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The Operation “Judgement” FAA Avenger is +++FINISHED with RFI Added+++


mark.au

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On 3/22/2022 at 11:34 PM, Gatesy64 said:

Truly outstanding, really enjoying your WIP and investigation into the specific aircraft.

 

On 3/23/2022 at 9:17 PM, corsaircorp said:

Hello Mark !!

How did I miss this thread !!

I'm catching up later, Amazing job and researches !!

Sincerely.

CC


Thank you gents (and you too @bigbadbadge) for the kind comments.  Trying to make it look right is my favourite part of this wonderful hobby of ours.  Very nice to see you CC !

 

I’m going to use this update as a general catch up as I’ve not been planning my workflow very well and while active, I’ve not gotten very much further than the last update.  Last night I finished the stencil decals which I applied using Future only.  Consequently I am quite sure none silvered.  I didn’t apply any on the white painted parts of the airframe, looking at contemporary photos of 846 aircraft there are none to be seen on them so I assume they weren’t replaced when the white was applied. This evening I completed the final painting task, the wing walkways.  It was a little tricky to get the masking just right but I was patient - not my strong suit - and I got there in the end.


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I started with black and then textured the tone with a few progressively lighter shades.  When I was happy with the variation in the depth of finish I promptly sealed it all in with some clear coat (without taking a photo, duh) and wiped the variation out!  It’ll come back with the flat coat later on.

 

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some of the other jobs I’ve completed have included the structure in the wing fold, both fuselage side and wing.  It’s reasonably close to accurate but not exact.  It also needs dirtying up some more as can been in the modern warbird shot below (can you tell the difference between it and my model…? 😂)…

 

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So here’s the state of thing tonight, the model is ready for weathering.  It’s really quite close to the finish now, actually.  It needs some oil staining and a bit more grubbing up and then we’re into final assembly and finish.  I do have to remember the exhausts though.  I’ve lost the kit parts so need to find a straw with the right OD to make replacements.

 

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Cheers.

 

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Today I’ve focused on the underside weathering.  I used my dark goop, and worked in a remarkably patient manner for me, slowly building the effects until just more than I want the final effect to be.  Why more? because the final flat coat will tone it down a tad.

 

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I also finished off the weathering in the interior structure…

 

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The fuselage was treated the same way.  I paid extra attention to the forward bomb bay doors because photos show it gets particularly grubby there.  I also focused on the lower engine cowling as a usual suspect for oily mess.  
 

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The rear end was grubbed up too, but more in a general way as white-painted machinery in any application soon isn’t white.

 

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All that remains on the underside of the fuselage is the final flat coat which I’ll do this evening, then I’ll turn it on its wheels and finish the uppers.  The wings still need their nav lights and the Yagi Radar as well a# the pitot tube.  I will probably do all of that last.  
 

That’s all for today, cheers.

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Mark,

 

That's impressive finishing you've achieved there. Love the wing fold detail and the subtle level of weathering,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

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20 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great work on the weathering Mark, the undersides look fantastic. Love the cowling effects particularly. 

Chris

 

 

Thank you Chris, it's always a tricky proposition weathering on white, it's [very] easy to take it too far so your feedback is much appreciated.

 

19 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

I'm really looking forward to the end result, Mark. 

 

Me too! Pretty close now, though I must reign in my tendency to rush the last few tasks.

 

19 hours ago, Dunny said:

Mark,

 

That's impressive finishing you've achieved there. Love the wing fold detail and the subtle level of weathering,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger

 

Thank Roger, I'm still referring to your Avenger as a guide on on what I want mine to look like.

 

7 hours ago, AliGauld said:

This build is just a masterclass on how it should be done and I hope I can learn from it.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

 

Thanks, that's very kind of you to say Alistair, your work provides much inspiration to me too.  I hope I'm not too presumptuous in the amount of interest there might be but I plan to do a step by step pictorial of the how as I finish the wings (same process as the fuselage).

 

6 hours ago, Fritag said:

I’ve been away for a week and thoroughly enjoyed catching up with your progress Mark.  Enviably neat work and typically fine finishing.

 

Thanks! I'm not often complimented with words like "neat" - can I quote you to my wife? 

 

Sunday afternoon here in Aus and after spending the morning on my bike riding up and down big hills I had a couple of hours to work on the fuselage before a family dinner.  The contemporary pics show these aircraft as really quite tidy; not a lot of evidence - if any, actually - of paint chipping for example.  One can see some staining and a bit of griminess in the white lowers, but the uppers seem remarkably clean and tidy.  So, I weathered based on general principles and experience gained from a thirty year career oriented around machines that spend their life outdoors.  I didn't do much; some variation in the wing walkways where boots would have walked; some staining in the maintenance areas, focusing particularly on hinges and other components that would have been lubed and/or would have been exposed to fluids.  It certainly helps that my son is a pilot and can tell me where lube and staining generally accumulates, especially in lieu of clear and detailed contemporary photos to work from.  I also worked in the exhaust staining which would also have shown up quite starkly against a white airframe - more so than one would typically expect on a late war Allied airframe - and upon further review I think this is part of the staining seen around the forward bomb bay doors mentioned previously.

 

When I was done with the dirty work, I sealed it all up with my flat Future mix.  I always mix a little Future in the flat coat because it guarantees a non-chalky look that we sometimes get with a pure flat coat finish.  At least, it does for me.  Anyway, here's how the model looks right now.

