Fleet Air Arm Group Build

Started the paint on the FAA Corsair today.  This one is gonna be dirty so I decided to go with a pre-shade on this one.  Mixture is Tamiya brown and black.

Sean, Happy Anniversary!!!   I just passed the 19th mark myself earlier this month.  If it is not too much trouble I would like a copy of those directions at some point.  No rush though.

Frank, even your preshading is top notch perfect. 

Ritchie, stellar drawings amigo.  I agree that they should be framed and put up in your work space.

Congratulations Sean and Dave, and the other halves!!!!! Well done!!!!!

Sean, Bill, and Dave thank you for your comments fellas!!!! They are framed and hanging in my hallway right now. More to come eventually. Sean, no I have not ever really had a formal art class at all, other than art in 8th grade. But it was too general as most are!!! I wanted to draw airplanes!!!!!!! Nothing else!!!!! Mechanical things that have beauty and aesthetics all their own that only fans and mechanics can appreciate!!!! I put as much reserch into them as I do the plastic. The Zero I made a bit too dark a gray and the tail codes are supposed to be red not black, didn't know that until long after I had finished because I was going from a b&w pic. lol oops! I have alot of books with th 3-views in them and scale them up to what I'm drawing by measuring with a 100ths incremented ruler and calculator to convert the scale. No skimping or shortcuts!!!  I have a collection of drawings I started in '85 and has grown over the years that i have done in the railroad scale of Z, which is 1/220!!!! A Sopwith Camel and GeeBee R-1 is about 1" long!!! I do 1/72 now LOL!!! I'm not getting younger!!! Thinking of doing drawings of my models I complete, someting to think about anyways lol.

Frank, that is going to look stunning I can already tell!!!!! REALLY looking forward to seeing more pics!!!!!!!

Frank, very very clean airframe. That's the key to a great build.

Bring on that little tube steak Dee; we are ready!

Bring on that little tube steak Dee; we are ready!

Uh huh? Bartender I'll have what he is having!

Holy cow I think we have a replacement for the king of pop!  I can just hear him singing oooooo

Whooo wooooo! and moonwalking cross the decks!

Sure hope that is paint on them paints!

Anyways been working too much to keep up lately. Caught areak tonight happily. I have been working on some figures for the swordfish and have the tubular pits assembled.

 I added the Wonderful Prop to the Gladiator andit really was what it needed to shine in my view! Thanks Sean!  Strange way you packed it though? What a demented sense of humor you all have?

I am all flustered that I have been married 21 years you all are a bunch of rookies but concrats to all! Drinks all round!

Think that is bad Dee just informed me tonight that her birthday this year will mark the point to where she has been married to me for half her life!  ACK! More drinks!

 Ritchie those are great drawings! Nice curves and color!

 The best part is ITS ONLY MONDAY!!! IT"S ONLY MONDAY!!!!! WOO ! HOO! 

sfcmac wrote:

Bring on that little tube steak Dee; we are ready!   Uh huh? Bartender I'll have what he is having! Holy cow I think we have a replacement for the king of pop!  I can just hear him singing oooooo Whooo wooooo! and moonwalking cross the decks! Sure hope that is paint on them paints! Anyways been working too much to keep up lately. Caught areak tonight happily. I have been working on some figures for the swordfish and have the tubular pits assembled.  I added the Wonderful Prop to the Gladiator andit really was what it needed to shine in my view! Thanks Sean!  Strange way you packed it though? What a demented sense of humor you all have? I am all flustered that I have been married 21 years you all are a bunch of rookies but concrats to all! Drinks all round! Think that is bad Dee just informed me tonight that her birthday this year will mark the point to where she has been married to me for half her life!  ACK! More drinks!  Ritchie those are great drawings! Nice curves and color!  The best part is ITS ONLY MONDAY!!! IT"S ONLY MONDAY!!!!! WOO ! HOO!

Contest; we are waiting dear. Momentum is the issue, otherwise I'll have your husband shot.

Superglue? That explains the hair then!

Here are a few pics of the Gladiator!  Just cuz!

 I like it! Mucho fun!

 I need to mow the yard. Poor dog!

Aaron -Wow ~wee that Gladiator looks nice. Wanna finish up mine ? Only about another hundred or so bits of P/E left..

The prop looks perfect, it looks exactly like all the reference pics I have. What a great fit for it to be different kits.  What no pictures of the "Little something extra" in the packing ? Or did you misplace it somewhere ?  

I really like the Gladiator, I think when I get ready to add a few extras to the flight line I will pick up the Lindberg kit.  You did forget to add the "Dinghy Pack" though...

 Actually Just got to pick up a bit of blue paint as the prop packaging is also almost done!

