whiskytngofxtrt

Got the cockpit tub ready for painting:
 

 
Primed it and set it aside. Next step shall be side consoles, side walls and dashboard. Not to forget to install the seatbelts.
 
Also closed both the last part of the center wing (still drying with a bucketload of tape around) and the other outer wing.
 
 
For the log: This build is enjoyable. My greatest concern were the UC bays, so I installed them first, and it worked fine. Anything else of the construction is pure fun. No problems met. OK, the PE bits are somewhat fiddly, but I had the great idea to use some sticky dough (it's called Patafix here, or Bluetac) to secure the tiny parts and to overcome the carpet monster until I had the whole subassembly ready to glue. Worked like a charm
 
More to come when the wings and tub are dry and ready to go on.
 
Regards
- dutik

I have a nasty cold, so work slowed somewhat, but I got the other UC bay installed and started to glue the upper wing halfes. Masterplan: Glue them at the rear, let them fully cure, then snap them over the UC bays and fix them in place. Also glued one outer wing together. Blocked the openings. Fittet some styrene behind the openings of the ammo hatches and added some more strip styrene as appropriate to get the paneels flush with the wing surface. Worked like a charm. Pic:
 

 
- dutik

First steps first:
 

 
First time I used Eduards self adhesive PE. I am not impressed. They look nice in the blister, but paint rubs down easily. Faced the same problems as AndersN with his Bearcat - the PE parts are too large for the kit parts. Had to use precision sheet metal shears to cut some parts down without damaging the paint as well as to enlarge one misaligned slot for cockpit wall stringers and to add some styrene at another location. Large PE parts are difficult to remove from the backing sheet without bending them, while the small parts are difficult to hold. OK, there is one advantage: Tweezer launched parts tend to stick to your arm to be saved instead of going down to the floor forever. I am not convinced with the glue effect: In contrast to oldfashioned superglu or decals the selfadhesive PE does not stick well to the surface, tend to move somewhat after final application (i. e. to rotate or slide sideways) and to come off when handling the styrene kit parts. Coloration is also somewhat odd...
 
OK, no more whining. Managed to fit the PE to the kit parts. The Interior green paint at hand didn't fit Eduards green, so I mixed the proper shade using Vallejos. Worked well, but I have to paint some more coats instead of one or two. Not a biggie, but slowing down work. Also made some touchups where the PE lost some paint as well as to hide shiny edges.
 
While paint was drying started folding the first gunbay. This is "plain jane" Eduard PE and it works as I know it: very well. No problems here.
Nice finding: I discovered two full PE sets in my blister Nice compensation for the hassle with the selfadhesive parts... 
Well, maybe this is some kind of "modeller bail-out program"? So I will take care of the blister and the instructions to sell the surplus set.
 
Regards
- dutik

Hi, folks!
 
This is my NAM GB entry. Something esoteric for the theater of operations, but a wellknown Grumman fighter: A Hellcat, but in French livery. They used them for ground support, based on dry ground, still wearing the wellknown Glossy Sea Blue. So a lot of dust and chipping ahead...!
 

 
All the good stuff:
 
Trumpies Hellcat. It's an Mark 3. will make it into a Mark 5.
Eduards selfadhesive interior PE
Eduards gunbay for show
Eduards canopy mask
Barracudas post-war wheels
Berna decals French marking
 
Enjoy!
- dutik

No progress today. Have cold and wasn't in the mood after work. But I added two new paint racks to the wall:
 

 
Not to forget a line of hooks to have the most wanted Evergreen profiles ready at hand.
 
- dutik

OK, started styrene cutting on Sunday. The major task at first - fitting the wheelbays. Number 1 looks like nice fitting now. Just put some 100 grid wet/dry sanding sheet in use, reduced the thickness of the UC bay roof, the upper wing and also carved off some styrene around the cut outs of the lower wing. Not a biggie, just a dustie
 
Will paint and glue the part (to avoid mismatching right and left one) and move on to wheelbay number two the next days.
 
- dutik

Before I got shot   by our beloved moderator :
 
 

 
Thats what we have - need - want (except the Rutman items that went AWOL) (they will be back in time, I guess).
 
UC parts to overcome the pin marks. Gunsights for the cherry on the cake. Montex Masks for a better look. Interior PE to add some bits to the pit. Looks like Trumpies pit is to deep givven Eduards instructions and the whole new floorplate.
 
