1/18 Scale Blue Box F4U-1A Corsair Modification

[Oldbaldguy]

2 hours ago, MOB said:

The pictures on Page 103 clearly show the cutout.  Everyone at that time was focused on the plunger!

Indeed.  I would say you are 100% correct.  It was hiding in plain sight.

[MikeMaben]

Hi MOB  

[JayW]

On 7/29/2023 at 7:25 AM, Oldbaldguy said:

Are we painting yet?

 

Answer - yes.  I have pictures to show.  First, the list:

 

1.  Wing attach concept development, and incorporation (will not install wings until later)

2.  Inboard end wing skinning

3.  Represent gun camera and approach lights inside the wing, if I can.

4.  Improve outboard flaps, skin with aluminum and simulated fabric, install.

5.  Fab, install lower surface flap gap doors

5A.  Fab and install fixed trailing edge aileron hinge fittings. 

6.  Paint entire wing minus ailerons (double hairspray method on aluminum leading edge panels and access doors, Navy blue on top, intermediate blue on bottom, including the great big stars and bars insignias).  Also decals and weathering.

7.  Miscellaneous details (tear drop ID light, fuel tank caps, fab and dry fit pitot mast, etc). 

8.  Prepare (including paint) and install ailerons oriented at approximately 10 deg up and down.

9.  Fab and install and paint currently missing upper surface spanwise skin strips just forward of the ailerons (Too fragile to install earlier).

 

Only item 8 remains.  Next post.

 

Here are a couple of in-process shots of wing painting:

 

 

In the picture above, I have painted YZC over a coat of hairspray, and have done some chipping.  The "fabric" surfaces did not receive YZC.

 

 

 

We all know what this is - using the stars and bars insignia masks.  This one was by far the largest I have ever used. 

 

And here we have wings with painting complete:

 

 

 

 

You can sure tell what is fabric and what is metal!  A couple of details:

 

 

 

Above you see a fuel drain tube, and the not-real-pretty ID lights.  Not sure what to do about that, but the huge thumbnail makes it look worse than it is.  

 

 

Above is the teardrop upper ID light, and the formation light we talked about a while back.  And, of course, the 3D printed tip light.

 

 

Above shows a well worn walkway area (the gun doors).  Here the double hairspray process is in evidence.  For what its worth.

 

 

Above I show off the insignia.  Fortunately I got almost no paint lift.  

 

 

I added a web of sorts for the aileron support area, per above.  Previously it was an open cavern, when in actuality it is covered by fabric.

 

 

 

Above - check out the pitot mast.  I decided to 3D print the pointy end and bond it to a piece of 1/16 dia aluminum tube.   It is temp installed, and not yet painted.  It might be the very last thing I do on this model, for obvious reasons! 

 

Speaking of 3D printing, I wanted to improve on the fuel filler caps (already have one on the fuselage in front of the windshield).  So I tried 3D printing it:

 

 

 

Two pieces each - the body and the twist handle (I Felt it would print up more easily than a one-piece).  Installed:

 

 

 

Hoorah!

 

About those gun holes.  Right now I have one wing with them taped over, and one not:

 

 

 

 

 

I'd ask my followers which one you like better.  I worked hard on those gun holes to try to make them look right, but I am not against covering them, at least not today.

 

OK, my thoughts - 

 

Once again, the YZC bled through the blue topcoats when I sprayed clear coat.  I believe the clear coat partially dissolves the blue and allows the yellow to come through.  I got that throughout the model everywhere where I used the double hairspray method.  I am justifying it by saying it is just part of the near-demolished surface finish that was typical of Pacific theater Corsairs.  Can't do anything about it....  Were I to go back in time, I would not have done the double hairspray; I would have forgotten about the YZC and done single hairspray. 

 

My windows and lights are not nearly as clear and spotless as I hoped.  I am going to do over one of the upper surface blue formation lights - it's just beyond the pale.  The others I will keep and will try to fiddle with them a bit.

 

What an adventure!  I believe these wings will work well with the remainder of the model, we will all see before long.  At least the paint shades match  up OK.  I encourage comments, and even suggestions if you see something that can be improved upon fairly easily.    

