1/72 Airfix Grumman Wildcat and Nakajima Kate 'Dogfight Double'

[Davek72]

Looking good Stew and thanks for extending my Albanian proverb collection

Edited November 8, 2015 by Davek72

[CedB]

That looks great Stew... Chunky little bird isn't she??

Didn't you use Gators grip on the windows? And they still popped? I was hoping that was the panacea of window woes...

Hi MG! I'll add my best wishes too, nice to see you back

[modelglue]

Thanks for the warm welcoming guys, it's been so long*

Yes, life has been bonkers but I pledge to at least show up and support you fellows. We are through the 'danger zone' with our young daughter and work seems to have stabilized?... I don't know if I can ever call being self employed stable.

Looking forward to seeing all your efforts! Sorry Stew for side tracking your build while reuniting!

Wildcat HO!

[Stew Dapple]

You can see the technique somewhere in my Beaufort build:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234965602-special-hobby-172-dap-beaufort-mkviii/

Cheers,

Bill

Brilliant, thanks Bill, I did follow that build at the time but obviously didn't make note of that useful tip - I'll be ready next time!

Nice save Stew.

How many of us have done similar in the past (and possibly in the future)

Simon

Thanks Simon, you're absolutely right, while each time something like that happens I tell myself it will be the last time, and each time I am wrong

Looking good Stew and thanks for extending my Albanian proverb collection

Thanks Dave, and yes, you can't have too many Albanian proverbs

That looks great Stew... Chunky little bird isn't she??

Didn't you use Gators grip on the windows? And they still popped? I was hoping that was the panacea of window woes...

Hi MG! I'll add my best wishes too, nice to see you back

Thanks Ced; she does have a certain fishlike plumpness about her, but is smaller than I imagined, I must have been mentally visualising a Hellcat. I did use GG on the windows, but circumstances necessitated me fiddling with the fuselage before the glue had time to properly set... I was aware of this at the time but thought it the lesser of two evils compared to not getting the undercarriage parts installed... for all that while GG is good and strong enough when it is dry, I don't think it is a panacea for clear part problems, I don't think there is one, especially when the available accidentally-pressing-surface-area is so much greater than the available-bonding-surface-area.

Thanks for the warm welcoming guys, it's been so long*

Yes, life has been bonkers but I pledge to at least show up and support you fellows. We are through the 'danger zone' with our young daughter and work seems to have stabilized?... I don't know if I can ever call being self employed stable.

Looking forward to seeing all your efforts! Sorry Stew for side tracking your build while reuniting!

Wildcat HO!

No problem Jeff, it's good to see you back on the forum. I can't remember what has changed since you were last here but no doubt you will catch up soon enough...

Cheers,

Stew

[Stew Dapple]

The Peewit masks arrived:

... and with some nervousness I attached the masks to the underside windows, but I needn't have worried, I didn't poke the windows in for a second time :

... and I fitted the canopy and applied the masks to that:

I've got the day off today (by way of recompense for having to work this Saturday) so hopefully I can spray a layer of Bronze Green on the canopy, attach the pitot tube and wireless mast and get a coat of primer on the model before the day is out...

Cheers,

Stew

[Stew Dapple]

I added the wireless mast and pitot tube, then cut a piece off an old washing-up sponge with scissors to make a little mask for the engine:

I then sprayed the canopy Bronze Green and then overall with Alclad Grey Primer:

As this is another monocolour scheme - well, one for the upperside and one for the underside - I think I might have another go at pre-shading it, as I did like the effect on the Beaufighters, hopefully it won't look overdone on a single-engined aircraft in this scale but there's only one way to find out... (no, not a fight)...

Cheers,

Stew

[Procopius]

but there's only one way to find out... (no, not a fight)...

So you're saying there's two ways.

[nimrod54]

Really nice work Stew, just ordered a Wildcat after following your progress. One question though, 'What inspired the use of a strawberry for masking the engine?'.

