Infinity SB2C Helldiver (26 Nov: Finis)

[JayW]

Looking awesome Pete.

[easixpedro]

Some unfettered time at the bench, and I'm happy to report that the engine is complete!

 

Was wondering how to do the harness and had one of those moments where the synapses actually fire.  I've had some cotton string used for rigging old school ships. Had a chuckle, as I believe it was given to me by my 5th grade teacher way back when and I've been lugging it around the world since.  Finally put it to good use.  Put a couple of drops of super glue on it and worked it in with a rag. Then a quick coat of Tamiya dark copper and it really looked the part, and still malleable enough to mimic the actual harness.

For comparison, posted this in the last update. Think it turned out pretty good!

 

 

 

And how much will be visible with the cowling on...

 

And with the that big honkin' spinner covering almost everything up.

 

And speaking of spinner, I've been super anxious for this moment. In my weird world, the Beast looks best with that spinner.  Now she's starting to look the biz!

 

I've got my work cut out for me with the cowling. Perhaps the worst fitting bit of this kit so far. We'll get there, but it will take some time I do believe. Of course, I'm making it doubly hard because I've closed the cowl flaps. That's gonna make getting a good fit tough.  More soon though!

-Peter

[easixpedro]

Have had a LOT of bench time this weekend. Wife is out of town, so just me and the dog. Have managed to make some headway on lots of little bits. They all start adding up and she's starting to look like a Helldiver.

 

First up the tailwheel and hook.

Every kit of the Helldiver I've seen have the tailwheel molded so it's in flight. If you're doing it with gear down, you essentially have to compress this section. I toyed with the thought of doing it sans fairing, but seems that was mostly done on -3 variants (and some -1Cs).  I cleaned up the hook and added metal tubing as I didn't want it to snap. 

 

I purposefully overextended the tailwheel. Have seen some pics like that and it adds a bit of visual interest. Also the wheel is just a slab of hard rubber--not inflated. Usually see them with big chunks missing too. 

 

Next up, I tackled the cowling. It was without a doubt the worst fitting bit of this kit. If you leave the cowl flaps open, it might not have been as bad... For the life of me I couldn't get the radius of the cowl to match the fuselage. I ended up cutting it and inserting a shim to get it 'close.'  Added the cowl flaps and discovered that I could blend everything in with the liquid sprue I'd made. Also really disappointed with the resin exhausts. They look good, but are SUPER thin. No point in having them hollow underneath, with paper-thin resin on the sides. Also took a bit of sanding those paper-thin bits to get them to match the fuselage...

 

 

And with the spinner on.

 

Also took the time to get the 20mms mounted on the wings. Here's the kit offering. I just snipped the barrels off, replaced 'em with brass tubing. Easy peasy.

 

 

 

This is a great shot. You can see where I shimmed the cowling. I chose that spot because I couldn't get the cowl and fuselage to match at the 4 O'clock position. The shim pushed the cowl out enough that it matched the fuselage.

 

Also took a moment to put some color on the spinner. I've chosen what scheme I'll do. It'll be a -4E...but that's all I'm saying for now. The green will give it away to some folks though.

 

Next up, I'll probably work on the bomb-bay doors. Also need to start making the collapsed turtle-back for the gunner. Need to make a punch list so I can keep track of what I need to get done prior to painting.

 

More soon!

-Peter

 

 

 

 

 

[JeepsGunsTanks]

The BEAST is coming along! Loving it! 

[monthebiff]

I m super impressed with your work Peter, I started building this one as soon as it came out but gave up as it was one setback after another and just found the experience of building this one difficult.

 

This will  e one amazing bird when complete in such a realistic pose.

 

Regards. Andy  

 

 

[Woody V]

OUTSTANDING PROBLEM SOLVING!

I'm beginning to get the feeling that we're actually see one of these actually get over the finish line.

Go, Peter go!

[easixpedro]

Don't jinx me! 

 

All kidding aside, I *think* I'm over the proverbial hump.  Have the bomb bay doors complete as well as the collapsed turtle back.  Wih those sub-assemblies complete, I just need to take some photos to show how I did it!

