1/48th P-39Q & RAAF P-39D ..... update 16/9

[trickyrich]

This is more of a space holder for the moment as I haven’t exactly decided on a scheme.

 

Anyway I’ll be building one of the models out of the Combo set, I just won’t have time for two. I had planned to build the Special Hobby 1/32nd monster, but that’s for the Pacific GB.

 

 

This is such a nice looking model and I suspect we’ll see quite a few variations of the Eduard beastie. This will be a straight from the box build for me.

 

 

For a while I had thought with a RAAF scheme, but they used a slightly earlier version but I just don’t have the time to look up what needs to be changed. I’ll leave hat for another day. I’m tempted at the moment to do a “D” model that operated from Milne Bay airbase (near Darwin) around 42/43, we’ll see.

 

[Arniec]

The top two from the scheet 53-09 and 53-13 were D versions, so you don't need to change anything. 53-06 was a F and the difference was the exhausts 12 stubs and the prop. This was the broader one from the Q?! 

I found that here. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a53.htm

 

I am not a specialist, but I hope it helps?

 

Cheers,

 

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by Arniec

[trickyrich]

oh ok. I had at one stage started to look up what needed doing, then someone who shall remain nameless!!!! Now who could that be............ mentioned something about the Special Hobby 1/32nd beast which I just had to buy. So I kind of forgot about RAAF schemes for this one.

 

I may revisit this, will see how time goes.

[trickyrich]

Well I have finally started on her/them.... I actually started one of them on the official starting day but as can be seen I didn’t get very far. I’ve decided to to build the second one as well, seeing as it will really make very little difference time wise building at the same time.

 

I have decided on the schemes, one will be a Q version with a cool sharks teeth drop tank,

 

 

The other a RAAF D model, though in a couple of publications they refer to it as an F model, but going by the USAAC list she was actually a D model. So I can build her straight from the box.

 

 

Work wise I’ve built up both cockpits and nose wheel well......not as simple task at all. The nose wheel bay was a real pain, one of them is a wee bit out.

 

 

I’ve done the doors as well, ready for painting.

 

 

The trailing edges of the wings were really thick, I couldn’t leave them like that so a sanded them back, they’re not perfect but a lot better. I need to do some more work to them before I can close them up.

 

 

With luck I should be ready to start painting the interior over the coming week. I really do need to get a move on with this/these builds.

[Joss]

Looking good rich I do have a soft spot for Aussie aircraft!

The wheel bays are a pain, I found out last time I built these Eduard kits

Just a heads up the piece at the back of the bay might not match up to the base of the wing. It hasn't on three of mine I've built! Will be interesting to see if it's the same aswell for yours!

All the best 

Joss

[trickyrich]

16 minutes ago, Joss said:

Looking good rich I do have a soft spot for Aussie aircraft!

The wheel bays are a pain, I found out last time I built these Eduard kits

Just a heads up the piece at the back of the bay might not match up to the base of the wing. It hasn't on three of mine I've built! Will be interesting to see if it's the same aswell for yours!

All the best 

Joss

I don't think it will match up....one of them ended up bring a bit twisted the other..... I even had the same issue with my Special Hobby 1/32nd beast.

 

They should have moulded the cockpit floor and wheel well roof as one piece, or come up with a better locating locating method!

[Joss]

10 minutes ago, trickyrich said:

I don't think it will match up....one of them ended up bring a bit twisted the other..... I even had the same issue with my Special Hobby 1/32nd beast.

 

They should have moulded the cockpit floor and wheel well roof as one piece, or come up with a better locating locating method!

It would have made it alot easier if they had molded it like that or maybe even location slots for the side was to be glued in first!

I hope you get it sorted with regards to the twists!

Look forward to seeing some more progress all the best

Joss

[trickyrich]

because it's hidden up in the wheel well it won't be seen so I'm not to worried. The good thing is though it all fits together nicely in the test fits so I'm pleased there.

[SleeperService]

I'd strongly suggest thinning the leading edges too. The kit is far too blunt and, I think, deep compared to the photos at Dishmodel I've linked in the reference thread. Your mileage may vary. There's a very good view HERE which should help you decide.

[trickyrich]

you know I hadn't actually looked at them yet, they didn't appear to be that bad or I didn't notice. Will have a look and decide if I can be bothered or not.

[modelling minion]

Nice to see these underway Rich.

Looks like the Eduard kit has a few surprises for us modellers.

[trickyrich]

mmm those wings are bad!!! just spent a couple of hours sanding them back, they sort of look better but they are still a bit thick. The tailing edges are really bad, not what you normally see with an Eduard model!

