Revell 1/72 F4U-5

[Luno13]

I'm entering this GB with the hopes of finishing (something I rarely do). Anyway, my entry is going to be the Revell F4U-5, which I believe is also available in an Italeri box.

It's a great beginner's kit: cheap, great fit, easy to build, and generally accurate. There are a few issues that I would like to attempt to correct, however. The most prominent error is that the nose is too short for this variant. A plug will need to be inserted behind the cowling to achieve the desired length.

Box:

Contents:

Fuselage parts:

Note that there are outlines for the exhaust shrouds which must be removed for the version I'm making. Also note the short length of the nose.

Oil coolers:

Pretty bland. I have tried to quickly improve on this area. I've added some bits from styrene sheet in a rough manner. I don't think much, if anything, will be visible anyway due to the dark paint scheme, so I'm cutting corners a bit.

And finally, cutting apart the fuselage:

I opted to cut behind the cowl flaps as this will allow for a very simple plug to be installed. I will make it a bit thicker than necessary in order to make up for material lost in sawing and sanding. I think 5mm or so should be enough (4mm is the requisite length of of the extension).

Next stop should be engine and cockpit which I will not modify. I need to keep this simple so I don't stall out again. :)

Edited March 6, 2013 by Luno13

[Luno13]

The cockpit and engine are still WIP, but coming along. Weathering should be enough to finish the job.

In the meantime, I assembled the wings. The instructions have you drill holes for the innermost rocket pylons, but these are in the wrong place and should be more forward. The cannon ports need to be trimmed by a large factor, and I will still have to make them a bit shorter.

Edited March 10, 2013 by Luno13

[Luno13]

Progress is slow:

Some panel lines that were lost were re-scribed, but more will come once I finish and install the plug. Instrument panel was painted black, then dry-brushed with grey, then enhanced with gloss acrylic to help simulate the glass gauges. It's a bit faint in the photos, so I may have to go over it again (the camera is brutally honest when it comes to revealing flaws).

I think I may take some artistic license and paint the head-rest brown to contrast with the rear face of the cockpit. Both should be black, I believe.

The location pins must be removed from the cowling to ensure proper fit. Getting the wing to mate with the fuselage takes some scraping too, and it looks like I will still need filler.

Edited March 19, 2013 by Luno13

[CorsairMan]

"Progress is slow"

Ha! I am STILL working on my engine and cockpit!

I like how this this coming along - that pit looks great!

[Luno13]

I just want to let you all know that this is still being worked on.

The plug was finished today. Several sheets of styrene were glued together, then left to cure overnight. Today, I carved it out to match the fuselage profile.

Unfortunately, I lost the tips of the cannons and the pitot probe. A more patient man than I would have left those off for later. Now I have to fix them. There's a proverb that the lazy/impatient guy has to do everything twice; every day I manage to prove it.

The exhaust troughs are bit too long now, but I'm not sure how to correct them. I am thinking about using filler, but I'm not sure it will look very convincing, given my skill level. I might just leave them be.

Anyway, this is the most complicated operation that I'm undertaking on this build. The last thing I need to scratch are the fuel-tank pylons, and correct the canopy Otherwise, it's smooth sailing to the finish for this one, although a more discerning modeler will surely find more areas to improve details and accuracy.