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  1. Hi all, I'm back with another request. I've finally added an announcement video on Youtube for my Williams Brothers C-46 E-book. If y'all would go to my Youtube channel, watch the video...it's only two minutes long...and then let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it. Be honest. What do you like or don't and why in either case. You can find my channel here , then click on the C-46 boxtop thumbnail. Thanks in advance for your help. Richard
  2. I'm posting this so you won't keep wondering when the next installment is going to show up. It won't. If you're curious, private message me.
  3. Hi all, For those who would be interested, I just today activated my revised and ...hopefully... improved Author's website. You can find it at richardmarmo.com I would be most appreciative if y'all would check it out and let me know what you think of it, good or bad. Just be constructive whichever way you lean. Thanks in advance.
  4. Hi all, Here's the latest on the E2C 2000. The canopy was masked with Montex Mini Mask (# SM 48321). Not only do they fit perfectly, you get a double set so you can mask both the inside and outside if you choose. I got mine from Sprue Brothers, but the Montex website is montex-mask.com. One advantage to Kinetic's canopy approach is that it includes a section of the fuselage. Since the canopy isn't a perfect fit...probably the result of a replacement part due to a short shot in the kit...it allows you to putty and sand any problem seams with relative ease. Incidentally, unless the Kinetic policy has changed, when you request a replacement part, they won't acknowledge the request. Just send the part when they get around to running the kit mold again. This means that your needed part will eventually show up in your mailbox anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months or more later. Remember I said the wing fold joints and nacelle/wing joints fit perfectly? Well, they do. Mostly. But when I looked close, I found a slight step in the starboard wing step joint and a similar problem with the nacelle/wing joints. This is likely the result of the kit parts fitting as tightly as they do and it's something you need to watch out for. In any event, the problem isn't severe and can be taken care of without losing much if any surface detail, which can be easily restored. The port wing joint, nacelle area just took a little sanding and no putty at all. Whether the bulged side window...which is a separate piece that has to be installed before mounting the canopy...shifted during canopy installation or I simply screwed up the initial installation, I can't say. In any event, I had to carefully cut out the window and reinstall correctly. As it turned out, at least on my kit, the window was slightly too large to fit properly so it took several test fits and very gentle trimming to get things right. The eight-blade props are built up from a pair of four-bladers. Each blade also has an engraved leading edge that needs to be painted steel. Checking references, the steel sections appear to be everything from dark steel to bright aluminum. How much of this is due to light reflection and/or viewing angle I can't say. So for model purposes I chose to go with Model Master Metalizer Non-Buffing Aluminum. In an earlier installment, i installed brass tubing in the nacelles in preparation for removable props. To complete that system, I installed a length of 3/32" (.094") tubing in the back of each prop. Length of the tubing doesn't matter, within reason, and you'll have to align the new shafts with ye olde Mk. I eyeball computer. Done right, they'll spin like a whirligig if you hold the model in front of a fan. One of the eight-blade props completely finished. The white tips are decals and are designed to fold over to create white tips both front and back. It works for the most part, but you'll probably need to do a little bit of touchup on the back with Model Master Flat White. I did. And of course manufacturers logos go on the front of each blade, positioned so that the beltline of the logo aligns with the bottom line of the steel/aluminum leading edge. The decals from the kit sheet are appropriately thin, but they take a long time to release from their backing sheet. Since there are a total of 32 decals for the two props, you should plan on a relatively extended decal session. Also, I wound up using tweezers to handle and position all of the logos and some of the tip decals. The side windows have been corrected and reinstalled. The canopy section/fuselage seam has been eliminated. Last but not least, Finally the nose cone was added. The nose cone is indexed with a locator pin. As a result, the bottom part of the seam is a perfect fit but the top seam requires a little sanding to bring things into line. With that done, all that's left is a final shot of primer, finish paint and decals. Incidentally, 'all' is not as simple as it sounds considering the large number of decals.
