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Cold War (1950-1974)
Discuss the aircraft modeling subjects during the Cold War period.
Hosted by Tim Hatton
1/48 scale Eduard's Vietnam A4F Scooter
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, July 26, 2015 - 05:26 AM UTC
After my F2A-3 Buffalo build, I really needed a relaxing, mostly OOB build, so with that concept in mind, I bought the Eduard 1/48 scale limited edition reboxing of the Hasegawa A4E/F Scooter. Even though the kit was 1st released way back in 2000, it's still a really well detailed kit that doesn't take a back seat to much of what is released these days.

With the inclusion of Eduard's cockpit PE for the IP and side consuls, you need to sand off all the molded on detail, as well as remove the vertical piston from the seat bulkhead, as Eduard has supplied a resin seat and cushion.

The IP is comprised of the sanded flat kit part, and 2 nicely colored PE panels that you overlay on the old panel.



A little extra thin CA, carefully line up all three pieces, and you end up with a very nice IP.



I painted the cockpit Tamiya XF-54, and then glued in the seat bulkhead, the center floor section, the stick, the back section behind the bulkhead. The rudder peddles get new PE faces, then glued to the floor. The PE side consuls were glued in place with CA glue, and finally the IP was glued on. The pit minus seat does look quite good.





The bottom of the pit contains the front wheel well, which is very nicely detailed. I painted it Tamiya X-2 Gloss White, then when dry I applied a wash of Raw Sienna to bring out the details, and add some depth to the well.



Joel





SaxonTheShiba
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Posted: Sunday, July 26, 2015 - 06:00 AM UTC
Hey, a Scooter! Looking forward to it Joel. That kit is a very fun build.

Best wishes,

Ian
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, July 26, 2015 - 07:34 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey, a Scooter! Looking forward to it Joel. That kit is a very fun build.

Best wishes,

Ian


Ian,
Thanks for stopping by. So far it's been a real pleasure. Just what the doctor ordered.
Joel
GazzaS
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Posted: Monday, July 27, 2015 - 03:00 PM UTC
Hey Joel,
I'll be watching this build. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Gary
Joel_W
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Posted: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 - 09:23 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Hey Joel,
I'll be watching this build. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Gary


Gary,
Glad you're joining the party. So far the kit hasn't had any surprises. I'm almost ready for another short update.
Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Thursday, July 30, 2015 - 12:23 AM UTC
As per my usual method of working: Slow but steady, I've been able to glue up the fuselage halves. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how well they mated up. The only slight gap is right behind the cockpit. I also glued up the 3 part avionics hump, which took some time sanding and dry fitting to get a pretty solid fit. Still, some putty will be needed to blend the front in, and the tail end that will need some putty work and then some gradual blending, yet the seam needs to remain visible.





the IP really fits nicely in the rather small cockpit.



The single one piece intake fan had it's housing painted Gloss White, then the fan blades received a wash of acrylic black, then Metalizer steel. For the little you'll be able to see of it once the intakes are installed, it looks just fine.





What I believe is the chafe dispenser unit really doesn't fit flush to the fuselage, so it's going to need a little work to properly blend in.



Joel

Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, August 01, 2015 - 10:15 PM UTC
Well, with the basic fuselage assembled and glued up, the next step was to figure out a realistic way to mask the inside edge of the intakes, so that the lip can be painted Gloss red later in the build.

I started by prepping the 4 halves of the intakes minus the two single piece lips.



Then I primed them with MIG Acrylic Gray primer, waited a hour, then air brushed on Tamiya X-2 Gloss white, then let them dry for a day, then assembled the intakes.



I found a few ideas while reading other builds, and decided to mask the intakes right at the seam line with Tamiya tape. When I'm ready to paint I'll add some pieces of foam to protect the rest of the painted intakes.



I test fitted the intake lips to see how it would look. Seems like this is the way to go, so I'll glue the lips into place.



Joel
SaxonTheShiba
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Posted: Sunday, August 02, 2015 - 01:38 AM UTC
Which squadron are you going to pick, Joel?

Regards,

Ian
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, August 02, 2015 - 05:45 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Which squadron are you going to pick, Joel?

Regards,

Ian


Ian,
Right now I'm still not sure. Everyday I seem to change my mind. Another reason not to have so many choices. But it will definitely be one from the kit

Joel
GazzaS
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Posted: Sunday, August 02, 2015 - 10:38 AM UTC
The USMC operated these for quite a long time... I reckon it's a sweet looking bird!
mrockhill
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Posted: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 - 06:52 AM UTC
Joel, your A4 is looking gooood! Figured I'd wander over to this side of the house to see how you're progressing. Looking foward to seeong it come together, been quite a few years since these were zipping around the skies here. Ashame to hear that the value isnt quite there in the eduard kit but those color PE instrument panels are usually quite welcomed!
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 03:24 AM UTC
I finally got enough accomplished for another update.

