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1/48 Italeri (Kinetic)Grumman S-2E Tracker


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On 6/13/2018 at 6:09 PM, Hooker169 said:

That’s precisely what I was asking, thanks. I just thought it was a more involved process. I’ve always “lightened” up my tire black a bit but this shows me I need to go all the way to gray. Very effective look!

Thanks

 

No probs Hooker, glad that was helpful

 

G'day people,

 

I have been working on the inner wing sections today. The underside nacelle to wing joins are not too bad

 

004_zpswqgzxziw.jpg

 

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The upper wing join will need a second application of putty to eliminate 'ghost' seams due to putty shrinkage

 

005_zpsazxczymp.jpg

 

I also noticed that the upper surface of the inner left flap has a weird 'step' moulded into it.

 

006_zpsij38bg3j.jpg

 

I hadn't noticed it earlier and I would have preferred to deal with it before attaching the engine nacelle, but I will just need to get on with it now. Meanwhile the canopy is being difficult as every time I start to get the centre seam close to smooth, the canopy splits 😞

 

008_zpsdntgbkur.jpg

 

Oh well, hopefully the fifth time is the charm!

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy121
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14 hours ago, scotthldr said:

Looking good Pappy, just a thought but would it be easier to clean the canopy seam after it has been attached to the fuselage it would have far greater rigidity?

 

Scott that is a great idea! My only reservation is that I want to dip the canopy in Fiture before attaching and that the canopy needs to have an overhead panel and some PE attached internally. Attaching the canopy then sanding it may result in some of these delicate bits falling off? I will have a think about it but it sounds promising,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nice work Pappy, I would say what scotthldr said works. A friend at local club had similar problem with canopy but after it was glued things went on much easier. Looking forward to you next update.

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On 6/17/2018 at 9:11 AM, Pappy121 said:

 

Scott that is a great idea! My only reservation is that I want to dip the canopy in Fiture before attaching and that the canopy needs to have an overhead panel and some PE attached internally. Attaching the canopy then sanding it may result in some of these delicate bits falling off? I will have a think about it but it sounds promising,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

On 6/29/2018 at 9:52 AM, Youngtiger1 said:

Nice work Pappy, I would say what scotthldr said works. A friend at local club had similar problem with canopy but after it was glued things went on much easier. Looking forward to you next update.

 

G'day fellas,

 

I just used some thin cement but made sure the two halves were clamped better this time instead of relying on capillary action alone. It seems to have done the trick because the canopy seam has now been treated and the assembly has dipped in Future to restore clarity and shine.

 

010_zps3nvqbhsy.jpg

 

009_zpshglnadgu.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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G'day people,

 

Well, after wrestling the canopy seam into submission, I am ready to move on. This aircraft is a natural tail sitter (in real life too in the engines were removed!) so I have I have added about 15g of lead sinkers to the engine nacelles in area behind each engine

 

001_zpstultpfg3.jpg

 

I have also added about 45g of lead sinkers to the area immediately behind the cockpit. Of course I should have done this before I joined the fuselage together but I am actually an idiot. It was a tricky affair and I had to remove one of the seats to get sufficient access but I managed in the end. There is also the problem that there is no detail whatsoever aft of the cockpit bulkhead and you can see straight back to the tail if you shine a light into the cockpit. I decided to cut a small piece of black foam into the shape of the doorway but slightly oversized and then pushed this into the opening. It won't stand close scrutiny but will fool the casual observer. Finally, I had a quick rummage through the spares box to find something suitable to add as the joystick controller for the wing mounted searchlight. I found something, I dunno what it is from but it will do!

 

005_zps5x8dyahh.jpg

 

The overhead panel was attached to the cockpit and the PE parts for the escape hatches were added using small drops of CA. One of the great things about dipping canopies in Future is that it resists CA fogging.

 

002_zpsclkumwhb.jpg

 

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A final dry fit to make sure all the bits will play nice together

 

006_zpszqo2ozsu.jpg

 

winning

 

🙂

Edited by Pappy121
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Thanks Dio, but there are far deserving people on this and other forums that deserve that monniker.

 

G'day people,

 

A little more progress today.

 

The wing mounted searchlight has finally been closed up

 

003_zpsldsezlz4.jpg

 

The reflector dish had some PE elements added. These parts were small, it was like trying to assemble a small PE spider, but I got there eventually

 

002_zpsdd29jsgh.jpg

 

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Next up, I replaced the kit supplied dump masts with some bent pieces of brass tubing. The kit parts are supposed to be butt glued, which means that they would sit at the wrong angle and be at risk of breaking off. I drilled a hole and used some CA to attach the tubes

 

007_zpsgidrnrui.jpg

 

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Turning my attention back to the fuselage, I hollowed out the rudder actuator and added a small PE part

 

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Still on the fuselage, more lumps and bumps have been added. Some of these are not mentioned in the instructions but my references show they are present

 

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009_zpsvzgyrmaz.jpg

 

Final dry fit before masking

 

011_zpsq9oumf8f.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

Edited by Pappy121
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One of the best builds I have ever seen!!!

 

Wish Kinetic had done a better job with this kit. It's a shame to have to add so many details afterwards. They could have at least offered a better cockpit and wheel wells.

 

Keep up the good work!!!👍

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 7/4/2018 at 12:17 AM, dekon70 said:

Outstanding!

 

On 7/4/2018 at 6:08 PM, SERNAK said:

One of the best builds I have ever seen!!!

 

Wish Kinetic had done a better job with this kit. It's a shame to have to add so many details afterwards. They could have at least offered a better cockpit and wheel wells.

