Clunkmeister

These were some seriously brave crews, and the B-24 was THE ship to do the job. But the political bungling seems to have been astronomical, and the CYA employed post raid by those in charge seems mind boggling to me. A treetop raid using B-24s? That’s by far the worst thing to do with that airplane. It’s a high altitude strategic bomber, not a treetop raider. Plus, not having the RAF do their standard high altitude pre raid recce flights with their Mossies is absolutely unforgivable.

We’ve had 105 F everyday now for 2 months. Truly miserable especially with a south wind of the Gulf.

Oh no!!! He left us doing what he loves

I’m starting to feel I’m getting a handle on the basic fuselage inner workings. Yes, the fit is extremely vague, but at least it’s oversized, not too small. I can nicely sand the edges until it all slides in place, but just know that forewarned is forearmed. If you approach assembly by following the instructions and assembling the entire interior first like a ZM kit or Tamiya, you will cuss the day the designer was born. But going carefully, one piece at a time takes longer, but will get you there faster and easier. Thank you Andy and John! You just need to be fearless and keep at it. I tossed a coat of sorta interior green on the areas, glued the pieces shown to the starboard side fuselage half and taped it all together to cure in place. Trust me, there was PLENTY of grinding and other hijinx behind the scene here to help coax this together. Tomorrow we pull the fuselage side off, finish the radio stack and forward floor, put on some placards, run some lead wires for interest, and weather the ever loving crap out of it. As for the engine, I’m using a Resin2Detail R2600 fast fix piece, which to me, is easily one of the nicest R2600s out there. The cowl was simple, although I’m honestly thinking of ditching the overly thick plastic cowl flaps and scratching something out of brass. Failing that, maybe thin the kit part to within an inch of their life. Thanks for looking! More updates tomorrow.

I heard it’s the molds. Full run kits use hardened steel molds and short runs use softer molds that need to be refreshed more often.

Oh it’s a pain, no doubt, Andy. Matter of fact it’s a Royal pain. What I’ve learned through watching your build will certainly help me avoid a few of the pitfalls out there But,.. it’s pretty much what I expected, quite honestly. I looked closely at yours and John’s builds before I jumped in, simply because I was quite concerned with how far I really wanted to chop this thing up for modifications. What y’all showed me was that it’s certainly doable, albeit with quite a bit of effort. I also knew it was a short run kit, so I was expecting the fit to be on the “vague” side, and if I was doing a buttoned up airplane, the surprises would have been negligible, but I seem to live for making my life interesting, so away we went with the razor saw. The kit is plagued with the bugaboo of all short run kits: vague, head scratching instructions, and small interior parts that could fit in 40 different spots, with the correct location actually being your last choice because that’s where fit is worst. 😬. But, it’ll get done, and I expect it’ll look awesome once finished. I opted for the open bomb bay, so now I’m cutting spars and fitting them in the wings even before I finish the fuselage. It all keys together right there below the cockpit floor. Fun. I’m actually starting to think the resin kit might actually be an easier build than the IM version. I fully expect to do another one of these kits as well, but that one being fully buttoned up with folded wings.

I thought about it, but I can’t. Mostly because I’ll forget where everything goes! It’s fresh in my mind and we continue on. Maybe once the airframe is back together all in one piece, we might take a break before paint.

This is getting worse and worse. The more I get into it, the more the razor saw gets used. What could possibly go wrong? I sure hope I can put Humpty Dumpty back together again. NOTHING here is by the book, and I think that when I’m done, only 2/3 of the thing will be original Infinity plastic. Needless to say, I’m only wee bit concerned. But tomorrow we do a couple washes over the nice, shiny Future, then start slapping it all together with baited breath

They’ll have a hot reception if they tried 😎 We’re very well protected around here, so they had better use a team.

The Corsair is destined to be a very early Bitdcage with badly beat paint. It will still have the earlier blue and grey scheme, two color, not three.

