Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Tamiya 1:48 F4U-1D Corsair with Moto-Tug Part 9

 Well, here is my first posting for 2024. It's hard to believe that this kit is nearly completed. There's not too much left to build, the majority of work now is building the small pieces and finally assembling the rest of the parts to the aircraft. I'm excited to see this finally finished, so let's get started!


I'm first going to add the identification lights that I drilled out under the wing. To fill these in I used Tamiya Multipurpose Cement Clear and added a drop of Tamiya X-25 Clear Green. I mixed this together thoroughly. If the glue is too thick you can thin it down a bit with some water.



Using a thin pointed brush I was able to pool the glue into the opening. I painted the inside silver so that the clear paints would reflect better. I think I used a bit too much Clear Green as it's pretty dark, so with that color a little goes a long way.


And here is the finished result. I used all Tamiya paints to color the glue, X-26 Clear Orange, X-25 Clear Green, and X-27 Clear Red. Also, there are blue lights on the tops of the wings, for those I used X-23 Clear Blue.



For the HVAR Rockets, I used several different paints, I started by painting the olive drab sections with Mr. Color 304 Olive Drab. After I masked this section I painted the rest with AK Interactive Neutral Grey 43 (RC261).

I tried to mask off the yellow tips, but that was a lesson in futility. So in the end I decided to paint the last details by hand. Yellow is a really difficult color to airbrush and even more difficult to hand brush, so my go to yellow for hand brushing is Formula P3 Cygnus Yellow. It's very easy to hand brush and it's a lovely bright tone.

Lastly for the tips I used Mr. Color 8 Silver, and with that these rockets were now ready to be glued to the pylons on the wings. 



There is an extension on the antenna that connects to the rudder. I couldn't find out exactly what this was, but I decided to replicate it using some 0.05mm wire and wrapping 0.02mm copper wire around it creating a small spring in the same way I did on the landing gears. After it was glued I painted it with Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey.



For the antenna line, I used elastic thread from Ushi van der Rosten. This was attached using Mr. Hobby, Mr. Just super glue. This stuff takes a bit of practice to get the hang of as it's very thin and in the winter it reacts to static. But once it's on it adds a really cool level of detail. And since it's elastic I don't have to worry about bumping it off.



The landing flaps were a bit tricky to add. I started with the smaller outer flap and once I had its position figured out I was able to use that as a guide for the larger inner flap. These parts don't exactly fit in place so you're going to have to carefully figure out how to glue these in place.



I then added the HVAR rockets to the wings. These are placed on at an odd angle, so pay attention to the instructions at this stage. 



I added on the drop tanks, and I'm really happy that I went through that extra effort to drill out and build those red fuel caps. They look a lot nicer than before.



Now was finally the time to add on the wings. These fit onto the braces with quite a bit of wiggle room, which is great because the angle they rest at is kind of weird. The instructions weren't too helpful in getting the correct angle, but luckily there is a profile picture on the side of the box I was able to use as a reference.

The wings will flop around a bit so it's really important to add the braces that connect from the fuselage to the wing ( Parts B1) once these were glued this section was a lot stronger and I was able to move the model around without the thought that I might break off a wing from the hinge.



I painted the pilot with various acrylics from Formula P3, The Army Painter, and Citadel washes. I'm by no means a figure painter, but I'm really pleased with how this pilot looks and I'm excited to add him to the cockpit.



With the pilot comfortably seated, I glued the back section of the canopy to the fuselage. I think that there are some inaccuracies here as the canopy should be forward more, but then this gets in the way of the pilot. Sadly the white ceramic I painted that holds the antenna line is covered up, but everything is in place, and it's so fun to see these parts added.



And now it's time to build the Moto-Tug. This little tractor is so much fun to build and for me was worth the price of the kit. There's not much to this build, and I began by gluing the engine halves together and placing that onto the lower chassis section. 



Next, I added the deck for the wheel hubs and the cover for the engine.




