Sommaire pour May 2017 de FineScale Modeler

Tartans intimidate many painters. But no matter the complexity, they comprise nothing more than horizontal and vertical lines of varying widths. Painting them involves deconstructing each layer in the pattern so it can be reconstructed with paint. I carefully study a pattern — I have several books on tartans — to determine the order in which the lines need to be painted. After applying the base coat, I paint the first horizontal stripes in the pattern. As with all lines on tartans, I paint the initial line very thin, almost transparent to the eye. Once I am satisfied with the shape I paint over it, gradually deepening the line until the color density is correct. With all of the horizontal lines on, I paint the vertical lines. Pay extra attention…

I was fortunate enough to receive the first-issued kit of Contrail’s all-resin 1/144 scale Boeing 757-200 — No. 1 off the line, if you will. It wasn’t my first resin kit, but it came with no instructions. I was tempted to cry Uncle! a couple of times, not knowing just how or where parts were supposed to go. For instance, I followed my nose and found out my nose was wrong when I glued the tail skid 180 degrees opposite of its position on the extreme rear underside of the fuselage. Oh, and the one-piece fuselage is pre-weighted so the model will stand on its gear — so hefty that you could leave the wings off and use it as a billy club. Good thing it had white-metal landing gear…

To make use of obsolete Centurion tanks, the Israeli Defense Force replaced the turrets with a casemate covered in reactive armor. The result was a unique, well-protected personnel carrier known as the Nagmachon. This kit of the early Nagmachon is Tiger’s second kit of the vehicle; it released a late version with the so-called doghouse (kit No. 4616) last year. Cleanly molded in tan plastic, the kit features detail in the driver and fighting compartments including seats and wall fittings. The kit also includes photo-etched (PE) detail parts, vinyl tires, colored clear parts, and metal wire. The road wheels comprise plastic wheels and vinyl tires. The tires need to be aligned on the wheels and allow clearance for the track guide horns. Don’t super glue the tires to the wheels…

During World War II, the U.S. Army used several models of Case tractors for construction and maintenance. Thunder Models kit includes two cleanly molded plastic trees, a small photo-etched (PE) fret, and four vinyl tires. The instructions are clear and uncluttered, but there are a few places where parts go unnumbered; fortunately, they are easy to find. A color guide showing one civilian and two military tractors refers to Ammo of Mig Jimenez paints. I started by building as many subassemblies as possible including the motor, gas tank, differential. Once those were together, construction progressed quickly. Step 1 requires hex bolts (Part X1) to be shaved off the sprue and glued to a connection between the engine and transmission. I used a hex punch-and-die to make them from sheet styrene…

Spirals on spinners Q How does a person paint (in 1/72 scale) the spiral seen on the propeller spinners of Bf 109s? The spinner is more or less a dome, which isn’t conducive to decals (and I don’t see any specialized ones on eBay). The spiral (in green and white) needs to be neat and orderly, and the process of finding a way to mask the tiny part is driving me mad. It seems that a mask would need to be spiral shape, but how would I make such a thing? – Ron Rodenburg, Centerville, Ohio A There are a lot of different, uh, spins on the best way to do this. I’ve heard some people say they chucked a spinner in a drill or motor tool, spun it, and…

Watch what you say I totally agree with Mr. Cox’s letter in the March Scale Talk about keeping our negative comments to ourselves. I started really building models when I was 11 — back when kits were 99 cents. I entered a contest at the age of 13. I was within earshot of the judges and everything they said was negative! I almost gave up building after that. Instead, I persisted and have enjoyed the hobby for more than 40 years. Remember, what is said can make or break what kids decide to do. – Jeff McIntyre Sparks, Nev. In the eye of the modeler The “Artistry vs. Accuracy” article by Karl Logan in the February issue struck a nerve with me. I am always troubled when I read a…

