Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 This is a perplexing kit. I'm building it wheels up, as always, so I was concerned about the fit of the wheel covers (after all most modellers don't fit them this way).....But no need for worry, they were nigh on perfect after just a light skim with a sanding stick. The wings on the other hand (which I believe almost all modellers will fit, and usually in more or less the same way) required the attention of the coarse rasp to get them in position and will need shims or filler at the wing-roots. Don't worry just yet, they're only dry fitted! PS - I really wish I'd taken a couple more pictures at this stage to show just how bad the fit of the unadjusted lower wing parts really is.....Seriously folks, don't buy this kit! Apparently Sword do a 1/72 P-47N (It came out about thirty seconds after I bought this ghastly POS! ), buy that one instead, it cannot possibly be worse! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: For better or for worse, he's in: The fit of this kit is.....Well, it doesn't really! Note the not even slightly subtle tools of persuasion required to get the tub into the fuselage.....Using those around Bubba was somewhat nerve-wracking! I'll fit his head armour and the gun-sight later.....Quick question, what colour should the area under the canopy be? I'm guessing it would be olive drab, an extension of the anti-glare panel? That's correct OD. Edited July 19, 2018 by Tbolt 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 What a great photo, something for almost everyone in there! Should my model have the three little triangular reinforcements on the device behind the pilot's seat.....I noticed a couple of you others have added them. PS - I've found a solution for the worst of the lower wing's fit issues.....I reckon the piece has sagged on the sprue, as with a bit of careful bending I've managed to force it into a shape that almost, but not quite, matches the rest of the fuselage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: What a great photo, something for almost everyone in there! Should my model have the three little triangular reinforcements on the device behind the pilot's seat.....I noticed a couple of you others have added them. Yes the supports for the canopy rail were on all bubbletops. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 Cheers.....I really do appreciate all these answers (to what probably seem like dumb questions), I'm kind of out of my depth with anything that doesn't have tracks and I often don't even know what search terms to type into Google. PS - @Tbolt Just noticed in your signature that you are building a 1/48 P-47N, but I couldn't find the thread.....Do you have a link, it might save me asking a few silly questions (like where the red & green lights should be on the wingtips)? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 Doing what I can for the wings, while Bubba (& a bunch of suspicious looking Russians) look on: Blimey I hope that's not Novichock in the bottle with the green lid.....Best drink it to check! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 4 hours ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Cheers.....I really do appreciate all these answers (to what probably seem like dumb questions), I'm kind of out of my depth with anything that doesn't have tracks and I often don't even know what search terms to type into Google. PS - @Tbolt Just noticed in your signature that you are building a 1/48 P-47N, but I couldn't find the thread.....Do you have a link, it might save me asking a few silly questions (like where the red & green lights should be on the wingtips)? Sorry I don't have anything online about my P-47N, this GB is the first time doing WIP for me. The ID lights sit approximately 1.5mm outboard of the longitudinal panel line as shown below ( P-47D, but the light are in the same place ), which is 25mm outboard of the longitudinal panel line that the wing pylon sits over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejboyd5 Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Gotta get Bubba a booster seat. Right now he looks like all those old women driving in Florida where all you can see from outside the automobile is their gray hair and their hands hanging on to the tops of the steering wheels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyGair Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Looks interesting Sarge, I think I built this a long time ago, when I wasn't particularly bothered about finish and fit! I never worry about shades of colours, I worked in the printing industry for 16 years and there was always a fair variance allowed in colours used, and that was for the pharmaceutical industry. I just always DEFY anyone who points and says 'that colour looks wrong'. Prove it! Those 'Rooskies' could make years of supplies of 'Hooch' with that bottle! Davey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 Cheers guys, appreciate the help & comments.....I'm always slightly at sea with wingy builds, so it's nice to have knowledgeable folk around that I can ask. 1 hour ago, ejboyd5 said: Gotta get Bubba a booster seat. Right now he looks like all those old women driving in Florida where all you can see from outside the automobile is their gray hair and their hands hanging on to the tops of the steering wheels. If I could I would, but Bubba, his seat, the tub and indeed the whole Thunderbolt are now one, permanently.....I'm happy enough with him as is, he hides the cockpit's issues and gives the model a personal touch (hopefully it will eventually be escorting that bloody Mitchell on a long flight across my nephew's bedroom ceiling). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Still plugging away.....Here's the underside, with the lower wing part reshaped to the best of my ability: With the lower wing glued solidly in place I'm setting up the dihedral, one wing at a time, this is the second: Once that one's hardened up I'll fill what I can with plastic card slices and what I can't with putty.....Putting a NMF over this lot's going to be a bundle of joy! Could use some more recommendations for aerosol metallic paints for this (Tamiya AS-12 is all so far).....I'd like to try using a couple of mildly contrasting and one more strongly contrasting colours, if only to distract the eye from all the panel lines that fade in and out of existence on the underside. