Here’s my Anigrand 1/72 XP-67 Moonbat which I finished a few days ago. This is one of a few firsts. It was my first all resin kit and it was my first attempt at panel shading (note I said panel shading, not panel line shading). The bottom was airbrushed Neutral Gray while the top was Testor’s Olive Drab out of their spray can. Then I lightened the OD by mixing two or three drops in with the OD and then airbrushing that on selected panels. For the canopy framing I used clear decal film which I cut into strips and then painted OD. As you can tell from the pics, it’s the only part of the plane which did not receive a dullcoat. I might go back and hand brush on a flat coat over the framing but, for now, the picture makes it look more pronounced than it really is. Otherwise, I loved working on the kit and I would happily get another Anigrand kit.
I’d also like to mention that the picture of the partially completed kit taken head on was taken by my three year old daughter. It’s the first one she ever took of one of daddy’s planes. Now I have to hang the Moonbat in her room next to my P-40 “with the smiley face on it”.
Thanks to all. It was a fun build. It was interesting to build a kit with little to no gaps BUT with many tiny pinhole air bubbles to fill in. It was nothing a single brushed on layer or Mr. Surfacer 500 couldn’t take care of. Sort of the opposite of most kits we normally build! LOL! Is my finished product contest worthy? Not really but that’s just a reflection of my own skills, not of any fault of the kit. But it sure was fun building it all up. It helped me get out of my rut of being bored with another Mustang, Spitfire, FW-190, ME-109 etc…
In the back of each nacelle are supposed to be a set of exhaust ports. They sort of remind me of an over/under double barrelled shot gun. They’re not shown in the picture but I just wanted to mention that Anigrand did include them. I just hadn’t installed them yet at the time of the pictures. I also wanted to mention that the Anigrand decals behaved perfectly and reacted nicely to microsol. You have the option of spending an extra dollar and getting a spare decal sheet but in reality one decal sheet actually has extra national insignias. I think it had two extra if memory serves me correctly. I also got one more prop blade than I needed. The kit came with nine rather than eight. I made sure to hold onto that one in case I lost a blade to the carpet monster.
That plane is so cool looking. It’s funny how they chose a Bat themed name (though obvious why). Paint it black with a Batman symbol on it- the original Batplane!
Nice job, it looks great! I think that it is contest worthy for sure! I had an idea a while back for a jet powered version of the XP-67 with swept wings outboard of the engine nacelles, but that came to an end with the start of school… that’s sort of copyrighted, in that it was my idea first.Anyways, it looks awesome.
How about XP-67 + twin J-33’s (P-80 engines) + swept wings = most excellent, awesomo-cool looking jet fighter. Give it 8 .50 cals or 6 20 mils. and some rockets, and you would have an excellent bomber intercepter. Any ways, it looks great, and I wish I had the time/money to get me one.
This 1/72 kit cost me $51 (that’s including the S&H). Normally I NEVER spend that much on a kit but I had this deal with my wife. I was taking a Calculus class at the time and she told me I could only get the model if I got an “A” in the class. This is what I kept in my mind as I was taking my final exam. Talk about dangling the carrot on the stick! Ha-ha-ha! Now I’m back to buying my el cheapo kits again.
Quote (still can’t get this bloody thing to work): In the back of each nacelle are supposed to be a set of exhaust ports… Hm. Are those things ray shielded? If so, the only way you could take those things down is with proton torpedoes… I’m such a nerd… Anyway, all Star Wars referenced aside, awesome build. The subject matter is right up my alley. Nice work.
