1/48 F4F-3 - Pacific Theatre of Operations II

[vikingBerserker]

Great subject and Wake Island is an awesome story!

 

[N4521U]

Bill, Now that I'm part of all this, I'm really looking forward to your build. Great aircraft. I've got one of these in the case, that I made at some point in the past. I see that you have put down "advanced". What does that signify?

Well, since I am doing so much scratch building, adding and subtracting to and from the kits, along with custom decals, it was suggested I move to Advanced in skill level. Which is okay by me. The GB just gets me off my butt to build planes I would otherwise just doddle along on. So the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced are the competing skill levels.

 

[meatloaf109]

Username: N4521U
First name: Bill (will answer to most anything, just ask Paul)
Category: Advanced
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Hobby-Boss
Extras: Decals for VMF-211 and some other stuff.

Another from my Davidson list. Lieutenant Carl Davidson, USMC of VMF-211 Wake Island. Flew the last F4F lost during the Japanese invasion of the island on 22 December, 1941. VMF-211, marked "211-F-9", BuNo 3988, engine no. 14179. Shot down by Petty Officer Third Class Tahara Isao of the Hiryu and crashed at sea, killing the pilot. Carl Davidson was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for his actions in the defense of Wake Island:

Glad to see you in this one again, old wombat!

 

[meatloaf109]

"Advanced" status suits you well, grasshopper.
From someone that was happy to paint canopies over in paint, to someone that is familiar with resin castings.....
Yes, that "Advanced" is well deserved.

 

[N4521U]

Yes................. I was happy just painting the inside of the canopy white... I didn't think it looked all That bad !?

I started doing casting in the sign trade at sign painter meetings. It has served me well.

However....... if you will notice, I haven't placed very well in "Advanced" I still have to lift my game. But closing in on 71, I is arunnin outta time mate.

 

[dneid]

Would that be a spry and nimble 71, wombat?

 

[Wayne Little]

Would that be a spry and nimble 71, wombat?

Definitely! not the wombat bit though...

 

[N4521U]

I'm about the size of an old wombat tho.

 

[mikewint]

Thanks Bill, it seems then that Intermediate was a good choice for me then. Been building for many, many years but nothing really good. I had to find decals for "Lady in the Dark" but otherwise everything is from the kit and personally would not even know where to begin with anything "scratch". Putting together a kit is pretty much my limit

 

[N4521U]

"If you are capable of slicing skin from a finger, you can scratch build" is my moto!

So my first entry in the build.
Detail is pretty good in the cockpit. The seat is a little heavy, so I've scraped away some of the Inside to lighten the look. The peddles were joined all over the place with the gas strut damper on the inside, so I carefully, with my Scalpel, cut away all the Webbing to thin it out. I had to file the back of the seat as it was all over heavy and ugly. Then added the upright seat mounting poles. I don't think I'll have to add too much to the cockpit, dribs and drabs. Kinda glad I didn't get an aftermarket set.

So, my start.

 

[Wayne Little]

 

[N4521U]

Hmm, by all my web searching, is this from Trumpeter dies?????

 

[Crimea_River]

Cockpit clean up is really well done Bill.

 

[Catch22]

Hmm, by all my web searching, is this from Trumpeter dies?????

Probably. I think they are one and the same. Nice start!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Looks like your heading in the right direction to be top of the class with this one Old Bill, and it looks like I've just topped 11,000 posts AGAIN.

 

[N4521U]

Again? have they really been going backwards?

A bit of a dilemma here on the hood over the IP.
It seems to NOT have the sheet metal shroud in some cases.
I wonder if it was a floppy piece of rubber?
I want to shave it back as indicated by the red line.
Does this look like it would be correct?

 

[fubar57]

These help any Bill...

Geo

 

[N4521U]

Yep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So it is a shroud only and not airframe sheet metal!
Goodonyah!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Nice one Geo.

 

[Lucky13]