Wolfman63

This next build is the Revell 1/426 scale USS Arizona BB-39. I will be building it as she looked before the attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. I will be using the Gold Medal Models photo etch detail set, Model Monkey 3D printed turrets to replace the kit versions, and some 3D printed O2U Kingfishers to replace the kit Curtiss Bi-planes. This will be displayed next to a Bradford Exchange USS Arizona Memorial sculpture that I received a number of years ago as a gift. I chose the Revell kit because the length of the kit is the same length as the sculpture. I started this build with the hull. I first drilled out all the portholes on the sides and opened up the anchor and mooring holes on the bow. I then removed the molded in railings. The two halves fit were not as bad as I thought it would be. The seam still required putty but was surprisingly close so not much was needed. I then removed the molded in anchor chains as these will be replaced with real chains. At this time I ordered some other items. The first was the Legends of Warfare book by David Doyle on the USS Arizona. The second items I ordered were the 1/426 USN Vought OS2U Kingfisher Seaplane Set from Distefan. These are 3D printed aircraft. I ordered these because the kit only supplies the Curtis Bi-planes which were replaced in January of 1941. I then needed to remove the molded in railings and gun shields as these are being replaced with photo etch detail parts. I also removed the molded in stairs as well. It took a few days to carefully remove them so I am currently working on the photo etch parts now. I will then work on the numerous upper decks that have the plastic railings and replacing them. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-426-uss-arizona-bb-39/

After nine weeks the Kitty Hawk 1/48 F-35C from VFA-86 “Sidewinders” is finished. I started the final details off by applying the Furball decals for the VFA-86 scheme. I then decided replacing the kit AIM-120’s with the Meng version. These were better detailed and had accurate decals. Once these were installed the canopy and other clear parts were installed which completed the build. This build was just filler while we were relocating which is why it spanned over nine weeks. The kit itself is a less than average kit. The kit lacks many details and some of the details the kit has are inaccurate. The instructions have some missing details. A few of the steps are vague as well leaving the builder to figure out how the parts go together. In the end it does look fine. I would not recommend this kit. I do have Tamiya versions of the different F-35’s in my stash which I hear are much better kits. Thanks for sticking around for this build. If you decide to tackle this kit I hope this build log will aid in getting over the issues this kit has. Happy Modeling! You can see all the photos and details from the start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

The eighth week of the F-35C was a slow week. I completed installing all the doors and finished all the details on the nose gear starboard door. I then moved on to paint. This is where the fun began. The instructions call out 75% FS36118 and 25% FS5237 for the main body and 80% FS 35237 and 25% FS36375 (not sure how make 105% of the paint. ) for the nose/highlights. I mixed up the paint and the color appeared to be off compared to the actual photos of the real VFA-86 aircraft. I then reviewed the aftermarket decal paint guide and they call out FS36170 also known as “Have Glass Grey”. I used Mission Models paint and made a swatch of this color. This came out to be more of a lighter grey than reference photos. This color was more like the grey for the F-22. Just a quick note about reference photos, some show the aircraft one color overall with the nose slightly lighter. This is the common scheme for most F-35C’s. Then there are a few that have all the RAM panels a lighter grey as well as the nose and finally there are a few where they are tri-color with dark on top, lighter on nose and underside, and only some of the RAM panels the light grey. I than contacted a Navy buddy who’s son is currently in VFA-97 and was able to obtain some color splashes of the paint they use. I used these swatches and began mixing different paints to match. After a few days of trying different colors of grey I finally ended up with 60% of Tamiya XF-53 Neutral Grey and 40% of Vallejo Metallic Medium. This was a near perfect match to the splashes I had. The metallic medium lightened the neutral grey slightly and gave it the metallic sheen. This also matched the reference photos very well. I changed the mix to 50/50 for the nose which gave the nose the slight difference as seen in the reference photos as well. This is the final paint scheme I chose to use. It represents most of the scheme of the currently operational U.S. Navy squadrons. I then finally painted the formation lights (slime lights). I will be starting the decal process this week then onto the building, detailing and painting of the weapons. I estimate about two more weeks to complete this build. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

