Citadelgrad

Happy New Year, all. Well, at least i feel like making progress. That was a wasted two to three weeks, i couldnt concentrate to work and didnt even feel like working on a model. I did peruse the forums, i just didnt have any energy. this weekend i made some patented baby steps. I have and have started to digest Dana Bell’s Corsair Vol 1 and 2, as well as the Corsair cockpits guide. They are an amazing resource. somewhere during the Thunderbolt build but after construction, i heard about and bought some God Hand nippers. Let me say i am reluctant to spend money on hobbies, it took a year for me to accept that a 32d kit over $100 wasn't an extravagance i needed to spend money on. but i have spent varying amounts on sprue nippers from various manufacturers of various designs, and none was really any better than the nail clippers i used as a kid. Always cleanup, sometimes damage, particularly with clear parts. Then i saw this thing, about twice as much as the last nippers that i bought, which i was not at all happy with. I did some research and found pretty universal praise. Not everyone thinks its “worth it”, which is a subjective thing, but pretty much everyone agrees it works very well. this thing is amazing. Heres a little test i did, there was an extra mounting point on the inner cockpit rail that needed removing. I erased it like it was never there. You can see where it was, but you cant feel it. Worth it? To me, yes. thats the almost totally undamaged nub there below where it was attached. These things are super sharp and cut without causing any damage. It not only did not damage the part i needed to keep, it didnt even damage the part i cut off. Both sides of the cut are super clean. Im not saying these are a must have, but if you are on the fence and wondering if they “work”, holy cow the answer is yes. i shot some interior green from Mission Models line at the front bulkhead and the rear of the wraparound portion of the cockpit. Nothing startling, just green. I am going to let this set up and then pick out some details with lighter and darker shades, stolen without remorse from Thunnus/John’s -1A masterpiece. Also shot this part, most of which will be black and just a reminder how much excellent detail is helping me on this build thats all one piece, no panels or switches added, and its part of a large U shaped mold that runs around the front of the cockpit. Individual switches, buttons, circuit breakers all plainly visible. i know from figure painting that the more detail in a figure, the easier it is to paint well. I hope that carries over. lastly, any ideas how to paint this item? Its part of, i think, the cockpit fresh air system. John painted his a metallic color and the recessed areas are darer, almost black. Do you think a wash would work, or am i looking at my finest brush and straight up detail painting after the aluminum color is down? There is a great texture that i want to highlight, but i am not sure how to best do that. thanks for looking. Pretty bland update, but progress is progress. Bill

Has there been some official announcement from Tamiya recently that they are out of the LSP game? Or just inaction on their part?

HI, John. I initially bought Vol 2, but I think Jay mentioned that there is a lot of overlap and that it should be useful, so I grabbed it.

Well, folks, after successfully dodging the Covid deal for three years, even when everyone in our house and at my office got it, I finally caught the magic bb and went down with it last week, just in time for Christmas. Today is the first day I have felt like doing anything other than sleeping/resting. In case anyone is interested, I had pretty high fever for a few days, worse at night, minimal body aches, congestion, and a bit of brain fog. Sort of like a cross between a bad cold and a mild flu. Pretty tolerable with over the counter stuff. I came back to my office to see two deliveries relevant to this build: Not sure when I will dive back into this, but I am glad to be able to do some research on the cockpit areas, which is where I am now on the build.

Will this work? https://www.scalemates.com/kits/aber-35a25-hinges-workable-1st-choice--210453

How did i miss this? Your detail painting and finish is masterful. keep up the great work, Damian!

Shaping up, it looks right to me. Any thoughts on a B 57....

Pretty bird, nice weathering, wonderful finish.

I have to agree. I know they made MORE of the other versions, but the F.3 was the first allied jet in combat. That warrants a model in my collection for sure.

I don't pretend to understand how they decide what to do, but I am starting their F4U-1A, and the idea that they will make no more fabulously thought out kits is a crime.

...ordered. Thanks, John.

To add to Jay's excellent advice, I found that, helpfully, the actual wheel and tire ARE square to the ground, which was helpful for me to get them set up correctly, as I indexed them off some 1 2 3 blocks and just focused on getting the rake and bow legged stance correct.

I would but a Cranberry in a hot minute, LOVE that SEA camo and the fighter type cockpit. That's a great looking plane.

P 59 Airacomet?

Ordered. Thanks for tagging along. Let's make this a good one.

Well, i started a thread. Not much real progress yet. Prepare for a barrage of requests for information, Jay. Apologies in advance. Bill

In the past, any old silverish paint would do for the occasional dry brush. Now i am starting Tamya’s Corsair, and i need something brush friendly for stuff like levers, valves, lines, etc. i use alclad for panels but need something to use with a brush. thank you.

