Fleet Air Arm Group Build

Hello Chaps!

I've been in the workshop for most of the day and here is how things have been shaping up with my Mk.47 Seafire. All the white bands have been glossed and masked up, so the airframe has had its sky coloured parts re-touched and I'v done a bit more on the assembly front:

1. Added dropped wing flaps.

2. Added the radiators.

3. Attatched the rudder/tail hook.

4. Inserted some "internals" for the fuselage camera bay.

5. Dropped the elevators.

6. I've also started painting up the rockets for the underwing stores and glued/sanded the center line fuel tank.

Here's some pics....... 

That's the dog's bollocks!  She is really looking like a Spit now.  Very nice on the dropped elevators, me thinks I may have to do that to mine.

Good heaven's Frank-you sound more and more like an Englishman every day!!

Many thanks mate! I think I've found a nice'n easy way of dropping those flaps too-I have found if you scribe along the underside of the elevator slowly but surely, the elevator will drop without having been cut away....plus it looks alot better than my previous efforts of cutting away and re-glueing.

have you decided if you are going to sling anything under the wing yet? If you choose the rockets, be careful when yo cut them from the sprue.....they break quite easily!

A lot of very nice work being done here.

Finally got a hole in my schedule and started on the Hellcat.  I filed away all of the interior detail (and there was a fair amount) on the Hasegawa kit in prep for the PE.  This will be the first time that I've done the full PE interior (only belts in the past).  Also painted the interior bits interior green (yeah, I know that I should have tried to create some 'Grumman Green' but Interior Green is close enough...I hope..).  Also primed and painted the resin seat-the kit seat has the belts molded in and is a bit of a bear to sand them out.  With some luck and a good tail wind, I might have the interior in place and buttoned up by the weekend.

Looking good Darren.

Regards,  Rick

TANGO 1 wrote:

Good heaven's Frank-you sound more and more like an Englishman every day!! Many thanks mate! I think I've found a nice'n easy way of dropping those flaps too-I have found if you scribe along the underside of the elevator slowly but surely, the elevator will drop without having been cut away....plus it looks alot better than my previous efforts of cutting away and re-glueing. have you decided if you are going to sling anything under the wing yet? If you choose the rockets, be careful when yo cut them from the sprue.....they break quite easily!

Darren-

Thanks for the tip on the elevators and rockets!  I am definately going to have a go at the elevators, and I'm not going to use the rockets on this one so I lucked out there!

I learned the correct meaning of "the dog's bollocks" on a comedy show by an English comedian named Eddie Izzard the other night.  After I heard that, I wanted to use it and thought your Spitfire was perfect for it! 

TANGO 1 wrote:

Hey Frank- Check this out!

Holy camolie.....thats pure and shear beuty....pure porn and soforth:):)

Thanks for all the regards during my benchmark...never thougt I would make it,but as iy is with these GBs...there is no end to the postinfs:)

Seems like the AB problems are to be solved...I`ll have to mail the body of my defect one to Testors,and will have it replaced,,,,Thats costumerservice if you ask me;)...Cheers ya`ll

huulo Frank...What a beast you`ve got yourself;)...Hmmmm. I do wonder....How many kegs is there room for on it...of rum though:):)

And I see that GOd is on his way downunder,Spesifically to Sydney FC:)

He will be missed   "you`ll never walk alone"

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,22055674-5003460,00.html

triumf wrote:

huulo Frank...What a beast you`ve got yourself;)...Hmmmm. I do wonder....How many kegs is there room for on it...of rum though:):) And I see that GOd is on his way downunder,Spesifically to Sydney FC:) He will be missed   "you`ll never walk alone" http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,22055674-5003460,00.html     And GOD is of course Robbie Fowler for you who would bee ignorant not to know of course:D:D

Frank-

it great to hear you American chaps use the English language so effectively!!!

Seriously, thats a great compliment you made about my Mk.47-thank you!

Darren- You're welcome!  The compliment is well-deserved.

I was playing around with the Corsair tonight, and decided that I am just not happy with the paint job on it.  Way too many coats + no primer + got in a hurry = .

Well, guess I'm gonna have another go at it.  In the past, she would have ended up in the round file.  But, after the 1/48 Tamiya Zero debacle, I started stripping it tonight to see if I could get down through all of the layers of bad paint.  Looks like it's gonna take a lot longer to finish, but I know it's gonna look better the second time around!  Maybe I should write an article about stripping models and doing them over...

I should have joined this build group a few months back, but I guess better late than never. I will add the Seafire XVII for my entry, finished as the aircraft depicted in these pictures

The model is for the pilot so I will have the pleasure of delivering it to him next week!  The Seafire pilot is John Beattie, the General Manager of the RN Historic Flight.

