My 1/72 scale aircraft

[RDN1954]

I have created a problem I hadn’t foreseen…dusting!

It crossed my mind, but decided against making you any the wiser. Unfortunately you came upon the issue yourself.

 

[Dean62]

It crossed my mind, but decided against making you any the wiser. Unfortunately you came upon the issue yourself.

Well I’ve had models sitting out for most of my life. But not quite this many! It comes with the territory.

 

[Dean62]

Next on the list, I decided to go with…

…the P-39Q Airacobra. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder on this one.

This is the version I am going to make, it’s looks better in this color and the detail will pop more!
Speaking of detail…

The panel lines and rivets are excellent, on par with an Eduard kit. So it seems Arma Hobby makes a great kit!
See you soon…

 

[Dean62]

The first step is always carefully removing parts from the sprue. I like to remove enough for a few steps. Then clean them and make ready for paint…

The detail is enough to make me excited about this one, even though it may not be a favorite of mine.

Instrument panels…


I start by painting them black, a very thin coat so as not to lose any detail on the raised surfaces. Then I lightly dry brush silver on to bring out the gauge bezels and screws, etc.

Next step is to paint inside the gauges white.


Not sure if they were white, but I can change them.

Next was finishing the paint on the other pieces…

On the floor section, I paint the green first, then dry brush silver on the high edges and then do a wash in the crevices and corners.

Finally parts are ready for assembly, which can be very tedious as well…



The beginning of the cockpit assembly above, note the seatbelt decals. Not fun, but they look okay.

And next was adding the instrument panel sub assembly with the rudder pedals…



Next I added this piece…


Yes out of order, but it doesn’t matter, it finishes the cockpit assy…

The ugly areas on the ends and sides will be covered, so just ignore them.
Next will be the section below that frames the nose wheel bay.
See ya next time…

 

[Dean62]

I didn’t like the white gauges, not accurate anyway, so I painted them dark grey and did a few more accents here and there.
I think it looks better…




Size reference…
The entire assembly fits on my fingertip!

See ya next time…

 

[dockattner]

Really amazing, Dean! Bravo!

 

[Dean62]

Really amazing, Dean! Bravo!

Thanks Paul!
I fear once the airplane is built, you won’t be able to see half of it, but I know it’s there.
In fact, it’s so small it’s hard to photograph.

 

[Stevedownunder]

That is a heck of a lot of detail at 1/72nd, Dean.
Beautiful work.
Cheers,
Stephen.

 

[Dean62]

That is a heck of a lot of detail at 1/72nd, Dean.
Beautiful work.
Cheers,
Stephen.

Thank you!

 

[Dean62]

I had a thought…yes they still happen……
Would anyone be interested in me going through my collection and taking a picture of each type aircraft and giving a brief history? This would be some work, but I think it would also be educational for those who are interested. And I can continue that format on future builds.
Thoughts?

 

[Rebus]

I had a thought…yes they still happen……
Would anyone be interested in me going through my collection and taking a picture of each type aircraft and giving a brief history? This would be some work, but I think it would also be educational for those who are interested. And I can continue that format on future builds.
Thoughts?

I would be interested in having a brief history of the airplanes in your collection.

 

[RussF]

I had a thought…yes they still happen……
Would anyone be interested in me going through my collection and taking a picture of each type aircraft and giving a brief history? This would be some work, but I think it would also be educational for those who are interested. And I can continue that format on future builds.
Thoughts?

That would be very cool!

 

[Roger Pellett]

The Airacobra had a 20mm cannon firing through the crankshaft as shown on your model. Since crankshafts did not provide a continuous path for a barrel how did this work?

Roger

 

[RussF]

The Airacobra had a 20mm cannon firing through the crankshaft as shown on your model. Since crankshafts did not provide a continuous path for a barrel how did this work?

Roger

The Bell P-39 Airacobra did not have a hollow crankshaft. Instead, its unique design featured a long, solid drive shaft that ran from the mid-fuselage Allison engine, underneath the pilot, to a reduction gearbox in the nose. The gearbox's central output was hollowed out to allow the aircraft's primary weapon, a 37mm cannon, to fire directly through the propeller hub. Notice the exhaust manifolds behind the pilot rather than in front.

 

[Dean62]

See above…thanks Russ

 

[Roger Pellett]

Thanks, that’s interesting.

 

[Pathfinder65]

A history would be incredible. Looking forward to it.

Jan

 

[Dean62]

A history would be incredible. Looking forward to it.

Jan

Thanks Jan, looks like enough people will appreciate the extra effort to justify it. So I will start on that soon.

 

[Dean62]

Continuing the P-39…


The panels were added for the nose gear bay…the drive shaft is visible.



Next was the upper piece that has the gun Russ spoke of. It will be visible from the front wheel bay, however it is mostly hidden by the driveshaft below it.



Then it was time to add the steel balls for weight at the nose. I used PVA glue for that.
Now I’m at step 9 where the fuselage halves will be joined after installing this assembly and a few other components, and of course doing painting where needed inside.
See ya then…

 

[Dean62]

As mentioned, I will picture my aircraft with a little bit of history behind each one.
I will do one shelf at a time, which is typically 9 aircraft.
Starting with the first shelf:

The P-51D Mustang







The P-38 Lightning






P-40 Warhawk





P-36 Hawk





Well that’s it for the first shelf. Hope you enjoyed a little history behind each model.
See you next time with more aircraft history from the second shelf.