Ghostbase

This is the Roden 1/144th scale Douglas C-133A Cargomaster which was nicknamed the 'Oscar Mayer Weenie Wagon' due to its resemblance to a fleet of motor vehicles shaped like a hot dog on a bun, called "Wienermobile", which were used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. The C-133A was at one point the largest strategic airlifter operated by the USAF and was powered by 4 × Pratt & Whitney T34-P-9W turboprop engines, 7,500 hp (5,600 kW) each with water injection. Of the 50 built 10 were destroyed in accidents and it was retired in 1971 with the introduction of the C-5A Galaxy. A fascinating aircraft, I never saw one in service however I have seen several in museums and when Roden released this kit I had to buy one! x20221002_172531 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit was built OOB with the kit decals replaced by a set from Caracal Models. I am a 1/48th scale modeller by heart and this is my first serious 1/144th scale build and I found it quite difficult at times being used to a much larger scale. The kit isn't complex and the plastic is quite robust so the construction of the major parts was relatively easy. I decided to build the wings separately with the engines and add them at a late stage. This made it much easier to apply the particular colour scheme which I had chosen. x20221002_172159 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Painting was a mixture of types. The aluminium on the fuselage and wings was Halfords Aluminium from a spray can, this went on well and I thought it suited this scale. The 'white top' was also a Halfords automotive spray can, this time Appliance White. The orange bands were Vallejo Orange Red applied by air brush and brushed with Klear, the dark aluminium wing walks were Lifecolor UA794 acrylics, also airbrushed. Matt black and other detail colours were Vallejo acrylics. I did a lot of masking for this model and generally it went well. x20221002_172443 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The kit decals are quite poor so I bought the Caracal Models CD144021 C-133 Cargomaster decal set which gives 12 marking options for C-133A and C-133B models in a variety of colour schemes. Of course I decided to go for a 'white top' with orange bands, being C-133A sn 54-0140 which was named "Spirit of Santa Monica Schools" (sadly this aircraft, then operated by the 1st ATS, 1607th ATW crashed Jan 11, 1965 at Wake Island during takeoff about 3 mi from the end of runway. All six onboard were killed). As always, the Caracal decals are well-researched and of very high quality and I recommend them highly. x20221002_172413 by Ghostbase, on Flickr However, I did have quite a few problems which sadly do show in these photos. The first is that not all the parts go together well. These include the rear fuselage and tail assembly and there is quite a pronounced and visible gap. I had the same problem with the wings however I spray painted some Tamiya masking tape and that hid the worst of the gap. Also, this model is a tail sitter! The worst issue that I had was the main undercarriage which the instructions say should be completely assembled and attached, then the sponsons should fit over them. Well, they don't! I had to break and detach two undercarriage assemblies, drastically trim them, then place them back inside the sponsons. Fortunately the wheels are barely visible once the u/c doors are attached. x20221002_172257 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The other problem lay with the markings. I chose the 'white top' version however I didn't make a template of the decals which contain quite complex curves especially around the rear fuselage. I 'guestimated' my masking and this caused problems when I applied the black line decals because I didn't get it quite right. This can be clearly seen in the photos above. Oh, and I applied the wrong windshield decal! The black lines should not go over the orange bands either. x20221002_172332 by Ghostbase, on Flickr So would I build this kit again? Absolutely yes! It was a challenge, I learned a lot, and despite all my mistakes she looks like that big old sixties era Cargomaster. I do have a Roden 1/144 C-141B Starlifter in the stash and it seems to be calling my name... Michael

Thanks Andre, I didn't know that although I was planning to add the 'coke bottle' tanks instead of the sidewinders. The kit actually comes with 4 x AGM-12B Bullpup missiles, 2 x 1000lb bombs, 2 x 750lb bombs, and 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinders. I was planning to load it with the 1000lb and 750lb bombs; would that be correct for an early F-5B most likely operated by the 4441st Combat Crew Training Squadron out of Williams Air Force Base in Arizona in the mid to late sixties? Thanks. Michael

It would have been a perfect subject for one of the Blitzbuild GBs here 😊 Michael

Spent some more time with this build today. I have joined the fuselage halves, added the wings, tail fin, and the jet air intakes - a total of nine parts - and to my surprise the parts have fitted quite well. Some filler might be required but overall am happy so far. 20220916_214735 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220916_214750 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220916_214852 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The detailing is quite heavy but crisp, virtually no flash, and the plastic is that smooth shiny grey colour which we fondly remember from the sixties and seventies! Michael PS: I am currently wrestling with the Revell 1/48 Panavia Tornado IDS, this kit is pure relaxation compared to that!

