DocRob

Very nice progress with the washes applied. I like the grade of dirtyness, it looks right to my eye. Your idea about adding a lengthening guide for the HGW belts is great, I hope they will read this. I usually build up the longer belts from the middle on, fiddling in the end buckles last and then glue the middle with the possibility to adjust the length a bit, after checking with the pilots seat as reference. Cheers Rob

Glad yours doesn't turn into a lawn dart, John. Your Starfighter looks absolutely beautiful and crisp in it's finish. If I ever build one, it can only be in NMF, which let the plane look so pure. Cheers Rob

How are the odds, that the stash additions got build ever, compared to the slots, Hubert ? Cheers Rob

I considered this technique too, as it is less tedious, then to mask all spars, then pre shade, ... . On my finished builds, I went the hard way, because I envisioned, the spars are prominent and should look highlighted, instead of darkened. On translucent linen, you could argue, that it's cast shadow, which looks darker, but with opaque surfaces, I don't know. On most planes of the time, there are enforcement strips applied, which might cast a slight shadow too. I looked at many historical pictures and have to say, on some the risen spars look lighter and on some darker, hmm. I might get persuaded to try the easier method for my next build, because the effect looks good in the end. Cheers Rob

Thanks Gary, there are two new sprues and some clear parts (obviously) added to the Birdcage kit, mostly addressing internal parts for the cockpit, the canopy, the tail wheel section and some smaller stuff. Cheers Rob

Thanks Jeroen, it's still not finished, but I will post some newer pics, where the applied dust filters the camo a bit. I tried to put the Lancia on a cobblestone base for the pics, but it was nearly invisible then . Cheers Rob

I'm actually preparing and planning my paint sequence. In order to do so, I will apply a lot of wear to the wing roots and like in the real world, I sprayed some dark aluminum on followed by a coat of hairspray. Next will be primer color, then chipping through the primer onto the aluminum, then sealing everything under a protective gloss coat, pre shading and -mottling, hairspray again and then the tri tone camo with all the galore. That's the plan at least and I hope, I don't paint myself into a corner . As a side project the propeller got treated similar. First dark aluminum, then hairspray, then yellow for the tips, hairspray again. Next will be masking the yellow tips off and apply some Nato black. It's hard to say, but sometimes I hate the precision of Tamiya kits. Why, for example with the landing light, the fit is so tight, that my very cautiously applied Contacta Clear splashed a bit, when the clear part snapped in, bummer. Now I have to find a story, why this soiling happened with the real one. For the multiple lights on the Corsair, I use my trusty Uschi van der Rosten chrome pigments, which give a very realistic shine for the reflectors. I also tried Molotow's chrome markers, but they failed again The formation lights got the same treatment, except for the clear colors applied before. Cheers Rob

Muchas gracias amigos, let's hope for the best, I can't afford fogging or color bleeding onto that canopy. @GazzaS, If you mean the difference between the Birdcage and the later bubble canopy, I think the main reason for the change would have been the poor vision the Birdcage canopy allow, especially during carrier landings. The later models like mine have the pilots position risen by eight inches, which made a different design approach necessary. The overall vision bettered too, obviously. I'm not an expert, identifying the differences of the later models, but Tamiya provided some comprehensive information about the changes made to the corsair during their life span. Cheers Rob

I really like that speckling effect, Gary. Is it truly speckled or applied with a sponge? How do you perform your speckling. I am always afraid to use the airbrush with a low pressure setup, because I fear some unwanted blobs of color. It might be correct, but to my eye, the underside of the nose section looks too clean, compared with the rest of the fuselage. Cheers Rob

I'm absolutely not an 'on the sprue' airbrusher, but make few exceptions when necessary. I always find spots of weak coverage, when I do. With the Falcon, it seems like the way to go, you can't place enough clips on your desk, without creating havoc. Cheers Rob

