1/72 Frances WIP Finished

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Been slow going on this one. With work starting back up and all the spring B.S., bench time has been very low. Anyhoo, this is the Hasegawa kit with Eduard PE, and will be carrying a torpedo. So far, just the pit is done and fuse buttoned up.

The I.P. comes with film instrument backer, but the instruments needles and whatnot were huge and would look like crap. I glued the piece on, but painted the whole I.P. black and just picked out the dials with a fine tip brush. Finished them with clear glue for the “glass”.

Hopefully, this one won’t drrrraaaaggg on for a month, like the last one!

2

LOL, I thought this was in response to Manny’s thread about the Frances. Kind of a “take that”.

I will be watching this one as i have a keen interest in Japanese A/C and this is a bit of a rarity.

3

Great interior detail… will be waiting to see the exterior!

Thanks for sharing

4

Funny…“this one is dragging out” Your dragging out is like me in light speed. Great work as always, looking forward to seeing it done to your usual standard.

5

GINGA!!!

6

another damned great work! ( [^o)] another 1/72? not enough space in the house?)

7

I’ve seen pictures, he’s got all kinds of room in the house if he was a mere mortal. But he builds so fast he may run out anyway!

8

You can use the footage at around the 3 minute mark for a ref here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cSNf-JaKHbU

9

Thanks guys!

Trouble is, it took a week to get done what normally (winter schedule) takes about half a bench session! I was all set for a marathon session last night. Yet another spring storm took out power around 9pm, didn’t get it back till early this morning. I did all I could by candle light in about half an hour. STUPID spring!!! For anyone that thinks their bench lighting sucks, give candles a go, you’ll have an all new appreciation for your lights!!!

10

So, I can just paint it black and set the left engine on fire!!! Too easy!!![:P]

11

That looks darn good in 72nd.

12

This a/c was supposed to be the Japanese answer to the B-25…interesting in that all of the flight crew are sitting in-line and that there actually seems to be some armor plating behind the pilot…pretty fancy seat for the pilot as well, something not seen in most Jap a/c…

13

Been slacking on updates, been turbobusy. Figured I’d give a shot or two before hitting the paintbooth.

Fit has been, for the most part, great. A little bit of sanding along the forward, top, edge of the wing root and nose glass, where it meets the top of the fuse…no biggie though. The canopy is a one piece deal, I want it open! I thermo-formed the three center sections, cut my masks on the kit part and transfered them over to the new ones. The windscreen and rear canopy piece were cut free of the kit part.

The other two sections are burried under the front portion (slid back) of the canopy.

Masking was good times!

14

Fermis,

Looking good…can’t wait to see it done.

15

Thought that MOJO was gonna be carrying a torp?

16

It will be. It’ll go in later, along with the fiddly bits towards the end.

17

…towards the end of what ???[+o(]

18

Hee, hee, hee—he said, “fiddly bits”…

19

Wow…heat-forming your own 72nd scale canopies…now that’s hard-core!!!

20

That and he finishes the whole kit in the time it takes me or other mere mortals to even mask a canopy.