GWH 1/32 Curtiss 81A-2 Hawk - Flying Tiger

[Thunnus]

14 hours ago, Greif8 said:

Nice improvements on the exhausts John and the wheels as well, though you should not have had to do that with the Brassin set.

 

Ernest

Thank you Ernest!  Unfortunate issue with the Eduard wheels but probably common enough given resin properties.

 

A quick update on the Eduard resin wheels. After the Milliput has dried, I've sprayed the wheels with Mr. Primer Surfacer 1000.  No more gaps around the wheel hubs.

 

Most of the AVG Flying Tigers have flat covers over the wheel hubs so that wheel hub detail will blocked by the provided PE covers.

 

Here is the kit throttle quadrant again.

 

I've sliced off the levers and put in new ones. I've also added some linkage rods.

 

The cockpit parts have been given a coat of primer as well.

 

Some work being done on the Quinta instrument panel...

 

[Greif8]

Very nice work on the cockpit parts and the wheels look ready for display once painted John.  Did you make the throttle knobs; they look quite good.

 

Ernest

[Thunnus]

17 hours ago, Greif8 said:

Very nice work on the cockpit parts and the wheels look ready for display once painted John.  Did you make the throttle knobs; they look quite good.

 

Ernest

Thank you Ernest!  Yes, the throttle knobs were fashioned from my collection of tiny spheres.  Some of them came from a water filter, I recall.

 

Using resin casts of the kit instrument panel, I was able to mock-up three versions of the instrument panel.

 

I consider all three to be very good looking and usable but after this mock-up, I have my preferences.  The panel that required the least work to prepare is the Eduard PE panel.  It is pre-painted and comes in front and back parts that are sandwiched together.  Although it is the most detailed of the three, I like the Eduard panel the least.  It is the flattest of the three panels and I tend to prefer panels that have some 3D relief.  I also don't like the pre-painted color that Eduard uses as a default.  Although it is difficult to discern in these photos, the color is an odd purplish grey.  The Eduard paint also has a noticeable texture but that can be addressed with a flat coat. Since the front panel is separate from the back, it was easy to give the front panel a light coat of clear flat to knock down that texture.

The Quinta panel uses a newer 3D decal technology.  Each component must be released from its paper backing by soaking in water, much like a decal.  But since it isn't flat, a stronger adhesive is needed to attach the part to the model.  The grey color of the panel doesn't have that odd purplish tone but it has similar texture to the Eduard pre-painted PE.  For some reason, I though the little white dots representing the screws around the dials were a bit distracting so I dabbed them out with matching dark grey paint (Tamiya German Grey XF-63).  This created a mismatch between the flat grey paint and the satin panel finish, so I had to give the panel a clear flat coat to even everything out.  Since the panel is one piece, I masked the dials to preserve the shiny finish of the instruments.

 

The kit panel took the most work.  GWH provides individual decals for each instrument which is a mixed blessing.  This helps in alignment but it is considerably more time-consuming than a single decal that groups the instruments together.  I did not like the curved dome that GWH molds into each instrument face but couldn't think of a good way of flattening them without ruining the panel.  Because of that convex curvature, the decals needed more coaxing to lay flat.  Once I determined that Micro Sol wasn't strong enough, I resorted to multiple applications of Walthers Solvaset.  Each instrument was topped off with clear UV epoxy. Because the panel is molded in plastic, it has the most 3D relief of the three panels, which I like.  But it is also the most simplistic in terms of detail. 

 

 

I have not made a final choice but am leaning towards either the Quinta or the kit panel.

 

[Greif8]

Thank you for the short description of the work you did on each IP and your pros and cons of them John.  They all look like they will get the job done and I would be hard pressed to pick the one I like the best.

 

Ernest 

[Thunnus]

Thank you for the comment, Ernest!

 

 

I've decided to go with the kit instrument panel.  In addition to the most 3D relief of all of the panels, I also like the fact that it is one integral part and not a separate panel pasted onto a plastic backing.  That joint between the PE or 3D decal panel and the backing part isn't jarring but noticeable, especially at the most common viewing angle down into the cockpit from the outside.  I also like the fact that the color of the panel (Tamiya Nato Black) is my own choosing.  Lastly and maybe most importantly, it is the version that took most work and that counts when everything else is pretty equal.  Now that the choice has been made, I can now consolidate the additional aftermarket items onto this panel.  This includes some auxilliary instruments along the bottom that came from the Quinta 3D set.  I've also done a little more detail painting on the panel like picking out the individual bolts in silver.

