Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 I think I'm about ready to start with the primer: Bomb-racks needed both the rasp and more filler than my adjusted wings, the intake-scoop looking thing inside the cowling has no positive location points, nothing.....I could go on, but why bother. Don't buy this kit folks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 One final (I hope) question before primer.....Is it OK for the belly to be completely clean on this aircraft, with no bomb/tank mount? The quality fit extends to the ordnance too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: One final (I hope) question before primer.....Is it OK for the belly to be completely clean on this aircraft, with no bomb/tank mount? The quality fit extends to the ordnance too. The sway braces would always be there on the belly, I'm sure so would the shackle, though it's not always easy to see. But there's always an exception to the rule if you don't want to fit it 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 (edited) Hey @Sgt.Squarehead ... I just looked at some photo’s of N’s. If doing a WW2 version the belly rack was almost a certainty. If doing a post war USAF or ANG Plane then you can get away with no belly rack. I saw none in any of the post war photo’s. Tenn. air guard. Georgia a.g. And another post war. None seem to carry a belly rack only the two wing hardpoints. Dennis Edited July 23, 2018 by Corsairfoxfouruncle 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Hey @Sgt.Squarehead ... I just looked at some photo’s of N’s. If doing a WW2 version the belly rack was almost a certainty. If doing a post war USAF or ANG Plane then you can get away with no belly rack. I saw none in any of the post war photo’s. Tenn. air guard. Georgia a.g. And another post war. None seem to carry a belly rack only the two wing hardpoints. Dennis That first one shows the sway braces mounts fitted, though it’s hard to see if the sway braces themselves are fitted. The other two pictures are not clear enough to tell. I’m sure at some point post war there is probably some aircraft that had them removed though. 1949 ANG showing the sway braces. 1946 ANG also showing sway braces fitted. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Dammit.....Dammit all to hell! The fit of the centreline stores is probably the worst in a kit with overall atrocious fit. I'm building '2 Big & Too Heavy'.....It's the perfect name for a Thunderbolt and it has not one, but two gorgeous pieces of nose-art: Nothing would change that.....I'd buy another kit just for the decals if I messed them up (I'd bin the plastic though). I've been fettling the pair of (I think) 1000lbers for the wing pylons.....I reduced the massive attachment slots, tidied up the fins, added some texture, and am replacing the fuzes: The instructions tell me the most likely store for the centreline in combination with these two is the P-38 style tank, but the fit is absolutely ******* awful! Please tell me there is something else I could use? Optionally could you help me out with a picture of how it is supposed to look? Don't care any more, found a fix that will do, so I'm going with it.....I'm really starting to hate this kit! EDIT - Best laid plans and all that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Contrary to my every expectation, now that the primer is on, I like my Thunderbolt considerably more than I did when it wasn't! I've got to make a couple of small adjustments and there's still quite a lot of buffing to be done, but I'm rather pleased with how it looks (considering what it is).....Now there's a sentence I really didn't expect to be using in this thread! Pictures later once adjusted & buffed. PS - I've invested in some Vallejo Metal Colour (Aluminium, Dull Aluminium, Duraluminium, plus the primer & varnish).....Now that I have decided that I do in fact like this build, I am at least somewhat willing to gas myself to death in order to facilitate its completion. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Bubba's back: But only for a while. Needed to check the masking had held, just for the sake of my confidence.....All looks to be OK. I'm slightly going round in circles at the moment, I keep discovering things I should add, like the wing tip nav-lights(?).....I've bottled doing the three under the wing, drilling them out would be easy enough, but then what do I glaze them with? Buffing continues.....When it all looks like the cowling I'll be happy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 For your lenses Micro krystal kleer or PVA both dry clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 I just knew someone would suggest something before I could get safely offline.....Excellent, now I can drill holes in my primer again! WooYay! PS - Don't worry, just messing with ya.....If I hadn't wanted to, I wouldn't have mentioned it. Any idea what diameter those suckers would be in 1/72? PPS - Just been looking at some more pictures.....Is it my imagination or should there be a whopping great landing(?) light under the opposite wing, in a roughly similar position? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 It seems I have to make a choice between painting a striped tail and losing the 'Short Snorter' name and nose-art on the starboard side.....Apparently the secondary artwork was added after the change to the striped tail in June 1945: http://fineartofdecals.com/goodies/p-47n-short-snorter2-big-and-too-heavy/ So, just the one piece of nose-art for me then. Here's a contemporary photo of what I'm after: PS - These aircraft did not have the zero length rocket rails.....WooYay! I got something right (purely by chance)! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amblypygid Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I've found that the VMC paints spray very nicely neat from the bottle, Sarge. Just keep the coats thin as they puddle quickly. Shame about the nose art. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Thanks for that fella.....I get to keep the artwork on the port side, so it's not the end of the world. Dammit.....No I don't, she's not there in the early photo! This will never do. How well do the Vallejos spray over the top of each other.....Was planning on spraying my primary colour then masking selected panels for the other two. How well do they cope with masking tape? I've seen bad things with Vallejos (and only remembered about it after I'd bought them). PS - Just noticed that my bird only has one of the three dorsal antenna in the image above.....This is a good thing as, although Italeri provided the parts, making holes for them to fit into was more than they could manage. Reasonably confident that I can get the one on the centreline into place, even without their assistance. PPS - I reckon Italeri are mental.....I'm not at all convinced that the long P-38 tank would fit on the centreline rack and I can't find any pictures showing such an arrangement. Please can someone confirm or refute? