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F4F-4 Wildcat done
VonCuda
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North Carolina, United States
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Posted: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 - 10:38 PM UTC
Hi everyone
Here are some pictures of an F4F-4 Wildcat that I'm doing for the "Flattops" Campaign. The "blue" turned out much brighter in the pictures than it is in reality. I have not applyed the final dull coat yet so any suggestions or critique will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Hermon





bottlerocket
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Rhode Island, United States
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 12:24 AM UTC
VonCuda, looks great. Which kit did you build and how did you weather it? I've been thinking about trying to backdate the Tamiya F4F4 into a Martlet MkIII for "Duel In The Sky" or maybe just wait for the Mirage Hobby releases. The only thing I would do differently is chip the paint on the leading edge of the prop instead of the trailing edge? You've gotta love those chubby little Wildcats though...nice build...N
VonCuda
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 12:42 AM UTC
Hey Nigel,
This was the Tamiya kit in 1/48. So far this has been the most fun of any kit I've built. The fit and finish is as close to "idiot proof" as it gets.

Quoted Text

The only thing I would do differently is chip the paint on the leading edge of the prop instead of the trailing edge?

:-) You caught me on that one. Maybe I was thinking this plane flew backwards?
As far as weathering, I painted the whole plane with MM metalic paint as a base coat, then did the top and bottom with Tamiya acrylics. After it was all dried I sprayed another coat of thinned downed and lightened acrylics on top to simulate sun fadeing. When everything was dried I scraped off some places here and there to reveal the silver underneath. Last I did a wash with black and burnt umber mixed (went a little too heavy on the black I think). There are still some things I need to fix so I haven't sprayed the final dull coat yet.

Thanks,
Hermon
jlmurc
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England - East Anglia, United Kingdom
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 12:57 AM UTC
Hi nice build and I agree a nice, straight forward kit to build. One thing that I would say is that the blue looks fine to me from my memory of one that I have seen I believe at Duxford.

John
TedMamere
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Moselle, France
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 12:58 AM UTC
Hi Hermon!

Now tell me how the decals went on the model... any problems with the rivets? Looks pretty good on the pictures.


Quoted Text

The "blue" turned out much brighter in the pictures than it is in reality.



The color seems Ok for me! Just the perfect shade... but someone else will probably see a different color on his monitor.

I noticed two things:
- The location of the aerial wire attachment on the fin isn't realistic. You glued yours on the bottom of the mast but it should be on the top. A small wire also goes from the mast aft the cockpit to the left fuselage side (on your model approx. between the 8 and the red dot of the roundel)
- The airscope over the engine is to clean. Some wash would add more depth...

Other than that, great model. By the way, did you use the kit's decals for the white/red stripes on the rudder?

Jean-Luc
lampie
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 01:26 AM UTC
Hi Hermon!
Thats a fine job youve done their my friend!
Only minor thing I would suggest is that the tires are a bit black.Maybe try drybrushing them in a dark grey to dull them down a bit.
Congratulations on a very nice build.Doesnt it feel good when each completed kit looks better than the last? Have you tried pre shading yet?
Whats next for the RAF,,,,Rector Air Force?
Nige
VonCuda
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North Carolina, United States
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 02:06 AM UTC
Jean-Luc,
I did use the kit decals and they went on very nicely with the use of Micro-sol and Micro-set. The decals were the scariest part for me but in the end they turned out to be the most fun. As for the antenna wire, you are 100% correct in what you said. Antenna wires seem to be one of my biggest problems that I have yet to master. I'd love to see someone do an aerial wire installation demonstration sometime. No matter what I try this seems to be a sticking point for me. Any advice on this matter would be appreciated, especially on how to install the wire at the "top" of a tiny mast.

Hi Nigel
Thanks for the compliment!
The tires were something I meant to fix before the pictures Usually I would apply some dirt/mud to them but being a carrier based plane I should use your method to be more realistic.
I haven't tried preshading yet but I have practiced it on an old junk kit that I have. Very excited about using that technique on my next build.
What's next? I'm trying to finisht up the camo scheme on my Italian Folgore. This is really pushing my ABing skills at the moment. I'm currently on my 3rd try at painting this plane. After that I'm going to do a French fighter (can't remember the name, sorry) and then will be my very first German build, a FW-190

Thanks for looking guys,
Hermon
Gunfighter
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 02:09 AM UTC
Hermon,

I think the color scheme looks fine and the build looks great. I agree about the wheels needing toned down a bit, but that looks like an easy fix.

