F4B-4 & P-12 biplanes in 1/72nd scale

[Nobby]

This is one of the kits where matchbox actually did not do a bad job with the choice of colours for the plastic! I made one as a kid and just decaled it and it looked ok. Ten years later i made another and painted and rigged it and i was really pleased with that so i know it is a great little kit. Nice to see the work your putting in to it though and the cockpit detail is great! Like all the Hawks as well!

[p-26luvr]

I have made this picture to show how I prepare for rigging these models. On the left side is my homemade awl. It is just a needle put in a predrilled hole in a square piece of plastic rod. It is super glues in place. At the bottom is my pin vice drill, with a number 75 drill. There are other types of pin vices available, but I use this one because the top end fits snuggly between my index finger & middle finger; & I can control the rotation of the drill between those fingers & my thumb. I can also control the amount of pressure I exert on the drill.

This is the stage of building biplanes in which I generally do my drilling. All of the parts are seperate & easier to handle. I make sure I have an accurate diagram of the rigging to go by. I also use as many pictures of the real plane as I can find. If you look closely at the parts you will see small black marks. At the end of each mark you should see the hole I drilled for later drilling. One of the things I always make sure of is to clear each hole of all waste material. You will note that I have gone all the way through the wing & tail pieces. More on that later. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

I have started painting on these models today, doing the first coat of yellow on some of them.

The model in the post just above is the old Esoteric resin one that I put the last resin cockpit in, as I described earlier. There is quite a bit of filling to be done around the forward upper cowling. It will be interesting to see the differences between this model & the Pro-Resin version when I make that one up. There is about a 30 year difference between when they were released. Carl T

[Don McIntyre]

Looking good, Carl. Really looking forward to seeing you progress with these.

[p-26luvr]

In looking back over the F4B/P-12 & P-6E builds, I was thinking how easy they were to do. For either of these kits I think that the cockpit sets are an ecellent first kit to build for anyone who has never used a resin cockpit set before. The instruction sheet is very clear in both text & pictures, & easy to follow. For this reason I have no hesitancy in recommending them to a beginner. There is also a set for the Curtiss F11C-2 that is very similar to the P-6E.

After the first of the year I will be getting another of the Curtiss SBC-4 kits & Starfighter's -3 conversion & will be doing a build article of that with pictures. I am at present working on Special Hobby's Grumman F3F-2. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

These are 4 pictures of the P-6E under construction. First off a copy of the instruction sheet.

This is one of the Monogram kits with the cockpit sidewalls in place & the floorboard with the seat.

These are the other 2 Monogram kits before & after the cockpit parts were installed

This is the fuselage assembled & before the top cowling was added. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

If you look closely at the picture above of the instruction sheet, the upper right picture on the sheet shows the parts that come in the set. Also the instruction sheet has more to it, but it was too big to take a full picture of. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

Here are a few more pictures of the P-6Es I am making. The first is the box art of the Monogram kit, which shows the Snow Owl paint scheme I will use on one model.

This picture is of the resin cockpit parts.

This is some of the decals I will be using.

This is the fuselage of the O-Limp plastic kit of the P-6E.

This is the Monogram fuselage fully closed up.

If you look closely at the various construction pictures I think you will see just how good these cockpit sets are, & the beautiful job they do in presenting a convincing appearing cockpit for your model. The next picture will show the various marking options that Starfighter decals give with there 2 sheets now availble. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

This picture shows the various marking option offered on the 2 Starfighter decal sheets. The blue fuselage plane with the number 19 onit is what I will use on the O-Limp model, & the plane at the bottom of the same row is one I will also use. For the cost of only $12.50 you get both the resin cockpit set & 1 of these decal sheets. To & for me that is a great bargin. Carl T

I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT I AM IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH STARFIGHTER DECALS. I AM JUST A VERY SATISFIED CUSTOMER< & I THINK YOU WILL BE AS WELL IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THESE PRODUCTS.

