Animalistic GB-Official place

I got a 1/48 Suyata Panther A for Christmas so I'll change to that of that's OK.

No problem. List updated.

JBRaider

Would you please add me to the list with an Academy 1/72 P-51B?

Thanks for joining. List updated.

Glamdring

I have settled on my project, it will be Dragon's 1/72 Tiger I, dressed up as Michael Wittman's Tiger.  If I did one of my big cat's in 1/35, I'd probably never finish in time with my schedule for the year.

The big question will it be the Italian Front tricolor or an Eastern Front whitewash....

 

OK zookeepers, it's officially the first, I'm sitting at home with a cold (No, it's NOT Covid!) so figured today would be a good day to start. I'm in with AMT's 1/48 F7F-3 Tigercat.

I have some TD resin wheels, Wolfpack's wingfold, and some SAC metal gear for it. I'm avoiding the rubber wheels, and given all the weight I've read this thing will need to stay on its nose, I'm going with SAC's gear.

It's a slow start, but I've managed to paint up the cockpit walls and nose wheel area. The cockpit itself is in progress. I'll try to get some photos to share.

This kit has some pretty nicely molded detail. I think I'm going to attack the wingfold area next. I don't want to get too far along with everything, only to screw up the most important part later. May as well start with the tough stuff and get it out of the way.

I like to build more than one kit at a time, so this one will share bench-space with a Hasegawa (sorry, NOT Tamiya) P-38 for the Mighty 8th GB. Stay tuned!

Here's to finishing more than 3 in 2022,

-O

I'm in with a 1/32 Revell P51D Mustang.

oortiz10

OK zookeepers, it's officially the first, I'm sitting at home with a cold (No, it's NOT Covid!) so figured today would be a good day to start. I'm in with AMT's 1/48 F7F-3 Tigercat.

I have some TD resin wheels, Wolfpack's wingfold, and some SAC metal gear for it. I'm avoiding the rubber wheels, and given all the weight I've read this thing will need to stay on its nose, I'm going with SAC's gear.

It's a slow start, but I've managed to paint up the cockpit walls and nose wheel area. The cockpit itself is in progress. I'll try to get some photos to share.

This kit has some pretty nicely molded detail. I think I'm going to attack the wingfold area next. I don't want to get too far along with everything, only to screw up the most important part later. May as well start with the tough stuff and get it out of the way.

I like to build more than one kit at a time, so this one will share bench-space with a Hasegawa (sorry, NOT Tamiya) P-38 for the Mighty 8th GB. Stay tuned!

Here's to finishing more than 3 in 2022,

-O

 

I was about to say that you folks are free to unleash your animals . I will finish my MIG 15 shortly, then start one of my critters.

plasticjunkie

I'm in with a 1/32 Revell P51D Mustang.

 

You are on the list. Feel free to set your Mustang free any time.

PJ, nice work on the conversion. I once did the same thing...but in 1/48...on a Tamiya...with Ultracast's fillet-less tail. So, yeah, totally the same thing.

Actually, that was the first time I used any sort of resin coversion, or any resin for that matter, besides the occassional seat or wheels. That was, until today...

I am going to use Wolfpack's resin wingfold set on this build. The first thing I had to do was chop up the wings. I was a little nervous because WP's instructions aren't terribly clear. So, I went for it and turned this...

Into this...

I haven't started assembly yet, but things look promising after some dry-fitting. In the photo above you can see AMT's lovely detail.

That was all I was able to get done on the Tigercat today. I'm expecting to have some benchtime tomorrow, so maybe I can make some more progress on these wings.

Until then...stay tuned! Oh, and don't forget, comments, questions and criticisms are welcome.

Cheers!

-O

Thanks O, your kitty is coming along fine.

Those AMT kits are very nice and pack lots of details. I have the F7F-2/2N and the 3N in the stash, both 1/48 from AMT.

Castelnuovo. would the f-86d sabre dog qualify?

I've had some time at the bench, so I took advantage and made some progress on my Tigercat.

I was able to get the inner wing sections with the resin bits assembled. I must say, Wolfpack's resin fit very well! There was some minor trimming and thinning necessary, but overall, the parts were a drop-in fit! This is the first time I've tried a major resin coversion like this, and I must say, I'm impressed! There will be some minor filling and sanding, but nothing too difficult.