  5. As promised, Part 8 of the Kinetic E-2C 2000 with revised photos is now available for your viewing pleasure. You can ignore Part 8 and 8A. As usual, comments are not only welcome but encouraged.
  6. Hi all, Here's the latest on the E2C 2000. The canopy was masked with Montex Mini Mask (# SM 48321). Not only do they fit perfectly, you get a double set so you can mask both the inside and outside if you choose. I got mine from Sprue Brothers, but the Montex website is montex-mask.com. One advantage to Kinetic's canopy approach is that it includes a section of the fuselage. Since the canopy isn't a perfect fit...probably the result of a replacement part due to a short shot in the kit...it allows you to putty and sand any problem seams with relative ease. Incidentally, unless the Kinetic policy has changed, when you request a replacement part, they won't acknowledge the request. Just send the part when they get around to running the kit mold again. This means that your needed part will eventually show up in your mailbox anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months or more later. Remember I said the wing fold joints and nacelle/wing joints fit perfectly? Well, they do. Mostly. But when I looked close, I found a slight step in the starboard wing step joint and a similar problem with the nacelle/wing joints. This is likely the result of the kit parts fitting as tightly as they do and it's something you need to watch out for. In any event, the problem isn't severe and can be taken care of without losing much if any surface detail, which can be easily restored. The port wing joint, nacelle area just took a little sanding and no putty at all. Whether the bulged side window...which is a separate piece that has to be installed before mounting the canopy...shifted during canopy installation or I simply screwed up the initial installation, I can't say. In any event, I had to carefully cut out the window and reinstall correctly. As it turned out, at least on my kit, the window was slightly too large to fit properly so it took several test fits and very gentle trimming to get things right. The eight-blade props are built up from a pair of four-bladers. Each blade also has an engraved leading edge that needs to be painted steel. Checking references, the steel sections appear to be everything from dark steel to bright aluminum. How much of this is due to light reflection and/or viewing angle I can't say. So for model purposes I chose to go with Model Master Metalizer Non-Buffing Aluminum. In an earlier installment, i installed brass tubing in the nacelles in preparation for removable props. To complete that system, I installed a length of 3/32" tubing in the back of each prop. Length of the tubing doesn't matter, within reason, and you'll have to align the new shafts with ye olde Mk. I eyeball computer. Done right, they'll spin like a whirligig if you hold the model in front of a fan. One of the eight-blade props completely finished. The white tips are decals and are designed to fold over to create white tips both front and back. It works for the most part, but you'll probably need to do a little bit of touchup on the back with Model Master Flat White. I did. And of course manufacturers logos go on the front of each blade, positioned so that the beltline of the logo aligns with the bottom line of the steel/aluminum leading edge. The decals from the kit sheet are appropriately thin, but they take a long time to release from their backing sheet. Since there are a total of 32 decals for the two props, you should plan on a relatively extended decal session. Also, I wound up using tweezers to handle and position all of the logos and some of the tip decals. The side windows have been corrected and reinstalled. The canopy section/fuselage seam has been eliminated. Last but not least, Finally the nose cone was added. The nose cone is indexed with a locator pin. As a result, the bottom part of the seam is a perfect fit but the top seam requires a little sanding to bring things into line. With that done, all that's left is a final shot of primer, finish paint and decals. Incidentally, 'all' is not as simple as it sounds considering the large number of decals.
