Sharkmouth Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 If using kit markings, simply check the aircraft you're modeling as it could be either. From Pratt & Whitney, the engine push rod tubes were painted gloss black. Here is a period photo: Regards, sandokan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkmouth Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Another image, this time from a manual on eBay: Regards, sandokan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Another image, this time from a manual on eBay: Regards, That guy really needs some sun on his face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkmouth Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 That guy really needs some sun on his face. Actually, he seems sun bleached to me! Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Ha! Good one. Time to fess up: it's actually Tamiya's XF-82 "Ocean Gray 2" - not sure what the "2" is about, but as soon as I saw the colour of the lid I thought, damn, that's close! Probably closer than the home-brew mix I used on the Wildcat, but as others have said, the colour used on the front of these engines did seem to vary. So, if you'll permit me another question, what colour the rods? Silver or black? I seem to recall seeing them done either way, so I'm presuming the answer is just that: either. Kev As said and shown above. The standard color for the rods is gloss black. Btw, these "rods" were in fact oiltight tubes in which the rods themseves slided. The engine reduction gear cover was a N° 839 blue gray paint, manufactured by Kay and Ess of Dayton, Ohio. The color pics you can find are as good a match as anything, for the lack of color chips, which may exist somewhere, but I have not found yet. Hubert. Hubert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 P&W gray ... It seems in fact that the specifications changed in 1942. The blue-grey initially specified was silghltly darker than FS 16307. Then the Spec became in 1939 a color close to FS 16081. I feel 16081 is very dark. I would go for a color in the following area : FS 16187 / FS 16176 / FS 16152. I hoep I have confused everyone even more now ... Hubert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 Thanks chaps! I like the black and silver combo personally, so I'll take that route. Hoping to get a bit more done over the weekend. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Still working on the engine guys, which is turning out to be just as fiddly as the cockpit. The front piece discussed earlier wouldn't fit onto the main engine piece until I removed its mounting lugs, and even then some of the rods seem too long to fit properly under the cylinder heads and simply bend out of the way. I'll have to do some judicious trimming and gluing there. The thing that's really annoyed me though are the four pieces for the engine mounts. Check out how they are on the sprue: Look at those massive sprue gates! Running alongside the part! In four places! I just don't understand why manufacturers engineer sprue gates in these locations for long, thin parts. It makes them terribly difficult to remove cleanly, and despite using my JLC razor saw, two of mine ended up like this: Now keep in mind that these are load-bearing pieces that attach the engine assembly to the firewall! If I had my time over, I'd use a hot knife blade to remove them from the spue. But there's still no guarantee of not breaking them during clean-up. Either way, I suspect getting engine and cockpit installed robustly and aligned correctly inside the fuselage may be tricky at this point. We shall see! Kev jgrease 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Well, I can tell you I know how these engine mount things can sometime be complicated parts to manufacture/cast/assemble. From what I can see, the complicated part here is to remove the mount from the sprue without breaking the tiny parts. In such cases, I use a heated blade to melt-cut the main sprues without risking to damage the parts and then, when only the part and surrounding bits are left, I clean the mount. I am not sur I am making myself very clear here but the all idea is to take benefit of the heated blade to cut the sprues without effort/stress applied on the mount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironwing Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Kev, Poor parts always make it a tough go, but if anyone can do this, you can. Hang in there Mate, you'll figure a way. How about some solid rod stock to replace them with? Cheers Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironwing Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Ha! Good one. Time to fess up: it's actually Tamiya's XF-82 "Ocean Gray 2" - not sure what the "2" is about, but as soon as I saw the colour of the lid I thought, damn, that's close! Probably closer than the home-brew mix I used on the Wildcat, but as others have said, the colour used on the front of these engines did seem to vary. So, if you'll permit me another question, what colour the rods? Silver or black? I seem to recall seeing them done either way, so I'm presuming the answer is just that: either. Kev Kev Maybe a bit late, but the spec on this is the same as dark gull gray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) Kev Poor engineering on such delicate parts, drive me crazy and the repair has to be absolutely straight and true, yet alone strong as before the break. For what these kits costs, something this poorly designed is really unacceptable. For all us us who will be building Texans later on, thanks so much for being the trailblazer. Keep 'em coming Peter Edited February 15, 2014 by Peterpools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Great work so far Kevin, thanks for showing us the ins and outs of this great kit! I can't wait to get a few of these! I believe that cutting and trimming such small parts are the test of our skills.... I usually use the finest tooth Radub saw and then use an emory board to clean up the cut... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Stick some plasticine under the part so it encases it, then hold the part and use use cutters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Thanks for all your feedback fellas. The plastic on these parts is so thin, weak and fragile that the two that broke during removal broke again during clean-up. I tried using a razor saw with a close cut, and then again cutting further away (as in the photos above). I also tried Tamiya sprue cutters and scoring with a #11 blade. None of these approaches gave me any confidence. I think two of my parts just had an issue with the plastic, and were going to break no matter what. The hot blade technique is probably the best one to go with here. But even if you get them off and cleaned-up without damage, they're still incredibly weak for load-bearing parts. Since they can't actually be seen with the fuselage closed up (I'm going through the painting and detailing process as part of the exercise), I'm toying with the idea of replacing them - or at least reinforcing them somehow. But you never know - the cockpit assembly surprised me with how well it came together in the end, so perhaps this will too. Neither Nic nor Tigger reported any issues in this area, so I'll keep my fingers crossed. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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