 

[trickyrich]

Not a lot of progress here, still haven’t painted the cockpit, these rotten wings have eaten up lots of time.

 

The leading edges of the wings are quite bad, as in they are overly thick and the profile just doesn’t look right, too square. The trailing edges......best not talk about them.

 

So time to do some serious sanding!  I could go too crazy as I was worried about how the wings would eventually fit up against the fuselage. If it thinned them too much it would require lots of work to get them to blend with the fuselage.

 

 

As it was they now would sit properly on the lower wing so I had to attack the high points with the grinder! 

 

 

The end results are that they are better and the leading edge is not so square looking at the wing root.

 

 

The joins with the fuselage look to be ok, I should be able to get almost perfect joins (I hope) with a couple of sneaky tricks!

 

[Doc72]

Looks fine so far. Comforting to see that the larger scales have troubles, too.

[trickyrich]

I think the larger scales quite often have the more difficult problems to solve, you can hide them a little bit easier with the smaller scales. I am surprised with the issues I'had with this one, not something you'd normal find on an Eduard model.

 

But in the scale of issues these are all easy to fix, I wish they were this easy with resin models!

[modelling minion]

Good job on the wings Rich, they look better than mine do, wish I had done the leading edges too.

As you say this is surprising from an Eduard kit but the it is an old mold and they have come a long way in that time.

[trickyrich]

they do look better but I've done some more test fits and I may have some issues with the wing to fuselage join on the upper wings. The depth is reduced now so theres a bit of a step at the join, I really don't ant to have to file/send it back and filling it will change the shape too much. But I may have a trick or two that might work on these joins.

[trickyrich]

Lots of progress made with both of these builds but they haven’t been easy which I find surprising for an Eduard model, the fit has been quite poor.

 

Though I’m building these two together I will complete a stage (I really don’t follow the instruction steps at all) then I will repeat it on the second one, the D model seems to be the first one at the moment.

 

I completed most of the cockpit and fitted the IP, so the fuselage could be closed up, both weights didn’t want to fit and needed a bit of panel beating to sit correctly. She eventually went together but not without a struggle, it almost appeared like one fuselage side was slightly longer than the other!

 

 

 

Part of the trouble I found (on both of them) was caused by the small locating pin at the base of the prop shaft, it sits too far back which throws the alignment of both sides out! I only found this as I joined the second fuselage.

 

 

Because I’m build two different versions I numbered the fuselages so I wouldn’t mix them up, I even kept them separated so I wouldn’t mix them up........and I did!    Those holes belong on the Q model not the D, which this one is! 

 

 

Ok now time to look at the wing. After taking quite a bit of plastic off the leading and trailing edges I was left with quite a step when fitted to the fuselage (this was taken later on the Q version).

 

 

 

I also managed to end up with a gap between the wing and fuselage on the LHS on both builds. I used some thin plastic sheet to help fix this.

 

 

To drop (or raise depending how you look at it) wing and remove this step, I ground back the area above the radiator/oil inlets on the wing and fuselage plus a couple of other high bits in this area. I did the same with the rear of the wing and the fuselage where it joins. There was quite a bit of test fits and grinding before I was happy, once done they were glued together.

 

 

I was really happy with the results, the joins are just about perfect. A couple of small gaps with I filled with plastic strip and that’s about it. I only needed to give the leading edge a light sanding to tidy it up.

 

 

 

 

I’ve used some filler on D to tidy up all the joins, Q has had her wings fitted, again she will need just a light sanding before some filler to finish up all the joins.

 

 

 

I’m very happy where I’m at with them so I may put them aside for a little bit to complete the ZSU and EBR, plus I need to get back to the Sabre Dog.

[gingerbob]

So you're making a P-39DQ and a P-39QD?

 

Elegant solution to the wing problem.  Nice of Bell and Eduard to leave you an easy place to let the fallout... fall out!  From your pics, I can't even tell whether there's anything "not quite right" at the front end of the wing bits/ back end of the nose-wheel well.  Even if there is, once you've hung the doors, I think it'll be awfully hard to spot.

 

[trickyrich]

 thanks for reminding me..... and I was so careful up to the gluing stage!

 

As they do with face lifts you need somewhere to hide the scars! Actually the fit around the nose gear opening is quite good, you'll be hard pressed to see the surgery once done. The nose bay insides itself is pretty crap to start with, trying to assemble the handy work of Beelezbub and get it right is near on impossible. In the next update I'll try and take some prettier photos.