Also discovered inside the UC bay box an ejection seat for the Corsair. Well, thats not a giveaway by Aires - I got and stored the item there to have it at hand and forgot I owned it
 
 
Whait, what? The Corsair has no bang seat? Are you kidding? Of course it had! Read the instructions!
 
 
The Quickboost F4U-1 Corsair Ejection Seat with safety belts is this
 
Regards
- dutik

and the main compass
 
i hope this is what you asked for
 
Guttorm

more from same area

some requested pictures of the back of the instrumentpanel

towards the back
 
the big tube that goes up in the roof ( fueldump system has been taken out..you can see part of the tube on the picture towrads the front..this goes back into the fueldump

the tailwheel area has not been restored but here is two pictures of the tailwheelbay
 
i will in the future use a photobucket so i can upload high resolution pictures
 
the fist picture is seen towards the front

Details of exposed wiring harnesses and perhaps the master compass on the main instrument panel? And maybe shots of the front side of the instrument panel to illustrate the backs of the instruments and associated wiring and cabling. Some of that I believe is visible from the nose glazing?

Thought just occurred to me. The tailwheel bay and rear fuselage. The Revell kit nicely includes the bulkheads, but some shots of longerons, control cables / pushrods, and hydraulics that would be visible through the tailwheel doors would be nice.

front

maybe the pilotseat.. ??

a detailpicture of the glass covering the landinglight on the wing and how it should be painted ( black area on the inside )

here is the X on our Ju 88 and the loaction just above the wing ( in front of U4 ) same loaction on other side of the fuselage
 
just a little detour from the cockpit and a look at the fuselage.. thought this could be interesting for you guys that have a BoB or another german bomber model and want to do something special with it..
the X gerat does not need any "upgrade" or new box in the cockpit as teh system was hidden inside teh EBI and EBI 2 radioboxses that goes with the FuG 10 system

testing

some news and a historylesson regarding the Ju 88 1:32 kit and a strange symbol that is also present with the decals ( and goes on U4+TK BUT... also on the others if you want to )
but there is a lot behind this symbol and it took me quite some time to figure it out..it was all made clear by a old Ju 88 pilot i spoke with two years ago.
In the beginning after the salvage we thought it might had to do with x fliegerkorps ( 10th ) but the way it was painted was puzzeling..it was not a X as it was tilted the wrong way..this was a not known mark on a Ju 88 and never seen ( or so we thought ) .. so we figured it might be a nordic rune as that was very poular back then..and by the position and tilting we thought it was the "N" rune ( written like a X stanind up like painted on the fuselage..both sides )
but then i meet this old pilot..and he could tell what this was.. This symbol was painted on the early Ju 88`s that had the top secret Knickelbein system installed so pilots knew what plane had this installed..and its not a X but symbolic for the two homingbeams that make up the secret system !! this was also used during BOB and it was the leaderplanes in the beginning that had this installed..suddenly when watching the god old classic 1940 BoB movie i saw something familiar..so there it also was..plain in sight for 68 years and nobody has ever noticed... so for all you BoB modellers..this you can paint on your models ( will be a decal in the 1:32 with the A1kit ) and not go wrong with it !!! some had it on the fuselage Like our 88 )..some on the tail..and some even both places ( as i was told by the pilot ) below is a picture where i hold up a test on our tail..
( note that the werknumber is painted in black..MY MISTAKE..will be painted in white..it was not until later in the war they started using black..j )
but we have not decided if we will paint the X on the tail yet as we know it was on the fuselage but not sure if it was on the tail as that was removed by the germans before the Ju 88 sank.. so i will give you guys a challenge. shall we paint it on the tail or not ?? when the 88 was salvaged this X was white..that peeled of and underneath it was yellow so you have also two colourschoises there
 
you will also see on the pictures below a screenshot i took out of the BoB movie..where you can clearly see the X painted on the vertical ( its from the scene where two guys throw the vertical on a garbagepile )

our Ju 88A1 is the earlist surviving junkers 88 today and it was the the 70 junkers 88A1 that rolled of the productionline ( werknumber 0880119 )
and also one of the first with the X gerat installed ! it interios is painted in RLM 66 and do not have any parts painted in 02 )
i can not speak of all early Ju 88`s but the C2 we have is werknumber 0880133 and that is also painted in interior 66.. and also the A5 0886146 salvaged was painted in 66..so to me that that is a clear clue that during the BoB they were all 66 in the interior
 
Guttorm

top front canopy..note black lamp !!!

more sideconsol.
these i will get in a photobucket later on..just some tests..and i would like input on what you guys want tos ee also when making the kit..so we can get a good progress..

sideconsol