Fleet Air Arm Group Build

It's really good to put some faces to names and learn a little about you guys aside from what sort of models you build, thanks for posting.

I didn't mention in my blurb that I have two little girls 8 and 4 who aren't into kit building so much but they do love to paint Games Workshop figures in their own unique color schemes.  It's pretty cool actually as the oldest is now learning about base coats, shading, highlighting, dry brushing & washes etc.  You never know they may turn out champion figure painters one day.

On modeling front, Darren I thought that the Corsair came with droppable elevators, or is it droppable flaps that I'm thinking of?

Cheers

I think posting the pics of ourselves is a great idea too, Leon & Darren. It's been a fun GB so far, and that just made it even better.

As to your question Leon, I know the lines you are talking about on the Corsair. Most times I will sand over panel lines and rescribe them later. Heck, I just finished assembling the wings on my Hurricane, and there must have been at least 8 or 9 panel lines that wrapped around each leading edge. I figured sanding the entire leading edge was the best way to assure a seamless look, but now comes the task of rescribing all those lines. It's time consuming, but I think it's worth it.

Mike,

I checked the canopy on my Corsair and there's a problem.  If I go and cut it into two parts it sliding part will not fit over the fuselage. It is too thick plus too narrow to fit properly.  I was looking at the squadron website and the have a two part canopy for the 1/72 Hasegawa Corsair.  So it seems I will go with that. 

Roy

Good point

Something else I want to try, cutting the flaps, rudder and control surfaces.  I have never attempted these before but there has to be a first.  I'm going to do the flaps first and see how that goes.  If it goes smoothly then I will move to the rudder and so on.  My goal is to enhance the over all look of the kit.  Plus practice some skill building. 

Roy

Drum roll please........

Took this shot will on our annual pilgramage to the shores of North Carolina last year.  On a personal note, I have a wife and 13 yr. old son who has little interest in modeling at this point.  Too many other activities at the moment....

Hey Bob, I sunk the Tirpitz with a buddy of mine on the Carolina Coast back in 78... heh heh

Here is a shot of my wife and me from a few years back.  We were at a Lobster feed at an old neighbors house, her brother had flown to Reno from main and had brought an ice chest full of fresh lobster!   

This photo really demonstrates the contrast between my German and my Italian wife's skin  

OK, here's me.  I'm a 69 year old retired Automotive Engineer.  Been building models most of my life.  For the last several years, my main focus has been on 1/48 WWII Aircraft, although I dabble in other scales & genres once in a while.  Recently I've been fooling with the new 1/48 Armor kits from Tamiya.  Just finished my third & starting the fourth, & having some fun with them as a change of pace.  In addition to modeling, my other long time hobbies are photography & golf.  Married to the same Gal for 48 years, have 2 grown kids & 3 grandsons.

Hope I didn't damage any monitors with the mug shot .

Regards,  Rick

This is awesome!!

Bob, Scott, & Rick......it's great to be able to see the faces that go with the names and at the same time learn a bit about our fellow modelers! Thanks for sharing, guys!

..and Rick, no worries....the monitor is just fine.

Leon,

I know exactly what you mean, that lovely bit of detail and there's a seam right the way through it!

Well I asked myself the same question......so I went back to look at a previous build of the same kit I did a couple of years ago and it all came back to me.

I removed that bit of seam with a new scalpel blade then got in close with some wet sanding cloth. I lost some of the small rectangle, but saved the circle detail. It was a pain in the rear to do, but worth it. I was not brave enough to try and restore the central rectangle so I left it as is.  With some weathering, it looked OK when finished. I'll tryy and get some pics up for you to have a look at if you like?

chester101 wrote:

One question about painting invasion stripes, on a lightning i have been working on i found that i couldn`t get the stripes on straight on the tail booms, does anyone have any advice on how to get these straight? Alain

Hi Alain,

I have not built a lightening myself, however here's how I would tackle it.......

Get some good quality low tack masking tape and on the side of the boom mask a straight edge by placing the tape on the highest bump facing you. When thats stuck on, pull the tape over the lower surfaces by stretching the tape gently then pressing it into place, trying to maintain the straight edge. Continue by overlapping the tape all around the boom in the same way keeping the same straight edge by slightly bending/pulling the tape into position.

This is not easy and often fustrating....but with patience it does work.

I hope this helps you out. 

darson wrote:

It's really good to put some faces to names and learn a little about you guys aside from what sort of models you build, thanks for posting. I didn't mention in my blurb that I have two little girls 8 and 4 who aren't into kit building so much but they do love to paint Games Workshop figures in their own unique color schemes.  It's pretty cool actually as the oldest is now learning about base coats, shading, highlighting, dry brushing & washes etc.  You never know they may turn out champion figure painters one day. On modeling front, Darren I thought that the Corsair came with droppable elevators, or is it droppable flaps that I'm thinking of? Cheers

Its the flaps that come with the kit, elevators have to be done the hard way.......

