Wolfman63

This next build is the Hasegawa 1/48 F-15E Dual Role Fighter. It is a commission build for the same client as my last one. It will be built mostly out of the box but I will be adding an Eduard cockpit photo etch detail set. The first thing I noticed was the canopy and wind screen have a seam that runs down the middle. I sanded the seam down with 800 grit sand paper then went over it with 2000 grit. Once the seam was gone I polished them. You can see what I use to removed seams and polish clear parts in the Tips and Trick section at https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-repair-clean-and-polish-clear-parts/ I then started on the cockpit. The ejection seats were detailed with the photo etch accessories and some spare decals for the labels. The cockpit tub was then detailed with photo etch side panels. The instrument panels were then sanded down so that the photo etch accessories could be added. The cockpit tub was then assembled and installed into the front section of the fuselage. I cut off the HUD glass mount as this will later be replaced with a more accurate photo etch replacement. Starting on the rest of the fuselage and the exhaust cans. See more photos and details of this build in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/1-48-f-15e-dual-role-fighter/

The 1/72 Hasegawa P-2H Neptune (P2V-7) is now complete! Before we get to the final photos there are a couple of details I needed to add. I first took a photo with the aircraft outside. Seems that different camera’s show the weathering differently but natural sunlight shows off the weathering better. Now on to the last detail, the nose has a frame that protects the crew member while giving him a place for his feet and legs instead of resting on the clear nose. The kit came with a small frame that looked nothing like the actual aircraft. I started with 30 AWG wire and cut 8 pieces. These were bent and tack soldered together. The nose frame was then painted and installed. I then used EZ-Line fine to add in the antenna. With the aircraft completed, I am waiting for the brass nameplate before I can pack it up and ship it to the client. Seems the USPS is experiencing some delays and tracking keeps changing expected delivery day. Once it arrives I will post a few photos of it packed. The client purchased one of Grandpa’s Cabinets display cases. Once he has the display case and the aircraft together he will send me some photos and I will post them here. Thanks again for following along on this special build. See more photos and details of this build from start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

Work on the Neptune this week has been very tedious. First, I had a lot of questions and comments on why I use kapton tape. So there are a couple of photos on removing the tape masks on the canopy. I then installed the landing gear. The nose gear did not have the landing light so I scratch built the housing from styrene rod then made the lens using acrylic gel. Once I had all the base coat painting completed I started to do the decals. Since this kit was manufactured way back in the early 1970’s, the kit decals did not age well. I cut out a decal for the Japanese scheme to see how they would work. After soaking in warm water for over three minutes the decal started to slide. However, it then immediately broke apart. I took another one and coated it with Microscale decal film and let it dry. It still took a long time of soaking buy I was able to get the decal to stay mostly together. It required some very careful small movements to get it moved and placed on the spare surface. It was successfully placed. I decided that the only decal’s I was going to use off the sheet was the yellow rectangles for the tail. I then dug thru my spare decal binder and after an extensive search I located nearly all of the letters and numbers in the correct sizes as well as the US insignias. Surprisingly I found a decal for the propeller warning lines that was the correct size and looked more accurate than the kit decal. I then made the squadron logo decal that goes on the nose, the trident for the tip of the tail, and the “Jet Intake” decals. Since each of the letters and numbers were individual decals it took a lot of time to get them placed and aligned. With all the decals placed I then started on the heavy weathering starting with the jet engines. The aircraft itself was sealed with a matte finish so that the weathering can be applied. I will be using three different shades of blue and two shades of gray to weather the aircraft with gray, black, and brown for exhausts. See more photos and details of this build from in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

I used it on the inside of the E-2D windows. It is not crystal clear, but better than spraying tint.

