1/48 F4U-1D

[Tiberious]

Okay, I think I'm far enough now to post a build. A lot of times I'll start something and it will languish for months without getting done. So, I've waited until most of the gluing is finished before posting pics.

This is Tamiya's kit with the moto-tug, although I'm not interested in doing the tug at all. I mostly do sci-fi, but have been wanting to do more in aircraft and ships - especially as I have shelves weighed down with unbuilt kits that need some 'lovin.'



So, as in any build, we start with the cockpit. To this I added an Eduard PE set, of which most of the parts I used. Most. It was painted chromate green and then the PE added, followed by some weathering and details.





And I say I started in the cockpit, but I really started in the wheel bays. These are mostly stock, but for some added wire.




And the gear. The brake lines have been added with wire and the springs are from guitar string. I didn't take any pictures of the breakage that occurred one night. I was test fitting the gear leg after the central wing area had been assembled when a sharp SNAP heralded the sudden appearance of three pieces of the leg where there had been one! Needless to say, much cussing ensued...

But thankfully, all is well again!



I used the Vector set # VDS48/047 for cowl detail.




And the cowls flaps.



The engine is from Quickboost - although I'm only using from the first set of cylinders forward. The rear set are the kit parts. I thought about how to still use the shaft and polycap, but have now decided that the press fit achieved between the resin gear housing and the plastic shaft are firm enough. I won't be flicking the propeller!



The fuselage went together with only a minor hiccup. Such as the cockpit tub being on tilt and requiring the separation of the halves before all was made right again... That second pic reminds me that if I ever do another one of these planes, I'll attach the out wing panels when they are still separate top and bottom halves. It's too much trouble trying to get the fit right afterward.




Which brings us back to the engine. For me this is a central focus for a prop-job, so I knew I wanted to detail it up. Quickboost thoughtfully supplied areas for push-rids and holes for wiring. I have no PE wiring harness for it however, so I decided to make my own. I have the fortune of working at an Agway, and in one of the parts aisles were these. 7/16 inch external retaining rings.



They are the perfect size! I had to dremel out the inner sections at the bottom with the holes - and spread it just slightly - and although not perfect, it looks damn good to my eye! Especially with the wires added.




The wires are glued to the cylinders only and are simply propped behind the harness ring. It would have been too much trouble to superglue them to it, or even solder, especially with such thin line. It'll need a flat coat to knock the shine down, but that's where I am so far.

Next is cleaning up the joins and setting her up for paint and decals. I have some decals for a Jolly Roger bird, so I think I'll go with those...

[AdmiralBuck]

Wow! I'd say you're off to great start! Love all the added details!

[Jim NCC1701A]

That's some mighty fine work there Tiberious.
Keep posting the updates.

[Tiberious]

Thank you. I'm working on the marker lights right now, having cut out the kit plastic. This will be my first attempt at making them from scratch, so I'll take as much luck as people are willing to give!

I hope to have this done for Syrcon on this coming Sunday.

So I need to get those right, then finish putting the canopy in place, then painting and final assembly should be all I'll need to do after that.

[Tiberious]

On with more progress!

During construction, the kit's armor glass was bent and crazed. I cut a piece from clear packaging as a replacement and used a black marker to trim the edges. I put it in place with Flat Clear Acrylic.


And with the windshield in place.


From there is was on to the marker lights. I cut a piece of the clear sprue and used a metal nail file to flatten two edges. I also cut out a corresponding notch in the wing tips to accept the new parts. Using a small drill bit, I drilled a hole in each new piece and filled it with green and red.



These were then sanded to shape and then hit with even finer grit sand paper to until they were pretty much back to clear again. After painting, I'll tab them with clear gloss. They turned out a lot better than I thought they would!



Now I think she's pretty much ready for that first primer coat!

[Tiberious]

First primer on and some seams to fill. Of course...

[Tiberious]

And now the compressor is spitting water. Great...

More things to redo.

Not over yet though. I don't call myself a modeller for the sake of my own ego!

[U-boater]

Originally Posted by Tiberious

And now the compressor is spitting water. Great...

More things to redo.

Not over yet though. I don't call myself a modeller for the sake of my own ego!

Sorry to hear that.

It's a real nut crusher when something crucial stalls your project.

Take your time. You've done a wonderful job on the cockpit. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Tiberious]

Okay, back on the swing! The water trap has been replaced and paint is once more spewing from the airbrush! I gave her another primer coat after sanding down the previous mess-up and then another preshade.





That's as she sits so far. I may get some main color on in the AM, and if not then the weeken definitely.

[Tiberious]

A little paint and a little snafu...

I like how the paint came out. You can see the variation in the color but it isn't glaring.
Not too well on camera of course...
I then rubbed it down with a clothe to help smooth out the barely there roughness.


And I'm glad I still have the kit part for the cowl flaps. The resin piece just wouldn't seat into place and finally snapped. I managed to save eleven of the actuators and glued them to the kit part and will paint that later.


Nothing to be aggrieved about and I'm in no rush!

And yes, having seen the pic all blown up I do see that actuator that hanging off kilter. Fixed!

[Tiberious]

And then not! I decided to buy another Vector resin set for the actuators. Once in I'll redo those so they look good and not just okay.

[Tiberious]

And now she's up on her gear!


The tail wheel is just pressed in as I still need to fix some paint in the rear. and touch up some blue that's worn off. A gloss coat is next to protect that as well as to apply the decals. Then I'll start my hand at weathering.

And I need to styar applying all these nefarious parts...

[Tiberious]

Decals, decals, decals...



I've had some problems putting them on, most being splits here and there, one as you can see in the diamond on the starboard wing. That was my fault. I decided to cut it along the panel line and now it looks crappy. A little white paint and then some weathering in there will hopefully cover it up. Now when a decal goes over a panel line, I'll wet it with Micro Set and let it sit, then press it in -gently- with a pointy q-tip when it's soft. Another was the Star and Bars on the same side, that cracked apart. A second Corsair kit gladly donated a pair.

Yes, a pair, as the second I put on also split apart... Oh well...

Slowly but surely getting closer to - the weathering stage.

[SCI-FI]

Looks great so far, please keep going (and posting)-

[AdmiralBuck]

Beautiful Job! The white diamond tail insignia - from the USS Franklin?