 

Keep up the good work!!!👍

 

Thanks very much for your comments.

 

SERNAK, I agree that Kinetic could have done more. The canopy affords a good view into the cockpit and the supplied level of detail is lacking. Wheel bay detail would have been nice but unless you pick the kit up, you cannot really see much. I don't regret adding the additional details but I suspect most people will be happy with what is provided. I think the bigger disappointment is that absolutely nothing is provided aft of the cockpit. I would have happy with just a floor and rear bulkhead but as this kit is a notorious tail sitter, this space is an excellent place to add ballast. The kit instructions suggest 50g, but I would recommend at least 75g.

 

G'day people, work continues.

 

I have managed to get a base white down over the main components

 

2176491e-f268-4191-8bc9-ca3b5c0b95a0_zps

 

The engine nacelles were first up and the paint went on smoothly. I used a flat white acrylic followed by buffing with sanding pads to bring up the sheen

 

004_zpsljguafgv.jpg

 

Likewise the outer wing sections

 

005_zpsxnsqy0ab.jpg

 

I also replaced what I think are the secondary rudder hinges? The S-2 is unusual in that it has a double hinged rudder (as well as a rudder trim tab). There is a large actuator om the left side of the rudder. I suspect that this moves the whole rudder and the two smaller sections are hinges for the aft section? In any case they are evident in my reference pics so I added them.

 

003_zpst1m71gjx.jpg

 

Finally, the upper fuselage aerials have been added and the canopy has been sprayed black (interior colour) before the grey is applied,

 

001_zpsorydpotj.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy121
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The forward section of the rudder was actually the trimmer panel. The aft section was the rudder itself. A big enough rudder for single engine operation at take off and landing speeds was far too big at cruise speeds.as North American was to discover with the AJ Savage.  During single-engine operation, the trimmer panel responded to rudder-pedal movement like the rudder itself.

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15 hours ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

The forward section of the rudder was actually the trimmer panel. The aft section was the rudder itself. A big enough rudder for single engine operation at take off and landing speeds was far too big at cruise speeds.as North American was to discover with the AJ Savage.  During single-engine operation, the trimmer panel responded to rudder-pedal movement like the rudder itself.

 

Awesome reply, thanks Thommy!

 

7 hours ago, scotthldr said:

Looking good Pappy, the cockpit glazing/etch looks impressive.  How did you get on with your SH-2 Seasprite?

 

G'day Scott,

 

Thanks very much. The SH-2G really just needs painting , I should get back to it,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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  • 1 month later...
On 9/7/2018 at 7:57 AM, scotthldr said:

How's this one coming along?

 

G'day Scott,

 

Funny you should bring this up as I was doing some work on this one today.

 

016_zpsetnw8dwt.jpg

 

The eagle eyed may notice that there is a small bit missing from the lower right corner of the outer left wing's flap.  Unfortunately I a managed to drop the outer left wing panel (the breeze lifted  it off whilst the paint was drying) and now I have a little repair job on my hands😠

 

On 9/8/2018 at 3:47 AM, crackerjazz said:

I'm looking at your overhead IP and I'm amazed at the detailing.   How did you do the white labels/markings?  Incredible work.

 

G'day,

 

Weeeellll, truth is I didn't do it, it is pre-painted photo-etch, all I did was stuck it onto the kit part which is bereft of any detail,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy121
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  • 2 weeks later...

Any progress???

 

By the way, Have you ever build either the Hobbycraft or the Hasegawa Tracker in 1/72? I've been thinking of buying this kit (I can't buy the one you're building due to limited space) and I would like to know if you, or somebody else knows a bit more about these kits.

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13 hours ago, SERNAK said:

Any progress???

 

By the way, Have you ever build either the Hobbycraft or the Hasegawa Tracker in 1/72? I've been thinking of buying this kit (I can't buy the one you're building due to limited space) and I would like to know if you, or somebody else knows a bit more about these kits.

Not to hijack, but go with the Hasegawa.  It builds up great.  The Hobbycraft is a poor repop of the Hasegawa.  No way near as crisply molded.

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6 hours ago, dekon70 said:

Not to hijack, but go with the Hasegawa.  It builds up great.  The Hobbycraft is a poor repop of the Hasegawa.  No way near as crisply molded.

Thanks for your reply Dekon70.

 

I have to admit while looking on Ebay for the Hasegawa kit, the prices I saw are a bit high. On the other hand, there are some very nice aftermarket sets produced for the Tracker in 1/72.

 

Tempting but, out of budget.

 

 

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On 9/18/2018 at 11:15 AM, DIO said:

Great work done.

Just a question: How did you do the wash over the white landing gear compartments?

It looks very "clean" and realistic (i.e. the opposite of what I have achieved so far!)

 

G'day Dio,

 

I just pin-washed the u/c  bays with thinned oils. My reasoning is that the more you put on, the more you have to remove, so less really is more in this case,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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  • 1 year later...

G'day people,

 

So I have been able to drag this one out of the cupboard of aimless destiny during the Chrissy break and managed to get a little more done with it.

 

I have managed to get some paint of the inner wing/nacelle sections and the fuselage. The inner wing sections are only dry fitted in the pics below,

 

020_zpsnm5fhqfh.jpg

 

023_zpsvl84h5yt.jpg

 

022_zpsd6aklkve.jpg

 

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The nacelles still need some more work and engine cowls were only temporarily attached using PVA glue to allow me to mask and paint the anti-glare sections,

 

026_zpstxiujoht.jpg

 

The cowlings have since been removed and I will work on getting the donks sorted next,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

Edited by Pappy121
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