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Brewster Buffalo, USS. Lexington, 1941...


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So many Group Builds that sometimes I get confused...I built one of these for the 100 Years RAF GB...that was fun.  Then I bopped over to the Carrier's Ahoy GB and built some other, non-Buffalo machines...and here I am in the Airfix Golden Years GB with a Buffalo kit from 1974 (new box) and I will build it right OOB as the US Navy Fighter SQ. VF-2 craft based on the USS Lexington in 1941.  How about that for continuity!  

 

This is a good little kit and I will build it while I await the replacement for my Mig-15.  The decals don't look too terrible...perhaps a little silvery, but not so aged that I cannot use them...I hope!  If I have to, I'll scrounge...

 

It will be yet another yellow-winged devil from the US Navy.  Even though I have some nice resin wheels, I might make this one a 'wheels-up' craft and make use of the pedestal Airfix has provided.  This means I'll have to paint the pilot too.  Maybe it'll be 'wheels retracting'...Hmmm...

 

41948450434_2c03399ce8_z_d.jpg

 

All the parts seems to be in good shape!  Decals look alright too...

 

42666160031_bfdd0af79b_z_d.jpg

 

--John

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Good choice - one of those kits I was completely unaware of until I started 'collecting' Airfix kits a couple of years ago. Very interesting as an early WW2 bird which was in place before the 'star acts' arrived.

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Lovely!!!

Make sure the orange-yellow is very orange-yellow....

Miam Miam!

 

JR

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A bit of work one the past few days...I primed the pieces and also did a little work on the interior.  

 

Because I will be mounting this aircraft on the pedestal with the canopy retracted, I figured I might as well have a pilot in the cockpit.  Please, may I introduce to you all Lt. Jim McClintock, aka 'Cowboy' McClintock, from Laramie, Wyoming.  For some reason the seat provided with the kit was missing so I dug in the spare parts and came up with one for Jim.  Upon testing the fit with the fuselage, the seat was too high, so I trimmed down the base about 2mm.  That was better.  The Lieutenant is painted with Vallejo. I think his Mae West is looking very nice.  We must assume that his harness is beneath the flotation device.  I will not be inserting a control stick in-between Jim's hands as that might cause some sniggering back in Laramie and perhaps here too!  Let's not get the wrong idea!😉

 

40897946330_bc5536cce9_z_d.jpg

 

There are plenty of references online for the interior of the Buffalo and I used them, mostly from other model builds.  The dashboard and other control items on beside the pilot are all from Evergreen bits, as are the framing slats on the walls of the fuselage.  Vallejo paints all around.  Once the Green Zinc Chromide was dry, I gave the individual parts some colour, dry-brushed a bit of aluminum over the whole and then gave it some black wash to pick out some detail.

 

40897947250_cab58c69a9_z_d.jpg

 

I'll close it up this evening.

--John

 

 

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An evening's labours...

 

I rattle-canned the top section of the wings, the stabilizers and masked off the rudder and gave that a spritz as well--Humbrol Yellow.  It may not be as orange as some may like it, but I think it looks good at scale and it will be consistent with the other aircraft with the similar pattern.

 

 I attached the lower wing/pilot to the main fuselage and filled in a small seam along the underside.  The rubber dinghy is behind the cockpit and I have added the internal bracing.  The prop is painted Vallejo aluminum and I hand painted the tips blue/yellow/red.  The engine was given an all-over aluminum and then I touched up the cylinders with glossy black.  I had to sand down some of the cylinder heads so the test fit for the cowling/fuselage was clean.  

 

It's coming along...

 

28854591738_b87dd45ae7_z_d.jpg

 

--John

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Wings on...I have also masked off the canopy pieces so they'll go on later.  I've been keeping late hours, so I have a feeling it'll be done tonight.  Yes...Airfix kits go together quickly, as they should, for the happy joy that is in them.

 

28864873968_ed9f75d153_z_d.jpg

 

--John

Edited by John D.C. Masters
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Hello John ... I found this photo of a Buffalo a long time ago on the web. Not sure of ownership and claim no ownership but im using it for informational use only. HQrh3vz.jpg

its early war two to e grey but thats not why im showing it. If you look the frames on the rear window are overlapped perspex ? They're not painted. 

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On ‎08‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 14:04, John D.C. Masters said:

41948450434_2c03399ce8_z_d.jpg

ooh - it's a chunky little monkey isn't it.  Loving your chosen colour scheme too.

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That's an absolute cracker John and this scheme looks particularly good on the Buffalo.

Well modelled and very well presented.

 

Cheers.. Dave  

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The Buffalo may have been rather useless as a a fighter, but it was a good looker... At least in my modest opinion.

This is a great looking model you ave achieved John. 

Because I am who I am, the orange yellow of the wings could have been more orange, but the lemon yellow of the tail is pretty good.

 

Well done!

JR

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