Strategic Air Command GroupBulid

Finished the B-47E this morning and mailed it out:

More pictures posted in the 'aircraft' forum: /forums/844857/ShowPost.aspx#844857

Wow! Very nice!!!!!!!

C'mon, level with me. You went and got another base that was already professionally stained and lacquered. Didn'tcha?

Don't forget to let us know how Gramps gets your present!

Thanks fellas.

The wood base did come out nice, huh?  That was my first experience
with staining a dark red color.  I recommend MiniWax water-based stains
for their end result, and for their low toxicity.  I clear coated with spray
acrylic. 

Regards. Grandpa should get it on Monday, so we'll find out then!

I have to say that my favorite part is the fact that you have a dark base for a light colored aircraft- adds alot of contrast and at least in my mind, makes it look kinda like that of a trophy.

Finally finished all the corrections that i could with the U-2R project, and i've got the final coat of paint dryin. I'm hoping that either tomorrow or the next day, i'll be able to move on with my next unfamiliar step- applying the future! Who knows? Maybe i might have my build done by the end of next weekend?

That being said, just to give you guys a heads up, i might possibly be disappearing for a few days here. Seems we have a little fire brewin here, and i don't know if i might be flying in support of that yet. No one has said anything to me, so i have no idea. But i figured i give my modelling buddies a heads up- just in case

I'll post pics as soon as i can

My Grandpa got the model today.  He was very pleased and
suprised, and called me to say thanks.  Last year I built him
a P-51H, and this time a B-47E.  I've got about 3 or 4 other
planes that I can build for him before I have to come up with
a new gift idea! LOL 

IL2windhawk wrote:

My Grandpa got the model today.  He was very pleased and suprised, and called me to say thanks.  Last year I built him a P-51H, and this time a B-47E.  I've got about 3 or 4 other planes that I can build for him before I have to come up with a new gift idea! LOL

I knew he'd love it! But i'm glad (and surprised0 to know that he got it pretty quickly!

So what's he gonna get next year?

Yep, priority mail rocks.  2-3 days usually.  Cost me $6.
I still don't understand why people complain about the
post office.  In my opinion, they are one of the most
efficient and effective government facilities. 

$6 to ship a 12x12x12 box 1000 miles in 2 days is a good deal!

My choices for future builds:
P-40
P-47
F-86

He also flew the T-6 in basic training, then the C-47 on
occasion to keep his flight hours current.

Wish my confidance was that good in the postal service. I have been burned by them in times past. But i'm glad it worked out well for ya though!

And my vote goes to the P-47 the next time around! My

Well guys, here are some pictures of the progress i've made over the last couple of days:

As you can see, i've got her in a new coat of paint. One thing i learned about using putty (since this is the first time i've used it) is that you really don't know how well you've sanded it down until you have paint on it. At least that is the case with me. I had thought i sanded enough, but after putting the first coat of paint, the putty was still kinda rough. Actually, there are still parts on the wings that are still kinda rough, especially around the pods. But with the angle of them and the wings, it really made it difficult to really get in there. I kinda wonder if i really needed to putty them at all.

Another angle of the aircraft. Oh, did ya notice how crude my "spray booth" is? An oatmeal box and covering the bench with newspapers. I've already got a good idea in mind for a small booth that would be apartment friendly that would work for my bench. But, i'll save that idea for a little bit later.

And here's a shot of the underside. As you can see, i've got a little overspray to kinda clean up. Mostly in the forward wheel well and inside the exhaust. Once i touch up those areas, my next step will be applying the future (another first) and get ready for decals. But i'm a little hesitant about proceeding for the time being here though. If you take a closer look, you might be able to see dust and ash and such covering. With the fires raging here in Southern California, the air quality is pretty ugly. EVERYTHING in my apartment is covered in dust and ash to the point where everything is about 3-4 shades darker. Not exactly ideal conditions for applying paint and acrylic when the home office/study/hobby room is not exactly all that well ventilated. So for the time being, all i think i really can do is just keep dusting her off and hope that things calm down here soon.

   And i'm still wrestling with the warped canopy. I can't seem to get it to straighten it out. I don't want to, but i may have to display with the canopy open to hide the imperfection.

