Wolfman63

This weeks’ update on the AH-64D Apache Longbow covers the assembly and details of the fuselage. The landing gear was built and detailed with photo etch. The fuselage had some vents cut out and replaced with photo etch parts. I drilled a hole thru the vent then cut out with a hobby knife and finally shaped with a small file to fit the photo etch piece. The engine exhaust was then assembled and detailed with photo etch. Once assembled the fuselage was base coat painted with the black green color. Have a few more details to add to the fuselage then on to the rotors and chain gun. You can follow the build in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-apache-longbow/

Happy New Year! This will be my first build of 2020. It is the Hasegawa 1/48 AH-64D Apache Longbow Attack Helicopter. I will be adding details from the Eduard photo etch cockpit detail set, the Master Model chain gun detail set and using the decals from the IPMS 2010 National Convention. This set covers the AH-64D Apaches from the 1-285 Aviation Battalion of the Arizona Army National Guard. The specific aircraft will from Charlie Company Lobos. Starting with the cockpit, The Eduard set comes with placards for the display screens for the dash. These were cut out and trimmed to fit. A few photo etch accessories were added to complete the dashes. The control pedals and seats were then added to the cockpit tub. The cockpit tub was then installed into the fuselage along with the engine and base of the rotor assembly. You can follow the build in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-apache-longbow/

Moving on the fuselage was painted olive drab on top and neutral gray on the bottom. The Banshee’s used a medium green to scallop the edges of the wings and tails. The decals were then applied. The Rising Decals went on very well. A little Microset and some Microsol helped get the large skull decals to conform to the nose. The only change I made was the pin-up of the “Flying Lady” used just behind the skull on the port side. The decal set had no details. It was more or less some colored dots. I located the correct image on Google then resized it t the fit the scale and made my own decal. The aircraft was then final coated with a matte finish. The canopy sections were installed and the rigging was done with EZ-Line. The base of the display case was then covered with a sand mat and weathered with pastel chalk for wheel marks and oil stains. The rear of the display base was then filled in with grass. These accessories were from the Scene-O-Rama set I have used in the past. Finally I made a decal for the front of the display base and gave the acrylic cover a quick polish. It is now ready to be displayed on my desk at work at the start of the New Year! See all the details from start to finish in the build log section https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-p-40n-burma-banshee/

This is my last build for 2019. It is Academy’s 1/72 P-40N. My Niece got this for me Christmas 2018. I wanted to make this special. After months of planning what I wanted to do with it I decided to make it one of the Burma Banshee’s P-40’s. I chose to do the “White 27” of the 88th FS/ 80th FG based in Karachi, India in 1944. I always like the P-40 and many of them have the shark mouth nose. The Burma Banshee’s all used large skulls on the nose making them unique looking. This will be mounted in a display case so that I can display it on my desk at work. For detailing I purchased the photo etch set, a Merit acrylic display case, and a set of Rising Decals Burma Banshee’s part II. The decal set includes 7 different aircraft from the 88th, 89th, and 92th fighter squadrons. To start with I cut out the vents on the nose to add the more realistic photo etch versions. The side walls of the cockpit were then painted and detailed with photo etch accessories. The dash and seat was detailed and I installed the P-40N-5 rear cockpit section. The kit includes both the N-1 and N-5 sections so all 7 decal set aircraft can be built. The fuselage was assembled. I drilled out the gun barrels and added a brass pitot tube on the wing. The kit pitot looked way too large for the scale. I started to add the landing gear doors and the kit doors were way too thick. I used some sheet styrene and cut my own. Next up will be the painting and decaling. You can see all the photos and details in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-72-p-40n-burma-banshee/

