Hi to all - Starting a new project while waiting for some reference on the Ki 43 . This is going to be an OOB build of FineMolds' 1/48 Mitsubishi Ka 14 prototype- Jiro Horikoshi's first real winner. Don't be put off by the toy -like Anime cartoon boxart for inside is a beautiful scale model fully up to FineMolds' high standards. I hope to get away with a NMF - There seems to be some differing opinions on it's finish even though Jiro Horikoshi himself stated that it was faired up with putty and painted because of the flush rivets causing dimpled skin. At least we know that it had a NMF before paint-if indeed it was painted- and that will be my alibi because I would love to see it in aluminium & red/black colors.

More to come - Cheers ! Richard

Cool Project!

Just ordered the new A5M2 (and I got the new A5M4 just recently)

BTW the anime is a really nice Studio Ghibli movie and the last of master Miyazaki himself (and quite technical in places)... and if you think anime is for kids just watch "Grave of the Fireflies" (also Studio Ghibli)...

all the best

Steffen

I saw the Anime, I also have the new Fine Molds A5M4. It is a great kit!

Steffen- I just viewed "The Wind Rises " this weekend and plan on watching it again this evening before returning it. Very entertaining and wonderful artwork. I preordered both the A5M2 and - 4 from HLJ and I expect them any day now.
Cheers! Richard

Richard,
I'll be pulling up a chair, and following right along to completion.
Joel

Joel - Thanks for the interest- I suppose we'll be watching each other then as I am enjoying your Mossie project ! Welcome aboard- Richard

I've made a start with - you guessed it - the cockpit . Nothing elaboate as this is an OOB build. I used Nick Millman's excellent e-guide " Painting the Early Zero -Sen " to mix the early Mitsubishi olive-green cockpit color using Tamiya XF 58 Olive Green and XF 49 Khaki with a touch of XF 3 Flat yellow.
Nick runs a wonderful site here:
http://www.aviationofjapan.com/
Nick is a very respected guy in this field and he has also been very generous in sharing his time and knowlege - If you are at all interested in Japanese aircraft and have not allready done so , visit his site- it's a real treat.
The kit gives you the usual option of flat IP and instrument decal or the molded variety that you hand paint. I opted for the decal.
After paint and picking out details the green was given a light wash of umber oil and a very little dry brushing with a lightened mixture of the base color. Very minor scuffing done with piece of cosmetic sponge and flat white/aluminium mix. There was only one inverted gull wing prototype built and it was tested to destruction during the static load tests so it wasn't around long enough to accumulate much wear. Lap belts were added from Eduard's IJN set.




Next up are the guns/magazines and fuselage assembly . Thanks for looking- All comments welcome.
Cheers ! Richard

Richard,

Nice start to the cockpit. The color is somewhat unusual from what I've seen others use, but your reference certainly seems to have an expertise worth following.

I do have one question. You said that there was only one prototype built and was destroyed during testing, so it wasn't around long enough to show much wear and tear, yet you've heavily weathered the cockpit. I'm just curious as to why you made that decision?

Joel

Joel - Thanks for your interest and input. The Ka 14 prototype was flown vigorously during the initial flight performance phase before static load tests so I think there was likely scuffing on the seat back and pan , rudder pedals / heel troughs,etc.
which I have attempted to show - perhaps a little clumsily .The umber wash and dry brushing was done more to try to make the details "pop" then to make it appear weathered- the cockpit opening is pretty small so there won't be much to be seen when it's buttoned up.
Regarding the color I felt the same as you in that it looked very different than the norm but I deferred to the reference. At this point I should state that the painting guide is for the early zero so let's say 1939- 41 and the Ka 14 dates a year or two previous so I've made some assumptions about the color choice. Apparently the Mitsubishi cockpit color that many- including me - have in our heads didn't appear till 1942 or so. I should also add that the paint guide is viewed on a computer monitor and proved difficult to match up to but I think I've got it close . Then a little later we have to throw the Nakajima built aircraft into the stew with yet another variation !
Richard

I've signed up for this one. Just bought the two new Claude Kits from Hobbylink Japan.

and just when do you think you'll have time to build them?