Good you saved the Starfighter John. With the new paintjob it looks marvelous with that shiny aluminum finish. Can't wait to see it fully decaled. Cheers Rob

Nice Kevin, exactly the scheme, I have planned for my 1/32 DR.I from Roden. Good luck with the streaking. Cheers Rob

This can be interesting for some of you, I guess. Revell is about to release a new tool Hurricane soon. The Modelling News: Revell's new-tooled 32nd scale Hurricane hits in December... Cheers Rob

Thank you John, indeed, I can see how you have built so many. It's my second Tamiya Corsair, with my detest for redundance, that equals to twenty Corsairs build by you . They are great kits and I can see myself build a third one, possibly a British conversion or a later model as my first GSB-pain mule. Your Corsair builds are a great temptation and I ask myself how much Tamiya pays you as their Corsair ambassador . Cheers Rob

Poco a poco - step by step - I'm nearing the finish line construction wise. I masked and painted the protective glass and the inside of the canopies. The rear part of the canopy got the mirrors glued in before painting. These are made from silver PE, so i masked the reflective sides with a piece of Kabuki. You have to decide while building, if the canopy should be posed open or closed and there are different fuselage parts supplied for the area behind the cockpit. I opted for open and that leads to a gap with the canopy part slightly tilting forward. Because of this, I will paint the fuselage with a Kabuki tape masked cockpit, not using the canopy part as a mask, like I planned first. Cheers Rob

Thank you amigos, I never had fit issues with Eduard masks, but HGW's were a different breed in pastimes. Luckily this time there was nothing to complain at all. Cheers Rob

Great work on the cockpit Peter, your painting style is very crisp. I hope the fit issues will be sorted out without too much fuzz. Cheers Rob

Thanks Phil, it's not completely ready by now. I added some dust and dirt, but have to finish weathering. When I can get a hold on, there will be figures as well. Cheers Rob

Very nice Nick, I love the finish, it looks very 'metallic' as it should. Extra detailing makes your Mustang stand out. Have you used pre cut masks for the wheel wells? I only ask, because I have ordered two sets of masks from Miryoku for mine. Cheers Rob

Nice and definitely something different, Carl. Cheers Rob

They do smell, you have to thin them heavily. I use Mr. Levelling thinner with a ratio of up to 2/3 thinner 1/3 color. So well thinned it goes down ultra glossy and sprays perfectly. Cheers Rob

I have two firsts to report, one being only a little thing. I did an inside and outside masking job with the Corsair's canopy. The plastic was so clear, I skipped my usual bath of Pledge. The second 'first' was, the HGW kabuki masks were really fitting, something I haven't found, despite having used lots of their masks. They never fitted. Very often I was dissatisfied with HGW products, like the super fragile wet transfers, their super sets for WNW kits, in my case for the Hansa Brandenburg, which was widely unusable and yes, the never before fitting masks. I take it as a good sign and hope for the best with many other HGW products, I have in my stash. Cheers Rob

As much as I like AK's Extreme Metals, I really dislike their black primer. I tried it on two occasions and it never dried properly and stayed sticky even after days, never again . You have a primer coat applied, why not base coating with Tamiya's gloss black lacquer paint. It has a high gloss surface and dries quickly and should serve well under the Extreme Metals. Cheers Rob

Thank you Peter and Gary, indeed, the kits level of detail is amazing. As good as everything fits, you have to be attentive to the manual to not get confused. At least, it is, the way I use to build in large chunks, paint all the needed parts and then assemble. It's easy to oversee a part and then it's back to the booth . The good thing, I'm on the verge of being bored with building, as it's a plain necessity to reach the paining stage and the complexity keeps me interested enough to continue. Cheers Rob

It's so very good to have you back here Peter. I like Carl's idea of presenting the engine along the P-40. Progress looking great. I wonder if the internal detail would be sufficient for a cutaway model, at least for the engine cockpit and radio section. I would be tempted to do a partially cutaway project for a change. Cheers Rob