1/48 scale Eduard Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat Update 11/14/17

[Joel_W]

13 hours ago, Collin said:

Type in the search bar "collin" "wildcat" and you will see two recent examples of the same techniques I used on my Hellcat on an early Pacific and ASW Atlantic scheme F4F kit. I tried to keep the overall panel line effect just to the larger control surfaces and engine area since that is where most dirt/grime will accumulate. These kits also have a filter airbrushed on them to help unify the colors. All painting completed with base colors shot over a black base coat. 

 

Colin,

  Those are two very well done models, I'm really impressed with both of them. You sir are certainly an accomplished modeler, and we seem to have similar interests.

 

  With respect to the F4F-4 Wildcat and it's panel line pin washes, you can see the exact effect I just replied to Tom about. As your photographs move around the model, the panel lines darken because the angle to them changes. The F4F has over lapping panels so the aft facing seam is naturally darker when viewed from the back towards the front.  The other effect of controlling and limiting the grime, oil, and dirt in panel lines also worked well. That effect can also been seen in your F6F-3. 

 

This is basically the effect I'll be trying for, but as I've said a few times, I tend to go over board with where and how I weather. 

 

Joel

[Joel_W]

3 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Collin

Brilliant and very realistic weathered finish.  I’m not a weathering guy and my brother and I go at it all the time - best part of the hobby for us. Simply spot on and looks so good👍

Peter

 

Bro,

   The best part about our on going weathering going at is that we're having it at our Sunday Breakfast at the Diner 

[Joel_W]

3 hours ago, Peterpools said:

JA

Nice progress and re- work on the Hellcat’s weathering. The uppers and fuselage sides look so much better in the flesh (the diner Sunday morning) as the contrast in the weathering between colors and shades is much more gradual and does flow between them. The undersides still seem to be too contrasty and a bit splotchy. The way to get around the ‘stark white’ look is not to use White White. Model Air makes a beautiful white gray and MRP plus Mr Color ( I’m sure other companies as well) offer insignia white which is a warmer white when compared to lets say Tamiya White which is stark white. I know back in WWII there were no FS numbered colors but when taking scale effect into account, insignia white looks and works much better.

Keep ‘em coming👍

Bro

 

 Bro,  

  I always appreciate your critiques as I know that you're not pulling any punches.  The top side is closer to the tonal variations I'm looking for, and I'll grant you that the bottom is a little too blotchy. The plan of attack after stenciling (if I ever get done with the 100s of stencils on the decal sheet) is weathering so that there is a distinct fading and bleaching which is clearly seen in every reference picture I posted. Just no getting around it unless I'm going for a fresh from Bethpage look, which I'm not. But I'm not going for the full Monty either. Somewhere in between will be by goal. I do like Collin's restrained weathering for man made issues as is also clearly seen in the photographs. I just have to really focus on these issues, not my usual all over and call it a day. The final overall wash should help to blend all the colors and together, and soften up the bottom blotchy effect a little more.  Only time will tell, and at the rate I'm going, who knows when that will be.

 

Joel

Edited November 21, 2017 by Joel_W

[JesusNut]

14 hours ago, Peterpools said:

JA

Nice progress and re- work on the Hellcat’s weathering. The uppers and fuselage sides look so much better in the flesh (the diner Sunday morning) as the contrast in the weathering between colors and shades is much more gradual and does flow between them. The undersides still seem to be too contrasty and a bit splotchy. The way to get around the ‘stark white’ look is not to use White White. Model Air makes a beautiful white gray and MRP plus Mr Color ( I’m sure other companies as well) offer insignia white which is a warmer white when compared to lets say Tamiya White which is stark white. I know back in WWII there were no FS numbered colors but when taking scale effect into account, insignia white looks and works much better.

Keep ‘em coming👍

Bro

 

 

Peter,

 

Question about the whites.  For Model Air, is it the Insignia White (71.279) you are speaking of?  I can get Model Air at my LHS.  My only concern is that I do not have any Model Air at the present and do not necessarily want to purchase the Vallejo thinner and flow improver that I believe I have seen is almost necessary since I do not plan to use Model Air much.  I do not mind ordering MRP or Mr Color, but then I am having to wait.  Of course, as I sit here and think about it, by the time I pay for shipping and the like, I would be able to buy the thinner at the LHS.  Oh well!  