I was also able to get the fuselage assembled. This thing needed A LOT of weight in the nose. It's a good thing there is plenty of space in its long nose to stuff a bunch of pine derby car weights into. Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos. Here it is with all closed up with the seams cleaned up and the panel lines rescribed.

Next I'll be focusing on cleaning up the inner wing section.

So, that's it for now. I expect some more serious benchtime in my future. Stay tuned...

Cheers,

-O

crown r n7

Castelnuovo. would the f-86d sabre dog qualify?

 

It is a dog and the dog is an animal. So yes List updated.

Hey gang, I have a little progress on my Tigercat to share, but before I do, I have a confession...I cheated.

I cheated on a couple of the less visible seams. At the bottom of the nacelles, the joint runs through the exhaust channels (for lack of a better term). 

The two sides are angled and meet at an interior angle that I thought might be hard to fill and sand. So, I tried using some filler and a diluent, but I kept wiping away too much filler when I tried to smooth things out. As an option, I decided to use tape.

Yes. Tape.

I used some of the "Scotch" type because of its lack of texture. I laid a piece on then carefully trimmed it to fit the area.

Brilliant!  Any concern of it lifting?  I've got that kit in the stash with the Lonestar fire bomber conversion tank.  Not sure if was mentioned but don't use the rubber tires, they melt the plastic wheels.  I made that mistake back in my late teens...  EDIT:  just read your first post and looks like you have it cover with the TD wheels - I've got the same.

Nice progress ooriz10. The tape trick is one to remember LOL

keavdog

...Any concern of it lifting?...

Nah. I bought an old kit at a swap meet or yard sale, I don't remember which, that had a couple of clear parts masked in Scotch tape. The kit was O.L.D., but the tape was still on. As a matter of fact, it took quite some effort to remove it. Yeah, it's not exactly the same, but I think the stuff will hold. Only time will tell...

-O

O 

I love the Wolfpack products. They fit very well needing minimal trimming.

Your riveting looks good PJ.  A riveter is a tool I still do not have. It keeps getting bumped down on 'to get' list by other things.  Right now I am looking for a replacement to my dremel and a more powerfule blower for my spray booth. Kit Aquisition Syndrome is getting in the way as well!

cbaltrin

Your riveting looks good PJ.  A riveter is a tool I still do not have. It keeps getting bumped down on 'to get' list by other things.  Right now I am looking for a replacement to my dremel and a more powerfule blower for my spray booth. Kit Aquisition Syndrome is getting in the way as well!

 

Thanks cb. I highly recommend the one I’m using. It has several wheels for different scales and simply attaches to the reliable xacto handle. About a year or two back I got a nice adjustable speed rotary tool on eBay. Shop there and Amazon for a decent set.

Looks so plain before and looks so good after 

castelnuovo

Looks so plain before and looks so good after 

 

 

Well, I am crackin' the Wasp open

OK gang, I've made some more progress on my Tigercat. Once I had all the major subassemblies together, it was time to spray some paint. Before I could do that though, I needed to get the canopy squared away. That's where I ran into my first major problem of the build.

As I was sawing the canopy from its sprue, I had a minor mishap. The canopy tore away from the sprue and lost a big chuck of a corneras a result.

To fix it, I glued a small strip of styrene to the inside of the canopy. This would act as a backing for some filler.

Some careful masking and filling with Tamiya White putty...

Led me to an acceptable end.

But that wasn't the only problem with the transparencies. The parts themselves are too narrow for the cockpit opening. I had to use a spreader to keep the canopy at the correct width while the glue dried.

Once the canopy was set, the windscreen was a little easier. I was able to press down on the windscreen to spread it to the correct width while its glue dried. 

After that, it was time to paint!

I used various blues over the Mr. Surfacer primer to help break up the ultimate Sea Blue finish.

I still need to go back with a (very) thin coat of the Sea Blue to tie things together, but I'm happy with the results. I was looking for a blotchy weathered look, and I think I got pretty close.

That's where things with the Tigercat stand as of now. I have to go back to work tomorrow, so there might not be any progress made until next weekend. As soon as I can post some more progress, I will. 

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more. Your questions, comments, and/or criticisms are welcome. 

Thanks for lookin'!

-O

Looking good oortiz. Nice save on the canopy.

Little progress on the Wasp

Suspension and chassis done. Everything fits perfectly but the small parts are quite a challenge for my shanking hands so slow progress.

That looks really sharp castelnuovo, lots of detail on there.

Holly molly, that looks fantastic.