The F-16C from the 61st FS is now complete. For the finishing touches I made the AIM-9 IR sensor heads as noted in my Tips and Tricks section. https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-make-laser-and-ir-sensor-heads/ Then I started to detail the canopy. First thing I needed to do was to remove the mold seam down the center of the canopy pieces. They were wet sanded down with 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper then polished with Meguire’s PlastX inside and out. Painted then applied the decal for the pilot and finaly mounted the canopy in the open position. All the lights were mounted and the ones that required paint were painted with Tamiya clear colored paints. All the missiles and drop tanks were installed and the model was finished. The completed model was then presented to the client. Overall the Tamiya F-16C kit is a very nice kit to build. Only some minor areas required a little filling with putty. The pieces all fit very well. The kit decals went on nicely and allowed the surface details to show. The only thing that requires extra care is removing the seam in the canopy parts. If you are looking to build a nice F-16C, I recommend this kit. You can see the entire build at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-16c-from-the-61st-fighter-squadron/

Getting closer to completing this F-16C. The base coat of paint for the scheme is done. Missiles and drop tanks have been built, base coat painted and decaled. Added the general decals and the custom made decals for the 61st Fighter Squadron and started weathering the fuselage and more on the tail cone. All the weathering was done with pastel chalk as outlined in my tips and tricks section. https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/weathering-with-pastel-chalk/ The kit decals are great. They went on and conformed very well to the surface details. Once the weathering is finished the top coat will be sprayed on. Then the canopy will be detailed and installed along with the drop tanks and missiles. Still have to finish the AIM-9M IR sensor head details and the various lights on the fuselage. More photos in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-16c-from-the-61st-fighter-squadron/

This week’s update on the F-16C covers the resin landing gear bays and the intake and exhaust of the engine. To start with I primed the resin bays with Tamiya white primer. They were then sprayed with Vallejo off white. Wire harnesses were painted flat black and 32 awg wire was used for the hydraulic lines. The main landing gear bay required very little trimming to fit but it took some careful alignment. The nose gear bay required a lot of trimming and shaping to fit. The cockpit required some minor trimming and was installed into the fuselage and the fuselage was then assembled. Lastly the landing gear was installed into the bays installation was very easy. I then detailed and painted the intake. The resin exhaust was then assembled, painted and weathered. The inside was painted burnt umber and weathered using light gray, dark gray and black paste chalk. The inside cone has the edge weathered in light gray at the very edge. The outside was painted aluminum at the base and jet exhaust for the feathers. The exhaust was assembled and initial fit into the fuselage require a lot of trimming where the tail mounts. There are mounts for the tail on the inside that needed to be trimmed down to half their height. The large tab for the tail needed to be trimmed down as well for the tail to sit flush. Once done the exhaust was aligned and glued in place. Working on the fuselage details now and getting ready to paint the base coat of paint. Check out all the build photos and details from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-16c-from-the-61st-fighter-squadron/

That is looking like a great start! Although the figures with their heads on sticks looks creepy. LOL

The next build is an F-16C from 61st Fighter Squadron. I am using Tamiya’s F-16C as well as Ares resin accessories. The Ares accessories include the resin cockpit, resin wheel wells, and the resin exhaust. This is a commission build for a veteran who worked with the 61st FS at MacDill AFB in the 1990’s. The decals for this will be custom made for this aircraft. To start with I washed, trimmed and shaped all the resin parts. The ejection seat uses photo etch details like signs, seat belts, and handles. It was weathered with pastel chalk. Moving to the dashboard I used a photo of a real F-16C dash and made decals for the digital screens. Added some photo etch details and detail painted the rest. For the cockpit tub I added the photo etch details and detail painted the knobs, switches and joystick. The cockpit side walls were added completing the cockpit. There will be some trimming required to fit the resin cockpit assembly into the fuselage which I am working on now. You can see all the other photos in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-16c-from-the-61st-fighter-squadron/