Edited November 22, 2017 by JesusNut

[Joel_W]

Well, it's been nearly 2 weeks since my last update as I've spent my modeling time which is a lot less this time of the year, decaling and stenciling. And the stencils just took forever even for a 1/48 scale WWII aircraft.

When I originally researched the Eduard limited edition F6F-3, the decals were listed as printed by Cartograf, so I didn't question nor have a single concern as to quality, registration, or accuracy of colors. As I got into the decaling, I still didn't take notice of the previously mentioned National Insignia issue where the lower wing's decal was printed with a silverfish gray not white! Then I ran into this wonderful issue:
 

 

You can plainly see that someone screwed up. I just couldn't believe it that Cartograf would let this error slip by. Turns out that they didn't, as this time around Eduard printed the sheet in house, and no longer states that the decals are by Cartograf. Still, someone must surely look at the test printing before running the full run. It took a few days for me to come up with a replacement from my spare decal box, and while close, it's slightly smaller and the blue is slightly darker.

the good news is that these decals are as good as any Cartograf or After Market decals I've ever used. They're thin yet strong, so they're very easy to work with, and respond excellently with the Micro system. So good in fact that the laid down into every nook & cranny and rivet like I painted them on. Same for the stencils which as I said is a long and laborious job, but once done really look good. And you can read every single stencil.

Surface prep was a wet polish with 1,500 then 4,000 sponges, then a tack coat of Tamiya X-22 Gloss Clear thinned 1:1 with Tamiya Yellow cap. Then two wet coats with the final one being thinned 1:4. when dry I repeated the 1,500 & 4,000 polishing. I'm sure that it had some effect on how well the decals laid down.

 

 

 

 

the kill marking over the My Joan are layered, yet they show no signs of clear decal film.

 

 

 

and one of the infamous bottom decal.

 

 

Joel

[Peterpools]

JA

Awesome decal work ... they look painted on for sure. 

Two comments on Eduard’s decals

The fuselage star and bar is not as opaque as it should be

Shame on Eduard for such poor quality control - still need to request a replacement set for my Hellcat

Keep ‘em comin

Bri 

[Joel_W]

26 minutes ago, Peterpools said:

JA

Awesome decal work ... they look painted on for sure. 

Two comments on Eduard’s decals

The fuselage star and bar is not as opaque as it should be

Shame on Eduard for such poor quality control - still need to request a replacement set for my Hellcat

Keep ‘em comin

Bri 

Bro,

   Thanks for stopping by and checking out the decaling. And yes, the white could be a little more opaque but there isn't much I could do about it.  I'm hoping that with the weathering, it will create a slightly more opaque look as everything will be duller and lighter.

 

Joel

[kike]

Nice decaling! maybe I'm pointing at the ovbious but you are gonna pass a knife through the panel lines under de decal? aren't you? or is because of the pic that I don't get to see the decal conformed to those lines??

[Joel_W]

10 hours ago, kike said:

Nice decaling! maybe I'm pointing at the ovbious but you are gonna pass a knife through the panel lines under de decal? aren't you? or is because of the pic that I don't get to see the decal conformed to those lines??

Kike,

   I'll try to take a few more macro pics of the panel lines with the decals being sucked into them. It's the lighting combined with the white color that makes it hard to see, but literally the decals all look painted on except the one on the bottom of the wing that was the sub National Insignia one. They snuggled down even into the small rivets perfectly.  The other issue that makes it hard to see in pictures with poor lighting is that the panel lines are much closer to "scale" then what we usually see, hence the lines aren't very deep nor wide, just enough to give the impression of what they're supposed to represent in real life. 

   

   I'm sure that once the weathering is done, the panel lines will show up.

 

Joel

Edited December 1, 2017 by Joel_W

[kike]

Excellent! I was right then!  it's obvious for one of your builds!!