 

Next post you should see the ailerons.  Once they are complete and installed, then I bond wings to fuselage.  Wow.  Stay tuned!     

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by JayW

[LSP_Kevin]

Incredible stuff, Jay! I like the exposed gun openings, personally.

 

Kev

[MOB]

Amazing work sir!  Can’t wait to see it all put together.  My vote is exposed gun openings as well.  IMO, the canvas appears too pristine compared to the remaining wing weathering.  I would think canvas would be in worst shape overall and more faded in that Pacific environment.   But maybe you have information otherwise!  

[D.B. Andrus]

3 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Incredible stuff, Jay! I like the exposed gun openings, personally.

 

Kev

 

+1

[geedubelyer]

The wings look superb Jay, great job. 

 

The material used to cover the gun ports looks a tad hefty in your image.

Unless you can find something thinner like maybe a tissue paper or cigarette paper, I'd leave the openings exposed.

 

Are the wings fully finished now or are there more steps in the weathering process to follow?

 

Very much looking foward to seeing these installed.

 

Cheers,

Guy

[TAG]

I love that you remembered the half-moon scratches on the gun bay cover, you rule Jay!

 

Another vote for untaped blast tubes, or maybe some shredded tape remains around the openings and the blast tubes themselves exposed, like Hedrick had just returned from a mission could also look pretty cool.

[JayW]

16 hours ago, MOB said:

IMO, the canvas appears too pristine compared to the remaining wing weathering.  I would think canvas would be in worst shape overall and more faded in that Pacific environment.   But maybe you have information otherwise!  

 

A bit too pristine - I share that opinion.  More info otherwise - no.  But let me discuss this just a bit.  This is also true of the tail feathers (where my fabric surfaces look cleaner than the alum surfaces).  First - the fabric surfaces are not going to be as beat up as the aluminum surfaces as a rule.  The leading edge panels are aluminum for a reason - they see any FOD from ground ops like prop wash kicking stuff up and also flight (for instance pieces of aircraft being shot off in a dogfight, or debris sent up from ground explosions on strafing runs).   Fabric won't stand up to that.  Plus, leading edges are more contoured and fabric could not take on shapes like that.  Also, any surface within a walkway area is going to metallic, and beat up.  So while my alum surfaces are going to see paint scraped off, etc, there will be none of that on the fabric surfaces. 

 

What about paint color or hue, or fading?   A factory fresh aircraft will have exactly the same paint hue on alum or fabric surfaces.  So what happens under harsh conditions like the South Pacific?  I have looked at all my references for clues.  Color shots are better - and it's rare to find color shots of a wing upper surface of an aircraft that has seen alot of South Pacific sun.  B & W photos abound, and of course show shades and stains but that's all.  What I have found so far is sort of all over the map.  For B & W photos, if there are shading differences between the surfaces, I see lighter fabric against darker alum, and also vice versa!!  Mostly though, I see no shade difference.  Color differences - who knows?  I did find a couple of color photos which suggest fading of the alum surfaces can be a bit different from fading of fabric surfaces - somewhat similar to what I have on my wings where primer is beginning to show through on alum, but not fabric.  I felt good about that!

 

So I never intended for YZC primer to show through in my weathering plans.  That was a surprise on the fuselage, and it continued on the tail and wings.  But there it is, wrong or right.  I am a bit of a newbie to extensive weathering techniques, and have been doing my learning on this model.  I suspect additional coats of blue would have prevented it, but I don't know for sure.   It was application of clear coat over the blue that brought it out.  The "double hairspray method" I used on this model for chipping necessitated the YZC layer, and I will never do it again.  I am no longer a fan of the double hairspray method - not for me anyway.  If for no other reason than it results in too many paint layers.  The fabric surfaces, of course, did not get any chipping and therefore got a much simpler paint buildup - no base layer to prevent paint lifting, no YZC, no hairspray - just gray primer and blue top coat, some gloss clear for decals, then flat coat post-decals.  That got me a different shade of blue from what we see on the alum surfaces. 

