F7F-3N

[thug626]

Good morning Leon, Thank you very much. I'll be getting the washes, shading and, highlights today. But first, I'm off mountain biking with the wife.

Good morning Lucas, Thank you for the compliment. As far as talent, I'm standing on the shoulders of giants. I have taken a lot of notes while visiting forums, attending shows, picking peoples brains....especially my brother Bob (aka M1Carbine Holmstrom). One of the first shows I ever went to, I submitted a dio. I was feeling very proud of it and as I placed it down I noticed a dio that was simply stunning. It was a wrecked Pz IV being bulldozed. As I stood there with my jaw agape, I very quietly thought to myself...."I hope they look at mine first". I found out much later the creator of the dio was none other than Rick Lawler. I learned a lot of lessons that day. Try out new techniques. Change them up to suite what you want to do. As for scratch building...start small....try it in areas that aren't über visible....that way if it doen't go off as planned you won't feel obliged to scrap the build but, you can still learn from it. If it works out then....perfect.

Greetings Moose, Thank you good sir for the compliment. By all means, feel free to "steal" techniques. It's how we all got where we are at. Glad to have you on board.

Greetings Destrozas, Thank you very much good sir.

Dave

[DeafStuG]

Hey Dave, Very Nice again so super work ! I like it - very detail !

[thug626]

Hello Deafstug, Thank you for the compliment.

The left nacelle got glued today. But not after an Abteilung oil Brown Wash and highlighted with Vallejo Lemon Yellow. The engine accessory got the same wash but, also received some MIG Oil and Grease Stain.




This was the best shot I could get to show the Oil and Grease staining.


This is the right nacelle....well.....at least half of it. You can see the plumbing that got added today. I added a couple of lead straps to hold the line in place.


Dave

[wbill76]

Each update is a detailing dream there Dave, nice progress as usual!

[thug626]

Hello Bill,
Thank you as always for the supportive words and for having a gander at this build. The plumbing on the right nacelle got its base coat. Both nacelles are now buttoned up. My goal is to have this bird ready for the McMinville show at the Evergreen Museum this September. I missed last years show. I'm not going to miss this one.

Dave

[Leon]

Dave,your updates just keep getting better and better.Very nice work on the plumbing.

[wbill76]

Aug 11, 2013 19:42:46 GMT -5 thug626 said:

Hello Bill,
Thank you as always for the supportive words and for having a gander at this build. The plumbing on the right nacelle got its base coat. Both nacelles are now buttoned up. My goal is to have this bird ready for the McMinville show at the Evergreen Museum this September. I missed last years show. I'm not going to miss this one.

Dave

Sounds like the perfect motivation! Just don't let the pressure spoil the fun.

[bullardino]

So many details in such a small model. This is one of the best A/c blogs I've ever read, Dave. Top class.

[fightnjoe]

dave stunning work. your efforts on the little details have really paid off in a big way.




joe

[thug626]

Good evening Leon, Thank you very much. I usually loathe plumbing projects...especially the household ones. Those usually require several trips to the hardware store. This one is far more enjoyable.

Good evening Bill, I would like very much to take this one to the show. That being said, I've invested far too much time and energy to rush this one across the finish line.

Greetings Luigi, WOW! Thank you for the high praise.

Greetings Joe, Thank you as always! I had hoped to get a bit of bench time this am but, work kicked my Hopefully a lot of progress this week.....after my work stretch is done.

Davve

[406 Silverado]

Dave that interior is really coming together now. Nice shading etc. As for the show mentioned above and Rick's Dozer, yep that was/is a beauty eh.

[thug626]

Thank you kindly Rob. At the time I did not know it was his or even who he was. It was some time later that I stumbled across his site and when I saw the dozer dio.....my jaw dropped all over again. At the time my wife, who is always supportive of my endeavors, was surprised that I had not placed at the show . When I showed her Mr Lawlers site, after trying to describe the caliber of the entries, her reply was, "Oh. I now see what you mean". She was in awe of that dio as well. Who could blame her?!

Dave

[thug626]

There were a few house projects that required my immediate attention this week. With those out of the way I was able to get to the bench.
I found a nice color in flight pic of the topside of the 'Cats wing and this gap should not be there.


I shimmed it out with some 0.020" stock. It sealed the gap just fine.....however.....either side has a small complex compound curve to work out. Time to refine the micro file skill set.


Push rods for the P&W's. I used 0.020" rod stock for this. The holes in the crank case were drilled a bit deeper to allow me to insert the rod, pull back and, glue the opposite end to the head.


