dnl42 Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 (edited) I've got three boxings of this plastic. The "earliest" I have is the present subject, originally released in 1983. I'll build the plastic OOB. I'm ambivalent about the decals. I also have the USAAF and USN markings of the most recent boxing as well as an Iliad sheet with USAAF, RAF, USN, and IDF markings if I decide it isn't Miller time... Here's the Box O' Bits Just have to love the fabric and rivet detail. Depending on the required filing and filing, the rivets may disappear. Somebody should be flogged for this. Hey, at least I know this box was no earlier than 2001, which bodes well for Miller time. Edited January 30, 2019 by dnl42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 Nice choice. I vote for miller time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted November 19, 2018 Share Posted November 19, 2018 If your not doing it as a Canadian Harvard, then Miller time!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 The cockpit is very green, even with the detail painting. The parts have been keyed so that's it's well nigh impossible to misassemble the cockpit. I was looking in my AM stash for seat belts when I found I had some PE seats and buckles. They look a lot closer to the prototypes than the above, so this won't be quite an OOB build after all... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RCAFFAN Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, dnl42 said: The cockpit is very green, even with the detail painting. The parts have been keyed so that's it's well nigh impossible to misassemble the cockpit. Boy that brings back some memories...long time ago I borrowed a modelling buddy's copy of the kit (even that boxing) and used it as a reference to scratch duplicate that cockpit in a Heller 1/72 kit. However even with an open vacuform canopy you couldn't see much when it was done Edited November 21, 2018 by RCAFFAN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 The cockpit is quite nice considering this is an '83 kit. Those Lion Roar PE seats built up nicely. The "P-51" seat looked good for the front and another looked right for the rear seat. After folding and assembling the seats, I made up seat mounts to match the kit versions, accounting for the much thinner seat bottoms. I decided to use Dull Dark Green for the seats per some P-51 practice. I used WEM's Dull Dark Green enamel, not my usual Mr Color lacquer, so I'll need to wait for the seats to dry fully before I add the seat belts.. And the fuselage is together and being filled & filed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted November 24, 2018 Author Share Posted November 24, 2018 (edited) Exhaust collector and flying surfaces mounted; this bit is ready for the paint shop. I painted the wheel wells and the wing undersides in the way of the flaps interior green per what I believe was normal NAA practice early on. Still need to do the engine. Edited November 24, 2018 by dnl42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Are not some of these Revell kits AWESOME??!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted November 24, 2018 Author Share Posted November 24, 2018 I have to admit, I was quite surprised by the kit. The detail and engineering are generally quite nice. I've built some much newer kits with far less cockpit detail. There hasn't been a lot of filler. I did need to add some plastic strips between the fuselage and wing to better align the two assemblies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 2, 2018 Author Share Posted December 2, 2018 It's a little tough to see in the photo, but the rear canopy just doesn't fit--it's way too narrow. I ordered a vac canopy from Squadron to replace the original parts. It is scheduled to arrive on Monday. With that on hold, I painted the engine semi-gloss black (C92), the center engine gray (C339), and dry-brushed Warpaints Shining Silver. The disc behind the cylinders was painted flat black. The engine bits behind the plate, which will never been seen again, were painted gray and dry-brushed with Shining Silver And the prop. This was, without doubt, the most complicated prop I've done. Red, white, and blue tips and aluminum blade front surface, aluminum hub, yellow tips and black blade rear surface. After priming with my usual thinned Mr Surfacer, I sprayed the tips with Mr White Base, then gloss white (C1) on the front and yellow (C329) on the rear. Then red (C327) front tips and blue (C328) front inner band. I masked the complete tips and painted the rest of the prop semi-gloss black (C92). I then wrapped the blades with Parafilm M and painted the hub Alclad Aluminum. I finally unwrapped the blades and painted the blade front Aluminum . Whew! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 3, 2018 Author Share Posted December 3, 2018 (edited) Dang! Squadron and the USPS are on the ball. I ordered the vac canopies from Squadron on Friday morning--first order from them in years. I just received it this morning! It looks quite nice and definitely fixes the width issue. Will start working on this tonight. Of course, I need to redo the masking. Edited December 3, 2018 by dnl42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Very nice, our postal service just got ordered back to work, so NO postage around here. Looks much better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 I have done work like that with props, it requires a great deal of care with masking, and careful measurement. You really did a nice job. That canopy is big improvement. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 4, 2018 Author Share Posted December 4, 2018 Thanks! I tried to get that rear to work. Thought about just gluing it in place and doing some shaping, but it just wouldn't have worked. The front canopy had a good width, but it wasn't quite long enough, that is, it didn't make it all the way down to the rails. The only way it would have been just OK would be to leave the two sliding sections off. That was one of the intended configurations to show both canopies "open". The vac formed will be better. They'll fit, and I can show the 2 sliding section all stacked in the center. That will be a cool effect! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted December 6, 2018 Share Posted December 6, 2018 The prop looks beautiful. I love it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 6, 2018 Author Share Posted December 6, 2018 Thanks. It took some planning and masking. I'm quite happy with the result. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 11, 2018 Author Share Posted December 11, 2018 (edited) The canopy sections are cut apart, but not quite finished. I need to separate the front fixed and sliding parts, and then clean up all the edges. I do like the way the center sections will all stack! Also fixed up the tires. The "tread" didn't cross the center, so I fixed the missing middle with my JLC. Edited December 11, 2018 by dnl42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted December 11, 2018 Share Posted December 11, 2018 Brave man, I think I would not risk that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 12, 2018 Author Share Posted December 12, 2018 Ooh, I like the way this looks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 Big improvement with the canopies Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 I think so! Just finished up the last of the fuselage seams. I think I'll only glue the front and rear canopies on before I tape it up and prime. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 Primed and 1st color is on. Red cowling and wing tips. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 And now the Aluminum Hm, I think she needs another coat... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 All paint is finally on! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) Flaps and MLG are on, so I'm now working on the decals. Tried the stabilizer decals 1st, to see how they've held up. They're a bit sloppy with a lot of adhesive. These are wrap-around decals in 2 parts. It appears I need to install the lower surface 1st and then the upper decals, which wraps around the leading edge and overlaps the lower decals. The wings are the same way, so I'm glad I figured this out on the smaller decals, first. Also, the MSI Micro Set is usually fairly mild, but it's very aggressive on these decals! So much so, that they substantially wrinkled soon after I applied the Micro Set. But, an hour later and they've smoothed out a lot. Hopefully, they'll continue to smooth out. Edited January 6, 2019 by dnl42 s/Flags/Flaps/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.