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JayW

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Posts posted by JayW

    1/32 Short Stirling

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, Derek B said:

    Great work Tom. Many modellers are shocked by the size of the Avro Lancaster in 1/32 scale. Although the Short Stirling had a similar wing span to the Lancaster (as did all of the British four-engined bombers due to the maximum hangar door width during WW II), it had a considerably longer and deeper fuselage, which makes this model a real monster in 1/32 scale!

     

    British_WW2_bombers_comparison.png

     

    What a stunning picture.  It dwarfs the Lancaster and the Halifax.  Which means it would really dwarf the B-17, although the B-17 had a longer wing span I believe.   

    1/32 Short Stirling

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    Tom - this is so fun to watch.   I love scratch building efforts.  Man - that is one large model.  with a 100 foot win span, that works out to be just short of a full meter.  How can you work on such a monster without knocking it against something?  I remember with my 1/18 P-38  (34.5 inch wingspan), I could not find a place to put it down much less work on it.  Thankfully the outer wing sections could be removed. 

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    On 11/11/2023 at 6:33 PM, easixpedro said:

    Also have recently switched to Vallejo paints. Cool thing is I’ve discovered they can be thinned even more with Alcohol. I actually use cheep vodka (my wife uses it to clean glass). Those big jugs are like $11, so you have a life time supply of paint thinner :) They airbrush beautifully this way.

    -Peter

     

    Oh yes.  The acrylics seem to readily accept alcohol as thinner.  However I have not tried cheap vodka!  91% stuff from Walgreens instead.  Which I also use for 3D print cleanup and wash.  

     

    For those kind souls who looked at the last blue I came up with - this:

     

    NAHEoEvl.jpg

     

    And thought "I think that is not quite right.", and didn't come out and say it - well you are too kind!  Thank you.  But I kept looking at it and told myself "I think that is not quite right."  Well it turns out there are some opinions out there on what might be more right, and quite a few agreed that good options are Tamiya flat medium blue XF-18, and Vallejo medium blue 70.963.  Wish I had seen that earlier.  So after a phone call to the LHS, I ran down and picked these two up, wasn't entirely happy with either, but mixing them about 50-50 and adding a bit of white, I got this:

     

    Sw0I2fql.jpg

     

    And I think that comes much closer.  I am declaring victory.  So I am committed to this color now, and as you can see the prop spinner is painted with it, chipped, and weathered.  A couple more shots:

     

    SQ4doWkh.jpg

     

    JKOKcWFh.jpg

     

    Looking at wartime pictures of this aircraft, it certainly looks as if it was "rode hard and put up wet".  So you see paint chipped off the spinner from pieces flying off his foe from an attack dead astern (done with the hairspray method) - something Preddy did alot of, the aft half of the spinner dirtier than the forward half (Flory wash) - something I see consistently in period pictures, and of course the paint wear on the aft face of each prop blade (also hairspray method).

     

    So celebrate with me on the very first 100% complete sub-project on this very involved build.  :beer4:

     

    I am not sure what you will see next.  I might keep going with the blue which means skinning the rest of the engine cowls.  Or, more transparency work.  Soon. 

     

      

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    I took a shot at the blue with some Vellejo pastel blue colors, added in some Tamiya flat blue - and I got this:

     

    B5MvVaKl.jpg?1

     

    NAHEoEvl.jpg

     

    No weathering or chipping yet, which will slightly alter the hue.  I suppose it could be a tad lighter, but the brightness is cut down a good bit which is what I wanted.  Comments?  

     

    BTW - the Hamilton Standard decals are complements of Thunnus.  He took a scan of the Cripes A Mighty 1/32 scale decal set, scaled it up to 1/18, copied it onto clear decal sheet, made a white oval shaped mask of the correct size, and sent it all to  me a few days ago.  What a nice fellow.  Thanks John.   He did plenty more than that too - you will see.

     

    I do not think I am not going to do the data stencil decals we commonly see on the prop roots.  I think the details are too small for a mask.  If I had good decals for them I guess I would.  But I do not.  I could make them and put the yellow lettering on a black background and print onto white decal paper.  I have done that before.  But the result is only marginally acceptable.  Besides - I see quite a few period pictures where the props no longer have the stenciling for whatever reason.    Including one of this particular aircraft in the EagleCals book, where it appears the stencils are missing.  