This week’s update on the 1/72 Hasegawa P-2H Neptune (P2V-7) I was able to get the fuselage together evenly after many hours of sanding and shaping. I then masked off the white sections and base coated it white. While it was drying I then assembled and detailed to radial engines and propellers. After the fuselage dried the white areas were masked off. I then assembled the canopy and scratch built the overhead console. I used some spare photo etch levers and made some of the panels to match the reference photos. The canopy was them masked with kapton tape and installed. With the radial engines installed I then started to assemble the jets engines. The kit provides nothing to detail the exhaust of the jets. I dug through my photo etch extras and found a set of exhaust details and attached them. The wings were then assembled and detailed. The fit of the wings was very good. I am working on completing the jet engines then a little masking on the landing gear bays and it should be ready to base coat the sea blue. See more photos and details of this build from in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

For my next build I will be doing another commission build. This will be a 1/72 Hasegawa P-2H Neptune (P2V-7) of VP-4. The P-2 was a Lockheed built Maritime Patrol and Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft. This aircraft flew from 1947 until the late 1960’s for the US Navy and continued to fly until 1984 for other countries. The client is having this built to match his Father’s aircraft. I will be making all the specific decals and weathering it to match actual photos. I will also bescratch building additional details as needed. This kit is the Minicraft/Hasegawa version. This kit was released back in 1972. Many kits back then did not have the better details as more recent model kits. The cockpit consists of only 6 parts and no details on the parts at all. After reviewing some references online I modified the seat, made my own instrument panel, ( see https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/making-a-cockpit-dash-from-scratch/ ) center console, detailed the rear bulkheads of the cockpit and nose area, and scratch built the control sticks for the pilot and co-pilot. The seats were painted with the international orange pads and I used small strips of Tamiya tape for the seat belts. The nose gear bay also lacked details so with some photo etch extras I added more details. Once the cockpit and nose section were completed I assembled the fuselage. The seams between the fuselage halves were difficult to get them to line up. I slowly glued the halves together then used Tamiya putty to fill the gaps and improper fit. As soon as the putty finishes curing I will be detail sanding for a while. See more photos and details of this build from in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/hp-2h-neptune-p2v-7/

The AMP 1/144 B-2A Spirit Stealth Bomber is now complete and delivered to the client. The kit decals for the ”Spirit of California” were applied. The decals went on nicely. The walkways were a bit tricky due to there is no film between the lines. Getting them moved into place and aligned took a lot of care to avoid tearing or rolling of the decals. After the decals had dried, the model was top coated with a matte clear finish. Next I drilled a hole in one tire on each landing gear and glued a 30 AWG wire into each one. The display case base was then drilled into 3 spots to line up with the wires. The wire was coated with epoxy and the aircraft e=was set into position. The brass nameplate from EnM engraving was affixed to the bottom left corner. I then made the Northrop Grumman Logo for the top left corner. I used their new logo instead of the older blue one. Finally the Lexan cover was set into place. Last night this was delivered to the client. He was VERY pleased with his new addition to his home office! Overall the AMP 1/144 B-2A is a decent model. It has good details for the scale, fit was very good, and the decals were delicate but very good. The only negative is the instructions on installing the intakes. I would recommend the Metallic Details set as well. While the kit has good details, the photo etch set compliments them well. Check out this build from start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-144-b-2a-spirit-stealth-bomber/

More work continues on the Spirit. This week I assembled the fuselage and attached the wings. The wing edges that mate with the fuselage needed to be sanded smooth due the molding process but once cleaner up the fit is very nice. Once the fuselage and wings were done I filled the landing gear bays with paper towels and covered them with kapton tape. I also taped off the intakes and exhaust then sprayed the rest with six parts FS36118 and one part aluminum. This gives the stealth paint the slight hue changes from different angles like the real aircraft. While the fuselage dries I started on the landing gear. There are landing lights on all three. The dual set on the main gear had sink holes in the middle of them so I drilled into them and painted the inside chrome silver. Next I filled them with a small drop of acrylic gel to make a lens. I did this for the nose gear as well. I also purchased the Metallic Details (MD14438) photo etch set for this kit. This had details for the landing gear and associated bays. I added these details to the landing gear and the bays. After the fuselage was dry I removed the masked covers on the landing gear bays and added the photo etch details. I am getting ready now to apply the numerous decals. On a side note, the display case arrived yesterday. As usual, Grandpa’s cabinets did another awesome job. The display case arrived safely. The only thing I am waiting for now is the brass nameplate which is scheduled to arrive on Monday. Should have it all competed by Monday night! Check out this build from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-144-b-2a-spirit-stealth-bomber/