 The Dingy pack was removed on the Malta Gladiators and wasn't really too common on the ones in combat action.  Weight saving I reckon. I think the Arrester hook was removed as well but wanted one on to show it was a Sea Gladiator! I even went to the trouble of converting an old Nate droptank to make the Dingy compartment just to find it wasn't there! Whatcha gonna do? Give and take I reckon. Did you download and watch that little 1 hour show on the Malta birds. Pretty cool both my boys sat through it and enjoyed it very much as well.

 Good Gravy! I missed Frank's Corsair!!!!!!  Wonderful Pre shading!  Has that burdcage look fer sure!  Didn't they have a little diff exhaust. Not much diff just stuck out more and had a wee bend?  

Mail lady and Dee are out front wrestling! Wonder what showed up? Could it be another FAA build? 

Thank you Ritchie! I am very happy that an old $10 kit can kinda jump out with a little love and help from my friends here.

 I actually watched that little movie again. It is so cool. Sorry I couldn't post the whole thing here but if you take the time to download it is is worth the effort!

http://www.mission4today.com/index.php?name=Downloads&file=details&id=2601

Aaron I have another database article to send you on the Baccaruda!!!!! Will get that off 2morra!!! I watched the lil movie and you are right!!!! It is very well done and you can really get a sense of what actually happened!!!!!! The game they got the graphics from I have!!!! They show it on the desk at the beginning, Pacific Fighters! Anyone that can get it DO, you won't be dissapointed!!!!! I have Il-2 and the expansions that combine both games!!! About as real as air combat on a computer alone can get!!!

Well done Mac, I'm loving that Gladiator!  Three cheers for those brave souls who held off the RA onslaught.  Can't even imagine what it musta been like.  True heroes in my book.

Richie- Sorry I forgot to comment on your drawings, thought I had but my advanced age is showing my memory to be lacking.  Or, was it my hearing that was going?  Can't remember...

Thanks for the comments all on the Corsair, glad to be working on one of the twins again.

LOL s'ok Frank!!! Ummmmm.......... what was it you forgot to ummmmmm..........comment on? (yeah that's it, I think)

Ritchie!? Your sending more on the Cuda! Too cool! I just got the Swordfish Stuff today! Thankyou! Those are some way cool and informative articles and the pics and exploded views are indeed useful !  I am glad I held back until they arrived! Thanks again!

 One of the things I played with in the interm was the packaging that the Gladiator prop arrived in!

 You fellows are keeping me busy bust busy!  All in good fun of course!

Aaron, superb job on the Gladiator.   I just had a look at the movie link you posted and loved it so much I pulled out my airfix kit to see which aircraft of the three it depicted and to my surprise it has all markings for all three.  Cool!    I'm off to pick up a couple more kits so that I can build them all.

As for the 1/144 SBC2, someone has a sick sense of Humor!  Wonder who that could be?

 Thanks Dave and Ritchie! Isn't that movie cool. I was skeptical when I saw it was computer animated graphics but it was such a cool story.  Does want to make you build all three of them.

 I just went out and got absolutely nothing I went for! I bought a chainsaw to take care of those trees on my back fence. Forgot the oil.  Left overs from Hurricane Ike still.  You still see the damaged roofs and torn up trees but what really grabs you is all the Mc Donalds golden arches are still hollow and see thru where all the plastic and lights where blown away.  Hope we don't get any more of those for another 100 years.

 Well since I can't do the yard work I planned on guess I shall jump on the bench!

Aaaccckkkk - A Chainsaw Holy Smokes ! 

I am with you - hopefully you wont ever see another storm like the last...

Aaron - What a Great job on that teeenie little SB2 I knew you would do such a terrific build that if you gave it a try... 

Now you can build a 1/72 and you will compare it to a 1/48 build..

Frank - After all the excitment I had to go back and find your corsair  I never have tried pre-shading yet.. maybe someday..  Guess first I would have to break uot one of thos kits without raised rivets and lines I am so fond of....  How long before the real color makes its debut ?

Yeah yeah! A chainsaw! May come in handy for some of those FM kits! I was feeling lazy so I sent Dee out for the oil and I mowed the grass as it barely rained yesterday.  Then I put on my best Bruce Campbell face and went to town!

Now the fresh mowed yard looks like this! 

Funny how trees look smaller until you cut them up! Most is still on the other side of the fence thankfully!

 Time for a shower! Still hotter than heck outside then to the bench!

Aaron- Splendid work on that little gem, I love it!  Little Nammy looks quite chuffed with it as well.

Sean- Thank you!  I am hoping to add some base colors tonight or tomorrow, work has been crazy so bench time has been at a premium.  I shall have some pics soon, promise!  As for the pre-shading, I rarely use it but sometimes it helps get the effects I am looking for.  Stay tuned...

