**** DONE: GB-45 1/48 P-40B - BoB/Foreign Service

[Crimea_River]

Good progress Dale. Wanted to get an H&S brush but the price to get one here in Canada was too steep for me. Sticking with my Iwata for now.

 

[fubar57]

Good stuff Dale

 

[Gnomey]

Good work so far!

 

[dneid]

Ok, progress continues. I have the major parts all together. I started on cleaning up a couple of seams / gaps. I then rescribed some panel lines and dealt with recovering some rivets. I then primed, double checked all the filling and rescribing. I fixed a few minor things and then reprimed. I am ok with the state of things. Not awesome, but this is my first build in almost 18 months. I did get the canopy masked. Thank God I made the shift to scalpels with number 11 and 22 blades. I used a number 11 blade for the masking of the canopy. I will double check things one more time and then reprime as needed. I think I will be close to ready for final exterior painting this weekend.
Destrozas, I LOVE the HS airbrush. I do have an Iwata HP-CH that I like as well. My only complaint with the Iwata is the difficulty in removing the nozzle for cleaning and the difficulty in cleaning it. That and It came with just the 0.2mm nozzle. The HS I ordered came with two nozzles; 0.15mm and 0.40mm. The way the nozzles just slide into the air cap is WONDERFUL! And the HS just feels so good in my hand with the 2ml cup inplace. It came with 2 cups, 2ml and 5ml. All in all, I am not sure I will ever buy an Iwata again. Don't me wrong, the Iwata throws paint like a dream. But, the HS throws just as well if not a tad finer. Yes, I will buy another airbrush. Yes, It will be an HS. Their Evo line is only $35-50 more than an Iwata and the brush is so solid.
BTW, forgive the picture quality. Until I get a new tripod, I am snapping pictures with my phone. Pics below:

 

[fubar57]

Good stuff Dale

 

[dneid]

Good progress Dale. Wanted to get an H&S brush but the price to get one here in Canada was too steep for me. Sticking with my Iwata for now.

Andy, I completely get that. The HS's are NOT cheap. But, that lil surprise bonus check just pushed me over the edge. This Evo is a delight to use. My Iwata HP-CH is damned nice. I just love the way the HS is put together. It feels wonderful in my hand as well. But, my HP-CH is a damned nice brush as well. I just wish that the nozzle was not such a pain to deal with when it comes to cleaning. I almost always strip my brushes all the way down after every color change. Just me being anal (yeah, Don, no comments required or desired!).

 

[Wurger]

 

[Donivanp]

I can't leave that alone. But not here.

 

[dneid]

Well, the bird is primed and pre-shaded. Getting to know the H&S airbrush has been a pure joy. I still need more time to fully settle in with the 'brush. But, here are a couple of pre-shading pictures. Everything was done free hand. The one thing I need to step back and think about is the canopy glass and final finish. The area on each side of the cockpit that is just aft of the cockpit has glass there. However, it seems that the final finish is carried through under that glass. I need to dig in and do some research. Airfix seems to indicate the colors are exterior colors. Time to get creative with web searching.

All in all, the Airfix kit is not bad. There are just a few fit challenges and challenges is too harsh a way to say what I am trying to convey. More to come. And thanks for stopping by.

 

[fubar57]

The colour photos inside confirm the cover

 

[Donivanp]

Looking good there sir!

 

[dneid]

Thanks, George!

 

[Crimea_River]

Yep, that's been my understanding as well.

 

[Donivanp]

The inside of the aft windows is indeed the same as external color!

 

[Wurger]

 

[nsmekanik]

Interesting watching this one come together, been thinking of picking one of these up eventually, Looks really nice so far

 

[dneid]

Interesting watching this one come together, been thinking of picking one of these up eventually, Looks really nice so far View attachment 577252

All in all, it is a nice kit. Just a few challenges in the build so far. Two areas to pay closer attention to are the radio compartment hatch if you are going to close it, the fit was a little loose. And the gun panels in the nose (see pic below). One side fit wonderfully, the other side not so much (it stood a little proud). That took quite a bit of sanding and scribing. I did drill the screw holes a bit deeper before I started sanding this down. My goal was give me a roadmap for the holes as I sanded and filed down. I have a econd kit now and will try adding those gun panels BEFORE I join the fuselage haves.
I was skeptical of the cockpit when I first reviewed the instructions. However, careful trial and fitting, it came together just wonderfully.

 

[dneid]

Hey, Guys,
I have a question and I am pretty sure I know the answer, but I wanted to run it by you all as well. I am preparing to start exterior painting. Reviewing the color scheme as supplied by Airfix I see a green area called out that is a different shade of green from the rest of the exterior (see pics below). These areas are called out as 66 Matt Olive Drab. The remainder of the exterior is in 116 Matt US Dark Green, I just wanted to be sure this call out was correct. Your thoughts? I am planning on the two shades of green.

 

[fubar57]

PM sent Dale

 

[dneid]

Ok, I am waiting on some additional paint to arrive. So, I am kinda on hold until the end of the week. In the mean time, I decided to do some pre shedding with white on the upper sides. I am hoping to get that faded look with this. Pictures below:


Thanks for stopping by.