US Army Air Corps GB - Deadline extended again to June 30, 2009

If you guys can stand it, I will enter with my Beech C-45 expeditor, 1/72 older hobbycraft kit :)

the challenge for me will be finding/making the correct markings/decals.

Hey guys just prowling around and got a few pics to show you. Just finished this tonight short of any suggested weathering. Figure you may not see many of these that say Army.

This is the Czech Model JRF Grumman Goose in 1/48 scale. By far the most colorful markings and 1st glossy finish I've done in a while. Markings are for Wheeler Field Dec 1941.

 Please let me know what ya think and offer any suggestions! Thanks fellows!

That's crazy about that AMTech stash!  I would be interested in the contact info for that gentleman.  I had to bid for my P-40F kit on eBayUK.

Awesome work on the Goose!  I got to ride shotgun in one of those about 2 months ago in Canada.  Flying off water and everything.  It was amazing, and now I HAVE to build one.  That czech master kit looks sweet.  Great work on her.

And I'm looking forward to seeing a C-45!  That's a real beauty of an airplane.

--

Here are more photos of my build.  The resin nose was a very nice fit and was easy to install.  The panel lines (width / depth) are an exact match for those in the styrene parts.  That's pretty neat. 

I took some photos of the seam-filling method.  Most of you guys are probably quite adept at this method, but I remember photos like these were gold when I was still trying to figure this stuff out.  Maybe they will be helpfull for out someone out there.

The pilot / cockpit are mostly painted, but I still have a few details to add.

Windhawk, shoot me an email or PM and I can give you the info.  I dont want to post it, as I'm sure it violates the advertising rules.  But i can assure you they ARE for sale. 

Well, haven't started the P-36A yet, as I have been clearing off some of the other WIP's on the bench.  I did however just finish this little beauty.  Its an MPM 1:72 kit.  This is a USAAC Fairchild PT-19 Cornell.  And yes, that is the real thing in the background.  It was also recently finished up.  [my OTHER hobby]

The Real one [they decided to go white numbers, instead of yellow].  Built in Jan 1943. Finally Finished after a 3.5 year total restoration. More info and pics can be found at Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum

Aaron, nice work on the Goose.  Are you wanting to enter it into this GB (or does it not fit the GB requirements in terms of when you started)?

Windhawk,  good work on that P-40 surgery.  Looking forward to your progress.

Rob - Nice work on that Fairchild, actually both those Fairchilds!

Aggieman wrote:

Aaron, nice work on the Goose.  Are you wanting to enter it into this GB (or does it not fit the GB requirements in terms of when you started)?

Ah pretty sure I started too early. By a month ( Some Time in August) Like to say it was just a weeks work but no. I saw an add in a Squadron mail out for Wheeler Field markings 1941 and made it for the Pearl Harbor GB. Just thought it was an odd thing for the Army to use flying boats and wanted to inspire you all being the the nasty  Army Sergeant that I am! 

Final touch-ups and hung her up!

My son says it kinda stands out.

Great work so far fellows I'll be watching!

viper_mp wrote:

Windhawk, shoot me an email or PM and I can give you the info.  I dont want to post it, as I'm sure it violates the advertising rules.  But i can assure you they ARE for sale.  Well, haven't started the P-36A yet, as I have been clearing off some of the other WIP's on the bench.  I did however just finish this little beauty.  Its an MPM 1:72 kit.  This is a USAAC Fairchild PT-19 Cornell.  And yes, that is the real thing in the background.  It was also recently finished up.  [my OTHER hobby]   The Real one [they decided to go white numbers, instead of yellow].  Built in Jan 1943. Finally Finished after a 3.5 year total restoration. More info and pics can be found at Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum

Nice stuff going on here guys. Great Goose, Aaron.

IL2: nice job on the seam fill. THe pics always help to explain the method. Looks like you nailed it.

Hey, Viper... Off-topic a bit, but you ain't the DSM cop that got hung up on the RR tracks chasin' down a motorcycle a few years ago and it was on COPS, are ya? 

Just yankin' yer chain..

 Wanted to say, "howdy, neighbor" since I'm just up the road from ya in Ames.

 Wow I like the Stearman Viper!  The colors look familiar!

IL2 I like the P-40! Is the nose the only real external give away for an F model? I have Some P-40 that came with a resin tail. I think it is an AMT kit.

Thank's for the Goose comments and tolerating my trespass

John,

Welcome aboard!  Looking forward to seeing your progress.