The wings, & Stabilators, were glued on, and a little Bondo was needed to blend everything in. I also masked and glued on the windscreen. And yes, I know that the kit comes with Eduard masks, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where I put it so I wouldn't loose them. Of course, now that I masked the windscreen, I found them. Just might pull off my so so effort and use the masks.






And the bottom of the Scooter. I also needed some Bondo to blend the wing section with the fuselage. I also decided to use the option of dropping the flaps as most of the pictures of the real aircraft have the flaps in the down position while parked.








The leading edge light lens was a very poor fit. So I just got it to seat into the wing, then I used several coats of CA gel to build up the lens, sanding each coat out. Then I polished it from 4,000 to 12,000 grit. A little polishing compound added that final touch. While it looks a little milky, the fit is smooth as silk with no lips that I can detect.



Next up is preparing for the 1st coat of primer.

Joel



Thearmorer
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Posted: Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 07:53 AM UTC
Joel,
The scooter's looking good, even in the hack and slash stage. I'll be interested in seeing how the landing light turns out. I've found in the past that mixing clear parts and CA glue was tantamount to sending trouble an engraved invitation. Likewise, using CA to laminate the instrument panel together would spell disaster for me. I know I wouldn't get those puppies lined up the first time and then there's no second chance. I like to use a coat of gloss coat lacquer finish over the instrument portion to put those Eduard IP's together. Dries clear and is a hell of a lot more forgiving for the ham fingered. An excellent build, will keep in touch.
DR
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, August 09, 2015 - 06:51 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Joel,
The scooter's looking good, even in the hack and slash stage. I'll be interested in seeing how the landing light turns out. I've found in the past that mixing clear parts and CA glue was tantamount to sending trouble an engraved invitation. Likewise, using CA to laminate the instrument panel together would spell disaster for me. I know I wouldn't get those puppies lined up the first time and then there's no second chance. I like to use a coat of gloss coat lacquer finish over the instrument portion to put those Eduard IP's together. Dries clear and is a hell of a lot more forgiving for the ham fingered. An excellent build, will keep in touch.
DR


DR,
Thanks for stopping by, I do appreciate the feedback especially here on Aeroscale jet builds don't get a lot of views nor posts.

The lens will certainly get a good coating of Pledge once I gloss the whole model in decal preparation. The fit of the lens was so poor that my only other option was to carve a rough shape out of clear sprue then go to town with files and sand paper. I just figured that the CA will look good enough once the gloss is applied. If not, then it's another less I've learned the hard way.

I've never had any issues using CA glue for Eduard multi piece IPs. The CA doesn't bond asap, so I have plenty of time to tweak it. Now, resin pieces bond instantly, which has been a real issue for me. So much so, that I've taken to 5 min epoxy at times.

Joel
mrockhill
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Posted: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - 02:29 AM UTC
Joel, your moving right along on this build! What sort of 5 min epoxy do you use? I often find CA less than ideal and curious as to what types and brands others are using for model work.
Joel_W
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Posted: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - 06:57 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Joel, your moving right along on this build! What sort of 5 min epoxy do you use? I often find CA less than ideal and curious as to what types and brands others are using for model work.


Mike,
I use any two part liquid epoxy that my big box retailers have, hopefully on sale, as I tend to mess up the tubes and eventually just toss them. Right now I'm using J-B Kwick. BTW, I always buy the smallest size they have for the above reasons.

Finally got to the point where I can prime the Scooter. Looks really good. I also got to use my new Iwata M2, the companion to my M1.

Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - 11:46 PM UTC
Well, I'm home for another week of vacation to take care of the 1st round of oral surgeries scheduled for Tomorrow. Anyway, work continued on the Scooter, and I finished prepping the Fuselage for priming.

For primer I've been using Mig Acrylic gray primer thinned 1:1 with Tamiya X20-A, and applied in very light coats. The problem is that it takes forever to cover anything. So I'm going to be trying 2:1 or even 3:1 and increasing the flow rate to 20-22 psi and see if the coverage is any better, while still ending up with a very smooth surface. Mig acrylics applied to heavily ends up drying with a orange peel effect.

I've also switched from using my Iwata M1 for overall coats to an Iwata M2 which has a much larger bowl, and a .4mm cone. This is now my standard AB, with the M1 for close in detail work. The best of both worlds.





