billn53 Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 My local club has a group build going on for this month's meeting, and although time is short, I thought I would contribute something. The theme is WW2 in the Pacific. Originally, I had planned to build a P-38 Lightning, but reality sat in and I selected this kit from my stash instead: I surprised myself by finishing this build in just ten days (and, it was not the only project on my bench)! The Clear Prop kit is very, very good but does take some care to assemble. Details of the build (100-percent OOB) are in my WIP thread, here: All-in-All, I'm quite pleased with how my Claude turned out. Here are the pics: The well-detailed engine and cockpit interior are highlights of this kit. Too bad the details can barely be seen once everything is assembled: Japanese aircraft are not my forte (I've only ever built one before -- Tamiya's excellent 1/72 Ki-61 "Tony"), but my experience with this kit makes me want to do more... I can see an Airfix Kate on my horizon 😉 57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Dyck Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Very cool! The Japanese flag on the antenna mast is breathtaking! What’s your secret? Cheers Andy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Lovely job Bill, she's a beauty Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted July 7, 2021 Author Share Posted July 7, 2021 4 hours ago, Andy Dyck said: Very cool! The Japanese flag on the antenna mast is breathtaking! What’s your secret? Thanks for asking about the flag, I forgot to document this in my WIP. The flag is provided as a decal on the decal sheet: I carefully cut it out and applied it to a piece of thick aluminum foil (not the thin stuff you find in the kitchen, but heavier foil that I salvaged from a food container). Once the decal was on, I gave it a liberal coat of MicroScale Liquid Decal Film (to help protect it from cracking or flaking in the subsequent bending process.) I then folded the foil in half and glued the two inside surfaces together with PVA glue (Gator Grip). I choose this glue because it would retain some flexibility when cured, unlike CA would. I used thin tweezers to shape the flag as if it were in a gentle breeze, taking into account that the mast would be at an angle with the plane on the ground. The last thing I did before gluing the flag to the mast was to apply a thin gray wash -- this softened the colors and created a shadowed effect in the folds of the flag. 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted July 7, 2021 Share Posted July 7, 2021 Great job on the Claude ! Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Lovely job Bill, I really like it. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toryu Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Beautiful! Every detail looks well-done on this build. Isn't this a handsome model of an exotic plane in its silver paint and red markings? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrzeM Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Lovely work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epeeman Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Great workmanship! Nice and colourful too Regards Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbolt Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Very impressive and in ten days! I would struggle to build the cockpit in ten days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Beautiful subject, and a really good work. I love it. The realistic flag is a lovely touch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pedro1 Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 That's a great looking Claude in a ver smart paint scheme! Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Keg Posted July 8, 2021 Share Posted July 8, 2021 Now this is impressive!!!!!! Outstanding results. There`s a ,lot to like with this Claude. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 One more photo to show. Our local club is meeting this weekend, where the group builds will be shown. I wanted to include something special with my Claude, so I tried my hand at building a carrier-deck base and added an IJN pilot (CMK resin, very nice.) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapam Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Excellent work! With the diorama base and figure, I trust your club colleagues will give it the applause it deserves! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDriskill Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Very nice! A great kit and you've done it full justice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Very nice build, the trick with flags is to put the decals on baking foil, and trim it to size, that way you can bend it in different directions as though it is being blown in the wind 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Mister.....for being a ten day build you must've spent ALOT of time during that span building this. Looks great!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 10 minutes ago, mustang1989 said: Mister.....for being a ten day build you must've spent ALOT of time during that span building this. Looks great!!!! Thanks. It’s good to be retired. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, billn53 said: Thanks. It’s good to be retired. LOL!!! I can only imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 That is one sweet model, Sir! Great work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted March 7, 2022 Author Share Posted March 7, 2022 Do you know the term "Dark Horse"? Yesterday was the IPMS-USA Region 5 Convention, hosted by Mad City Modelers here in Madison, Wisconsin. On a whim, I took my ClearProp Claude (entry fee was $10 for 5 models -- I needed a 5th and the Claude fit in my transport box). Wow! Was I surprised when it placed 1st in the "Aircraft Out-of-the-Box" category! I really wasn't expecting anything, because the competition was fierce. One final comment -- May God protect the good folks at ClearProp, their families, and the citizens of Ukraine. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Congratulations Bill! It's a beauty! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Stickler Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 A worthy winner billn53 that's a fantastic job. And amen to your message about the good people of Ukraine. We can only imagine what they are going through at the moment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted March 7, 2022 Share Posted March 7, 2022 Nice job. Like the deck. Yes, thoughts the way of ClearProp folks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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