Roy Sutherland

Hi PZ. Unfortunately, its the nature of the beast. Applying tiny cockpit stencils is, by definition, really fussy work. The white ink against light blue backing paper is the way it is. Cartograf does not offer decal paper in any other color. The only thing I can suggest is more light and more magnification. My eyesight is not what it once was, but I managed to get them all installed. Its not exactly relaxing work, but the payoff is a great looking cockpit. Whether it is too fussy and/or too much work is a personal decision. Happy modelling! Roy

Hi Frank. That looks really great. It's inspiring to me. Makes me want to get mine finished up. Love the oil streaking back on the stbd cowling. What did you use for this? Can you contact me off board at barracudacomments@gmail.com? Thanks! Roy

Hi Murph. While the color information is generally good, the part about black cockpits is outdated. The Birdcage that came out of the lake (Michigan?) and is being restored had a Dull Dark Green cockpit, and Dana Bell, noted US aviation author and researcher, has stated that Birdcages were painted as such. I don't think there is any hard evidence for black cockpits in F4U-1s. Not to say that there might have been an exception or two to prove the rule, but it was not the standard. Hope this helps. Roy

Hi Cees. Not sure if you are aware of the Barracuda Studios Tempest mainwheels, but they are a big improvement over the kit wheels which are too small in diameter and too wide. http://barracudacals.com/prodimages/3212402.jpg Available here, or shortly from Hannants. http://barracudacals.com/proddetail.php?prod=BR32124&cat=33 I have a few more 1/32 Tempest accessories coming soon, but they are too late for your build, which is looking very nice! Looking forward to seeing it progress. Roy

Hi Guys. Sorry to hear you had some problems with some of the larger stencils, such as the stencil for the armament panel under the main instrument panel. The trick to installing them is to cut the stencils into smaller sections before applying them. I like to cut them into sections and cut away any clear film that would interfere with a large switch or knob. Each section is then wet and applied separately. They are printed in one section to show the final shape when installed. Understand that applying such tiny decals is a challenge. Its going to take a number of hours to do, but then anything worth doing is worth the time it takes to do it properly! :-) Model building involves some amount of problem solving. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box. I was not sure if cockpit stencil decals were going to work or be seen as a viable product, but I've seen many excellent results so far, and I managed to install a set myself without TOO much trouble. It took me two evenings to finish, but i have to say I enjoyed the process. Hope you come away with the same experience. Hope this helps. Happy modelling! Roy

Looking good so far, but be aware the the birdcage Corsair's cockpit was painted in Dull Dark Green, not Green Zinc Chromate. Color photos of unrestored Bircages confirm this. Hope it's not too late! Happy modelling! Roy. PS. Work slowly and carefully with our cockpit stencil and placard decals, they are pretty teeny! Looking forward to seeing this come together.

Nice work, Matt. Really looks the part! Makes me want to jump into building mine! Glad you enjoyed building the kit. Roy

Yay! Any word on workin that magic on some Tempie resin pit set parts Roy? Hi Brian. Not right now. I am up to my armpits in new sets I'm about to release for the Tamiya 1/32nd Corsair, which by weight of possible sales, wins handily! Announcements coming very soon. Roy

Hi Matt. Looking really good. Good to see that the kit builds up reasonably quickly (for a short run kit). I was involved in the development of this kit, so I take a personal interest in seeing it coming together. Just as a heads up, Barracuda Studios will be releasing some really nice resin 1/32 Tempest wheels soon. These are a big improvement accuracy and detail wise over the kit wheels. Watch for announcements later this week! Happy modelling! Roy

Hi Andy and fellow Tempest enthusiasts. You might want to put those kit wheels back in the box! I have some new Tempest wheels coming soon which are a huge improvement in both accuracy (the kit wheels are fat, and a little mis-proportioned) and detail (just wait til you see them!). Expect an announcement later this week with photos of the parts in resin. Happy modelling! Roy BTW, looking good so far! Looking forward to seeing it finished up.

Hi Chuck. Just stumbled upon your finished Mustang here. Beautiful work! You got those removable engine panels to fit quite well. A nice change of pace scheme, too. If you don't mind, could you contact me off board at: Barracudacomments@gmail.com Thanks. Roy

Hi Jeff. Wow, that is really superb! Love the photography as well. First time I've seen our new 262 wheels painted up, and what a stellar job you did with them. I'd like to see a step by step tutorial of how you painted them. Glad the wheels added to your enjoyment of the build. Happy modelling! Roy

Hi Geoff. Roy here. Not sure if anyone has commented on this yet, but what you are working on is not the 21st Century Toys P-51D Mustang. This is the Mustang made by BBI. I know this because I was in charge of development at 21st Century Toys, and the 2nd generation 1/18th scale Mustang was one of my babies. I saw it from concept to production. While it had it's share of problems, it is a much more accurate rendition of the P-51D. That said, you are doing some great work here, and I look forward to seeing it progress. Happy modelling! Roy

Hi Mitch. Roy from Barracuda Studios here. Sorry to hear about your problem with the seat. Drop me an email at: barracudacomments@gmail.com Send me your address, and I'll send you a replacement seat right away. I think the problem came from the way you removed the seat from the molding block. I give very specific illustrated instructions on how to remove the seat without damaging it. If you follow them, there should not be any breakage. Resin is, by its nature, more fragile than plastic, but the amazing detail it can reproduce is the tradeoff. as to the cockpit upgrade set, the stick represents a number of details not found on the kit part including the 3 hyraulic lines and the connectors that lead into the spade grip, a more accurate gun firing toggle switch, as well as the wrapping around the spade grip. Its a little trickier to remove, but the final result is a marked improvement, as you can see from the photo in the attached instructions below. http://barracudacals...nstructions.pdf This set also includes the cockpit stencils, which will add some interest and color, as well as corrected dial faces for the kit panel. The oxygen hose, retract and throttle quadrants also represent noticeable improvements in detail. The flash you have encountered is a normal part of the resin casting process and is paper thin (thinner actually) A minute or two with a knife and its gone. Use the pics in the instructions to show what the finished parts should look like. Hang in there. Resin is a little different to work with, but once you get used to it, its actually quite fun to use, and the detail it brings is not possible in injection molding. Happy modelling! Roy PS. Looking forward to watching your build progress.

Lou. That makes three of us. I was born in Toronto back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth (or so it seems!) and then moved to the States when I was 6. I still have memories of watching the Leafs play on television. My parents were European, but quickly became fans of hockey. Thanks for getting back to me. I look forward to the rest of your build!