The conversion from the 1/48 Kinetic E-2C 2000 to the Northrop Grumman E-2D “Delta One” aircraft is now complete. I can also reveal that this was made for a wonderful lady who has worked many years on the E-2 aircraft program. The model has been mounted in to a custom made display case made by Grandpa’s Cabinets. If you want to protect your model and display it in a case, I highly recommend them. They provided the case for my 1/350 USS Carl Vinson and for this model. Their website is http://www.grandpascabinets.com/ With all the decals applied a nice gloss finish was applied. The antenna line was added using EZ-Line. The side windows and top windows of the cockpit were sprayed with a 50/50 mix of Tamiya clear orange (X-26) and clear yellow (X-24) to replicate the gold tint. To keep the model from sliding around I drilled a hole into each wheel (only one of the nose wheels) and glued in a piece of wire. I then set it on a piece of paper so the wires poked thru the paper. The aircraft was positioned on the base. I then taped the paper down and removed the model and used the paper as a template to drill holes in the base. The wire pins were coated with some clear two-part epoxy and the aircraft was placed on the base. The last step was to mount the brass etched name plate that was made by EnM Engraving. https://www.enmengraving.com/ The last thing was to place the acrylic cover and the model was ready to be displayed. While the kit itself had some fit issues, overall it presents well. Thanks for following along. Check out all the details, modifications and photos from start to finish at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/

I am getting closer to finishing the E-2C 2000 conversion to the E-2D. Using some high resolution photos I was able to make a decal set for the aircraft. After doing some detail painting and adding decals from the kit I added the custom decals. After the decals were applied I let the Microsol do its job. The kit decals worked great. Only issue is that the kit decals for the walkways were a little larger/longer than the spaces they go on the aircraft. The worst area was the walkways between the tails. I ended up cutting out a section in the middle of each decal so that the edges would line up correctly. The entire aircraft was then sprayed with a gloss coat to seal the decals. Next is the final assembly adding the pylon and saucer, the cable rigging, and the clear parts (wingtip lights, fuselage lights, and cockpit windows. Should have it completed next week. More photos in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/

Moving forward on the E-2D conversion, I have finally finished the fuselage modifications. The fuselage was wet sanded and contoured to match the fuselage without the cable trough. The pylon and saucer were painted and clear coated with gloss. I then started the painting the rest of the aircraft. Paint scheme is overall light ghost gray with international orange highlights. The propellers were then assembled, painted, decaled and sealed with a matte finish. The main landing gear doors were painted and decaled as well. I am now working on making the custom decals to represent the “Delta One” aircraft. See all the details and photos from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/

More work on the E-2D prototype. To start with the main gear was corrected. The instructions have you build the engine/main gear bays off the aircraft. They have one step to build both and it can lead to installing the struts in the wrong bay. A scalpel, some careful cutting, and the error is corrected. Next the rear fuselage cable trough was removed and the section filled. While the fuselage putty was curing on the fuselage I started modifying the saucer pylon. The lower section is extended down and the connection to the fuselage is larger. Using one of the hi-res photos I was able to scale the photo section to 1/48 size. I then cut out the sections to use as templates. The templates was traced on to some sheet styrene and then cut out the section pieces for the sides. Once the sides were installed I measured the bottom and made the bottom panel. I then laid down a coat of putty in the areas that will require blending. After the putty is cured I will start sanding and filing to blend the add-on to the original part. Check out all the photos and details at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/

The masking is done with Kapton tape. I prefer using it for mask because the adhesive does not leave any residue, it has some minor stretch for curved surfaces, it is not affected by any paints, edges seal so no paint bleed thru even when masking across panel lines, and being clear, can trim canopy windows very easily with a hobby knife.

Weekly update on the conversion to the E-2D is going good. The photos may be a little off. I had the memory card for the camera go bad. So I lost a bunch of photos. I was able to recover some and the areas I lost I took the "after" photos. Anyhow, this week I was able to build up the engines and main gear. Once detailed and assembled I had to scratch build the EMIRS and PTS faring that are on the bottom aft of the fuselage. I built them out of sheet styrene. For the EMIRS I layered 3 sheets then coated with a layer of putty. Once dry I sanded it to shape it. I cut a section out of the fuselage and made the EMIRS head out of some pieces out of my spare parts bin. Next I started adding details to the fuselage and installed the nose gear. I mounted the tail assembly and placed the saucer assembly on the top so to make sure the model would sit on the tricycle landing gear. I had added weight to the nose prior to putting the fuselage together but it was not enough. I added 2 more weights just behind the cockpit and it now sits normally. I masked off and painted the windscreen assembly. Found out there is another section with a huge gap. This was shimmed and then putty was applied. After more sanding and shaping I added in the panel lines. Aircraft Delta One also had a pitot tube mount near the starboard wing tip. I found a brass pin and had to add a styrene rod to make it the correct length. I have most of the aircraft base coated now. Working on the finer painted details now then will need to finish making the decals and put them on. Check out the photos and details from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/