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amblypygid Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I reckon they spray fine over each other, and they dry hard. I've never had problems masking with Tamiya tape, though I've only done one full NMF with them so far. Plenty of reviews corroborate that, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 The 3 under wing ID light lenses are approximately 1mm on the Tamiya kit. Yes there should be a landing light under the outer wing in that position. You are now realising that Italeri didn't really do any research for this kit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Did they ever do any research for any of their kits, ever? I'm still battling their awful B-25H (the dorsal turret's been in the background of the photos here a couple of times, almost none of it came from the kit), that's at least a full generation older. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 40 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: PPS - I reckon Italeri are mental.....I'm not at all convinced that the long P-38 tank would fit on the centreline rack and I can't find any pictures showing such an arrangement. Please can someone confirm or refute I agree with your description of Italeri. I seriously doubt a ‘38 drop tank will fit under the Fuselage. A standard 75 or 108 gallon would fit. The large flat tank would also but not sure if these were used in the pacific ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 I've gone for the ovoid shaped 75 gallon tank.....It fits a little closer to the fuselage than it should, but there isn't much I can do about that now.....It is what it is, as I'm known to say at least once in each build thread. 1 hour ago, amblypygid said: Shame about the nose art. Looks like you are right, no stripes.....No nose-art! That is an altogether different kettle of fish.....I feel some adventures with masking tape are on the cards. 41 minutes ago, Tbolt said: The 3 under wing ID light lenses are approximately 1mm on the Tamiya kit. I have the Tamiya kits in the stash, but I've been wary of using them as a reference as they are both P-47Ds.....Presumably I can copy the landing light in the other wing too? Huge thanks for your continued help & support.....I'd have binned this long ago without you guys. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 (edited) 21 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: I agree with your description of Italeri. I seriously doubt a ‘38 drop tank will fit under the Fuselage. A standard 75 or 108 gallon would fit. The large flat tank would also but not sure if these were used in the pacific ? If we are talking about the 165 gallon P-38 tank shown above, then no you would never get it under the belly. The 75 gallon tank is the best bet. The 110 gallon teardrop tank was popular in the Pacific and fitted nicely under the belly, but they a very hard to come by as most manufactures don't seem interested in making them ( as much as I harassed them ). Edited July 23, 2018 by Tbolt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 12 minutes ago, Sgt.Squarehead said: I've gone for the ovoid shaped 75 gallon tank.....It fits a little closer to the fuselage than it should, but there isn't much I can do about that now.....It is what it is, as I'm known to say at least once in each build thread. Looks like you are right, no stripes.....No nose-art! That is an altogether different kettle of fish.....I feel some adventures with masking tape are on the cards. I have the Tamiya kits in the stash, but I've been wary of using them as a reference as they are both P-47Ds.....Presumably I can copy the landing light in the other wing too? Huge thanks for your continued help & support.....I'd have binned this long ago without you guys. Yes as far as I know the lights were all in the same place as the P-47D. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 I need to take a little break from this and think about how I'm going to proceed, if I do any more at the moment I'll cock something up badly, I recognise the symptoms, so I'm going to put this away until my masks and metallics arrive (should be on or about my 50th Birthday, hence the humongous pile of Modelcollect kits that I bought myself).....Don't worry, I'll be back, too much effort has gone into this one to just drop it because of a few stripes. A taste of things to come: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Happy birthday Sgt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Not quite.....Still three days to go, but thanks anyhow! PS - If my eyes don't deceive me, almost all of those stripes can be correlated to panel lines.....Italeri's wander slightly, but I only really need a couple of reference points to get started, confidence is building slowly. PPS - Couldn't leave it alone, I've cleaned up and test fitted the 75gal tank.....Managed to create a whole millimetre of clearance between it and the fuselage, better than nothing I guess. PPPS - Still researching, just discovered that '2 Big & Too Heavy' only seems to have one dorsal antenna, even in her later markings.....This is a good thing. PPPPS - Looks to me, based on that photo and also this one (of another bird from the unit): That the profile above may be slightly out.....To my eye the stripes on the tail appear to change direction at a point in line with the base of the spine, extending out onto the horizontal stabilisers. What do you guys think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 The stripes start at the fuselage and go both diagonally and horizontally from the start points. I think i have the same profile & photos in my collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 24, 2018 Author Share Posted July 24, 2018 Paint masks arrived, but the paint will be a couple of days yet I suspect.....I'm considering masking off some of the polished black primer on the tail and shooting the yellow in a first attempt at the stripes. If it works I can stick some Klear over it and mask it off before painting the NMF (I'm kind of worried about that much masking action over the Vallejos), if not then I smooth it out and shoot it all yellow and try again with the black. I'm currently negotiating with Ma Squarehead to move my airbrush & compressor to the conservatory (permanently) for use while she is in the 'Land of Nod'.....Things are looking promising. My rebuilt fuses on the 1000lbers were a total waste of time, pulled some references for painting and discovered Italeri pretty much just made their fusing up.....Should have expected as much really. Putting the real fuse in the back-end of them will be fun. Was hoping not to have to ask about this, but I'm really confused about the colours I should paint the inside of the cowling for my NMF finish, pictures online are all over the place, especially with the warbirds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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