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Hi Sarge. I know you've said that you don't want to spray metallics through your airbrush, but should you change your mind Alclad laquers are the way to go IMHO. A great range of shades and also a range to textures (matt through to polished). They're pretty foolproof to use too (I should know ). Back to your Jug though, I think Bubba is a great addition - nicely animated and superbly painted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Cheers Cliff.....I've got a fair few Alclad metallics, but I've never used them. Sadly I won't be able to use them for this project either, I'm working in a very small room and the geniuses who painted our house managed to paint the bloody windows shut. Until I can get up onto the garage roof and force them open (& then no doubt repaint them) the airbrush is out of commission (I've tried from the inside and they ain't moving). PS - I could probably use some advice for the whole painting sequence, my thinking at the moment is to build it then prime the tail and fuselage spine in white, then shoot the yellow on the tail and the olive drab for the anti glare panel. Then I would mask those areas and spray black primer for the NMF. Does this make sense or is there a better way? What colour should the inner canopy faming be.....Olive drab, interior green, bare metal? It looks like OD in the image above, but the whole aircraft appears to be that colour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Here's the current state of the upper wings: Considering just how bad the fit was before I started fiddling and the extreme nature of the tools (at right in picture) used to get it to this point, I'm pretty damned pleased with that (no doubt I will be less so when I see it under primer).....Also kind of pleased with how Bubba and the IP looks in that image! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Its gone together well in the end, the u c panels have been made to fit nicely, old bubs looks comfy Glynn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 Fettling of the upper wings is as complete as it will get before primer: Expectations are not high TBH. I really could use some recommendations for more aerosol metallic colours if I'm going to disguise it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: Fettling of the upper wings is as complete as it will get before primer: Expectations are not high TBH. I really could use some recommendations for more aerosol metallic colours if I'm going to disguise it. Looking pretty good. You might have more luck asking about aerosols in the paint section https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/16-paint/ Edited July 21, 2018 by Tbolt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 14 minutes ago, Tbolt said: You might have more luck asking about aerosols in the paint section https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/16-paint/ D'oh.....Why didn't I think of that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJ-WobblyHands Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 looking good , you won the battle with wings nicely 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 21, 2018 Author Share Posted July 21, 2018 The poor fit in which Italeri seem to specialise is carried down to the very least part in this kit.....The two tailwheel doors are completely different sizes, one slightly larger than half of the gap they are intended to fill, the other slightly smaller than the gap that remains.....I reduced the first and extended the other by correct amount. Goddam this kit sucks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plasto Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 (edited) Just use one of the Tamiya acrylic lacquer spray cans AS12 for the NMF finish. It dries well and hard. They do stink though... Forget the black undercoat that’s for thin paints such as Alclad. I’m not personally 100% convinced it actually does anything for a normal aluminium finish for high shine paints and chrome then I agree it works well. Paint the whole thing silver then mask the AG Panel then paint the yellow for the tail. As silver is a light colour the yellow should go on without the need for a white base. HTH.. Plasto Edited July 21, 2018 by Plasto 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Cheers fella, funnily enough I was thinking more or less the same at about the time you typed that.....I'm still going to go for the black primer, it will help with restoring the surface (where possible) and it may help to emphasize the detail. I'd also still like to use two colours at least, firstly because I've got a plan to disguise some of the problem areas with paint tricks and secondly because I need the practice. But I do now think I will probably spray all the metallics first as you suggest, then I'll give it a coat of Klear before adding the anti glare panel and the yellow tail. The build's taken a small step backwards, but it's for the best: Couldn't live with the hideous gaps inboard of the flaps so I've filled them.....Note also the superbly fitting tailwheel doors. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 Bubba's gone into hiding: Go on.....Ask me how the fit of the tail parts was. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amblypygid Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 They look like they fit well ... now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 22, 2018 Author Share Posted July 22, 2018 What concerned me was the sheer amount of choice I had in positioning the tail.....Tiny attachment tab combined with massive slot, for maximally sloppy fit etc. etc. The rudder needed the attention of the coarse rasp.....Naturally. Few little bits to stick on, primer is imminent.....Masks are on the way, still trying to make up my mind exactly how I'm going to go about painting it (and with what). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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