Monogram 1/48 B-26 Marauder "Flak Bait" Completed!

[dodgy]

 or woman as the case may be. Top work mate!

[keyda81]

Alright, top/sides chipped, and invasion stripes added. I would appreciate opinions on how the invasion stripes look. First time trying to make them look faded and worn. I'm sure they'll be faded a bit more when I do weathering. Please let me know what you think!

[dodgy]

G'day mate. I was catching up on bookmarked builds this morning and saw your post on the invasion stripes. Feeling I needed something to reference your question about the results I googled Flak Bait and looked at a website called Aviation Geeks, who have done an article on Flak Bait's restoration. There were some great photos, including the underside of the wings, and I can tell you that your work is right on the money! You have achieved very realistic and accurate results.

[kyledehart5]

Wow!!! Great work on the faded invasion stripes. I think they look spot on!

[stikpusher]

Yeah, Flak Bait was pretty war weary by spring 1945...

[handiabled]

Looks like you are nailing the "rode hard" look Keyda! The invasion stripes have a great faded look to them

[keyda81]

Thanks for the input guys!

I made quite a bit of progress with the markings today.  The insignia, tail number, and call letters were all painted on, with some chipping done as well.  Which was quite tedious and time consuming.  But it's done now. 

Not sure I'll get much time to work on it tomorrow.  I'll try to get the decals on anyway.  Then it can sit and dry until Sunday, and I can start the weathering process, which at this point I don't think it will need a ton of work there, since she already looks pretty weathered. Probably just be the addition of dirt, and oil streaks.  Might actually have this thing finished up soon. 

[stikpusher]

You’ve got this! You’re closer to the finish line that you think… and the markings look great! 🫡

[kyledehart5]

That’s looking awesome!! Love the paint work. You’re nearly there.

[keyda81]

Got a little bit of time in at the bench today. So I did the few decals on the plane itself that needed to be done. That huge Flak Bait decal stressed me out! It was doing its best to keep from getting into position in one piece. It wanted to wrinkle, then get stuck. Somehow I managed to get it on there without ripping it.  I used that, and one other decal from the aftermarket sheet I bought, along with a few decals from the kit sheet.  Mainly the crew names that didn't come in the aftermarket sheet.  Feel like they should of.  Also did some detail painting like the flak patches, package guns, along with the nose, and tail guns.  Got the props, bombs, and bomb racks painted as well.  Everything has been gloss coated, and is ready for weathering.  Which won't be until Sunday.  Going to play with a real warbird in the cold hangar tomorrow.

[dodgy]

Looking great.

[kyledehart5]

Great work. Decals are looking excellent.

[keyda81]

Spent 8 hours at the bench today finishing up Flak Bait, for a grand total of 95 hours. It takes the title of longest build to complete.  D-Day Mini Whiskey 7 came in at 80.5.  So this was substantially longer.  Now that it's finished I get to have fun helping paint my teenage daughters bedroom. Not looking forward to that, but she's been complaining about it for a while now.  We painted her room a rather bright shade of pink(she picked it out)when she was probably like 4 or 5.  I decided to be nice, and paint the one wall with a pink castle.  While now that she's older the pink has to go.  Since she starts spring break this week we, or should I say she decided that would be a good time to paint. 

She's not perfect, but far better than the first one I did way back in 2017.  That thing was horrendous.  I pulled it off the wall to steal the resin wheels off it, and got a good look at it.  You can see the seam line, my horrible touch ups with a paint brush that don't even blend in.  Complete lack of weathering.  I've come a long way since then.

A few side by side comparison of the old one.  I know it doesn't look that bad in the pics, but trust me, it's horrible.  I didn't realize how bad it actually was since it was hanging on the wall near the ceiling.  It's already made it's way to the recycle bin.

[tcoat]

Outstanding.
Although the newer one is certainly "better" the old one is no slouch either really.

[handiabled]

It may have taken you a while but your efforts definitely show. Wonderful build all around. I really like the weathered finish

[lyle]

WEll done, Keyda! it did give you a fight, but you pulled it off!

[keavdog]

Great job! She sure is a big model when complete.

[406 Silverado]

Mar 25, 2024 6:48:58 GMT -5 tcoat said:

Outstanding.
Although the newer one is certainly "better" the old one is no slouch either really.

 That's the way I felt about it. No doubt that you've learned new techniques since the first build and all but the older one still holds its own in a crowd if you ask me. I keep older builds around to remind me how far I've come in this hobby (and still have a ways to go). 

 I'd really like to see this build in person as I'm sure the pics don't do it the justice it truly deserves. Great job and thank you for sharing this build with us keyda81.

[chromdome35]

Very nice result on your build, I'd be proud to have that in my collection.

I don't think your original is bad, I certainly wouldn't bin it. Keep it around as a great example of your journey in model building, kind of a before/after comparison.

[jeaton01]

Well done, Keyda, I like the weathering style. But don't leave the old one footloose, put your extra kit wheels on it. Use it for a paint mule of sorts, practicing on fixing your earlier goofs. Doing that kind of remedial work has helped improve my modeling more than starting on another new kit, even though it may not always be as much fun as opening a new box.

[kyledehart5]

Absolutely wonderful result. The weathering is outstanding. And the paint work is great too. Love those faded invasion stripes. I also agree about the first one. It’s a showcase of how far you’ve come. I still have my first airplane build ever. A truly horrific build of the old Revell P-47. It’s hideous but I like seeing how far I’ve come.

[oortiz10]

Sharp!

-O

[george]

Very good!

[stikpusher]

That's a great looking finish Keyda, and I really like the pairing with your first go at the kit. It's a nice comparison of where you were to where you are now on your modeling skill level. I'd be half tempted myself to redo the markings to show Flak Bait at a different point in her career, say with 1943 markings...

[andreww]

That is beautifully done!!! A huge monster, but it shows all the effort put in and progress.