WWII Carrier Aircraft Design GB (Starts Now -- Ends November 30, 2006)

TryintoModel

Member since
November 2003

Posted by TryintoModel on Wednesday, May 3, 2006 8:32 PM

Thanks for the comments guys! I'm tryin to get better. Smile [:)]

But I keep running into problems when building my models, like that canopy, lol. Just don't ask for a picture from the other side until I get that fixed, hehe.

Yep, those are the Tamiya's decals. I've heard people don't like them and they definately start out seeming way too thick. However, I have been pleased with them after applying several applications of microsol. I first use microset to prepare the area. Then I just use water to get the decal off. After applying the decal, I use microsol as soon as I can without the decal accidentally moving. I applied a lots of coats of microsol and I had to use a stick pin to poke a few air bubbles that I couldn't brush out. But in the end, they turned out nicely. I'll also add that I was a bit nervous with what appeared to be silvering on the clear areas of the a few decals in the middle of the microsol application time. However, it slowly went away, thank goodness. Just kinda scared me a bit. Only a few did this, but still.

Reply

espins1

Member since
December 2002
From: Reno, NV

Posted by espins1 on Thursday, May 4, 2006 12:54 PM

TryintoModel, man, I still can't get over how great your decals turned out. I'm going to try again to get mine to hunker down like yours. Thanks for the tips. Smile [:)]

Scott Espin - IPMS Reno High Rollers My Reviews

Reply

TryintoModel

Member since
November 2003

Posted by TryintoModel on Thursday, May 4, 2006 4:23 PM

Good luck, espins. Lemme know how it turns out.

Reply

Jaypack55

Member since
October 2005
From: Tacoma, WA

Posted by Jaypack55 on Sunday, May 7, 2006 12:47 AM

Sorry it took me so long!

here's my kit I'm working on for the build. It's Arii's F6F-3, modified to an F6F-5. It's painted as "white 11" on the USS Randolph in 1944-45. I added a True details cockpit, as well as some scratchbuilt detail.

Sorry I only have one picture (my photobucket account can only be accessed from home, where my connection is 33.6 kbps, and it takes FOREVER to upload pictures, I'll try to get some more later)

Q's/ Comments would be appreciated!

-Josh

Current Builds: If I were to list everything I have in progress, it'd take way too long! Some notable inclusions:

Hasegawa 1:48 KI-84

Tamiya 1:48 P-51D (in Iwo Jima long-range escort markings)

4 (yes, four) Tamiya 1:48 F4U-1s (1x -1D, 1x -1A, and 2x -1s)

Reply

gwaihir

Member since
October 2003
From: Everett, WA

Posted by gwaihir on Sunday, May 7, 2006 2:07 AM

Looks good Josh. Nice choice of scheme. The white areas make it look really sharp. Is that the hellcat's engine in the background?
Leon

Click the banner to see my builds.

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Sunday, May 7, 2006 9:59 AM

Looks great from here Jaypack. Nice work.

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

TryintoModel

Member since
November 2003

Posted by TryintoModel on Sunday, May 7, 2006 10:53 AM

Nice work Jaypack! Neat scheme.

Here is my relatively finished 1/48 Tamiya F4F-4 Wildcat. There are still a couple of things I could touch up or fix, like I just noticed I forgot the navigation lights... grrr. But, oh well, I'm pleased with it. I'm still trying to get better at picture taking so sorry about the quality of the photos. Enjoy.

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Sunday, May 7, 2006 11:13 AM

Nice work on the Wildcat Tryintomodel. Looks great.

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Sunday, May 7, 2006 11:21 AM

Finally have some more progress to report on the Firefly. Being a Limited Run kit, it takes a little more effort than the typical Hasegawa or Tamiya kit, but hopefully will be worth it. All major construction is now complete.

Next step is priming which I plan to do today. Then clean up any visible BooBoos & proceed to final painting. Getting there, slow but sure Smile [:)] .

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

TryintoModel

Member since
November 2003

Posted by TryintoModel on Sunday, May 7, 2006 11:32 AM

rjkplasticmod - looking great! and nice pictures too. I just can't seem to get that nice even focus in my pictures. I've tried messing with the setting, but still can't seem to get anything like the quality of yours. I know I first need to get a tripod, but I've tried by just setting the camera on books and it still doesn't seem to come out right.

Dave

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Sunday, May 7, 2006 11:54 AM

Thanks Dave. As far as pics goes, a good tripod & proper lighting will go a long way to improve quality. Software such as Photoshop can also help out a lot.

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

gwaihir

Member since
October 2003
From: Everett, WA

Posted by gwaihir on Sunday, May 7, 2006 12:13 PM

TryintoModel, I mentioned it over in the aircraft area, but it is worth repeating - nice work on the wildcat.

Rick, As always, great work! It is easy to tell that that is going to look really nice when done. What all did you have to do to get it together nice? So far I haven't tried a limited run kit, but would like to try one of these days.

Leon

Click the banner to see my builds.

Reply

espins1

Member since
December 2002
From: Reno, NV

Posted by espins1 on Sunday, May 7, 2006 1:07 PM

Great job on your Wildcat TryintoModel! Looks fantastic! Thumbs Up [tup]

I hope to have mine finished in the next coupld of days.

Scott Espin - IPMS Reno High Rollers My Reviews

Reply

arki30

Member since
February 2004
From: Second City

Posted by arki30 on Sunday, May 7, 2006 1:58 PM

tryingtomodel - Love the Wildcat. Nice subtle weathering.

Rick - Good progress on the Firefly. The airframe reminds me of a cross between a Warhawk and a Typhoon. Interesting aircraft.