For my next build this is the 1/144 AMP B-2A Spirit Stealth Bomber. This is another build for a local client. I will be mounting it in one of Grandpa’s Cabinets display cases. (https://www.grandpascabinets.com/model-display-kits/ ) The kit comes with four different aircraft markings of New York, Indiana, Arizona, and California. I will be using the “Spirit of California” for this build. The kit has very good details for such a small scale. I will also be using Metallic Details photo etch set to detail some of the areas. To start off I assembled the cockpit and used the kit decals for the instrument panel and side/center consoles. The seats were assembled and I used thin strips of Tamiya tape to make the seat belts. The nose gear bay was detailed with some photo etc parts. The rest of the landing gear bays will be detailed later as the photo etch details run between the bay doors and the bays. I would like to note that the parts require a lot of clean up due to mod seams and minor flash on many of the parts. However with all the seams and flash cleaned up the fit is very good. I assembled the bays and closed the bomb bay doors as this will be mounted inside the case. I then built up the intakes and exhaust so I can assemble the main fuselage. While reviewing the instructions, I found out there is an error in them. The instructions call out to assemble the intakes and mount them to the outside intake panels then install them from the top. While checking the fit into the fuselage I quickly realized the intake assembly cannot fit in from the top. You need to install the intake assembly from the bottom then the outside panels from the top. Surprisingly it all fits together very well. With the intake assemblies, exhaust, landing gear bays, and cockpit installed the fuselage was them assembled. The fit of the fuselage halves after cleaning up the seams and flash is great. There are no gaps at all. I then installed the windscreen to the cockpit and used kapton tape to mask it off. The kit comes with a mask set but they seem slightly undersized for the windscreen. The kapton tape was trimmed to the edge of the frame. With the fuselage assembled I am starting on the landing and wing assemblies. Check out the build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-144-b-2a-spirit-stealth-bomber/

The multiple aircraft commission build is finished! This build consisted of the Airfix Spitfire MK-1a, the Airfix Spitfire MK-1a converted to a MK-II using 3-D Kits conversion set, the Eduard Spitfire MK-IXc, the Tamiya P-51D and Academy F-35A. These are all built with “wheels up” and pilots. For the kits that did not include a pilot figure I used PJ productions resin pilots. All five are 1/72 scale and were built per the clients specifications. These were packed and shipped to the client on the east coast. I have one build log showing all five build and many photos of the details that went into each aircraft. Check out the build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-multi-aircraft-commissioned-build/ For all the final photos see the commissioned work page at https://davidsscalemodels.com/commissioned-work/1-72-multi-aircraft-build/ And here they are being packed for shipping

1/72 Eduard Spitfire MK IXc Late Version –This is the fourth out of five aircraft. This Eduard kit is the ProfiPACK which includes photo etch parts for the cockpit. The cockpit was assembled and I used another PJ Production RAF pilot since the kit did not supply one. The photo etch instrument panel had three sections as well as the compass. The cockpit had separate walls so I was able to add some details and paint. The resin figure had the seat belts molded on. These were partially trimmed off and the photo etch seat belts were modified to match the molded seat belts and I had to make the buckle for the belt to hook together. One set of seat belts mounted to the back of the seat and there is a second set that mounted to the back wall of the cockpit. With the fuselage together, I added some more photo etch details to the underside. The bottom was then base coated in Sky Grey. The camouflage was then done with RAF ocean grey and RAF dark green. The spinner and fuselage stripe were painted with duck egg. The kit decals were applied and I added some EZ-Line for the antenna. The canopy was polished, painted, and installed which completed this aircraft. The Eduard kit has a little better fit and much better quality decals than the Airfix kits. The photo etch accessories were a nice feature. Even with a pilot and canopy closed the instrument panel details can be seen. With this one finished I am now finishing up the MK II Spitfire then I just need to build the fifth (and last) one of this multi-aircraft build which is the 1/72 Academy F-35A. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-multi-aircraft-commissioned-build/

