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Grumman S-2 Tracker


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On 6/1/2018 at 3:38 PM, CliffB said:

Superb work Pappy.  Your weapons bay shows PE at its best.

 

Cliff

 

Thanks very much Cliff

 

On 6/2/2018 at 1:25 PM, trickyrich said:

gee that weapons bay looks amazing, very subtle use of the wash, perfect.

 

I like your clever engineering solution.

 

What you can do if you find you're running out of hands to hold things while drying is to spot glue them or tack them in place first with tiny spots of CA cement. I do it all the time, it pretty much guarantees it'll stay in the right spot while gluing, plus it allows you to close things up in the test fitting stage without having to be an octopus. 

Yeah I know but sometimes I just get carried away instead of thinking about the assembly sequence logically. I am not a smart man but I can lift heavy things!

 

G'day people,

 

Well, I have managed to get the fuselage nearly together, I still need to clean up the seam on the canopy.

 

006_zpsepuqrd5u.jpg

 

Kinetic provide the canopy very unhelpfully in two parts, no doubt to capture the bulged windows. The seam between the two front windows will proved very tricky as there is not much frame material separating the clear sections.

 

009_zpsk4a8ljov.jpg

 

The upper fuselage has several sink marks corresponding to the location of the alignment pins which will require some putty to remedy, otherwise the fit is not too bad. The fuselage underside went together without any hassles other than having to take care around the large dome

 

005_zps2zw71f55.jpg

 

The only niggles I had were with the nosecone which needed a small smear of putty to fair in the lower left side

 

007_zpszmvbrins.jpg

 

And the tail. Kinetic have molded the fin trailing edge integral to the right fuselage half, which means that they can achieve a commendably thin training edge, however, the seam on the left side of the fin is pretty deep. The seam also passes through the rudder trim tab but also extends vertically above and below it which will require additional filling to eliminate  and some re-scribing to restore lost panel lines

 

Right side

 

010_zps0ethayym.jpg

 

Left side

 

012_zpsszzoihby.jpg

 

The putty is there because I slipped with I slipped with the scriber and now need to re-scribe this line.

 

Shown dry fitted below, the fit of the wings is also very good, I think you could almost paint these separately and add them at the end of the build - almost that is except the wing underside is a little too gappy for my liking

 

008_zpsdo2zozmx.jpg

 

Meanwhile I have been busy working on the undercarriage. I swapped out the kit wheels with resin items as I really hate the Kinetic  'wheel sandwich' method of construction.

 

002_zpshx20rtgl.jpg

 

001_zpshpj0dk7g.jpg

 

Main gear bays received some light weathering after some small details were picked out.

 

004_zpshaizsvpn.jpg

 

The U/C doors have also been painted up

 

003_zpsqfev6vi3.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Pappy
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  • 2 weeks later...

G'day people,

 

The fuselage is nearly done. The seams have behaved and I only need to re-scribe a few lines before the canopy can be added and I can call the fuselage done

 

005_zpsh2clkune.jpg

 

006_zps5pbphsqw.jpg

 

In the meanwhile, I drilled out the exhaust stubs and attached the engine nacelles to the inner wing sections. It looks like the openings will need some cleaning up!

 

010_zpsi9ca3g7r.jpg

 

007_zps5rviarji.jpg

 

The fit of the nacelles is generally good, however the sections near the wing leading edges have some decent gaps

 

008_zpsabxnk5rg.jpg

 

009_zpsmspwcqtd.jpg

 

I also managed to get some fun stuff done, tin fish anyone?

 

001_zps6oebavyg.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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On 6/14/2018 at 8:51 AM, trickyrich said:

it's always great to see your updates, it's a privilege to see some fine modelling work in action! :thumbsup:

 

those fish look awesome.

G'day Rich,

 

Thanks very much.

