Clunkmeister

Y’all are rank amateurs! I have absolutely NO idea how many kits are in my stash. 3 Lancs: 2x HK and 1x Bordernut 3x B-17: 1x late G, 2x E/F 2x B-24 6x T-28s, both B and C 1:200 Arizona, Titanic/Olympic/Britannic, Hood, Bismarck, Yamato, etc 150+ Wingnut kits Various Tamiya, ZM, Hasegawa, Trumpetboss, and other mainstream kits 1/24 Tiffie of each type, and two 1/24 F6F’s and a complete closet filled with resin: multiple of each HPH kit in 1/32 except for DC-3 and PBY of which are only one each, multiples of all 1/32 Silver Wings and most Lukgraph, HapH 1/72 Russian airliners, and one each 1/48 B-36, B-52, and B-70. I’ve trimmed it down a bit, getting rid of multiples of plastic stuff I might only build one of, but have picked up JetMads Viggen and soon to get Stilleto and Lear. Y’all will have some good pickings once I check out for good. Had done some remodeling of my barn to suit the old car situation, so models have all been moved to the other side of the building.

Back playing around with this. Taking it slow and easy, one problem at a time. With all these extra bits and pieces, it’s almost like a resin build. The 3D pit has been sanded and massaged and tacked in place to check fit. So far, this actually holds a lot of promise. The floor and seat are simply sitting there unsecured. Had to spray a bit of green to fix some sanded areas, so some details need repainting, like the headrest….

And I night recommend AGAINST choosing a Memphis as your next vacation hot spot. Unless you’re looking for a Sarajevo experience right here in the USA.

Well, as y’all know, I’m deep into 1955-56 Ford cars, and I just got back from a week in Memphis, Tn., for the 42nd annual Crown Victoria Association Convention which recognizes all 1954-1956 Fords, Meteors, Monarchs, and Mercury automobiles. Here’s a few pictures of some of the stand outs of the show. Yes, my 56 is there as well. FYI, I do NOT recommend Memphis as a tourist destination any time soon. The city is awash in gang crime and is a real war zone in certain areas of the city. The black 54 Ford convertible has a FACTORY sunroof cut into the convertible top. The solid yellow 55 Ford convertible is loaded with every single factory option available from Ford in 1955, including factory installed air conditioning. the 1955 Police car and 1955 Fire Chief car are both veterans of those Forces and were restored to how they were delivered in 1955. The solid red 1956 Ford 4dr sedan has just 16,250 miles on it and has never been touched it is a perfect unrestored original car. The 1955 Ford 2 dr sedan race car is an original stock car from 1955 restored to as it was when being campaigned. That car still had its original 272 cubic inch V8 and sounded extremely tough, with a WHOLE lot more than the advertised 162 hp. 😙 The 1956 Meteor convertible under construction is on its way to Sweden after being bought by a Swedish Ford and Meteor nut. He wanted Ms. Pink as well, but she ain’t for sale. 😃

Fra-gee-lee…. It’s got to be Italian…

Funny how history gets lost by the feelings of people. The Helldiver was NOT a popular aircraft with its crews. It needed another 5 feet of rear fuselage that the Navy refused to allow, making it moderately unstable and a bit of a handful to fly. BUT, there is no mistaking it’s success: the Helldiver sank more tonnage than any other Allied aircraft in WW2, and that includes TBMs, SBDs, PBJs, PBYs, Swordfish, etc. The SB2C was a very effective weapon against its foes, and was also used to great effect in several wars right up into the 1950s.

Well, someone DID manage to (barely) shoehorn a Merlin into a 1955 Chevrolet.

Texas:

That’s the flag of the Republic of Texas, which we may become again very soon, if all this crap around us continues. Puerto Rico:

Ha! You’re about right, Carl. Probably some of my skin and other DNA assuming I CA my fingers somewhere on the inside. If a second kit is available and cheaply enough, I like the idea of doing that, simply because my memory usually goes kaput 10 seconds after I put the Dremel down. Besides, I’ll be doing a second model, with the wings folded and tail gun stowed. My back’s getting better, it’s just not 100% yet. Soon, hopefully.

Interesting that. I’m paying very close attention to your build here, because what you show here will guild me and many others forward in the future.