1/72 Airfix Spitfire MK II – This was stopped as the client wanted a slight change to the scheme. He wanted to use Mission Models paint colors for this. So this build is paused until the paint arrives. While waiting on the paint, I started on the Tamiya P-51D. 1/72 Tamiya P-51D Mustang – Since this is mostly straight out of the box this build went very smoothly. The cockpit was detail painted and lightly weathered. I added some of the cabling to the equipment section behind the pilot seat. This kit did not come with a pilot figure so I used one of the PJ Production pilots I had. The figure fit perfectly in the seat. The cockpit was mounted in the fuselage and the rest of the fuselage assembled. The tail wheel doors were molded with the fuselage in the open position. Since this is being built “wheels up” I cut off the open doors and trimmed the doors to fit closed. The fuselage was sprayed with gloss aluminum with the nose and spinner painted blue. Next the decals were added and a gloss top coat was sprayed on. For the recognition lights (see https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/recognition-lights/ ) I drilled a divot where the lights go, Painted the inside chrome silver, then filled the divot wit acrylic gel. Once dry they were painted using Tamiya clear paint for each color. The canopy was then polished, painted, and installed. This completed the P-51. This makes the Multi-Aircraft build 50% completed. The paint for the MK-II has arrived so I will finish up the MK –II then start working on the MK IXc Spitfire. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-multi-aircraft-commissioned-build/

1/72 Airfix Spitfire MK II – This week I started work on the second Spitfire. This is the same kit as the MK-1a with the addition of the 3D kits conversion parts. The difference that the conversion kit changes is the pilot seat, a bulge on the starboard side nose and the propeller and hub. I installed the seat and realized the seat is a little narrower than the kit seat. The kit pilot figure is too wide to fit in the seat. I have some JP Productions resin pilot figures so I used one of the RAF figures instead. I looked online and noticed the instrument panel is slightly different on the MK-II as well. So instead of using the kit decal I found a photo of a real MK-II panel and made a decal out of it. The pilot fit perfectly. The interior of the fuselage was detailed and the cockpit tub installed. Working on getting the fuselage and wings assembled. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-multi-aircraft-commissioned-build/

1/72 Airfix Spitfire MK 1a – After completing the cockpit I assembled the fuselage. The exhaust from the kit was modified by drilling out the pipes. Since these all are going to be built wheels up, I installed the landing gear up. The underside was then base coated with sky gray. The topside was base coated with RAF dark green and dark earth for the requested scheme. The client included a specific set of decals for the scheme as well. With decals applied and some mild weathering the aircraft was top coated. I polished the canopy and painted the frame then installed it. Right behind the canopy is a red navigation light. I removed the molded in one and replaced it with a clear lens. Finally I used EZ-line for the antenna. This now completes the MK-1a Spitfire! Now starting on the MK-1a Spitfire that will be modified to the MK-II Spitfire using the 3D Kits conversion parts. For now here are the final photos of the MK-1a. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-multi-aircraft-commissioned-build/

As they say, “Now for something completely different”. Typically, I build 1/48 scale aircraft. This will be a multi-kit build log of 1/72 scale aircraft. A client needs some aircraft to hang up for display. He sent me five aircraft to build for him. As noted before, these are all 1/72 scale. They will all be built mostly out of the box with the wheels up. One will have a different scheme, one will be a conversion, all will have pilots, and all five will be in this one build log. The aircraft being built and the order in which they will be built are: 1/72 Airfix Spitfire MK 1a – with different scheme decals than what comes with the kit. 1/72 Arifix Spitfire MK 1a – This will be converted to a MK II using 3-D Kits MK II conversion set. 1/72 Eduard MK IXc – This is the Prolifipak version that include photo-etch. Will be adding aftermarket pilot. 1/72 Tamiya P-51D - Will be adding aftermarket pilot. 1/72 Academy F-35A – The paint scheme will be the newer overall dark gray 1/72 Airfix Spitfire MK 1a – Starting off with the cockpit, it was painted with RAF interior green, aluminum seat, and black instrument panel. The instrument panel has the gun sight molded in the gray plastic. I trimmed this off and used a small piece of clear acetate to represent the glass. The panel has a decal for the instruments. The pilot figure has some good details to it except for the seat belts. I cut a thin strip of Tamiya tape and used this to make the seat belts. Once the cockpit was assembled I detailed the cockpit area in the fuselage and installed the cockpit assembly. The propeller was assembled and painted. Getting ready to assemble the fuselage. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-multi-aircraft-commissioned-build/