The seventh week of the F-35C was spent detailing the canopy and preparing all the landing gear, tail hook, weapons bay, and boarding ladder doors. Starting with the canopy I detailed it using the kit photo etch details. After the photo etch was installed I was reviewing the instructions and noticed there was no way to mount the canopy! The instructions do not show or call out the part that mounts onto the front of the canopy to represent the hinge. I looked over the part trees and located the part that looks like a similar part used on the Tamiya F-35 kits and installed it. Next I turned to the wing tip sections. These required some putty to fill the seam in the middle of the flaps. The wings were then mounted onto the aircraft. I should note that the kit has instructions for wings down and wings folded. I opted for wings down. The mounting of the wings down takes some work to mount and align them as there are no guides for them to mount to. I also assembled the small center fuel tank and putty the seams as the fit was not the best. I then began cleaning up all the doors. The first issue is the multiple mold marks on the inside of nearly all the doors. These needed to be filled with putty. The second issue is the two side doors for the tail hook. Only one of the doors had one hinge molded on. The other hinge and both on the other door were not molded on. I located some spare photo etch hinges I had and will use these. The third issue is the weapons bay main doors. The weapons bays have three locations for the main door hinges and the kit has three hinges for each door. However the main doors have four cutouts to mount hinges. The fourth cutout (if it had a hinge) would interfere with the small door in the center of the weapons bay. All reference photos for the “C” show three main hinges and the small door. I filled the extra hinge slot with putty. I am now working on the starboard nose gear door which has some avionics boxes that need to be scratch built and hooked to the wiring I added previously to the nose gear bay. I am hoping to start the painting later this week once all the doors have been installed. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

The sixth week of the F-35C was started off with installing the refueling probe. I then added the kit photo etch details to the canopy rails. According to the instructions there is a piece that mounts to the rear of the canopy area. This piece was missing from the kit. Looks like when injecting the plastic it did not fill in this part of the mold. Using reference photos I scratch built a new part. The canopy tub was then installed into the upper fuselage. I needed to sand down part of the backside of the refueling probe bay to get the cockpit tub positioned correctly. I then went to assemble the upper and lower fuselage assemblies together. The fit was a little on the poor side. The area where the refueling probe bay sits required more sanding to get the fuselage halves to join correctly. Also the lower fuselage was a little off just behind the refueling probe area as well. Once the fuselage was together I assembled the wings and rear stabilizers. While installing the wings the topside fit well but the underside had a gap where it meets the fuselage on both wings. Finally I assembled the tails. The port side tail required some sanding and filing to make it fit correctly on the fuselage. The starboard tail fit much better and only required some light sanding. I am now working on the outside of the wings and then detailing the landing gear doors. I am hoping to get the painting process started by the end of the week. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

For the fifth week of the F-35C I worked on the main gear bays and struts. I used the reference photos to add all the lines to the struts. I used different size wire and some scrap photo etch parts. I also added the tie down loop to strut as well. I then used a reference photo to create the placards for the struts. Next I came across an issue. The directions show assembling the main gear and then installing them in to the lower fuselage assembly. The issue is once the wheels are attached you are unable to install them as the wheels and struts together are too wide to fit thru the gear openings. One of the bays I did not install the wheel yet but I did have to remove the other wheel to install it. I ended up pinning this wheel onto the strut. I then went to make sure the landing gear sat correctly and found out the tail hook was too low. I cut the control strut for the tail hook to raise it up a bit. Now all the landing gear and tail hook sit evenly in the ground. Another issue is the instructions have you install the cockpit assembly on to the topside of the nose gear bay. However during a dry-fit check there are no markings as to the exact location to mount it. I decided to mount the cockpit on the upper fuselage instead. I taped it the cockpit assembly in place on the upper fuselage and did another dry fit check. This will work a lot better for the correct alignment. I am now working on the upper fuselage details starting with the refueling probe and upper intake panels. I am hoping to get the fuselage together next week. You can see all the photos and details from the start at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

For the fourth week of the F-35C I installed the weapons bays and nose gear bay into the lower fuselage. I then built up the tail hook and installed it as well. Next I started on the engine. Since I am using the ResKit engine I needed to cut off a section of the kit engine from the exhaust side. The resin engine pieces were then painted and weathered. I then assembled and painted the intakes. The kit intakes went together very well and it was easy to hide the seams of the two halves. There were some mold marks that needed to be cleaned up on the inside of them but they were not too bad to smooth out. I am now working on the main landing gear bays. Just like the nose gear bay these lack details which I will scratch build the details. Another thing I noticed in the reference photos are the large placards on the main struts. Neither the kit decals nor the Furball aftermarket decals have them so I will need to make the decals for them. You can see all the photos and details from the start at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