 

So what can I do about it?  I agree they look a little "pristine".  The wings already got their sealing flat coat, and all the intricate masking has been removed.  I think I will remask what I have to, and attempt to add some additional (light) staining with my "sand" Flory wash in hopes it will lighten it up a bit, with some darker wash here and there keeping in mind that dark stains would come from ....what?  And seal it with flat clear.  

 

10 hours ago, geedubelyer said:

Are the wings fully finished now or are there more steps in the weathering process to follow?

 

Supposed to be finished Guy.  But I will attempt to augment it a bit per my discussion above. 

 

Oh - and by popular demand the tape over the gun openings has been removed.   

Edited July 31, 2023 by JayW

[Derek B]

Super impressive painting and weathering work Jay.

 

 

Derek

[Citadelgrad]

23 hours ago, JayW said:

 

Answer - yes.  I have pictures to show.  First, the list:

 

1.  Wing attach concept development, and incorporation (will not install wings until later)

2.  Inboard end wing skinning

3.  Represent gun camera and approach lights inside the wing, if I can.

4.  Improve outboard flaps, skin with aluminum and simulated fabric, install.

5.  Fab, install lower surface flap gap doors

5A.  Fab and install fixed trailing edge aileron hinge fittings. 

6.  Paint entire wing minus ailerons (double hairspray method on aluminum leading edge panels and access doors, Navy blue on top, intermediate blue on bottom, including the great big stars and bars insignias).  Also decals and weathering.

7.  Miscellaneous details (tear drop ID light, fuel tank caps, fab and dry fit pitot mast, etc). 

8.  Prepare (including paint) and install ailerons oriented at approximately 10 deg up and down.

9.  Fab and install and paint currently missing upper surface spanwise skin strips just forward of the ailerons (Too fragile to install earlier).

 

Only item 8 remains.  Next post.

 

Here are a couple of in-process shots of wing painting:

 

 

In the picture above, I have painted YZC over a coat of hairspray, and have done some chipping.  The "fabric" surfaces did not receive YZC.

 

 

 

We all know what this is - using the stars and bars insignia masks.  This one was by far the largest I have ever used. 

 

And here we have wings with painting complete:

 

 

 

 

You can sure tell what is fabric and what is metal!  A couple of details:

 

 

 

Above you see a fuel drain tube, and the not-real-pretty ID lights.  Not sure what to do about that, but the huge thumbnail makes it look worse than it is.  

 

 

Above is the teardrop upper ID light, and the formation light we talked about a while back.  And, of course, the 3D printed tip light.

 

 

Above shows a well worn walkway area (the gun doors).  Here the double hairspray process is in evidence.  For what its worth.

 

 

Above I show off the insignia.  Fortunately I got almost no paint lift.  

 

 

I added a web of sorts for the aileron support area, per above.  Previously it was an open cavern, when in actuality it is covered by fabric.

 

 

 

Above - check out the pitot mast.  I decided to 3D print the pointy end and bond it to a piece of 1/16 dia aluminum tube.   It is temp installed, and not yet painted.  It might be the very last thing I do on this model, for obvious reasons! 

 

Speaking of 3D printing, I wanted to improve on the fuel filler caps (already have one on the fuselage in front of the windshield).  So I tried 3D printing it:

 

 

 

Two pieces each - the body and the twist handle (I Felt it would print up more easily than a one-piece).  Installed:

 

 

 

Hoorah!

 

About those gun holes.  Right now I have one wing with them taped over, and one not:

 

 

 

 

 

I'd ask my followers which one you like better.  I worked hard on those gun holes to try to make them look right, but I am not against covering them, at least not today.

 

OK, my thoughts - 

 

Once again, the YZC bled through the blue topcoats when I sprayed clear coat.  I believe the clear coat partially dissolves the blue and allows the yellow to come through.  I got that throughout the model everywhere where I used the double hairspray method.  I am justifying it by saying it is just part of the near-demolished surface finish that was typical of Pacific theater Corsairs.  Can't do anything about it....  Were I to go back in time, I would not have done the double hairspray; I would have forgotten about the YZC and done single hairspray. 