Joel

Brian - I fear we may be kindred spirits- See " what the postman Brought"
http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/forums/122635&page=155#2121096
Thanks for watching ! Richard

Ha ! May be these will be the Sorbet to cleanse Brian's pallette post B 17 ! Richard

Well, I am making some progress. New post comjng fairly soon.

Some more progress to report - I've finished up the cockpit assembly with the addition of the guns/magazines. Pretty straightforward- muzzles drilled and guns painted with blue-black mix and rubbed with graphite powder.
The magazines are molded with one side hollow to avoid sink marks yet oddly the hollow side faces the cockpit and this is the only side that has even a remote chance of being seen - the point is moot I suppose because you will need an arthroscope to see them anyway. I tried somethind different to represent the aotake finish rather than use the metallic blue/green which I've come to feel looks garish and out of scale. I first painted the magazines with Tamiya XF 16 Flat Aluminium cut with a few drops of flat white. After drying I dusted on a highly thinned mix of Tamiya XF 8 Flat Blue and XF 28 Deep Green until I got the look I wanted.
I 'm very pleased with the result .


The Nakajima Kotobuki 5 engine was sprayed with the flat aluminium/flat white mix and cylinder finning treated with a black oil wash softened with umber. Pushrod tubes , rocker covers and intake runners picked out in satin black - exhaust manifolds red bown , black etc.
The reduction gear housing painted in a mix of Gunze RLM 02 Grey/ Olive Drab / Olive Green to represent new Ame-iro but I am not happy with it as it looks to green so I am going to try again.


Fuselage and wings assembled - not much drama here as fit is excellent with the exception of upper wing halves to root gap which was made up with .010" plastic card. To be fair I may be partly to blame as I did a bit of squeeze out when joining the fuse halves. I've begun the cleaning up of the seams , thinning trailing edges, etc.


Thanks for looking and as always I value all input - Cheers ! Richard

Really strange looking thing, but you did a nice interior and engine!! Good job!

all the best

Steffen

Richard,
excellent progress for sure.

Your decisions about colors to achieve a more realistic looking metal finish on the MGs sounds quite interesting. Unfortunately, at least on my computer they're still to dark to really see it. Any chance of a redo of the pictures to better show it off?

Joel

Steffen - Thanks for the interest and compliments- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose and this aircraft seems to generate a " love it or hate it " response with not much in between. I think it is very graceful - certainly heavy of wing and light of fuselage by current proportions but this is mid 1930 stuff . Horikoshi and his team must have gotten something right because it's performance far exceeded all expectations.
Beauty being a subjective thing I like to think some women find me attractive ! Richard

Joel- I tried to brighten the images in my photo storage but there was no improvement - the guns are indeed to dark in the original image to see much. As the fuse is already buttoned up I took this shot of the muzzles on the workbench as they are all that can be seen at this point. My appologies for focus issues as this seems to be about the limit for the i pad.

Not much to the technique- I mix up a blue/black from Tamiya flat acrylics and spray . When cured I I take an old stiff brush and dip into the lead pointer and rub on until I get the sheen I'm after.

Hope this helps and thanks for looking! Richard

Hello Richard:

Below is the sum total of my Japanese builds over the years.



(Pay no attention to that P-35A "Philippine Defender" off to the far right.) I have a strong interest in Japanese aircraft, but haven't gotten around to building many over the years. A very brief rundown of these follows:

The A6M3 is the old Tamiya kit. I did it about five years ago. A good shelf model with a decent scheme and I really like those decals. It also matched the A6M2 in the middle (same unit with an "X" designator on the tail) which was actually a salvage job from one of my very first builds in the nineteen eighties, after reboot number one in the hobby. I really, really enjoyed bringing that old model back to life.

I did the same thing with the Kate in the background on the left. Believe it or not that is the Nichimo kit. You can see that I pirated a few parts from a Hasegawa model without ruining it. I completely repainted the Kate and the scheme matches a real aircraft for which there is solid photographic evidence on December 7. The canopy is a vacuum formed job so it is more accurate than the too-shallow Nichimo kit part.

