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1/48 T-2C Buckeye


ghodges

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This is the 2 Bobs edition of the 1/48 Special Hobby kit. It's a limited run injection kit with resin interior parts and a vac canopy. While I was building this, a friend on Agape models suggested doing a camo squadron hack; so I took him up on it! Makes for an interesting looking Buckeye and contrasts nicely with the old vac T-2C in training colors I already have on the shelf. It's an OOTB build, except for replacing the pitot and the canopy jack with steel tubing.

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All the markings are from the spare decal bin (and some of them could vote! :smiley2: ) and depict a VA-43 Squadron hack. I make no claims of complete accuracy for the camo colors/pattern/specific markings, though it appears to be close to the online pics I found.

 

Questions, comments, and critiques welcome, as always! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Gill, what did you use for the camo mask? Seems tight for freehand but there looks like a small feathering between colors. It looks very "in-scale" for the build.

 

Silly putty? Masking tape?

 

Nice job as always.

 

Bill

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I used silly putty for the first time. It worked as I'd hoped (and you described), but I didn't find it any easier than making a raised tape mask with thread under the edges. Also, since it was a 3 color scheme that required handling the model to apply a second set of masks, I found the edges of the silly putty were prone to getting mashed flat, distorting the masked edge and making it act more like a hard edge mask.

 

I think that next time I'll use a raised tape mask instead, since it handles better under those circumstances. However, I can see where the silly putty would work VERY well on things like tanks, ships, and sci-fi models with "lumpy" surface details. Airplanes generally don't have all those bumps, so tape will work just as well. Thanks for the kind words!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Beautifully done T-2C, Gil! I have this kit in the stash, but I don't have the courage to attempt a camo scheme like yours. How easily - or not - does it go together?

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It's a nice kit, but has its quirks....

 

The resin cockpit parts are nice, and I was surprised how well they all fit together considering you actually have to construct the tub. The fit was good over all, but you do need to trim down many of the oversized ejector pin bumps, as well as drill and pin some items since this is a true limited run injection kit.

 

The really strange area concerns the main landing gear. The legs are in two parts, with a dogleg connection, but NO pin or locking device; so you have to drill and pin the legs for strength. But wait! There's more! The sides of the top of the gear leg (the edges of the trunnions) are designed to fit into notches on the sides of the gear well walls instead of using the usual pin/socket arrangement. That means you first have to be sure you build the wheel well properly AND be sure the side walls are glued securely. Then, you have to twist the gear legs into position, making sure they're in the notches while also watching their alignment. It's not terribly difficult, but it's a new technique to tackle. If that makes you uneasy, simply make your own pin/socket arrangement for the gear!

 

It's definitely more complex than any Tamigawavellogram kit! But it makes a great Buckeye, and it's easier than the old Golden Wings vac kit.

 

GIL :smiley16:

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