Building Now:

1/48 Academy Bf-109G6 - 100%

1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A - 5%

Upcoming:

1/48 Revell F-14D

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Sunday, May 7, 2006 6:35 PM

Thanks Guys.

Leon, Limited Run kits are produced from molds that have a short life span. In Industry such molds are usually limited to prototype work. They are much less expensive to tool, but have some drawbacks. Because they are low pressure molds, all of the sprues , or runners, have to be larger diameter & the joins to the actual parts are much thicker than what you would see in a typical Hasegawa/Tamiya kit. The plastic used is usually quite soft & the parts are thicker as well, also because of the lower pressure molding. Add to that the massive ejector pin stubs & you have a lot of clean up to do on each & every part before you can even think about starting assembly. There are no locating pins or molded in placement guides, so great care must be used in assembly to make sure parts are aligned & in the proper position. Tail planes & sometimes the wings are usually just butt joins to the fuselage, no slot & tab construction aids are provided. Fit ranges from good to poor depending on the kit. This one had fair fit, but some filler was needed on every join, along with the needed sanding. Definitely not beginners kits, but any modeler that has developed intermediate skills should be able to handle them.

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

gwaihir

Member since
October 2003
From: Everett, WA

Posted by gwaihir on Monday, May 8, 2006 9:14 AM

Thanks Rick, That gives me a great idea of what I'll be up against if I ever get one. Some of the subjects that you see in the non Tamiya / Hasegawa range are really interesting...

Leon

Click the banner to see my builds.

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Monday, May 8, 2006 10:01 AM

gwaihir wrote:

Thanks Rick, That gives me a great idea of what I'll be up against if I ever get one. Some of the subjects that you see in the non Tamiya / Hasegawa range are really interesting...

Leon

Very true Leon. The Limited Run kits are more work, but rewarding. It's very doubtful that the big boys would ever tool some of the very interesting subjects the Short Run guys tackle. At least they are mostly easier than Vac Forms Smile [:)] .

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

Jaypack55

Member since
October 2005
From: Tacoma, WA

Posted by Jaypack55 on Monday, May 8, 2006 12:25 PM

gwaihir wrote:
Looks good Josh. Nice choice of scheme. The white areas make it look really sharp. Is that the hellcat's engine in the background? Leon

yes it is. don't know who made it, but I know it's a resin R-2800.

-Josh

Current Builds: If I were to list everything I have in progress, it'd take way too long! Some notable inclusions:

Hasegawa 1:48 KI-84

Tamiya 1:48 P-51D (in Iwo Jima long-range escort markings)

4 (yes, four) Tamiya 1:48 F4U-1s (1x -1D, 1x -1A, and 2x -1s)

Reply

wooverstone8

Member since
December 2003
From: Olympia, WA

Posted by wooverstone8 on Monday, May 8, 2006 8:45 PM

I’ve seen some fascinating subjects that were only available in limited run kits.

JoeRugby- Excellent work on the wildcat, lot of nice detail.

gwaihir – extraordinary work on the cockpit, it’s very nicely done.

Jaypack55 – nice progress, fine job on the paint

TryintoModel – Beautiful work on the Wildcat. The weathering looks very awesome. Thumbs Up [tup]

rjkplastimod – nice progress, you gotta love those limited run kits Wink [;)]

Sorry again for my two weeks absents. I’ve just been overwhelmed with school, work and sports. For the last two months I’ve been beat into complete submission. I finished Track last week Big Smile [:D] , so now I should have more free time at the moment to continue my hobbies. I’ll post progress on my FM-Wildcat once I get into a reasonable stage.

Reply

TryintoModel

Member since
November 2003

Posted by TryintoModel on Monday, May 8, 2006 9:23 PM

Thanks wooverstone8!

Now I have a completely idiotic thing to ask, but if you dont ever ask you never know. Several people have commented on my weathering. But I didn't do much weathering and I would love to know what you guys like about it.

I tried to accent the panel lines slightly with a sludge wash. Not too dark, but dark enough that they the panel lines stand out. On the gun stains, I tried to create a very light stain around the gun ports and down the wing. Sometimes I would think it was too much and I kept wiping it off. Finally, there was just a slightly darker area and it seemed to look sorta realistic, so I left it. I didn't do much paint chipping. I thought about doing more, but I couldn't quite decide where and how much. I figured less was better.

I hate to sound like I don't know what I'm doing... but I really don't, lol. So I would like to hear what appealed to you guys about the weathering or anything else. What you don't like is also helpful, although I'm sure I can also point out a few things too. Smile [:)]

Reply

espins1

Member since
December 2002
From: Reno, NV

Posted by espins1 on Monday, May 8, 2006 9:30 PM

Well, what jumped out at me first was the incredible job you did on the decals. The other is the the tint of blue that you used is perfect, looks nice and faded. And you did a great job with the streaks from the guns. All together it looks really, really good. Smile [:)]

Scott Espin - IPMS Reno High Rollers My Reviews

Reply

razordws

Member since
September 2004
From: Vernon, BC, Canada

Posted by razordws on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 12:04 AM

Tryingtomodel; The Wildcat looks awesome and the carrier deck base is a nice touch. Great job!!!

Rick; Looking good.

Dave

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 12:06 PM

Thanks Dave Smile [:)] . Got her primed & ready for final painting.

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

arki30

Member since
February 2004
From: Second City

Posted by arki30 on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 7:47 PM

Bump.

Building Now:

1/48 Academy Bf-109G6 - 100%

1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A - 5%

Upcoming:

1/48 Revell F-14D

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Friday, May 19, 2006 10:31 AM

Some progress made on the Firefly. Painting is now complete & she's all Futured & ready for decals. Should have this bird done & on the shelf sometime next week.