 

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Particularly detail oriented readers may notice I lightened up the interior structure and wing fold; I was always a bit sus on the darkness of the grey I'd used so I lightened it with a very thinned Sky to create a dirty effect.  I exaggerated it a little on the basis that it will be hard to see with the folded wing in place so an observer's glance needs to register something quickly.  On a slightly negative point, I've been staring at this thing for a week since applying the roundels and only just noticed there's something [quite] a bit off about the port side fuselage C1.  Bugger.  It is going to be hidden behind the folded wing but I might not be able to live with it nonetheless.

 

I still might do just a little paint chipping around the fuel fillers and the prop blades, but the black paint looks quite pristine in all the photos, not just of JP or 846 squadron so the usual suspects for chipping like the leading edges and engine cowlings simply don't look like there's any to do.  I do need to remove the masking, almost certainly do some clean up on the glass, add the round observers' windows, and attach the exhausts.  I may use those from my other Hobby Boss Avenger in the stash and punt the problem of finding replacements for the lost ones to future Mark.  I'm sure he won't mind.

 

I'm going to leave everything now to settle down and throughly dry out.  While that's happening, I'll work on the wings.

 

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

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This is a thing of beauty Mark. It does look fantastic.   Re the black area and lack of chipping visible, we're there any close up photos showing this ? 

I was wondering if the black may have chipped away showing the EDSG or DSG underneath so may not show up as a bright area for the Aluminium such as around fasteners etc.

Great work 

Chris

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On 26/03/2022 at 06:12, mark.au said:

building the effects until just more than I want the final effect to be.  Why more? because the final flat coat will tone it down a tad.

 

Splendid observation Mark and explains why the colour work here looks so rich and convincing. Superb.

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16 hours ago, Anthony in NZ said:

:wub:

I'm sorry I have nothing to say except this expresses my feelings on seeing your work on this

Thank you Anthony, kind words indeed.

 

14 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

This is a thing of beauty Mark. It does look fantastic.   Re the black area and lack of chipping visible, we're there any close up photos showing this ? 

I was wondering if the black may have chipped away showing the EDSG or DSG underneath so may not show up as a bright area for the Aluminium such as around fasteners etc.

Great work 

Chris

That’s a pretty good point Chris, but try as I might I cannot find any evidence of chipping either to the TSS or the metal.  I can only think that the black was maintained to ensure its anti-glare properties were intact.

 

12 hours ago, heloman1 said:

Excellent looking paintwork Mark, congratulations...

 

Colin

Thanks Colin, I like how it’s turned out so far.

 

3 hours ago, TheBaron said:

Splendid observation Mark and explains why the colour work here looks so rich and convincing. Superb.

Thanks Tony - this has slowly occurred to me over the last couple of monochrome finished in particular where my texturing has faded under the final treatments.  It’s a bit more important on this one as the Grumman product tended to attract the grime in its panel lines more than most.

 

Looking at the model this morning I think I may have overdone the exhaust staining a bit.  I might have to tone it down a bit.  I’ll post a pic a bit later for collective review.

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7 hours ago, opus999 said:

Wow, I'm really late to the party.  How did I miss this?  Well, it looks fantastic at this point! :D 

Thanks,I think I need to up my thread-naming game.

 

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The exhaust stains… Before on the left, after on the right.  Still too much? Help! I’m overthinking this one…

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1 hour ago, mark.au said:

The exhaust stains… Before on the left, after on the right.  Still too much? Help! I’m overthinking this one…

Hi Mark, looking at Tonyot's image of CIJ on your second page, your exhaust stains compare very well.  Your image on page 4 shows none on this aircraft however that is just one point in time and could well have been cleaned.  IMHO I would go with the staining as likely to have developed them if over a couple of missions for instance. Grey do look very good.

Chris

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They look about right for an aircraft that's seen a few missions, just going by pictures I've seen of  other Navy birds of the era.  That's an unqualified opinion without looking at any reference photos.  In short... it doesn't stand out. :) 

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21 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Hi Mark, looking at Tonyot's image of CIJ on your second page, your exhaust stains compare very well. 

 

19 hours ago, AliGauld said:

They look very, very good to me and extremely convincing.

 

5 hours ago, opus999 said:

They look about right for an aircraft that's seen a few missions, just going by pictures I've seen of  other Navy birds of the era.  That's an unqualified opinion without looking at any reference photos.  In short... it doesn't stand out. :) 


Thanks gents.  I’m looking to represent JP as it would have appeared upon its return from that 4th May operation.  Flying fast, low level, rich mixture, and with lots of throttle during the attack would create darker stains than for a regular patrol flight where they’d run leaner and create less and lighter stains.  At least, that’s what I’m going for.

 

Edited by mark.au
Failure to proof read
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3 hours ago, mark.au said:

 

 


Thanks gents.  I’m looking to represent JP as it would have appeared upon its return from that 4th May operation.  Flying fast, low level, rich mixture, and with lots of throttle during the attack would create darker stains than for a regular patrol flight where they’d run leaner and create less and lighter stains.  At least, that’s what I’m going for.

 

Ha! I normally go with what I manage to spatter in the right place 🤣 I do admire your logic though!

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