The Stuka diorama is now finished! I assembled, painted and weathered all eight figures. The figures came out fine considering this is the first time I painted full figures. The aircraft was then mounted to the base along with the accessory vehicles, aircraft panels, and the maintenance ladder. I placed the fuel drums and one jerry can off to the side. I then added the figures. Two high ranking officers were placed standing on the edge of the runway. Two others in uniforms were placed running the power cart with one of them bringing a jerry can. The four others in coveralls were placed with one getting ready to hook up the aircraft power, one grabbing a tool box on the tractor, one moving the aircraft panels, and one on the maintenance ladder working on the upper cooler. With everything in place I am happy with how it turned out. The Airfix kit itself is a nice kit to build. The fit and details were very good. Only wish they would have provided an option to only have a couple of panels off. The kit decals that I used were all very good as well. It did not take an excessive amount of decal solvent to get them to conform to the underlying details. Thanks for following along, Now for the final photos: You can see all the photos and details from the start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ju-87b-1-stuka/

This week the diorama base for the Stuka is being built up. The base is a 16” diameter, 1/8” thick maple base. I started by painting the base with forest green and dirt tan in patches. Using the Scene-O-Rama accessories the base was sprayed with spray glue and sprinkled with the medium green and dark green “grass”. I then added some “weed clumps” and added some “yellow flower” spots on the weeds. A sheet of thin styrene was then trimmed to fit one edge to be part of the runway. I used medium gravel to trim the edge of the runway and sprinkled a few “rocks” around the base. The area where the aircraft and vehicles sit was then scraped to show bare spots. I then assembled the Kettenkraftrad. I painted it the dark green with leather seats. It was then weathered using black, dark gray, light gray, and mud brown pastel chalk. Once the vehicles and aircraft are mounted on the base I will add bits of grass and dirt to the wheels and tracks. I was looking over the figures and one of them shows a mechanic kneeling holding a tool. With the height of the aircraft engine off the ground I searched the internet and located a few photos of Stuka’s being worked on. They all show a maintenance platform with a sandbag keeping the wheels stable. Using the photos I scaled out the size of the platform. I then used styrene rods to make up the frame and sheet styrene for the steps and platform. I then scaled out the wheels and sandbag. These were then put into Solidworks and finally 3-D printed. The platform was then painted medium gray and weathered. I then built up a couple of jerry cans and fuel drums to add to the display. Next I will be working on all the figures that will be used. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ju-87b-1-stuka/

Yes it does!

Kapton tape is a polyimide tape. Typically used in electronics. I first found out about it many years ago. At work they used it for isolating sections of circuit boards that were used on a wave solder machine. The thing that is nice is it does not react to paint, thinners or glues, the silicone adhesive leaves no residue and the edges seal very well so no bleed thru. The polyimide nature also allows a little bit of stretch for curves. You can buy a pack with a variety of widths on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Polyimide-Temperature-Resistant-Multi-Sized/dp/B072Z92QZ2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1VE1BPJ6EZHAB&dchild=1&keywords=kapton+tape&qid=1610916519&s=industrial&sprefix=Kapton%2Cindustrial%2C192&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyUFRRUTFLRUZCT1M2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNDM3Njk3TE9MRjAzUDNWWEJBJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MTAzNjExMUFEMDc2SFNMTVVVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== Here is the center canopy of a SB2U masked off. It trims easily. I put one large piece over the side and used a #11 hobby blade to trim it. Once trimmed I use a toothpick to press down on the edges. Since it is translucent, you can see where it is "sealed" on the edges. After painting just use a hobby knife or toothpick to lift the corner and peel it off. And here it is after painting Here is the masked off canopy of the UH-60L and after painting I even used it for the top and side windows on my 1/48 E-2D to replicate the gold tint of them. (Taped the inside of the windows.) I find it easier than even the pre-cut masks. I even used for all my masking on models. (stripes, camoflauges, etc.) I have even used it to make navigation lights by placing a dot of acrylic gel onto the backside of the tape. Once dry it just peels off the tape and you have a round navigation light.