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    So it's been two steps forward and one step back.  Or even one step forward and two steps back.  Nothing is coming easy.

     

    First - to home in on that blue-nose-bastards-of-bodney early blue.  Tamiya says to mix X-14 sky blue with XF-8 flat blue at 3/1:

     

    HsuS80Yl.jpg

     

    That got me this on the mule:

     

    C1WjO4Zl.jpg

     

    Yikes!  Not sure what y'all think, but I just have to look away.  Too blue.  To tone it down some, I mixed in some of the US Navy intermediate blue I used on my Corsair.  And promptly clogged up my airbrush!!  Those paints are incompatible. 

     

    I think other modelers have struggled to find the right blue color too.  So I went to the local hobby store and talked with the owner who paints alot of models.  He says he likes the vallejo acrylics, and they have alot of blue colors.  We settled on a few color combos and I am going to fiddle around with these:

     

    FTiaNyrh.jpg

     

    Field blue, pastel blue, and ultramarine.  Let's see how it goes - I will report out soon.  Anybody got any good ideas in the meantime, now that I shelled out some money for blue paint? 

     

    On another front, I am continuing my adventures with clear resin for my transparencies.  I did a few innocent tweaks to the print file - increased exposure time by two seconds, and slowed down the lift speed.  I also added some supports to the Malcolm hood where the bulge begins and ends.  And then waited many hours for the result.  I got this:

     

    W8GxMqmh.jpg

     

    Horrible parts.  Unusable all of them.  The extra supports on the hood did practically nothing good at all.  What I really wanted is good windshield side glass parts, and was denied that also.  For some reason they are the most pesky of all.  A surprise. 

     

    OK - I told myself at the beginning that I will fail many times.  Stay tuned - I have reason to be hopeful.  And if I cannot succeed with my current approach, I might have Shapeways make the ones I am failing at.

     

     

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    7 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said:

    Is clear resin really clear?  Your example seems to have a dingy cast to it but that could be a by product of the photo. Looks like it has been sitting out in the sun and weather for decades.  Seems to me that if your machine could poop out a canopy of the right shape that was more a constant pour and less a layer cake, you might be able to make it work.  

     

    I think the hood is more clear than the picture indicates.  I am surprised how clear it is actually.  It's biggest problem is something that I experienced on a -D model canopy months ago - which is a "layer cake" effect.  Perhaps it can be seen.  Not so much a visualization of individual layers, but a squashing effect that gives it a wavy look.  I was unable to fully buff that out on the test part.  I don't know what caused it, but I have some ideas.  It could be inadequate exposure time for each layer.  I am at 8 seconds (the grey is 3.5 seconds).  Nova3D recommends the 6 - 7 second range.  And I have it on fairly high authority though that closer to 11 seconds might be better.  I have already done a slew of industry test parts to get the right settings, with confusing results. 

     

    Anyway, the part came out rather sticky and soft, which reinforces my hypothesis.  If the part, as it is being laid down, has insufficiently cured layers, then I would expect some deformation of some kind.  So my first tweak is to increase exposure time by a couple seconds per layer (which will significantly increase print time, BTW).  I am also going to tweak the "lift speed".  After the machine lays down a layer, it lifts up the part from the bottom of the tub to allow liquid resin to pour into the gap.  Then it comes back down to lay down the next layer.  That lift speed can affect the quality of the part - too much speed and it pulls harder on the part as it is lifting, possibly causing deformation. 

     

    OK enough.  I will report out soon.      

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    5 hours ago, checksix said:

    Not sure if this will help you, but thought you might be interested.

     

    Oh it helps Derek - alot.  That canopy of yours looks like it can stand up to any other option for a transparency.  And also better than my first try.  I am using a liquid resin called Nova3D "High Transparency" , upon the recommendation of a fellow on a 3D printing FB page.  Also it has gotten good reviews on the web.   Who knows if it is better or worse than any other resin....   