  7. Hi all, Moving right along, here's the next installment. As you know, the horizontal is not horizontal but is instead a very mild V shape. I've rotated the image in order to show you that the inboard verticals form a 90 degree angle to the horizontal. This means that the inboard verticals actually lean in toward the aircraft centerline, as do the tip mounted verticals. The easiest way to get all of the verticals installed correctly is to simply cut a 90 degree piece of scrap styrene and use it as a square. With both inboard verticals installed, you can see how they're supposed to look when properly aligned. In this view from the top, the tail assembly in complete. And for the hawkeyes (pun intended) in the crowd, two of the molded static discharge wires are broken. No matter how careful you are, odds are you're gonna break at least one before you're thru. A little later I'll show you my repair method. With all of the verticals installed and viewed from the back, that is one busy tail section. And it gets even busier when the wings are folded! Incidentally, the slots and tabs for the inboard verticals are keyed but the end ones are not. Since logic says that the verticals should be higher above the horizontals than below it, you'll need to be careful to position these correctly. Also, the slots tend to be a little snug, so you may have to ease them a bit for proper fit. Finally, in my case, I had to shorten the inboard vertical tabs so that they would seat correctly. Regardless of how complex the radome support looks, it's actually a piece of cake, utilizing a mere four pieces. This is the port side. And the starboard side. The rough area you see is dried liquid styrene that squeezed out during installation. It'll be cleaned up in due time. I shot some Dupli-Color Gray Primer over the area that would be covered by the installation of the radome support and then attended to any remaining seam flaws that might exist. After that, a final shot of primer and I was ready to install the support. Installation of the support is a little on the tricky side, but in this case patience is a virtue. As you can see, it does fit the way its supposed to. More than likely the four holes in the fuselage top will have to be 'adjusted' a tad with a #11 blade, but don't get too ambitious at one whack. Adjust and try is the watchword here. Looking down, you can see how everything finally fits the way it should. After all the solvent has dried, the support is sturdy enough to pick up the entire model with it. That's saying something when you consider how much lead this model takes to keep the nose down. One more thing: In case you're wondering about that collar that projects above the top of the support, it's supposed to be there. It's a spacer that allows the radome...both real and model...to rotate without binding on the top of the support. And for us, it has one other very useful benefit. Due to the way this kit is designed, not only will the radome rotate (by hand, of course), but it is also removable as long as you don't glue the shaft in. That's a real advantage when it comes to transporting the model and especially when shipping it to a client in another state.
  8. Installment #7 of the Kinetic E2C 2000 build series has been posted in the Builds Sub-Forum. All comments welcome.
  9. For what it's worth, my Scale Publications website has been completely redesigned for easier use. Check it out and see what you think. Opinions and comments welcome.
  10. Hi all, It's been a while, but here's the sixth installment on the E-2C. Here I needed a little more seam work than just a light touchup. So, as I frequently do in order to protect adjacent detail, I laid down a couple of strips of blue masking tape before sanding the seam. With the seam taken care of and the tape removed, I still needed to finish the seam with 600 grit or so sandpaper. Going that fine wouldn't have any deleterious effect on the surrounding detail. Taking a break from the fuselage, the side windows and overhead hatches were tinted a translucent gold color by mixing a combination of Tamiya X-22 Clear, X-26 Clear Orange and X-24 Clear Yellow acrylic, along with the tiniest dot of X-19 Smoke acrylic. This was strictly an eyeball mix. When I had something that looked right, the windows and hatches interiors were airbrushed while they were still on the sprue. Next up is attaching the outer wings. Believe it or not, they slip right into place with minimal adjustments. Here you can see how the finished installation looks. And yes, the fold joint forms a perfectly smooth connection as it should. I ran into something when installing the horizontal tail that I didn't expect. When you're holding the part in place before applying solvent, the locator pins fit as they should and you can hold the horizontal in the correct position. But, as soon as solvent is applied, the little beast wants to cock to one side. I wound up having to use a rubber band to hold it in place and even then I wound up checking, rechecking and making minute adjustments until the solvent set so that the entire tailplane would be correctly level after final assembly. I have no clue as to why it behaved that way. All I can say is watch it!