 

Like the other panels, the instruments have a shiny face to simulate the glass lenses.

 

I'm still in the process of sorting out the painting of the cockpit parts but haven't committed to any major action yet.  I jumped over to the wings to take a look at some of the gun access panels that are molded open on the kit.  I don't like open panels on my builds so I'm trying to figure out the best way to close them.  

 

The kit provides PE parts for the hatch covers but they are super thin and it might be difficult to get a solid glue joint.  So I scanned the PE fret and cut custom panels from 0.010" sheet styrene.  These cover the openings nicely but I lose the surface detail of the PE parts.  

 

Looking more carefully at the kit PE covers, I found that they fit very well despite their thinness. They are also slightly curved so I rolled them gently on cylindrical surface (x-acto knife handle) in the opposite direction to flatten them out.  I secured the two ends with dabs of thin PE glue.  

 

And then I flipped the wing over and doused the joints from the inside using thicker CA glue.  

 

The excess from the dabs on the exterior side can now be easily wiped away using CA debonder.

 

I attached the PE covers for the openings on the wing top in a similar fashion.

 

A quick note about PE parts.  One of the tedious things associated with using PE parts is cleaning up the fret attachment points.  Previously, I struggled with this using my trusty Tamiya tweezers.  Tweezers are good for picking up and holding small parts but typically lack the grip pressure to keep the part in place during sanding.  A good pair of PE pliers makes this so much easier.  They are designed to hold parts securely but are fine enough not to damage the part.

 

Mine are from a company called Mad Works but I'm sure there are many to choose from.

 

[Thunnus]

 A little bit more work before I called it a night.  The area behind the pilot seat is populated by many parts, which would be visible through the hatch that I closed.  From the cockpit, the only thing that will be visible is the big fuel tank so that is the only thing that I'll be installing back there.

 

I am going to assume that the cockpit interior was the Dupont 71-036 Cockpit Light Green.  I am using Tamiya XF-71 Cockpit Green (IJN) as a reasonable facsimile for this color.  

 

The cockpit area within the fuselage area was painted in this color.  For the area behind the cockpit, I used Tamiya XF-4 Yellow Green.  As evidenced by the previous photo, you won't see any of the chromate yellow green color.

 

GWH correctly replicates the wing top serving as the cockpit floor.  This makes assembly a little different than usual as some components will need to attach to the top of the wing and then slid up into the fuselage when the wings are attached.

 

I cut out some of the parts that are part of this floor assembly including a delicate cable.  Although I would've loved the chance to break the part myself, GWH already took the suspense out and broke it for me.

 

Instead of cutting the broken apart from the sprue and risk misalignment during re-attachment, I chose to repair the part while it was still on the sprue to retain the correct geometry for connection.  But I first cut the part from the middle sprue attachment.  Although delicate parts are always treated carefully, three sprue attachments on such a part is usually a recipe for breakage.  Two attachments, not so much.  I used CA glue for the repair.

 

Even with my precaution, the part does not want to fit.  There is a lot of flex in the part but there is also a repaired joint and I figured that it would break sooner or later.

 

So I fashioned a new cable from copper wire and used short sections of brass tube as connection points at the control stick and the wing bottom.

 

The PE seat has not yet been painted but it is another component that will be mounted here.

 

[Greif8]

Very nice work John.  I have chosen to use the kit IP on my last three builds, seeing what I could do to improve them instead of using an aftermarket IP.  On my current bulid TBF-1c build the kit IP is actually pretty nice and I managed to add some detail to make it "pop" a bit more.  I find that I often enjoy trying to improve kit parts rather then buying Aftermarket stuff - though I still do that frequently enough.  I got a chuckle out of the broken cable in your last post.  When I saw the first picture I said to myself, "John, is going to fashion his own cable." Then when I saw you fix the break it was, "Guess I was wrong." And finally - "HaHa! I was right after all!"

 

Superb work as always man!

 

Ernest 

[Gazzas]

Your 'tube' looks better.  Nice work.

[JayW]

This is fun for me, as I am learning a bit about the P-40.  An aircraft that we airplane modelers should know more about.  After all - it did alot of work in that great second war.  I see similarities to the P-51A/B/C here and there, and it makes me wonder if the Curtiss design had some influence when North Amaerican set to work on the Mustang.  At any rate, your work is flawless, as usual.  If I may as, is this jewel going to be yours, or will it go to a lucky client? 

