Revell F4F-4 Wildcat

[Woody V]

Good progress! The engine looks pretty darned good to me, and it appears the Revel landing gear attachment approach is better than the Trumpeter one. I also like your paper seat belts/harness. Your problem solving is impressive.

[dennismcc]

Looks like you are doing a great job with what is a very old kit, looks good.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Rick Stone]

The fuselage turned out pretty good, no huge gaps along the mating surfaces!  One glitch, however..... some dumba$$ who shall remain nameless forgot to put in the observation windows below the pilot. It took a bit of very careful maneuvering to get them installed, and they are a bit messy, but not horrible.  I can clean them up.  I was trying to picture myself in the cockpit, and wondering what I could see out of them..... and what should I see, and why.....

 

Anyway, on to the wings, and once again, the word "fiddly" reared its ugly head.  The hinges were not a joy to assemble.... a simple mechanism, but the poor molding made it a challenge..... if your name is not Tamiya, you should not be making such complicated assemblies.  And as I predicted, the wing would not fold smoothly, and then return to the extended position neatly.  I had already expected to simply glue them in the extended position, and that is exactly what I'll be doing.  For now, here's more visual candy of the progress thus far.....

 

PS.... can anyone tell me what is going on with the part in the last pic?  Obviously something with the molding process, but it almost looks as though something was spilled on it.....

 

[Rick Stone]

Been busy with an out of town business trip, but back home and did get a little work done today.  The wings and H stabs are assembled.  It's coming together very quickly now, and hopefully will be ready for paint by next weekend.

 

And speaking of paint, I am using Vallejo air.  Supposedly ready for the airbrush right out of the bottle, but everything I've read recommends thinning a little more.  Anyone have a magic ratio they suggest?  I have a feeling I've been thinning it too much.

[denders]

What thinner are you using, the Vallejo thinner? When I use Model Air, I've been using Vallejo thinner and actually mixing it about 10/5/2 (paint/thinner/flow improver). I've also used Createx "Flow Aid" and "Slow-Dri" instead of the Vallejo Flow Improver. You'll want to experiment to suit your preference and atmosphere. If you don't thin it, you should probably run a higher air pressure, perhaps 20 psi. I prefer to run a lower air pressure, sometimes as low as 10 psi depending upon what I'm painting.

 

Dave

 

[Rick Stone]

I've been using the Vallejo thinner. Have never tried flow improver.  Gonna be fairly close to the hobby shop tomorrow, so I'll stop by and see if they have it.  For my own edification, what, precisely, does flow improver do, and how does it differ from thinner?   I'll also try a little lower pressure....  Thanks for the info, Denders!

[denders]

From the bottle,

 

"Medium to improve the flow & delay the drying of paint on the needle. We recommend adding 1-2 drops Flow Improver to 10 drops of paint in the cup of the airbrush."

 

I have 1 oz. plastic cups that I mix the paint, etc. and stirring it with a wooden coffee stir stick before pouring it into the airbrush cup. It lets me ensure that all components are well mixed.

 

[Rick Stone]

Have been busy with work, and away from home, but last weekend finally got back to the workbench.  It's starting to look like a real airplane now.  As much as I'd like for it to turn out decent, I've resigned myself to the fact that this is just a model for me to practice on. I really don't like the fiddly folding wings, I glued them fixed in the flying position, but they do not fit well..... please don't look too close!  Next step will be masking and priming the whole thing.  Hopefully I can get that bit done this weekend!