 

Then it's back to the cockpits so I can start figuring out how bad the clear bits are... Also noted that the "1/32" figures I'd purchased are more like 1/35 or even 1/38th. They're pretty small. The poor gunner looks tiny in his seat--barely peaks out over the ring.  More on that once I sort new figures.

[scvrobeson]

Even with all of the work needed, you're doing an awesome job getting through this one. Really enjoying seeing this build come together

 

 

 

Matt 

[easixpedro]

Couple of unexpected days off from work as I was wiped out from a stomach bug. Not much building, but finally feeling well enough to take some pics.

 

Here’s the collapsing turtle back section to give the gunner a clear field of fire. There’s resin & PE aftermarket for this, but easy enough to use the kit bits if you’re careful whilst removing this section. I used the clear bit from the kit, and the fairing that meets the tail. The accordion sides were made with .015 sheet styrene. Couple of passes with the riveter to mimic the kit and it looks the part.

 

And you can see I got the life raft stowage in, as well as the clear bits. Nothing fit here. Not even close. Had to drop the upper rack down a couple mm and still fought with it. The raft is just some lead foil folded over a bunch of times and painted yellow…(hope these feller’s won’t need it in the event of a water landing!)

 

All in all, it looks pretty good! Of course a lot will be covered by the gunner once he goes in, but still. The kit is a good base - remember these are all kit parts I just cleaned up a bit.

 

I was hesitant to show this pic, but worth it to show a) the gaps b) how badly I mangled the alignment on this clear portion! Yikes. That’ll be a do over… You can also see that I replaced the kit bits I’d so carefully cut out to make the windows for a -1 or -3. Also digging the liquid sprue I’d made. Super helpful as it welds itself to the kit plastic and you can’t really tell once sanded.

Also used it to fill the gaping holes between the resin canvas shroud/headrest and the upper fuselage. Should clean up well enough when that time comes.

Next up were the bomb bay doors. Here’s the ones I cut off the kit. Again, there’s a resin aftermarket set for the bomb bay that includes this. They’re out of stock everywhere and super expensive on EBay.

Here’s my first effort (didn’t pass muster and was really a test). Essentially trace the kit bits onto .015 sheet, then made another layer that was slightly smaller. The smaller one gets all the holes drilled in etc. I used some .40 styrene rod to make it proud to mimic the stamped metal of the real bomb bay doors.

Here they are after the initials coat of paint. Not bad for me just dorking around. And only 1 previous effort, so pleased with that!

And the outside with a coat of GSB. Most of the rivets just disappear. You can barely make out the access panel too.  Debating on when to mount these. Before or after painting? Before, I’ll likely knock ‘em off. After, and I think they’ll be just as fragile unless I go back and do an extra good job cleaning paint off the sections where I’m gluing…

So that’s it, we’re all caught up. Still lots to go, but the major scratch building is done! Need to sort the cockpits and canopies before I start thinking about paint, but we’re getting closer.

 

Thanks for following along and all the comments!

-Peter

[MikeMaben]

[Woody V]

14 hours ago, easixpedro said:

Also digging the liquid sprue I’d made. Super helpful as it welds itself to the kit plastic and you can’t really tell once sanded.

 

I've had some bad experiences with liquid sprue filler so be mindful to check it over time. My batch, sprue and Tamiya ET, had a tendency to shrink over time as is the case with most solvent based fillers. Not sure what your mix is but mine is kinda' gooey. Just a heads up.

[easixpedro]

52 minutes ago, Woody V said:

 

I've had some bad experiences with liquid sprue filler so be mindful to check it over time. My batch, sprue and Tamiya ET, had a tendency to shrink over time as is the case with most solvent based fillers. Not sure what your mix is but mine is kinda' gooey. Just a heads up.

Good point, and have already seen some of the shrinkage in action. And why I had stopped it back in the day.
 

But I figured it was worth a shot, especially with the amount of sanding and rescribing I’ll be doing. Nice to have the same surface (vice having the blade jump across super glue and give you a super divot in soft plastic…) Figure this bottle will get tossed once the project is complete, cause I’m wary for the reasons you mention.

