themarquetteguy Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Hi Folks, The only goal I have was to build a 'simple' plane that is good enough for Tamiya competition this year ( which just ended a couple of weeks ago here in Singapore)....By 'good enough' I mean just better grading than the 1st time I took part last year.. So...here is my entry and it is delicated to Wildcat fans.....not sure if I got all the detail and research done correctly....Decal from Cutting Edge base on Lt Jim Swett, F4F-4, BuNo 12094, VMF-221 Guadalcanal Well , as it turn out...IT was Good enough for the competition ! Along the way, I took some photos ...just for memory sake of the pain and toils of buiilding this model that I can pass on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eaglebeagle Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 And well deserved too! thats a stunning build, very nice weathering congratulations Cheers Brad Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 Congratulations! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Liberator24 Posted September 1, 2007 Share Posted September 1, 2007 And where are the build photos of this wonderful aircraft??!!!! Beautiful job!!! -Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wing_Nut Posted September 2, 2007 Share Posted September 2, 2007 Outstanding job!! I'm in the middle of building this kit myself and this is quite inspirational Quote Link to post Share on other sites
themarquetteguy Posted September 2, 2007 Author Share Posted September 2, 2007 And here's the 1st part of the progress report ...delayed due to 'technical issue' with the PC As usual, start with the Tub I Used Eduard PE set and selective pieces only- seat belt, seat belt rod, panels and some switches Retain kit seat rather than PE seat …and remove a fair bit of flooring per Eduard instruction Painted using Mr Color (Lacquer paint) Interior Green H340. …and wash with oil paint Raw Umbra (since this will be a ground base plane rather than sea base plane) Some dry brushing on control panel , front panel and seat Relatively smooth assembly Minor modifications…Needed to drill a couple of holes and added short metal bit for antenna wire support at the tail portion on each side I use CA and Accelerator to fill out gaps …and re-scribe where ever appropriate Tip: When Re-scribing Panel line, try using Hasegawa Try Tool ‘Saw’ rather than a scribing knife…much simpler!. Drop a droplet of glue on the re-scribe line to smooth out the surface.. It is easy to do and can be done on curve surfaces too! ….Replace molded guns with Brass Tube Oh yes, mask the cockpit before you prime. Tip…make sure you use the right type of liquid mask to mask the cockpit or you will be sorry when it comes to removing it…. There is a rubbery type which is good for painted surface but will stain the canopy….and another ‘sticky’ type for Canopy…which is hard to remove on painted surfaces but will not stain for canopy Sand out the kit lights on belly per Kagero Monographs on Wildcat Re-scribe Panel line at the tail end portion There a big gap between the Wings and Fuselage…Fill it with Epoxy Putty rather than regular putty Tip: Fill gap with Tamiya Epoxy Putty Quick Dry type and remove excess with Acrylic Thinner with cotton bud rather than regular putty and lacquer thinner …reasons 1. No smell, 2. very little shrinkage 3. can be re-scribe without cracking…Try it! Painting Starts!... I use Mr Color US Navy Set H367 on Top and H57(?) grey for the underside… Give it an even coat first and then….. Thin it with a few drop of white to provide the shadow…. Mask section by section with masking tape spray along the edge… Take your time….. You will love the 3-D effect! You can do it on the wings too but I choose not to do it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
themarquetteguy Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Part 2...... Viola! Completed with painted 3-D painted effect (no lighting needed to show the high lights) Port Side Not forgetting the Wings…The control surfaces and removable panels are painted with a lighter tone Added the black walk way stripes and ammo stain PS. Note that the transparent landing light at the wing was glued on earlier than later per instruction to make it ‘merge’ in and avoid unsightly gap BTW, the canopy mask is from Black Magic Underside Oh Yeah, …you can’t see it , but the landing gear have a small strip of bare metal foil wrap around the strut Spinner painted using Alcald Aluminum…Nice and smooth! Top View Next…The “Delightful or Dreadful†Decal… Don’t forget to give it a good coat of Gloss Coat first! Good Decal Adhesion Tip : To prevent silvering, shot Lacquer thinner on the decal rather than regular decal setting solution. Once the Decal start to wrinkle, stop applying the thinner and let it dry…. Lacquer thinner ‘dissolves’ the decal much better and deeper into the surface contour The ‘pesky’ raise rivets….No problem at all using the Lacquer thinner process.. Phew! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
themarquetteguy Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Part 3..... Ah!.. The ‘Star’ of the plane at the tail Port side view Top view Done?...Nope …Need Weathering Next The Decal on the Prop deserves an additional layer of Gloss coat to ‘smooth’ out the decal thickness Weathering 1st Pass…Dirt Use diluted Earth color and spray around edges that typically gets step on. Your may want to reduce the air pressure to less than 10 psi if possible Next, add water and oil stain on rivets locations Mix oil paint and Thinner on a 50:50 basis Drop a droplet on each panel and wait for a couple of minutes. Wipe using cotton bud Don’t forget chipping. I prefer to use a silver pencil and randomly knock on the leading edge, walk way strip and cockpit area…. Don’t over do it. Spend 1-2 minute each time and check if you have overdone it… the good thing is that the silver ‘paint’ can easily be remove Quote Link to post Share on other sites
themarquetteguy Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Oh, ..need to add the water stain at the belly…I spray it on rather than using oil paint Don’t forget the underside of the wings too… use oil paint and cotton bud ….As well as the Engine area Don’t forget the Insignia too on the tail as it is close to the ground where there is plenty of dirt To enhance the rivets on the plane, dirt and water stain were also added to the rear and under side (even though it could hardly be seen when place on a flat surface…but then a sharp eye judge WILL notice it). Dot each rivet with oil paint, let dry and wipe it all at once with a piece of rag. Stop when you think it is good enough Weathering DONE! …Don’t forget to give it a Flat Coat spray Adding Antenna wires….. using leftover plastic spruce Tip : To get very fine wire, don’t just heat and pull and use the ‘thinnest’ portion…it will still be too thick and out of scale. The process: Burn though (melt) the spruce with a fire , quickly join the two burning ends and pull it apart just as quickly , you will be able to get very very fine stretch wire. Tip : When fixing the wires onto the plane, you do not need to ‘tension’ it. Just make sure each end is secure with CA or whatever. Here’s the secret…. Light a wooden tooth pick with fire, blow out the fire to just a amber glow….bring the glowing tooth pick close to the wire…you will see the wire ‘snap tight’…like magic!.... It is a material property concept called elastic yield point of material Quote Link to post Share on other sites
themarquetteguy Posted September 7, 2007 Author Share Posted September 7, 2007 Some dry bushing on raise areas next Overall top view Finishing touches… just paint Engine Oil stain on the lip of the prop cover…using ‘Smoke’ color with a 000 Sabre paint brush On the side too DONE!!!!! DONE!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chukw Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Superb! Thanks for documenting your painting process- I've taken notes. Cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azgaron Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 A very beautiful Wildcat! Very nicely built, painted and weathered! Thanks for the interesting progress pics and building tips. Azgaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimz66 Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Very nice build. Nice paintjob and crongrats on being and building a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Isaac Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Nicely done! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flyman49 Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Man, I drooled all over my keyboard. That is an amazing build. I can hardly wait to get home and try it. Just a side note: if you have an iPod, or iTunes, go to the store and get the History Channel's Dogfight episode "Guadlcanal." James Swett is interviewed and talks about his CMO mission, where he shot down 6 or 7 planes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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