Andy, go ahead, put the pressure on! 😃. It’s a deceptively simple build, although as John showed, it’ll bite you in the backside if allowed. I’m presently shaping the 3D printed AM cockpit areas to fit without interference, and it’s quite the job: the kit parts are too wide to start with, and the AM parts are a touch wider as well. OK, I cheated a little bit and grabbed a second kit, so I can test the basic fit using the kit pit on an unaltered fuselage. Like all resin pits, you gotta sand off all moulded on locators and interior detail. So I can get the dimensions from the second fuselage, sand the kit pit to fit, then transfer those dimensions to the 3D resin, which is OH so brittle 🤬. Ask me how I know. There’s a lot of AM to fit in the fuselage, so it’s going to take much trial and error. I certainly wouldn’t put this much effort into many aircraft builds, but the Helldiver is one of my favorites, so it’ll get the full meal deal from me right to completion. Or until I booger it up, whichever comes first. Oh how I love Airscale stuff. Their gauges and placards are absolute works of art.

By gum Kev, it’s great to hear from ya! Good to see some familiar names and faces again! I blew my back out a couple months back, so I’m moving a bit slower as the quacks work on me, but I’m getting there. I had to cancel my trip to the US Nats this year because of this, but on the flip side, I’m getting much more bench time now 🤣 As tempted as I am to jump into the Bordernuts Lanc, I’m intent on a few less spectacular builds first: Infinity Helldiver, HPH DC-3, Fisher Guppy conversion, and a Wingnuts D.Vll. I built a 32nd Lanc already so I’m not as so inclined as others may be right now. Our “All of Ukraine” group build will be a wrap in a bit, and we’ve had some decent enough participation, so just maybe we’ll look at something else in a bit. (Open to suggestions) Also, I do hold you personally responsible for the three teeth on my lower jaw that got knocked out after I viewed your build. Dentists ain’t cheap, and being I didn’t want to look like an NHL hockey player, I had to paaaaaay… 🤣

Uh oh. What’s wrong with the canopy fit? The HK canopy was a drop on perfect fit.

Haha yup. I’m feeling the need to break out the soldering iron, flux, and clothespins to do a bit of soldering. Gonna be fun. Not

After watching John’s masterpiece come together, and with our Ukraine GB in its final days, I figured I would start this as John did, but using the superb Resin2Detail 3D printed upgrades as well as Infinity’s add on kits. So we’ll use: 1. Resin2Detail super detailed cockpit 2. Resin2Detail exhaust stubs 3. Resin2Detail wheels 4. Resin2Detail quick fix Wright R2600 5. Infinity Models open rear gunner position 6. Infinity Models open bomb bay 7. Infinity Models Positionable control surfaces 8. Infinity Models PE flap set 9. AirScale 1/32 USN WW2 instruments and placards 10. G Factor landing gear legs Not much has happened yet, although I’ve started painting some cockpit stuff

Nice, nice, nice, Kev! The kit is sure stunning, but like you, I’m disappointed by the clear parts. FYI, you MAY wish to check out the 1/32 Lanc wheels offered by Barracuda Resin here in the US. The Border kit suffers the same fate as the HK kit: very poor wheels. The hubs have very, very sparse detail. The wheels were developed by Mike Swinburne for my postwar RCAF patrol bomber build, but one thing led to another, and Roy brought out a full line of Lanc wheels: both smooth tread for wartime Lancs, and the block tread for my build, PLUS, they’re available in multiple scales. Those wheels will fill in the only real weak spot on this kit. Oh, and what an entrance onto LSM! Welcome aboard. Regards, Ernie

I’m kind of slow rolling this now, waiting for some oil paint smudging to dry. Nothing big here, just some minor dirt and grime in the corners and coves, and a bit of a general overlay to remove the shine and harshness of the freshly applied digital camo.

I’d do a web search.

I moved this to the correct sub forum, y’all.

Yeah, me too. As exhibit A I point to my one and only attempt at figures painting: the crew for my Gotha. The look stoned and all have the thousand yard stare. Plus, it looks like the aircraft commander has a dueling scar. 😬

If I find SNJ or Floquil silvers, I’ll be the FOCUS of the crime lab.

Oh wow, this really looks the part! I sure wish SNJ silvers could still be got. Same with Floquil Old Silver. They were amazing paints.

Since even before the forced demise of ModelMaster, my go-to paint of choice has always been Gunze lacquers and Mr Leveling Thinner used on every brand except Mission. I’ve had spotty luck with most of AK’s other products, but I may just have to give this a try. I’m loathe to try it on one of my big builds until I at least understand it’s properties. One thing I’ve been looking for is a solid replacement for ModelMaster’s US WW2 interior green shades, so I’ll look and see if AK makes one.

I have to give you credit, Kevin. This kit has a love/hate relationship with me. I absolutely LOVE to hate it. But you’re whipping it into shape with great results.