I then added the front grill and sanded the joint smooth. I also added some smaller details like the steering wheel and shift lever. 



The tug was then painted with Tamiya XF-66 Light Grey. I looked around and found that there were many different ways to paint these tugs, so I decided to paint it all light grey. After that, I painted on a gloss coat of Mr. Color 46 Clear for the decal application and panel wash. 


I added decals to the back of the fenders, and then I was able to glue the driver to the tug.  The kit also included 2 types of towing bars, one for pulling from the tail wheel, or one that splits connecting to the forward landing gear. 

This is a really fun side project that was sadly only ever included with 2 kits. One was this Corsair and the other was the US Navy Pilots set that at the moment is out of production. It's a shame as I'd like to get that set and build another one of these tugs, but in an alternate scheme. Still this will look great next to the Corsair.


And with that, this kit is finally done!  This was a really great kit to end the year building. Even with its age I still had a blast building this model, especially adding in all of the scratch built details. I have one more of these in the stash, and I think that one I'll build clean, I'd actually like to build one more after that, the 1A version to complete the Tamiya Corsair family.

There are a few shortcomings with this kit, fit issues, and details that aren't really accurate. It would be a great surprise if in the future Tamiya built an all new Corsair similar to their new tooled A6M Zero, and Spitfire Mk I. However I imagine the new Tamiya 1:32 Corsair kits have solved a lot of these issues. 

When I built my first Tamiya Corsair the F4U-2 I was really interested to see how the folded wings worked. And I was really pleased with how fairly simple that process was. The new pilot is a great little addition to the model, as well as those menacing HVAR rockets, and I really love that Moto-Tug.

There are quite a few new Corsairs on the market these days and even a new one released this past month, but I still think that this model kit holds up after all of these years, so I'd encourage you to try one out and I hope that you have just as much fun as I did!

Until next time.

















Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Tamiya 1:48 F4U-1D Corsair with Moto-Tug Part 8

 When I started this project I thought that it was going to be a really quick build, paint it all blue, have the wings folded up, and add that cool little tractor. The last thing I wanted was another long project, but that's exactly what I've got myself into. The only difference between this project and my last one is that I'm still having a lot of fun with this kit. And this week I'm going to try something new that I tried once before when I built the Tamiya 1:48 F-14D. I played around with oil paints, but I never really got the results I wanted for a dirty and used surface. 

This time I'm going to try the effect again, and I think I'll be a lot happier with the end result. 


I started by painting the landing gear and wheel hubs with Tamiya LP-72 Mica Silver. I then painted the springs and brake line with XF-1 Flat Black.



Next, I painted Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color -Black- to highlight the details on the silver parts. This will really help all of those details stand out that are usually reflected by the silver paint.



I painted the tires using Vallejo Black-Grey (70.862). I really like to use this color for tires as it's not as jarring as using something like Flat Black. The Black Grey has a more used look and compliments the rest of the model.

To add some more weathering to the model I brushed Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color -Grey- onto the tire and I had a lot of fun watching it pool around all of the treading that I had created earlier. Now it really looks the part. Once the wash had dried I cleaned off the excess with Tamiya Enamel Thinner.



Here is the completed landing gear ready to be glued to the wheel bay. I gave the entire part a flat coat, and I'm really thrilled with how the tire treads look with that wash. Also, those springs that caused me a lot of grief at times really add a nice level of detail I've been trying to achieve with this model.



Aside from the fact that my Corsair looks as if I angered every bird in the Pacific, there was a method behind my madness. 

I used the following Tamiya Enamel paints: XF-2 Flat White, XF-19 Sky Grey, XF-60 Dark Yellow, and XF-66 Light Grey. I thinned each of these paints with Tamiya Enamel Thinner so that the paint wouldn't be too thick for the next step.

I've tried using the dot filter method in the past and I've had limited results with it. I've found that Tamiya Enamels are really easy for me to control and generally get the look that I had in mind. It's important to let the enamels dry thoroughly for this to work properly. Adding enamel thinner does help speed up the drying time a bit. 



