chuck540z3

All of these models are gorgeous Niels and to do them all within 1 year is simply amazing. Each jet oozes modeling quality and craftsmanship in every way. Congratulations on an epic year! Cheers, Chuck

Despite the challenges I'm having with the 1/24 Airfix Hellcat, I think the plastic is great, other than the short-shot sprue F that I received in my kit. As good as the Tamiya Spitfire is, it does have some shortcomings that are not on this Airfix model. The Tamiya Merlin engine is missing the oil filler neck on the bottom oil tank and there is no connection between the front glycol tank and the engine itself, which to me is a real miss. The spark plug cables and other items look very good and correct on the Airfix photos above, so I can see that detailing this engine could be really, really fun. I will buy this model for sure and build it right here- right after Peter makes a new instrument panel for it! Cheers, Chuck

Thank you Peter and Maru so much! Those first 2 pics are the best I've seen so far, but the problem with the rest (most of which I have already), is that they are taken from ground level looking up, for obvious reasons. For Merlin and other engines, I've been lucky enough to find pics from above, where somebody took them either from the wing or some other platform looking down. No such luck with this bird, so I'll just fashion something together that looks close, because right now, there's no pics to say I'm wrong! Cheers, Chuck

As I wrap up the engine on my 1/24 Airfix F6F-5 build, I need some detailed pics of the engine area, specifically just in front of the firewall and to the rear of the engine itself. I want to add some wiring and hydraulic lines, but I have no idea where they should go. All the pics I can find are about 6 or more feet away and from below, but I haven't found one that's close and from above. Any references you can find would be most appreciated! Thanks, Chuck

Really, really nice Steve. You really know what to do with those big cats, don't you! I would just love one in my house, but I can't find enough room for my 1/32 models as it is. Cheers, Chuck

OK, OK, this was bugging me so much I just had to "fix" it. In almost all of the pics I have of the R-2800 engine, which of course is many different versions, the rocker covers are bare metal aluminum, so I left them that way. On this particular kit, these features are split down the middle as the cylinder halves come together, which usually leaves a big gap which I filled with CA glue to make them look a bit better, but they have always been an inferior feature of this engine. No two of these covers is formed the same and the size and outline of them is all over the place. Painting them black would hide much of that, so I dug a little deeper thanks to spartacus2000. Here's a pic of someone working on the engine (Will Ferrell's Dad?), which sure looks like wartime and as an added bonus, it's even in color. Note the color of the rocker covers. Jet Black. Also note the wing-root panel that he's standing on, which is a one piece wraparound and when the rear engine cowling covers are off, this panel usually is as well, so I think I'll be leaving it off too. Also notice the rear of the front cowling, which is full of fastener receptacles, which I'll be adding later since the front cowlings will always be off, as well as the faint panel line just above the "4", while there is no join just above "Rocker" where the kit parts have one. I was reluctant to paint these little suckers, because I SUCK at brush painting and I didn't want to make a mess. Using black enamel paint, which I could fix with plain solvent against a lacquer background, it turned out better than I thought it might. A reluctant close-up pic to show how crappy the rocker covers are formed in the first place- and my brush painting. At least the black paint forms a shape, which is mostly missing from the kit parts. There, it's now "fixed" and while I was at it, I learned a few new things about engine cowling details that I'll use later. Cheers, Chuck

Thanks- and too late! I wish I had known that before, because the rocker covers are split on this kit and come out looking quite choppy when assembled together, so I filled in the gaps with CA glue. If they were also painted black as you suggest, it would hide even more and probably look a little cleaner. I could still paint the front cylinder bank covers but the rear ones will be very tough, since they are half-buried by the cylinder shields now. I'll see what I can do and thanks for the tip. Cheers, Chuck

Thanks, but I'm not sure how to answer. What's a CGI? In any case, I always try to do my best at modeling and photography, which compliment each other. Clean close up pics reveal every tiny flaw, which forces me to be extra careful before posting them, which hopefully results in a better model than I would otherwise create. Thanks Jay. The engine truss complex has a 5 longitudinal cross members at the front I haven't added yet for the front cowls to lie on, but cowling fit at the rear depends solely on the the notches you see at the top on the pic below. The cowl at the rear top is narrow, so it shouldn't be much of a distraction to leave it on and hide those notches, but for other cowlings left off, I should pay attention to what the real deal has underneath and maybe modify a few things to make it look more accurate. Cheers, Chuck

Thank you, and no, mostly because I don't think many of the cowlings will be used. There's no point doing all this work to the engine and then covering it up, although it they fit OK- or at least some of them- I will make them up and paint them, just 'cause. I need to do some mods at the wing root if I want to use the rear bottom cowling, because the panel next to the wing root at the front is one piece for top and bottom, not 2 parts like the kit. This will keep things open so that you can see more of the firewall plumbing and it matches many reference pics I have of the engine when exposed. Cheers, Chuck

