SBD-3 Guadalcanal done, done and..

[Jeff T]

It looks brilliant Woody!

 

Excellent work all round,......the second attempt at the chipping looks one hundred percent better.

 

Cheer's,

Jeff.

[Vince Blackburn]

On 5/10/2021 at 12:32 PM, Archer Fine Transfers said:

WELCOME TO THIS WEEK’S EPISODE OF WHY EVERYTHING TAKES FOREVER AROUND HERE

 

But first, some normal stuff.

 

Finally got my paint on. Not quite as much contrast as the mule, but I’m okay with it considering there’s still weathering to be done.

 

All of the control surfaces were painted off the model in hopes that they would have a slightly different appearance. Just blue (or gray) over black followed by white between the ribs and them misting on blue/gray to feather the white out. Since this is lacquer, I airbrushed a damp coast of lacquer thinner over them to bond the mist coats to the base.

 

Painting the insignias on the fuselage turned out to be a challenge..

 

I cut my own masks on my Cameo 3 using Oramask 810 and ran into a nasty problem getting the mask to conform around the rivets and the wrap around aft part of the wing filet. The result is that since the mask did not conform tightly I got some blue overspray even after being careful to spray perpendicular to the edge. Not happy.

I know it’s crooked, this is just a test.

 

Then I had a brainstorm….. which is why things take so long around here.

 

Why not make a decal? Since I’m using lacquer I can paint it on clear decal film and voila! Home made decal. So far, so good.

 

Thomas Edison has been quoted to say “I didn’t fail, I discovered something that doesn’t work.” Me too, two times, actually.

 

In the end figured out how to USE it after you make it. Making it is the simple part. My biggest problem was that the first ones were too thin, so I finally added a coat of semi gloss and got one I could control. Yes, a decal can be too thin.

 

Here’s the successful one, applied with water only. That way it’s easy to remove if I decide to do another, which I don’t, but I’ll use this side for my next mask attempt.

 

Here’s what it looks like dry.

 

Not bad, but comparing it to the painted version there’s no contest. The only way I’d do this again is if would too difficult to paint directly on the model, and the surface is smooth. On a smooth surface I’d thrown down a coat or two of clear gloss and feather in the edge by sanding. Something to keep in mind.

 

Next on the agenda is cutting new masks with kabuki stuff and having another go at it.

 

Thanks for watching.

 

Genius!!!!!!!!!

[N4521U]

I will repeat my comment on another SBD build here.

 

A fine example of the SBD's from the early actions.

I'm doing a "smaller" version from the Yorktown of VB-5 Battle of the Coral Sea, Lt. John James Powers Medal of Honor posthumously for his part in the attack on Shokaku scoring a crucial hit but crashed into the sea from anti air craft fire.

You guys here on LSP give me much guidance in doing my builds. You set a very high standard.

[Uncarina]

This is one of those builds that deserves to be pinned! So many gems contained in this thread. No matter your preferred genre, you will gain something from reading it. 

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Woody V]

6 hours ago, Uncarina said:

This is one of those builds that deserves to be pinned! So many gems contained in this thread. No matter your preferred genre, you will gain something from reading it. 

Cheers,  Tom

 

Thanks Tom, much appreciated.

[BiggTim]

Agreed, a fantastic quality build!!

[Out2gtcha]

Most excellent!

[Woody V]

2 hours ago, BiggTim said:

Agreed, a fantastic quality build!!

 

1 hour ago, Out2gtcha said:

Most excellent!

 

Thanks guys, This one sure popped up out of nowhere.

I started on this May of 2020.

Seems like a lifetime ago.

Actually it was.

[Uncarina]

I’ve been thinking about my Dauntless kit lately so did a search for inspiration. Brett’s build is another good one: 

In any case, wonderful work!

 

Cheers,  Tom