Bob, Scott, Rick,

really good to see you! This is such a great thread! It is a real pleasure to see all of you here and to get to know you too. Thanks!

Right, dinner is on the table so I'm off!

Thanks for the advice on the corsair guys. Tango, I would love to see some pictures of what you did; after reading your post, I think I will try to work around it and save as much as I can. Also, after reading other people's corsair posts I am thinking about cutting out and positioning elevators, etc. - we'll see, is it worth the extra work?

Now for my picture:

Me and wife:

My modeling buddy: (I don't have kids, so he is mine)

Hope all is well.

Leon 

Bob, Scott, Leon, and Rick-

Good to see you guys!  It's really cool to be able to add faces to everyone.  Who's next?

Hey Leon-

Good to see you!

here's a pic of the first Corsair I built......

Not the best pic in the world.....but you get the idea.

Mmmmm......the circle does'nt show up too good in that last pic!

OK, here's what I have done to my FAA Corsair, hopefully these pics will be better to see what I'm on about.

This is how my fuselage looks after sanding....there is a faint seam line there,but its smooth so the paint should conceal it.

The dropped elevators, I had trouble here....make sure you know which parts go port and starboard....I got it wrong first time round and they would'nt fit to the airframe properly!

More butchery! Wings and flaps glued together.

And there's more! No extra charge either!

Here is how my Hellcat is doing. Got a nice gloss coat on her tonight in preperation for those dreaded Airfix decals.

BTW...if you ever build one of these-watch out for the belly tank, the fit is terrible! 

TANGO 1 wrote:

chester101 wrote: One question about painting invasion stripes, on a lightning i have been working on i found that i couldn`t get the stripes on straight on the tail booms, does anyone have any advice on how to get these straight? Alain Hi Alain, I have not built a lightening myself, however here's how I would tackle it....... Get some good quality low tack masking tape and on the side of the boom mask a straight edge by placing the tape on the highest bump facing you. When thats stuck on, pull the tape over the lower surfaces by stretching the tape gently then pressing it into place, trying to maintain the straight edge. Continue by overlapping the tape all around the boom in the same way keeping the same straight edge by slightly bending/pulling the tape into position. This is not easy and often fustrating....but with patience it does work. I hope this helps you out.

If I may, I would use a very narrow piece of tape.  1-2 mm wide, this will allow you to make a nice straight circle around the boom.  Then go ahead and fill it in with regular width tape.  It's a lot easier to make cures with a narrow piece verses a wide piece.

Roy

Darren,

You've been a busy boy!  You must not have a day job with the speed at which you are progressing.   Seriously, you are really making progress on those, and that Hellcat looks AWESOME!!!  Can't wait to see her all dressed up.

Was somebody bidding on a set of 1/48 FAA Corsair decals on Ebay?  I got outbid.   Just wondering.

Here's a pic of the Corsair I finished a few months ago.  1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A, just thought I would post a pic!

i have to say that the invasion strips give the aircraft a neat look, I love it.

Roy

Darren, the 'cat is really progressing nicely! Great work on the stripes.

Frank, very nice work on the Corsair as well!

2 guys!

The wife and I will be out of town from tomorrow morning until Saturday afternoon, but I've been working like a fiend on the Sea 'cane. Basic assembly is almost completed, and she should be ready for some paint by Sunday, when I'll post some pics.

Some (sort of) bad news....after separating the one-piece canopy, I found that the back section will sit too high to display open, so finished pics of it will be with the sliding section either closed or omitted until I can nail myself a V-form replacement.

Looks good Darren.  Nice work on the invasion stripes.

Regards,  Rick

Thanks Frank, 

Heh-heh!

I had a day off today! Hence why I've been busy.

Love that Corsair of yours , you have a real talent for painting and finishing. The paint job on that one is superb.

Roy, Mike and Rick,

Thanks for your kind words fella's -much appreciated.

I'll be glad to get the markings on the Hellcat, been looking forward to that bit for a while.

ruddratt wrote:

Darren, the 'cat is really progressing nicely! Great work on the stripes. Frank, very nice work on the Corsair as well! 2 guys! The wife and I will be out of town from tomorrow morning until Saturday afternoon, but I've been working like a fiend on the Sea 'cane. Basic assembly is almost completed, and she should be ready for some paint by Sunday, when I'll post some pics. Some (sort of) bad news....after separating the one-piece canopy, I found that the back section will sit too high to display open, so finished pics of it will be with the sliding section either closed or omitted until I can nail myself a V-form replacement.

That bits, it's the same problem I have with my Corsair.

Roy

Thanks alot for the advice, i`ll give those a try

 Alain

Good evening gentlemen........

Its the weekend!

I intend to eat, drink and be merry.

Wherever you are in the world I hope you are happy and well, CHEERS!