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RFI: 1/48 Academy TBM-3 Avenger 'Georgia Peach' USS Essex


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Hi Fellow Britmodellers---  Here is a plane I just finished an hour ago...  Took almost two weeks and its probably my best model thus far.

 

This one is an Academy kit of the original Accurate Miniatures tooling.  The Academy instructions were really hard to follow and missed steps!  If you build one, head to scalemates and look up the old Accurate Miniatures instructions posted online.  I had to several times to figure out how to build this!!!  I added resin wheels, eduard PE seat belts, and the decals are techmod for the USS Essex TBM-3 Avenger.  I detailed the bombs with printscale US weapons decals.

 

One thing I had to fix was the kit did not have the tailwheel extended properly (or I goofed placement of a bulkhead, but not sure).  I had to add a post to the top of the tail gear retract strut to get the tail gear rotated out enough as per photos of real Avengers.  Looking at builds of this kit on line, everyone seems to have the partially extended tailwheel!  So watch for that when you build yours...

 

I painted in Gunsie Mr Color sea blue and intermediate blue and flat white.  I also painted according to official TBM paint guide with the 'gradiated blue' on the Leading Edges of the Wing and Stab which is same as on fuselage sides.  I found a photo of the real Georgia Peach flying and so weathered and detailed accordingly...  This one came out nice!

 

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Thanks for watching and checking it out...

 

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I would say it turns out absolutely perfect. Your paint job is fantastic. No orange skin. Looks very realistic….….….I would be pleased to see it with a nice backdrop in natural light on a little flight deck…..come on please….

 

Cheers

 

Andy

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32 minutes ago, Andy Dyck said:

I would say it turns out absolutely perfect. Your paint job is fantastic. No orange skin. Looks very realistic….….….I would be pleased to see it with a nice backdrop in natural light on a little flight deck…..come on please….

 

Cheers

 

Andy

Hey Andy...  I am not THAT fancy!  Maybe some day I will...  I am lucky just to glue models together right!  Lol...

 

I use an old pasche H-1 single action airbrush.  I have used same airbrush since about 1977!  So I thin the paint enough and put it on in very lightly...  looks like painted metal...

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Very nice Avenger, Bob.

The TBF/ TBM is one of those rare instances, where intermediate blue is applied to the wing leading edges. Very distinctive, and many tend to think its "wrong" without doing some study on the subject.

 

I've been hooked on GSI Mr Color since i built my FG-1 in 2014. Excellent stuff. Just requires a bit more fastidious surface preparation.

 

-d-

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12 hours ago, David H said:

 

I've been hooked on GSI Mr Color

 

-d-

Hi David...  love your fly navy picture...  saw alot of those bumperstickers in the 1970s...  my school friends Dad was a Navy aviator...

 

Yes, i also got hooked on Mr Color!

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3 minutes ago, Spitfire31 said:

Beautiful Avenger! It's certainly 'glued together right' – and then some!

 

Very convincing model.

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

Hi Joachim...  I got lucky, had to pry fuselage apart and I glued 4 different parts in wrong places!  Finally downloaded original Accurate Miniatures instructions and that helped alittle!  But I sure felt dumb building this!

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3 hours ago, IvanP said:

Two weeks??? Wow! Stunning model! Congrats!

 

Ivan

Hi Ivan...  i say two weeks...  really this was 13days. 

 

I can usually build a single engine plane in about 7 to 10days...  thats about 3hrs a day evenings and a saturday and sunday thrown in.  This one took alot more time in decals (4days of decaling) because of problems and the build problems I had.

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2 hours ago, 72modeler said:

What the others have said- very nice paintwork, and one of the best TBM's I have seen in a while! Now you need a GWH SB2C-4 to go with it!

Mike

Hi Mike...  I am aware and have a sb2c-1 accurate miniatures kit, and am aware of the monogram promodeller sb2c-4...  but didnt know of the GWH one...  I am new to 1/48, over last few years...  so missed alot of kits...

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Bob, as I was viewing the pictures, I kept waiting to see where this Avenger would start up and take off on a mission from the Essex.  Very nice results!!!! :like:

Spoiler

 

 

Mike

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7 hours ago, Tokyo Raider said:

Hi Ivan...  i say two weeks...  really this was 13days. 

 

I can usually build a single engine plane in about 7 to 10days...  thats about 3hrs a day evenings and a saturday and sunday thrown in.  This one took alot more time in decals (4days of decaling) because of problems and the build problems I had.

That’s pretty good, Bob. It would take me at least 2-3 months, working on weekends, to complete a kit like that, to such level. I’ve built one these a long time ago, when it was first released, and I remember that the cockpit and bombay doors were a bit tricky to fit. Anyway, good job!

 

Ivan

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7 hours ago, Tokyo Raider said:

Hi Mike...  I am aware and have a sb2c-1 accurate miniatures kit, and am aware of the monogram/Revell  Promodeller sb2c-4...  but didn't know of the GWH one...  I am new to 1/48, over last few years...  so missed a lot of kits...

You know what, Bob-it was the 1/48 GWH TBD that I was thinking of, not the Helldiver. You are correct that the Monogram, Accurate Miniatures, and Monogram/Revell Pro Modeler SB2C's are the only ones in 1/48 scale.....do not follow the larger scale kits nearly as much as the ones in God's Own Scale; sorry, didn't mean to get your hopes up! :sorry:

Mike

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