[Stew Dapple]

So you're saying there's two ways.

Ah, I wasn't expecting anyone to pull me up on it, to be honest I really have no idea how many ways there might be, I just liked the masculine certainty of the statement...

Really nice work Stew, just ordered a Wildcat after following your progress. One question though, 'What inspired the use of a strawberry for masking the engine?'.

Thanks John, the strawberry is a versatile fruit and should not be limited purely to dessert or jam-making.

I did the pre-shading - messily for sure, but it is one of those rare things in which you can claim untidiness to be a virtue, since staining does not usually build up neatly...

That's my feeble excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it. However two things did occur to me mid-way through doing it, namely:

• Pre-shading is immensely boring, whilst at the same time requiring the sort of levels of concentration normally reserved for painting delicate details, and it takes bloody ages;
• I think the F4F-4 as depicted might have made it's debut at Midway which sort of implies it wouldn't have been very worn-looking... but still, the likelihood is that I will apply too much topcoat and render all that sloppy work invisible anyway so I will not lose any sleep over it.

Cheers,

Stew

[Cookenbacher]

Enjoying this one Stew, excellent figure work as always. It looks like it goes together without too much hassle. After seeing yours and SteveJ60's I really must pick one (or two) up.

Looking forward to the top coat.

[rob85]

After the very nice Mr p very kindly sent some transfers in the post to me... Something he was not obligated to do and his kindness far out stripped my little set I sent him...including that of some martlets and work are sending me on a trip for which I can claim fuel at 45p a mile couple all that with being inspired by your build... I think I will perchase one of these...

Nice work stew, looking forward to the paint going one... Banana for the demarcation line when spraying??

Rob

[modelglue]

That's my feeble excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it. However two things did occur to me mid-way through doing it, namely:

• Pre-shading is immensely boring, whilst at the same time requiring the sort of levels of concentration normally reserved for painting delicate details, and it takes bloody ages;
• I think the F4F-4 as depicted might have made it's debut at Midway which sort of implies it wouldn't have been very worn-looking... but still, the likelihood is that I will apply too much topcoat and render all that sloppy work invisible anyway so I will not lose any sleep over it.

Stew, I've just seen one in person recently. I feel as though that qualifies me to say that your preshading work is absolutely spot on. Also, I don't think your mighty effort is feeble in any way. Considering the fine line you have created and the knowledge I possess in airbrush skill development; I would say that is getting close to master work. Truly.

I had something else smart to say like Rob's Banana joke but this tooth ache business is robbing me of wit. I guess something had to give.

[Stew Dapple]

Enjoying this one Stew, excellent figure work as always. It looks like it goes together without too much hassle. After seeing yours and SteveJ60's I really must pick one (or two) up.

Looking forward to the top coat.

Thanks Cookie - I haven't had any trouble with the kit so far, although post-spraying I remembered I needed to tidy up the seams on the upper and lower fuselage which I had intended to do before I did the pre-shading... grrr. I'll have to take care of that before I go any further.

...Nice work stew, looking forward to the paint going one... Banana for the demarcation line when spraying??

Rob

Gentlemen, I think the Best Joke of the Thread Award has a winner

Stew, I've just seen one in person recently. I feel as though that qualifies me to say that your preshading work is absolutely spot on. Also, I don't think your mighty effort is feeble in any way. Considering the fine line you have created and the knowledge I possess in airbrush skill development; I would say that is getting close to master work. Truly.

I had something else smart to say like Rob's Banana joke but this tooth ache business is robbing me of wit. I guess something had to give.

Thanks Jeff - but the Wildcat you were looking at was what, seventy-five years old? It will be okay anyway, I believe the essence of successful pre-shading is that you lose 97% of it under the top coat anyway... my sympathies re: the toothache, that can rob anyone of their good humour, particularly if it goes on for a long time. I hope your foxy new dentist can sort that out for you soonest

Cheers,

Stew

[rob85]

Cheers stew... I never win anything!

