Torbjorn Posted September 17, 2022 Author Share Posted September 17, 2022 (edited) After one round of priming and redoing some seams, I’m now quite happy and getting ready to start painting. I did remember nose weights. How much? - I asked. One could of course cram as much as possible, but where’s the fun in that? I attached the main gears temporarily and shuffled about a 5-gram weight until I found the tipping point (illustrated below; there is one more 5 gram weight inside). In case anyone wonders, an added moment of about 45 gram-centimeters will have it balancing on the tipping point (slightly on the safe side - I’m missing propellers and nose cone etc). I’ll try to add 55-60 and it should be fine. Edited September 17, 2022 by Torbjorn 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 Highly precise measurements there, Torbjorn. Gram-centimeters, while highly appropriate here, seems highly alien to me as I'm used to kNm from the day job in structural engineering. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 wow you have made some serious progress on her and you seem to have all those issues well and truly sorted. I have used the tissue covering before on IP covers, it does look good and very realistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Torbjorn said: In case anyone wonders, an added moment of about 45 gram-centimeters 1 hour ago, 81-er said: Highly precise measurements there, Torbjorn. Gram-centimeters, while highly appropriate here, seems highly alien to me as I'm used to kNm from the day job in structural engineering. James Oi Common English language please … Will have none of that fancy English here. 😉 Edited September 17, 2022 by Corsairfoxfouruncle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted September 18, 2022 Author Share Posted September 18, 2022 (edited) 8 hours ago, 81-er said: Highly precise measurements there, Torbjorn. Gram-centimeters, while highly appropriate here, seems highly alien to me as I'm used to kNm from the day job in structural engineering. James Yeah, Newtons felt rather unhelpful here Edited September 18, 2022 by Torbjorn 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted September 18, 2022 Author Share Posted September 18, 2022 7 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Oi Common English language please … Will have none of that fancy English here. 😉 My humblest apologies: a baker’s dozenth of a half-hundred grain-fathoms! 😳 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted September 18, 2022 Author Share Posted September 18, 2022 Turns out I have to use the vac-form. After raising the cockpit to height corresponding with pictures and drawings, the kit canopy no longer fits. It’s too thick and hits the top of the bulkhead behind the pilot. I should have seen that coming. No disaster, the vac-form fits after some cutting, and it’s not too thick. The seam will be far from perfect though, I cut a bit unevenly, and I’ll need to fill that somehow. I’m thinking PPP mixed with green, to avoid white to be seen through the canopy. Last shot of the cockpit before closing. PVA lever knobs in place, as well as the antenna relay for the radio (or at least I think that is what the hanging thing is). 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 It's really looking great, and glad you've come come up with a canopy solution. It may be tempting to pose the canopy open with all that cool cockpit detail - but I don't know if that would make things easier or more difficult, so I'll be quiet and watch! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted September 18, 2022 Author Share Posted September 18, 2022 6 minutes ago, Cookenbacher said: It's really looking great, and glad you've come come up with a canopy solution. It may be tempting to pose the canopy open with all that cool cockpit detail - but I don't know if that would make things easier or more difficult, so I'll be quiet and watch! I thought about it, but decided I would not be able to make it look clean enough. I’d have to cut the vac-form, which I do not trust I would manage to do good enough, and the filling of the seams would become too conspicious. I almost forgot the gunsight. I wonder what type they had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 gee that interior looks nice, great job!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted September 25, 2022 Author Share Posted September 25, 2022 On 9/23/2022 at 11:38 PM, trickyrich said: gee that interior looks nice, great job!! Thanks rich! I feel always a moron for spending so much effort on cockpits, just to close it with the barely transparent canopy. This vacform business is quite new to me, but I hope it will leave something to be seen. — I’ve left off the pitot tube and landing gear and primed the upper sides with Vallejo’s OD primer. Didn’t realize how patchy it was until I posted this. I need to improve light conditions at my work desk (age is catching up on my eyes ) Due to generally bad fit I’m considering to attach all landing gear stuff, and maybe even the pitot tube, before even priming the underside. Bad fit means lots of manhandling which tend to ruin the paintwork. If I understood it correctly, the wheel bays and gear should all be neutral grey anyway. Oh, and I trimmed the trim tabs from the ailerons. Seems like the E didn’t have those. