SBD-3 Guadalcanal done, done and..

[D.B. Andrus]

Ain't modeling fun?!

 

Damian

[Out2gtcha]

#4 makes everything better.....with the exception of painting, decaling ect.

 

 

Looking great so far!

[Brett M]

Sounds like quite the ordeal, Woody. But, the glass looks great!

[Woody V]

10 hours ago, D.B. Andrus said:

Ain't modeling fun?!

Damian

 

.....and relaxing too. Don't forget relaxing.

[dennismcc]

Sadly it all sounds very familiar, but it's a great feeling when you fix it !

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[dennismcc]

Just now, dennismcc said:

Sadly it all sounds very familiar, but it's a great feeling when you fix it !

I'm lazy I fully mask the interior then mask the exterior then paint the interior colour and then the outer colour.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

[themongoose]

Don’t worry Woody, we’ve all done that. Great lessons learned there. Not sure which is my favorite, the mr color or the cat lol looks beautiful now so well  worth the effort 

Edited March 1, 2021 by themongoose

[Woody V]

PROGRESS!.... Well, sort of

 

Hoping to get re-enthused about this build, I cleaned up my modeling room.  Luckily for me I have no desire to build a 1/32 B-17. BTW, fruit flies love Future.

 

 

Back to this mess. There are times when good enough just isn’t good enough, and since I pulled the masking off before I picked out the details and didn’t overcoat with satin clear I stripped the paint off the canopy and repainted it.

 

Since I discovered that IPA dissolves Future I dropped the parts in a jar full of it and set it aside for a couple days. The IPA dissolves the Future and the paint just lifts off.

 

This time I didn’t bother painting the inside, just put down the interior green first. Also gloss coated and put a wash in the recessed rivets. As of this posting I haven’t satin coated it yet, I’ll do that when I’m ready to do more painting.

 

 

Moving on to more details I decided to add lenses to the telescopic bomb sight.

 

First I drilled out the ends and fly some miracle I actually got the holes in the center. Burrs left over from the drilling were cleaned off with some Extra Thin.

 

After painting and a little dry brushing I punched out some clear disks from .007 clear sheet. I’ve never liked the way clear lenses look when done with clear paint - they never look flat so I do it this way.

 

I used thickened Future to glue the disk. Thickened Future can be made by putting some in a jar and waiting for it to get about the consistency of syrup. Light reflection off the finished flat lens looks like a lens instead of a puddle of clear paint.

 

Then I decided that the compass needed a decal upgrade and since none is provided I made one and printed it out on white decal film with my 600 dpi HP color laser printer. Making decals like this is pretty simple if you can create the artwork. Just print and shoot a wet coat of rattle can clear lacquer to seal the toner and acts like a lens. BTW, it’s .090” x .060” but I extended the black out past that and added trim marks.

 

 

Then I sliced through the film at the trim marks and slid the decal in position. A drop of setting solution and done. Based on photos I found the details are yellow like the decal.

 

 

Moving on to the last major part of the build I attached the engine assembly which was pretty uneventful after dry fitting.

 

If you build one of these, don’t attach the engine to the firewall like it says in the instructions. It’s just too much hassle working around it trying not to mess up your wiring. There’s a lot of dry fitting required to get the bulkhead properly aligned with the fuselage.

 

 

Another reason not to attach the engine early is dealing with these cowl panels. They fit against the firewall perfectly but not so much the fuselage. The bottom fits fine, but not the sides. I know it’s not me because everything up to this point fits as it should because the part that goes on top of this lines up perfectly on the fuselage. The shape is simply wrong. 

 

This is very discouraging to get this far into the build only to have this mess. There is no easy fix for this.

 

If the top of this cowling doesn’t line up with the top of the fuselage the part that goes between the fuselage halves won’t fit so I did this to line them up and glued. Oh well, moving right along.

 

That's it for today. Now I have to fit the nose cowl which is shaping up to be another challenge.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Archer Fine Transfers

[Uncarina]

So much to absorb from your build! First, awesome work on the compass decal. Second, that engine looks beautiful! Third, so does the entire build. I am still taking notes. BTW, Windex (ammonia-based) is a very effective solvent/thinner for Future. I pre-dip my clear parts in it then let them dry before dipping in Future to promote adhesion and even coverage. Loving your work!

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited March 27, 2021 by Uncarina

[themongoose]

Just beautiful work across the board!

[LSP_Kevin]

5 hours ago, Uncarina said:

BTW, Windex (ammonia-based) is a very effective solvent/thinner for Future. I pre-dip my clear parts in it then let them dry before dipping in Future to promote adhesion and even coverage.

 

Same!

 

Kev

[Out2gtcha]

11 hours ago, Uncarina said:

BTW, Windex (ammonia-based) is a very effective solvent/thinner for Future. I pre-dip my clear parts in it then let them dry before dipping in Future to promote adhesion and even coverage.

 

6 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Same!

 

Me 3! 

I usually take a clean wide flat brush and go over the clear parts while dipping them in Windex to clear out the tiny surface tension bubbles.

 

This is looking terrific!

[Brett M]

Ah, progress Woody! Looking good on the bench cleanup, and amusing to see we have the same paint booth.

 

The decal you made for the compass, spot on, looks just like the pictures I reviewed! And, I had the same problems with the engine panels....looks like you’re managing well 

[Woody V]

7 hours ago, Brett M said:

I had the same problems with the engine panels....looks like you’re managing well 

 

Whew, I'm glad it's not just me. The only real blunder on Trumpeter's part I've encountered so far. The nose cowl is tricky too but an easy fix. What's your next project?

[Brett M]

On 3/30/2021 at 4:50 AM, Archer Fine Transfers said:

 

Whew, I'm glad it's not just me. The only real blunder on Trumpeter's part I've encountered so far. The nose cowl is tricky too but an easy fix. What's your next project?

I’ve got a star ship on the bench collecting dust. USS Franklin from Trek. Sadly, distracted by a full remodel of our master bath. Getting close to where I can get back to the bench, though!