Went into my LHS store ready to part with cash and there were none of the new release's.... But they did have the 1/48 spit VB new tool for a tenner....

Rob

[Stew Dapple]

Cheers stew... I never win anything!

Went into my LHS store ready to part with cash and there were none of the new release's.... But they did have the 1/48 spit VB new tool for a tenner....

Rob

Did you buy it Rob, or are you going to hold out until the new releases are in stock?

I added some colour variation to the pre-shading:

I wasn't sure how that would pan out, either it would provide a subtle variegation to the colours or it would be a total waste of time...

I then applied Colourcoats ACUS05 USN Light Gray to the underside and ACUS06 USN Blue Gray to the topside:

Lacking any bananas in the house (it's a long story) I used the famed Blu-Tack Sausage method for the upper and lower colour demarcation which worked well enough, giving a fairly soft line but a bit soggy around the nose... I can live with it though.

The pre-shading shows up better on the underside but it does make a difference to the topside too - a barely noticeable difference in each case, more the sort of difference you would notice if it were not there in fact... but overall despite the tedium and numbing effort involved I like the effect and I think it is worth it, at least on mono-colour camouflage schemes.

I'll need to leave that a while for the paint to cook off, then it will be a gloss coat and transfers... if I get bored in the meantime I might start on the Kate, but only having one day off this weekend has left me a bit worn and I might have to try to squeeze a nap in today

Cheers,

Stew

[JimHead23]

Looking very nice Stew! Enjoy your short break.

Regards

Jim

[CedB]

Looking very nice Stew - after all that pre-shading you deserve a rest

I think I've given up pre-shading in favour of panel line wash at the end... with that stuff you can at least see and vary the effect to taste.

[Beard]

Looks good, Stew.

I received a delivery of Colourcoats the other day. I'm brush-painting a Spitfire I with them and they nice paints.

[rob85]

Well done on the pre shading, looks a treat! And the variation is visible on the screen, a little hard to see but these things always look best in person...

I did put it by but they do have a fair few of them! People of cheltenham obviously not big into malta themed 1/48 spitfire's. .. or they just over ordered. They have told me it's an issue with their account so they are delayed

You may have not used a banana but you did use the tried and tested sausage. .....food is such a big part of modelling

Rob

[spaddad]

Thanks very much Michael, will do

Thanks Mike - and you are right:

An Imperial Japanese Naval Airman walks into a bar... and gets his face flattened - it was an iron bar*

I don't think it is so much a case of mould damage as either an incorrectly made mould or else a foreign object lodged in it preventing the proper flow of plastic... it does appear to be widespread too, in any case it is not pretty but being a resourceful sort of a cove I used a replacement head - see below...

Bill I would be honoured by your presence; I am not surprised that a man of evident taste such as yourself would have these kits in the stash. The canopy question does illustrate my dilemma: to build it as a Dogfight Double where, realistically only the Kate's gunner would have his canopy open... or to scrub that idea and build them both wheels-down and with 'all the windows open'? It's difficult, I really want to do both, I'll have to mull it over but I am open to suggestions.

So I replaced Mr. Frying-Pan Face's head with that of a sunken-chested Defiant gunner who was actually the same figure. I took the opportunity to reposition his head slightly to differentiate him a bit from the other crewman:

... still needs a bit of a tidy here. Most of the differences in equipment between the RAF figures these originally represented and the IJNAF crewmen they are supposed to represent can be taken care of with a little research and a bit of deft paintwork, but I used some Citadel Liquid Green Stuff to paint on the distinctive rabbit-fur collars on the flight suits and to attempt to make the gloves look a bit more like the standard-issue gauntlets:

... and then I painted them:

It's not my place to judge an alien culture from a previous time by my own criteria but I do find it interesting that of all the combatant nations only the Japanese seem not to have gone for high-visibility lifejackets; perhaps because if you were shot down and lost your aircraft the Emperor was very angry and you did not deserve to be rescued, or perhaps the Bushido code held that it is cowardly to want to be rescued if you are shot down and shamed... but then why give you a lifejacket in the first place?

