1/32 P-38L "Kicked Up A Notch". Jan 15/16: FINISHED!

[Mustang JBB]

Chuck,

I am glad I could help you out with the vent hole idea. Your build here on LSP is going to make the eventual finish of my P-38 much less painful, so it's appropriate to lend a hand in your direction. I was worried about scribbing the detail back through such large areas of CA, but you pulled it off perfectly buddy.

 

Far more minor set backs than that have made me shelve models for years or even give up completely. So hats off to you for sticking with it amigo. She is going to be a beauty!

 

Thanks for all of the tips and tricks you have shared throughout your builds.

 

James B

[chuck540z3]

Thank all very much!

 

 

I agree with the other guys Chuck, great save.

 

If there were LSP "Oscars" you'd get my nomination for "Most precise and crisp build".

 

Keep at it.

 

Thanks Guy! How about "Best Drama Queen in a continuing series"? Lol, sometimes you have to just laugh at your screw-ups.

 

Chuck,

I am glad I could help you out with the vent hole idea. Your build here on LSP is going to make the eventual finish of my P-38 much less painful, so it's appropriate to lend a hand in your direction. I was worried about scribbing the detail back through such large areas of CA, but you pulled it off perfectly buddy.

Far more minor set backs than that have made me shelve models for years or even give up completely. So hats off to you for sticking with it amigo. She is going to be a beauty!

Thanks for all of the tips and tricks you have shared throughout your builds.

James B

Thanks again for the suggestion James. I also got a similar one from Joel W. over at ARC, but I forgot to thank him, so if you're lurking around Joel, thanks!

 

Although I was very confident that re-scribing panel lines would be no problem when using CA glue as a filler, I was surprised at how easily the rivet holes could be restored with a needle in a pin vice. As you know, you MUST do this while the glue is still a bit soft, because after a day of drying, all you'll do is crack the glue if you jamb a needle in it when it's fully cured and hard. Also, as I mentioned earlier, build up the glue in thin layers, allowing the glue to dry evenly without any bubbles or wrinkles.

[chuck540z3]

October 26, 2015.  A small update.

I have been taking this build very slowly lately, partly because I'm busy with other things outdoors before the snow finally flies and partly because the depressions in the nose area continue to cause me some grief.  Every once in awhile I'll check the filled depressions and find tiny little dents on the filled margins, much like aftershocks after a major earthquake!  This would normally seem catastrophic, but I've been to this movie before with the thick liquid sprue I used on my last A-10C build.  It too would continually sink month after month, but things eventually settled down and I have not had any issues since.  This build is no different, so I'll just take my time- and win!  I'm almost a year into this build, so there's no chance it will hit the shelf of doom any time soon.

The next step is to add the windscreen and rear canopy, so that I can add the tiny control levers and gun sight before I seal everything up before painting.  These clear parts are cast on a very difficult sprue where getting them off cleanly is a real challenge, since there is no real break point.  You have to cut your own, which can create a chip or crack the plastic.







Further, the plastic is not smooth, with a bit of an orange peel surface when you look close.







Taking my time, I managed to get the plastic parts off their respective sprues without any damage to the parts, then I used Tamiya polishing compounds to smooth out the rough plastic.  This procedure was not as successful as I anticipated, because the clear plastic is MUCH softer than other kits, so it resists erosion from the grit in the Tamiya paste.  This was also the case with the Squadron vacu-formed canopy on the A-10C, so after I removed as much of the orange peel as I could, I gave the canopy parts a traditional dip in Future to level out the bumps.  You will note that the side windows have been cut down to just reveal the tops, since I plan on having the canopy area as open as possible.







A close-up shows how clear and smooth the window glass is now.







Masking canopies with thin strips of Tamiya tape can be a real chore and getting a perfect fit with sharp edges a challenge.  Randy Taillon (“Sluggo2u†at  ARC and “Sluggo†at LSP) approached me several months ago, wanting to know if I might be interested in him making some masks for this kit.  YES!, I told him, so what you see here is his work in super easy to use vinyl for the outside AND the inside of the Trumpeter canopy parts.  