[Mikey58]

Very informative posts Carl,well done!Nice work as well-I guess you must have a lot of space for all these models!

Mike

[Don McIntyre]

Carl doesn't have a lot of room, but he manages to shoehorn his kits into wherever he happens to be… I could tell you stories…

[p-26luvr]

Hello all. No tales out of school Mr. McIntyre. Respect your elders. Mikey58 they are realatively small models in 1/72nd scale.

I have been looking at what I have so far presented in this series & in the one on the Curtiss F11C-2 earlier. I have tried to show those of you who might be interested in building a biplane model that there are some kits that are easy to build, & that you can get inexpensive detail kit & decals for. For what breaks down to less than $24.00 per model, you get models that are better, in my opinion, than some that were produced more than 40 years later. I am at present working on both the O-Limp P-6E & Special Hobby's Grumman F3F-2 models,NIETHER of which compare with these kits in terms of quality, or ease of construction.

I think that even a first time biplane modeler can turn out a very acceptable model with these kits. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE RAISED PANEL LINES ON THESE KITS; if you include the resin detail sets & decals, you will have the closest thing to a Tamiya/Hasegawa shake & bake kit as you can get

Later when I get to that part of the build I will show you how I do my rigging of one of these model, & I hope you will see how easy it can be. I will take some step by step pictures at that time. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

This is the Matchbox P-12E painted & ready for rigging. It is not the same picture as the one above. I use Extracolor enamels for my model painting, so I will let the model set for a few days to dry thoroughly before handling it while rigging it. The fuselage is painted in a 50-50 mix of 111 Olive drab & 113 faded olive drab; the wings & tails are painted in Humbrol #69 gloss yellow; the rudder is gloss white. I have painted it by hand because I had it fully assembled. One of the mistakes I made with this model was to foget to drill all of the rigging holes in the fuselage & tails. All 16 of them. I was very lucky that I did not break anything when I did fially get them all finished. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

These are 2 styles of pin vices that I have in my tools; I have one more that is larger than these. I rarely ever use the plain metal one. I find that I have better control of the pressure I exert downward & the direction I drill in with the black handled one. I bought the black handled one, & a smaller similar one at an industrial tool supply company about 25 years ago. I bought them because I planned on building several biplane models. My next set of biplanes will be 10 1/72nd scale Hawker Furys & Nimrods. 8 & 2. Of course there are many other uses for pin vices in model building. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

These next 2 pictures are for those of you that have not before used a pin vice-/ drill. The first one shows how I hold my P/V, & why I particularly like this one. Carl T

This picture shows how I hold the model & P/V while drilling a hole. I have chosen to show these & the earlier ones for the benifit of those modelers that are unfamiliar with the way things are done can get a better idea of what is involved with rigging a biplane model, & in the process simplify things for them. I hope the more experienced among you will bear with me, & add any comments you think will also help. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

This picture & the next 6 are the initial rigging pictures. These are the thread & super glue that I use. The super glue is the 10 to 25 second drying type. On the right hand side are a number of same size cut threads that I will use in the rigging of this model. I bought this thread in a craft shop that sells cloth & sewing supplies. It is a nylon core with a silver coating.

This is the left side, showing where I fed the wires up through the bottom of the bottom wing & into the predrilleed holes at the base of the rear cabane strut. You will notice that I have done both wires at the same time, & once I have both wire solidly placed I glue both in place.

This is the same side from a different angle.

This is the right side with the wires going from the back landing gear leg to the upper wing.

I will post the other 3 pictures in my next post. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

This again is the same as the last picture from a different angle.

This is the right side of the tailplanes. I have fed the wires through the fin & into the stabilizer, & glued them there.

