Infinity Models SB2C-4 Helldiver. Finished. Well, OK, maybe not.

[Peterpools]

Ernie

Tremendous progress and you absolutely have the Helldiver under control and completely in charge of the direction of the build now. 

Nice work on the raft as it is a small detail that can be partially seen and adds to the interior. Canopies and the glass do fit well after all your prep work and it's one of the first areas we look at on a finished model and then onto the interior - looking so nicely busy.

Depending on the type of aircraft is where I draw the line on bombs, rockets and missiles. With the Helldiver being a dive bomber, she has to have some of her clout and firepower. I'm also in the camp of wanting to finish and display my models how they look best and lately that's being pretty clean, not much hanging from the wings and the engine cowls closed and buttoned up.

Priming looks mighty good and the paint shop isn't too far away for the helldiver now.

On the P-40, my thought is to go as far as I can until January 1st, then she gets put to the side for my GB build and then when done, back to the P-40.

That's quite a bunch of Hanger Queens and I'm sure it's hard figuring out how to work them back into your build schedule - it normally always is for me.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bomber_County]

Looking mighty fine Ernie, I must take some pics of my F4F-3……..

[BlrwestSiR]

9 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

And we seem to have an Unfinished Air Force here in this room….

All very worthy models in their own right. 

I recognize that space. Looks a lot like mine. 

[BlrwestSiR]

Nice to see the Helldiver coming together. 

Underwing ordnance can be a pain at times. I'm not looking forward to doing the duplex rocket setup that some late war Mossies carried. 

Carl

[GazzaS]

Ernie, great progress this week.  You gotta have some bombs, man!  It's a bomber after all.  I feel the same way about cockpit details that you do about bombs.  Not that I would enjoy loading up an A-10 Warthog.

[Clunkmeister]

17 hours ago, GusMac said:

At a quick glance, I thought that last picture showed a poster stuck on the front of a wardrobe, then I realised it was the kit box!! 😮

You're going to need all that garage space just to display that when it's done.

And not one single comment on the SLR in the corner. 🤣

[KevinM]

1 hour ago, Clunkmeister said:

And not one single comment on the SLR in the corner. 🤣

Hell Ernie it's America in some parts of North America and we still get to keep an arsenal in our possession but anything FN and of design with wood in it's structure is A OK by me.I still like to get a hold of a CETME myself but prices are stupid and do I really need another rifle?

 

Oh the plane looks good too.😋

[Clunkmeister]

One almost down, 11 more to go.  Need to do some aligning and final adjusting yet, but these are mighty tedious  

[Clunkmeister]

20 minutes ago, KevinM said:

Hell Ernie it's America in some parts of North America and we still get to keep an arsenal in our possession but anything FN and of design with wood in it's structure is A OK by me.I still like to get a hold of a CETME myself but prices are stupid and do I really need another rifle?

 

Oh the plane looks good too.😋

I’m an FN FAL and variant fanatic.  That right there is a 1963 Canadian Army issue FN C1A1 with a Canadian Army Leitz  sniper scope.  The scope is insanely hard to find, it comes with its own carrying tube as well. It slips off the receiver on a special top cover, and the factory iron sights are left untouched. I have three other C1 variants, plus a C2 heavy barrel squad automatic rifle with the forward hand grip extendable as a bipod. Plus an actual EX1 Canadian Army trials rifle, and a genuine T48 US Army trials rifle. 
It’s a lifetime worth of sweet talking and collecting.  
Plus a Sterling Mk. lV 🤣

We like to play silly games in Texas. The only AR variant I own is an M16A1, and it’s forever being loaned out to museums. 
 

I’ve thought about a CETME, but they just didn’t much light my fire.  I ran a few mags through a G.3 a few years back at a local MG shoot we attend, and it was “OK”, but 7.62 NATO on fast forward is all but uncontrollable. Just a noisemaker to me.  The C2 is great, as it has the bipod and even with that and the heavy barrel, you’ve got to keep it down the short 3-4 round bursts to keep from cooking the barrel. An MG42 it’s not…

A buddy has an old Guide Lamp built early grease gun. Between that, my Sterling, and another buddy’s MP40, we chew through a ton of cheap pistol reloads. Joy gets SO uptight when I go out and build 1500 of 9mm rounds for the Sterling, and it’s all gone in an afternoon. At least it’s cheaper than the 45 for the grease gun.  But the grandkids absolutely love range days when we take the chatterboxes out to play. 

[Peterpools]

Ernie

Nice work on the first of twelve PE parts for the dive brakes - surely need nerves of steel and a mighty steady hand. 