 

G'day people,

 

I have been working on the inner wing sections today. The underside nacelle to wing joins are not too bad

 

004_zpswqgzxziw.jpg

 

007_zps4wqjfmgb.jpg

 

The upper wing join will need a second application of putty to eliminate 'ghost' seams due to putty shrinkage

 

005_zpsazxczymp.jpg

 

I also noticed that the upper surface of the inner left flap has a weird 'step' moulded into it.

 

006_zpsij38bg3j.jpg

 

I hadn't noticed it earlier and I would have preferred to deal with it before attaching the engine nacelle, but I will just need to get on with it now. Meanwhile the canopy is being difficult as every time I start to get the centre seam close to smooth, the canopy splits :(

 

008_zpsdntgbkur.jpg

 

Oh well, hopefully the fifth time is the charm!

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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can you add a thin bit of plastic strip to give it some strength? Say 10x30 or 40? You should be able to hide it in that section.

 

I have to say , why can't resin models be moulded that nicely!

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/18/2018 at 10:52 PM, trickyrich said:

can you add a thin bit of plastic strip to give it some strength? Say 10x30 or 40? You should be able to hide it in that section.

 

I have to say , why can't resin models be moulded that nicely!

 G'day Rich,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. That would probably work but I just used some thin cement but made sure the two halves were clamped better this time instead of relying on capillary action alone. Well that seems to have done the trick because the canopy seam has now been treated and the assembly has dipped in Future to restore clarity and shine.

 

010_zps3nvqbhsy.jpg

 

009_zpshglnadgu.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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G'day people,

 

Well, after wrestling the canopy seam into submission, I am ready to move on. This aircraft is a natural tail sitter (in real life too in the engines were removed!) so I have I have added about 15g of lead sinkers to the engine nacelles in area behind each engine

 

001_zpstultpfg3.jpg

 

I have added about 45g of lead sinkers to the area immediately behind the cockpit. Of course I should have done this before I joined the fuselage together but I am actually an idiot. It was a tricky affair and I had to remove one of the seats to get sufficient access but I managed in the end. There is also the problem that there is no detail whatsoever aft of the cockpit bulkhead and you can see straight back to the tail if you shine a light into the cockpit. I decided to cut a small piece of black foam into the shape of the doorway but slightly oversized and then pushed this into the opening. It won't stand close scrutiny but will fool the casual observer. Finally, I had a quick rummage through the spares box to find something suitable to add as the joystick controller for the wing mounted searchlight. I found something, I dunno what it is from but it will do!

 

005_zps5x8dyahh.jpg

 

The overhead panel was attached to the cockpit and the PE parts for the escape hatches were added using small drops of CA. One of the great things about dipping canopies in Future is that it resists CA fogging.

 

002_zpsclkumwhb.jpg

 

003_zpsxpijoycg.jpg

 

A final dry fit to make sure all the bits will play nice together

 

006_zpszqo2ozsu.jpg

 

winning

 

:)

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that cockpit looks so good, I know I keep saying that, but it does.

 

Can you by Future here??? The closest I've come to finding anything like it is called "Long Life", a "self shining floor polish". It appears to be something similar (I think) to Future.

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6 hours ago, CJP said:

Fabulous job on the cockpit & that is a great tip on Future and CA glue - any advice on where you buy Future in Australia?

CJP

 

1 hour ago, trickyrich said:

that cockpit looks so good, I know I keep saying that, but it does.

 

Can you by Future here??? The closest I've come to finding anything like it is called "Long Life", a "self shining floor polish". It appears to be something similar (I think) to Future.

Nup.

 

there are very similar products available as Rich has said, but I bought mine from Walmart. the parent company has apparently changed the formula now, it probably still works the same but I am still on my first bottle - a  little goes a long way etc.

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

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G'day people,

 

A little more progress today.

