Hi there,
Right, first off, this is my first proper build, so bear that in mind when you see the poor quality......... I realise it won't be a masterpiece, but sure I can only get better with practice.

1/72 Airfix kit: P38 F/H
An overall view:

Close up of fuselage pod. I've had a go at filling the seams and sanding them down; it took an eternity and the primer has shown me some gaps still visible!


I was quite happy that one boom seems to have been quite well filled; makes up for the starboard side which still has a little gap!

Not happy with this at all. It's a delicate area to be filling and sanding, and have already had to reglue this area.


That's it. Any crits are more than welcome

Looks okay to me. Some might say you need a little bit of filler in the joint of the horizontal stabilzer but if it were me I'd leave it alone. Keep up the good work.
Remember to paint the light color first then the darker color over it, it will make painting the model go easier.
You might want to invest in a Revell of Germany kit. They aren't to expensive and often times I've found have pretty good fit. Enjoy. Russell

I wanted to add one more thing. If you want to paint your bird in natural metal. Invest in a spray can of some German metallic silver produced by Model Master. It can help if you sit the can in a warm, not hot, just warm pan of water. It helps the spray come out better, believe it drives the pressure up just a bit inside the can. Don't place it in hot water, you don't want to turn your spray can into a grenade!
You can do a number of good jobs without an airbrush using the Model Master sprays. In time you may want to go to an airbrush, I recommend the Aztek that is by Testors. That is what I have been using for the last ten years and I've found it gives me good results.

As to any seam problems. Try a little bit of super glue. Just a bit in the seam, then apply a little bit of water to the glue to set it quickly. You then can sand almost immediately the area in question. A little trick I learned that has served me well through the years. Super glue can fill in those little areas that model putty misses.

Keep up the good work. Russell

Thanks for these tips Russell, much appreciated. I will post more photos as I progress.

Hi there,

finally my paints arrived and tonight I set up ready for painting.

I'm using Humbrol paints and hand-brushing my models for now.

But anyway, I painted some small components I'd prepared with no problem; they turned out great.

However, when I went on to paint the fuselage the paint seemed transparent. I used a cocktail stick and gave it a good mix making sure to stir up the thick paint at the bottom, but still it left a transparent coat. When I tried thicker paint it began covering the detail, so I'll need to sand down that part.

I've remember now, how as a kid, this part could be frustrating!

I'm guessing it has to be built up in thin coats?

Any advice gratefully received.

Here are some photos of where I am on the build so far.............Please remember, this is hand-painted so the quality won't equal an air-brush paint job (that's my excuse anyway).



I have yet to pluck up courage to begin the grey underside...............



Now I've sorted out how to handle the Humbrol paint , it applies quite well in a few thin coats over a couple of days. It has quite a weathered 'feel' to the paintwork which I'm reasonable happy with too.

Any crits welcome, as always glad to hear from the experts, or those learning like myself.

Hi Propwash.
Noone ever stops learning
Those old Airfix kits are certainly not the easiest kits to put together, and a small amount of parts doesnt mean a small amount of work,,quite the opposite in the case of some of these kits,,lol.
Your P-38's looking good, and Im sure youve already found things that you'll do differently next time.
Did you put any weight in the nose so it will sit on its tricycle undercarriage ok?
Looking forward to seeing it all come together and finished.
I know how proud I was when I finished my first build after over 20 years, and Im still proud of it. yes,,it was an Airfix kit as well
Keep having fun and posting the pics.
Nige

Hey there Propwash. Looking good. Don't be afraid of the grey underside. Just take a fine tipped brush and draw the camo job onto the aircraft. Just outline the area you want to be grey then fill it in.
Even with a brush you can get a pretty good finish so I wouldn'tconcern myself with that.
Hope to see you finsih it soon.
Russell

Thanks guys.

What I will say is I've really enjoyed building this model, so it was worth the small price for the amount of fun it's given me. And yes, I have indeed learned a lot and look forward to applying it to my next build.

I've begun painting the unside of my '38 including the wavy lines which were worrying me. Dare I say it, it's all going rather well, albeit taking a while because of the Humbrol paint drying time.

However, one thing that bothers me: the grey paint stated to use in this Airfix kit seems to have a shiny finish to it (164 if I remember correctly).

It's too late to do anything on this, my first model, but for furture refs, has anyone else found this problem?

Your progress so far is very nice.

I wouldn't worry about any type of shiny finish, in consideration you should use a gloss coat all over prior to installing the decals. This gives the decal a nice smooth surface to lay on. Once you have completed the decals, then apply a coat of dull coat over everything to get it back looking the way you want.

The great thing about this hobby, is that with every build you learn something new.

Keep up the great work.

Ted

Thanks, Ted.

So let me get this right............

