VT Red Sox Fan

Fascinating subjects, great research & amazing builds—really enjoying this—best, Erwin

Johnny, really like the custard Moth, but boy, the cammo aircraft demos incredible work so I am big fan of both—your pre-shading is amazing! Best, Erwin

Bill, just catching up—this is moving along really well—hats off to you going back to school—your correcting fluid technique is solid, I used it on my 1/72 Trumpter F-105 after following your build—it has stayed in place for the long haul. Loved the part on the boots and look forward to how this build unfolds—best, Erwin

Rob, really great work and research—this really is impressive—best, Erwin

Great build—the P-61 is one of my favorites! I think your photo etch investment is really wise and will pay off with all the glass—you also sorted the nose issue nicely—following with interest—best, Erwin

Impressive—best, Erwin

G, great work--I agree with Johnny @The Spadgent on the tape trick--that looks super useful--best, Erwin

I agree, that interior is coming along very well--best, Erwin

Catching up late with this build==amazing work and with a move--jaw dropping on so many levels--best, Erwin

Hello everyone--based on the prodding above, I went ahead and re-did the flat coat. I continued to use Mission Models flat as I did not want to jeopardize the Mission Models IJN D1 worn salt topcoat. My experience this time yielded better results spraying the flat coat 1) without thinning, keeping the distance about an arms length away & spraying at about 18 PSI (for reference I had originally thinned per Missions instructions, sprayed at about 12 -15 PSI & was about 4 to 6 inches away from the aircraft). My new technique resulted in a dusting of the flat and I was able to control the dull build up pretty well. As I practiced it occurred to me that it is probably best the dulling occurs slowly so you can create the effect you are looking for. Also, I found applying the flat coat was more like dusting than painting--not sure if others mileage is the same, but that is what I learned this go. Once my trials were over I went on to mask the clear parts/engine/metallics to start the re-dulling the B5N2's finish. I initially removed the cowling and sprayed that separately as I wanted this to be a semi-gloss vice the gloss G @giemme pointed out earlier. I did this because my understanding is that the cowlings of Sakae engine equipped airplanes tended to have cowlings glossier than the rest of the the airplane due to the mechanics of the engine. I believe the Hiryu B5N2 below backs up this theory (granted it is a Pearl Harbor raid picture). I also liked how the dull coat worked with some of the chipping around the radiator and I believe it bought attention to to the aircraft's data plate (as an aside, my research revealed 3 lines of thinking on the manufacture's data plate--1) masked so it creates an ameiro rectangle (some Pearl Harbor wreck bear this theory out, 2 Over painted--supported by Pearl Harbor wrecks as well and finally 3) The manufactures tail data plate re-applied over the unit level painted IJN D1 (both Air Fix and Hasegawa support this theory, but I could not find a photo--in the end I went with option 1. Additionally, since Nick Millman's research on Nakajima built A6M2s indicated the ameiro color maintained much of its luster on early war aircraft, I decided to shoot for a semigloss look on this factory applied finish while the IJN D1 green would have a flat, chipped and worn look given that this was applied at the unit level. Finally, I touched up some of the weathering pigments/fuel stains as I was not going for a "blended" look on these wear points. I also took advantage of sunlight and photographed the B5N2 under more natural lighting--I think I will need to follow some of Johnny's @The Spadgent (& @giemme's) advice and spend some more time on my photo set up. I really do think G had it correct on the earlier call--the further reduction of gloss has really improved the overall look of the model. I think my next learning curve with the Mission Model clears is is how to spray them in finer detail. I also want to get experiment with their semi-gloss. I think once I get the hang of Mission's clears they will work out well for me in my local conditions. I was also happy to see the canopy swaps still work. Hope you all like finish line 2 & asn always thoughts on how I can improve are always welcome even if it means creating a finish line 3 . Best, Erwin

Marco @Marco1965—thank you for the kind compliment and help during this build. Updated picture are soon to come now that I have a better understanding of Mission’s flat clear—best, Erwin

