Academy/Minicraft PV1 Ventura Restoration to RCAF Ventura AE728 (FINISHED!)

[marvinneko]

My Hurricane is entering a painting and decalling phase and I want to take my time letting each step cure because I am using Vallejo acrylics.

 

So I'm considering my next project... inspired by @Brigbeale's restorations, and @rob Lyttle's Lockheed Ventura/Lodestar masterpieces. Gentlemen, any tips, tricks, and input most welcome. I will also be reviewing builds from @Ed Russell and some articles. Tony O'T was the king of the venturas.

 

 

I now have four 1/72 minicraft Venturas that I have picked up second hand. This one is a partly-built 1/72 minicraft Ventura I got at a show for $5. The vendor tried to sell me on the fact that a "museum-quality" modeller had done most of the work for me but I told him I was going to take it apart anyway.

 

The paint and seams look good but I want a 1942-era Ventura, freshly built, wearing TLS cammo, and turretless and gunless, snatched away from RAF delivery for the purpose of RCAF training at 34 OTU Pennfield. So this fellow needs to come apart and come clean!

 

I want to make this one into the Ventura coded FY-F AE728 crash that my great uncle experienced while training (described elsewhere on BM). I'll remove the turret and cover the turret and astrodome holes, collapse starboard landing gear, open the escape hatch in the cockpit roof, and open the passenger door on the port side.

 

.

 

In the pic below some more issues... two identical pilot seats? Each with an ejector pin seat cushion? And a giant full bulkhead with a space-age circle in the middle? Nope nope nope. My Ventura needs less than half a bulkhead behind the pilot only, and only one seat. And a better seat. And seatbelts! Behind that would be the radio op position. I'll add that too. I've read crash reports and it's interesting to read the radio op witness statements. They sometimes have no clue about what's going on because they are tied up in the wireless training exercises.

 

I'll need to do something about the nose. I need the windowed version. For some bizarre reason all four of my minicrafts are the USA version of the plane. Same with other ones I've seen in stores. All the RAF versions are being sold cheap down in America where shipping would cost me as much as all four kits together. Drives me crazy but there it is. 

 

I may try sawing off the noses and vacuforming new ones in clear. Unless there is a source of noses somewhere? Ah but shipping! I dunno. Does minicraft sell replacement noses I wonder? (for their alternative RAF / B34 Lexington versions) I sent Academy an email. We'll see what happens!

 

Bomb bay is buttoned up. That's fine but it'll come apart anyway probably. In the background you see the tailplane pieces. I would like to cut out the rudders and elevators. I probably need to check on @rob Lyttle's work.

 

Finally, what's this? Some creepy psychopath modeller trophy? No, it's phase 1. Soaking the pieces in water. Then I'll drain them and freeze them for a few days. If CA was used to glue them, supposedly this should help expand and break the bonds.

 

Phase 2 will be handing the pieces over to my wife. She soaks 3d prints in IPA at work and she's due to replace the liquid soon. She'll toss the pieces into the stuff for a week maybe before sending the liquid on to be properly disposed of. I'll clean the stuff off at that point and see what's what.

 

So why start with this one instead of the pristine ones? Something to learn on and just try everything without worrying about it. When my wife bought me the Revell Ventura last xmas (first kit in 40 years) I got so tensed up with perfectionism it really surprised me. Having extra copies helps!

 

This one will proceed slowly as I need to see how well I can break apart and clean his thing first.

Edited March 26 by marvinneko

[Ed Russell]

This looks as though it will be interesting. I think my build is self-explanatory but feel free to ask any questions you like. Most of it is basic - the wheel wells are perhaps self-indulgent!

[theplasticsurgeon]

Hi @marvinneko,  Here's my Academy/Minicraft Ventura build from 2018.

The parts are different - mine (early version) having a glass nose, that brought its own troubles. 

I just looked up the parts on Scalemates - yours looks like the gunship version kit, with solid fuselage.

[marvinneko]

5 hours ago, theplasticsurgeon said:

Hi @marvinneko,  Here's my Academy/Minicraft Ventura build from 2018.

The parts are different - mine (early version) having a glass nose, that brought its own troubles. 

I just looked up the parts on Scalemates - yours looks like the gunship version kit, with solid fuselage.