  11. Installment #6 of the Kinetic E2C 2000 build series has been posted in the Builds Sub-Forum. All comments welcome.
  12. Hi all, Here's the latest progress on the Kinetic 1/48th E2C 2000. A recess in the bottom of the fuselage gives you the option of replicating the CEC (Cooperative Engagement Capability). This is the route I needed to go and I didn't anticipate any problem. I was wrong. It turned out that when the CEC insert is properly aligned, there's a .020" gap on the port side. Press the insert down for a tight fit and you wind up with a slight step in relationship to the fuselage. The solution is simplicity itself. All you need is a .020" x .030" Evergreen strip to fill the gap. If you're careful, all you'll need is a very light touch with a sanding stick to blend everything together. Now for the fun...installation of the wing center section. While the center section fits as it should, you won't be able to simply drop it in place and add solvent. In this shot, the center has been installed and snugged down with a couple of rubber bands. Here's a closer view of what it took to attain a proper installation. The aft end of the center section has to be pulled down with a rubber band that wraps around the fuselage. Because of this, you want to make sure the CEC is thoroughly dry before doing so. Then another rubber band goes under the fuselage and up over the wing stubs. Seen from the side, you get a better view of exactly the rubber bands were used to pull the center section down. Also, notice the internal detail thru the crew door. There's no interior detail in the fuselage beyond the cockpit other than this insert that allows you to position the door open if you choose. When everything's dry and the rubber bands are removed, you'll discover two problems in the form of seams that have to be filled. One, the largest, is at the aft end of the center section where you had to use the heaviest rubber band. The other's at the front and doesn't go all the way across. Just like the gap on the CEC insert, a strip of .020" x .030" Evergreen strip solves the problem. And the same thing up front. If you're careful, you'll barely need any sanding at all. The port nacelle is next and you will definitely need more rubber bands. Take a close look at this shot and you'll see that the heavier rubber band goes over the seam between the nacelle and the wing, then under the nacelle. In order to have continuity from the wing to the nacelle without a step, this is essential. Then another rubber band loops under the front of the nacelle,over the wing and under the aft part of the nacelle. This pulls the aft part of the nacelle up into position. Everything fits exactly as it should, but it takes this approach to get it there. Just in case you're confused by my previous description, this side view should help clarify things. I repeated the process for the starboard nacelle and finally wound up with what you see here. When everything dried and the rubber bands were removed, I was looking at a perfectly fitted wing center section and a pair of nacelles. Next installment you'll see how well things worked out before we tackle the canopy.
  13. Installment #5 of the Kinetic E2C 2000 build series has been posted in the Buids Sub-Forum. All comments welcome.
  14. Hey all, It's been a while, but the C-46 is done and shipped. So now it's back to the Kinetic 1/48th kit of the Northrop Grumman E2C Hawkeye 2000. Some of you may find it helpful to go back and review the first three installments of this build. As with the C-46, this is a commission build for another client. O.K., y'all up to speed? Then let's see if I can get you a ways farther down the road. Besides the normal canopy, the E2C has three round windows located in the starboard fuselage. Kinetic provides individual inserts that fit perfectly. Due to the extended tab attached to each window, there's no problem with solvent fouling the clear. On the outside, these are some of the easiest windows I've seen to mask. Slap a piece of blue masking tape over each, run your fingernail around the window seam, follow that with a #11 blade and you're done. Whether you opt for extended or folded wings, that large radome guarantees that this little critter is a tail sitter and then some. Since there's enough room, l picked up a package of self-adhesive lead weights from Great Planes....try your radio control airplane shops if you can't find them elsewhere. With the cockpit installed in the starboard fuselage, I packed in close to a full ounce of lead in front of and behind the cockpit. The white arrows show you exactly where. Since each 1/4 ounce piece has VERY sticky tape on the back, you won't have to worry about the weights coming loose. But do be sure you have'em where you want'em before applying pressure because you won't be gettin' them loose. Another 3/4 ounce or so of lead was added to the port fuselage. Not only did this make sure that it wouldn't tail sit, it also tells you why those Scale Aircraft Conversion metal replacement gear are essential. If you haven't had an Oops! event while working on models, you haven't been building very long! Here I got ahead of myself and joined the tail end of the fuselage before adding the tail hook well. Fortunately the solvent hadn't cured too long, so a lot of care and a new #11 blade made splitting the aft fuselage fairly easy. Rather than split the entire fuselage, I wrapped a rubber band around the fuselage about halfway up, then shoved a spring clothespin into the gap to keep the fuselage halves separated,. With the tail hook well properly installed, the fuselage halves were rejoined and a rubber band along with another spring clothespin was used to keep everything snug until the solvent dried. Partly because of its size, the fuselage is not one that can be held together and watch the seams disappear. I had to work my way around a few inches at time, as well as employing the assistance of a number of rubber bands as I went.
