Chaotic Mike Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends... Here we have Trumpeter's 1/32 SBD-3 Dauntless, which has been keeping me very happy for the past 3 months. I have noticed a whole bunch of Trumpeter bashing going on relating to their prospective new Venom; all I can say is that this Dauntless, and the Me-262 that brought me back to the hobby, have been joys to build. I used Montex masks for the first time, and was really happy with how they turned out... much more than I was with a set of Yellow Wings decals, which were basically the wrong size, and too fragile to work with. In the end, just a few stencils got used - for the major markings (aircraft identification) I cut my own masks out of Tamiya tape after scanning in the YW codes to get the basic size and shape right. I had a bit of a mare with the paint job, which actually turned out good. I mixed up my own upper surface blue using Tamiya acrylics, sprayed it, Klear-ed it, decalled it, and sprayed Tamiya flat base on that I thought was a matt varnish. Nope. Instead, as the flat base dried it turned opaque and a very pale grey. Unsurprisingly, this caused a certain amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth on my part. I discovered (panicking) that if I polished it using damp denim, I was able to remove most of the flat base, leaving highlights in the rivet holes and a general air of fading and dilapidation, such as might be experienced by a plane parked in the heat of the sun on a carrier somewhere in the Pacific. Lets get started... A general view, showing the accidental fading and rivet highlighting. The 'B-10' is from a hand cut mask; the main insignia are Montex. First time for me, I think they are tremendous. Cor, look at the bright red flaps on that... (I'll get me coat...) A close up of the engine. Because it came with transparent cowlings, I thought I would artistically leave part of one side clear, to show off some internals that otherwise would be lost for all time. Front view. I put in the ignition harness using the wire from a wine bottle... see, everything can be re-purposed. I also used somebody's advice to anneal the wire first, which made bending it to shape an awful lot easier. Close up of the driving seat. You can't really see what's going on in there, but Trumpeter's moulding and detailing is beautiful, and looked a lot like the pictures I was using for references. A close up of the gunner's position. I replaced the gun barrels with brass... certainly look the part. Just showing it's got an underside, too! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitfire Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Fantastic job of weathering, even if it was accidental, a new technique that you can use again. Cheers Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HL-10 Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 That's a very nice looking Dauntless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajaycad Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 (edited) Looking good, this ones now on my wish list. I reckon you've got the weathering spot on - sun and salt air = faded paintwork ! I'm not a fan of transparent panels, but your work looks classy and well finished - well done indeed. Edited January 13, 2013 by ajaycad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 An awesome build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunnylurve Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Looks really good to me. Serendipity surely is the mother of all great discoveries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeyedears Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 i wish my cockups came out so well. thats really effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brody Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Well done on your dauntless it's very impressive. Brody Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted January 14, 2013 Author Share Posted January 14, 2013 Thanks everybody. Next up is the Trumpeter 1/32 Crusader, plus an Aires cockpit. New territory... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Mike, What a MAGNIFICENT looking Dauntless. Just SUPERBLY finished... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahunaminor Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Noice...real noice. The accident has paid dividends. Well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacificmustang Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I think you may have just stumbled on a new weathering technique!! The dauntless is one of trumpeters better kits. You have filled me with confidence re the montex masks. I have several sets to use and am impressed with your results on your first go at using them Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Nicely done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted January 15, 2013 Author Share Posted January 15, 2013 I think you may have just stumbled on a new weathering technique!! The dauntless is one of trumpeters better kits. You have filled me with confidence re the montex masks. I have several sets to use and am impressed with your results on your first go at using them Bruce Thanks! I think if you follow the instructions on Montex' web site (like I didn't...) you won't go far wrong. I didn't do the bit about white, then aircraft colour, then the dark blue for the star, which led to a tiny white border around the insignia. To be fair to Montex, they are quite explicit that this effect can be avoided by following their instructions! Nicely done Thanks again... Inspiration from your build of a couple of years back. I did the gunner's control column modification, just like you...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ossian Posted January 16, 2013 Share Posted January 16, 2013 Lovely build I'm sure I have the same kit in my stash somewhere, so might give it a go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I really like your Dauntless. Looks good. Nice paintwork and style. Karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now