Zuikaku Update - Been working on the flight deck. Trying to get a weathered look by introducing gray to “silver” the wood. A little messy along the edges - some of the paint pulled up with the masking tape but decided to try and make that work rather than redo it so it’s “clean”.
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Japanese P-40E Update: The cockpit is complete except for the gun sight. The shoulder harness and lap belt are Tamiya tape. The seat is AK Aluminum. I think the instrument panel could use some highlighting, maybe with some graphite. The whole cockpit was black based with Mr Surfacer 1500, then over sprayed with Tamiya Cockpit green.
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Nice work on your cockpit Frank! Now just re-stencil the instruments in Japanese 
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good looking flight deck!
Well, I’ve finally done it and broke the seal on the Peggy project after putting the finishing touches on the Bong diorama 1st Diorama build log work in progress Bong’s P-38J UPDATED 03/18/25 Nearly Complete! - Modeling Subjects / Aircraft - Finescale Modeler Forum. Hero pictures incoming tomorrow but check out my log if you haven’t already.
I put down some primer (Mr. Surfacer gray) on the major components and bonded the wings. This is going to be an out of the box build. I’m still waiting on some paint, so can’t get too much done right yet, but I’ll do what I can and keep you posted.
Happy modeling!
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This figure set arrived yesterday. I like to give my builds context, why they are the way they are. A pair of Japanese pilots talking about the P-40 will be a nice vignette.
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Those pilots will certainly add a nice touch Frank. 
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That looks like a beautiful kit. Should be a fun build!
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Got a little prep work done today on Peggy. Painted a bunch of small parts on the sprue, trimmed injector tabs on parts, and taped the fuselage for paint. The biggest thing however was performing surgery on the teardrop shaped canopies that adorn the fuselage on either side aft of the wing. Apparently, when on the ground they would have these canopies closed up. When ready to fly, half the teardrop would be removed and the machine guns swung out into place. I wanted to depict the plane as ready for takeoff, so as per the instructions, I had to remove the rear half of each teardrop. Some tape, my trusty coping saw, and much angst later, I successfully cut them in half,which you can see in the picture. I’ve never cut down a canopy before and it came out better than expected. Tomorrow I’ll get going with major construction and paint, as the supplies I need are arriving. Until the next update,. Happy Modeling!
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I’ve got a bunch more done on Peggy. Lots of painting, flight deck complete, top turret complete, engine nacelles complete. Next session will see the fuselage closed up and wings attached most likely. I painted the top turret and intended to leave the tape in place for when it’s time to gloss coat, but more than half the dome is inside the fuselage, and since it’s movable has to go in when I close the fuselage halves up. So off came the tape. I’m very pleased with how it turned out. The two side half tear drops are also painted and will need to go on soon, but the tape on those will stay for the time being. This is my first Hasegawa kit, and so far it has given no trouble, though the panel lines are not very pronounced and the locator pins and holes leave something to be desired. it’s going together fast due to a low parts count, just the palate cleanser I needed after the P-39 diorama. Anyway, take a look at the pics and let me know what you think.
Until the enxt update…Happy modeling!
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A brief update on the captured P-40:
The cockpit is installed in the fuselage and the gun sight attached. I attached the windscreen and the rear view glass. The wings are assembled and will be attached to the fuselage soon. The tail surfaces are partially painted flat white and so is the spinner. The propeller is painted and ready to be assembled with the spinner. The build is moving right along.
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As promised the fuselage has been closed up, wings and stabilizers attached, landing gear, tail wheel, bomb bay doors and guided missile all installed. All that’s left is the gear doors, various canopies, touch ups, gloss coat, decals, some panel liner, and the matte coat and Peggy will be ready for the prom! I’m probably taking a day off or two from this as the wife is beginning to complain about how little she’s seen me lately. By the end of next week, I should be done.
Until next time…Happy modeling!
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The Peggy is coming together quickly! I did not realize the engine cooling was similar to the FW190 and J2M.
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