January 4/22 Happy New Year everyone! Since my last update, I have been spending a lot of time dealing with the many parts in Steps 186 to 222. Other than usual clean-up, most of these parts have seam lines that don’t exist that should be filled, so there’s a lot of work to just get them ready for paint. I also found out as you shall soon see, that the parts for Steps 193 and Step 200 do not fit at all, so in hindsight I wish I had tried to modify these parts before committing to paint, so that I might have had a chance at a better outcome. All parts were painted according to the instructions, but I did modify the main Part K-5 according to some references, where the majority of the lower half has metal plating covering the surface to dissipate heat from the many exhaust pipes next to this main wall. Although it looks quite bright in this pic, it is really a dull steel color instead. I found that the curved vents that are installed in Steps 209 and 210 did not fit very well at all and stuck out too far. Since there is almost no play in the parts that they attach to, I’m calling this a kit flaw, but thankfully it can be modified enough to make it workable, albeit not perfect. The fix is to shorten the neck that attaches to the main engine core, while sanding the inside edge of where the vent attaches to the outside edge of Part K-5. Here is the modified port side part assembly on the right and the unmodified starboard side on the left. This pic from the rear shows why the vent necks need to be shortened, to allow for the outside vents to fit flush with the outside edges in front of them so that cowlings can fit snugly. This pic also shows the assembly of the parts K-4/K-12 in Step 199 do not fit when installed in Step 200, notwithstanding the warning diagram to get Part K-5 parallel to the exhaust pipes, rather than touch them. This diagram makes no sense to me at all, since if K-5 is glued to the back of the engine properly, it must be parallel and further, no amount of angle one way or the other will get this Y-shaped assembly to fit properly, even with some sanding of the main opening. To make matters worse, installing this part scratches the main engine support rails which must be installed first, rubbing the paint off of them, so the whole assembly is a real mess to work with. What you see here is, as we modelers often say, “good enough” and thankfully it’s on the bottom at the back of the engine, which is unlikely to be seen again. Thankfully the rest of the parts aft of the engine were installed with no drama and things fit pretty good overall. Here it is with just a hint of a brown wash to dirty it up a bit. Another angle of the outside vent fit, which is now flush, but a bit low and not really fixable. Again, good enough! Top view. This view confirms that any spark plugs attached to the rear of both cylinder heads is a waste of time. Even if I twist this assembly all over the place, I can’t see the spark plugs any longer from any view at the back. With that hindsight, I would install spark plugs on the front of the cylinders only and just leave holes in the back of all cylinders to thread the wires into. Although you can’t see it very well, this is why I painted the lower parts of K-5 in Alclad Steel. I bet the heat from those exhausts are extreme and will cook any paint nearby. A few more views for a reference. Dry fit into the front of the fuselage. The fit is a bit fiddly, but very doable and with some glue, will be pretty strong. The front cowling parts M11 and M12 in Steps 220-221 fit together fairly well, but after looking at several reference pics, that join does not exist and there is a panel line up higher, about mid-way, which I scribed and filled with a dark wash to show it off better. The join was filled with CA glue and sanded smooth, along with the rest of the cowling which is quite rough, like most of the larger pieces in this kit. The fit to the front of the engine was near perfect, so no worries there. I’m really glad to get this engine stuff behind me, because it’s a ton of work and I’m really getting tired of handling it and removing paint as a result, even with gloves. I will touch it up when I install it towards the end of the build, and likely dirty it up a bit more so that it’s not so clean. Next step is the fuselage firewall and figuring out which cowling panels will be added or left off. Depending on cowling fit, I may not even paint them if they don’t fit perfectly when dry fit. Cheers, Chuck

Beautiful model and expert craftsmanship. I really like the scuffed paint work here and there, so make it look well used, but still taken care of. Cheers, Chuck

LOVE the subject Peter and will love what you are creating in such skilled hands. While we mortals glue together little parts that come in a kit, you make the kit, then put it all together like you are doing right now. Always amazing to me. Cheers, Chuck

Jay, First of all, your cockpit looks real, and there's no higher compliment that can be made than that. Just awesome! As for not owning an airbrush, I have to admit I'm a bit shocked and since you said to not be shy, you MUST buy one and you must use it. Any other method of painting will always be second rate compared to airbrush painting, period. Some modelers, like you, are pretty good with brush painting and I admit and I'm jealous of their skills, since everybody needs to use a brush sometimes, but for a big beast like this, brush painting is going to look only so-so at best. My strong suggestion is to get this bird ready for painting, then take an airbrush sabbatical and practice on plastic mules of some kind, with everything from primers to final paint. Before you do this, I would post a thread in the Modelling Q&A: Tips, Techniques, and Photography Forum and ask for advice. I bet you get a landslide of great tips to get you started and like everything in life, you need to start at the beginning sometime, or stagnate with what is comfortable and not stretch yourself. We old dogs can still learn some new tricks, which is part of what makes this hobby so much fun! Cheers, Chuck

Hat's off to you sir! You continue to amaze with your skill and craftsmanship with no detail ignored, like that little fabric piece. Really cool. Cheers, Chuck

A work still in progress, but here's where I am on the Airfix 1/24 Hellcat P&W R2800 engine. Major addition is the use of ANYZ spark plugs and braided cables. Pipes added..... Bottom Cheers, Chuck