Old Dog Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Following along as I got Mike's cockpit for this one earlier this year. Now I have some idea what needs to be fixed in the pit, thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Thanks, everyone. OD, I'm not sure how accurate Mike's (or my) rendition of the cockpit will be. References seem to be pretty slim for this bird and the only photos I've seen online are of what appears to be a restored aircraft and the interior looks pretty bare (almost too bare to actually operate an aircraft with). But, my suggestions for the AM cockpit would be to notch out the areas shown above and to check the shape of the headrest. Not sure if mine was a one-off problem, or if it's the mold. I got the IP and rudder pedals painted and in place, last night. Started tinkering with the engine. I'll post more pics, later today. Thanks again! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted September 23, 2014 Author Share Posted September 23, 2014 I got as much done as I'm going to do with the cockpit and the fuselage is now buttoned up. There are some seams to deal with, but it shouldn't be anything really difficult. The putty is already curing. I started wiring the engine, but will probably hold off on that until later. I've also got the lower wing halves assembled and need to start cleaning them up, as well as assembling the halves for the upper wing. So far, the fit isn't too bad. However, I'm noticing that the plastic is very hard and brittle. I'm not sure if it's the age, or just the plastic they used, but I don't remember the F4B being this brittle. Getting the small, thin parts cleaned up could prove interesting. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for checking in, John Bill Cross 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nose_Art Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 Would a more recent release have softer plastic? see ya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Would a more recent release have softer plastic? see ya Good question, but I really don't know. On the plus side, it seems to take to sanding really well and polishes out pretty smoothly. I've been working on cleaning up the fuselage struts and haven't broken one yet (fingers crossed!). I did a round of seam filling and sanding, then shot a coat of Mr Surfacer 500 from the rattle can as a primer. I still need to touch up a few spots and and prime the rest of the parts, but I ran out of Mr. Surfacer. More is on it's way. Here's where I'm at, for now. The seams near the trailing edge, on the underside of the lower wings, are a real bear. Much the same as the F4B kit, they took a lot of work. I think this one will turn out even better than the F4B in this regard, but I can't get them to completely go away. I don't think it's the seams, themselves, that's the issue, but the two parts meet at different angles. This can still be seen in certain light, even though the actual seam has disappeared after some CA glue, putty, judicious sanding and Mr. Surfacer. My primer may not get here until next week, so I may get started on my IL-2M3, in the meantime. I have to keep busy, if possible, so I don't lose my mojo, so to speak. Thanks for looking, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted October 11, 2014 Author Share Posted October 11, 2014 All of the silver areas have been sprayed (except I forgot about the landing light until after I had sprayed the lower wings. Also had to make the base for it, as I didn't see it in the kit and I'll make a lens and install before painting it.) and the rest of the major parts are primed and ready for paint. John Iain, Zero77 and Mal_Belford 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nose_Art Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Sure do like that modeling mojo! What finish scheme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Thanks, Art. Looks like it will be blue cowl/stripes and Lemon Yellow tail (Lexington), as per my friend's request. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Beautifull job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Looking good John! FWIW, Hasegawa has always used some of the hardest plastic in the business, and as a group, the Japanese manufacturers seem to use harder plastic than their Chinese or European counterparts. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) Looking good John! FWIW, Hasegawa has always used some of the hardest plastic in the business, and as a group, the Japanese manufacturers seem to use harder plastic than their Chinese or European counterparts. Kev I hear you, there, Kev. I broke two drill bits in two minutes trying to drill out holes in the cylinder heads for the plug wires. Finally gave up and just started gluing them in place without inserting them into the heads. It won't be quite what I was after, but still an improvement, even if only slightly. John Edited October 13, 2014 by mywifehatesmodels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Very nice build of a very classic kit. I really like how this is coming along. You don't see many of these old Yellow Wings planes built up Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Terrific progress on the Classic Hasegawa Cutriss Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 OOO, I like !.........Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mywifehatesmodels Posted October 14, 2014 Author Share Posted October 14, 2014 Thanks, everyone! I got the top wing painted, as well as the tail planes, today. I started applying decals this evening. However, I ran into some trouble. I had similar problems with the Yellow Wings decals on the F4B-4. The main problem is the fuselage stripe. It's somewhat brittle, so it cracked around the rails for the canopy. I pretty much expected this to happen and, if the rest of the decal goes down okay it won't be a problem to just touch it up with paint. My fingers are crossed on that one. The other issue, however, is with the chevron decal for the upper wing. When I line this up with what appears to be center, it does not look centered on the wing. Part of the problem is that the details on the top of the wing are not perfectly symmetric. I'm not sure if they're supposed to be. However, the left aileron is 2mm longer than the right and this just amplifies the whole appearance of it being off. When I do a test fit of the upper wing to the fuselage struts, it looks well centered. It's just when you start comparing it to the other details on the wing that it just looks wrong. I'm not quite sure what to do about that. I've looked at some other builds and they don't appear to have the same problem, even using the same decal set. However, I can't find any that have a photo taken from straight above, either. In any case, I'm going to let the decals dry overnight and sleep on it. I think the worst case scenario is that I'll remove the stripe and/or chevron and mask/paint them. I don't want to do that if I can avoid it, but we'll see how they look tomorrow and when I have a clear head I'll do some measurements and figure out where I sit. If I can't really make things look more centered than they already are, I may just leave it (speaking on the chevron). Otherwise, the smaller decals seem to go on without issue. I did find one other problem, however. The "U.S. Navy" decals for the rear fuselage are much too large. The instruction sheet with the decal set even shows them as being much smaller. Thankfully, I had the correct size left over from the F4B set, so I used those, instead. Last but not least, I'll have to make my own decals for the VB-2 squadron emblem that my friend wants. It's the Disney "Big Bad Wolf" and I'll be using this image as a base from which to do it. Thanks for following along. John Tnarg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now