Made a start today in the cockpit area, which consists of two ejection seats, four consoles - and that's it! No tub. The seats are awful with the part numbers printed on the seat back, beneath which is an ejection pin mark. I think I might be cutting out some plastic card blanks to cover them up. The kit instructions said to paint the cockpit green however I looked on a couple of photo walk-rounds and I have used FS36231 Dark Gull Grey which I think is more correct. 20220914_135719 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Next step is to put the parts in and close the fuselage halves together. Michael.

Still a month to go for this GB which I have wanted to join from the start, my entry is the 1967 issue of Fujimi's 1/50th scale Northrop F-5B. I will be finishing it as a shiny new silver fighter bomber operated by the USAF. It is a pretty basic kit and I am hoping for it to be a quick build. On to the pictures: 20220913_120201 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Box contents: 20220913_120240 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Sprues: 20220913_120558 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I was going to say that this should be a nostalgic build however I was only 9 years old when this kit was released 😉 Michael

ESCI 1/48th Lockheed F-104C Starfighter '56-0889' marked as an example aircraft operated by 436th TFS / 2nd Air Division Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, 1965. 20220827_155338 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220827_155413 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220827_155309 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220827_155516 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220827_155606 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

Calling her done today 🙂 Have painted and decaled two AIM-9B Sidewinders and launch rails and attached to the wingtips; have added the red turbine warning line as well as a few no step markings. 20220827_121423 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220827_155606 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Turned out OK in the end. Better still, I have actually completed a GB entry before the deadline! And I enjoyed myself and I have got my mojo back. What's not to like? Thank you Paul and Craig for your stewardship which is greatly appreciated 👍 Michael

So close now... 20220730_161728 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Just awaiting a pair of AIM-9B Sidewinders on wingtip rail / launchers, both have been painted but awaiting decals, also... ...red turbine warning stripe on the rear fuselage and air brakes. Then that's it 😎 Sadly another 10 day gap before I can return to my man cave. Michael

Back in the 'mancave' for a couple of days, have started putting the sub-assemblies together. Cockpit: ejection seat installed, joystick, instrument coaming, canopy cemented closed (the only option) 👍 Undercarriage: wheels attached, all gear doors cemented on. Exterior: refuelling probe attached, gun bay access door attached. 'Tail' section: horizontal stabiliser attached, jet exhaust inserted into rear fuselage (not in this photo). 20220729_214743 by Ghostbase, on Flickr See how tomorrow goes... Michael

Thanks 😎 I do have a 1/48 Hobby Boss F-14A in the stash and that would make a good autumn project, in light gull grey over white, with a full load of AIM-54 / AIM-7 / AIM-9 missiles. Maybe one from the 'Final Countdown' film. 😊 Michael.

My finally completed build of the Hobby Boss 1/48th scale Grumman F-14B Tomcat marked as BuNo 163225 as 'AB-102' operated by VF-102 'Diamondbacks' in Operation Enduring Freedom between October 2001 and March 2002. The loadout is 2 x GBU-12, 2 x Mk83, 1 x AIM-7, 2 x AIM-9 and the AN/AAQ-25 LANTIRN target pod. Decals by Fightertown Decals. Paints Vallejo Air War acrylic color series. Easily the most complex kit that I have ever made, I started it in autumn 2019. Still needs a coat of satin varnish maybe some weathering but, yes, done! 20220728_165235 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I decided to build her with the M61A1 20 mm 'Gatling Gun' bays open which adds more complexity to an already complex model (to me anyway). 20220728_165128 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This angle shows how wide the wings are when fully extended and I decided to build her with dropped slats and flaps too. 20220728_165012 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The reason this build has taken so long (apart from two lockdowns, three holidays, catching Covid and severe mojo-loss) is because I failed to plan the build. I really rushed into it with lots of enthusiasm and built far too much without really thinking about painting and weathering. Effectively I stitched myself up! So it has spent a lot of time on the shelf-of-shame while I wondered how to put it right. 20220728_165102 by Ghostbase, on Flickr A rear view showing the 'turkey feathers' of the General Electric F110-GE-400 turbofans. The TR code on the inside of the vertical fin is for the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. 20220728_165252 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This is probably the most detailed cockpit that I have ever put together. I still forgot to paint the backs of the ejection seats! 20220728_165433 by Ghostbase, on Flickr This top view shows the size of the mighty Tomcat, a significant proportion of the lift is provided by the 'pancake' body shape. 20220728_165523 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The Tomcat in 1/48th scale is an impressive sized kit! I think I need to start another of these as a winter project and build upon the learning I have had from this project. Michael Edit: I forgot to add the 'slime lights'!!

