AlexM

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I began work on the flaps and ailerons. They still need some fine-tuning to improve the fit, but so far it looks promising. 
 

 

 
I added styren card at the outer sides of the flaps to close noticeable gaps to the ailerons (I also managed to flood the right aileron with some glue )
 

 

 
Just for fun, I 3d-printed some bombs. Maybe I'll use them instead of the kit's bombs, as the printed ones have no glue seams at the fins.

 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

Hello everyone, time for an update:
In the last days I’ve been busy painting the rear fuselage and wing-tips. Fist, some old-school pre-shading. Then, the rear fuselage/tail was painted yellow. This was followed by some major masking for the areas that should remain yellow. Especially the three diagonal bands around the fuselage proved to be challenging.
 

 
Here you can see the separate elevators. I drilled 1 mm holes at the position of the two inner hinges, so that the elevators can be connected to the tail by 1 mm styrene rod, which is hidden by the hinges. This works pretty well, and the elevators now won’t need any glue.

 
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, I would like to note that I am not the biggest fan of separate rudders/ flaps in general, as I usually always display them in a neutral position. For me, those separate parts that are common in modern day kits very often are difficult to attach without making a glue-mess. In this case, the flaps and ailerons turned out OK. But on my build, the ailerons are a bit too thick compared to the wings, especially at the inner end. I attached them so they align well to the upper wing, but on the under side, they stand out about 0,5mm at the inner end. So, for everyone who builds this kit, I recommend to thin them down a bit.
After masking the yellow areas, red paint was sprayed and masked. Finally came the camouflage colors. I used Revell 39 for the green. Then came the thrilling moment of removing the masks. Besides some flaws here and there, that will be addressed later, I can at least say that it didn’t turn into a complete disaster

 
 

 

 
 
Cheers
Alex

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Looks great Alex!  Can't wait to see her with paint.  It looks like you painted the spats already!

Thanks Kev!  I thought about using a thin sheet of brass but I thought this might be easier.
 
 
Thank you so much Peter!  I like when my builds look a bit different from everyone else's but this is an extreme example.
 
Testing out some exterior colors for the D3A1.  On the left hand side of the wing is AK Real Colors IJN Amber Grey (RC 303) and on the right is a 50/50 mix of Mr Hobby Aqueous RLM 02 (H70) and Hemp (H336).

 
 
I scanned the Infinity decal sheet so that I can create as many paint masks for the markings.  I wanted to test the aircraft code of the machine that I'll be building.  The decal scan was traced in AutoCAD, exported to a DXF file and printed out as a mask on the Silhouette Portrait cutter. Mr Color IJN Markings Red (C385) was used.



 
 
Infinity molds the prop spinner in three separate parts but it is still overly simplified.

 
 
Using photo references, I dressed up the hub a bit.



 
 

That's exactly what I'm doing.  I'm taking a Trumpeter kit and turning it into a Hasegawa molding!  Looking at the pillowed look, I get the feeling that it may been unintentional on Infinity's part.  It looks a lot like the Italeri F-86 wings and I've read that the pillowed look on those wings were a result of insufficient molding pressure?
 
 
 
Yes, it's a very sharp and revealing photo and I was struck by the integrity of the fuselage panels compared to what is presented in the Infinity moldings.  It gave me the  idea to try something different with this build than I normally do.  Cuz I'm the guy who is usually ADDING rivets to my aircraft!
 
 
 
Yeah, it's tiresome but I'm liking the result so I'll try to keep going!
 
 
 
The BSI works really well... I think you'll like it Kevin!
 
Jumping over to the engine, I've painted the components separately.

 
 
The main shades were airbrushed and then details were picked out with brush painting.   The parts were covered with a clear gloss, given a pastel wash and then sealed with a flat coat.

 
 
Before I assemble the engine, I use short strands of lead wire for the ignition wires.  These will be painted brown and then oriented to the back of the cylinders.  Since the view is blocked, I won't go through the trouble of connecting the terminal ends to the ignition ring in the rear of the engine.

 
 
The engine components are glued together.  It took a bit of futzing to get the exhaust tubing to attach to the back of the cylinders but the glue joints were soft enough to gently adjust the stems to fit.



 
 
I want to check the position of the engine to the fuselage.  It looks ok so far but care will be need to taken when gluing the engine in place since orientation is not rock solid. I plan on gluing the engine after the painting stage.



 
 
The engine cowling attaches to the bottom of the fuselage so I checked that fit as well. Luckily, the exhaust stubs exit in the correct location.



 
 
The cowling opening is very big so there is a nice view into the engine compartment from the front.

 

One of many idiosyncrasies that I'm discovering about this manufacturer. At first I wondered if I had picked out the wrong part but after a few times, I realized what was happening. This occurs on the really small parts.  Maybe they captured more detail on their renders than they were able to implement into their molds?  Another strange thing is that many of their 2-part box structures aren't square but trapezoidal.
 
 
 
 
I've selected a dark RAF green (Mr Hobby Aqueous H-73) for the cockpit, based on various discussions and blog posts on the subject.  I used it on the instrument panel parts.

 
Compared to the color swatches shown on the Aviation of Japan blog about the D3A interior colors...

 
 
Thanks Matt!  The PE bits are included on the kit's PE fret. 
 
 
Thanks Jay!  Unlikely subject for me as I'm more of a single-engine fighter type of person.  The film Tora Tora Tora made a great impression on me as a child and led to my interest in WW2 aircraft so I thought this kit would be a great homage to that inspiration.
 

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

To quote Chuck in his epic A-20G build: She's got legs:

 
At the rear fin, tare no hinges for the rudder, so I added some rectangular Evergreen stripes, which also help to attach the rudder.

 

 

 
 
 
Rudder glued in place:

 

 

 
Slowly but steadily, I'm getting closer to the point where I can start painting.
 
Cheers
Alex