  15. Installment #4 of the Kinetic E2C 2000 build series has been posted in the Buids Sub-Forum. All comments welcome.
  16. Back for the 18th and last time...at least where the C-46 is concerned. Hope you enjoy the final details and the beauty shots. C-46 Commandos displayed a dizzying variety of antenna configurations. Essentially, the only way you can be entirely accurate is to have photos of the specific C-46 that you're replicating. Since this model is a representative C-46A, I settled...with my client's agreement...on a single radio wire running from the vertical tail to the fuselage skin over the radio compartment. A #79 (.016") drill bit in a pin vise was used to drill a hole. Then a tiny bit of CA was applied to the end of a length of .0135" monofilament, inserted into the hole and allowed to dry. While I used the line that John provided, any monofilament, EZ Line or invisible thread will also work. It all depends on personal preferences or...in some cases...what's available. When you drill a hole in the vertical, it will be necessary to angle the bit slightly so that it comes out the side of the skin. Then you can run the end of the monofilament thru the hole, pull it taught...carefully...and hang a weight on the loose end to keep the line straight. Depending on circumstances, a clothespin or two will do the job, but if you need more weight, try a metal spring clip from your nearest office supply. When the line is tight, add a small dab of CA using a toothpick or similar and allow to dry. When the CA dries, all that's left to do is nip the surplus monofilament flush with the skin and carefully touchup when necessary with matching paint. And that, folks, puts FINISH to the Williams Bros 1/72 C-46A. Below are a selection of final photos. All that remains is to pack it and ship it.
  17. Hi all, Just a quick note to let you know that the entire C-46A build series is now available as an e-book in your choice of formats. You can find it here. I know this post may not be appropriate here, so I won't be offended if one of the moderators deletes it. Simply wanted to make a quick mention for those who had been following the build. The next few days I'll see about submitting a copy for review along with a flyer in the what's new section.
  18. Installment 18 (and the end of the series) of my 1/72 Williams Bros C-46 build is now available in the Builds Sub-Forum. Comments welcome as always.
  19. We are now at the penultimate installment. With the exception in installing the radio wire and posting beauty shots, this Williams Bros 1/72 C-46A is finished and I'm exhausted!! The nearly finished C-46A with all markings applied. For this particular scheme/time period, the only underside marking is a national insignia on the underside of the starboard wing. Though it's hard to see in this shot, due to being washed out by the camera strobes, the model still has a glossy finish from the markings being sealed with a final coat of Future. With the flat coat on and the window masking stripped, the C-46 is almost ready for the showcase. It's been a long and winding road for a very challenging kit, but the end result is very satisfying. And, as I said in the beginning, it's the only game in town if you're looking to add a 1/72nd scale Commando to your collection. So buy a kit along with the aftermarket parts and have at it. The landing light holes are filled with Gator's Grip Acrylic Hobby Glue. When it dries, a clear landing light lens will be the result. Nearly. After the Gator's Grip dried, I added a top coat of Future (PFM) to function as a final lens. By the way, this is a very close shot that makes the black deice boots look rough and grainy instead of its actual appearance.
  20. Installment 17 of my 1/72 Williams Bros C-46 build is now available in the Builds Sub-Forum. Comments welcome as always.