 

 

Yup... I was thinking I could do one of the following options:

 

1. chop off the nose and then

   (a) put the Academy glazed version onto it; or

   (b) vacuform a new clear nose

OR

2. Cut holes into the solid nose and add glazing

 

Your link took me to a P38 but I think I found your build here:

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by marvinneko

[theplasticsurgeon]

42 minutes ago, marvinneko said:

Your link took me to a P38 but I think I found your build here:

 

Yep,   I've corrected that link now.

[dogsbody]

That crash site is maybe a five minute drive from my mother's home. She remembered hearing about the crash, not long after it happened. The word spread quickly, even back then, out on a dirt road, in the country. It's maybe 20 miles from where I grew up, in Nova Scotia.

 

Some info:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[bigbadbadge]

Excellent,  you've started, looking forward to this.   If I recall the kit has a door on the starboard side, which is incorrect and they have mirrored to port side correct access.  I found out after finishing me Academy kit.  That was done as an Op Polar Bear scheme which is a very interesting scheme.

Good luck with your builds.

Chris

[Thom216]

Very cool. I have one each of these Academy kits, so I'll be watching with interest.

[dogsbody]

My Ventura collection:

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[marvinneko]

 

9 hours ago, dogsbody said:

That crash site is maybe a five minute drive from my mother's home

 

Hi Chris. So many Ventura crashes. Looking through accident reports I started to visualize flight training more in terms of a lot of college age men with greatly varying degrees of confidence and ability to follow rules. The planes had their issues... They had multiple gas tanks you had to switch between particularly because the same plane would be used continuously during good weather for multiple pilots. If you forgot, an engine would conk out and you might panic and try to crash land.

 

Some guys did low flying against rules, egging each other on in the cockpit and scraping treetops. Others had bad habits like jerking the the throttles which could cause one engine to lag during takeoff. And instructors did their best but they had limited planes, limited good weather, and a curious attitude that the way to fix a lot of pilot problems was to get them flying more solo hours. Sad in one report to see an instructor basically say his student had a bad habit, he sent the student for more solo flying, and the bad habit was the best explanation for what caused a crash and got everyone killed. Yes... flight simulators are a very good thing these days!

 

6 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

If I recall the kit has a door on the starboard side, which is incorrect and they have mirrored to port side correct access.  I found out after finishing me Academy kit.  That was done as an Op Polar Bear scheme which is a very interesting scheme.

 

Welcome aboard. Yes that's true about the door although on this one the modeller fixed that bit. I will look for your polar bear build. sounds cool!

 

Ah here it is

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Thom216 said:

I have one each of these Academy kits, so I'll be watching with interest.

 

Welcome. It seems RAF versions are out there somewhere!

 

2 hours ago, dogsbody said:

My Ventura collection:

 

Very nice! I'm jealous you have two with windows. Any plans to build? Are they all still sealed up? or are you able to share some measurements of the nose dome / window placements?

 

17 hours ago, Ed Russell said:

This looks as though it will be interesting. I think my build is self-explanatory but feel free to ask any questions you like. Most of it is basic - the wheel wells are perhaps self-indulgent!

 

I read through before but I look forward to another read now I have the kits.

 

 

Edited June 6, 2023 by marvinneko

[marvinneko]

I came across @rob Lyttle's work on Fowler flaps on an academy Pv1 and had to make a note of this cool modification.

 

 

[marvinneko]

A bit of progress. I soaked in water overnight, froze for 24 hours then inspected. Massaging the pieces I heard crackling in the fuselage and one wing. I put them in a bath of water with peroxide added and periodically massaged them along seams. A decal came off. The paint bubbled. With some foam scrubber, paint came off the wing. The fuselage showed a seam and then cracks. I eventually used a sharp knife to gently prise along the seams and it came apart. The turret, bomb bay doors, bulkhead and cockpit section came out too. One wing developed a crack on the leading edge but that was it and beyond some massaging and gentle probing with a blade, I wasn't going to force it.

 

Next phase is soaking in IPA. I realize some would just hit it with oven cleaner or brake fluid but I'd like to minimize waste and keep things environmentally friendly as possible.

 

I was pleased at how well the fuselage came apart.