Randy's website is here if you want a set of these masks, which I strongly recommend as you will see:


StencilPal Stencils


Masks installed.  Note that even that tiny triangular lock mechanism for the canopy top has a cut out.  Amazing precision!  I have no idea how Randy does it.







And some post painting results, which are outstanding with nice clean sharp edges.  I used Tamiya Gloss Black Lacquer (TS-14) as a base for both the outside, painted in Alclad Aluminum.  I'm using a “Regular†Alclad like Aluminum because it is a real lacquer and can be masked after drying.  The “High Shine†Alclad finishes like Polished Aluminum and Chrome, which I will be using later on much of this model, are alcohol based and are not recommended to be masked or have decal solutions placed upon them.  To protect the high shine finishes, I will be using the Alclad ALC-600 Aqua Gloss to seal the paint before decals, much like using Future.







And the inside, painted with MM Interior Green enamel.







Now a few future problems I will need to deal with.  The Cutting Edge resin canopy leaves some gaps on the sides after installation into the central fuselage.  Even though the rear canopy will hide some of this, it needs to be filled.







Further, the rear canopy itself is too wide for the fuselage, so it will need to be slightly squeezed and carefully glued to eliminate the overhang.







I already have a plan of action to fix these problems, so hopefully I will have an update soon- and no more fuselage aftershocks!  Thanks again for checking in.


Cheers,
Chuck

[richdlc]

amazing and crisp work, love it..

[LSP_Kevin]

Awesome!

 

Kev

[zaxos345]

Great work as always Chuck!!

[Anthony in NZ]

Chuck, well done mate! I genuinely thought that was the end of your build after that nose job disaster....something Michael Jackson knew all about, lol.  

 

Anyway, you have my respect, I think I would have put it on the 'shelf of doom' had it been me!

 

Beautiful work as always

 

Cheers

Anthony

[dodgem37]

Very sharp.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[chuck540z3]

Thanks Guys.  I was asked over at ARC how I dipped my canopies in Future to get a blemish-free finish, so I'll post my response here as well, even though this is pretty basic stuff that most of you know better than I do.

 

1)  Pour some Future/Pledge into a shallow cup of other container where the plastic part can be submerged.  Make sure the Future is relatively fresh and pour it slowly so that you don't have any bubbles.

2)  Make sure the plastic part is clean of all dust and other crap.  I always use compressed air in a spray can to make sure it's all off.

3)  Using your fingers, dip the part in the Future bath, then hold it over the container to let the heavy stuff drip off.  Here you might notice that there is still some debris in the solution attaching itself to the part, so re-dip it again to make sure it doesn't stick.

4)  Place the part on a paper towel or napkin to let the part dry and collect the remaining Future.  You may notice the odd small bubble still on the plastic, but 90% of those will just burst and disappear over time.

5)  Just before the part has dried to the touch (~15 minutes), move the part to another location on the paper towel so that it doesn't stick permanently.  This can be tricky to avoid finger marks, so just grab the edges of the part.

6)  If you don't like what you see within 10 minutes, re-dip the part and try again.  Sometimes you need to do this 2-3 times before you get a smooth clean finish.

7)  Let the part dry and cure for at least 24 hours before handling it, although 48 hours is better.

8)  If you don't like how the part turned out, re-dip the part in Windex or other ammonia cleaner to remove the Future, then try again.

Of course you need to try and do all of this in a dust free environment, which is almost impossible, especially on your work bench where you have sanding dust all over the place, so you might want to try this somewhere else.  Some guys cover the parts with a box to keep dust off the parts as they dry, but the reality is that after 10 minutes, nothing will stick to the finish any more, so I prefer to keep my parts out in the open where no dust can be directed at them.  Some others will swear by brushing on Future rather than dipping it, which is OK for small parts, but nothing beats the dipping method for a nice and clean blemish-free finish.

Hope this helps.