[scvrobeson]

Great work John. The PE gun covers did come out very nice, and having superglue on both sides will hopefully keep them in place securely.

 

 

Matt 

[Uncarina]

Very nice work John!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Greif8]

Very nice work making the "tube", it certainly looks much better than the kit part.

 

Ernest

[Thunnus]

On 9/28/2025 at 12:35 AM, Greif8 said:

Very nice work John.  I have chosen to use the kit IP on my last three builds, seeing what I could do to improve them instead of using an aftermarket IP.  On my current bulid TBF-1c build the kit IP is actually pretty nice and I managed to add some detail to make it "pop" a bit more.  I find that I often enjoy trying to improve kit parts rather then buying Aftermarket stuff - though I still do that frequently enough.  I got a chuckle out of the broken cable in your last post.  When I saw the first picture I said to myself, "John, is going to fashion his own cable." Then when I saw you fix the break it was, "Guess I was wrong." And finally - "HaHa! I was right after all!"

 

Superb work as always man!

 

Ernest 

Thanks Ernest!  I agree! If the kit IP is nicely molded with sharp bezels then I prefer utilizing it.  I wasn't sure about the rounded surface of the instrument dials in this case so I had some AM back-ups ready.  And since I'll be using various components of the Quinta and Eduard sets, it is not a total waste. 

 

 

On 9/28/2025 at 12:37 AM, Gazzas said:

Your 'tube' looks better.  Nice work.

Thanks Gaz!  Copper holds its shape nicely but I can also make slight adjustments like getting it lay down more naturally so it should work out ok.

 

 

On 9/28/2025 at 6:13 AM, JayW said:

This is fun for me, as I am learning a bit about the P-40.  An aircraft that we airplane modelers should know more about.  After all - it did alot of work in that great second war.  I see similarities to the P-51A/B/C here and there, and it makes me wonder if the Curtiss design had some influence when North Amaerican set to work on the Mustang.  At any rate, your work is flawless, as usual.  If I may as, is this jewel going to be yours, or will it go to a lucky client? 

Thank you, Jay!  Always a pleasure to hear from you!  The arrangement with my normal client has been put on indefinite hold due to medical reasons.  It was good while it lasted since it was a very fun collaboration AND I was able to solve the issue of storing completed LSPs.  So this one will be stuck with me!  Anyone interested in buying it after I'm done? 

 

 

15 hours ago, scvrobeson said:

Great work John. The PE gun covers did come out very nice, and having superglue on both sides will hopefully keep them in place securely.

 

 

Matt 

Thanks Matt! The PE hatches are fused solidly from the inside so they won't be going anywhere!

 

 

13 hours ago, Uncarina said:

Very nice work John!

 

Cheers,  Tom

Thanks Tom!

 

 

12 hours ago, Greif8 said:

Very nice work making the "tube", it certainly looks much better than the kit part.

 

Ernest

Thanks again, Ernest!

 

[Thunnus]

I've spent the past few days working on the cockpit.  I'm not very systematic when it comes to my work in this area, jumping from one area to another and missing chances to consolidate my airbrush painting more efficiently.  Instead of painting everything that needs to be a certain color, I usually focus more on getting a certain part or assembly finished and repeating the same painting sequences on each part.  Not efficient but that's the way mind works, I guess.

I added a bead of stitching around the fabricated headrest with stretched sprue and painted it up.  I thought it looked pretty good but was bothered by how flat it was.

 

Compare that flatness with the cushion on the real headrest.

 

Once that voice in my head starts chirping, it's almost impossible to ignore.  So I stripped off the paint and beading and added some volume using black CA glue.  This new layer was carefully sanded down to match the rest of the headrest.

 

I added a new bead of stitching and then painted it again.  Here is the finished headrest mounted on the painted rear bulkhead.  My cockpit parts are being weathered using a dark pastel wash and then lightly chipped using a sponge.

 

I've elected to keep the seat in a natural metal finish. Harnesses are yet to be added.

 

Here is the painted firewall assembly.  The charge handles for the guns were fabricated from spare PE parts.

 

I modified the four switches underneath the main instrument panel which were detached during the resin casting process.

 

Here is the completed instrument panel which has been attached to the foot rests.

 

Quinta provides a little fascia for the top of the throttle quadrant that adds some detail.

 

The cockpit side panels have been painted.  In addition to the kit placard decals and some Quinta upgrades, a few switches and knobs were replaced.

 

[LSP_Kevin]

Beautiful work, John! That headrest mod is inspired.

 

Kev