  21. Hi all. The C-46 finish line is in sight! Here's the latest shots: The completed starboard main gear. I wound up having to apply BSI IC Gel to the mounting edge of the door, then hold it in place with one hand while applying a shot of BSI Accelerator with the other hand. Definitely tricky and I actually had to clean the cured CA on the door and try it again a couple of times before I got it right. To say this approach is tedious is an understatement of the first magnitude! The same technique had to be used on the tailwheel doors, but with the addition of tweezers to hold the doors due to their small size. The same starboard gear installation from a slightly different angle. The photoetch parts add a lot to the gear door detail and the SAC metal gear guarantees the gear won't be collapsing on you. While I did paint the engine cylinders Model Master Steel, no superdetailing was done. With the props in place, most superdetailing would be obscured. These replacement metal props really add a lot to the finished model. Model Master FS37038 Flat Black combined with Model Master Steel and Model Master FS33538 Flat Yellow produced a very nice result. Still have no idea where my client found them. This decal sheet is from the Brett Industries C-46 kit. Produced by Scale-Master, it's a state of the art sheet with markings for four different aircraft. For the subject of this model, all that was needed was the four star and bar national insignia, wing walks and some white tail numbers that my client sent from another sheet. Update from my client: The metal props were produced by a now defunct aftermarket manufacturer in the UK and were specific to the C-46. National insignia and wing walk is seen here on the starboard wing. The Solvaset seen adjacent to the model was used to snug the decals down. By the way, my ebook "How To Make Your Own Decals" covers the subject in extensive detail. You can find a copy of it at Scale Publications.
  22. Installment 16 of my 1/72 Williams Bros C-46 build is now available in the Builds Sub-Forum. Comments welcome as always.
  23. Here's the latest on the C-46: Once the Future has dried, the deice boots were masked off with blue painters tape. Depending on how you like to work, you could mask the boots on the bottom of the wing and then paint'em before... ...tackling the top, leaving the tail surfaces for last. I chose to mask all of the boots at one time and then.... ...spray'em with Model Master FS37038 Flat Black in a single session. By the way, here I'm using a Badger Patriot 105 double action airbrush that I had to buy after losing the needle cap from my Iwata HP-CH airbrush so I could keep working while waiting for a new cap to arrive. With all the tape removed, we have a very nice set of deice boots on the undersurfaces.... ....and on the uppersurfaces. Now to give her some legs to stand on. The tailwheel strut/wheel is a single assembly, so I brush painted the tire first with Pactra M-1 Scale Flat Black or any Scale Black of your choosing. Then the assembly was installed with BSI Super Gold + CA. Don't be surprised if you have to either thin down the mounting shaft or slightly enlarge the mounting hole. The Scale Aircraft Conversions main gear have been completed by the addition of the torque links. When installed, you'll want to make sure that the links point to the rear and the end of the axles to the outside. In this photo, the starboard strut is on the left and the port is on the right. The retraction link in the SAC metal set is where you'll run into trouble. The links are handed, so the mounting recess for the strut connection should be handed as well. Scale Aircraft Conversions has been notified and is checking stock to see how widespread the problem is. If you have one of these problem sets, the solution is easy. Simply drill the mounting recess all the way thru with a .031" (or 1/32") drill bit as I've done in this photo. Note that you only need to do this to two of the links. Here you see the complete SAC starboard main gear properly installed. All it lacks is the wheel/tire and doors And a very tight shot of the same completed assembly. Yet another shot of the same starboard gear from the opposite side. The gear doors laid down on a couple of pieces of tape, just prior to spraying the Model Master FS36270 Neutral Gray. When dry, flip'em over, spray some more Neutral Gray and you're done. All that's left is to install'em. Since you can't stick a toothpick or matchstick thru the axle hole to hold the tire for painting, due to the photoetch outer wheel detail, I used the same approach as the gear doors. Paint was Pactra M-1 Flat Scale Black. Incidentally, that paint hasn't been around for a very long time, but I still happen to have a 35 or 40 year old bottle that's perfectly good. But any Scale Black or Grimy Black paint will produce the same results.
  24. Installment 15 of my 1/72 Williams Bros C-46 build is now available in the Builds Sub-Forum. Comments welcome as always.
  25. The latest installment of the C-46 build series is available in the Build sub-forum. Check it out at your convenience and remember, comments are always welcome.
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