martin_sam_2000 Posted March 19, 2007 Share Posted March 19, 2007 (edited) here is my third and final post for the night. this is my tbm-3s that i built using the belcher builts combo pack that included the AM tbm-3. im using the Lone Star Models(dangerboy mold) avenger wing fold kit to make this look a little more interesting(and take up less sapce on my shelf) the fuselage is jsut taped together at the moment while im waiting for the eduard PE kit to arrive so i can spruce up the cockpit a bit. ive installed most of the resin peices inside and have cut out the rear fuselage. after i installed the resin rear deck, i proceded to ruin the shorter rear canopy, so ill have to do a bit of surgery to cut it back a bit more in order to acoomidate the longer one. i have glued the inner wings on so i can fill any gaps while they are in halves. here is a pic of the wing fold kit. its a decent set(better than i could have done myself) tho there are a few bublle smarring the details. ill have some more pics in a few days as i get a bt of work done. sean Edited January 20, 2008 by martin_sam_2000 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted April 2, 2007 Author Share Posted April 2, 2007 I just received my photo etch set for this one and ive startd to put them on. ive got a tbf-1 on the go too so im going to try to get them ready for the interior green at the same time. hopefully the next two weeks or so. not a lot of time to spare when you have 10 models, a job and a GF to work around. sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted August 24, 2007 Author Share Posted August 24, 2007 finally got some work done on the avenger. I havent had much time over the summer to work on my models as work keeps me pretty busy. ive gotten the interior about 95% complete. there is still a bit of scratch building i need to do with respect to some instruments. my biggest hurdle will be to replicate the MD boom and the UPD-501 detectors the canadians had installed. here some pics of the cockpit as it looks now. im going to get the instrument panel done and try to get everything buttoned up over the next week or so. sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted September 23, 2007 Author Share Posted September 23, 2007 Got a bit of work done over the past littel bit. Managed to get the fuselage glued together and got the main part of the glass house masked and glued on. i think ive got all the dificult bits of the MAD boom sorted out. all i have to do is some finish sanding. the only major issue left is how im going to get the decals to fit properly . ive also got the blanked off lower gun port installed and puttied. ive started to tackle the engine, nacelle and cowl flaps. ive cut off the molded on wires and push rods and will replace with copper wire. ive started the push rods in the picture below. im going to have to build up an exhaust ring and modify the cowling a bit more before i can get it all finsihed up. the last thing ive done is modify the deck in front of the instrument panel so that i was able to use the later squared off instrument panel.the landing gears are just loosly placed into the wings so i can remove them while i sand and clean up everythiung. thanks for looking, sean. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ron Posted September 23, 2007 Share Posted September 23, 2007 You are doing a fine job there Sean! keep posting! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted October 14, 2007 Author Share Posted October 14, 2007 got a few more pics taken of the progress i have so far. Im hoping to get the first coat of primer on her by next weekend. here are a few pics of the fuselage so far. all thats left as far as i can tell is some weathering inside the rear cockpit and finishing the Mad boom/trailign wing edge area. ive done a bit of remodeling of the original nose area to facilitate my detailing of the engine. its not perfectly accurate but i was going for the 'busy' look rather than accuracy. the first pic is of how the nose is originally, followed by how i've changed it and a few of the engine. the cowling needs to to be modified for the AS3 the canadians used as well as ive cut out for the sowl flaps, which explains why the engine had to be busy. and fianlly i have a couple of pics of the forward and rear cockpit. any comments, pointers or mistakes you see would be greatly appreciated. thanks for looking, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 It sure looks interesting. What references are you using for your build? I'm on the verge of deciding which way to go with mine, Canadian or American . I'm currently trying to find information on the lower rear gun window. Is it modified or just painted over? -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted October 14, 2007 Author Share Posted October 14, 2007 ive got a few references i am using. first and foremost, I am using the belcher bits conversion that can be found here: http://www.belcherbits.com/lines/148conv/bb4.htm it has just about everything you need to make a canadian avenger. the only things its missing is the MAD boom(ive had to scratch build mine) and the AN/UPD 501 "trash can" antanea. the two main sources that i am using are: the Grumman Avenger in the Royal Canadian Navy by Leo Pettipas and Royal Canadian Navy Aircraft Finish and Markings by patrick Martin Leo Pettipas book can be found in some libraries and is avalible from a number of sources as an Inter Library Loan.its VERY expinse to buy and i have onl;y found one copy avaliable(amazon at almost $200) As for Patrick Martins book, its a little on the pricy side($79.95) but is well worth it for the price but is almost impossible to find outside of online ordering. to answer your question about the lower gun position. it was quite modifed as there was a bulkhead installed in that area to hold flares/sonobouyes and there was a chute installed in the blanked out window to drop these. the smaller triangular windows were also blanked off. There are numerouse other modifications to the avengers that progressed over the years, so in my opinion, its worth it to purchase the belcher bits kit and do quitie a bit of research if you want to do a version that is not covered by them. I hope this helps you