Here are some shots of Hasegawa’s 1/48 P-38J Lightning that I’m building with Eduard’s PE detail set.
The wheel wells are painted, washed, drybrushed, and installed. I also got the airframe together, and it’s almost ready for it’s protective coat of Future before I apply the Alcad shades.
The gizmos at the front and rear of the main wheel wells are just tacked in place with white glue for the pics. The actuator arms for the doors are far too fragile to install permanently before the gear is ready to go. The nose cone is likewise tacked in place. I believe I’ve added enough weight, but I want to make sure, so I left myself an opening through which I can add more lead.
I took the pics after I finished sanding all the seams, and I didn’t do a very good job removing the dust from the wheel wells.
Many have said that installing the main wheel wells in this kit is a problem. It’s only a problem if you follow the directions. I glued the wheel wells together, pulling in the front and rear bulkheads a bit. They splay out a little, and I held them in place with Scotch Frosty tape (good tack) until the CA set. I then glued together the booms, leaving the upper seam behind the wing unglued. I slipped the wheel wells through the wing openings, and slid them back until they clicked into position. A little Tenax finished the seams. No muss, no fuss, and the wells fit like Cinderella’s slippers.
I really like the detail of the PE gear door interiors. Bending the curve, and getting the CA to hold them in place took a lot of patience, though. I think it was worth it.
Awesome as usual, Pix! I would love to know how you plan to mask off all the cockpit and wheel well areas, especially the wheel wells with the protruding hydralic (?) lines.
Great work as always, Pix! The p.e. details make all the difference, don’t they? I haven’t used Eduard p.e. yet, but I am going to get their sets from now on, much nicer than True Details. Thanks for sharing with us, can’t wait to see the next progress shots!
Thanks TryintoModel, falcon, TAdan, Brian, and Brian ! (Is there an echo in here?)
TryintoModel - When I mask wheel wells, I don’t try to “cover the hole.” Instead, I just prevent the paint from getting in there. For the canopy, I always glue and fill the seams of the immovable portions. I then mask the opening. You can see how I mask on these two pics of a Trimaster Me 262:
TAdan - I couldn’t say for sure if the Eduard set would fit the Monogram kit. You get the sidewalls, but you’d still have to box in the wells and add the coolant pipes in the main gear wells. It’s best to see if there’s a set for the Monogram kit, or get a Hasegawa Lightning.
Brian - I’m an admitted PE junkie, I don’t like to build a kit without it. I already have Eduard PE sets for all the kits I plkan to build this year !
Brian-San - Removing the molded hinges from the plastic gear doors took a lot of patience. Forming the PE wasn’t too difficult, but getting one end to stay down while I glued the other took a few tries for all the doors. Worth the effort, I believe.
The PE certainly does make a difference on the gear doors. Very nice touch.
Also, thanks for posting some pics of your “know how”. As simple as it is, it makes me wonder, “now why didn’t I think of that?!?”. Greta ideas I can put to use immediately. Thank you.
mucker and tigerman - sometimes, you just need to look at something a little differently. Instead of doing some things the same way all the time, I think, “How else could I do this? Is there another way to achieve results I find more satisfying?” I guess they call that “thinking outside the box” nowadays.
Thanks Pixilator for the example of masking! I’ll have to give that way a try. On the wheel wells, I’ve always thought that I needed to cover the well completely, but I guess you don’t have to as long as your careful with the airbrush. Interesting.
Dave - masking the wells that way gives you a very clean edge, with an even coat of paint all the way around. As long as you don’t point the nozzle into the opening, use a lot of pressure, or spray from a long distance, the paint will stay out. You can always stuff some tissue in there if you’re a little apprehensive about it.
