Fleet Air Arm Group Build

Hmmmmm, something tells me that I just may have to make the F4-B my main entry for this GB.

Mike,

If we ask REALLY nice, will you PLEASE build the F4-B with the VF-84 markings?  PRETTY PLEASE?

No way I'm missing this, Darren!! I'm in with my 1/72 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair! Might even motivate me to build that 1/48 Hasegawa F4-B w/the Black Box 'pit and VF-84 markings that have been sitting in my stash like forever!

...and Darren!!!

Alright where to start?

Frank, that tank is going to look sweet when it's finished

Darren, my friend  Hope you have a great year.

Darren, You can put me down for the USN/USMC build  I have a number of ideas.  Let me finish whats on my plate first and I will let you know.  I'm so jazzed about the FAA still going

Roy

Darren,

Sounds good to me mate!  I like the April idea too, that's coming up pretty soon!

Gentlemen...........

after reading your posts it strikes me that most of you are happy to continue on this thread to begin our USN/USMC group build. With that in mind, may I suggest that we have a April 2008 start date? That would be the one year anniversary of our FAA GB.

Also, we need a name for it, my thinking has taken me to USN Fleet Air Wings GB (USNFAWGB)

We will have the same rules as before, only I will update the page 1 post with an extra heading  for the new GB so we can all see who is building what.......I hope this is OK with you chaps..

As for a new GB badge.......any takers? I'll have a crack at doing one later. 

Please let me know if you are happy with all this! 

Frank,

well mate, thats some lovely work you are doing with that Corsair! I just know this one is gonna be good!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARREN!

All the best from the cast and crew of the FAA GB!

CHEERS!

razordws wrote:

Frank, your sick... get help

LOL- I tried, but the doctors told me to go away!

I really feel for ya on those decals, sounds like EXACTLY the same problem I had last year on my Tamiya Spit with those Aeromasters.  Ended up using some from the old Monogram kit instead, along with the super-thick roundels from the Tamiya kit.  But, in the ned it turned out well so HANG IN THERE! 

Darren- I totally missed that, to you my friend!  This calls for some rum, and I'm buying the first round!

A mystery build?  Sounds VERY intriguing!  When do we get to se it?

Frank, your sick... get help

Darson, a mystery build eh?  Ok then, keep us on pins and needles if you like.  Oh... by the way!!

Well, I feel like a real tool tonight.  The decals didn't look any better after the second application of micro sol this morning so tonight I took them off.  Of course they did some minor damage to the decals underneath even though they had been futured and OF COURSE, I HAD TO start poking around trying to fix them and OF COURSE, I MADE IT WORSE!!!   Looks like I'll be doing some paint touch ups and applying new decals AGAIN!!!  Don't ya just love this hobby!   Stay tuned, I'll finish this little yet

Mike and Darren- thanks guys!  I appreciate the feedback.

Good point, never thought about that Darren.  Hmmm... what to do?

Frank, damn that's nice work I can't wait to see the rest of the build.

Guys my vote would be to keep both builds here.  I believe from past experience on this site that if you start a new thread for the USN builds this one will wither and die off.

Also, it was my birthday the other day and my lovely wife surprised me with a really nice 1/48th kit.  It's my little secret project at the moment but all going to plan I'll be posting updates here soon.

ruddratt wrote:

That is just insanely great work, my friend! 2 hours!!?? Those tanks look amazing!! Better give that Dremel a well-deserved siesta!

Thanks Mike!  My intention is to try to replicate this look:

I really want them to look beat up, scratched and dented.  Think I will probably even paint them differently to show the nature of really old drop tanks being used as napalm tanks. 

namrednef wrote:

I say keep both GB's here.....why not? Since as you said, the FAA idea is going to be long-lived.

Absolutely Darren!! I may even crack open that Tamiya Swordfish I had origionally planned on doing for this GB ooohh-so-many posts ago!

Also, are we still going to be displaying the builds of our gift exchange kits here as well?

That is just insanely great work, my friend!