 

[KevinM]

And FA at that I have two FN-49s one Argentine Navy which was like 5000 # total contract and a Venezuelan.The G-43 has the scope mount that slides off the stock but mine is AM last time I was looking for a mount 10years ago they were 1/1.5k for the mount.🤪

[Clunkmeister]

2 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Ernie

Nice work on the first of twelve PE parts for the dive brakes - surely need nerves of steel and a mighty steady hand. 

 

I’m going to need to remove the top skin it appears. It’s slightly misaligned. So a bit of desoldering will be involved

[Clunkmeister]

1 hour ago, KevinM said:

And FA at that I have two FN-49s one Argentine Navy which was like 5000 # total contract and a Venezuelan.The G-43 has the scope mount that slides off the stock but mine is AM last time I was looking for a mount 10years ago they were 1/1.5k for the mount.🤪

I do not have an FN49 and sold my G43. Silly decisions that will hopefully soon be rectified

[harv]

44 minutes ago, Clunkmeister said:

I’m going to need to remove the top skin it appears. It’s slightly misaligned. So a bit of desoldering will be involved

Good luck Ern !....harv

[KevinM]

1 hour ago, Clunkmeister said:

I’m going to need to remove the top skin it appears. It’s slightly misaligned. So a bit of desoldering will be involved

Nothing like digging a ditch and filling it up something I detest hence the reason a lot of my mistakes on models do not get redone if to much hassle.The woodwork side is a bit different there I strive for that perfection not always obtainable but I work towards it.

[ScottsGT]

15 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

And not one single comment on the SLR in the corner. 🤣

I’d comment if it WASN’T there!  
 

But a grease gun.  Oh man. My favorite.  

[GazzaS]

16 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

And not one single comment on the SLR in the corner. 🤣

I was gonna say that you could use it for 'taking care' of your backlog of partially comple models...   but then I deleted that part of my last post.

[Clunkmeister]

3 hours ago, ScottsGT said:

I’d comment if it WASN’T there!  
 

But a grease gun.  Oh man. My favorite.  

My kinda guy. 🤣 gotta keep the stash defended.  Sterling and MP40 are much cheaper to run. The Sterling munches everything. The MP40 hates handloads. 

[Peterpools]

Ernie

Good luck with the soldering. In my model railroading days, I had to do a lot of desoldering and found that using a 'desoldering' strip of mesh helped a lot. Of course there is a proper name, which for the life of me, I can't remember.

Good luck and fingers crossed 🤞

 

[ScottsGT]

19 hours ago, Clunkmeister said:

My kinda guy. 🤣 gotta keep the stash defended.  Sterling and MP40 are much cheaper to run. The Sterling munches everything. The MP40 hates handloads. 

The look on Jerry’s face is priceless here if you know who he is.  
 

 

[ScottsGT]

2 hours ago, Peterpools said:

Ernie

Good luck with the soldering. In my model railroading days, I had to do a lot of desoldering and found that using a 'desoldering' strip of mesh helped a lot. Of course there is a proper name, which for the life of me, I can't remember.

Good luck and fingers crossed 🤞

 

Solder wick.  I was a professional solderer for over 30 years.  🤪

Brush on a little soldering paste (rosin) first and it will flow like water.  

[KevinM]

On 12/10/2022 at 3:29 PM, Clunkmeister said:

 Sterling and MP40 are much cheaper to run.

I l;like to touch your collection one day Ernie never have shot a FA.😔

[Winnie]

Dang, I'D LOVE to have a small affair with your SLR! Always wanted to shoot that one. I used the AG-3, AG-3F (extendable stock) and MP-5 extensively, but would love to shoot the SLR! Wish I had access to the NATO Ammo as I used to. Could walk into supply and walk out with 400 rounds like nothing...

[Clunkmeister]

1 hour ago, Winnie said:

Dang, I'D LOVE to have a small affair with your SLR! Always wanted to shoot that one. I used the AG-3, AG-3F (extendable stock) and MP-5 extensively, but would love to shoot the SLR! Wish I had access to the NATO Ammo as I used to. Could walk into supply and walk out with 400 rounds like nothing...

308 Win works, although the pressures are slightly different, the dimensions are the same.  Come on down, we have a few. If you get to Hurst on a Bell Course, I can pick you up and we can rock and roll. 
Trudeau just declared them prohibited in Canada. I guess they’re too scary looking. 

[Clunkmeister]

8 hours ago, ScottsGT said:

Solder wick.  I was a professional solderer for over 30 years.  🤪

Brush on a little soldering paste (rosin) first and it will flow like water.  

We love to play down here. That’s my nephew on my C1A1 SLR, then with an early PAS-4 active IR, my daughter in law on one of my P-08s, and I’m running an 1858 Remington Army percussion cap pistol.

The Cake Decorator is an early GM produced Guide Lamp with a very early mechanical cocking mechanism.   The early M16A1 is Vietnam era. The MP40 is a sweet little machine but it really doesn’t like handloads at all.