I am indeed CAF, and I was a member of the Hawkeye State Squadron for awhile, right after the T-28 got to Ankeny in like '97 or 98...  I'm with the Great Plains Wing now, over in Council Bluffs, but I don't get to many meetings...   

IPMS is no, but I plan on joining one, just don't know much about 'em... The Hawkeye Modeler's club is the website I found. Seems to me there used to be one in Ames, but it must have folded after Hobbytown USA closed up... Only guy I can recall from IPMS is Mike Seek.. Heard of him?

I have heard of him in fact.  I'm a member of both of the clubs.  I am the VP for the Hawkeyes, and the former Pres of the Surgeons.  Great group of guys in both.  Lately we've had a lot of crossover members. I highly recommend joining both clubs.  The sites for both are in my sig.  I get great advice from members of both clubs.  If you ever need any other info, just let me know.

Yeah, we finally sold the T-28.  Right now we have the Twin Navion, we just finished the PT-19, and we have resumed the restoration of the N3N.  I'm trying to requisition us a UH-1H and an AH-1S. One of the benefits of being former IowaGuard andformer army aviation. lol

Aggieman,

You make it through the storm ok?

Aaron,

Let us know if you're ok?

We're still here.  Thanks for your concern.

It was a big storm with lots of wind and rain, it was loud through the night, we lost some shingles from the roof but that was about the extent of the damage we suffered.  We were without power for roughly 14 hours (missed nearly all of yesterday's college football, grrrr, and couldn't do much of anything modeling related either).  Actually I probably slept more yesterday than anything since I didn't get much sleep during the storm.

P-40F progress pics. Aircraft assembly is nearly completed.  I've sanded & puttied most (but not all) seams, and I'm about to close the cockpit.  The control surfaces will come next.  Note the antenna mast that I made from brass.  I prefer to fabricate small probes, etc from metal, because they are much more resiliant to accidental bumps and brushes.

Control surfaces are installed and final puttywork is completed.  She's ready for primer.  I've already started painting the interior color on the canopy. 

The aircraft has the rod permanently installed, but it has not been mounted to the base yet.  I just held it in place to show the planned end result.

Progress Update:
I've applied a couple layers of primer and finished working out the surface blemishes (to the best of my abilities!).  Then I tried an experimental technique in which I've painted the entire airframe in silver enamel.  I'm going to spray the camo scheme over the silver, then I will scuff & scratch it off to weather the paint by revealing the silver underneath.  Hopefully it works :)

I think the P-40 could look rather nice in NMF.  I imagine it with a bit of olive drab on the nose, like a P-51.  Might make for a neat what-if scheme.

Might make for a neat what-if scheme.

You mean like this one?

I found this exact scheme in the second volume of the P-40 Detail & Scale book, and these decals were coincidentally included with the kit.  It's the Eduard kit of the P-40N.

I'm going to spray the camo scheme over the silver, then I will scuff & scratch it off to weather the paint by revealing the silver underneath.  Hopefully it works :)

I used to use the same technique.  It does work quite well.  I used it to great effect on my Tamiya Betty bomber, but it just seemed to be an expensive technique to use in the long run.

Nice progress on your P-40.

After many iterations, the camo is finally done.  The results of my first try were a bit un-nerving, as the "hard-edge" camo looked really bad and the color looked even worse! 

Then I went to walmart and bought about 8 packs of silly-putty to try the "soft-edge" method for the first time (see first picture, where I am over-painting the original coat).  A few more applications were necesary until I finally arrived at what looked like the right colors for sand camo.  I think the end result looks pretty nice, even though it's not perfect.   I expect to heavily weather the aircraft, so hopefully any blemishes will be less noticeable afterwards.  Note that I still have to paint some of the canopy frames.

That's a gorgeous P-40, Aggie!

Looking good, IL. I'd say your trial with Silly Putty went well. Beautiful paintwork.

Anyone know what color the cockpit area was on between the wars aircraft?  I'm building the P-26 and have the exterior figured out, but the interior color is another story.  The instructions call for bright green (they also called for olive drab on the exterior but that was wrong).  Is it zinc chromate green, interior green, bronze green, or is it green at all?  I have the P-26 Mini In Action, but it's hard to determine color in black and white.

I don't know specifically about the Peashooter, but there are photos in my P-40 Detail & Scale vol. 1 book of the P-36 with an all aluminum interior.

Aggieman,

Can I get in on this with a 1/72 Tamiya P-47D Razorback?