Photo Eteched Nets

Today I started to replace the plastic nets with photo etched ones, its tricky working with photo etched parts since they are so thin but they sure look nice!

Finally Finished Drilling!

Having started back on May 25th its taken several months but I have finally completed drilling the holes into the deck of the Midway. Working between 5 to 15 minutes at a time over a period of 82 days (or almost 12 weeks) I drilled 2092 holes taking a total of 7 hours and 4 minutes (yes I timed it with my watch). The work was long but I believe that the results were worth it.

Airbrushing a V-1 Belly

This evening I took took out my airbrush for the first time this year and airbrushed the belly of the V-1 Tamiya XF-23 Light Blue. The instructions indicated using Tamiya AS-5 but this is a pre-mix spray can which costs almost as much as the model and the XF-23 was a very close match.

V-1 Assembly

I decided to put together the V-1 scale model which consisted of only 7 parts (this must be the smallest scale model I every built) and quickly realized that the seams between the two halves of the body where not flush. I ended up spending about an hour sanding the seams smooth but the model looks very nice. I also decided to cut off the spinner at the tip of the V-1 for fear that I would break it while manipulating the model, hope it won't be too hard to align properly when reattaching it.

In the photo above the air intake looks crooked , this is normal as has been placed temporarily so that it can be airbrushed. Also the yellow rod at the end of the exhaust is a temporary aid for painting purposes.

The Jig is Up!

I wanted to recreate the holes which criss cross and cover the flight deck just as I did with the hangar deck back in October 2008. These holes have a cross in them and are used to attach aircraft and equipment securely to the deck.

I used Adobe Photoshop and printed out a template with the criss cross pattern on a transparent sheet of paper used to print labels. Whats nice is that the paper has a low tack so it is easy to remove afterwords. I decided to use this system for following reasons:

• The jig system worked well for a straight linear part line a hangar deck but not for a Y deck of a carrier.
• The carrier deck has details that I do not want to drill into which I cannot see properly with a jig.
• The alignment of the jig as it was being displaced on the deck to drill a new set of holes was difficult and not precise.

I have worked for about 40+ minutes so far with the new system and the alignment is excellent. Unfortunetly I estimate that I will have several hours of drilling before all is complete.

Modeling Workbench

FineScale Modeller April 2009 editor made a request to its readers to submit photos of there workbench for a future article. Hopefully my picture will make the cut...

Cuba!

While on a one week vacation in Cuba I was enjoying the annual Great Scale Modeler 2009 on the white sand beaches of Cayo Santa Maria at the hotel "Melia las Dunas".


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F-4S Phantom

Today I completed the last of the fighter squadrons with this set if six F-4S Phantoms. Compared to the other two squadrons the Phantoms had a lot more masking during the paint job due to the black and gray stripes. I also drilled out the exhaust to add extra details.

EA-6B Prowler Refueling Probes

Just like the A-6E Intruders I installed refueling probes on the pair of AE-6B Prowlers. Unfortunetly I dropped one on the floor and the probe is painted light gray. It just so happens that I painted my workshop floor light gray as well back in November of 2008 and considering its small size I never found it again (surprise surprise).Fortunately using a bit of extra metal from the photo etched set I was able to recreate another one.

A-6E Intruder Refueling Probes

I recently realized that on the photo etched USN SUPERCARRIER set by Gold Medal Models I had ordered back in May of 2008 contained refueling probes for both the A-6E Intruders and the EA-6B Prowlers. I had previously attempted to create theses probes myself with small wires and bits of plastic without success (it is a very small part to create!). When I saw the parts located underneath the helicopter blades I immediately got to work painting and installing them on the nose of the aircraft which was not an easy task but I am pleased with the extra level of detail it provides.