 

The wing mounted searchlight has finally been closed up

 

003_zpsldsezlz4.jpg

 

The reflector dish had some PE elements added. These parts were small, it was like trying to assemble a small PE spider, but I got there eventually

 

002_zpsdd29jsgh.jpg

 

001_zpsscynwul5.jpg

 

Next up, I replaced the kit supplied dump masts with some bent pieces of brass tubing. The kit parts are supposed to be butt glued, which means that they would sit at the wrong angle and be at risk of breaking off. I drilled a hole and used some CA to attach the tubes

 

007_zpsgidrnrui.jpg

 

005_zpscb0lampq.jpg

 

006_zpstdcuvjpa.jpg

 

Turning my attention back to the fuselage, I hollowed out the rudder actuator and added a small PE part

 

010_zpsp9hqw39c.jpg

 

Still on the fuselage, more lumps and bumps have been added. Some of these are not mentioned in the instructions but my references show they are present

 

008_zpsw0sm6y4o.jpg

 

009_zpsvzgyrmaz.jpg

 

Final dry fit before masking

 

011_zpsq9oumf8f.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

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I'm interested in the comment about a casual observer looking behind the cockpit.  My wife's a casual observer and wouldn't know if the wing was on upside down. 

Colin 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/11/2018 at 4:09 PM, Jabba said:

Missed this one going along, but the level of detail that you have put into this is absolutely superb.

G'day Jabba, welcome to the WIP.

 

G'day people, unfortunately I did not get this one finished in time for the "Carriers Ahoy!" GB, but nevertheless, work continues.

 

I have managed to get a base white down over the main components

 

2176491e-f268-4191-8bc9-ca3b5c0b95a0_zps

 

The engine nacelles were first up and the paint went on smoothly. I used a flat white acrylic followed by buffing with sanding pads to bring up the sheen

 

004_zpsljguafgv.jpg

 

Likewise the outer wing sections

 

005_zpsxnsqy0ab.jpg

 

I also replaced what I think are the secondary rudder hinges? The S-2 is unusual in that it has a double hinged rudder (as well as a rudder trim tab). There is a large actuator om the left side of the rudder. I suspect that this moves the whole rudder and the two smaller sections are hinges for the aft section? In any case they are evident in my reference pics so I added them.

 

003_zpst1m71gjx.jpg

 

Finally, the upper fuselage aerials have been added and the canopy has been sprayed black (interior colour) before the grey is applied,

 

001_zpsorydpotj.jpg

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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That's really nice work Pappy. Good pick-up on the rudder actuators and the other detail work too.

 

Never mind not finishing it for the GB, I think I'm 0 from 3 for the ones I've signed up for.

 

Hope all is well down south.

 

Mick

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Hi Pappy,

Great WIP, one month ago I bought the same kit and then Eduard's Big Sin set and a ton of Quickboost resin stuff.

DMold has forward fuselage and engine nacelles correction sets but availability of this is uncertain, I'll just keep waiting and looking now and then at the website. 

Keep up the good work!

Edited by Rui Silva
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I'm very late to this party, I will sit in the back and take notes, I was thinking of possibly doing one of our birds in Canadian colors......it would have to be the other kit though...... but never the less, you are doing a masterful job of this kit, and I must confess, I haven't heard much good about it... fit wise especially, but this thread will be one to keep for reference.... I love the cockpit work, and your P/E work is exceptional...... the weapons bay is awesome..... I wonder, IF you get time and a chance, to get a list of the after market stuff you used, I know about most of the p/e, just the resin wheels?  I am watching with great interest........

Jeff....

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On 7/20/2018 at 2:24 PM, Mick Drover said:

That's really nice work Pappy. Good pick-up on the rudder actuators and the other detail work too.

 

Never mind not finishing it for the GB, I think I'm 0 from 3 for the ones I've signed up for.

 

Hope all is well down south.

 

Mick

 

21 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

This is going to look gorgeous. You have me itching to get back to my build.

 

Martian 👽

well martian, don't let me stop you :P

18 hours ago, Rui Silva said:

Hi Pappy,

Great WIP, one month ago I bought the same kit and then Eduard's Big Sin set and a ton of Quickboost resin stuff.