For nearly two decades, a Monogram 1/48 scale F-14A languished half finished in my workshop. The stumbling block was want of decals to finish it as a VF-111 Tomcat. Unwilling to wait any longer, I determined to make the markings. Originally, I intended to paint everything because previous decal-making attempts proved unsuccessful thanks to poor opacity and color matching. In the end, I combined paint and custom decals due to the difficulties involved in masking and painting over complex curves. But before making masks or decals, you need to create the images. Into the digital realm Start by making a digital two-dimensional copy of either the part itself or a scale drawing of it. Instruction sheets are often a good place for the latter. In the case of the Tomcat,…

This project started when our model club decided to do a club group build of the Tamiya 1/48 scale P-51 Mustang. I chose the P-51B for the aesthetic appeal of the smooth, enclosed cockpit and streamlined silhouette I prefer 1/32 scale, so I had to develop some new techniques for lighting the model. I also wanted to depict it in aluminum with no camouflage. I chose numerous aftermarket detailing accessories, but what I will describe are the electrical details of the working propeller and position lights. The display is powered by AAA batteries embedded in a wood display base. Electrical connections run from the base to the plane’s interior LEDs and a pager motor via the landing gear tires and struts. The LEDs and pager motor are on separate circuits,…

See all of the contest entries View more Pacific War creations online at FineScale.com/OnlineExtras. MASSIMO SANTAROSSA CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA This SBD-3 Dauntless of VS-2 squadron aboard USS Enterprise in spring 1942 is an Accurate Miniatures 1/48 scale kit. Massimo added resin seats, replacement .50-caliber barrels, and twin .30-caliber guns. He painted all of the marks except the letters and numbers with Testors Model Master colors. PAULO AYRES MUSELLI de MENDONÇA PORTO TROMBETAS, BRAZIL Paulo added a ton of aftermarket parts from Pontos and Lion Roar to complete Tamiya’s 1/350 scale Yamato. He finished the Japanese battleship as it was on March 19, 1945, during an Allied attack on Kure. CHRIS KELLEY ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA Chris’ grandfather was with VBF-87, which flew the 10,000th Hellcat. Chris painted Eduard’s 1/72 scale F6F-5 with Tamiya acrylics over…

One of the most famous aircraft, the B-17 Flying Fortress, has been kitted by many companies in smaller scales. But a 1/32 B-17? Are you kidding me? Actually, this is HK’s second release of the mighty Fortress in this scale — the first was the later G version. HK modified its G kit to include the non-staggered waist windows and early tail gun position to allow the earlier B-17E or F to be built. There are three markings options in the kit — one E and two early Fs, including Memphis Belle. All include minor detail changes — especially in the nose glass. Not mentioned are parts still in the box for the G — some of which would be usable for a late F There are a lot of…

The Su-33 is an upgraded Su-27 Flanker built for carrier deployment. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, only 24 were built. Don’t mistake this as a mere reissue of Zvezda’s earlier kit; it is a new tool. There are almost 250 parts with fine engraved panel lines and surface detail. You have several building options: open canopy and speed brake; wings and tail planes folded; or gear-up in-flight (stand not included). You also get a boarding ladder, wheel chocks, and two pilots (one seated and one standing). A set of R-27R and R-27T long-range missiles and R-73 short-range missiles are provided. Decals are supplied for two aircraft, along with all the stencils. The cockpit side consoles and instrument panel rely on decals for details. The ejection seat looks good…

Seeking a more-potent self-propelled antitank weapon, and having acquired more than 300 French Tracteur Blindé 37L tractor/personnel carriers with the fall of France, the Germans fitted 170 of them with 75mm PaK 40 antitank guns. The new designation was SdKfz 135, the Lorraine Schlepper that some, including kit manufacturer Panda Hobby, call the Marder I. The kit parts, like the full-size vehicle, are small. The box cover has a good illustration that can help with some of the parts’ placement. The track links are very small; extra care is needed to cut them off because they deform easily and take flight readily. The kit provides a jig for track assembly, but it’s difficult to use without gluing links to the jig. Instead, I used double-sided tape and glued them together…

