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1/72 Hasegawa P-2H Neptune (P2V-7) of VP-4


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For my next build I will be doing another commission build. This will be a 1/72 Hasegawa P-2H Neptune (P2V-7) of VP-4. The P-2 was a Lockheed built Maritime Patrol and Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft. This aircraft flew from 1947 until the late 1960’s for the US Navy and continued to fly until 1984 for other countries. The client is having this built to match his Father’s aircraft. I will be making all the specific decals and weathering it to match actual photos. I will also bescratch building additional details as needed.

This kit is the Minicraft/Hasegawa version. This kit was released back in 1972. Many kits back then did not have the better details as more recent model kits. The cockpit consists of only 6 parts and no details on the parts at all. After reviewing some references online I modified the seat, made my own instrument panel, ( see https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/making-a-cockpit-dash-from-scratch/   ) center console, detailed the rear bulkheads of the cockpit and nose area, and scratch built the control sticks for the pilot and co-pilot. The seats were painted with the international orange pads and I used small strips of Tamiya tape for the seat belts. The nose gear bay also lacked details so with some photo etch extras I added more details. Once the cockpit and nose section were completed I assembled the fuselage. The seams between the fuselage halves were difficult to get them to line up. I slowly glued the halves together then used Tamiya putty to fill the gaps and improper fit. As soon as the putty finishes curing I will be detail sanding for a while.

 

See more photos and details of this build from in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

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  • 2 weeks later...

Work on the Neptune this week has been very tedious.  First, I had a lot of questions and comments on why I use kapton tape. So there are a couple of photos on removing the tape masks on the canopy. I then installed the landing gear. The nose gear did not have the landing light so I scratch built the housing from styrene rod then made the lens using acrylic gel.  

Once I had all the base coat painting completed I started to do the decals. Since this kit was manufactured way back in the early 1970’s, the kit decals did not age well. I cut out a decal for the Japanese scheme to see how they would work. After soaking in warm water for over three minutes the decal started to slide. However, it then immediately broke apart. I took another one and coated it with Microscale decal film and let it dry. It still took a long time of soaking buy I was able to get the decal to stay mostly together. It required some very careful small movements to get it moved and placed on the spare surface. It was successfully placed. I decided that the only decal’s I was going to use off the sheet was the yellow rectangles for the tail. I then dug thru my spare decal binder and after an extensive search I located nearly all of the letters and numbers in the correct sizes as well as the US insignias. Surprisingly I found a decal for the propeller warning lines that was the correct size and looked more accurate than the kit decal. I then made the squadron logo decal that goes on the nose, the trident for the tip of the tail, and the “Jet Intake” decals.  Since each of the letters and numbers were individual decals it took a lot of time to get them placed and aligned. With all the decals placed I then started on the heavy weathering starting with the jet engines. The aircraft itself was sealed with a matte finish so that the weathering can be applied. I will be using three different shades of blue and two shades of gray to weather the aircraft with gray, black, and brown for exhausts.

See more photos and details of this build from in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

 

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15 minutes ago, crackerjazz said:

Great progress! How did you weather the exhausts, exactly, if you don't mind my asking. They look incredible.  And what brand/color of baremetal paint is that?  It looks very realistic.

I used Vallejo's new Metal Color Duraluminum (77.702) for the base color.  I then used pastel chalk to stain the blue, followed by brown chalk and finally black near the exhaust then using a cotton swab I blended them by rubbing it from the black to the blue. You can see which pastel chalk and tools I use here: https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/weathering-with-pastel-chalk/

 

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On 4/30/2021 at 9:26 PM, Wolfman_63 said:

I used Vallejo's new Metal Color Duraluminum (77.702) for the base color.  I then used pastel chalk to stain the blue, followed by brown chalk and finally black near the exhaust then using a cotton swab I blended them by rubbing it from the black to the blue. You can see which pastel chalk and tools I use here: https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/weathering-with-pastel-chalk/

 

Beautiful work!  Yes, thanks for your technique tip!  I need to get me some of them chalks!

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This is looking really good! I'm at the age where I take my eyeglasses off AND use one of those magnifier headsets, the only 1/72 I'd even consider tackling would be Monogram's B-52 or B-36. (I'm 52....)

I like the Neptune for a special reason - my late father-in-law served as flight engineer aboard P2V's during the Korean War. I was not aware of their roles - as North Korea didn't have submarines, the Neptunes were used in ground attack and close air support.

This is him at the 2016 WWII Weekend in Reading, PA, he toured the one behind him. (I believe he'd told me that he flew in the earlier variants, no jet engines. I may be mistaken.)

 

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The 1/72 Hasegawa P-2H Neptune (P2V-7) is now complete! Before we get to the final photos there are a couple of details I needed to add. I first took a photo with the aircraft outside. Seems that different camera’s show the weathering differently but natural sunlight shows off the weathering better. Now on to the last detail, the nose has a frame that protects the crew member while giving him a place for his feet and legs instead of resting on the clear nose. The kit came with a small frame that looked nothing like the actual aircraft. I started with 30 AWG wire and cut 8 pieces. These were bent and tack soldered together. The nose frame was then painted and installed. I then used EZ-Line fine to add in the antenna.

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With the aircraft completed, I am waiting for the brass nameplate before I can pack it up and ship it to the client. Seems the USPS is experiencing some delays and tracking keeps changing expected delivery day. Once it arrives I will post a few photos of it packed. The client purchased one of Grandpa’s Cabinets display cases. Once he has the display case and the aircraft together he will send me some photos and I will post them here. Thanks again for following along on this special build.

See more photos and details of this build from start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

 

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Edited by Wolfman_63
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Update - Just letting all know that the Aircraft was packed up with a brass nameplate and shipped to the client. It arrived without any issues. I also recommended to use one of Grandpa's Cabinets Display Cases. The aircraft will be presented to his Father on Father's Day.

All the final photos can be seen at https://davidsscalemodels.com/commissioned-work/1-72-hasegawa-p-2h-neptune-of-vp-4/

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