Tamiya 1/48 Brewster F2A-2 Buffalo - Finished

[Mattp7999]

Well thought that I'd get started on my first build since joining Britmodeller. Here's Tamiya's 1/48 Scale Brewster F2A-2 Buffalo. I plan to use the kit decals despite them being a bit thick in order to depict it as an aircraft of VF-3 aboard USS Saratoga. 

 More to come soon.. 🙂

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2023 by Mattp7999

[LDSModeller]

1 hour ago, Mattp7999 said:

Tamiya's 1/48 Scale Brewster F2A-2 Buffalo

 

Nice model, I built one in   "In The Navy GB" in 2020

 

Link to my build if it's of any help to you - Mine was built a VF 3 Bird

USN F2A-2 VF 3 build

 

Look forward to your build

 

Regards

 

Alan

[Mattp7999]

Thanks Alan, have always had a liking of Felix squadron aircraft, be it VF-3, VF-6, VF-31 or VFA-31.. will certainly check your build out. 🙂

   Regards Matt

[Mattp7999]

Well looks like the good weather will put pay to any modelling today, Saturday sees a return to normal Welsh weather so shall resume then 🙂

[Mattp7999]

Well... it clouded over and looked like rain... so carried on a bit with some more painting of the interior of the fuselage & cockpit

 

 

 

 

To be continued.. 🙂

[The Spadgent]

Great start, paint already🥰.  I always wanted to build one of these and this scheme looks fantastic! Yellow wings. 😀 what’s not to like. 
I’ll tag along if I may.

 

 Johnny. 

[Mattp7999]

Thanks Johnny much appreciated 🙂, will be the first time I've built an aircraft in the pre-war yellow wings scheme so will be interesting. 

[Biggles87]

Nice kit nice scheme, I’m in too please.

 

John

 

🇺🇦

[Mattp7999]

Thank you John, much appreciated

 

Thought I'd do a little bit more this morning, the trim wheel has had the holes drilled out (first time I've ever used a pin vice so happy with that 🙂) The cockpit components have been added on and have been painted. It's a shame really that Tamiya didn't include decals for the instruments as their painting callout is just to paint them Gloss White.. Think I'll try and put some X-1 on that to try and make them look more like a dial.. My level of building at present doesn't extend to photo etch.. 

 

 

 

[Mattp7999]

Well the instrument panel looks a bit better now without the white dots in the panel.. 

 

First time using Tamiya's Extra Thin, previously had always used Humbrol's Liquid cement which usually left my fingerprints on the model.. this stuff is great and the aircraft is buttoned up without much drama. not much in the way of gaps along the seam lines but will give it a light sanding just to make sure. Its a shame there is a noticible gap between both halves in the engine bay will see if can fill with superglue as it most likely won't be seen when complete as the engine will block it out along with the engine cowl. 

 

Thanks for looking gang

 

 

[Mattp7999]

Bit more progress today

 

Engine has been assembled and painted..

 

 

Now installed in the fuselage 

 

 

Had to cut the locating pins off the front of the cowling to get it to line up properly.

 

 

Inside of the wings painted with XF-21.. thats all for now I think.. 

 

 

[Vesa Jussila]

This is nice kit. I built this many years ago. You are doing nice job.

[Mattp7999]

Thank you Vesa, much appreciated 🙂

[Troy Smith]

5 hours ago, Mattp7999 said:

Inside of the wings painted with XF-21..

which is Tamiya 'Sky'..... seems a weird colour choice,  is this the Tamiya call out?  Don't recall any US primer/interior colour looking like Sky...

 

I'll @jimmaas as he'd know

 

https://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/05/stuff_eng_interior_colours_us_part3.htm#:~:text=Early model Brewster Buffaloes%2C including,cockpits%2C similar to Interior Green.

 

Brewster F2A Buffalo

Early model Brewster Buffaloes, including F2A-1, F2A-2, Finnish and Dutch Model 239s had cockpit interiors painted in Aluminium lacquer with usual black instrument panel and switch boxes. The later F2A-3s were produced with Zinc Chromate Green cockpits, similar to Interior Green.

 

   

 

On 16/06/2022 at 21:22, Mattp7999 said:

I plan to use the kit decals despite them being a bit thick in order to depict it as an aircraft of VF-3 aboard USS Saratoga. 

This come up time and time again.   

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235008098-dealing-with-thick-decals-ie-tamiya/#elControls_2464801_menu

 

"The best way to get all Japanese decals ( Fujimi, Hasegawa, Tamiya etc)to work as they're supposed to is use hot water and the correct setting solutions. You'll need a bottle each of Gunze Mr Setter and Mr Softer. Micro sol and others won't work as they're formulated differently. Do not use Gunze on Microscale or Cartograf decals as it will chew right through them.

Dip the decal in hot water, it doesn't need to be boiling but it does need to be fairly hot. The temperature of a drinkable tea will do. The glue is heat activated and is what makes up most of the thickness. If you dip it in cold water you'll spend the rest of the day waiting and cursing.