It has taken a while to get back on track to building models after the big move. There is still a lot of work around the new house like painting, decorating, and updating things. I am spending some time on the bench for a few hours during the week. So the F-35C build is slowly starting back up. Now back to the Kitty Hawk 1/48 F-35C build. I was able to detail the weapons bays this past week. I used 28 gauge wire for the hydraulic lines and fine wires to create the cable assemblies. The kit does not come with the launchers in the bays so I scratch built these based on the reference photos. There were other details in the bays that need to be added as well. With the weapons bays finished I am working on the tail hook assembly then the weapons bays, nose landing gear, and tail hook will be mounted in to the lower fuselage. The engine and intake assemblies will follow. You can see all the photos and details from the start at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

The first week of the F-35C I installed the seat. The height matches the reference photos and really highlights the cockpit. I added a couple of avionics to the rear deck of the cockpit tub completing the cockpit. I then started on the nose gear bay. I found a really nice reference photo of the F-35C nose gear. In comparing the kit parts I noticed that the kit nose strut is totally different than the actual strut. I was also informed by a representative from Detail and Scale that they did NOT supply reference materials as noted on the kit box. This explains why the details are off. Anyhow, I removed the landing light and the recognition lights from the kit strut. I then scratch built a new landing light and recognition light panel. For the wheel bay I used solid bare wire for the hard lines and 32 gauge black wire for the cables. There are wires that go along the starboard side door so I left some wire sticking up so when the door is mounted I can route the wiring as needed. The strut with the wheels was then installed. Since the kit details are incorrect I located reference photos of them. I also received the Furball decal set this week. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/ Now onto the bad news, there will be no more updates on this build. We are relocating in a few weeks and I started the packing process of the model studio. I have 103 built models, 117 models waiting to be built, and all the benches, shelves, cabinets, paints, supplies etc that all need to be packed. I will be moving them myself to help reduce damage. To see what it takes to move a full hobby studio and set up a new one. You can follow the “Big Move 2026” at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/big-move-2026/

This is the Kitty Hawk 1/48 F-35C. I will be using Red Fox 3D decals, Reskit resin exhaust, Furball decals for the VFA-86 scheme, and I also added the Eduard 3D Brassin ejection seat. I started off with the cockpit as usual. I cleaned up the panels to prepare for the Red Fox 3D decals. These look great and fit perfectly on the instrument and side panels. The decal set has the option of the instrument panel display “on” or a blank screen for the “off” mode. I looked at the kit ejection seat and it is not very well detailed. I researched this kit and found some folks noted the kit ejection seat is too tall and if you wanted the canopy closed it will not close because of the seat. I opted to use the Eduard 3D brassin ejection seat. The seat is very detailed and the instructions also offer other details that can be added. Care is required to trim the parts off of the carriers as they are very delicate. There are eleven different parts as well as a sheet of photo etch and decals for all the warning placards. I am currently finishing up the cockpit assembly and details then moving on to the nose gear bay and then the weapons bays. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-35c-vfa-86-sidewinders/

The third and final week of the ZL59 Q-Class Airship started off by building the new stands. I used styrene sheets for the base starting with a round bottom and then cutting out a German Flying Cross emblem. A styrene tube for support and a styrene square rod formed to the Q-ship. I also added some foam pads to keep the stands from scratching the surface and to keep the Q-ship form slipping on the stands. These were then painted German Grey with a black and white cross. I raised the height from .5” to 2.0” tall so that the underside details could be better seen. I added the gun mounts to the topside completing this build. This build was a fun build. The kit itself was very good. The photo etch details are tedious to do but look great once in place. I think this kit would have been better if the gondolas had open windows and photo etch frames for the forward gondola green house windows on the nose. The fit was very good and only required a little putty for the main fuselage. The only real disappointing part of this kit was the undersized stands. They are way too small to proper support the model and allow easy viewing of the underside details. The decals worked out very well and applied easily. Aside from the poor stands I would recommend this kit for those who want something unique to display. I hope you all had fun watching this build. Happy Modeling! You can see all the photos and details from the start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-zeppelin-q-class-airship/