I dotted every part that wasn't going to be interior green. At the moment it all looks like a hopeless mess, but soon it will all come together.

I should also mention that this is done over a gloss coat. You can do this on a flat coat but it's a little trickier, as the paint bites into the flat coat more and makes it a lot more challenging to remove and distort the paint. 



I hunted for the right brush for this process at an art supplies store, but I couldn't find anything that was just the right shape. Later on, I happened to be walking near a cosmetics department and I saw these blush brushes, and it looked close to what I had imagined. This particular brush will lose the odd hair, but it works incredibly well for this process. 

First I'll wet the paint down, by gently brushing on some enamel thinner. You really don't need to apply a lot here, just enough so that the paint will be reactivated. Next, I take the brush and stipple the surface of the paint creating a nice muddy pattern.

As I go along I dab the brush into a paper towel to remove the excess paint.



Here you can see much closer how all of the colors will blend together and create a uniform layer of grime from all of the flying this Corsair has done. You can still also see all of the colors in the different shades of blue that were previously painted. 


There were a few places where there was just too much paint and I wanted to remove some of the excess. I use these cotton pads which are really inexpensive and they last quite a while. After I've removed the paint I'll use the brush to once again dab the surface just as before.



And this is the end result. It's a bit hard to make it all out because of the gloss coating reflecting the colors. You might notice that there are a lot of hairs from the cotton pads that I used. These are stuck into the wet paint and are difficult to remove. However, I've found that once the paint is completely dry they are easy to remove simply by brushing over the model using a thick brush.



For a flat coat, I used Mr. Color Aqueous Flat Clear (H-20). The flat was thinned about 40% with Mr. Levelling Thinner and lightly sprayed onto the model to seal everything together. I then left the model to dry for about 24 hours to allow the flat to harden up properly for me to handle for the final assembly.



On all of the Zinc Chromate Green sections I painted on Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color -Dark Brown-. I was really excited to add it to the cowl flaps that I built earlier as the wash really showed off the springs and other details that I built. This is going to look really cool in a moment when it's finally added to the model.




I've now glued the cowling around the engine. I really like the effect that the chipped paint has with the XF-4 Yellow Green and now that the flat coat is added the AS-12 Bare Metal Silver is toned down and really compliments the rest of the colors.

It is unfortunate that once the propeller is added a lot of that engine detail will be hidden, but for the moment I'm enjoying looking at all of the different details. 





I also added the Dark Brown wash into the gear bays, and it really helped all of the wires pop and stand out. I've also glued on the pylons that will hold onto the drop tanks. I'll be adding these to the model after the landing flaps are put in place.



I used Mr. Hobby, Mr. Just super glue to attach the landing gear to the bays. Tamiya designed these parts to fit in place really securely so the installation was easy. I can't really say the same for the gear doors. I had a harder time getting these to fit, so again I used Mr. Just and this made the installation a lot easier.



I wasn't too thrilled with the gunsight screen that came with the Tamiya kit. It's sort of accurate in its own way, but I thought I'd try making a new one from some clear plastic. I cut some thin strips of styrene that would act as the bracers. I painted these with XF-1 Flat Black and then glued them to the inside of the canopy frame using Tamiya Multipurpose Cement Clear.

Once the frames were dry I then glued the clear sheet. This however was a new challenge, as I added the gunsight to the instrument panel the gunsight was too big and the new screen I built was also too big. So I had to start over and shorten this section as well as lower the gunsight quite a bit to make it more accurate. 

Eventually, I managed to get everything to fit in place and I was able to glue the forward canopy to the fuselage.



With the forward section of the canopy added I could build the pilot that came with the Moto-Tug section of the kit. The pilot figure was pretty easy to build up and I really like the pose. The right arm will rest slightly hanging over the side of the cockpit, while the left arm will rest on the canopy. This arm was a bit more difficult to get the pose correct, but with some patience, I eventually got it in the right position.