Aaron, you are more than welcome!!!!! If I can help out with research material I am more than willing!!!!! Will have to make a list of those articles I have. When i get my scanner/printer up and running soon I will try and scan a couple of other things for you!!! Lil Nammie has his own toy now!!!! Where is Nam btw!!!??? This isn't funny anymore!!!!

Frank, since your future build will be a 'bag would you like a copy of the stuff I sent Aaron as well??? Who else was doing the 'bag????

Since you all think I just sit around all day with the blinds down, in a beltless bathrobe, watching tapes, here's a sneakypeak of the Bondo that does other GB's as well. The stink of it is that you all ought to be involved in this one as well, and, no I'm not the Chief Armbreaker there. The SAC GB II

Here's progress to date.

I had based the whole build on a set of decals I bought , microscale sac F-82. Now I'm no stranger to the phenomenon, since I like old kits, but the decals just are no good at all, due to age, and I've tried everything in the Bondobook.

I've halted markings here, until my order of white stars comes in. Stripes, no problem and I have yellow stars.

Overall tho I'm pleased with the black, worked on that a bit, it's gray, and the blue looks nice. Next up after the decals are done is a little cockpit detail. and the rockets.

So until D gets her arse and contest up and running, OBTW D if you don't I'll have you sent to Australia and we'll start this over: Friday comes hence.

Aaron you are a troll, a gnome, and a master modeler. An N scale 'diver? That's a sickness. Like the Bipes tho, and there's one in Bondoland coming along.

Wow Bondo! That is an interesting looking model. Almost looks sinister in nature being all black!  Did you ever do a Black Widow?  Um what kinda of video do you waych in a beltless bathrobe? Fellows help me out here I am kinda Niave!  Hope it is the Faith , Hope and Charity one I posted a link to.

 Hmmm 1/72? Maybe a trio of Swordfish would be cool but I doubt it looks as good as Ritchies!

I did do a P-61 for the father of Ms. Bondo who was a flying seargent in two of them; the kit from hell Mono in 1/48. Recently I was invited to a private sale by a collector and bought a -A and a -B in 1/72. Contrary to opinion the turret with the quad forties is NOT a distinction between the marks, in fact quite a few -B's including one of the two "Miss Billis" he owned dint have it.

He's all bozo about this build because of the obvious, and yes he is still alive at 90. He is currently the OLDEST pilot still at the Reno air races.

Wow Bill!!!! Very interesting story!!! 90 and still pushing the pylons???? Very very nice work on the F-82!!!!!! Always loved the look of them!!!!!! Double the beauty of a mustang!!!

Aaron, we won't know unless you try one mate!!!

Here is a scan of the cover of a book I have with a model of a Swordfish that is inside!!!! I actually used some of the shots of this model as referances lol!!! I think you can see why!! Hope the pic doesn't mess up puters, it's a big file!

Richie- Thank you very much for that offer!  If it is not too much trouble, I would to have a look at that stuff.  Thanks mate!   That cover, OMG!!!  The Swordfish on it is amazing my friend.

Bondo- Like that P-82 a lot!  The blue and white really sets off the black, and adds a lot of color to an otherwise drab scheme.  Hope you're seeing stars in your mailbox soon!  Wish I could act as wingman for your father in law, he sounds like an interesting fellow to say the least!

bondoman wrote:

I did do a P-61 for the father of Ms. Bondo who was a flying seargent in two of them; the kit from hell Mono in 1/48. Recently I was invited to a private sale by a collector and bought a -A and a -B in 1/72. Contrary to opinion the turret with the quad forties is NOT a distinction between the marks, in fact quite a few -B's including one of the two "Miss Billis" he owned dint have it. He's all bozo about this build because of the obvious, and yes he is still alive at 90. He is currently the OLDEST pilot still at the Reno air races.

 I knew of your father in laws story you shared a while back in the P-61 or one of them that is why I ask.  Very cool that he still actively participates . Proof that you are young as you feel and right now I feel old as Napoleon Brandy! Too much hacking with the chainsaw over my head  hummong the theme to Star Wars!  I'd like to hear more of his tales when you can.

Capt Bondo - Thanks for the sneak peek (this doesnt sound right at all)  of your twin boom thunder Too bad about the decals but it sounds as if you have grabbed the ships wheel and taken control again fer smooth sailing. I did sign up on the other two GB's you recommended..  War in the Pacific  & Guadalcanal Campaign  

Richie -  That books looks so interesting I am off to Amazon to find a copy myself.. 

Aaron -  Star Wars huh... Now what are you going to do with all those limbs and branches laying about.