The fit of some of the parts in quite, ummmm,… vague. Add to that the the butchery of the fuselage, and there is a fair bit of creative scratchbuilding needed here. The fit of this bulkhead is, what I like to call a “good humor suggestion”. As in I find myself glancing around to see if Im on Candid Camera. So I think it will be easier and quicker to simply make a new bulkhead out of card stock and go from there. Not that I’m surprised. This IS a SHORT RUN kit, and it is advertised as such. I’m convinced an absolutely stunning Helldiver can be created here, but it’s going to be a bit of work. This is the kind of kit I truly enjoy. I actually get bored with the almost snap title Tamiya kits, as my one and only Corsair can testify. It still sits, forlornly waiting for my love. I really should finish it, as the hood stuff is waiting; the finishing.

On and upward. Plenty of fitting, sanding, and lots more fitting. This fuselage is cut almost into pieces. But, we slowly make progress. The only thing secured in place are the cockpit sidewalls and the cockpit bulkhead. One piece at a time, we hopefully will get there, without goobering up the entire thing. And then, thank you Airscale for your amazing 1/32 WW2 Navy and Marines instrument decals. Some placards should liven it right up….

Holy Thread Drift, Batman!

BMW, Rover, Jag, Mercedes, VW, Škoda, and most other European brands

Exactly. Now, it has all the problems expected with older Jag vegetable based wiring looms. Field mice LOVE them. A. Ice, light snack

Funny, it looks like that 57 Custom 300 might sell. A guy wants it Real Bad

Martin, you really oughta find one. But come down here to buy. Not up there. They’re much more common here.

Probably the best all around handling car from the 1950s. Corvette was stiffer ride, but had no comfort. The Thunderbird has gobs of power, power accessories, a d big, heavy duty sway bars to control roll. Plus, they are drop dead gorgeous. And, if you have ever wanted one, now’s the time. There are tons of them around, (they were classics from day 1), and those that loved them are dying, with younger generations preferring Honda’s, not the Tbird. They’ve dropped a TON in value. People still try to get big bucks, but unless it’s a special car like a supercharged or dual quad 57, they can be had for around 20-25 if you’re patient. A 55 like this can be had all day for that kind of money, once the owner realizes it ain’t gonna sell for 40K.

Yep. Got plenty of land, but the city’s rapidly moving close

59 for single seaters, 79 for two seaters. For probably the first 6 years? The Gotha G.lV was 129

Guys wanting original cars are few, now. People dying off. Most guys go for a brand new car with an old body on top with 24” ghetto wheels, etc If I was to do that I’d do a 57 Ford Custom 300 2dr sedan. I happen to have a solid body out back…. A 5.0 Coyote and T56 would turn that into a monster. It came stock with a 9” rear.

100% agree, Jeff, and thanks! I try to achieve the haphazard look on every build, but it’s not always successful. However, I can’t take credit on this one because the seat is the Resin2Detail seat with the belts already molded in place.

Yep. Once, back in the day, single seater Wingnut kits were less than $60 shipped right to your door. That’s half what a Tamiya kit was selling for.

The Chebbie is gone. Sold. Not a Chebbie guy, but my wife thought she’d like it. She didn’t. Replaced by a 55 Sunliner project and paid back some business related accumulated Covid debt. I wouldn’t get rid of the 66 for anything. They drive and handle great in the modern world, 50s cars on the other hand, are cool to look at, full of class and style from a bygone era, but ride like a half melted marshmallow, brake and turn like the Queen Mary, and are blessed (cursed) with an engine way, way more capable than the brakes and suspension can handle. Plus, the steering columns are simple steel pipes, perfect for impaling yourself on in a crash. Yes, guys modify them with newer everything, modern brakes, frames, tilt wheels, modern A/C, cruise, sound systems, stupid huge chrome wheels with rubber band tires, etc, but then they lose their mystique. They end up being simply a modern car that looks old. As difficult as they are to drive in the modern world, they are the best grin maker available this side of a P-51. Your Mustang looks cool, and compared to the 50s stuff, handles and drives like a modern car. You want a 50s car that works in today’s world? Look very closely at 55-57 Thunderbirds. Not crazy expensive, handle GREAT, a lot of power, a ton of them out there, and stupid fun to drive.

It’s. Stubborn son of a gun, no doubt. But the Fuselage basic fit is decent enough, and and careful trial and error fitting should get you there. I’m more concerned about the too deep lower row of windows on the sliding gunner’s greenhouse. Some creative changes will be needed,