[scvrobeson]

Great clear parts Chuck, but I shouldn't be surprised at this point.  Everything is so precise and clean, it just looks like you're using a shrink ray on a real Lightning.  Can't wait to see more

 

 

 

 

 

Matt 

[JayW]

I think the canopy is a highlight of the Trumpy kit - you are making it even better.  To say the least.

[shark64]

oh yeah!!! so cool. A lot of talent going on here.

Oliver

[wrbrdmech]

Thanks Guys. I was asked over at ARC how I dipped my canopies in Future to get a blemish-free finish, so I'll post my response here as well, even though this is pretty basic stuff that most of you know better than I do.

 

1) Pour some Future/Pledge into a shallow cup of other container where the plastic part can be submerged. Make sure the Future is relatively fresh and pour it slowly so that you don't have any bubbles.

 

2) Make sure the plastic part is clean of all dust and other crap. I always use compressed air in a spray can to make sure it's all off.

 

3) Using your fingers, dip the part in the Future bath, then hold it over the container to let the heavy stuff drip off. Here you might notice that there is still some debris in the solution attaching itself to the part, so re-dip it again to make sure it doesn't stick.

 

4) Place the part on a paper towel or napkin to let the part dry and collect the remaining Future. You may notice the odd small bubble still on the plastic, but 90% of those will just burst and disappear over time.

 

5) Just before the part has dried to the touch (~15 minutes), move the part to another location on the paper towel so that it doesn't stick permanently. This can be tricky to avoid finger marks, so just grab the edges of the part.

 

6) If you don't like what you see within 10 minutes, re-dip the part and try again. Sometimes you need to do this 2-3 times before you get a smooth clean finish.

 

7) Let the part dry and cure for at least 24 hours before handling it, although 48 hours is better.

 

8) If you don't like how the part turned out, re-dip the part in Windex or other ammonia cleaner to remove the Future, then try again.

 

Of course you need to try and do all of this in a dust free environment, which is almost impossible, especially on your work bench where you have sanding dust all over the place, so you might want to try this somewhere else. Some guys cover the parts with a box to keep dust off the parts as they dry, but the reality is that after 10 minutes, nothing will stick to the finish any more, so I prefer to keep my parts out in the open where no dust can be directed at them. Some others will swear by brushing on Future rather than dipping it, which is OK for small parts, but nothing beats the dipping method for a nice and clean blemish-free finish.

 

Hope this helps.

Hi Chuck,

 

Have you tried using Aqua Gloss to dip your canopies? I think it's even better than Future. Dries much more "hard" and is thinner viscosity so it doesn't tend to pool as bad at the corners and edges like where the glass panes meet an frame. Thought you might like to give it a try on a "future" build. Lol

 

-Shane

[Wrlss911Pro]

Lovely work. Brilliant save on the nose.

As to canopy fit, what is your plan?

 

I am currently working on an Academy MH-60S with really awful fit problems, not the least being the canopy.  I am using live steam from a tea kettle to soften the plastic and re mold it by hand. I have had some success with the canopy so far, but I need to work on the fuselage.  Hopefully the steam will do the trick, other wise, out comes the razor saw and Dremel tool.

 

I am hoping you have another idea.

 

BR//Paul

[chuck540z3]

Hi Chuck,

 

Have you tried using Aqua Gloss to dip your canopies? I think it's even better than Future. Dries much more "hard" and is thinner viscosity so it doesn't tend to pool as bad at the corners and edges like where the glass panes meet an frame. Thought you might like to give it a try on a "future" build. Lol

 

-Shane

 

 

No I haven't Shane.  I'll give that a try sometime.  Thanks for the tip!

 

 

Thanks again Guys.   A I have mentioned many times, it is my custom to not respond to every single post unless there's a question, because I find it clutters up the build thread.  I do enough of that stuff already with my personal pics!

