kkarlsen

Thank you very much Richard, you are too kind! Kent

Well the photo was kind of inviting to do that, the only one thing that's missing is the photographer Thank you very much, all! It was the first time I ever did a Japanese plane, and if it wasn't for Ondrej at Special Hobby, I still hadn't. Now on to other adventures... or the shelf of doom? Cheers: Kent

I've tried to recreate a vignette, based this photo of one of the planes of Matsuo Hagiri together with some of his 'colleagues' on board the carrier Soryo. The Special Hobby kit is 'High tech' in the sense that it's including resin details of the engine and cockpit, as well as fret of photoetched details. https://www.specialhobby.eu/en/1/1/a5m4-claude-hi-tech-1-32.html?&listtype=search&searchparam=A5M4 Build thread is here: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/94082-mitsubishi-a5m4-the-father-of-the-zero/ Thanks for looking.... Cheers: Kent

The A5M4 is finished, a couple of preliminary shot's of the finished build.. As usual the markings are a mix of kit decals, Berna decals and some 'in-house' printed decals. Cheers: Kent

I already got those IJN tie downs Cheers: Kent

A mixture of duraluminium & Exhaust manifold Cheers: Kent

Further progress... Preparations for the painting. The A5M4 is assembled. Then I took a brake from the A5M4 to start working on the carrier deck display base. 4 mm strips of balsa wood stained in different tones to make a natural wood deck. I couldn't resist to try the arrangement for the base. Next the weathering: There are photos that suggest at least some of the A5M4 had some weathering.. These photos gave me the courage to start the weathering process. I didn't want to do another A5M4 which came right of the factory. Continuing on with the salt weathering... It's a mess but it does the job... The result of the salt weathering... Next I used some diluted clear orange with a mask, to add the shade of the lacquer at least used by some of the carrier based A5M4. The engine has been fitted. And the landing gear. I like the 'battered' worn look of the aircraft. After all I didn't want to do another 'shiny' A5M4 coming right out of the factory. Cheers: Kent

Thank you Paolo, if I can be any assistance to your build, just ask! Cheers: Kent

Not at all, here you go: Kent

This weekend I managed to finish the riveting, fix the cockpit in place and to begin the assembly of the fuselage and wings.. The riveting of the fuselage halves.. Top wings.. And elevators.. View of the cockpit in place.. The cockpit with some extra detailing... Fuselage assembly with a closer look of the riveting... Notice the slot for the scratched wing spar... I had to do some work to get the wings to fit the fuselage. In the end I resorted to building a 'wing spar' firstly to keep the alignment right of the middle wing. It has to be horizontal and also because the top wings doesn't have the same thickness as the wing root, it's sagging. In this way I solved both problems Almost there! Cheers: Kent

Thank you Paolo! Yes I know about the 'golden varnish' and I will try to find a way to make this work. The last thing I want to do is a nice shiny new aircraft. I'm hoping to achieve some kind of weathering, blending different tones. Maybe my preferred weathering method will be applied in some way, salt-weathering. Cheers: Kent

No I've been told that I can do anything with the kit Cheers: Kent

Thank you Gary, it's also great to be back to some normalcy! Cheers Kent

Thanks Gent's. I've been distracted elsewhere, so now I'm ready to do what I hope will be the final 'stint' of this build. The Special Hobby kit is lacking most of it's riveting. An odd decision? Only some basic rivets on the fuselage and nothing at all on the wings. the Wingsy kits in 1/48 scale has all the rivets. And even the Clear Props! kit in 1/72 scale... Wow! It's been that kind of job you try to put off as long as possible... But here I go with my trusted 'Rosie the riveter' at hand, starting with the underside of the wings, to get into the rhythm. If one makes a mistake, it's not very noticeable. There some minor differences of the details of some of the rivets, but better than no rivets. The finished result of the first part.. Cheers: Kent

Thank you Tolga & Jaro.. Kent

'Better late than never', right... For four years I've been planning to attend the largest modelling show in Sweden C4 Open, having gotten an invitation by the organizers of the show. Of course the plans were 'quashed' by two years of Covid + my hospital stay last year. I had the models registered for the show last year but the organizers didn't know why i didn't show up? Long story short, this year I finally succeeded in attending the C4 Open in Malmö. For the occasion I decided to finishing the PBY-5A Catalina and attaching the wings for this beast.. The finished build isn't exactly a 'shelf piece' but it is impressive... And yes the Catalina was awarded at the show in Sweden. Now, where to store the build... Cheers: Kent

Thanks a lot Ray!