CHRISTOPHER BOWLING LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY Christopher converted Dragon’s 1/35 scale UH-1D to an H and set it down on a plywood display base that he covered with sanded grout. He used model railroad landscape material for grass and bushes on the base. BRIAN MESSIER FAIRHAVEN, MASSACHUSETTS Thunderbirds are go! Looks like Thunderbird 2 is about to deploy Thunderbird 4, the utility submersible piloted by aquanaut Gordon Tracy — either onboard or remotely via his wristwatch. Both are Bandai 1/450 scale kits. PETER CARR BEDFORDALE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA Peter writes: “Crom! This diorama was created around Andrea Miniatures’ 54mm Barbarian and Forge World’s Dread Maw, which work well together. The base was made using a thin layer of clay rapidly dried in Perth’s 45 C (113 F) summer sun to get a…

The T-72 main battle tank burst onto the military scene more than 40 years ago and is still in service with more than 40 countries. Evolving from efforts to make the troublesome T-64 tank viable, the T-72 succeeded in becoming one of the most widely produced and distributed post- World War II main battle tanks in the world. A photo of a T-72 dated early in the Soviet-Afghan War piqued my interest as a way to model the variant represented by Tamiya’s 1/35 scale T-72M1 (No. 35160). Although most sources say it never entered combat in Afghanistan, there are mentions of this export version, built under license in Eastern Europe, being field-tested there. The M1’s peculiarities were an opportunity to extend my skills in modifying the kit and scratchbuilding details…

Rye Field Model stays on its A game with the first all-plastic Abrams kit with a full interior. The kit includes options to build an M1A1 or A2, as well as such nice little extras as coolers, ammunition boxes, spare road wheels, and clear water bottles. The decals provide four marking options, two for the A1 and two for the A2. The main markings are clearly laid out in the instructions, but there is a sheet of smaller warnings and labels with no clear instructions on their locations; finding good reference photos would be a big help. There are other errors or omissions in the instructions, but, to Rye Field’s credit, a revised version of the instructions is available on its website and Facebook page. I highly recommend using the…

Developed in the 1980s, the French Panhard VBL is a small, all-wheel-drive amphibious armored car still in service with the French army today. Tiger Model has just released its second version of the VBL, this one sporting a Milan missile launcher. While the parts have excellent surface detail, they do show somewhat heavy mold seams. Parts cleanup adds some time to the build. But the results are worth the effort. The tires are molded in soft vinyl and include both directional and nondirectional tread patterns. A small photo-etch (PE) fret has a grille for the hood-mounted fan, bins for external gas cans, and straps for some of the onboard equipment. Clear parts are provided for all the windows and lights, and the crew compartment features all the major interior fittings.…

Although it was a prewar design, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk continued to be used by most of the Allies on every front throughout World War II. Numerous manufacturers have recently released kits of the Warhawk, with Airfix’s P-40B being the latest. Inside the sturdy box are three sprues molded in medium gray plastic, and a fourth sprue holding crystal-clear parts. Panel lines and details are deep and well defined, and the fabric effects on the rudder, elevators, and ailerons are subtle. Unfortunately, I did not realize that the rudder trim tab is only engraved on the starboard side until after I had glued it to the model. The landing-gear doors are a bit thick, but trailing edges of the flight surfaces look good. There are ejector-pin marks in visible areas,…

Of all outlandish looking aircraft, those designed for vertical or short takeoffs are leaders in the field of odd looks — and double takes. The unique profile of Chance Vought’s V-173 and XF5U certainly rates in that category. The flat, circular shape earned it the nicknames “Flying Pancake” and “Flying Flapjack.” But that was after those in the know were already calling it the “Zimmer Skimmer,” after its designer, aerodynamics engineer Charles Zimmerman. Working for NASA’s predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Zimmerman theorized that he could minimize the drag created by the tips of conventional wings by placing large propellers at the wingtips, and that, by maintaining a uniform airflow over the entire wing surface, such an aircraft could take off and land at exceptionally low speeds.…