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1/48 Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk Mk.II


Back in the Saddle

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I made a start on this one today.

 

Firstly, despite the artwork above, I should point out I will be depicting the other version of this kit - a 112 Squadron aircraft based in Libya:

 

sch.jpg

 

The cockpit is a typical new Airfix design - very detailed and going together like clockwork:

 

pit.jpg

 

I have high hopes I will finish this one quite quickly!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Progress has been at my usual slow pace but yesterday I painted the cockpit tub and applied the decals:

 

pit0.jpg

 

The cockpit sides were then glued to the base and the whole assembly added to the fuselage:

 

pit2.jpg

 

Followed by the ducting for the engine:

 

pit3.jpg

 

The fuselage should be closed up later today!

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On 16/04/2021 at 20:54, Antb said:

Looks great so far. 

 

It is a lovely little kit, looking forward to seeing your progress 

Thank you!

12 hours ago, Valkyrie said:

Weathering on the cockpit is really nice 

Cheers!👍

 

Despite my best intentions, I've only glued half of the fuselage:

 

warp.jpg

 

Due to the warp, I thought it would be best to anchor the front before attempting to close up the rear!😄

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Work on this one has been going well. The fuselage is closed up (except a bit on the tip of the fin which I somehow missed...!)

 

Whilst I was on a roll, I attached the wing lower half too:

 

tom1.jpg

 

The exhaust panel was too large to fit into the slot, so once I've fettled that into submission I will finish the nose.👍

 

I also need to make some seat belts before the canopy goes on - I forgot all about those when I was working on the cockpit tub...

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On 20/04/2021 at 15:41, Col. said:

You look to be making good progress on this one Matt.

Thanks Col. It goes together quite well, but not without a few fit issues... The wing roots needed filling, as did the cowling. I attached the tailplane today and I can see that will need some too. I think it should look OK after a little more attention - here's the current state of play:

 

tom.jpg

 

I do believe I'll finish this one comfortably before the GB deadline - that'll be a first!😆

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The model is now primed, which showed some filler was needed around the leading edges of the wings - especially near the bulges for the gear struts:

 

tomi.jpg

 

The instructions call for Humbrol 157 on the underside, but that colour has been discontinued. I do have some acrylic paint in this shade, which came with the 1/72 model shown below. However, I have heard this paint does not airbrush very well so I will attempt to mix up some enamel instead. Looking through my tins I think a combination of Humbrol 89 darkened with some Humbrol 77 might be right?

 

157.jpg

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I mixed some paint up this morning and sprayed the underside:

 

blue.jpg

 

I think the next coat will be lighter and greyer - assuming the Humbrol 157 is correct on the smaller model which I'm using as my reference...!

 

Incidentally, that 1/72 version of the Tomahawk was build by my 6 year old daughter last year and was the reason I bought the 1/48 kit - I really liked the look of the smaller one!

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18 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Incidentally, that 1/72 version of the Tomahawk was build by my 6 year old daughter last year and was the reason I bought the 1/48 kit - I really liked the look of the smaller one!

Good work on show by you both there Matt :thumbsup:

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On 11/05/2021 at 21:50, Graham Boak said:

H157 was too dark and too purplish: it may have been corrected more recently, so it depends when the smaller one was painted.  Check the colour against  the Sovereign Hobby website.

Cheers Graham - I had a look and remixed accordingly.👍

 

On 12/05/2021 at 15:41, Col. said:

Good work on show by you both there Matt :thumbsup:

Thanks you! She did quite a bit herself 😊

 

On 13/05/2021 at 10:20, WarhammerAdjacent said:

Thanks for keeping us updated, I'm now debating whether to build this or a Crusader I've got sitting in my stash.

Tricky one! 😄

 

I have now painted the blue to my satisfaction. Unfortunately I have lost the pre-shade detail, as so many coats were applied:

 

blu.jpg

 

I need to paint the undercarriage bays and then it's the upper surfaces.👍

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On 18/05/2021 at 20:24, franky boy said:

Nice work Matt

Thanks James! The kit is pretty good - a typical 'new' Airfix build. 👍

 

I scaled up the painting diagram last night and printed it:

 

dia.jpg

 

I then cut out the lighter sections in order to make templates for vinyl masks:

 

msks.jpg

 

Which were then cut and applied to the mode tonight, ready for painting tomorrow:

 

vin.jpg

 

The masks are dark brown, so at this stage it looks like the pattern has had the colours reversed! The light bits will get sprayed dark earth and the masks will be removed to reveal the mid stone underneath...

 

Finally the remaining bits:

 

bits.jpg

 

The propeller and wheels need painting, but everything else is ready to be glued into place.👍

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