This is the left side of the tails with the wires put through the stabilizer but not yet glued in place

I have left the extra length of rigging material showing so you can see how much longer than what I will need that I cut my thread lengths. Those wires going from the top wing to the fuselage I feed down through the upper wing & then into the fuselage. The wires going from the fuselage to the lower wing I feed up through the lower wing & into the fuselage. Where the wire goes into the fuselage I feed at least 1/4 inch of thread into the fuselage.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them. I hopes these pictures help to show how easy it is to rig a biplane model, even one with double wires. What little work you see in these picture only took less than 15 minutes. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

These 2 pictures show my P-12E as fully rigged. The whole rigging time was about 2 hours or so. The whole process; drilling all of the holes & actual rigging, took about 3 to 4 hours. I do not consider that as too llong for everything that has to be done. It is just basic rigging. No extra details, like turnbuckles. This is the way that I do all of my 1/72nd scale biplanes. It is easy, simple, & most of all fun. There is a lot I could learn about rigging biplane models, but this is a good beginning step. Carl T

[hatchet]

It is not the same picture as the one above.

Re-he-heally!

Love the builds Carl, I have a soft spot for the F4B, even if it doesn't burn JP

Edited December 18, 2010 by hatchet

[Doug Rogers]

Excellent work Carl, really delicate work!

[p-26luvr]

Thanks very much for your kind words fellows. I am hoping that we might be lucky & see one or two more built up. I have just recently read of the increase in the VAT & I can sympathize with my British compatriots in the modeling area.

I would like to stress once again what this build has become all about. AND THAT IS HAVING FUN WHILE BUILDING A BIPLANE MODEL. I do not know how many times over the many, 67+ years, that I have been making models that I have heard so many guys say how hard it is to make them. I will gladly admit that some are, BUT NOT ALL OF THEM. As with all models you start with a simple kit & through a series of progressively more intricate models get better at doing the harder ones. In this build series I have tried to show that even a first time biplane modeler can have fun & end up with a detailed model he can show off with a feeling of pride & accomplishment.

If you look at the pictures of the detail sets you will realize that once you paint up the parts & remove them from the pour stub that they are like any other kit part that you glue into place. THAT IS THE FUN OF THESE PARTICULAR DETAIL SETS. The assortment of marking choices the same producer gives you on inexpensive decal sheets can only increase the ease & fun of these models for any prospective builder.

After the first of the year I will be doing a build on each of the Heller SBC-4 & Monogram F11C-2 conversion to BFC-2 featuring the relavent Starfighter- Decal resin detail set & decals. So if you are interested in either model please keep looking in either this section or the inter-war one.

Until then MERRY XMAS< HAPPY NEW YEAR & ENJOY YOUR MODELIN WHERE EVER YOU ARE.

Carl T

[p-26luvr]

I have just gone back over the build, & I hope I have not bored you to death with my repititions, or have put you to sleep with my long windedness. All I can say is, SORRY Carl T

[p-26luvr]

I now have my P-12E all ready for decalling. I have painted & put on the model the cowling & wheels & propeller. I will post more pictures when it is finished. For anyone contemplating building this model, the Matchbox P-12E, 2 things to watch out for are the following. The aileron control rod is very fragile & it breaks easily, & the cowling has a raised edge on each side inside making the fit a little bit of a problem. Nothing major, but if you add the propeller to the motor first be aware of the problem. I broke both of the aileron control rods & replaced them with Contrail plastic rods of the same diameter. They are the rods that go between the wings behind the N interplane struts. This little model gets better looking as I do more with it. Carl T.

[p-26luvr]

These 2 pictures show where I am at with these models. The P-12E model is the only one fully painted & ready to decal. Since I use gloss enamels on my models I let them dry for a couple of weeks before coating them with Future wax & decalling them. I also let them set for a few days between coats of paint. The wings on the P-6E & F4B-4 are in place only temporarily. Carl T

[p-26luvr]

In looking at the pictures above. The F4B-4 with the white tail will have US Marine corps markings, the other one I am not decided on which squadron to use. The P-6E with the blue fuselage is the O-Limp kit. The one with the black nose will be in the 17th squadron's Snow Owl markings, the red nosed one will be in 94th squadron markings. Carl T