This week’s update on the E-2D conversion covers more differences between the E-2C 2000 to the E-2D. After I assembled the fuselage and added weights to keep the nose down, I detailed the nose gear bay with the photo etch details. Moving forward I had to modify the top scoop. It has a second smaller scoop for the RPCS on top of it. I used some styrene sheets to rough it in and then some putty to blend it to the scoop. I used some spare photo etch pieces to fill in the brass coolers. I then attached the upper center section of the main wings. As you can see the fit is not very good. There are huge gaps at both ends. This required a lot of putty to fill them in. Once filled and sanded I attached the upper scoop. The next major difference is the cable trough on the fuselage. The “D” does not have one. So the trough was cut out and a piece of sheet styrene was formed and glued in. The entire section was covered with a thin coating of putty. I then sanded it to shape and scribed in the panel lines. On the rear of the fuselage is another fairing for the PTS and the fairing and head for the EMIRS. I added the photo etch details to the tailhook bay and now I am starting to scratchbuild the fairings. You can see all the details and photos from the start on my blog at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/

This build is going to be taking the 1/48 Kinetic E-2C 2000 and converting it to the Northrop Grumman E-2D prototype designated “Delta One”. The conversion will require modifying the upper fuselage scoop and scratch building the side cooling scoop. There are a couple of other small modifications which will be addressed later during the build. I will be using the Eduard External Details photo etch set to enhance the details of the fuselage. Starting with the cockpit I detail painted the cockpit panels at dash. For the overhead console I made decals from actual photos of the cockpit. I made the back pads on the seat using the same cloth tape I use for seatbelts. (See my Tips and Tricks section for more details) https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/making-cloth-seat-belts-for-aircraft/ Once the cockpit was assembled I then used many reference drawings and scratch built the side cooling scoop. There is one main scoop with a smaller scoop on the front and a small exhaust scoop on the rear. I used some extras from my photo etch bin to reproduce the cooling radiators behind the scoops. They were then painted brass. The inside of the scoop was painted white and the overall color of the aircraft will be Light Ghost Gray. Next I will be modifying the top coop and assembling the main part of the fuselage. You can follow the build in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-northrop-grumman-e-2d-conversion/ Northrop Grumman E-2D Delta One and Delta Two

The 1/48 Hasegawa F-8E Crusader is now complete. This was a decent kit to put together. The fit was pretty good except the canopy. It seems it’s just a hair to thin for width. Trying to fit it to the fuselage was difficult and still ended up with a slight edge. The cutting edge decals were a little thick. The rest of the kit was fine and the instructions were very good. So now it sits on the display shelf with the other VF-111 aircraft. Check out the entire build from start to finish at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-8e-crusader-from-vf-111/

This week’s work on the Hasegawa 1/48 F-8E Crusader starts at the wings. I detailed the bay under the main wings by adding some styrene rods and 32 AWG wire. I used some reference photos to duplicate the placement of them. The wings were then installed in the raised position and the aircraft wa base painted with Gull Gray and white. The kit only comes with rockets for weapons and I wanted to use missiles so I looked through my extras bin and found two AIM-9 sidewinders. I used decals from a spare decal sheet then I added the IR head using the tutorial in my tips and tricks section: https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-make-laser-and-ir-sensor-heads/ The jet exhaust was weathered with blue, brown, gray, and black pastel chalk. The decals are being placed now. The Cutting Edge decals were a little on the thick side so getting them to lay down took lots of effort as well as lots of MicroSol. Most of them are on just need to do the small stencils the finish up the cockpit and canopy. Check out all the details from start to finish on my blog at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-8e-crusader-from-vf-111/