Thanks for posting it.

- Frank
TedMamere
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Moselle, France
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 02:43 AM UTC

Quoted Text

After that I'm going to do a French fighter (can't remember the name, sorry)



What! Can't remember the name of a French plane! Mon Dieu!

Jean-Luc
lampie
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 02:51 AM UTC
Hi Hermon.
Fixing ariel wires to the top of the mast,,,,,,,,
Cut longer thread than required,and put a dab of CA on the top of the mask.Lay the thread over the top of the mask,I use self clamping tweezers to hold the thread and also to weigh it down.After a couple of minutes it will start to harden off and wont move about.
When its dry,cut the excess of with either a new blade or some small scissors.
Et Voila,,,your ariel is at the top of the mast. Then tension it with the old heated pin/paper clip trick.
Thats how I do it anyway.
Hope this helps.
So,,your doing a 190 next.Cool,you will enjoy the thrills and spills of Luftwaffe camo schemes. My 190 is starting to look sweet,and I freehand sprayed all the camo for the first time.Its not as daunting as I imagined.
Pm me an email address and I 'll email you a sneak preview
Nige
PolarBear
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Västra Götaland, Sweden
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 03:14 AM UTC
In my view, you captured the colour perfectly compared to the photos I've seen! Very nice paintjob, btw.

The camera can do crazy things with the colours sometimes (especially when using the flash). There are ways to get around it, but it takes some learning!

Looking forward to your next project!

Cheers!

Ps. There are very few people that know the name of French fighters. Most of them live in France...
betheyn
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AEROSCALE
#019
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England - South East, United Kingdom
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 03:29 AM UTC
Looks great Hector, short, fat and ugly just like the Beloved, ( ducks out of the way of the dinner plates :-) ), but you have got to love them. I use Tamiya nato black on my wheels to dull them down.
Andy (++)
VonCuda
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North Carolina, United States
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 05:59 AM UTC

Quoted Text

What! Can't remember the name of a French plane! Mon Dieu!

Jean-Luc


Actually, I have two French planes on the way from Squadron.
1. Loire Nieuport LN 411 in 1/48 by AZUR
2. Bloch MB 155 in 1/48 by FM in France

These will be my first attempts doing kits from both of these companys and will be my first French planes. Come to think of it, at $37.96 and $33.96 these may be my LAST French planes I do.


Quoted Text

Ps. There are very few people that know the name of French fighters. Most of them live in France...


LMAO :-) :-) :-)

Andy, Tamiya Nato black eh? Haven't thought of that. Thanks

Hermon
TedMamere
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Moselle, France
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 10:49 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Actually, I have two French planes on the way from Squadron.
1. Loire Nieuport LN 411 in 1/48 by AZUR
2. Bloch MB 155 in 1/48 by FM in France

These will be my first attempts doing kits from both of these companys and will be my first French planes. Come to think of it, at $37.96 and $33.96 these may be my LAST French planes I do.



Hi all!

Yes those kits are more expensive than mainstream ones. And more complicated to build as they come with resin parts, photo etched fret, metal parts and... vacuformed canopies! A real pleasure! Be prepared when you are about to open the boxes! :-)
The only mainstream alternative when it comes to 1/48 French WW2 fighters is Tamiya's Dewoitine D520. A "State of the Art" mainstream kit...

Jean-Luc
propboy44256
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 05:31 PM UTC
Great looking panel line wash!
newtothegame
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Washington, United States
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 08:58 PM UTC

Quoted Text


Actually, I have two French planes on the way from Squadron.
1. Loire Nieuport LN 411 in 1/48 by AZUR
2. Bloch MB 155 in 1/48 by FM in France

These will be my first attempts doing kits from both of these companys and will be my first French planes. Come to think of it, at $37.96 and $33.96 these may be my LAST French planes I do.




