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Hasegawa 1/72 Brewster F2A-3 and B339C


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Thanks Simon :)

 

I got the Alclad black primer applied, but clearly was not sufficiently attentive to my work as I got some 'gritty' patches where overspray had partially dried before hitting the plastic; I had to give the models a scrubbing down with an old toothbrush but it was worth it as I think I got rid of the worst effects. I also sprayed the wheels tyre-black (I actually used RLM66) ready to apply the Eduard masks for the wheel-hubs:

 

DSCN5901.jpg

 

I don't know what the heck I was thinking of, glueing the undercarriage when I did... it is going to make painting the undersides a bit of a chore. That's my next job anyway, hopefully I can get a bit more done tonight.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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Nice recovery Stew, they're certainly looking smooth now.

How do those hub masks work then? Don't they cover the painted hubs while you do the tyres?

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Thanks Ced - I always thought the Eduard wheel masks were to cover the hubcaps while you paint the tyres too, but the instructions indicate to use the mask's outer 'ring' to surround the hubcap for spraying after the tyre has been painted - however in practice this turned out to be well in excess of the permitted faff-factor tolerances so I just sprayed the hubcaps without the mask - the wheel-rims are well-defined so painting the tyres again will be easy enough.

 

Thanks Adrian - black is so slimming, as my ex used to say, it makes even the Buffaloes look a little less tubby :D Yes, you are right, more paint was applied, this time the Colourcoats ACUS05 WW2 USN Light Gray:

 

DSCN5904.jpg

 

Not sure if I've underdone the coverage, the colour variation looks a little more pronounced in real life, but I'll wait to see it in proper daylight, or whatever equivalent Dundee offers today :)

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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29 minutes ago, Stew Dapple said:

Thanks Ced - I always thought the Eduard wheel masks were to cover the hubcaps while you paint the tyres too, but the instructions indicate to use the mask's outer 'ring' to surround the hubcap for spraying after the tyre has been painted

 

I too have always thought the masks were meant to cover the hubcaps, and I'm paying Eduard the courtesy of refusing to believe the evidence they present me of their own stupidity, and opting to continue to believe as I always have.

 

The underbelly is looking jolly nice, and you're right: it does look slimmer.

 

 

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Thanks Stew and PC - noted! Not that I bother, usually, with masks on the wheels as most of mine get hidden in the wings!

Nice paint job Stew, looks very good in that photo :) 

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That grey looks very nice from here stew, I need to build more black aircraft (or just one I just checked and the closest I have is very dark blue! I may have a plan to address this :) ) they just look cool!

 

Rob

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Thanks very much gents. Last night I sprayed the underside of the B339C with Alclad Semi-matt Aluminium:

 

DSCN5907.jpg

 

It's still a bit shinier than anticipated but I will most likely matt coat it after applying the transfers anyway. Incidentally I have used the blanking plate for the underside window as... a blanking plate, to stop the paint getting into the cockpit and the inside of the canopy. The real aircraft had the little ventral windows shown here and this will be fitted after varnishing.

 

I'm on a late shift today so won't be able to do any more today, but the next step will be the uppersurface camouflage colour on the F2A-3...

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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Stellar paint work as always Stew. I'm a fan of Alcald Semi-matte Aluminum. I learned that it's a little less shiny if sprayed over a matt grey primer layer - of course I forgot that tidbit with my latest build and sprayed it over black primer! It also can be a bit duller if you spray it in very light slapdash layers, but I think you may be genetically incapable of sloppy work Stew, so that option's out.

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On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 3:50 PM, Sgt.Squarehead said:

Those are the very Buffaloes I'd like to model.....Does the old Airfix kit even have the right bits?  :hmmm:

 

For some reason I have a soft-spot for the Airfix Boomerang too.....But that's another (rivetting) story.  ;)

 

The Airfix Buffalo is nominally an F2A-2/B339B/C/D/E and so can be used for the Dutch and RAF airframes.  It can't be used for the F2A-3 because it doesn't have the longer nose required for that variant.  Bear in mind the Airfix kit is very old and not particularly accurate and the fit is so-so.  The nose shape, in particular, lacks the subtle curves of the original but it can be improved a little with some hefty filing.  There are other detail issues but if you're happy building it as-is, then those probably won't be high up the priority list.

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Thanks again gentlemen :)

 

Jim Maas was kind enough to let me know that the F2A-3 used by the U.S. Marines was fitted with a pneumatic tailwheel before the Midway battle - here is the kit's representation of the small, solid rubber wheel:

 

DSCN5908.jpg

 

There is an illustration of the replacement tailwheel on page 46 of the Squadron 'In Action' book for the F2A. I sawed the original wheel off and replaced it with a larger diameter wheel from the spares box:

 

DSCN5910.jpg

 

You may notice that from the second picture I have applied the ACUS06 WW2 USN Blue Gray - here it is:

 

DSCN5911.jpg

 

Unfortunately I did not notice when I was applying the Eduard canopy masks that they are incorrect as far as the sliding centre section of the canopy is concerned, as for the F2A-3 had a different type which had perspex join lines rather than painted frames... I've ordered a Squadron vac-form canopy so I can try to replace the centre section with the part from that, I'll have to see how it turns out; otherwise my only other option is to live with it, which I can do if I must.

 

After that I applied the two greens for the RNEIAF Buffalo camouflage:

 

DSCN5913.jpg

 

I think it might be time to apply the transfers soon...

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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Nice job on the tailwheel Stew - great attention to detail that always shows in your modelling, especially the paint finishes. Great stuff.

If the new canopy doesn't suit could you (carefully) get the paint off the other one?

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Both look superb Stew. Really very nice paintwork. The two greens on the Dutch aircraft provide for an attractive colour scheme :).

 

Best regards

TonyT

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Thanks very much gents, the paintwork is actually still a little gritty in places thanks to my inattention with the Alclad primer, but I'm hoping once the transfers are applied the varnish coat will cover the last traces of my shame...

 

21 hours ago, CedB said:

...If the new canopy doesn't suit could you (carefully) get the paint off the other one?

 

Thanks Ced - that will be my first port of call, but I need a back-up in case I make a mess of it - if the vac canopy doesn't fit well I can always pose it open :) 

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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Stew they are really coming along, the paint looks excellent especially the blue on the American on... gotta love a blue plane! 

 

The 'duchalo' looks excellent and rather FAA ish at the mo, however I feel that will change once the giant orange triangles are in place!

 

Rob

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