This week’s update on the F-8E covers the installing of the cockpit and getting the landing gear detailed and mounted. The resin cockpit required removing many of the mounting tabs inside the fuselage and trimming the edges. Once trimmed the cockpit fit very well. Next the main landing gear bays and landing gear were assembled, detail painted and installed. I then started to assemble the wings. One thing I did not like was the outside leading edge slats. These are one piece which is good, but had three deep injection marks with some flashing around the edge. I sanded down the edges of the marks and filled them with putty. Next I will be working on detailing the bay under the main wings and starting the painting of the fuselage. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-8e-crusader-from-vf-111/

This next build is Hasegawa’s 1/48 scale F-8E Crusader. I chose this so that I can add it to the F-4B, F-14A and the F-5E that I built previously where they all represent the VF-111 Sundowners squadron. I will be using the VF-111 “Mig Killers” decal set from Cutting Edge and the Ares resin cockpit set to complete the details. Starting with the cockpit tub I started with the few photo etch parts then moved on to the detail painting of the fine details. Then the side walls were detail painted. The ejection seat was detailed with photo etch accessories and painted. The dashboard was built from the photo etch and attached to the resin hood. The cockpit was then all assembled. I compared the resin cockpit to the fuselage and started trimming the fuselage to accommodate the new resin cockpit. More photos in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-8e-crusader-from-vf-111/

The P-47D Thunderbolt “Bubbletop” is now complete. The decals went on extremely well. The checkers on the nose fit perfectly. I would recommend the Thunder Cal decals. They are very easy to work with and the instructions are very detailed showing exact placement. I used set 48006 but I also suggest using 48005 which covers the type 4 insignia’s and all the data placards for the aircraft including the engine. They also have 4 other sets for P-47’s, Check out their website at https://thundercals.com/thundercal-decals/ The Eduard detail set adds some very nice details to the cockpit and fuselage. The kit itself is very nice. No fit issues at all and goes together very well. I really enjoyed building this and will need to get the P-47M to complete the line of Tamiya P-47’s. Now on to the final photos. You can see the entire build with details and photos from start to finish in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-p-47d-thunderbolt-bubbletop/

Make your own decals. I have done canopy names many times for many aircraft for many folks. If you want send me a PM and I can make a set.

For this week on the Thunderbolt I have most of the base coat painting done. I have the invasion stripes painted on. The main landing gear doors were then painted. For the insignias on the side of the fuselage I scanned the decals into the computer then printed them onto a sheet of paper. The insignias were then cut out and I taped them to a wide piece of blue painters tape on a piece of glass. A hobby knife was then used to trim around the paper leaving me with a mask for them. The mask was then removed from the glass and aligned into position. I did this so that the area under the insignias would not have the black and white stripes show thru the decals. The white area was painted then the black stripes. The side insignias on the aircraft have a natural metal finish (NMF) outline just under the insignia. The decal set provides this. Once the insignia decal was placed I carefully slid the NMF stripes into place. There is also a couple of NMF decals for the intercooler doors. While it may look a little tricky to place the decals on the various surfaces it went very well. The decals conform well and fit into the areas perfectly. Since I have the ammunition doors open, I once again used the paper insignia to mark where the decal goes and where I needed to make cuts for the ammo panel and the wing. I then scored the surface of the decal where the cuts were needed and slid the decal into place. While the decals are nice and thin, They are not difficult to maneuver into place. The landing gear was attached and the center drop tank was detailed and installed. I still have some of the side decals to install and then the checkers for the nose. Then I can move on to the finer details and weathering. Check out the build log for all the details from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-p-47d-thunderbolt-bubbletop/

UPDATE: On August 8th 2019, We CAREFULLY load my 1/350 USS Carl Vinson Model in the back of our SUV and drove over 600 miles to the beautiful city of Chattanooga Tennessee to attend the IPMS Nation convention. The model was entered into the contest under class 401 “1/350 Aircraft Carrier” On Saturday August 10th we attended the award ceremony and the USS Carl Vinson won first place in it class! The model survived the trip there and back with no issues. I also would like to mention that the Chattanooga IPMS chapter hosted an awesome show. This was my first time at a national convention and it was great! Check out the photos of the model in my Gallery on my Blog https://davidsscalemodels.com/gallery/uss-carl-vinson-project/