I’ve been modeling like a crazy man lately. I recently completed a Tamiya 1/48 Gloster Meteor with a V-1 that had been languishing on my work bench for a lot of last year, then I built the Pro-Modeler 1/48 Ju 52 before starting the F-84G. I think the reason for this surge in modeling is that my wife and I are expecting our first any day now and I expect that my time to model will be severely curtailed in the coming days and months.[:(] But that’s okay, it will certainly be worth it. [:D]
Any way, here are photos of my current progress. Some photos are a bit out of focus (my camera is lacking in that department; I really need to invest in a new one). Also some of you may not be able to see these as happened when I posted photos of my Ju 52. Hope everyone enjoys.
Landing gear: I decided early on to do a bit of additional detailing on the wing gear, adding brake lines from strands of copper wiring I had left over from an electrical project I did a while back.
Cockpit: Used a silver artists pencil to pick out some wear-and-tear details and to highlight instrumentation. Unfortunately a lot of this is not terribly visible, another limitation of my camera. The kit comes with some photo-etch parts to build seat belts, which I did using masking tape. Unlike the Tamiya kit, the Pro-Modeler kit does not come with a nose weight. I used the round metal pieces that you have to poke out of electrical boxes as weight, which can be seen behind the front landing gear bay.
Wings: I did a wash of 1 part flat black and 5 parts water and applied over wheel well details.
Fuselage: I decided early on not to use the kit-provided decals for the anti-glare panels in front of and behind the cockpit. I laid down one coat of olive green for these panels to establish the demarcation line between olive drab and the base aluminum coat.
I can see them just fine… She looks great! I think this is one of my favorite jets! Keep us posted. I might want to add one of these bad boys to my collection sometime[:)]
I cant see the pics either, congrats on the imminent arrival our first was born December the 27th and it is amazing (if a little tiring). You are gonna love every moment of it even thought the modeling will have to take a back seat, well for a couple of days at least.[;)]
I’ve changed where I’m keeping the pictures. I’ve always been able to see the pictures I’ve posted from a site I own, and some of you can too while others cannot. Curious what’s going on with that. Any way, the pictures are now hosted on Photobucket.com. Hopefully everyone will be able to see them now.
Aggieman, you’re making some wonderful progress. We take the same vitamins and use the same super glue, somehow I think you’ve got me in the “modelling skill” department! Very nice build so far.
Oh, and congratulations on the “little one” you are expecting![tup] Another future modeler.
Your consistent modelling time will dwindle, but you’ll find your hobby room a safe recluse from all the crying in times of emergency. I told my wife I was building one for the baby", and she didn’t buy it for a second.
If you’re asking how did I find, as in locate, this kit …
[:(] I have this nasty habit of buying kits and letting them sit in my stash for literally years. I got this particular kit from Hobbyland (mail order out of Indiana/Tennessee) back in '99 or 2000 and I’m just now getting around to it. I’ve actually had my next build, a Tamiya Beaufighter, longer.
If you’re asking what I think of this kit, I think it’s pretty good. It has gone together smoothly - the only problem I’ve encountered is with a panel along the side of the fuselage beneath the cockpit, I didn’t get it on flush with the surrounding fuselage and didn’t notice until the glue had set. My fault there. I’ve had to do some seam filling and requisite sanding, nothing much there.
I actually enjoy building the Pro-Modeler kits. They’re almost as good in terms of quality as Tamiya and Hasegawa but not usually as expensive.
My only real gripe about Pro-Modeler kits is one that carries over from Monogram kits. I hate it that they put a copyright date on the outside detail, usually near the wing root or on a stabilizer. That date is not part of the aircraft and I have to sand it down then buff out the scratches. More work for me. Oh well.
Thanks for all the comments. It’s always encouraging to get feedback like this.
I had originally thought I would finish this bird over the past weekend but nature intervened with my plans late Friday night when my wife went into labor. So instead of modeling I spent the weekend in the hospital and am now dad to a precious little girl. [:D]
Once I get mom and girl home today and we get settled into our new routines, I’ll post pictures of my continuing work on the F-84G.
Thanks for everyone’s congratulations on the birth of my daughter. Mom and daughter are home and are doing great … well, there is that lack of sleep thing we have going right now [|)]
I managed to squeeze in some time to complete the Thunderjet. I encountered major difficulties with the decals, which were the kit-supplied decals. Several tore or even shredded when I was in the process of applying. I did manage to salvage most of the damaged decals, although the “No Step” markings on the flaps did not survive and I elected not to attempt to paint a dark red area and look for tiny “No Step” stencils among my decal stash. I’m generally pleased with the build. Hope everyone enjoys.
I forgot to offer my thanks to those of you who warned me regarding the fragility of the nose gear.
I really enjoyed building this kit although I think if I was going to do another one, I’d get the Tamiya kit that I’ve seen comes with a fully loaded gun bay.
A commendable job there, the only thing I see is the canopy. The G should have the reinforced greenhouse which should be depicted in Airforce gray…
By the way, once you build that Tamiya kit, you won’t believe the difference from the Pro Modeler. It is one of the best kits Tamiya has ever produced, complete with a built in steel ball bearing nose weight!