     

    I am going to hold the vac-form option in reserve for now.  And continue on with the 3D print option.  I had expected to be printing up several parts, tweaking all the while.  It is temperamental stuff.  So I will indeed be printing more parts, including the windshield parts.  And I guess I have the option of getting Shapeways to do it - they provided Derek with a most beautiful canopy.

     

    Stay tuned!     

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    9 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

    Are you sanding and buffing by hand or are you using power tools ?

     

    By hand.  I have a dremmel so if you think there is an attachment that will get me a better finish, let me know.  

     

    7 hours ago, geedubelyer said:

    I wonder if there will be some kind of polarizing effect from certain angles? :hmmm:

    I certainly hope not but the process does lay one layer of resin on top of an already cured layer. Hopefully the transition between layers blends seamlessly. 

     

    Doesn't seem so Guy.  Perhaps like laminated glass, the individual layers are not evident.  If I can get a significant improvement on the second part just doing what I did but more thoroughly, I think everyone including me will be happy with it.  

     

    7 hours ago, geedubelyer said:

    How delicate are these clear parts and how thin can you get them before they are too fragile to work on?

     

    Good question.  My hood is about .025 inch thick at the boundaries, gradually transitioning to .03 thick in the middle.  That is about as thin as I dare for a fairly large part like this.  The real windshield side glass is 3/8 inch thick or .02 inch at 1/18 scale.  The canopy glass is 3/16 inch or .01 inch at 1/18.  

     

    2 hours ago, Woody V said:

    Here's a trick you might try. Spray a light coat of black on the part. The black will act as a guide coat showing you where you have sanded. Sand until all the black is gone.

     

    Well now - I think I will try that.  Thanks Woody.  The rest as you describe - that is kinda how i have been doing it.    

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    Today was a day that I have been waiting for, and it had me on edge.  Today was the day where I finally would 3D print my first transparency for the P-51 - the Malcolm hood.  Recall the test part in grey resin turned out OK, and I learned a bit from it:

     

    UVUYKhpl.jpg

     

    So I incorporated what I had learned, and I thought I was ready a couple days ago, but then OBG informed me that I might have the forward edge configured wrongly - it isn't supposed to butt up against the windshield frame as I have it; rather it slips into a slot on that frame.  What???  This picture gives a clue:

     

    xdtdxAxh.png

     

    The clue is that the aft frame of the windshield looks wider than normal.   Look at the drawing:

     

     MXQMdz3h.png

     

    So, it appears that part of the Malcolm hood modification includes a widened retainer strip over the aft frame, like this:

     

     W75yc4Nl.png

     

    That is a cross-section through the windshield aft frame.  The red is the extension of the retainer strip.  It and the existing aft pointing flange on the extruded section that is the aft frame creates a slot for the Malcolm hood's front lip to slide into when closed.  The blue is the hood lip. 

     

    I am sorry if I lost some of you with my less than excellent description, but suffice it to say it was back to the drawing board with the Malcolm Hood.  I deleted the heavy bead on the forward edge, and replaced it with a thinner extension that fits into the slot as shown above.  Here:

     

        Vr5gb0Gh.png

     

    A close-up:

     

    HSqMsV5h.png

     

    Actually there is a bulb seal that is crammed in there as well, but I am not going to go that far.  What you see there, I am pretty certain, is pretty much how it really is.  You can see that I have had to resort to a good bit of educated guesswork to produce a Malcolm hood.  Glad I have LSP friends who supplied so many great photos!  And thanks OBG for noticing that error.

     

    And with that change accomplished, it was time to see if I could print up a hood detail in clear resin.  Results after nearly 6 hours (exposure time for the clear resin is more than for the grey resin):

     

    FXbgjkhh.jpg

     

    I did two - one right side up, one upside down.  The one on the left turned out a bit better, but both are pretty rough.  Not real "transparent".  However, the shape is good.  I used the one on the right as a test part, post curing it and then sanding the devil out of it, and applying a car headlight glass restorer kit to it to try to get it transparent.  After a fair amount of work, I got this:

     

    Bx3P7fOh.jpg

     

    Before/after:

     

     

    w1YixtLh.jpg

     

    That is after a dip in Future.  You can see that it still needs a bit of work on the texture.  But folks - this appears to be a major victory.  Shape is good.  Almost no cloudiness.  No discoloration.  So now I get to really do a first class sanding and buffing job on the other (better) part.  And hopefully have a clearer more smooth end product.  If I am disappointed with it, I think I will tweak a couple of dials on the Elegoo, redo it, and see if it doesn't improve the print.  I would much rather 3D print my transparencies than vac form them, if I can get good quality.  I hope you all agree; tell me if you do not.