What?!?! I thought you were banned from buying new kits :-) . Just last week, I won a pack of 3 on E-Bay and smuggled them into the house last night - ssh! :-)

Seriously, though, your wildcat looks great. Tons of things to be really proud of - paint job is really nice, decal work looks great, nice weathering, etc.

One thing I notice, and I actually don't know the answer, do gun stains go on both the top and bottom of wings? I have always done both, but come to think of it with the aerodynamics of wings maybe it is just the top and the curvature causes the powder to go over and not under the wing. Anyway, I don't know, just noticed and wondering...

Oh and another question (not a critique) is that the kit canopy? Your's seems to sit on the fuselage better than mine does. I was thinking when I do this kit again I should get vacuform.

Anyway, again, really nice work!
Leon
VonCuda
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 10:08 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Yes those kits are more expensive than mainstream ones. And more complicated to build as they come with resin parts, photo etched fret, metal parts and... vacuformed canopies! A real pleasure! Be prepared when you are about to open the boxes!

Jean-Luc
I know a guy in France that'll be getting lots of PM's when I start these kits. :-) "Help me Jean-Luc!!" :-)


Leon,
I sent the Squadron order in by mail 3 weeks ago with a money order. I'm not exactly banned from buying kits........well.....not so long as she doesn't find out. What I AM banned from is using the Visa card. I'll never figure out why wives don't understand just how important to our survival model airplane kits really are.

Gun stains. I've seen pictures of wing mounted guns with stains on top as well as top & bottom. The cordite stains on the bottom seem to be almost always half as heavy as the top of the wing. Either way, when I fix all the mistakes on this project (hopefully next week) I plan on adding some cordite stains on the bottoms sides as well.

The canopy is the one supplied in the kit. I didn't have any problems with it at all. Actually, other than the problems that I created for myself, this kit was as close to trouble free as I've seen. Tamiya is winning me over.

Hermon

ps. Did you get those P-47 pic's I mailed you?
Holdfast
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#056
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 10:09 PM UTC
Hi Hermon, a nice Wildcat
Only thing I can add is that IMHO tyres look better in dark grey rather than black.
Did you cut the floor? in the real aircraft the the floor did not fill the cockpit, and was more like an "H" shape (top and bottom of the H being port and starboard, if you see what I mean). I don't think it's a broblem and brobably can't be seen anyway, just for information. The other thing, with this kit that is noticeable is the front of the engine protrudes too much, I cut mine down by about half. I compaired mine to yours and, unless you know about this it isn't too noticable either. Mind you now I suppose the World knows Regardless a very nice Wildcat.
There is an online demo of fixing antenna wires in my Spitfire build. Apart from what Nige says, another tip is to slightly flatten the rudder post, with a file. This will creat a greater surface area to attach the wire. the post can be built up with CA back to it's original profile. We are talking of just a spot being required.
Mal
newtothegame
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 10:37 PM UTC

Quoted Text



Leon,
...

ps. Did you get those P-47 pic's I mailed you?



Sure did, they are great. I especially like the one of them working on the guns (bullets). Very nice. Thanks!


Quoted Text


There is an online demo of fixing antenna wires in my Spitfire build. Apart from what Nige says, another tip is to slightly flatten the rudder post, with a file. This will creat a greater surface area to attach the wire. the post can be built up with CA back to it's original profile. We are talking of just a spot being required.



When I read the comment about attaching antenna wire, I instantly thought of Mal's online spitfire build. When, oh when, is it going to be back online?? I was really planning on studying it again and again as I try to finish up my spitfire. Please internet gods, bring it back.

Leon
VonCuda
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Posted: Thursday, March 09, 2006 - 10:43 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Please internet gods, bring it back.



:-) I PM'd Mal a few minutes ago with that very request. The antenna wire going from the mast behind the canopy to the side of the fuselage (what Jean-Luc was talking about) is really kicking my butt.

Hermon
Holdfast
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#056
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Posted: Friday, March 10, 2006 - 09:05 PM UTC
PM answered Hermon, "trust the force"
Mal
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