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1/48 Accurate Miniatures (Special Hobby) F2G


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Hey all. Started my latest personal theme build this week-all the Glossy Sea Blue kits in the stash, and this is the first:

F2G004_zpsd37a7409.jpg

I already started the cockpit last night but here's a look at what's left on the sprues:

F2G002_zpsebe7b65d.jpg

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And the extras, with the start on the cockpit:

F2G001_zps47170505.jpg

That engine looks like quite the project in itself. I'm not getting nutty with this build as I'll be happy to get it build well OOB. The sprues are rather heavy and the resin looks like it has plenty of flash to clean up but the details in the molding looks pretty crisp and clean.

The finish will be one of the OOB USN schemes as the build is part of that theme build and I have zero interest whatsoever in racing planes.

Ken

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Well, so far I'm digging all the leftover Hasegawa Corsair cockpit parts out of the scrapyard. For once, good thing I saved all that stuff. The details in this kit like control stick and side consoles are terrible, the seat is just a bottom glued to the bulkhead and the oddest of all-the sprues are marked A and C (in little bitty letters), but the parts themselves are not numbered and AM didn't include any references to which part on the sprues are which.

Experienced modelers indeed dry.gif

Ken

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Pics:

F2G006_zps01abf445.jpg

Here you can see the kit parts and the instructions for the cockpit. I got the alignment for the side consoles right by assembling the floor to the bulkheads, setting it in place inside the fuselage, and setting and gluing each console in place. The fit is pretty good but the level of detail... You can see the Hasegawa floor for their F4U-5/5n/7/Au-1 sitting there and I'm wondering if I shouldn't break up the assembly and incorporate the Hasegawa floor. The Hasegawa control stick is already in place. If I wanted to take the time and spend the money I'd likely pick up another TD resin cockpit and use the lion's share of it instead:

F2G009_zps4fcdb527.jpg

I'm off to see what other leftovers I have. I'm pretty sure I still have a seat or two. The instrument panel is nice...

Ken

Edited by WymanV
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FWIW, the F2G cockpit was essentially identical to that of the F4U-4, and neither had a seat, per se. While the SH representation is a bit crude, it's basically correct. Both airplanes had a piece of armor plate as the backrest and a pan for the pilot to sit on.

If you want to replace the kit cockpit, I'd suggest using the True Details F4U-4 cockpit, but you may need to rework the upper part of the rear bulkhead or replace it with the upper part of the kit piece.

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Thanks for that, Joe-I wasn't sure and the usual image search engines were only helpful in telling me a lot of aftermarket guys got that wrong. I think I may have found something that'll look a little better as the "bucket" with some modification.

Ken

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So here's what I came up with:

F2G016_zpsd3eb9899.jpg

F2G015_zps65e9a512.jpg

Consoles, stick and forward bulkhead are from the Hasegawa spares. The bulkhead wasn't that big of a deal as you won't really see it anyway but I had it so why not. I also used the kit photoetch levers as the Hasegawa consoles have slots in place for them. I also skipped the bars from the rear bulkhead to the seat front as they look rather cheesy and there wasn't really room for them. I have to wonder if this wasn't supposed to have arm rests, but I can miss those too.

Some touchup on the instrument panel and I should be able to button up the fuselage.

Ken

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One other thing to note is that the long cowl-top intake was common to the racers but the F2G normally had a shorter intake while in military service. I'm not sure if the longer intake was a Goodyear-planned mod though.

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What's funny about that is AM doesn't mention the need for any modification in the instructions. There's only one detail molded onto the scoop and it's a panel line right at the rear of the cowl and (from my few references) where I'm guessing it needs to be cut down. And I will indeed cut it down.

So here's where it's at. While waiting for cockpit stuff to dry I worked on other assemblies. I started with the tailwheel, and here's what SH came up with:

F2G018_zpsc8ff4576.jpg

As you can see, that's not quite right. I subbed a Tamiya tailwheel for the SH one as the detail is just a bit crisper but that's not the problem. The angle shouldn't be forward... I cut down the rear shock (the small section) almost completely away and it looks better. I have my concerns about it sitting high enough but contrary to the instructions the assembly can be fitted after the fuselage is buttoned up so I'll check it on final assembly and make any other corrections if necessary.

