I picked this up this weekend from the sale table at a local shop. The decals are nice and bright with no yellowing. The challenge will be the fact that the red on the body will have to be (in my case) rattle can painted and I will try my hand at next level masking.
I’ve always liked the Gee Bee and I’m glad i found one I can stretch my legs with.
Cool! It doesn’t look very big next to those 1/4 oz bottles on the box art.
Yeah, it’s pretty small. From engine housing to tail is 3 1/2". The wingspan is 6".
El Chu!, sorry, I’ve been watching too many Pixar movies…
I always wanted to build the old Williams Bros. 1/32nd scale Gee Bee R model or the Gee Bee Z model. I couldn’t bring myself to do it because of the fact of the thin pinstripe separating the colors on both models. The kit supplied decals have the pinstripe on the numerals but not for the scallops. I’ve seen many finished models of the plane and always marveled at the ones that pulled this task off, and did it well. Others looked like crap because of their failed attempt at it. Call me chicken, but I avoided what appeared to be a very frustrating task.
This is nice simple build especially if you’re getting back into model building after a long hiatus. I picked up one of these kits in the early/mid 1990s after I retired from active duty. It was my second build after a 25-year absence.
Be prepared to do a lot of putty filling and sanding around the wing/fuselage joint. It’s a tedious but not difficult challenge. Let me offer two suggestions for your build.
First, when painting, prime the entire assembled aircraft (wing, fuselage, stabilizer) sans canopy and wheel pants. I used Testers gray primer. Then use flat white and later flat red (both Testers rattle can) followed after curing with a coat of Future for the glossy appearance. I applied the Future with a brush and experienced no problems. (This also aids later application of decals.) When I built this kit I used rattle can gloss white and red and found it took weeks for the paints to cure before I could continue work. This was a big lesson for me so now I no longer use rattle can gloss paints.
Second, make a scaled copy of the instruction sheet page so it’s 1/48 scale. I am going on memory here but it may already be printed at 1/48. In any case, this became useful (at least for me) in making masking templates for the red trim. It helps that the kit has some of the scallop design molded onto the parts.
Enjoy your build. It builds out of the box into a very nice model.
Curt
Thanks for the awesome advice Curt! I have been kicking around a few ideas on how to do the masking. The model actually has the outlines raised on the model, so I was considering doing a rubbing and then cleaning it up, but I think your photocopy idea would be much easier.
Looks like a cool build. I’m currently working on reading Jimmy Doolittle’s autobiography. What a remarkable pilot!