I like the Eagle in early colour schemes. This is the Monogram 1/48th F-15A in Air Superiority Blue. 20200819_141334 by Ghostbase, on Flickr And the ancient Revell 1/48th F-15A as one of the full scale development Eagles. 20201018_125406 (2) by Ghostbase, on Flickr

The 1982 kit was issued under 'The History Makers' label, have always wanted to build that one so will be watching yours with interest 👍 Michael

A most productive day today. I always leave masking canopies to a late stage in a build however with some time and patience the one-piece ESCI canopy is relatively straightforward to mask. I can understand why pre-cut masks are so popular! 20220714_134546 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Today's painting was matt black and olive drab acrylics. I have added the majority of the decals to the F-104C and, as Dansk says, the Zipper does look very cool indeed. All these decals are from either the original kit or from the spares box; I am keeping the Caracal decals for a more modern kit in the future. All I really have left to do is assemble all the parts visible here:- 20220714_161456 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Still outstanding, a pair of wingtip mounted AIM-9B missiles on launchers. The missiles will be sourced from the Hasegawa 'Aircraft Weapons C' series. Sadly, there might be a gap of a few weeks now before I can complete this build. It has certainly been rewarding to this point and thanks for the support. Michael

Thank you 😎 I started applying the decals in a very 'gung ho' manner and was quickly reminded to slow down and take my time! Michael

Today's update, have done some remedial work on the nose cone and the jet air intake joins. I had applied ADC Grey too far back on the nose cone so I have had to re-mask this area and respray with aluminium. I was not happy with the joins on the jet air intake parts and I have made a second application of Perfect Putty and carefully sanded it down. Its still isn't perfect but it looks a lot better! 20220713_191655 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Bit of a low mojo day today so decided to start adding some of the main decals. I am trying not to use the Caracal decals on this basic old kit, rather do a mix-and-match with the original decal sheet and some that I have in the spares box. I found some USAF titles and Stars-and-Bars in an old Experts-Choice F-4C Michigan ANG set, these appeared to be very close to the correct size so I popped them into tepid water and this was the result:- 20220713_194308 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220713_194729 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I had forgotten how fine and delicate these decals are and the care that is needed to apply them! Still, I persisted and managed to apply a few today. This is the end of the day result:- 20220713_215236 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Slowly getting there 💘 Michael

Oh yes! 👍 The 479th TFW at George AFB in 1959, the most colourful Starfighters ever in USAF service 😎 (Probably) Michael