 

 

[Old Man]

A necromancer as well as a modeller, Sir.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

James

[marvinneko]

And rob lyttle's handling of separating those special rudders and elevators

 

 

And Rob's advice to me about the Minicraft Ventura rudders being wrong:

 

Quote

 

The Minicraft Ventura is a much better kit with fine surface details.. There's one significant error though, if you don't mind me pointing it out..... 

The demarcation of the rudders on the fin pieces is way off. There's far too much rudder and not enough fixed fin. If you take a look, you'll see what I mean. 

If you have a mind to, it's well worth filling the existing grooves while the pieces are flat on the table and scratching new ones into the surface. 

I found that stretched sprue glued in nicely, then sanded down flat, draw the new zigzag lines and set about them with a straightedge ruler and a Stanley knife. 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by marvinneko

[bigbadbadge]

Great to see it's apart, I have just got Dettol to try like Brian uses in his restorations for taking the old paint off.  Will give it a go as I have some oo gauge coaches to strip and rebuild.

Chris

[marvinneko]

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great to see it's apart, I have just got Dettol to try like Brian uses in his restorations for taking the old paint off.  Will give it a go as I have some oo gauge coaches to strip and rebuild.

Chris

 

For kicks I read the ingredients for dettol, brake fluid and oven cleaner. Some kind of alcohol seems the key ingredient and I think dettol has a peroxide as well which some said affects CA. I'm soaking a test piece in some IPA with TPM residual in it right now and will be able to check Friday. If it works, I'll dump the whole kit in.

[marvinneko]

After a couple days in IPA, paint is coming off with some help.

 

Some fogging that I am guessing is a clear coat. Some weird crusting as I washed it with soap and water. Took some effort with a foam sponge.

 

I was going to say glue wasn't affected but massaging the parts did release the cowlings from the engine and broke off the bulkhead from the cockpit. Nothing happens and then a little crack sound and then a piece comes off.

 

I might give it another dose of IPA or maybe freeze it again first.

 

 

 

 

[stevehnz]

I'll be keen to see how this comes together, after it has been disassembled of course. I've got several of these in stock & I'm always keen to find the pitfalls along the way.

Steve.

[bigbadbadge]

Great to see it nearly all in pieces, shame the paint  didn't come off though. 

Good luck with the repeat process.

Chris

[M.T.Dolby]

I’ve always had great success just using ordinary bleach. It’s also seems to break the glue in places. Cover the pieces in bleach in a Tupperware box for a few days and then poor through a sieve to catch the small pieces! You can then use the bleach still for cleaning! With a toothbrush the paint has always just fallen off.

Matt

[marvinneko]

A night in the freezer and some massage therapy and more pieces came apart. The gluing pins on the rudders weren't too bad.

 

One wing has cracked nicely down the front and along the nacelles.

 

Not sure about bleaching at this point. 

 

 

 

Edited June 11, 2023 by marvinneko

[bigbadbadge]

Great to see more bits apart, the paint reminds me of one of those images online of one of those Venturas in South Africa I think, where the paint was severely weathered after they were left outside for decades, looks quite cool.

Chris

[marvinneko]

18 hours ago, M.T.Dolby said:

I’ve always had great success just using ordinary bleach. It’s also seems to break the glue in places. Cover the pieces in bleach in a Tupperware box for a few days and then poor through a sieve to catch the small pieces! You can then use the bleach still for cleaning! With a toothbrush the paint has always just fallen off.

Matt

 

I popped a test piece (fuel tank) into a pill container of bleach to see how it fairs. Thanks for the suggestion.

[marvinneko]

The test piece fuel tank in bleach went well. Paint came off nicely with a soft bristle toothbrush. My concern was about crazing of the plastic but I didn't see anything obvious.

 

Thanks @M.T.Dolby!

 

So far the glue on the fuel tanks seems impervious to my efforts but I don't need them anyway.

 

I popped all the small bits into bleach. I also put the big ones into a tray of bleach bagged up in the shower stall. 

 

 

[M.T.Dolby]

You’re welcome, glad to help! It’s worked a treat for me in the past, can’t remember where on the web I read about it, probably here! 😂 Looking forward to seeing the Ventura, always fancied doing one in Bomber Command colours……