Lay down some Mr Setter, this is in the blue bottle. It acts as an additional glue. Slide the decal onto it and into postion and leave it alone. The decal should wrinkle a little.

Give it 10 mins or so and go over the decal with a brush with a little Mr Softer (green bottle) on it. Use sparingly as it is extremely hot. Too much and it will damage the paint, especially the weaker acrylics. The decal will now wrinkle a lot. Do not touch it as it is almost liquified at this point.

Once it is dry it will have smoothed out and will lay down beautifully over just about any raised or recessed detail you care to think of. Used properly it is probably the best conforming decal process in the industry. Used incorrectly and you'll be just another guy complaining about crap Japanese decals."

 

If you don't have the decal solutions,  at least use hot water,  you can also use a hot compress to press the decals down.     Test on a spare if in doubt.

 

HTH

 

[Mattp7999]

Hi there, yes Tamiya called out XF-21 Sky for the interior of the aircraft on the instructions. I shall modify my painting of the undercarriage bays and lower interior to aluminium. Thanks for the articles very informative and will definitely try to obtain some Mr Setter and Mr Softer, personally I can't recall having had any problems with Tamiya decals when I'd built any of their kits in the past having built Mustangs, Spitfires, Mosquitos and Beaufighters without any calamaties. 

   Thanks for the advice 🙂

[Troy Smith]

52 minutes ago, Mattp7999 said:

I can't recall having had any problems with Tamiya decals

It was just you mentioned the thickness, which is apparently mostly glue.    The chap who posted the info I linked seemed to give a good case for how to get them to work, and how well  they will then work...

Which makes sense as several Japanese companies make this type of decal, and at one point Tamiya did use Scalemaster decals,  which are not for being fragile and prone to cracking. 

 

As for colour call outs....  Being a bit of research geek, I tend to look up these things and not trust model companies..  As an aside, Tamiya specify XF-21 Sky as the main interior colour on their 1/48th Lancaster kit....

 

Cheers

T

 

[Mattp7999]

Have repainted the internals of the cockpit and undercarriage bays aluminium, the interior of the cockpit has been repainted as much as possible with only minor traces of Tamiya Sky now left. The undercarriage legs have been installed and have painted the tyres prior to masking them with the eduard masking set. 

 

 

 

I think next job will be to mask up the lower window so that it can be sprayed and then go from there. 🙂

[Mattp7999]

@Troy Smith, Troy bearing in mind our conversation the other day, would you think that the decking behind the pilot's head and also the bulkhead that the pilot's seat is attached to, would they be aluminium too rather than the Green which Tamiya have pointed out? Bit difficult to see these areas on photographs that I have seen. Regards Matt

[Biggles87]

If it’s any help the Special Hobby 1/32  ‘Yellow Wing’ Buffalo shows it as aluminium. I have a couple of books on the Buffalo but they are buried somewhere behind a pile of unwanted furniture and horse rugs ( don’t ask ) in my man cave at the moment.

 

John. 🇺🇦

[Mattp7999]

I thought it might have been.. only picture I can find of the Buffalo's top side was when John Thach crashed his Buffalo and tipped it on its nose.. rather difficult to discern the colour though. But after what Troy had posted the other day it certainly makes more sense. Thanks John 🙂

[Mattp7999]

Well have painted the tyres with Tamiya Rubber Black and masked them up with the eduard set and some Maskol. 

 

The lower window has been masked. So glad I bought the Eduard set as doing it by hand would have been a nightmare.. Kudos to Alan @LDSModeller who I think did that by hand by cutting masking tape strips himself.. 

 Canopy now masked up too ready 🙂

 

 

[Troy Smith]

22 hours ago, Mattp7999 said:

Bit difficult to see these areas on photographs that I have seen.

this one?

 

looks to be a light tone similar to the fuselage side,  

 

If he see this, the person who would know is @jimmaas  or perhaps @mhaseldencould help? 

 

 

[Mattp7999]

Hi Troy yes thats the one, yes I thought it appeared to be Aluminium lacquer as well definitely not as dark as the green which Tamiya would have you paint it. 

[jimmaas]

The decking behind the pilot's seat remains an area of mystery.  Certainly on the F2A-1 and 2 it was aluminum lacquer, and I expect for the Finnish 239's too, since they were delivered in the overall aluminum lacquer scheme. The F2A-3 (and rebuilt F2A-1's) had Dull Dark Green or Bronze Green (the Brewster document calls out both because, hey, Brewster). For the real British order, maybe gray-green to match the cockpit? For the Netherlands Indies and related aircraft, which had aluminum lacquer/black cockpits.....no real idea.  It makes sense to think they would be some camouflage -blad or other but there's no proof I've seen.  Evidence would be welcome.

[Mattp7999]

@jimmaas Thank you ever so much, you've definitely confirmed what I needed to know on my F2A-2. Many regards all 🙂