     

    Now I have some confidence that I can create 3D printed transparencies for every window in the cockpit, and other parts too (like the landing light). 

     

    SH!! 

     

    Stay tuned for more coming soon.             

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    6 hours ago, Neo said:

    im curious on the skinning part you mentioned "annealed aluminum" could you share more detail about what you use and what the process looks like ? i do allot of foiling myself so im really interested in this

     

    I have a roll of .005 inch thick soft aluminum sheet, perhaps a 1xxx series aluminum (which is basically pure aluminum).  It is "annealed" meaning it has undergone a heating process at the foundry that softens it and makes it easy to form, even allowing it to take on compound curvature as long as it isn't too much.  I also have .005 inch thick heat treated alum alloy sheet (not pure aluminum) which is much stronger and more resistant to forming.  This is my preferred skinning material because it doesn't take on as much surface imperfections like little dents.  But that stuff can only be used on flat surfaces or surfaces with "single" curvature where stretching is not required.  For the P-51 engine cowlings on the bottom and top, which have a good bit of compound curvature, the soft annealed material must be used, and then burnished into shape.  For the side panels, they are much more flat and I will be able to use the heat treated stuff.  

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    7 hours ago, TAG said:

    There is another detail that I think is important to point out if you're definitely going this route, there is a long triangular-shaped insert -made of wood- which was inserted directly underneath the rollers to align the Malcolm hood with the aircraft's general thrust line and make sure it tracked back smoothly. Here's some piccies, you can easily make out the wooden inserts under the roller bars, hope it's clear what I'm referring to:

    otDdr9C.jpg

    If you are talking about an upwards extension of the fuselage skin to accommodate that roller bar, I am certainly aware of it although I had no idea it took the form of a wooden block!   In this pic - I show the roller bar and the hood shape, along with the local fuselage surface, trimmed close to what the actual trim is on the actual aircraft, which is the centerline of the upper longeron (longeron solid is colored green):

     

     Hc5Bxdjh.png

     

    For whatever reason the designers needed that roller bar up above the fuselage skin, so had to literally create a surface for it to attach to, at least the front half of it.  So yes, I am aware of it, and have some ideas how to contend with it.  

     

    That first picture you provided - so much to unpack there.  As many already know, that aircraft is the mount of Jim Howard and named "Ding Hao!", a Chinese expression that he adopted for his nose art as a result of his days with Chennault's AVG Flying Tigers in China flying sharkmouth P-40's.  Hence the rising suns on his scoreboard.  He transferred to the 354th FG around when it deployed to England.  And soon after won the MOH for a bomber escort mission in which he was described by onlooking bomber crews as a "one-man air force", laying some major hurt on Luftwaffe interceptors, to the point of continuing to attack after his guns jammed.  The description of the mission on his award is breathtaking - above and beyond the call of duty....  And I am sure he liked his Malcolm hood!  

     

    Thanks Thomaz - great to have you on the team.

     

     

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Woody V said:

    I know this is going to sound extremely nit picky but the slots in deus fasteners are parallel to the edge when they are locked and perpendicular to the edge when not. They aren't screws, they're quarter-turn fasteners. Normally, I wouldn't bring this up but you're so dedicated to accuracy. 