Now this is exciting, I can firmly state that I'm nearly done with this model. There's not much left to do now except paint a few smaller parts and then I can add on the landing flaps and the wings. 

It's been a fun week to see all of these parts coming together, and I'm a lot happier with my painting choices now that the flat coat has blended all of the colors together. Also, that oil filter really added just the right amount of grime and use I had wanted. 

Now I just have to be careful, as when I get this close to having the model completed I get over anxious and rush, and that just leads to creating mistakes. Until next time!

To be concluded...

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Tamiya 1:48 F4U-1D Corsair with Moto-Tug Part 7

 Now I'm at one of my favorite stages in the modeling build, applying the decals. I've loved this stage ever since I was a kid as it feels as though this is really where the model comes together. I know that many modelers don't like using decals, so in this entry, I'm going to be going through as thoroughly as I can to explain the process and hopefully relieve any trepidation you might have.

First I looked at the diamonds that would go on the tail and wings. And because of their large shape, I was hesitant to use the decals. I thought that they might be too difficult to conform in the areas they needed to go on, so I decided to mask these off and paint them on myself.

I scanned the decal sheet and imported the image into Photoshop. I was then able to trace out the four diamonds and color them in black. This would make it easier for me to see them when I cut them out for the model.


I doubled some tape and placed it on the back of the diamond. When I was satisfied with the placement I then taped around the diamond with modeling tape, being sure to press firmly around so that no paint would bleed through. I added extra tape than what I've shown here, as I wanted to avoid any over-spray that could happen.




I painted the diamonds with Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. I thinned the paint about 50-50 and lightly layered the white on to try and avoid any buildup. It took a bit longer to paint these sections, but it was worth it in the end as it looked a lot nicer than trying to get the decals to conform to the bumpy surface.


I was just about to add the decals when I realized I forgot to paint the fuel cap and the emergency release handles around the cockpit. I painted these with Mr. Color 3 Red. You can see from the over-spray on the tape this paint didn't flow the smoothest. Next time I use it I'll have to remember to add some Mr. Replenishing Agent to the Red before I paint.


I used my Tamiya Decal Scissors to carefully cut around the decal and trim away as much of the carrier film as I could. The Tamiya decal scissors are a really fantastic investment as they make trimming around the decals very easy. Carrier film is placed over the ink and it keeps the decal together and also prevents the ink from running when it's in the water. However there are times when the carrier film doesn't stick to the surface of the model and the air gets trapped inside creating an air bubble, this is called silvering. 

By removing some of the extra decal film, I hope to avoid any silvering that could occur. 


I placed the decals into water, soaking them for about 10 seconds and then leaving them on the cutting mat to soak until the decal was ready to be removed from the backing.  When they were ready I slid a part of the decal off the backing and moved it into place. There was enough water on the decal so it was easy to slide it around. 


When I had the decal in place I took a cotton swab and I slowly and carefully rolled the swab along the decal to remove the water that was still behind the decal. Once I had removed the water I kept rolling the cotton swab along and I gently pressed the decal to the surface of the model. This was done to remove any air bubbles that might still be hidden and would help prevent any silvering from occurring. 



This next step is optional to some modelers, but adding a decal solvent will help melt down the decal and ensure that it sticks more snug to the surface of the model. 

There are many decal solvents on the market today, and because of the large variety, there are also a lot of opinions on the internet as to which decal solvent is the best.

I've tested and tried several over the years, and I prefer to use Tamiya Mark Fit -Super Strong-. This is the newest decal solvent from Tamiya, and it's pretty aggressive so be careful. I really like it as it works really well on Tamiya and other brand decals. 

I used my dedicated decal brush and I carefully, (and quickly as this stuff starts to work fast), brushed the solvent around the edge of the decal and then over the rest of the surface.  Once it's brushed on it's time to set the model aside and let the solvent do its thing.




