**** DONE: 1/48 TBM-1C Grumman Avenger VC-13 - Carrier Aircraft GB

[Wayne Little]

Wow, nicely done Andy!

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Andy.

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys. Horizontal stabs are now done as well.

 

[meatloaf109]

Great solution to a common problem, got the marble slab,... now, where did I put that caliper?

 

[Crimea_River]

Cheers Paul. Today, I went off the OOB rails a bit by attacking the (to me) unacceptable thickness of the exhaust stubs provided with the kit. I felt that, rather than replacing these outright with brass tube, I would try to thin the plastic parts and am happy to report that the results turned out well. The pic below shows a comparison with the as-supplied piece and the one I thinned using a combination of drill bits, careful Dremel tool use, hobby knife and finally a coat of Tamiya cement to smooth all the surfaces.

I then tackled the landing gear to get the struts ready for painting. Getting the mold line removed along the both sides of the long axis of these pieces is something I find to be a PITA but well worth the effort. I spent a good hour removing these lines by scraping a hobby knife along the surfaces until these lines disappeared. Contrary to the kit instructions, which called for building up the links and actuators after the main struts have been glued into the wells, I fitted the struts loosely without glue and then attached the other bits so that they would form a complete assembly that I could then remove and paint. Here's what it looks like now.

Thanks for continuing to follow along and for your comments chaps.

 

[KoJo]

Great work Andy! I need to step up my game with my TBM-1 to keep up with you. Keep at it!

 

[fubar57]

Looking sweet Andy. Atlantic schemes greatly admired by this west coaster.

Geo

 

[Crimea_River]

Cheers guys.

 

[rochie]

great progress Andy

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Once again you add that touch of magic.

 

[Wayne Little]

What Vic said....nicely done Andy!

 

[Crimea_River]

Left a lot of "magic" out of this build Vic. Molded plastic fuel and hydraulic lines are all staying as is but I could not let those exhaust stubs stand. Thanks for the comments guys. Should get some paint on this weekend - 4 days long!

 

[Airframes]

Good stuff Andy. I ducked out on mine, and used small drinking straws for the exhausts - couldn't get my hands to work to ream out the kit parts at the time.

 

[ccheese]

Looking real good, Andy. Keep at it...

Charles

 

[meatloaf109]

Yup, I wanna see that Atlantic scheme also.

 

[Gnomey]

Excellent work so far Andy!

 

[N4521U]

Almost goes without saying, a fine job again Andy.
I strive to get a cockpit that looks as good as yours.

Fantastic results.....

 

[Crimea_River]

Great feedback guys - thanks so much. Must admit, I went to the kitchen drawer to look at the drinking straws but did not find one small enough. Tonight, I plan to shoot some white paint on the landing gear and the excess will do on the various seams to see if I've got some more detail repair ahead of me.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

As always, supurb work Andy, and would a coffee stirrer work?

 

[Crimea_River]

Haven't seen a suitable one for quite a while Brooks. Mostly wood or the flattened plastic tubes used in this part of the world.