     

    Woody!! As if I don't already have enough to worry about!  :BANGHEAD2:

     

    You are right that I am pretty dedicated to accuracy.  And no, it is not nitpicky.  I hear ya man.  When I pressed in those slots I actually tried to pay attention to the drawings of the cowl panels and orient them like they are shown in the field of the drawing.  However, the drafter back in 1942 may or may not have paid alot of attention to how he drew the slots.  What governs the slot orientation is not the cowl drawing, but the drawing defining the underlying structure (a frame or rib).  It is there where the spring posts are defined along with their orientation.  Here is an example:

     

    kiUngREh.png

     

    That part is behind the smiley face casting.  Note that spring orientation is not necessarily parallel with a local edge.  The ones on the bottom are canted - no doubt to allow room for each other since they are so close together. 

     

    So to be really right on, all the underlying structure definition must be consulted to get those slots right; not the cowl panel drawings.   I have not been taking the time to study all those structure drawings.  I should.     

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    On 10/31/2023 at 2:16 AM, MikeMaben said:

    https://shop.maketar.com/     ...still works for me.

     

    Thanks Mike - I feel kinda dumb.

     

    Meanwhile, let me show you all some progress.  First, I printed up the Malcolm hood in grey resin, just a test part.  Here:

     

    UVUYKhph.jpg

     

    The "glass" bubble, the side rails (or tracks), and one of the roller supports.  Assembled:

     

    VBNHpcah.jpg

     

    I learned a few things.  One, the parts are thin and flimsy and subject to warping or other deformities.  Two, my contour patches are not smooth enough.  Three, my rollers and associated stuff are too large, by almost twice.  

     

    So Malcolm hood Mk II is coming up where all those little problems will get addressed.  It will be then when I try making it from clear resin.  Based on my -D model bubble canopy test part a few months ago, I do not have a ton of confidence.  We shall see. 

     

    Then, I just could not help myself with the engine cowling part, and I began to skin it:

     

     F9N5xBEh.jpg

     

    EKyD7n5h.jpg

     

    AtWJUdYh.jpg

     

     

    9aVmicrh.jpg

     

    The two cowl panels you see there are quite compound curved, so they were done using annealed aluminum, and burnished into shape.  Went OK.  Got lots of practice on the Corsair....  The smiley face is permanently installed as well.  I think I will fully skin this part over the next few days, with just a tad extra at the firewall interface to better assure a good splice with the basic fuselage later (much later).  The perforated carb air covers were really hard to do - thirty two .055 inch diameter holes each that must be lined up very well.  They too are made from annealed aluminum, with a plastic back-up doubler.  I will leave them off until last so they don't get damaged in the coming wrestling match with the top compound curved cowl panels.  At that point they will get the cam -loc indentations and will really look the part. 

     

    Lastly for this post - a sneak preview of my next 3D printed parts - the radiator intake duct:

     

     IE2iUmHh.jpg

     

    pOYeQhjh.jpg

     

    The Rhino work on those two parts (the leading edge is a separate part just dry fit in the photos) was excruciating.  I just got the digital models done earlier today.  The printing took about three hours and change.  I think I have a success here.  The duct will be skinned for the most part (the leading edge part will not be). 

     

    All right - next is Malcolm hood work, followed by surfacing around the radiator and oil cooler outlet.  

     

    Take care!

     

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    National insignias.  For my past large scale efforts, I have mostly used Maketar masks for the US national star and bars insignias.  The website allowed you to specify exactly the star diameter and the length of the total insignia.  Very nice.  But I cannot find that website anymore.  Is it just me?  Does anyone know who else makes custom sized national insignia masks?   

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    I have some great progress to show you - it's been a very good day for the P-51 project.  After a bad day yesterday.  Not long after I posted this pic:  

     

    0BM57E1h.png

     

    I got busy preparing the Rhino dataset for print, along with my updated smiley face casting, and the newly designed exhaust stack.  Here is a shot from the slicer software (Chitubox):

     

    kxy3vLXh.png

     

    This print job took 11 hours to complete, simply due to the height of the cowl part.  11 hours.  When it finished at about 9 PM last night, and after waiting for it all day with bated breath, I found almost immediately that the nose didn't match up properly to the prop spinner.  OMG!!  It suffered a local deformation just like my early prop spinner did.  I show no pictures - it's just too sad.  Otherwise it was perfect.  instead it is unsalvageable - scrap.  The other parts (smiley face, and exhaust stacks) looked great.  So at about 11 PM, I had another print job ready with a re-oriented cowl.  I do not have a picture, but it was oriented straight up, not tilted.  That is how I solved the prop spinner deformity problem.  I let her fly at 11 PM, and at about 10 AM next morning (today), it finished.  