I decided to place the in board hard points. The kit version is molded to the bomb and will not do. Time for more styrene stock. For this I used 0.080 x 0.155" stock. The upper left is the raw blank with the final shape below it. The sway braces are yet to be added along with various other detail.


While looking at a schematic for the access panels and panel lines I discovered that there were no shell ejection ports. A couple of holes drilled for each port. A #11 blade to remove the stock between the holes. A micro file to finish out the shape.


Dave

[DeafStuG]

Good afternoon - Dave, looking great & neat - engine with rods add on and styrene space insert between of cowl and underwing.

[406 Silverado]

Still following and lovin all the attention to detail.

[thug626]

Good afternoon to you as well Jeremy. The space inserts should be nice and cured by now. So, off to the bench for some slow and patient filing and sanding. Not to mention some filling on the leading edge around the intakes. My trusty silver Sharpie pen revealed some divots, especially at the outside "corners" of the intakes. Various putties have not quite done the job. Time to resort to CA and accelerator.

Hello Rob, Thank you for following along. Not to mention the supportive words. Thank you.

Dave

[deafpanzer]

WOW! Your work never cease to amaze me... keep it coming.

[thug626]

Andy my friend, I am always glad to have your support. Thank you. I'm off to the assembly line to get more done.

Greetings DickyF, Thank you for that reminder. I think I'll go with the former. I've already got plenty to be worried over. There are some names that are quite prolific in the armor section.

Off to the assembly line gentlemen.

Dave

[thug626]

The wing hard points are done. I opted to work on them first, before the nacelle filling. The step from the wing to the aft end of the cowling/nacelle is probably the worst juncture in the kit. More on that later.
The bolts for the sway brace assemblies are left overs from some Grandt Line bolts. They were the bolt heads I used on the engine accessory....decided to keep the rest...just in case. The disks were punched out of 0.005" stock. The rule is for scale, while the part in the upper left is the kit brace...yuck!


Here is the finished bomb rack. It is only dry fitted in place. It'll be one of the last things to go on. Certainly, after the wings and nacelles are mounted.


This is going to be a b*****d to sand down. The step, however, was unacceptable. By the time I got the styrene to match up with the cowling/nacelle, there was a step behind the styrene....hence the filler. This is going to cure a couple of days before I can get back to it.


Dave

[wbill76]

Nice progress Dave, this one's always a treat to tune in to! Nice job on those hard points.

[406 Silverado]

Very nice detailing, and tiny too. I just found an old Monogram kit of the 1/48 F9F-5 Panther in the shed. Might have to have some fun...BUT, am not going into the fine detailing like you are here, top notch work so far.

[bbd468]

Thats a fine job on the Bomb rack Dave. Nice update.

[thug626]

Hello Bill, Thank you very much. I'm kind of in a quandary about the racks. The pics I found after the building of them (not the schematics) that show the hard points mounted under the wings do not show the sway braces if there is no ordinance mounted. Leave it or apply artistic license? Hmmmmm.

Hello Rob, Maybe not with the Panther but, it looks like you are well on your way with the KC.

Hello bbd468, Thank you for the compliment.

Dave

[tigrazor]

Please do yourself a favour and place the finished model on a mirror once its completed

[406 Silverado]

Good idea with the mirror, will do that with the KC97.

Some awesome detailing here and all worth the effort too.

[wbill76]

I suppose it's up to you Dave...personally I think they are a nice little detail, you could easily display this one in the process of 'bombing up' and have an ordnance cart with a couple of bombs nearby if you felt it necessary to justify them being there.

[thug626]

Hello Lucas, That thought had occurred to me. I may very well have to do that.

Hello Rob, Thank you! Some progress this eve. Mostly just careful sanding of the filler for the areas around the exhaust on the upper wing. Too tired otherwise, due to taking the boy to all manner of appointments today.

Hello Bill, The more I thought about it the more I am inclined to leave them as they are. There is a small detail I will add to them. A bolt head in the middle to represent the fastener that holds the sway brace in place. That is an excellent idea. Thank you.


There should be an update tomorrow. Some rest first, followed by a thick cup of java.
Dave

[tigrazor]

Then you should really try a flea market next door to your home. If youre lucky,you really can get beautiful ones for cheaper than in,lets say, drugstores, supermarkets etc.

[fightnjoe]

fantastic detail work. wonderful job all the way around sir.





joe

[thug626]

Thank you for the idea Lucas. A capital idea!

Hello Joe, Thank you for the compliment. I finally got the areas on the upper wings sanded last night. Not much done last night as yesterday was an infusion day for the boy. I'll post some pics later today.

Dave