When completed, the model should have a gloss coat before applying decals? Can you explain more about this gloss coat and what I should use? Also about the matt coat after decals applied? I don't know anything about those stages and am nearly at that stage.

Cheers



Keep up the great work.

Ted

Yes. You'll want to have that gloss clearcoat prior to decals because the smooth surface (speaking microscopically) will help the decals adhere better and without the clear decal film looking silver after they dry. Then after you've decaled and weathered, you can apply whatever level of matte clear you prefer to get rid of the shiny gloss. Some like a dead flat finish while others like a slightly semi-gloss finish. Since you don't have an airbrush (yet ) you'll want to get the clears in spraycans, you won't want to try to brush those, except for very small areas.
Some modelers like to apply the clear only to the area to be decaled, but I think that runs the risk of an uneven finish later on. I prefer to spray the clearcoats over the entire model.

Been spending a lot of time experimenting with model techniques. I've writen notes and gathered a shopping list of parts I will need for future builds, so very much an enjoyabe learning curve

Below in a WIP photo. I was quite please with my chipped radio in the cockpit that I did with the dry brush technique I read about on here.

I have a problem with the black instrument panel cover though. I noted a model on the net of this same aircraft had used black; as I couldn'd find any ref photos that showed one, I did the same. It doesn't look right and I may repaint either grass green or oilve drab to represent a canvas cover or some type of metal cover t......Any ideas?

The prop blades were painted in Humbrol black 33, as per instructions. They looked terrible and shiney, and even when weathered I'm sure they would look wrong. I've begun the delicate job of sanding them down as you can see. I assume I would be better off using a matt black?

Any suggestions or crits most welcome

I don't know what color the instrument panel cover should be either, but usually straight black looks TOO black on a model. I would try painting it a dark grey instead and it should look better.

If you hadn't already started sanding the propellers down, I would say just overcoat the whole model when you're done ( minus the canopy) with some spray-can clear flat (matte) to even out the finish and get rid of the overly shiny props. That would have been much easier than sanding down the propellers.

It's coming along nicely though!

Thanks for your comments Greg. I wish I hadn't started sanding those props, too....................

A little more progress.

I repainted that intrument panel cover gray and it's much better. I also couldn't resist trying a little weathering.....Hope it looks okay to others' eyes. I'm quite happy with it.

I have to sand down the nose and repaint; I have some brush marks caused when trying to improve something that could hardly be seen in the first place.

PS: the props aren't weathered. They're just not rubbed down and painted yet.

your doing a fine job, Propwash. I like how you've weathered the plane with silverpaint. Is that drybrushed on or is it a colored pencil???

Thanks, Penny

I just dry brushed it on with some silver paint to depict natural metal showing through.

After many hours of enjoyment, frustration and more than a few tense moments, I'm almost ready for my decals. By the way, it's Major 'Tommy' McGuire's, P-38 'Pudgy'.

Below you can see where I'm at. There are still a few components to attach. In fact, I've just spent half an hour crawling on the floor for a machine gun..........(anywone got a spare .50 cal?..lol).

Oh, I also have a problem in that the remaining guns don't fit too well; the holes that take them are clogged up with paint. I've fitted 1, lost 1, and have 3 more to go. I'm thinking a heated needle to do this job. Any suggestions?



Here's a shot of some weathering. There's more that McQuire's crew chief would have allowed, as I've read he always had the cleanest ship in the squadron, but it's my first model so I'm sure you'll forgive this..............lol



Here's a close up of the detailing.



A bientot, mes amies

Looking good Alex and almost there!
On the subject of cleaning out the holes for the machine guns.
Heated needle,,,NO!
This will distort the plastic and you really dont want to go there.
A needle perhaps,,but definately not heated.
The best thing would be a micro drill.
I wouldnt worry too much about loosing a machine gun to the carpet monster. Its quite easy to make one from stretched sprue in that scale
Nige

Je finis

Well, number one model done and dusted. A roller-coaster ride of a build, but have learned a lot, so hopefully can really improve the next one and build it a little quicker too.

Nice effort Alex,

i am only a newbie myself having only completed 3 kits, although i have never had to hand paint myslelf (getting used to my airbrush is a challenge in itself).

What are you planning on next? A P-47 perhaps?

Hi Mark,

Thanks for looking. Hopefully I'll be able to apply some of the knowledge from this first build to my second. I still haven't got all the modeling accessories that most have, so am improvising as I go.

Moving onto an Academy 1/72 P-39N next, for the Aces High Campaign.

Hi Propwash,

You built a good looking P-38 there. I've built that kit twice. It currently resides with my LHS owner, awaiting Siderius to hang it from the ceiling with his 1/32 Hasegawa Fw 190 and Ki-84.

Siderius built Academy's P-39. Contact him for tips.