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted October 1, 2022 Share Posted October 1, 2022 Oooo that paint job looks nice, don't worry about it being patch! I suspect being in that climate the paint finish suffered quite badly so it wouldn't be a nice even finish. A slight bit of weathering and it'll be prefect! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 (edited) Yeah, they were all heavily weathered. Base paint is on, the OD sprayed with 3 different tones (Vallejo OD mixed with grey, yellow, green). Neutral grey is Vallejo primer (it is not blue, as the photo serms to suggest). I an undecided on which option to go with. The scantily clad lady is out, being completely inappropriately dressed for the Alaskan climate (and the kit lacks the starboard Class of 76 art). I’m leaning towards no 80 (Itsy Bitsy) or 93 (shark mouth). Edited October 6, 2022 by Torbjorn 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 3 hours ago, Torbjorn said: I’m leaning towards no 80 (Itsy Bitsy This will be my vote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted October 8, 2022 Author Share Posted October 8, 2022 (edited) Things always slow down for me when painting starts. After waiting for a glosscoat to dry, I added the stencils: They are stark black and stand out. Which won’t do on a weathered workhorse. Fortunately a one-colour paintjob makes it easy to blend them in. After overspray with thinned OD it looks better (and they can still be read, for those who are amused by such things): To be [slowly] continued… Edited October 8, 2022 by Torbjorn 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 That fading worked very well James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 I've just had a wander through this thread, wow, but it is fighting you, I think you're winning though with some good skills to show. I hope I can remember your fixes when I come to do my one. Not in this GB though, I've another in mind for this. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 Almost there… At some point I knocked off and lost both pitot tube and underside elevator balance, had to scratch replacements. Since this requires painting I fixed some seams I weren’t happy with. Landing gear in place, and she leans the right way. The missing bits and bobs are painted. I managed to glue one wrong prop blade on the wrong hub before I noticed they aren’t identical (in case someone else didn’t know: they spin different directions and the blades are mirrored along the centreline). Did some final painting based on the wonderful Life magazine photograph. The gray on the fins/rudders are what appears to be touch-ups made with the underside colour rather than olive drab. The exhaust stains were made with Vallejo Aged white, which seems to match the photo. Varnished and waiting for final weathering. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted October 20, 2022 Author Share Posted October 20, 2022 Had a hickup: the spinners are two-piece affairs, and I sort of assumed the seam is where there should be a seam. That was wrong, I realized when checking photos to determine how scratchy these things were. These seams are very prominent, so I am trying some in-situ fillling and sanding: Otherwise I added some chipping (photos of Itsy Bitsy reveal there is no paint left on the leading edges) and oils. These things were extremely worn, but I’m always aftaid of overdoing it. Soon ready for the gallery. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 Coming along nicely I'm not sure there is such a thing as "too worn" for a wartime P-38 James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 This is looking wonderful so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trickyrich Posted October 28, 2022 Share Posted October 28, 2022 I really like how this is turning out, great work, keep it up, you're nearly there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 That one has fought you all the way! Super work. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 Thanks guys! I haven’t forgetten her: she’s ready and waiting for me to find enough motivation to take pictures for the Gallery. I got hooked on other projects that are more fun than photography! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattheCat Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 This build was a hard fight! And you won! That's a very nice P-38. Don't be afraid about "too heavily weathered", there is a nice article about the 54th in Wingmasters magazine nr. 81 (French edition, I don't think it exists in English). Except for one pic of a plane taken before they were sent to the Aleutians the paint of all the aircraft is worn out. Congrats. Pat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now