 

The after shocks from the GOOP fiasco are slowly going away and I think they are finally over.  To make sure they are gone for good, I painted the front of the nose with gloss black lacquer, which shows every flaw.  So far so good for about a week now.  It's amazing how long the plastic has taken to settle down, hopefully forever.  One thing I have failed to mention before is that the scratch-like mark on the nose is actually a plastic flaw that is really quite smooth and will not present a problem after painting.

 

 

As mentioned before, my subject is “Margeâ€, which has a combination of bright polished aluminum and painted aluminum, or at least it was until 2009.  There are some good pics of it here:

 

 

Marge up to 2009

 

 

In 2013, however, Marge has been repainted, so there is almost no polished aluminum anymore:

 

 

Marge 2013

 

 

 

I like the “2009 look†of contrasting bright aluminum and painted aluminum, so that is my target look of how I plan on painting this model.  I also plan on having empty pylons without fuel tanks or bombs, no matter what era, but something I noticed on both Marge and most other P-38's is that the pylons have a curved bottom with a square-like hole at the front.  The kit parts are flat bottomed to accommodate fuel tanks or bombs and in a few of my reference books, it shows that the bottom of the pylon is also flat with fuel lines and other anchor points hanging down.  After making some enquiries in the other forums, I found this reference pic, showing that there is indeed a curved fairing for the bottom:

 

 

To replicate this curved bottom, I used Tamiya light curing putty which I sanded to shape, then drilled a front and rear anchor point hole.  This putty works great to make parts, because it's hard in no time and sands very smooth.  The left pylon has the gun camera in the square hole, which is very poorly moulded in the kit parts, so with some sanding and a brass face plate, it looks more the part.

 

 

 

After a coat of gloss black lacquer and Alclad polished aluminum, they look very much like the pylons on Marge- and most other P-38's

 

 

After a lot of sanding and dry fitting all of the clear canopy parts, as shown before, there were two problems with the rear canopy area.  There's a fairly large gap on either side of the radio platform and the canopy is a bit too wide.

 

 

 

To fix the gap I thought about using putty or some other filler, but I settled on ordinary strips of styrene pre-painted interior green.  They fill the gap and provide a bit of a wall for those electrical wires to plug into on the left.  You might also note the upper radio control that plugs into the rear canopy has been loosely installed with very thin wiring according to reference pics.  The front kit gauge was cut off and replaced with one from Airscale, with the corresponding decal, which looks a lot better and realistic.  Many thanks to Peter at Airscale for supplying many samples for me to use in this and future builds.

 

 

 

In hindsight, I should have done all this wiring before I installed the cockpit, so that I would have easier access to all the little parts.  This wiring is very thin at scale, so I was initially planning on doing no wiring because I couldn't find wire that was thin enough.  When throwing out an old computer recently (yes, I recycled it!), I thought I would find out what kind of wire was buried in those belt-like wire connectors.  Well, it was a pleasant surprise.  The thinnest wire I've been able to locate at electronic stores or fly fishing shops is about 30 ga., or 0.25mm.  This wire is tiny, likely less than 0.10 mm….

 

 

 

 

Another angle, showing the wiring and the styrene strips on the sides.  I drilled tiny holes in all the parts to accept the wire connections, then glued them in with CA glue.

 

 

 

 

Getting the upper radio unit to plug into the rear canopy is tricky, because you want to push it onto the post on the canopy fairly snugly.  Using tweezers is clunky and they are likely to scratch the painted parts or clear plastic, so I wedged some Tamiya masking tape under the part to provide a backstop.

 

 

 

 

With the upper radio unit wedged onto the rear canopy, I removed the tape and then applied some Tamiya Extra Thin Cement (TETC) to the join so that it won't move, then applied more TETC to the right side of the canopy at the base.  Once the glue was dry for 30 minutes, I applied a long strip of Tamiya masking tape to the left side of the canopy and pulled it over so that the base of the canopy was flush with the bottom, then applied more TETC to the left base, allowing capillary action to pull the glue into place under the painted base.  This mucks up the paint at the bottom slightly, but I plan on re-painting the base of the canopy and windscreen later anyway.