FighterControl

A bit early I know.

Been looking forward to starting this for a little while now...., although my main concern is that I won`t get it finished in time for the group build I`m entering it for as there`s gonna be a fair bit of scratch building.

So I`m going be taking one of these.....,



..... and scratching a section from one of these.....,



.... to come up with some in my usual style of `not seen that modeled before`.

Hi TC



Can't wait

Have a great Christmas and New Year, buddy

Best regards

Patrick

Cheers Patrick.

So if you haven`t already guessed, I`m gonna recreate this well known crash scene from the footage.





The second picture will obviously be my dio and it`s the only photo I can find of the incident once everything stopped moving. With that being the case I`l have to `guesstimate` what the rest of the wreckage looked like and where it landed. Top left of the second picture does however show one of the tail planes so that helps a bit.

I did plan to do another one originally, but after a bit of research, I found out that a pilot had died so that one was canned.

Hi TC

You do like to make it hard for yourself, don't you

Best regards

Patrick

You know when your going mad when you spend a day building a component of the kit knowing full well it`s never going to be seen......



Other than that, it`s been the usual pre painting of the sprues and adding cockpit decals before putting it all together......



Today task is simply to cut out the ailerons as by looking from the picture, they need to be in the `up` position.



More soon.

Hi TC

See my previous post

Best regards

Patrick

paddyboy wrote:Hi TC

See my previous post

Best regards

Patrick

And so moving on to the `how to suck eggs` section, I prepared the port wing.

After cutting and trimming from the sprue, I carefully used a scalpel to cut through and remove the aileron on the upper section of the wing.



I then cut the side section of the aileron on the lower wing and using a gentle bit of pressure bent it to the required angle.



The end result and a completed wing.



Now I need to start work on the damaged areas of the wing.

Hi TC

Little victories are sweet



Patrick

I know, I know, 3 updates in a day. I think it`s just the fact that this kind of build really puts a smile on my face.

But here`s where I make it a bit interactive and ask for opinions.

I`ve looked at the following photo a number of times and even viewed the footage more time I could care to mention. But for the life of me I still can`t work out how damaged the wing tips and aileron are.



Is there a hole/gap or is it just crumpled? The quality is not great and no doubt I should take a step back and then have another look at it tomorrow.

Cockpit is pretty much complete......,



.... but I have a feeling I`m going to have to cut the rear section away as per the photo`s.

I`ve also built the port wing fuselage/wing join section.



This one I don`t need to really work on anything as it will be sealed up. However it was nice to see a certain amount of framework is included which will save a bit of scratch building when i get round to the starboard/missing wing side.

More tomorrow.

This mornings progress and the `cut` has been made and cockpit section and engine put into position. The engine section is actually loose as I`ll need to put it at an angle later on.



I`ve also manipulated the prop so that it resembles the one in the pictures. I`ll need to cut/chip it later.



Next was a bit of work on the forward belly. As I always like to `recycle` plastic, instead of cutting a fresh piece of plasticard, I simply cut the existing section and moved it backwards further inside so again it closely resembles the interior section as seen in the film footage. I`ll fill in the gaps when the glue has fully cured.





Final WIP picture on this post shows the rear of the severed front section.



Again, lots of little gaps to work on and I think I will be repainting the interior white instead of leaving it in the green. I`ve seen both black and white and colour footage of the incident and I can not work out if it was originally filmed in black and white and modified into colour like so much old film is or visa versa?

I think the white option is probably factual, but like so much of this build, you may have to forgive me for a little bit of artistic license every now and then.

Hi TC

I am well impressed with that progress

Best regards

Patrick

Again, thanks guys for the compliments.

So with the kids playing nicely with their new toys, the missus out for a bit of shopping and a few hours to go before we end up round my parents for the 2nd round of the present opening frenzy by the aforementioned children, I managed to get a little bit done this morning.

As mentioned prior, I don`t like waste so I went into the bits box and pulled out some PE sprue to make some internal framework.



And before I put the bits away, I couldn`t help my self dry fitting all the sections together for the posed shot to see if I`m heading in the right direction so to speak.

Hi TC

Looking cooking to me, buddy

Letting the good lady out with your plastic during the sales

Suicide jockey

Best regards

Patrick

Thanks guys.

Cornish-guy wrote:I love what you are doing reminds me of trying to simulate crushed vehicles by tanks, i am curious though - wouldn't the severed line be more ripped and chaotic, rather than smooth?

C.

Yep, quite correct. But need to build the thing first before adding detail.

I`ve spent about 20 mins looking at the footage of the crash landing over and over again. So much so that when i close my eyes I tend to see the front on profile of a Hellcat....!

In an earlier post I questioned what part of the aircraft was in the top left hand corner of the photo with the pilot about to climb out. I`ve come to the conclusion that it is in fact a section of the smashed starboard wing and not a tail plane as first thought.

I`ve also noticed that the answer to my aileron question on the intact wing is quite simply answered if you look at the shadow it casts. It shows quite clearly that a chunk is in fact missing.

I went for the tin foil option when it came to recreating the wing tip damage. First I just cut out a relevant sized section of the tip. A dollop of superglue was then placed on the cut area and some tin foil scrunched up into place and left to dry over night. This is all very experimental for me as I`ve never really done this before. I also added a little bit of PE sprue to replicate some ribbing of the aileron. (This id where the little bit of artistic license come in...)

Here`s how it turned out.....,



And here`s how it looks after a spray of Navy blue and forgive the picture quality.....



Will be adding more detail once it`s dry.

I also worked on the rear section so I can start sorting that out shortly.



More soon.

Hi TC

You have certainly thought this one out well

Great idea re: the tinfoil

Best regards

Patrick

The story so far and the main painting/spraying of the basic kit has been completed.

The decals applied so far need to be sealed in and then the touch ups and detailing can begin......, he says with a little trepidation in his voice!







Thanks for looking and a very happy new year to you all.

Hi TC



Cheers

Patrick

Looking great TC!

Steve...., your back..

Haven`t had much time recently to fiddle with the plastic so very little has been achieved.

Saying that, it did take me a good day or so to get the collapsed u/c to stick in the correct place and even then I still think it`s a little bit off. I may have to ad a `based on` title to the finished build....



I also went into the spares box and added a couple of black boxes you would expect to find in the rear fuselage section of a Hellcat.



..... and before anyone mentions it..., yes the base is just being used for the update and is not part of the dio.....