Thank you Kevin. For the propeller I used a sheet of clear plastic cut to the circumference of the propeller. A paper template was cut before airbrushing the 'shadow' of the propeller and some yellow for the propeller tips. Lastly I drilled a hole in the center of the sheet an attached it to my Dremel in the lowest rpm, removing some of the paint with a cotton bud/abrasive stick until I was satisfied with result. Cheers Kent

I would like to share a project I have been working on and of the past two years. TBC-1C Avenger from the USS Intrepid. Grumman Avenger TBF-1C of the USS Intrepid VT-18 Torpedo Squadron. The basis is the old Accurate Miniatures TBF-1C Avenger kit. Some aftermarket extras. I chose the 1/48 scale part because I planned to somehow display the Avenger dropping a Torpedo in flight and part because I wanted to get some experience working with 'water'. From the interior build with a full crew. The finished paintwork of the exterior. Waves cut out of a foam sheet. Layer of white glue and toilet paper. Paintwork of the water acrylic paint + glossy gel. Resin torpedo with wooden tail. Working with the 'splash' of the torpedo. Water, splash and torpedo... Everything put together. I've user a 4 mm acrylic rod to keep the Avenger flying. Closeup views of the Avenger. A couple of weeks ago the Avenger was awarded first place in the diorama class. P.S. The Musashi together with her sister ship Yamato, were the worlds largest battleships. The US Navy attacked the Musashi during the Battle of Sibuyan Sea. Musashi was sunk by an estimated 19 torpedo and 17 bomb hits from American carrier-based aircraft on 24 October 1944. One of the heroes that emerged from the attack was 'skipper' Lloyd van Antwerp of the VT-18. He received 2 x Navy Cross + Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery during the battle of Leyte Gulf 24 & 25 October of 1944. Cheers: Kent

Update on the 'Claude'... Work on the cockpit... I decided to go with the only illustrations of the A5M4 I have available... The green I have used is somewhere in the middle... The seatbelts are Eduard from the A6M2.. Cheers: Kent

Jeg vidste det! And a welcome to you too Peter You know, I have never really stopped thinking about this idea and it is right up my 'alley', always looking for the 'civilian' angle! But when I look at the kit and the immense task it would be, the monumental interior work this would require, then I'm getting scared and begin to 'chicken' out. It is a wonderful idea... Although you know how it says on the box w/Full Interior, that is really not true. The Cockpit and the back of the plane is there, not the middle part, hmm. Cheers: Kent

Thanks for the support Well I will have to come up with a solution won't I? I already did the Lanc diorama in 1/48 and I'm not going to do that again. So I will have to wring my brain and come up with another way of displaying the 'The Beast'... I have already have an idea, but you are welcome to share ideas for this 'conundrum'... Cheers: Kent

Cheers: Kent

Thank you Alex. I don't know if it would make any sense, adding the cowling support structure in the kit. it would probably be too 'heavy' both in styrene or in resin. But Special Hobby could include them in the instructions, with a note how to make it in either stretched sprue or some kind of very thin metal rod Kent

Nakajima Kotobuki engine in the works... Humble beginnings.. The gearbox of the engine in the High-Tech kit is replaced by a very nice resin part. I've thinned the 'ring' almost into it's half, to get a better fit with the photoetched ignition wires. Adding the 'push' rods, 0.4 mm rod with hollow tube as sleeves, in both ends. Sparkplugs also added. 'Scratched' back ring and cowling ring. The air intakes have been reshaped, They triangular shape to fit the space between the cylinders. + One additinal... Phot of the A5M cowling shows the three intakes and their shape as well some more details. The spark plug ring has been fitted + the back ring. Cowling 'stringers' have been fitted. And Just for fun - The kit doesn't have any exhaust except the 'stubs' protruding from the cowling, so I experimented to see if it would be possible to scratch some exhausts from stretched sprue. Again they will probably not be visible, But I know they are there. I think they turned out ok. I will not hesitate if I ever again would need exhausts.. The propeller was 'puttied' for sink holes on the backside, and a big 'nut' has been added in front. Cheers: Kent