Thanks! The Kapton tape I use works great. Benn using it for years.

The Stuka aircraft is just about done. After I finished the weathering, decals, and top coat done I detailed and painted the canopy frame and then installed the canopy. The antenna line inside the canopy was made with 32 AWG wire. The antenna line from tail to mast was done with some EZ-line. The aircraft was then set aside (more weathering to be applied once it is set on the base) . I then started on the portable generator for the display. For the engine I added the fuel line and ignition wires. The cable to hook up to the aircraft was part of the kit. I painted it German Gray and weathered it with gray, brown and black pastel chalk. I will add the grass and dirt stains later when it is mounted to the display base. I am now starting on the display base. The base is a 16” diameter, 1/8” thick maple base. I will be using Scene-A-Rama accessories to make a grass field next to a paved runway. I also have the tractor and seven figures to build, detail, and paint. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ju-87b-1-stuka/

This week’s update on the Stuka I finished the fuselage. Once the base coat of paint was completed I used the kit decals for the common decals and then added the home made decals for the squadron markings. The kit decals went on very well and they did not require a lot of solvent to sink into the details. After the decals dried I applied the clear top coat. Weathering was done. I used brown, dark gray, and black pastel chalk for the exhaust staining. In the fuselage I used medium green on the center of the upper panels to add some sun fade and a mix of dark green and black for panel lines. The underside was weathered with light and dark gray. I then started working on the canopy sections. The canopy sections will be in the open position. There are some photo etch details such as handles and the frame for the rear gun. Once I complete the canopy I will start on the Kettenkrafyrad and all the figures for the display then prepare the display base. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ju-87b-1-stuka/

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Work continues on the Stuka. The nose cowl panels have been separated, painted and weathered. The two lower panels that will be on the aircraft fit well once thinned. The panel that goes forward of the sight window did need to be corrected. It did not have the slot for the lower cooler hose. I will be mounting this on a base that will be accessorized to like an airfield. I already have the base. I ordered ICM’s German Luftwaffe Pilots and Ground Personnel set which has 7 figures (it arrived a couple of days ago) and I also ordered the Tamiya 1/48 German Kettenkraftrad which has a power cart, a maintenance tractor, and two figures. (This is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow.) With the panels completed I added the landing gear and flaps. The scheme I am doing has the aircraft with RLM 70 SCHWARZGRÜN on top and RLM 65 HELLBLAU on the underside with yellow cowl and yellow rudder. I base coated the aircraft and the bombs. I need to make the decals for this specific scheme then apply them. There are also quite a few photo etch parts to detail the canopy that need to added. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ju-87b-1-stuka/

I now offer decals for all the aircraft for certain ships/cruises. You can see the 1/350 Air Wing Decal Sets at https://davidsscalemodels.com/decals/1-350-air-wing-decals/ I am working on more sets as well. You can also buy the hangar bay decals with the air wing decals as a package set at https://davidsscalemodels.com/decals/1-350-cvn-and-air-wing-package-sets/ The Air Wing sets are two full 8X11 sheets that cover all the squadron decals for every aircraft that was aboard. Here is a sample of the first sheet for the USS Kennedy during the 1980 and 1981 cruises.

Hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season and staying safe. This week was spent building and detailing the engine on the Stuka. Starting with the upper cooler the front and rear were cut out and replaced with photo etch replacements. The scoop for the supercharger received the same treatment of cutting the panel open and using the photo etch replacement. The engine block was assembled and I added some engine controls to match the reference photos and then added wiring to match. The engine was then mounted to the fuselage and the wiring was fed into the firewall. The kit did not have any parts for the upper cooler hoses. I added shrink tubing that when shrunk was the correct size and added the hoses. The exhaust was added and the entire engine was weathered with black, gray, and brown pastel chalk. The front plate and the propeller shaft were added. As I mentioned previously, the reference photos show some of the panels still on the aircraft while maintenance is being performed. I will be doing the same thing. This however requires more work than I thought. I carefully cut the panels apart and realized the panels are too thick to fit over the engine and mounts. I am currently sanding and filing each panel to reduce the thickness. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ju-87b-1-stuka/