I also boxed in the wheel wells and fitted the leading edge oil cooler intakes. Doing it by the instructions would've made for a vague fit so I assured it would fit by fitting and gluing the outer covers onto the lower wing first:

F2G019_zpsba8e68cd.jpg

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Once they dried it was a simple matter to fit the intakes:

F2G021_zps52d47d55.jpg

I also tackled the motor. I wasn't looking forward to this, as my experience with resin engines was limited to Classic Airplanes golden age biplanes and they are rough. But these guys at least molded the crankcases very nicely so getting the cylinders straight and true was a lot easier. Not the best as some of the cylinders still had some mold "slag" on the bottom that needed to be trimmed but it wasn't quite the nightmare I expected. One issue that did come up is AM didn't say anything about the odd alignment of the cylinders (you can see on the instructions where they depict them on line with the case) and I didn't notice I had to turn them all "sideways" to what a normal radial engine is. It occured to me to use the rear part as a guide as they're molded onto it. I also found out that the firewall location is wrong-if it's assembled per instructions and the way it's cast the gearcase sticks out from the front lip around 1/4". It looks a lot better with the firewall behind the locator ridge molded into the inside of the cowl. I also added pushrod covers of stretched sprue but I only did the front row as you can't see the rest.

So here it is. Another annoying little issue is gaps in the trailing edges, which I should have expected. I should be able to get this together tomorrow and it'll start looking like a Corsair.

F2G023_zps42d97142.jpg

Ken

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Be glad they included the correct engine in this one, the 1/72 boxing comes with a lovely late R2800 in resin, completely incorrect for the R4360-powered F2G.

And she's coming along very nicely, looking forward to seeing her with the main structures together.

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As this build progressed, I was disappointed at how shabby the assemblies were looking but now it looks like a Corsair and it's looking a lot better:

F2G026_zpsfc774be4.jpg

F2G025_zpsbd381a4b.jpg

And not a lot of cleanup sanding either. The intake openings in the wing were a bit rough but it cleaned up well.

I dug out the canopies to get them ready. They include 2 of course, and good thing as one is molded rather thin and has a dent in it that's not coming out. I've gotten pretty good at working with vac canopies over the years so I shouldn't have any trouble with this one.

Ken

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Well after looking through all the posts, I will ask anyone out there if AM still makes this kit.

AM doesn't exist anymore, but MPM/SH still has the molds and it looks like there's a couple boxings available. Sprue Brothers has the racer boxing in stock but the Navy/Marines boxing out of stock.

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Paint & deckls:

F2G_zpsd0bf86b2.jpg

Paint was a mess... One of the issues I have living in Montana is static cling (I paint cars for a living and it's an issue there too) and everything I paint absorbs every speck of dust in the area. I used Modelmaster GSB for this and being glossy didn't help either. Decals were a breeze and when it was done I made up a semi-gloss lacquer clearcoat mix to tone down the shine a bit.

I'd be a lot happier with it if it wasn't for the dirt.

Ken

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Did you put a set of pylons and rocket stubs on? With those markings, those items should be added. And whatever is under the "32" on the fin looks like it doesn't belong there - did you put markings for an XF2G on as well as markings for an F2G-1D? TT32 was F2G-1D BuNo 88457, which later raced as number 84 until it crashed, killing pilot Tony Janazzo in the 1947 air races.

Just some additional info; trying to help you out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, of course not. Not only is there no mention of it in the instructions but the parts aren't included either. I let it sit on it's flimsy landing gear for a week before I decided I had enough. The exhaust stubs are too long too-nice that they molded them to fit the contours of the fuselage but they're twice as long as they should be. The kit does come with a tail hook, but of course there's no mention of it in the instructions.

Lessons learned for anyone else building the kit I suppose, but I won't be building another. I know it's a Special Hobby kit but I for one would have expected better from the instructions and research on Accurate Miniatures part. But as I understand it, they did the same thing with their Pro Modeler SB2C release.

F2G040_zpsf1f73960.jpg

Ken

Edited by WymanV
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