DMold has forward fuselage and engine nacelles correction sets but availability of this is uncertain, I'll just keep waiting and looking now and then at the website. 

Keep up the good work!

I saw the Dmold stuff, and I thought about buying it, but this was supposed to be a quick and easy build (ha!) for the GB, so I did not want to wait and to be honest, until I saw the correction set, I didn't realise there was a problem.  I agree that the kit has errors which these sets correct, but I can live with the kit shapes, but totally understand if someone feels the need to be absolutely accurate.

17 hours ago, Azgaron said:

Excellent work so far! Looks great! :)

 

Håkan

 

 

15 hours ago, Biggu said:

I'm very late to this party, I will sit in the back and take notes, I was thinking of possibly doing one of our birds in Canadian colors......it would have to be the other kit though...... but never the less, you are doing a masterful job of this kit, and I must confess, I haven't heard much good about it... fit wise especially, but this thread will be one to keep for reference.... I love the cockpit work, and your P/E work is exceptional...... the weapons bay is awesome..... I wonder, IF you get time and a chance, to get a list of the after market stuff you used, I know about most of the p/e, just the resin wheels?  I am watching with great interest........

Jeff....

I honestly don't remember what brand they were, but I am sure a search for '1/48 S-2E Tracker + resin wheels' will yield results. Although Kinetic/Italeri is the only 1/48 game in town (as far as I ma aware) unless Collectaire or some other exotica exists for quarter scale Trackers, yet the resin wheel hubs need to be enlarged to fit the kit undercarriage axles. Not a difficult task by any means and the resin items look to be based on the kit items, so it was a little surprising that the hole was not the same size.

 

I have found the fit to vary between good and excellent for the most part, the majority of filler has been used to fill small depressions and sink marks over locating pins and the odd smear of filler here and there. What I do agree with is that there could have been more detail provided, especially in the usual focal areas of the cockpit, undercarriage bays, search light and weapons bay. Whilst the view into the cockpit is limited, you can still see a surprising amount, but there is nothing beyond the cockpit bulkhead as already mentioned and the weapons bay is also completely devoid of detail. The Mk.44 (?) torpedo's help but if you use the PE set, you will not be able to fit both, probably just as well, as you would be obscuring a lot of that lovely detail.

 

The torps also look like they have the protective shipping covers installed over the twin screws. These would be removed before loading. I did not correct this because time was a factor, but now I may re-visit this. The u/c bays are adequate if you don't plan of turning the kit upside down for a look but the search light pod is also completely devoid of detail, even though a very nice and clear lens is provided.

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

Edited by Pappy
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On 7/20/2018 at 2:24 PM, Mick Drover said:

That's really nice work Pappy. Good pick-up on the rudder actuators and the other detail work too.

 

Never mind not finishing it for the GB, I think I'm 0 from 3 for the ones I've signed up for.

 

Hope all is well down south.

 

Mick

G'day Mick, I think I may be a 'serial starter', there should a be a group for this, hi everyone, my name is Pappy and I am a serial starter.

 

I hope you guys are toasty up there, because it is bloody cold down here, but otherwise, all is well, I have three hobby shops within 30mins and found local model group - winning!

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

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Hi Pappy and Biggu,

Just to inform you of what aftermarket is available for this kit (and the extent of my AMS disease...) here you have a list of what I bought:

Eduard Big Ed 4965
Aires 4593 S-2F wheels and paint masks
Attack Squadron 48006 US Navy Mk 54 Depth Charges
Aerobonus 480050 US Navy Mk 44 torpedoes
Quickboost 48512 S2F engines
Quickboost 48483 S2F exhaust
Quickboost 48508 S2F intakes
Quickboost 48569 S2F propellers with tool
Quickboost 48531 S2F pylons
Quickboost 48530 S2F tail wheel
Quickboost 48529 S2F radar

I don't know if the Mk 54 depth charges were still used by the S-2E Tracker, can anyone help me on this question?

Rui
 

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