2 hours!!?? Those tanks look amazing!! Better give that Dremel a well-deserved siesta!

OK, here are some pics of my Corsair.  A couple of them are from last year, while I was building the interior.  Recently, I painted the insides of the fuse so I could install the previously finished cockpit.  I think only the FAA Corsairs had the black over-painted seats, but I am going to put it into this USMC 'bird anyway.  Don't tell anyone!

This weekend, I started on the napalm tanks.  I used various sizes of round burs in a motor tool to thin them from the insides to paper thickness.  This way, I can just lightly push my fingertip into them from the outside and it leaves nice little dents and wrinkles in the surface.  It takes a lot of finesse to thin them down w/o boring right through them, luckily my line of work really helps.  Each tank half took almost one half hour to do, that's two hours of grinding!  Here's a photo showing one of them done next to one that isn't:

I also weighed them on a gem scale to see how much material I actually removed.  Before grinding, each tank weighed 1.9 grams.  Afterwards, they weighed .8 grams each.  Quite a substantial amount!

Daywalker wrote:

I think we should keep the FAAGB as it stands, and start a separate one for any follow on builds.  That way, the FAAGB will go on indefinately so we can always come back and build another FAA bird.  Whaddya think?

  What would we call it?  Fleet Air Wing of America, FAWA

Roy

I forgot to add the main reason I want to keep it here, I just like the group we formed here.  For a bunch of us this was our first GB. 

I just think the upmost of the guys that are in this build.  I have only talked to one of you on the phone I do consider the core group friends.  Sorry about getting all eyed. 

Roy

I think we should keep the FAAGB as it stands, and start a separate one for any follow on builds.  That way, the FAAGB will go on indefinately so we can always come back and build another FAA bird.  Whaddya think?

Darren- Thanks Cap'n!  I'll post pics tonight when I get home.

Dave- Chin up, mate!  Sounds like the same problem I had with my Spitfire roundels last year.  I ended up using about 4 gallons (OK, maybe not QUITE that much!) of micro-sol to help them.  They did get better, but never went completely down like I wanted them to.  Good luck, and let us know how it works out!

I say we keep this one going.  Maybe we could use the same badge with and updated look.  FAA and her Allies?  As for the parameters, same as FAA but to include USN and USMC.

Since Darren is the only one that can update the main page with the who and what I vote for him to be the Supreme Allied Commander

As it stands right now I still have my FAA Corsair to build and an 2 SBDs (NZ or USN or USMC), 1 UH-1 (USN) and a F-4 (USN) for the US side.  I also want to build a Harrier, Helldiver and Devastator down the road

Roy

Heh....tell me about it! My stash is growing quickly and very, very top heavy with carrier a/c....which of course can be made into USMC versions.

What are the parameters of the USN/USMC GB? 

Sounds good to me 'Nam.

BTW, many thanks for the info on the USN Air Wings. Y'know, I just might build a fighter from both ocean air wings........but I gotta build a Corsair too.

and a Helldiver............and a Hellcat and a Tigercat....................

Gee Darren,

I believe it was called the Fleet Air Wing when I was in the USN in the 70's. The commanders of the wings were called ComAirPac and ComAirLant for the respective oceans. But not being an airdale.....I'm not certain.

I say keep both GB's here.....why not? Since as you said, the FAA idea is going to be long-lived.

Nam 

BTW, what do you American chaps call your FAA? Is it Carrier Air Wing? or Fleet Air Wing?

Just wondering...........

Guys,

this thread will run and run because I have a lot of FAA aircraft to build! (Latest intell also indicates that there are other lads out there with more FAA kits to build!)

I am looking forward to our USN/USMC GB as well and that got me thinking.......are you fella's happy to continue on this thread? or would you like to start a new one?  

I am more than happy for us to carry on over here as we are with a new GB badge, etc. but if you want to start a new thread-why not? I think it could be pretty cool. Perhaps, we could have an American Captain?

Just an idea..............What are everyone's thoughts on this?