Revell/Ozmods 1/144 Grumman C-2A -- Finished

[dnl42]

The next installment in my Grumman aircraft GB year, the C-2A Greyhound. A derivative of the E-2, it was designed for the COD role. The kit will be in the markings of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30, VRC-30, Providers.

 

Here are the two boxen.

 

The OzMods bits. Clear injected fuselage, horizontal stabilizers, and cargo ramp; resin cockpit and antennas; a full set of decals. I won't bother with the cockpit as I prefer to paint 1/144 kit glazings black.

 

Kept from the Revell kit are the wings, nacelles assemblies, vertical stabilizers, landing gear, and tailhook. As with an earlier E-2C build, I will add some MLG bay details to fill the nacelle voids.

 

 

And this is that earlier E-2C build. The kit provides markings for VAW-115, Liberty Bells, as well as French Naval Aviation.

 

I won't be able to start until mid-month, after a return from a vacation in the RV.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Welcome aboard. 

[CliffB]

Welcome to the GB from me too.

I'm constantly amazed by the range of subjects that are now available in 1/144 scale - and nice kits they are too.

Enjoy your vacation.

 

Cheers

[Dermo245]

Nice one!

I've built this conversions and it's a little gem - looking forward to following. 

 

Cheers,

Dermot

 

 

[dnl42]

Thanks all!

 

Started on the fuselage. There's some thicker flash and large sprue gates.

 

Working with a chisel and 4-cut file has improved things considerably. The plastic's transparency makes it more difficult to work with. 

[dnl42]

Locating pins? It ain't got no locating pins. It don't need no locating pins. It don't have to give you any stinkin' locating pins! I added locating pins. I also painted the fuselage gloss black behind the transparencies.

 

Assembled and smoothed.

 

The ramps needed some shims fore and aft.

Filing, scribing, and polishing are yet needed.

[dnl42]

The empennage is on.

 

I had to file an inset into the horizontal stabilizer's leading edge. While not explicitly called out, it is clearly shown in the OzMod drawing.

The remaining OzMod bits are the nose door and antennas.

[dnl42]

Some of you may know the 6 Ps. The 5 P version is prior planning prevents poor performance. I don't put usually put cockpits into 1/144 models. This one was needed as it also provided the NLG mounting. 

[CliffB]

2 hours ago, dnl42 said:

This one was needed as it also provided the NLG mounting. 

 

Oops!  Hopefully there's an easy fix for you 🤞🏼

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Ouch

[dnl42]

Thanks @CliffB and @Corsairfoxfouruncle! As I hadn't yet glued the wing on, I was able to hack away at the cockpit part and cram it in through the wing slot. All better now...

 

And the wing is on. Those I had to fill in three indentations for the dome mount, remove scribed lines on the wing leading edge, and remove 1mm from each wing at the rear inset.

[Toryu]

Planning is OK - improvisation leads to success. Sometimes I have the feeling the whole modelling process is improvisation, notwithstanding all the prior planning. Well resolved!

[Hewy]

Looking good 👍

[dnl42]

Thanks @Toryu and @Hewy!

 

I added some detail to the otherwise hollow see-through nacelles using 0.014 in Evergreen strip and Archer Fine Details Resin Panel Lines. I'm finding them more and more versatile.

 

And with that, the airframe is ready for the paint shop.

The stand is to determine balance. Per Revell, the E-2C needs 10gm of nose weight. OzMods didn't indicate nose weight was needed and I was hoping that disc was the balance problem. Sadly nose weight is indeed in plan. I might be able to pour a little Liquid Gravity through the nose bay. More likely, I'll have to drill a hole behind that nose wheel plug and pour some in. I mean, it's not like it would be the first time I added nose weight after the airframe was complete and sealed up. 

 

Anyway, thanks for looking! 

[CliffB]

It's looking great with the engines on 

Thanks for the tip re. the Archer Panel Lines.  I've got some of their rivet decals, but somehow missed their lines.

 

Cheers

[dnl42]

Spent time filling, filing, and polishing. I used Parafilm M to mask the nose transparencies and punched masking tape disks for the fuselage transparencies. After the addition of some OzMods' resin bumps, she's now primed with thinned Mr Surfacer 1200. With the clear fuselage and some translucent plastic, I assumed that priming would show areas needed more attention--no disappointment there.

[dnl42]

It's been a while.

 

I drilled a hole in the fuselage bottom behind the nose gear insert, poured in Liquid Gravity, and then used Formula 560 to seal the ballast. I also flowed some Future into the nose gear bay to catch some leaking 'gravity.'

[CliffB]

It's nice to see this one under way again and that Liquid Gravity certainly seems to have worked!

 

Cheers

[dnl42]

The base LGG is on. Next is masking for white and then blue for the inner surfaces of the outer vertical stabilizers.

[Hewy]

Very nice, its was hard to see properly when the fuselage was clear, but it does look a fine conversion ,good job

[dnl42]

@Hewy, it was indeed hard to see when clear! The first primer coat showed some more filling and filing was in order. 

 

The white is mostly on. I struggled with how to mask this until I realized I could mask to paint the upper-half, spray that, mask for the lower-half, and spray again. I still need to figure out some white-gray masking around the tail, but that will wait for morning.

Hm, some more filing and filing is in order with that stabilizer leading edge...

Thanks for looking 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Looking good with the paint on. 

[Hewy]

Its looking smart👍

[dnl42]

Thanks @Corsairfoxfouruncle and @Hewy! 

 

I fixed the various flubs and issues in the gray and white, including some overspray when I painted the inner stabilizer surfaces blue.

The wing deicing boots are the last bit of airbrushing the airframe. After that, the LG, wheels, and various brushed metallics.

[dnl42]

Ready for decals!