How can add a picture to my post? I haven't used online forums very much so not too familiar with the way they work. Any hints would be appreciated.

I have a 1/72 Trumpeter Fairey Gannet on the workbench at present. Will be a COD4 variant when it's finished.

Richard

Richard!  You will have a lot of fun here, guaranteed!  In fact, it's required!

As for posting pics, you will first need a third party photo sharing site such as Photobucket. Then, when you have downloaded your photos there, you copy the URL address and paste them into the box in the post tool bar that looks like a tree.  When you drag your mouse over it, the word "images" appears.  Past your url address, and then clck the insert button and PRESTO!  instant photos.  Hope that helps!

Darren, that is really coming out nicely my friend!! Makes me wish I had gone that extra step and dropped the flaps on mine. Keep us posted!!  

Daywalker wrote:

Richard!  You will have a lot of fun here, guaranteed!  In fact, it's required!

I'm sure our fearless leader Darren will be happy to add you to the list!

Frank, I'm thinking it might be easier when using photobucket to just copy & paste the [ IMG ] link directly. Fewer steps that way.

Richard!

You'll like it around here! can't wait to see some of your work.

Well, just thought I'd hand out the weekly rum rations.  Gents, wherever you are-

Sit back, relax and have a spot o' rum!  Here here!

Cheers lads!

Thanks Frank for keeping up our GB tradition

I've been mad busy this weekend so no workshop time as yet, hopefully I'll get into the workshop tomorrow.

Hello Chaps,

I actually managed to get into the workshop today! Unfortunately, my digital camera is u/s just now so no pics as yet. I will crack on this evening and make the most of the last few hours before I have to return to work tomorrow morning.............

I hope all of you are happy and well, have a tot of rum on me.

Cheers!

Darren-

Glad to hear you have been able to find a lil' time in the shop.  I have been in mine most of the last 4 days working on a number of projects, though I don't have much to show for it.

Been pretty quiet 'round here lately.

Cheers!

Cheers Frank!

I got a little bit more done to my Mk.47, I noticed that I did'nt fill a gap on the underside of the wing so lots of filling/sanding again...... I keep telling myself all the greif will be worth it in the end.

I want to get the EDS Grey on over the weekend so this thing starts looking like a RN fighter, hopefully by then I will have figured out a good way to mask it up!

Right, I'm off for a drink.

A little catching up...

Darren,  The Seafire is looking great. I can't wait to see what you have done on it since the last pictures. Seeing yours coming together is really making me think that I will have to add it to the list of 'builds I want to do in the future...'

Frank, First off - nice new truck. Man it looks good - so shiny and sparkly! Also, I have to say that I am absolutely amazed at your resolve in building. It seems that you just are willing to try, try, and try again until it comes out right. Inspiring! Me - one little thing goes wrong and I shelve it until I can build up some guts to tackle it again.

Speaking of shelving it when things go wrong. Because of the wings being off kilter, my corsair has just been sitting there for a pretty long while. In fact, I got distracted doing another build (in large part to avoid the corsair). Well, I finished it today and so will have to return to the corsair now (or start another...)

Anyway, the distraction build is a 1/72 hellcat with decals from the Tamiya P-47. I know...weird, but I wanted to use the P-47 decals, wanted to build the hellcat, and thought what the heck, maybe it'll end up looking pretty cool...

Hope all is well.
Leon 

gwaihir wrote:

Speaking of shelving it when things go wrong. Because of the wings being off kilter, my corsair has just been sitting there for a pretty long while. In fact, I got distracted doing another build (in large part to avoid the corsair).

Ahh yes, I know that feeling.  I've got several builds under way but being ignored on my bench at the moment. 

Nice build on the Hellcat.   It's such a shame the Navy wouldn't let them paint nose art on their planes.  Which kit did you use?  Academy?

NICE HELLCAT LEON!  Even if it's not 100% accurate, it sure looks cool.  You really did a nice job on the paintwork on that one, I'd be very proud to put that one in my display case!  Thanks for the kind words about my Corsair.  In the past, I would just shelve anything that wasn't perfect.  Needless to say, I built up quite a collection of kits 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 done.  A few years back I spent one summer finishing them all up thinking "I'll just do the best I can."  Some turned out OK, others truly amazed me!  Now, some masochistic urge I have ALMOST enjoys the challenge of fixing a major boo-boo.  It really makes me better, and the extra work makes them seem that much more special in the end.

Thanks guys. Yes it is the academy hellcat. It has a few quirks to it, but overall was a fun and enjoyable build. I was more suprised by the Tamiya decals; I have had less than great experiences with Tamiya decals in the past, but these were really thin and performed excellently! The hellcat, while far from perfect, is one that I am happy with.

Thanks again.
Leon

Thanks Mike! It was fun to just do it the way I wanted...

Leon