WWII Scale Model Aircraft

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks Bingo. I took a short break from the modeling bench to paint a B 10 jacket for myself for the winter. I'll be back to the T Bolt very shortly. On top of that, I've also started a long term project of a B 17 diorama depicting a 100th Bomb Group scene with my namesake Silver Dollar as the main piece. It'll be my first attempt making a dio. More to come.

 

[kiltie]

Okay -

I've gone, as Freddie Mercury would say, slightly mad. Since the P-61, I've been hunched over the table working on my fantasy squadron. The P-40 kit that I got was terrible. I went through three evolutions before I got halfway to what I wanted. It's gonna have to settle there for a while, 'til I work up the nerve to move up to a higher end kit or bash my own.
Next: P-51
I started out wanting to do exclusively 1:48 Pacific theater planes, but this quickly fell by the wayside on the Mustang. I started off knowing I didn't want to do a natural skin, as the kit suggested, opting for an OD something-or-other... This was a decent Japanese kit I got on consignment, by the way. Anywho, as I got rolling, I went OD and free handed a spiffy checked nose and ETO stripes. The stripes, with my considerable lack of experience, are somewhat out of scale, particularly on the belly, where I didn't bring them up the side quite enough. Buuuut... a solid first shot, in my opinion. I haven't settled on nose art, yet. It is essentially a rendering of a plane called "Old Crow", but I didn't want to do that machine the disservice of cribbing the name unless it was 100%. So I'm still in the process of working something up there.
Then, I went with a P-38. Again, no particular plane, but an amalgamation of a few different ones. It's a good kit ( Revell ), but the canopy is total ****. I've really got to move into some higher end stuff.
Currently, I'm doing the Revell B-25 Gun Nose called Sunday Punch. This one I'm gonna do as Sunday Punch, rather than the imaginary planes I've thusfar done.
That finally brings me to the actual point of this post.
I had in mind that what I really wanted to do was a Catalina, but the shop up the street had only 1:72. The thing that turned me on to the PBY was a website I happened on:

http://www.pbyrescue.com/index.htm

I can't even remember what I was looking for when I found it, but this is the single coolest website I've come across in many a moon. Chock full of pictures, history, etc... It's entrancing. One of those things that perversely gets you caught up in the romance of something utterly horrible. In any event, it's just great to see some concentrated information on a thing that's not as high profile as it could or should be. I can't fully explain, but it has really struck a chord with me.
When I couldn't get the Catalina I wanted ( it's on order ), I went with the B-25. I got home and looked this one up. A great history of a plane that, as best I can tell, is still flying - at least up to 2002 ( I lost track after that ). I won't dump the whole story, but she spent only a relatively short time in the CBI theater before the war ended.
Before the Gun Nose, when I was on the P-38, I was looking for a paint scheme to crib. I came across a Lightning called the San Juaquin Siren. Look it up. Great art. When I work up a little courage, I'm going to do that one, or something similar. But anyway, again, great history. I'm thoroughly enjoying the whole experince of this. And I mean, literally, the 360 degree experience: not just the modelling, etc... I'm not even especially immersed in the machines themselves: Allison, Pratt & Whitney, airspeed, range... but rather the accomplishments and nature of the flyers, tragedy and triumph. And so on... Probably the last time romance could be wrung out of the horror of war.
But, It's a thread about models. That is what the model building is really doing for me.
Here is the Mustang, considerably out of focus ( forgot the macro ). You can see that the stripes toward the tail don't come up around quite high enough, but scaling them was a Herculian effort for me as it was, sooooo..... maybe next time. I'll do some better pics in a day or two and post them.
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/814_0890.jpg

 

[Diamondback]

What're you talkin' about? There were Mustangs in the PTO, too... maybe your next P-51 build.

Betcha can't do just one!

 

[kiltie]

What're you talkin' about? There were Mustangs in the PTO, too... maybe your next P-51 build.

Betcha can't do just one!

I know - what I mean is: the stripes. When I saw the checked nose and ETO stripes on the "Old Crow", I had to give it a go. That's when my Pac plan fell off... Now it's going to be my lone European theater plane for some time. At least 'til after I do the Catalina. Not only that, but I've got all these guys up there now with no one to fight. I'm gonna have to do a sentai of Nakajima and/or Mitsubishi sooner or later .

 

[kiltie]

Incidentally, the Mustang was my first experience with the Squadron filler ( Thanks, Smithy ). Here are a couple pics:

You can actually see the paper towel through the seam in this one -

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/814_0878.jpg

...and near finished -

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/814_0880.jpg

I didn't have the good sense to get superfine sandpaper to finish this one. I cleaned it up using my fingernail and thumb callus. I've upgraded since.

 

[Silver Dollar]

Thanks Bingo. I took a short break from the modeling bench to paint a B 10 jacket for myself for the winter. I'll be back to the T Bolt very shortly. On top of that, I've also started a long term project of a B 17 diorama depicting a 100th Bomb Group scene with my namesake Silver Dollar as the main piece. It'll be my first attempt making a dio. More to come.

Well, the jacket is effectively done and I'll be getting back to the bench to finish the P 47. At the same time I'll be working on a 100th BG B17 diorama. I'll post the jacket in another area.

 

[Smithy]

Incidentally, the Mustang was my first experience with the Squadron filler ( Thanks, Smithy ). Here are a couple pics:

You can actually see the paper towel through the seam in this one -

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/814_0878.jpg

...and near finished -

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/814_0880.jpg

I didn't have the good sense to get superfine sandpaper to finish this one. I cleaned it up using my fingernail and thumb callus. I've upgraded since.