Thanks @giemme, @Jackson Duvalier & @mark.au--with everyone's advice, how can I leave well enough alone So, I am going to pull out plastic scrap and work on getting duller--but not with my humor. I think if I get this right, then the Kate will be one of my better projects--given the amount of research and the unique scheme, it is well worth the effort. I will call it a run batted in once I circle back across the finish line--thanks all for your inputs and thoughts on how to improve--the help is always impressive on this message board--best to all, Erwin

I will join a long--while these oldies require effort it is still possible to pull of amazing gems with them--this is shaping up to be a great build--cheers, Erwin

G, really appreciate you stepping through this--cross kitting castings seems like a smart way to go if you know where the issues are. I also have the Revell F-4F, so your answers to Terry's questions are much appreciated--with all the Phantoms out there, it can be sometimes be daunting to just build one--best, Erwin

G @giemme, thank you so much for the info above--I really appreciate the W&N info--will have to give that a whirl. I used use the Testors Dull Coat--out of the can, I would sometimes get frosting, but the bottle stuff cut with lacquer thinner never let me down out of an airbrush on enamels. Now that I am using more acrylics, I am in the hunt for a new system so your perspective and others is much appreciated--thanks for your help in getting me this far--best, Erwin

Thanks @billn53, @mark.au, & @giemme--your compliments mean a lot. G, thank you for your gentle thought on the glossy finish--the good news is the Kate does not look as glossy under normal light and I was trying to get the cowling glossy as this was part of how Kates were painted (for 1/72 semi-gloss is what is what I was shooting for). That said, you have a valid point as the finish is not as dull as I would have hoped, but I dont want to destroy the topcoat decals at this point. I think there are 3 things going on: 1) I am probably not photographing the models well (least impact) 2) I getting good at shooting gloss coats for decaling, but I am struggling spraying flats (most impact) & 3) I am having issues with the Mission Models clears--they seem to spray glossier and peel a bit for me--its probably me, but I find them a bit more temperamental than the paints. With that, would you have any advice on spraying glosses and flats for my next build? Maybe I need to adjust pressure, maybe I need to think more about the distance of the airbrush to the model (different for flats vs gloss clears)--thanks for your thoughts--I really appreciate you pointing this issue out & thanks for pushing me to be better--best, Erwin