Anyway hopefully the Colourcoats paints will arrive today - when I shall be at work of course - but if they follow the pattern of last time the postman will leave them at the nearest post office and I can pick them up tomorrow... in which case I can resume working on the Wildcat.

Cheers,

Stew

* with apologies to Tommy Cooper

the figure in the middle looks like you've used one of Krytens heads

[Stew Dapple]

Looking very nice Stew! Enjoy your short break.

Regards

Jim

Thanks very much Jim; I always enjoy any opportunity for sloth* or general idleness

Looking very nice Stew - after all that pre-shading you deserve a rest

I think I've given up pre-shading in favour of panel line wash at the end... with that stuff you can at least see and vary the effect to taste.

Thanks Ced, some folks do both I believe. It is possible to vary the effect of pre-shading - it goes like this: "That's not enough topcoat... that's not enough topcoat... that's not enough topcoat... aaaand that's too much."

Looks good, Stew.

I received a delivery of Colourcoats the other day. I'm brush-painting a Spitfire I with them and they nice paints.

Thanks Ced, they're excellent paints. Jamie and Gill of Sovereign live up near my folks in the wilds of Aberdeenshire, I hope to see Jamie next weekend and get another batch of various colours that I have convinced myself that I am going to need

Well done on the pre shading, looks a treat! And the variation is visible on the screen, a little hard to see but these things always look best in person...

I did put it by but they do have a fair few of them! People of cheltenham obviously not big into malta themed 1/48 spitfire's. .. or they just over ordered. They have told me it's an issue with their account so they are delayed

You may have not used a banana but you did use the tried and tested sausage. .....food is such a big part of modelling

Rob

Thanks Rob, food and modelling get along fine as long as you remember to wash your hands, paint does not adhere to bananary fingerprints

the figure in the middle looks like you've used one of Krytens heads

I thought that at the time, I am chuffed that someone else noticed - it looks like his spare head that got Droid Rot and would only talk in a strong Yorkshire accent

Cheers,

Stew

* A 'Deadly Sin' according to the Catholic Church. I knew there was something about them I didn't like.

[spaddad]

Thanks very much Jim; I always enjoy any opportunity for sloth* or general idleness

Thanks Ced, some folks do both I believe. It is possible to vary the effect of pre-shading - it goes like this: "That's not enough topcoat... that's not enough topcoat... that's not enough topcoat... aaaand that's too much."

Thanks Ced, they're excellent paints. Jamie and Gill of Sovereign live up near my folks in the wilds of Aberdeenshire, I hope to see Jamie next weekend and get another batch of various colours that I have convinced myself that I am going to need

Thanks Rob, food and modelling get along fine as long as you remember to wash your hands, paint does not adhere to bananary fingerprints

I thought that at the time, I am chuffed that someone else noticed - it looks like his spare head that got Droid Rot and would only talk in a strong Yorkshire accent

Cheers,

Stew

* A 'Deadly Sin' according to the Catholic Church. I knew there was something about them I didn't like.

that's the one

[Spookytooth]

The Wildcat coming on nicely Stew,

Definitely going to get the Dog-fight Double with the Kate (When SWMBO) allows me. LOL.

Simon.

[nimrod54]

Fabulous job Stew, the colourcoats paints look to be a great match. Disappointed to learn that bananas were not available for masking, so just for you, and to retain my reputation with my son, who when he was growing up was amazed at my ability to be able to recall a song for almost any situation, I give you this, enjoy.

https://youtu.be/VUoMKuHwSjQ

[Gremlin56]

The Wildcat is coming along very nicely and its time you gave a masterclass on 1/72 crewmen. They look awesome, (even Kryton )