   But the good news is that my commpressor is good to go and the airbrushes are working like a charm! Hows that for a silver lining?

You build is looking awesome! 

I totally agree with you about the putty after painting.  I always
call the primer layer the "moment of truth".  I hate finding defects
in the paint because in my experience, paint does not sand very well.

The best way that I've found to evaluate a putty profile before
painting is to hold the model in the light such that a glare will
reflect over the putty area.  Usually, that will negate the
visualization difficulties associated with the two differnent
colored materials (putty & plastic).

As a last resort, if you have areas that you can't get a perfectly
smooth surface on, just hit them with a few coats of heavy paint:
almost enough that it starts to run, but doesn't.  I don't use future
on my models (except canopies), but that might absorb the bumps
too.

If it's just the AFT section of the canopy that is warped, you might
be able to use a piece of clear plastic to replace it.  Or call the
model manufacturer.  I've had replacement parts rush delivered  
for little or no cost many times before (all from Revell-Mono, i think)

Good Luck.  Looking great!

Thanks! One thing i also forgot to mention on the putty is that when it came to sanding, you really have to be careful if you are working with a kit that has raised lines. Now, i'm nowhere near proficient enough to attempt rescribing, so for now, i'm content with the raised lines. However, when you have those lines running into the seams, they tend to get in the way. There are some spots where the lines have been completely sanded off. But from where i stood, it was either that or not sand the excess putty at all.

And as for the canopy, i think it might be worth a shot to at least contact Testors/Italeri about it. The downside is that this particular kit is OOP. I know the newer version has the Senior Span, but i honestly don't know if this is based on the same moulds or if it's a completely different kit.

But, i have EVERY intention to get my hands on this same exact kit for my stash while they still pop up on ebay. Down the road when my skills get better, i am soooooooooo gonna do this kit again right!

For your reference, you can recreate raised panel lines, but it's tricky.

To do it, you hold a sharp exacto knife against the plastic at
a 45-deg angle, then slice it.  The resulting cut will raise a line
of plastic out of the surface. 

It's tempting to try, but i think i'm gonna pass on attempting it. I doubt my skill level is that good!

I already know i have errors in this build, so i'll just accept the panel lines as being one of them. Hopefully my skills will improve before the SAC GB II

Well it's good to see you again!

   As for me, i just got done applying the future on my aircraft and i'm shooting for decaling on saturday. First time i've used the acrylic on any build, so in true fashion with this one, it most certainly is NOT perfect (i got a few runs, but nothing too bad). I'm not even sure i used enough future or not, but come saturday when i start decalling, i'll find out. I'm just hoping i wont end up with silvering here.

One thing about this build, she isn't gonna be the nicest one, but i've sure learned an awful lot here! Whew!

DesertRat wrote:

One thing about this build, she isn't gonna be the nicest one, but i've sure learned an awful lot here! Whew!

Glad to hear that.  I think you've got the right attitude.
Before you know it, you'll be cranking out masterpieces.

FMM,

How about some photos of your 48th SR-71?

Darwin, O.F. 

Yeah, i'd love to see the SR-71 progress too!

For some reason, i'm seein those kits a-plenty now, and i'm thinking about picking one up at some point!

Thanks steelrudi,  well here's some pictures of my SR-71.

Lots of filler, and sanding.  Whats left is the engains, and more work on the bottom towards the back. 

steelrudi wrote:

I have two 1/48 scale combi-kits from testor's that have the U-2 and SR-71.  Plus know where I can get two more.  Watching D-Rats build, has given me ideas.  Nice big kit, that SR-71.  Fair detail too.

combi-kits? Really? I didn't know they made such a thing! I had been talking about redoing this kit down the road and i'm wondering if i can kill 2 birds with one stone here. Is it the U-2C in that combo kit? Or the U-2R?

FeldMarSchall Model wrote:

Thanks steelrudi,  well here's some pictures of my SR-71. Lots of filler, and sanding.  Whats left is the engains, and more work on the bottom towards the back.

That blackbird sure is lookin pretty so far! What's the overall length on that baby?