Well, i appreciate the endless patience, advice, information, research, and above all encouragement and downright camaraderie i got on my recent build of my first LSP as an adult, Hasegawa’s P47. Ahem. I am typically single minded and try to finish what i start before moving on. But i havent yet posted an RFI of that build because i am not yet happy with my photographic abilities. I have acquired a DSLR, but am working on a photo area. But its been so long since i finished that one, and i dont want to delay moving on with the next build any longer. with some encouragement from our own Mike Maben, who for some reason thinks i am ready for a Tamiya “super kit”, i have decided to at least do my best on the plane that captured my attention as a boy on Baa Baa Black Sheep, the mythical Corsair. I chose the one that most closely resembles what i remember, the F4U-1A. i wont bother with sprue breakdowns, i am very late to this particular show and plenty of stellar builds have been done of this plane. This will be my take. I will borrow freely from the build of John aka Thunnus, who inspires me with his meticulous builds and photography. As we all know, this kit is packed with Tamiya engineering and detail, so i wont do too much in the way of aftermarket. As shown, i plan to use the following, some of which didnt make the photos anyZ spark plugs HGW belts and mask (combo!) Barracuda cockpit placards (my eyes already hurt) rexx metal exhausts 1 man army stencils and all markings will be painted (i hate decals and, more importantly, decals hate me, dont tell the Barracuda ones please) i also picked up some Fundekals engine logos if needed, and am waiting on some prop logos if needed. resin tires yet to be selected Paint will be mostly MRP I have the Dana Bell Vol 2 as a printed resource. i started in earnest this afternoon. Baby steps, right? I noticed on John’s build that the Tamiya instrument panel can be built up very nicely. It consists of a very thin and nicely detailed panel proper, but there are holes for each instrument. There is a clear part with “glass” that engages the holes, and a reversed decal goes on the back so you can see the instruments. But, and theres always a but, the “dials” of the clear part are noticeably domed, so much that it not only magnifies the instrument decal, but it looks domed when installed, rather than flat like glass dials should be. There are a few ways to deal with this. Ignore it was my first instinct. But, of course, what kind of modeler would i be if i didnt at least try to make it better? John flattened the faces, then punched out EVERY instrument and flipped them, then placed them on top of the “faces”, then punched acetate faces to make new glass faces. I am not sure that is within my abilities. Or my patience. i decided to sand the domes off, then try to polish the faces, then just assemble as Mr, Taniya intended. Lets see how that worked out for me. here are a couple photos of the issue, you can see the doming After confirming that the projections are all the same thickness, i put the glass face down on a fine sanding stick and went to town. Its easy to tell when you’ve taken enough off, when the faces are frosted to the edge, they are flat. then i used my fine sanding pads and some water, 3200-3600-4000-6000-8000-12000, to prepare for polishing. Honestly, after the 12k it looked pretty clear. You can see the panel next to the stack of pads. Almost good enough. nevertheless, i havent ever used Novus polish yet, and decided to try it out. I skipped the “deep scratches” #3, and started with #2. I used a new lint free cloth, and circular motion. Then i went to #1, same deal on a new part of the cloth. results. See how the whole face reflects the light? Thats what i was looking for. Distortion test. not perfect but a lot less distortion. Good enough for the girls we date? We will find out. there is also a VERY small sub panel, it goes at the bottom right of the main panel, and I used the same method. Well, lets be honest. The main panel is about 1 inch by 1/2 inch, and was easy to handle. The smaller one is about half the size of my pinky fingernail, and it would not behave on the cloth. Multiple launches and frantic floor searches. I finally changed my method to cotton buds, then switched again to a lint free cotton bud, and called it good. thats all for tonight. Considering how comprehensive this kit is, this is likely to be a long build. I started the T Bolt in 2017, and finished it last month. please come along for the ride.

I have this in the stash. So ar i have found a couple versions of the canon, metal and resin, yahu does an IP, and there are canopy masks available, too. good luck, i will watch with interest.

Your build is what inspired me. I wanted to see if removing the dome effect and polishing them would eliminate the need to precisely punch out and place the individual dials in a one shot, flop sweat laden exercise in patience. If i can thin them and use it as a rear decal, i will.

Hi John. I am going to have a closer look at it, it is indeed the Tamiya Corsair, -1A flavor. I assumed that I could just hit them all at once with a piece of sandpaper on glass, but I am now guessing that they may be different heights? I'll take a closer look and reevaluate my scheme.

Well, I openly hoped for a wartime allied jet. I will buy one.

Interesting. They haven't fitted the inner gear doors yet, but the arm that opens and closes them is there. Thanks, that's awesome.

Any hope for a version to depict the first allied jet to see combat?

Way way outside my interest, but this seems to be a pretty deep discount. https://spruebrothers.com/lightning-deals/ go forth if so inclined.