat load of ordnance; LGB's, Rockeye, etc?

Jarrod and I have gotten the AC-119 gloss coated and have laid down the decals. I am very surprised with how few kit decals this model has. The whole set consists of only 4 insignias, 2 sets of tail numbers, 2 matching 3 digit numbers for the front landing gear doors, 1 broken line box and 2 different nose art 2"x3" total. The I looked at all the various pictures of the AC-119's and I was amazed to see that they really do not have many markings. I would say that this might be one of the least stenciled aircraft in the USAF inventory!

From the top there is little to no markings for walk ways and "No Step" areas, no markings for fuel fill location on most versions, etc.  The only stencils I found on some photos are for the aircraft data up by the left side canopy, red warning stripes by the jet engines and on the fuselage for the props, and two small warning stencils by the radar domes. I was fortunate to have some decals in my spares to make these items up. 

Look close and you can see the red stencils mentioned above in this photo:

In comparison, the civilian and USAF C-119 versions are loaded with markings, stencils and color:

I'm sure the lack of markings was due to the tactical night missions in which it was used. With all this said, I am still surprised by the lack of basic stencils on the AC-119 variant, after all... those big white letters and numbers on the tail were not that tactical anyway.

We are now ready to seal the decals with the gloss acrylic clear coat and then the flat finish over the three tone camouflage. I hope to show some images soon, till then keep up the wonderful work in this GB. The varieties and colors are making this a nice GB!

Ben and Jarrod

Whoa! I've only been away for 5 days, but I've missed a lot! I'm impressed with the quality of work going on, and I'm just as impressed by the variety of subjects. Great work gang!

Well, I'm back in the GB with what will end up being my 2nd submission to this CAS GB. My Desert Storm era AH-J is finished, and I'm continuing with my Vietnam era AH-1G. 

My first canopy got screwed up during installation. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but it did. I was able to source a replacement, and I was able to get that one (the second one) installed.

After I got it installed, I sprayed some Mr. Surfacer to check the major seams. I found a few spots that needed some attention but was happy to see that the canopy seam wasn't as bad as I had feared.

Especially after having to cut off the nose to repair a loose instrument panel and cut off the damaged canopy to fit its replacement. I noticed the canopy's seam needed some love here and there, but nothing too scary. I was able to get it to a level that I can live with.

Again, not perfect but good considering the surgery it took to replace it. The main airframe also got a coat of primer to double-check my seams and even everything out.

I think I'm back in business with this bad boy...

The cockpit of the Corsair, so far easy progress

BTW, DRUMS01,...the tail letters in your photos indicate detachment assignments. IH is for Lockbourne AFB, OH of the 4413th CCTS/4410th CCTW. after 1970415th SOTS. AH is for Hurlbert Field, FL of the 415th SOTS/1st SOW. These are training squadrons, and the tail letters were assigned to various aircraft at those bases. So the AH for Hurlbert might also be seen on A1-Es or T-28s or AC-130s. The tail numbers represent the year of manufature (1st number, as in 3 for 1943, 1953, etc.) and then numbers for the serial number or USAF assigned acquisition number. I have found various sites with lists of those numbers and what/where the aircraft ended up. There is a listing of the tail letter insignia for the Special Operations Wing (SOW) in Philip D Chinnery's book Air Commando, St. Martin's Paperbacks.

castelnuovo

The cockpit of the Corsair, so far easy progress

Nice work so far castelnuovo. I build the -A boxing last year. The fit is pretty good all around, but there are two areas you should look out for. One is the intake and intake lip assembly. The other is the rudder. It was wrong for the -A so make sure it's correct for the -B. If you need any help on fixes, let me know. I think I got mine sorted out pretty well.

-O

Great job everybody. A short update on my F84. Polished the gloss black and shot the Chrome Alclad. Man that thing is like  a mirror and surface prep is a must. I went with the shinier chrome cause it has a lot of masking to come for the very colorful squadron colors  and will be shooting Aquagloss to protect the finish and will probably dial down the shine a notch. Will also be masking panels to get different metallic shades.

TV