Thanks, serve me right for purchasing cheap primer! This gave me two choices: use some of my precious Fairy Power Spray and strip off all the paint and primer and start again, or, continue as planned and be more careful with masking using de-tacked tape. I went for the second option then realised I didn't know how to "de-tack" tape 😉 In the end I cut several lengths of tape and stuck them on to my cutting mat then pulled them off, repeat several times so they became more pre-used. I also applied the masking tape more lightly than before and when I removed it made sure that the tape was very slowly pulled back at as near 180 degrees as possible. It worked! I masked the rear fuselage and airbrushed Lifecolor UA793 White Aluminium and this was the result:- 20220711_152152 by Ghostbase, on Flickr I am happy with the result and the degrees of contrast between the ADC Grey on the tail fin and the two metallic acrylic paints on the fuselage. I did think about applying a coat of varnish over the metallic paint however in my experience this changes the lustre of the metallc area so I decided not to do that. The next step was to airbrush the forward fuselage in silver. I applied masking tape as outlined above and this was the view prior to applying the paint. 20220711_152102 by Ghostbase, on Flickr Well, I bottled it! I was going to airbrush Lifecolor UA792 Polished Aluminium and I had the kitchen all set up for action but at the last moment I decided to apply Halfords Aluminium spray paint out of a 'rattlecan'. The result was as follows:- 20220711_160808 by Ghostbase, on Flickr The masking advice really helped, I have just a couple of small areas where the ADC Grey has lifted off but they can be easily remedied using a brush. No biggie. The Halfords Appliance White on the wing upper surfaces did not lift anywhere. I am very pleased with how the Halfords Aluminium paint has taken to the Starfighter and she is going to look like a very sleek silver bird when finished. Critique? The joins between the jet air intakes and the mid fuselage are quite poor, I think I should have made a second application of Perfect Putty. ☹️ Am happy with the progress made so far, one more photo showing the underside. Michael. 20220711_160912 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

I would really like to take part in this GB and I am thinking of exhuming this oldie from the stash. 20220710_212516 by Ghostbase, on Flickr It was in the sale section of a Local Hobby Store in the USA many years ago when the US Dollar was at around 1.8 to the British Pound - happy days! I think this is referred to as a 'mixed media' kit in that many of the parts are cast in resin. My limited experience with resin to date has not been happy however it would be good to try again and I do like the hi-vis decal option that comes with this kit (there are other options too). Not going to commit yet, there are too many group builds that appeal to me at the moment, but this Classic Airframes F-5B kit feels like it would be worth a try. Michael

"There may be trouble ahead But while there's moonlight And music, and love, and romance Let's face the music and dance." Which might be a realistic solution to a small problem which has cropped up! I decided to mask the rear fuselage and tail fin in order to apply Lifecolor UA794 Dark Aluminium with my airbrush. The acrylic paint went on well however when I peeled the masking tape off it also pulled off the primer leaving patches of the original shiny plastic. I am going to airbrush UA793 White Aluminium next, masking the areas that I have painted today and hope that the masking tape does not remove today's paint. Fingers crossed! I have never had this problem before and there could be two explanations: 1) I didn't wash the kit pieces in soapy water first. 2) I used a cheap primer which didn't seem to go on too well. TBH I think it is the primer. I normally use Halfords automotive Grey Primer and have never had a problem with it. Oh well, back to Irving Berlin... Michael 20220708_175412 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

Thanks. In fact the ADC grey was airbrushed, the appliance white was from an aerosol can. I wish I could manually brush to that standard! The white upper wings are interesting. I always thought that the Starfighter had gloss white upper wings and the instructions that I have for the Hasegawa TF-104G quote FS17875. However the Caracal instructions quote FS37875 which is flat white. The original ESCI instructions just say to paint everything silver 😊 Michael

Back at the mancave and resumed this build today. Good progress, have sanded down all the joins and where I applied filler and am reasonably happy with the results. Then air brushed Hataka Blue Line Air Defence Grey and that went on very well indeed - underside of the wings, nose cone, tail fin and jet air intakes. This was mixed as 12 drops acrylic paint, 1 of medium retarder, 1 of flow improver and 9 of acrylic thinner. Then Halfords Appliance Gloss White on the top surface of the wings. I have sorted most of the kit parts into two trays, those to be used and those which are not needed. I am intending to build her with AIM-9B Sidewinders mounted on wingtip launchers and external fuel tanks under the wings IF I can find any! Michael 🙂 20220706_162510 by Ghostbase, on Flickr 20220706_165159 by Ghostbase, on Flickr

How did I miss this proposal? 😖 There are a few 1/48th Kitty Hawk kits in the stash and this GB would be perfect to motivate me to try to assemble one 👍 Michael

Now you mention it Jens... 😇 I was thinking more of the choice of subjects. The original 1/48th ESCI F-104G kit of the late 70's did have a similar set of choices though it was prehistoric compared to this one. I wanted to build a Starfighter in SEA camouflage but chose the Belgian version. Michael