F7F-3N

[M1Carbine]

Dave - one year will pay off brother. the work you have put into this bird is incredible and it looks fantastic.

Bob

[bullardino]

Well, if you're going to put on the F-4 half the effort you're putting into this one, it'll be pure fun to follow

[thug626]

Greetings Leon,
Thank you for with well wishes.

Hello Brother,
It's a getting' there. I got to the bench this week and things were a bit rusty…..like remembering what I put where. Then just like crashing a bike…..ya never truly forget.

Hello Luigi,
I picked up a couple more kits and some accessory stuff for kits already in the stash. The ideas are now bursting to get out. The mojo is back. Lets just see if I remember how to lay down some paint and weathering.

Proof that the "Cat ain't dead yet. The antenna are now on. I was saving these bits until the last before the canopy. Once those are one (and the masking) then it'll be time for the base coat.

The antenna forward of the RO's office. This was a bit if 0.015"x 0.024" strip brass soldered to a bit of 0.015" brass wire. Once soldered, I drilled a hole in the top of the fuselage and placed the antenna.


The two whip antennas on the port side of the fuselage. These are just a couple of pieces of 0.010" stainless steel wire…..for durability sake.


What I had realized recently, while eyeballing the CP, was that when the fuselage was glued together…….. waaaaay back when……was that the IP panel bulged out a bit on the starboard side and popped off the gun charging handles for the starboard guns. Much heated muttering issued forth that day…..Once I had truly accepted that these parts were good and gone and, when the IP panel was unbulged, I scratched some new handles from 0.012" brass wire, a couple of disks punched out from 0.005" plastic stock. It took a bit of contorting of my self but, as you can see they are now in place.


Cheers gentlemen
Dave

[deafpanzer]

Oh yeah!!! You are working on your baby! Man it means I need to get back on my duck too?

Looking good buddy!

[wbill76]

Woohoo! Dave's back!

[fightnjoe]

dave that is outstanding. glad to see you back at the bench.




joe

[thug626]

Good morning Andy,
Yes. Yes, it does.

Good morning Bill,
Yup! Larger than life and twice as ugly.

Good morning Joe,
Thank you very much. It feels good to be back at it.

Dave

[bbd468]

Dave.....is that you?

Great to see an update fella!

[bullardino]

Great to see you're back Dave

I really like the attention to the details you're putting into this build, and the results really pay off

[thug626]

Yes Gary, it is I. Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. It is great to finally have an update.

Hello Luigi, Thank you very much. It is great to be back. Sloooooooowly but, surely……it's getting there.

Thank you gentlemen as always for taking the time to pop in and have a gander. Comments, positive or negative are always welcome. Just so as long as it's constructive. I am gonna need it for the weathering portion of this program. It will have been two years since I've weathered anything….wingy or armor.

Dave

[thug626]

I was able to get some painting done. Hey, it's color! I'll weather the exhaust stacks after the cowlings are painted.


This is the last of the IP to be done. I held off on this until I knew the canopy was about to be installed….which means color is near…. The instrument faces are obscured by the PVA glue. When it dries, it'll be clear.

There's some more wee odds and ends to be done but, color is near.

Dave

[bullardino]

Nice to see some progress on this one, I'm looking forward to the P word

[deafpanzer]

So tiny... glad you are still working on it.

[wbill76]

Getting closer to the moment of truth Dave! You won't be able to put it off much longer.

[bbd468]

Nice to see another update Dave. Keep on chippin at it bro......were still here.

[Leon]

Nice progress Dave,looking forward to seeing some paint.

[dupes]

I have a lot of respect for you guys that can slave away on the same project for months (and produce great results while you're at it!). My personal tendency is to lose motivation after not too long and want to move on to something else.

Heck, if only to make sure I don't forget how to paint + weather in between builds!

[Rick]

Dave good to see you back and moving ahead on this one. I've had several of those two year+ projects (at least four right now) and know how frustrating that can be. Carry on sir. Looking forward to next steps.
Rick

[M1Carbine]

And hes back at it....ABOUT TIME! LOL, When you coming up brother...beer is cold!

Bob

[thug626]

Greetings gentlemen……first the replies. Long overdue.

Luigi, More progress. It's not a full on paint job but……..it is paint. Top coat stuff no less.

Andy, Tiny yes. Insignificant…hardly.

Bill, The P time is drawing high. I was so ready to just start laying down paint over the beastie. The voice of reason won out. Gotta mask off certain areas first.

Gary, Chipping away my friend. Thank you for waiting patiently for this one.

Leon, Read on. Some topcoat color got laid down today.

Dupes, Thank you. I hear ya about the painting and weathering. The painting, I still feel pretty good about. It's the weathering skill set that needs some serious dusting off. It's been at least two years. Ugh!

Rick, This one gets the Blue Ribbon for the "longest to finish build". Progress was made today.

Bob, And it about blasted time I was. Not that I need beer to come up and see you….it just sweetens the deal.

Well, gentlemen, The canopies got their interior and exterior colors today. That Tamiya tape is the bees knees for masking canopies IMHO.


This step is one of those defining moments of a wingy build. The windscreen. Now it looks like an office. I had a wee bit of the blue topcoat left in the AB, so, I shot the remainder on the windscreen. Not much really but, it made me feel better. The seam line of the canopy was filled in with PVA glue.


What remains is to mask off the front and rear offices and other areas…….then paint!

Dave

[deafpanzer]

Jeez, canopies look so perfect!!!

[thug626]

Hello Andy, Thank youThose vacu canopies along with a dip in Future give one a really nice result.

Hello DickyF, Thank you for the compliment. The Tamiya tape works best for me. I tried the micro foil approach once. Just about snatched myself bald trying to pull it off. Even the dogs were cowering.

Dave

[Leon]

Nice work on the canopies Dave,coming along a treat.

[wbill76]

Yes! We have paint! There's no turning back now Dave.

[fightnjoe]

very nice work on the windscreen. the biggest pain in the neck on most a/c builds.




joe

[bullardino]

Neat job on the canopy Dave. I've always hated the moment when you lift the masks. It can be the most glorious moment or such a source of frustration and anger.

[thug626]

Hello Leon, Yes they are. I was much relieved to see there were only a couple of bleed under spots.

Hello Bill, You will see by the pics below that I was just about to shoot some color on this beastie…..I then had an uh oh moment…read on.

Hello Joe, They are usually the more frustrating part of an AC build….at least for me.

Hello Luigi, Thank you. I've been using a burnishing tool for some time now. That coupled with the Tamiya tape, I've had a pretty good success rate with masking.

Here's where the 'Cat sits now. I was all ready to lay down the undercoat….


….and then I looked at the underside of the wings to make sure I had everything masked off. Ooops….I had forgotten to build the HVAR zero length mounts. Sixteen mounts coming up.


Dave

[bbd468]

Right on Thugster! Canopy looks great and its good to see the big-O-Bird gettin some attention. Looks nice Dave.

[thug626]

Good Evening Gary,
I was shaking the jar of MM Aluminum Non-buffing paint. Getting it all ready and such for the great bottom coat……when I realizing the HVAR faux pas. After dinner I shall start on the mounts.

Dave

[M1Carbine]

Dave - mounts..............lol.....sorry meds kicking in...........lol

Weekend after Valentines weekend your ass better be up here or else Anne is going to give you a ration of you know what. Not good having a ticked off little Asian woman in the house. LMAO

Bob