Daywalker Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) I received this kit today as a birthday gift from my girlfriend, and what a kit it is! I have been waiting for this one since it was announced so long ago. I have been following along with Ralph Riese and his build of this kit (it will certainly be a VERY tough act to follow!) and when mine arrived, I couldn't resist tearing into it straight away! I cut the major airframe parts free to see how they fit together, and so far very good. I taped the major components together, and here are some photos showing how well it fits together thus far:The tail parts fit snugly, and with very little gaps. The upper fuselage insert is a perfect fit, and held quite well before I added the tape to hold it on. The wing root fit looks good so far too, and after adding the main spar assembly it should tighten up even more. I am going to have a lot of fun with this one!I am planning to do these markings, very subdued (my personal preference):Thanks for looking in! Edited December 24, 2013 by Daywalker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomek Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 I'll be watching with keen interest. Looks like fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miamiangler Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 Wow ,This is a cool plane , Might have to do another Jap plane I`ll put this one on my list ! I`ll be waiting to see what you will do with this build Willi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikester Posted November 1, 2011 Share Posted November 1, 2011 (edited) You didn't wait too long to tear into that baby, Frank! I picked this one up recently too. The 301st Naval Air Group flew them out of Yokosuka (where I currently live) so I thought it would be cool do one of those. If not the 302nd operated out of Atsugi, on the other side of Tokyo, and this one looked pretty cool: Looking forward to following along! Edited November 1, 2011 by Mikester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 Thanks for looking in! I'm tearing into the cockpit parts tonight, hope to get them ready in the next couple of days for some paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Riese Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Great to see such eagerness Frank! I'm still waiting for masks, so keen to follow your progress. Cheers, and enjoy! Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutik Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Yes, yellow tape. That is it how the Japanese aviation industries did it too. Throw in the cockpit, add some paint and you are done Have fun! - dutik Bill_S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 Ralph- Who is cutting the masks for you? I just received the artwork today from Ian at AdAstraMasks, really looking forward to using those. Have been playing with this kit here and there this past week, and now have the cockpit parts ready for paint. Hasegawa provides a nicely detailed pilot figure, with three optional heads which look VERY good. Unfortunately, I am quite inept at painting figures so opted for a set of seatbelts from Eduard, as there are really no other options out there. Besides the 'belts, I added the elastic cord for the seat height mechanism. Other than that, it will be OOB. I also began cleaning up the engine parts, really a shame almost none of it will be visible on the final model. Hasegawa really went to town detailing this gem IMHO. Separate cylinder head banks, separate front and rear pushrod assemblies, and separate intake and exhausts. Finally, I installed the inserts for the cowl where the machine gun troughs from the J2M2 (deleted on the J2M3) would be located. I really wish Hasegawa would provide a proper J2M3 cowl with this kit, as the inserts did not fit well and required a lot of filling and smoothing to get right. Just need to smooth out a few panel lines and give the cowl a shot of primer to check my work before calling it ready. Thanks for looking in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph Riese Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Ralph- Who is cutting the masks for you? Mal Mayfield from Miracle Paint Masks kindly agreed to my request. Have found it very hard to go back to decals in this scale - hopefully you'll find the mask-and-spray experience equally rewarding. I started masking up the clear parts by punching out small discs of Tamiya tape for all the rounded window corners. I gave that up very quickly though and will wait for Eduard to release a canopy mask set. Agree with your comments about the inserts thing - the wheel well inserts that came with Hasegawa's Bf109 F kit were a real head-shaker... Looking forward to seeing more. Cheers, Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilB Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Not normally a fan of Japanese stuff Frank, but as its you I'll watch this one for sure! Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 7, 2011 Share Posted November 7, 2011 First time I checked this one out. No need to tell you how great its building up. I have the old Revell. As soon as some am stuff comes out, I'll grab it up for mine. Good luck Frank. I know you'll do her justice !......Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 It's been a while since I have been able to get to this one, but finally now an update! I finished the office at last, and am now prepping the fuselage for assembly. So far, an exquisite kit to build. The cockpit color is the Tamiya XF-71, and it is OOB except for a pair of Eduard lap belts. The instrument detail was hand painted. Thanks for looking in! SinuheH 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Most excellent. Love everything about this. Definition, color, highlighting. And that chipping, super! Great, just great. Sincerely, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Great progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Frank, superb! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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