The glacial build is coming to an end--one thing about any kind of bomber or torpedo bomber is there is a lot going on at the end. This segment will focus on the Type 91 torpedo which will arm my Kate. After much contemplation, I came to the conclusion that Kates armed with the torpedo had the plywood fins installed which disintegrated on impact in the water to assist in guiding the weapon to its target. I based this conclusion both on photos of the Kates, but also Jill's as I sought for photos beyond Pearl Harbor raiders. Not sure if this conclusion is correct, but as Johnny @The Spadgent might point out, sometimes you got to go with what you have and wait for the subject matter experts to tell you otherwise for your next try. Wikipedia actually has a great rundown on the Type 91, so I will link it here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_91_torpedo Also, though not a primary source I noted the Japanese-aviation forum pictured the disintegrating fins as well, so I decided to go against Airfix's instructions and use the disintegrating, larger fins. https://japanese-aviation.forumotion.com/t17-45-midway-islands-battle-june-4-1942 First, I attached Eduard's front photo etch fins. Then the Type 91 torpedo was painted in Alclad and given a black nose. Once done, I used AK's engine oil to replicate the oily surface talked about in some of my research. Finally, I attached the straps to the weapon before attaching to the B5N2. Again, it would be interesting to learn more from the Japanese aviation experts I know are lurking about--once painted the torpedo went on with no problems. I used Krystal Klear and Tamiya clear colors for the navigation lights before attaching the weapon. Based off of Nakijima built Zeros, & grainy early Kate photos from pearl Harbor I decided that I would cover the entire transparency instead of the bulb with a clear transparency. I also lightly weathered around the fuel tank ports with AK's kerosene. Finally, I attached the Type 91 torpedo and the tail hook w/Eduard photo etch (painted according to Nick Millman's A6M2 Nakajima reference with aotake/black)--and this Kate is done! What can I say--Airfix did an amazing job--the kit goes together very well and I think the details are reasonable. It would be nice to know where Airfix got their research info--for example, I am not convinced the large cylinders are accurate for an early way Kate since later in the war this may have been associated with electronic equipment. That said, it could very well be compressed air to operate on board systems like on the much smaller Zero. Airfix's clear parts are amazing--crystal clear and they fit very well--you will notice that I can switch out the canopies--everything stays in place with very little tackiness required to settle the parts down. One thing I really enjoyed about this build were Mission Models paints--accurate colors but they are a little different than other blends--bottom line is I had trouble thinning more than 60% paint/40% thinner ( the paint would not provide smooth coat)--that said, I found I had more of a filter than a coat of paint at about 70% paint/30% thinner. When thinning this much, their poly is a must, although I imagine any product which increases drying time will make a big difference. Also, I really enjoyed working with ColorCoats--best enamel I have ever used. Well, I would like to thank everyone who helped me on this journey--I now feel like I learned a lot about early WW2 USN and IJN aviation. A project like this with the amount of questions I ask really requires me to reach out and say a few thank yous to folks who made time to make these builds a fun learning experience for me--@expositor, @zegeye, @dov, @Blimpyboy, @fishplanebeer, @Greenshirt, @Marco1965, @Denford, @Jackson Duvalier, @dogsbody, @alt-92, @mark.au, @ModelingEdmontonian, @RidgeRunner, @GlueDad and at @opus999 for the info on marbling and stencils--they really helped me work at attempting a well worn and maintained but deteriorating IJN D1 green coat. In particular for the Kate, I really appreciate everyone's help--this was my first serious attempt at a Japanese aircraft upon returning to the hobby and all the insights at least made me feel my interpretations were based on logic. Works by Nick Millman and Robert Mikesh provided much needed references as well--I would highly recommend these authors to anyone wanting to build a WW2 IJN/IJA aircraft. Also, I apologize if I missed anyone--I am really grateful for everyones input and thoughts on how I can get better. Now it is on to my next build--it will be a 3 some 1/72 build--Academy's F6F and Eduard's F6F-3 and F6F-5 to round out my Grumman plastic Iron works--but before then, I hear Johnny @The Spadgent, Bill @billn53 and G @giemme telling me to finally get the Ready for Inspection blog ready best to all, Erwin

Opuss, Incredible NMF—thanks for posting your journey here—best, Erwin

Opuss—that is an amazing NMF! When you say your aircraft Aluminum, do mean Alclad or another brand? ( sorry if I missed the obvious). I really appreciate your F-86 walk through—I am still holding off on my Academy F-86 as I am not sure if the nice Cartograph decals work for the kit—anyway, I appreciate you sharing the info—great work so far! Best, Erwin

Wow—lots of awesome work to catch up on—will be using this when I attempt my Fine Molds F-4E! Yes, G, I broke down and bought one because of this build. I really like what you did with panels under the engine—also really appreciate the info via @Gene K regarding the fuselage engine connections on short burners vs long burners—best, Erwin

Great subject—dig the mass production prop photos. I really like how you created the ghost marking—a very unique and I think I will try to replicate it some time—bravo—best, Erwin

Johnny, Incredible Hind build—really liked how you sorted out the rocket podsNo, seriously, I really like how they came out—the various wires really are eye catching. Really like what you did with the AK grime stuff—it was great see how not using white spirit works with AK’s washes—looks the biz. Of course, I still dig the rotors—it’s hard to pick likes in such a spectacular overall build—best, Erwin

G, just adding to the chorus of congratulations on your incredible work—I particularly like how the tail cone area is coming along—stunning! Best, Erwin

Bill, joining up—I don’t have this kit, so really looking forward to how you sort it out given your track record of stunning builds—best, Erwin

Johnny, great work—looking forward to how you sort out the rocket pods—that said, I really like the rotors—any further plans for those? Best, Erwin