[easixpedro]

Quick update as I do some research on the “Bomb Displacement Mechanism.” That’s the gigantic contraption that swings the bomb/bombs down to clear the prop during a dive.

 

Every kit manufacturer has this wrong. I finally found a pic of it in action though, so think I have enough of an understanding to make it. Here’s the pic, and essentially the look I’m going for, (but a moment before with the bomb still attached).

 

 

Hope to get some time at the bench this weekend to get after it. Till then…

-Peter

[easixpedro]

Kayso, stick with me here. 

 

Did a little research and discovered some things about the SB2C that I never knew. I mentioned that no manufacturer got the bomb displacement mechanism correct. It's because they all have the forward part of the bomb bay as a solid wall. It's not... let me 'splain. And enter Tommy Thomason's wonderful blog. BTW, you can read about it here. U.S. Navy Aircraft History: Pre-war Downward-Vision Windows (thanlont.blogspot.com)

 

His article is actually about downward vision windows, but he's got some great shots! Take this picture of the window and mechanism on the SB2U Vindicator. Same concept. (Photo curtesy of Mr. Thomason)

 

Apparently the Beast had a similar window?!  Color me floored! Only on the earlier variants (-1 through -3), and covered by an access panel on the -4. 

 

Bottom line is Tommy's website and research broke the code for me. Back to this pick

 

It's actually part of a series. You'll see this one on the web all the time.

 

So a little deduction on my part, but basically the arms swing out with the bomb to clear the prop arc and snap back in place. On the SB2C, there's little doors to cover the slots the arms swing through. Have no idea how they work though. The SB2C could carry a single 1,000lb bomb or 2x 500lb bombs in the bomb bay. If it was the 2 bombs, you'd get the arm set up similar to what Revell gives you in their iconic 1/48th offering. In the pic above, the pilot is pickling a single 500 pounder, hence why you only see one arm swing down. It's a training squadron, so I'm guessing a training drop on a gigantic bullseye out in the FL scrub brush. IIRC the SB2C pilots trained in Opa Locka. Standard training SOP is 1 bomb per pass though, so makes sense (at least in my pea-sized noggin).

 

As I was digging, I found pics of what it looked like on the SBD. (Life photo via Google, used for illustrative purposes). Check out how there's a piece attached to the bomb that has little nubs that nestle in the displacement mechanism. It's bolted on to the bomb casing. Obviously the bomb is held via the bomb rack, and the mechanism holds on to the bomb just enough to clear the fuselage and the prop arc. 

 

In the same series was this pic. Super motivational!  Can you imagine hanging in the proverbial straps, heading straight down as the target throws up a bunch of AAA at you?!  Yikes. 

 

How about the tail gunner's view as the roll into the dive?!

 

And a similar pic, but with Helldivers vice SBDs. These are SB2C-5's on a training flight off SoCal in late 45-46.

 

So here's the model, once I figured out what I needed to do. Make a couple of cuts to mimic the doors and recreate the access panel that had been obliterated by sanding.

 

 

And the mechanism made out of styrene. It's kind of flimsy, but actually holds the bomb without glue. I tried making one out of brass rod, but that was an epic fail. Seriously, tried soldering, JB Weld and super glue. All failed. But it's just a simple cross-brace keeping the arms parallel, so a massive moment arm. So oddly the styrene with Tamiya extra thin that melts the plastic wins this round...

 

 

Also looks like I'll be making another bomb bay door, if you look at this one. Appears as if my solvent based liquid sprue has caused some deformity on the outer surface of the door. I'd used it to help smooth the transitions on the inside of the door. Can't say @Woody V didn't warn me...  

 

So there we are: A really long post to describe a couple of simple cuts to make doors and a wonky swing arm contraption.  But that's modeling and I thought it interesting enough to share. I've already shifted gears to the cockpits and figures. Need to get the pilot in and the windscreen so I can think about painting.  More soon!

-Peter

[LSP_Kevin]

Excellent detective work, Peter!

 

Kev