[JesusNut]

Fantastic work Joel!  I hope one day my work will come close to something like this.  Looking forward to your weathering. 

[Collin]

Looking Fine.

 

Watching with interest.

 

Cheers

Collin

[Joel_W]

16 hours ago, kike said:

Excellent! I was right then!  it's obvious for one of your builds!!

kike,

   Just hoping that the weathering panel washes do the trick,\

Joel

[Joel_W]

15 hours ago, JesusNut said:

Fantastic work Joel!  I hope one day my work will come close to something like this.  Looking forward to your weathering. 

JN,

  Thanks so much for your most kind comments. The goal even to this day for me is that each model is better then the one before it. I still struggle with basics as getting them perfect is pretty darn hard. 

Joel

[Joel_W]

5 hours ago, Collin said:

Looking Fine.

 

Watching with interest.

 

Cheers

Collin

Collin,

 Thanks for the thumbs up. I'm just hoping that my finished Hellcat looks half as realistic as yours does.

Joel

[Rocat]

Always nice to see one of these Cats! Very nice wok so far 

[Joel_W]

26 minutes ago, Rocat said:

Always nice to see one of these Cats! Very nice wok so far 

Rocat,

 Thanks so much for stopping by, checking out my build to date, and leaving a post. It's greatly appreciated. 

 Not much building going on to date as work and home during the holidays becomes two very busy places.

 

Joel

[Wolfgun33]

Fantastic work on the painting and decals. It really looks great.

[Joel_W]

2 hours ago, Wolfgun33 said:

Fantastic work on the painting and decals. It really looks great.

Wolfgun33,

  Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my build to date. It's much appreciated.

Joel

[Joel_W]

Been slowly working on the Hellcat's Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10W Double Wasp engine.

I made the decision NOT to use the Eduard PE ignition wires as they just don't look right being absolutely flat, so the 1st step in the wiring process was to remove the square shaped ignition manifold that is molded onto the crankcase cover. Here's the casing with the manifold   removed

 

 

 The crankcase cover was painted with a custom mix of Tamiya 10 drops of XF-53 Neutral Gray to 1 drop of XF-17 Sea Blue then thinned 2:3 with Tamiya Yellow Cap Lacquer Thinner.

Next was to fashion a round manifold which I made out of 1.0mm round lead wire. I haven't sanded nor polished the manifold as yet in these pictures as it's really quite rough in texture.

 

 

then I dry fitted the ignition ring, made final adjustments to it, and then dry fitted the crankcase cover to see how it all looked as one unit.

 

 

I decided to add the cylinder gas equalizers both between the cylinders, as well as smaller pipes between each rocker Arm cover. These were all made from .7mm and .3mm lead wire.
Then I primed both banks of cylinders with Mig Ammo Black Primer

 

 

After the primer had dried for a day, I air brushed on Alcad2 a/c101 Aluminum. Since the cylinders are caste, I didn't want a smooth nor shiny texture, so the flat primer was a perfect base. I let the Alcad2 dry for a few hours, then applied Tamiya Black panel line wash, and painted the push rod sleeves with Tamiya X-1 Gloss Black. 

 

 

The next step is to start wiring up the big Wasp.

Joel

[Tom G]

Nice work on the engine so far Joel.  I look forward to seeing it detailed with the ignition wires also.

 

Tom

[dnl42]

That engine looks great!

[JesusNut]

Joel, that engine looks fantastic.  I think you nailed that blue-gray on the crank case.  Thanks for sharing your formula for that.  

[Joel_W]

18 hours ago, Tom G said:

Nice work on the engine so far Joel.  I look forward to seeing it detailed with the ignition wires also.

 

Tom

Tom,

  Thanks for the positive feedback. I'm trying to start the wiring today, but with this cold and dry weather I suffer from skin cracks in my fingers making detail working kind of painful. Getting old really sucks. 

Joel

[Joel_W]

11 hours ago, dnl42 said:

That engine looks great!

dnl42,

  Thanks for the thumbs up, it's much appreciated.

Joel