Depending on the decal, you might see it start to wrinkle. Don't panic! This is normal when using decal solvents. Right now the decal is softened and melting, and soon it will dry out and lay down flat just as before.



The solvents will help the decal conform to the surface, but now that the decals are softened up a bit I took my hobby knife and I carefully scored into the recessed panel lines. I would then apply a second coat of solvent over the decals, and the decals would gently fall into the panel lines. This step is of course completely optional, as it can be tricky to cut into those thin groves.


Do you remember when I said you needed to be careful with the decals after you apply the decal solvents? Well, I was a bit clumsy when I applied my second coat and the brush dug into and damaged the decal. 

Now I could simply leave this area and paint it silver with some yellow-green to look like chipped paint, but I'm going to show you how I repainted this area white.



I first sprayed over the decals sealing them in with Mr. Hobby Aqueous 30 Clear. We're going to be sealing in the decals so that we don't further damage them. Once the gloss had dried I took some Tamiya Sanding Sponge, 600 and 1000 grits, and I carefully sanded around the damaged decal. The 1000 grit was then used to polish and smooth out the area.

This sanding process is going to look pretty bad and you might panic, but work slowly and carefully, and keep in mind that I've only sanded in the white area. Smooth out the damaged area as best you can, as once the paint is applied with could become pretty noticeable.


I then cut some tape and tapped it onto my jeans a few times to remove some of the tack. These need to stick, but I don't want them stuck on so strong that they might remove the decal. Even with the gloss coat to seal in the decal, this can still happen.



I carefully sprayed Mr. Color 62 Flat White as this white was close to the same tone as the decal, however it will always be a bit off in tone.  I started by spraying a few light layers into the center section. I left the paint alone to dry for a few minutes, and then I added a second layer. 

I did this process a few times, just spraying on light thin layers as I really wanted to avoid any paint building up around the edges. 



This was not what I was hoping for when I started adding the decals, but it's all painted, and now it's time to remove this tape and hope for the best.

I slowly removed the tape from the edges, don't pull the tape straight up or you will run the risk of damaging the decals, and I don't want any more damage to paint over.


 


WHEW! Now that's not too bad. You can see at the bottom of the bar there is a bit of silvering from the decal lifting when I removed the tape, but it all came off easily, and it looks pretty good.

It's a bit brighter than the decal ink, but I think in the next stage of weathering this will blend in a bit more with the model. 

I added a bit of decal solvent to the area that lifted, and now I'm going to gloss the rest of the model and parts with the Mr. Hobby Aqueous Gloss.

From certain angles and in certain light you can see the damaged area, but I'm really relieved that this turned out so well.



I wanted to show one more difficult decal. This is on the lower wing and I noticed that there was a hole in the decal and it was meant to fit around one of the pylons. I placed the decal down over the pylon, and then as I demonstrated before I pressed the decal and got all of the water out. I then added some Tamiya Mark Fit -Super Strong- and when the decal began to melt I took my knife and cut off the decal separating it from the pylon platform so that the rest would lay flat on the wing.

To fill in the cut area, I carefully painted Tamiya X-2 Gloss White, and X-3 Royal Blue as this best matched the blue on the decal. As you can see this all blends together really well and it almost looks seamless as if the decal was never cut.

When you do this try and use gloss paints, as they blend together better with the semi-gloss finish of the decals.


I think that this has been enough excitement with the decals. Next, I'll be weathering up the model a bit, just enough to break in the nice blue paint and get some dirt into those scratched-up silver areas.

I'm pretty close to getting this model completed and I'm really relieved that the decal was able to be saved.


I forgot to mention from the previous post that I was able to fix the damaged areas of the Corsair from when it fell. Thankfully the repairs weren't too bad. The arm that holds up the wing on the right side was completely broken off, so I might need to bend it with heat to get it in just the right position. 

But there's still a bit more to do first, and I've got to build that fun-looking Moto-Tug!

To be continued...