The second week of the Q-ship started of good. Built up and attached the out rigger engine mounts. I then began painting the scheme for the LZ59. There are three different colors used in the scheme. The colors listed in the instructions are MIG Ammo paint colors. I have never tried them so I decided to purchase them for this kit. The lightest color is Cremeweiss. The darkest is Dunkelgelb. The middle color is a three parts Cremeweiss to one part Dunkelgelb. After using these paints I am very happy with them. They work very well with either spraying or brush painting. The paint gives you an even coat and covers well. When I did touch-ups with a brush there were no brush marks and you cannot tell what was sprayed and what was brushed. The dried paint is durableI will add these to the list of paint brands to use on future models. To aid in painting I scanned in the painting guide from the instructions and then scaled it to the same size as the model. This allowed me to measure the different sections to correctly mask them. The print out also will aid later when I need to apply the decals to their correct positions. I started with the lightest color first, then the middle color and finally the darker color. Once the painting was completed I installed the gondolas. For the aft gondola I had to attach a couple of more struts that went from the out riggers to the gondola. And this is where disaster struck! The stands that came with the kit are short small clear stands. These are too small for the kit. The airship can easily be bumped and knock the airship off of them. When it rolled off the stands the aft gondola took the brunt of the damage. I spent two nights rebuilding all the supports for the aft gondola and straightened the out riggers. I decided that I will make new stands to better support the airship later. After the repairs I used a little bit of tape on the stands while I applied the decals. I am now working on the stands. I am going to make the curved sections longer to better support the model and also make the stands a little taller. Once the stands are made all I need to do is mount the topside guns to complete the model. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-zeppelin-q-class-airship/

This next build is something different. It is the Takom 1/350 Zeppelin Q-Class Airship. I will be building it as the LZ59 (L20) Airship. The LZ59 after completing its second bombing raid on Britain the airship started having engine problems on its return. This plus the strong winds from a weather front caused the airship to veer north towards Norway. It ended up crashing in the water Jasund, Norway. The first week I worked on the forward and aft gondolas. The kit has all the windows on each one molded in. I decided to open them up. The forward gondola has a large window area on the nose. I ended up using some 32 gauge wire and replaced the kit parts by making my own framing. The top and side windows were then made with small strips of clear acetate. The side windows on both were drilled out and filled with clear acrylic gel. Both of these are held on to the lower panels via lots of small photo etch struts. The forward gondola wasn’t bad as it had the large supports which were access to the inside of the main airship. The aft gondola was a lot more delicate. Getting the struts lined up and placed correctly required some tedious work. With the gondolas mounted to their respective lower panels I started working on the main airship. The Q class ship is similar to the P class ship except for length. The kit is designed for both P and Q classes so this kit has a center section to make it the correct length for the Q class. The fit was pretty close but it still required a bit of putty to cover the seams. I am currently working on the main airship. The airship has a total of four engines. One on each gondola and two mounted on outriggers. These are also mounted with photo etch struts. The struts go to the main body as well as the aft gondola. I should be starting on painting this upcoming week as well. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-zeppelin-q-class-airship/

Week three of the U-505 U-Boat I started off by assembling the display base. The stands were painted gloss black and then I used a gold paint pen to highlight the base of the stand edges. Once they were positioned I used epoxy to attach them to the wooden base. The nameplate was then attached and finally the submarine was attached to the stands. Next I used EZ-Line for the jumping wires. I used some acrylic gel to create the cutters used on the jumping wires and then painted them matte black. This completed the model! In review, working on resin models is interesting. The basic hull just required a little clean up. Most of the build time is adding the fine details. Also CA glue is what is used to attach the details. Regular model glue does not adhere to the resin. Due to the size the photo etch details required small tweezers and a steady hand to get them in place. The kit instructions were very good. The only downside to this kit is there were no mooring cap stands on the deck. Building a resin model is different but this was a fun build for me. You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-type-ixc-u-boat/

Week two of the U-505 was spent detailing the conning tower with all of the kits photo etch parts. For the periscopes the kit provides brass rods. I use a file to flatten the area for the lens. As I was doing the conning tower I noticed two areas on the side where the resin had sunken in a bit. These were filled with putty. The kit did not supply the ladder rungs for the conning tower so I used some fine copper wire to make the rungs. While the photo etch parts were drying I started to make the pedestals for mounting the submarine. I cut out three different size circles and then used a styrene tube as the post. The tube was notched to fit the keel line on the bottom of the hull. Next I painted the submarine. After a lot of research I opted to paint the U-505 in the original tri-color scheme used on the IXC U-boats. The lower hull was painted Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau RAL 7016, the upper hull was painted Dunkelgrau 51 RAL 7000, and the conning tower was painted Blauschwarz 58/2. The decks were painted with satin black to replicate the coating they typically painted the wooden decks. The kit does not provide any decals so using the reference photos I made the “seashell” logos used on the sides of the conning tower and the U-Boat logo on the front of the conning tower. Due to the small size I matched the background of the decals to match the Blauschwarz 58/2 paint used on the conning tower. This made trimming and applying the decals easier. I am working on the display base now. The brass etched nameplate from EnM Engraving arrived this week. I just need to sand and finish the wood base. Once the submarine gets mounted I can install all the rigging to complete the model. You can see all the photos and details from start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-350-type-ixc-u-boat/