I let the primer cure for a few hours, then applied a base coat of Tamiya XF-2 white thinned 1:1 with their Yellow Cap Lacquer Thinner. I followed that up with a blotchy random pattern of 10 drops of XF-2 white to 2 drops of XF-20 Medium Gray thinned 2:3 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. The effect up close is exactly what I was looking for. I'm not to sure if you can see the full effect in this picture.



Hopefully, in the next day or two I'll be able to start the top base coats.

Joel


mrockhill
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Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 03:06 AM UTC
Thanks Joel, I wasnt sure if there was a good resealable expoxy set up out there or its still 1 shot throw away stuff (or just about any way) but I need to try some out.

Your paint is looking great so far, looking foward to watching it progress!
matrixone
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Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 05:29 AM UTC
Looking great Joel!

I like the lighter spots of the base color you put on the undersurface, you will be surprised at how much the lighter spots will blend in after markings and clear coats are on the model...as you can tell I am not much of a fan over weathered models, if you just barely notice the weathering then its just about right IMHO.

Matrixone
Joel_W
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Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 07:45 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Thanks Joel, I wasnt sure if there was a good resealable expoxy set up out there or its still 1 shot throw away stuff (or just about any way) but I need to try some out.

Your paint is looking great so far, looking foward to watching it progress!


Mike,
I try to stay away from Hobby shops for basic supplies like epoxies. For one thing you can't be the price, and they have a pretty good selection. I like to get the smallest tube set that have screw caps, and are the quick set 5 min type.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the bottom base color. It's coming out as I've envisioned.
Joel
Joel_W
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Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 07:47 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Looking great Joel!

I like the lighter spots of the base color you put on the undersurface, you will be surprised at how much the lighter spots will blend in after markings and clear coats are on the model...as you can tell I am not much of a fan over weathered models, if you just barely notice the weathering then its just about right IMHO.

Matrixone


Les,
I've been using the various blotchy tone method for top and sides, but not the bottom, relying on just overall dirt washes. I already like the base color so much better this way.

As for weathering, it's an operational Naval Scooter from Vietnam, so it will have some degree of weathering, just not as much as I usually go for.

Joel
matrixone
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Posted: Wednesday, August 12, 2015 - 10:13 PM UTC
Joel,
I've been doing the opposite, on many of my models I only highlight and pre-shade the undersurfaces and leave the upper surface colors mostly intact without pre-shading or fading. My way of thinking is a lot of the dust or dirt would end up on the lower surfaces after some rain showers rinsed the dirt off. Of course the Scooter would not get anywhere near as dirty as the late war Luftwaffe things that I make.

Matrixone



Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2015 - 04:45 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Joel,
I've been doing the opposite, on many of my models I only highlight and pre-shade the undersurfaces and leave the upper surface colors mostly intact without pre-shading or fading. My way of thinking is a lot of the dust or dirt would end up on the lower surfaces after some rain showers rinsed the dirt off. Of course the Scooter would not get anywhere near as dirty as the late war Luftwaffe things that I make.

Matrixone



Les,

I pretty much weathered the heck out of the Buffalo as it took a beating in the South Pacific. The jets that I've been building also take a beating, especially those aboard carriers. The difference is that eventually they get repainted after a tour or so. A large proportion of WW11 aircraft never lasted long enough to get repainted, or there was no time to repaint them, and keep them flying

Joel

Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2015 - 05:03 AM UTC
Well, I've finished with the painting stage.

I painted the top of the Scooter with Tamiya XF-20 Med Gray and XF-2 White 12:1. Then thinned it 2:3 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. All the upper flying surfaces that were previously painted Flat White were masked off.





Next I applied a random blotchy pattern of XF-20 and XF-1 Flat Black mixed 6:1. I thinned this out also 6:1 with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner.



Some further blending will be done with washes when I start the weathering process.

Next up I had to paint the black nose. Masking tape just wouldn't lay down smoothly or in the direction I needed. So I used the method that Mal used to paint the yellow tips on his bombs. I drilled a hole in plastic sheet, then filed it till it fit the nose.





Thanks Mal, it worked perfectly.

Then I masked off the wings where the slats are, and the intakes caps that I've left off till now and painted them with XF-7 Flat Red. Masking them this way is a no brainer. One dry, I glued them in place.







I'll give the paint a full day to cure, then I'll rub it out with 12,000, then start the gloss coats to get ready for decaling the Scooter.

Joel





GazzaS
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Posted: Saturday, August 15, 2015 - 07:05 AM UTC
Looks great, Joel!
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