     

    And viola!!  It is about as perfect as I could ever ask for:

     

    WwDkA6kh.jpg

     

    QqwvA1Ch.jpg

     

    I sweated bullets about it, but the re-orientation worked.  Note it is hollow.  That is a good thing, as this part is very large.  

     

    Keep in mind, for those of you who think the exhaust cutouts are too large, that this part is going to be skinned in aluminum.  And the final shape of the cutout will be the edges of the aluminum panels, and correct.  You can see the faint panel lines that I am going to use to trim all the aluminum panels.  

     

    What a relief, after 22 combined hours of printing.  

     

    The other parts:

     

    7cEYibNh.jpg

     

    The previous smiley face test part had raggedy edges; this one does not.  It's as good as it can get.

     

    oQ5wCJCh.jpg

     

    I designed the exhaust stack in about four hours in Rhino.  Just like the drawing.  So easy and so fun, after the nightmare wing-to-fuselage forward fairing, the radiator intake, Malcolm hood, and windshield top part.  Very very hard.  ModelMonkey has 1/18 exhaust stacks too, nice ones, but these were easy enough to do and were compatible with just how I want this thing modelled.  

     

    Close ups:

     

    IoubiWLh.jpg

     

     

    XOxZvi4h.jpg

     

    Let's see some dry fit action with the prop (which has been sitting around for a while now):

     

    JTO3vSSh.jpg?1

     

    22b9xkFh.jpg?1

     

    I am so tempted to go ahead and skin this thing now, finish the prop, install the stacks, and paint/weather it.  But the more patient modeler would wait.  First things first right?  And, I still must make a final decision as to which subject I will model.  Will the nose be blue?  Or yellow?  Blue has alot of momentum behind it....Cripes A Mighty!  

     

    This is a large milestone because the engine cowling part is the first truly large 3D print part.  And it has to integrate with other big parts, in this case with the firewall, forward fuselage side panels, windshield panel, and wing leading edge beams.  The first of many large complicated parts.  Now what to do next.  I might do that Malcolm hood test part - needs to happen.  And of course - more surfacing behind the radiator.  :BANGHEAD2:    Later!    

     

     

     

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted · Edited by JayW

    5 hours ago, TAG said:

    What exactly are your criteria?

     

    Thanks for asking!!  ETO is my great preference.  NMF I think; I don't really want to do an all OD/gray bird.  Invasion stripes are not a must, but it seems that the B-models that were NMF almost all had the full stripes.  I would guess that by the time they started coming in without OD, it was close to D-day.  And by the time they came off, or were reduced to half, the D-models began to replace.  Spitballing here.... So yeah good with the full invasion stripes.  Markings do not have to be colorful.  And importantly - the nose art has to be do-able.  Not sure what that means, as some folks on LSP can perform magic in that arena, and are willing to  help. 

     

    EDIT - must have unshrouded exhaust stacks.

    1/18 Scale P-51B 3D Print Build

    in Works in Progress

    Posted

    I get a strong feeling that my followers are voting for Cripes A Mighty.  It's second place for me (I like Scarlet Kate the best so far).  But it's a close race.  Either would make an interesting subject.   

     

    Thunnus is working on the side lines on a stencil/decal set-up for Cripes A Mighty.  What a guy!  Let's see how it goes.  If I cannot get convincing nose art, I am going to have to go with something else.  Meanwhile, of the three candidates I have so far, Cripes A Mighty is the most documented and would have the least guesswork.  I like that.  What about the invasion stripes being painted over the buzz letters?  Whaaaa?  Not sure I have seen that before.  What I do see is that later -B/C models, at least ETO examples, all have invasion stripes, and with full coverage.  And I might add, often hastily and sloppily applied.

     

    Also notice the wear patterns on the back end of the prop blades.  Similar to my Corsair, I am going to have to do the hairspray method if I am going to duplicate that.          

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