Al, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Thanks Sean for the information; My current build is going to be the early 1950 version in dark sea blue. I will eventually do another version but at that time, I'll buy the whole kit from Belcher. I've ordered decals from CANMILAIR for this version... The only real photo I have of this plane is a museum replica, not the actual aircraft, so I'm still not too sure about the 1950 gun position. -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Nice work on it so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I've looked for those pubs at the city library, base library and cannot find anything . Would you have info on the lower machine gun removal/replacement of the earliest planes, circa 1950, when they were painted dark sea blue?? -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 according to what i can find, we got 25 TBM-3 straight form U.S. inventory and flew them as is. it says they retained the lower gun position, but i am unable to see the gun in any photos. my recommendation would be to build as the instructions show and just omit the gun itself. also, since we left them in the paint schemes that they arrivd in, it was possible on most machines to see where the american markings were overpainted and canadian ones painted on. just a bit of info if your looking for an accurate build. id like to see some pics along the way with this one... sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Thanks for the info and your time. -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted October 20, 2007 Author Share Posted October 20, 2007 ive finally got it ready for primer. the cowling, rudder and H.Stab. are not glued on yet. they will be painted seperatly and attached at a latter date. hopefully the cowling wont give to much of a headache to install later. here are a few quick pics i took with my cell phone. i should have an update tomorrow nightish with post primer pics. thanks for looking, sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Look good Sean. Have you had much trouble with the MAD boom? -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
David Walker Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Great progress. I'll look forward to seeing it in Canadian markings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted October 21, 2007 Author Share Posted October 21, 2007 Look good Sean. Have you had much trouble with the MAD boom?-Al beleive it or not Al, I've had a lot less trouble than i expected it to. I used the 1/72 scale drawing in Leo Petipas book and jsut scaled up from there. a bit of styrene flat stock, some tubing lots of putty and some sanding and it turned out pretty good. I have all the measurements still if you need them at all. id love to have some good pics of it all going together but the only good camera i have is my GF father's so its no too often i get acess to it. i heard a rumour at the IPMS Ottawa convention that a 1/48 resin MAD boom is in the works. If and when it sees the light of day will be another question. Of course tho, i heard this AFTER i had it all build and glued on :D I think my biggest headahce of all on this model will be getting the outer wing panels attached strong enough so they dont fall off(thinking of doing a wire pin system so the wings can be removed for easy transport) and making decals that will fit over the MAD boom and still look half decent. sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted October 27, 2007 Author Share Posted October 27, 2007 well. i finnally got everyhting primed and i have masked it off in preparation for the white base coat. im hoping to get the white painted today. im going to focus on geting the engine finished as i realised that i am cant go any further till its done. ill have some update pics when im ready to paint the engine. thanks for looking, sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted October 28, 2007 Share Posted October 28, 2007 I think my biggest headahce of all on this model will be getting the outer wing panels attached strong enough so they dont fall off(thinking of doing a wire pin system so the wings can be removed for easy transport) and making decals that will fit over the MAD boom and still look half decent. I think the decals with the word NAVY will not be an easy bit either.... Keep your chin up -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 today i manged to get the day-go orange on the tail, wing tips and cowling. not an easy job, beleive you me!!! i had to use about 7 coats of the stuff( i am using the MM product). it was more liek tamyia clear paint than an actual colour. im VERY glad i used a white underbase on this one. im going to let it dry for a couple of days to make sure its nice and hard before i mask off the cowling for the blue. hers what it looks like at the moment. there are a few pics of before i removed the masking. sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Your TBM is looking good there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 Nice job on the day glow!! Could you post a picture of the modified lower rear panel, where the lower gun used to be? -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted November 4, 2007 Author Share Posted November 4, 2007 here are some pics of the rear area. its not all that hard to make. you can probablkt modify the existing peice to loook like this. for the lower windows, it all depends on what stage of modifing the plane was at. some ahd them blanked over some didnt. have you decided on a specific aircraft yet. if you have i can take a look at my references and see waht i can find for you. sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blackcollar Posted November 4, 2007 Share Posted November 4, 2007 That's great thanks Sean -Al Quote Link to post Share on other sites
martin_sam_2000 Posted November 11, 2007 Author Share Posted November 11, 2007 got some more painting done on this one. I got the blue painted on the rudder and the cowling. here are some pics of it all: there are a few spots on the rudder and tail that i will have to touch up. on the cowling, this spot in particular is bothering me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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