 

My windows and lights are not nearly as clear and spotless as I hoped.  I am going to do over one of the upper surface blue formation lights - it's just beyond the pale.  The others I will keep and will try to fiddle with them a bit.

 

What an adventure!  I believe these wings will work well with the remainder of the model, we will all see before long.  At least the paint shades match  up OK.  I encourage comments, and even suggestions if you see something that can be improved upon fairly easily.    

 

Next post you should see the ailerons.  Once they are complete and installed, then I bond wings to fuselage.  Wow.  Stay tuned!     

 

 

Can we all just take a moment and reflect that Jay has made up scale sawhorses and other fixtures to use as he goes, and that they are neater in appearance than any model I have worked on at this stage in a build?

[scvrobeson]

Happy to see the paint fly at the wings!

 

 

Matt 

[geedubelyer]

6 hours ago, JayW said:

...............

 

So what can I do about it?  I agree they look a little "pristine".  The wings already got their sealing flat coat, and all the intricate masking has been removed.  I think I will remask what I have to, and attempt to add some additional (light) staining with my "sand" Flory wash in hopes it will lighten it up a bit, with some darker wash here and there keeping in mind that dark stains would come from ....what?  And seal it with flat clear.  

 

 

Supposed to be finished Guy.  But I will attempt to augment it a bit per my discussion above. 

 

   

 

Hi Jay.

I agree with your summation. The faded, worn paint effect that you've achieved appears totally authentic to me and contrasts nicely with the fabric covered components. 

I believe your reasoning is sound. 

I am also intrigued to see how the Flory wash stage turns out. 

 

I do think the final look could be modestly improved with the addition of some dust and dirt as you suggested. 

To that end may I suggest trying artist's chalk pastels? 

Effectively they are a constituent of Flory's washes but are used dry rather than in suspension.

They are available in a multitude of shades from many art stores or online. Not expensive to buy and a little goes a long way. 

I'm a big proponent of them and have enjoyed good results in the past.

They are simple to apply and can be easily removed until finally sealed in. 

Simply scrape a pastel to create fine powder. Apply in areas using a paintbrush or similar then manipulate the residue with a moist q-tip or another suitable tool. 

Experimentation can yield any number of results and as I mentioned, it can all be removed quickly and easily using a damp tissue or rag if you're not happy with how the weathering looks. 

Grey, black and browns are good for dirt and dust streaking or mottling effects but blue shades and other hues could be used to add colour modulation too. 

Very happy to go into more detail if the idea appeals. 

HTH,

Guy 

 

[MOB]

Thanks for the in-depth response about weathering and how best to handle the canvas.   As usual, you have dove much deeper into subjects that most of us will ever know.  Until someone raises a question or you decide to take us on a journey.  So thank you.  In doing both, we all increase our knowledge which makes this forum so enjoyable.  We only see the wings right now.  Only you know how the wings will look when fully assembled, so maybe the fabric color and weathering are fine.   I too have a 1/18 Century 21 Corsair and you have really opened my eye to what is possible.  I just need to retire first!!  The level of detail you have crafted is off the chart!  But we all know the eye first sees the outer color and weathering before looking closer.  Cannot wait for you to take us home.  Bravo Zulu!  

[JayW]

3 hours ago, Citadelgrad said:

Can we all just take a moment and reflect that Jay has made up scale sawhorses

 

Bill - you'd be surprised how handy those little saw horses are!  How long has it been now - many months since I made them, just as a gimmick.  

 

1 hour ago, geedubelyer said:

To that end may I suggest trying artist's chalk pastels? 

 

Thanks Guy - I see so many instances on LSP where great modelers have used pastel chalks to good effect.  I have not used them so far simply because I am unfamiliar with them, and this is the first model I have ever built where heavy weathering is necessary.  I should give them a try.  What I do have though is three sets of Tamiya Weatherine Master pastes.  I made vigorous use of the Weatherine "mud" and "light sand" colors on these wings, after the Flory wash.  I wonder if that accomplishes essentially the same thing....  I also have an ancient box of colored powders that frankly don't work very well. 

 

Speaking of saw horses, sneak peak at the ailerons (fully assembled and painted; weathering tomorrow):