Of course it doesn't hold a candle to the Hasegawa model, but it still looks nice on the shelf.

The Oscar to the right of the Kate it is also a Nichimo rebuild from the late eighties. (A vastly underrated model, in my opinion).

Finally, the KI-27 is another refurbished job with a new paint scheme. That's actually the old Mania model, which I believe that Hasegawa simply re-boxed and called its own.

Definitely on my build list is a somewhat upgraded Nichimo Ki-51, but that awaits completion of the present all-consuming project.

I will definitely have a post on that endeavor this weekend.

Looking at the subject of your build, I kind of fall into the hate camp. Maybe better to say "only a mother could love it." But it is an interesting aircraft and I look forward to seeing it come together.

Hi Richard

Great start! I've got my sights on one of these next time I order from HLJ - it's only lack of finances and (shock! horror!) perhaps a long overdue realisation that my infamous Stash is out of control(!!!) that's prevented me getting one already.

All the best

Rowan

Richard,
The muzzle shot does look a little better to me. Thanks for trying.

Brian,
I keep on forgetting that you actually built models, not to mention at a rather high level before the B-17F life changing event. You've posted I believe two other pictures of your models, and they really looked quite good. Definitely looking forward to another update.

Rowan,
I've long ago given up the notion of a large stash. I just keep a few models (always less then 6 aircraft/6 cars) as something new or intriguing becomes my next build no matter what my plans previously were.

Joel

Brian - ( or is your alter ego Klause Kinski doomed to dragging a steamboat / B 17 uphill over the Andes ? )
Thanks for sharing your Japanese aircraft - they certainly look wonderful and I would love to see more pics of these and your other work as well if you may find the time someday - certainly no rush. You are obviously a very accomplished builder. My own 1/48 output is about the same in the Japanese field - not including the current Ka 14 I count 5 completed in the case and considerably more in the stash. I used to do 1/32 and then had some time away from the hobby and when I returned l started back into 1/48 - drawn there by the vast selection, the fond memories of the Monogram kits of my boyhood and the real catalyst- Tamiya's wonderful Swordfish and P 47 kits. As may be apparent I am currently bingeing on Japanese subjects. I recently remortgaged the farm ,sold my soul to the devil and sold my children as well to purchase Mikesh's "Japanese Aircraft Interiors ". Now that I own a copy I'm sure there will be a second edition.
Rowan - Thanks for looking - Hope you get one when you can- it really is a nice kit . I often wonder what percentage of kits produced actually get built - maybe our U.S. Government can do a taxpayer supported study to find the answer. Given the theory of economy of scale we stash builders do the modeling world a service by bringing down the per unit cost of each kit ! Perhaps the strong kit producing countries can subsidize us - Ha !
Thanks to all for the interest you've shown - Richard

I've made some more progress- the engine has been cowled and the cowl painted so it is now complete- The fit of the cowl ring halves to themselves and the engine is amazing- possibly the best I have seen.


Here is the FLSTW - ( funky little spatted tail wheel )- shot in white as a base for the red.

The airframe is complete - tail also shot in white as a base for the red.
Trailing edges have all been thinned except for the rudder which was admirably thin right from the box. All of the rib tapes looked out of scale so these were sanded down as well. The ailerons were shot with a mix of Tamiya Flat aluminium/white to represent the painted fabric surface. I think they need a dusting of very light gray as the metalic bit is too prominent- looking like something from the disco era at the moment.



I am still pondering the method for the NMF- I would like to do bare metal foil inspired by Gazs' wonderful work but I'm a little leary of the compound curves. I've also bought the Vallejo gloss black surface primer and MetalColors in a few aluminium shades and I'm experimenting with that at the moment on an old shelf queen. Any pointers on this system would be appreciated. I may wind up doing a hybrid finish with paint on difficult shapes and foil on the flats- we'll see.
Thanks for looking- Richard