I'm pleased you picked some up Kiltie, it will become one of the most useful items in your toolbox.

Did you use acetone based nail polish remover to wipe over it? Also make sure the room you are working in is very well ventilated as Squadron Putty contains toluene which is not only pretty whiffy but not good for you.

Good to see you've been bitten by the modelling bug

 

[kiltie]

Did you use acetone based nail polish remover to wipe over it? Also make sure the room you are working in is very well ventilated as Squadron Putty contains toluene which is not only pretty whiffy but not good for you.

I did the putty just as you described it, Smithy. The shop up the way is not quite for the obsessive modeler ( that one's about 30min from the house ), but it is definately...focused. Lots for the serious model builder, like the after market seatbelts, weathering kits, and things of that nature. The folks running the till are all members of modelling societies and a great help with some little tip or other each time I go in. When I bought the Squadron, the guy described it's use just as you did. He was also full of suggestions for other products not readily found in most shops. In fact, he said that if the Squadron wasn't up to snuff, I try 3M Acryl Blue. Apparently this is a filler for automobiles and some heavy duty stuff. He said it was $30 for, judging by his hand motions, about 1/2 a liter ( or however you'd measure something like that...). Anyway, I haven't tried it yet, but if I do, this is where I'll show it off.

 

[Silver Dollar]

The 3M Acryl Blue stuff is pretty good. It's a two part putty that is easy to use, sets fast and sands really well. It also does not shrink like the Squadron which is a one part putty. The material I've used extensively for large scale auto modeling is Evercoat glazing putty. It's really smooth and I'll attest to it's great handling. The only thing is when you use the two part stuff, you have to either really veentilate the place or wear a respirator. If you think the Squadron stuff is whiffy, wait until you sniff this stuff. It's murder.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Pretty much everything in scale modeling is bad for you, I'm amazed I lived through 20 years of the professional side of it. :eusa_doh:

 

[Silver Dollar]

Pretty much everything in scale modeling is bad for you, I'm amazed I lived through 20 years of the professional side of it. :eusa_doh:

I think the only thing that might be the least dangerous is the instruction sheet. Then again, you can still get a nasty paper cut. lol lol

 

[kiltie]

Here's a shot in the arm for this thread: some stuff I've done over the last year.
A few of these are repeaters, but some of them I haven't shown. I got home from work this morning feeling a little punchy, and I'm not really in the habit of shopping pictures, but...

Here's where they usually live -

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/IMG_1734.jpg

B-25 Sunday Punch

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1ba.jpg

B-26 Mild and Bitter

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1c.jpg

P-61 Black Widow ( shown before - decal/paint job mash-up )

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1c1.jpg

P-40 AVG Hell's Angels

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1d.jpg

P-51 Mustang ( decal/paint job mash-up. The nose art is all me, and I can't remember where I cribbed the Barracuda name ). I had to resist the urge to shop the wing seams here - uff...

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1c3.jpg

P-38 Lightning ( decal/paint job mash-up. It's from a Richard Bong kit, but at the time I really didn't want to do a natural skin. I still called the plane Marge, but the pin up is cribbed from another kit and the paint is sorta generic )

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1c2.jpg

Spitfire Borough of Lambeth

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj290/safdkiltie/1c5.jpg

I also did a Catalina that I'm not especially proud of and plan to do over, but currently I'm doing an Air Apaches 25 that I hope to knock out over the next few days.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Kiltie, that was me. Actually, several Black Widows were out hunting in support of the raid, most being out a bit farther out to act as a Barrier/Interdiction force to prevent any reinforcements from getting to Cabanatuan if things got ugly.

It was P-61s from either the 419 NFS or the 550 NFS of the 13th "Jungle" Air Force. My father was with XIII Fighter Command at this time. I mainly believe it was the 419th. I am an associate member of that group and have several friends that flew the P-61 with the 13th Air Force.

=GG=

 

[TheValk]

Thanks a lot- these are all great to see.

 

[jbmilart]

Hey Guys! If you want to see some really super scale models...made in aluminum...all hand made, using no electrical tools... check out www.rojasbazan.com and see for yourselves! This guy is unreal!
Jim

 

[mrbieler]

Some beautiful work. Thank you for sharing.

I haven't built in a long long time. Some of the stuff I made in the early 1990's should still be in the san diego aerospace museum, but those were made 20 years ago. Kinda curious if they're still in the display cases. We did a fair number of models for pilots departing for floats out of Miramar. They used them as references when they knew they'd be flying against foreign made aircraft and wanted visual cues. Mostly 1/72 scale we'd mount on dowels for them.

 

[jbmilart]

[video=youtube;yWifPWDJ6o8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWifPWDJ6o8[/video]

Check out this video.
Jim

 

[Diamondback]

Sometime I'll have to post pics of my collection of WWII Wings of War gaming miniatures... granted, it's incomplete and I need to accurize the German tail-markings, but they ain't bad for 1/200.

Also, Wizards of the Coast is going to release a new line of 1/100 miniatures around October.

 

[obxgyrene]

Hey Guys! If you want to see some really super scale models...made in aluminum...all hand made, using no electrical tools... check out www.rojasbazan.com and see for yourselves! This guy is unreal!
Jim

Unreal is an understatement. I'm not sure what word could possible apply to his modeling. He has certainly taken it to a new level. I spent over two hours looking over his work. If anyone is interested, look at his "walkaround" section and I'm sure you will understand his level of detail and expertise.

Thanks for sharing this link.

 

[jbmilart]

Guillermo has photos of his plastic models as well...look under "model lists"... he could start his own air force!

Jim