chuck540z3 Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) I wasn’t looking forward to using the Grey Matters wheels and tires, because they are also crude and they have the block tread and wheel covers as used in WW-II. Fortunately, Aires now makes a fantastic looking wheel for my “restored bird”, so I’ll be using that instead. Here’s the Aires wheels in back with one of the GMA wheels in front The back of the wheels look really good too- and they have pre-drilled holes to keep the alignment as straight as possible. Next up will be landing gear painting, some minor plumbing and the painting of the wheels/tires. Thanks for checking in! Cheers, Chuck PS, Clif, I used a drill bit close to a #68. I have every bit from #60 to #80, so I'm not sure. Edited December 9, 2014 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aurora Mark Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Your work, and the how-to that you show is simply stunning! Thank you so much for sharing this, and taking the time to go into detail as to how you did it. The build as a whole has been an enjoyable read, and an absolute blast to follow along! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Wow Chuck. That's a lot of work with those SAC parts. That clean-up job is just toooo much..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AnthonyWan Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Can't wait to see you progress through this one Chuck! If you have any decals left-over from the KAGERO or other sets, I'd love to buy them off you! -Anthony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peterpools Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Chuck Nice work on cleaning up the SAC scissor links. I sure know I wouodn't have the patience to clean them up for hours. Most likely, I would have lost both sets to the carpet monster these days. Looking real good Keep 'em coming Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Chuck, Outstanding work on the landing gear. What you can accomplish in 1/32 scale is really amazing compared to the 1/48 P-38L I just finished. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chukw Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Nicely done, Chuck! Those SAC bits are a crap shoot as to what you get. You made 'em shine! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Janissary Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) Very nice. I have to say your photography is even more impressive. I know you wrote extensively about this before, but for this particular model (and the recent shots), are you using a light tent, or some kind of diffuser, and can you share your camera and its settings? My photographs are so poor, but I cannot decide whether it is my camera (Power Shot A620) or lighting setup. I use tripod > 2sec delay > macro > aperture first > max f-stop etc. Here is an example of what I mean my poor: Pic1 Pic2 Pic3 Pic4 (especially the burned out Mk82s) I never seem to be able to capture the details with soft shadows the way you seem to do. I am going back and forth between "I need a new camera" vs. "The problem is not the camera, it's the lighting" Edited December 9, 2014 by Janissary Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Thanks guys. I think I've found a subject! As mentioned earlier, this time I want to do a super clean Hanger Queen with a BMF that gets flown occasionally as a bit of a WIF. The Pacific Lightnings appear to be the most common with a BMF, but they also have the most naughty nose art which is kind of cool, but not exactly politically correct if I ever dream of writing an article of this build for a magazine in the future. I have both Part 1 and Part 2 sets of the Kagero decals for Pacific Lightnings and both Part 1 and Part 2 sets of Bombshell decals, with about 20 subjects combined. Just about every one of them has bare boobs in a very big way on the nose or something else very suggestive. As much as I like big bare boobs, I don't want to take any chances, so I think I've settled on P-38L-5-LO; s/n 44-26302, 'Hazel', coded '413', flown by 1st Lt. Warren E. ‘Whip’ Whipple of 44th FS / 18th FG, in the Philippines, summer of 1945. It is the right version of P-38 for this kit, has the BMF, Olive green upper panels and only a bare bum for mothers to shoo their children away from the magazine stand. What do you think? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) Very nice. I have to say your photography is even more impressive. I know you wrote extensively about this before, but for this particular model (and the recent shots), are you using a light tent, or some kind of diffuser, and can you share your camera and its settings? My photographs are so poor, but I cannot decide whether it is my camera (Power Shot A620) or lighting setup. I use tripod > 2sec delay > macro > aperture first > max f-stop etc. Here is an example of what I mean my poor: I never seem to be able to capture the details with soft shadows the way you seem to do. I am going back and forth between "I need a new camera" vs. "The problem is not the camera, it's the lighting" Hi, thanks for the compliment. Funny thing is, I'm hating the new pics right now because the grey plastic does not contrast with the grey background enough. I used to use a dark blue background, but I find that it was too harsh and it plays with my light meter if I don't get the metering bang on my subject with spot metering. With area metering, it pulls the metering too dark, so I always take 3 bracket pics (+1, 0, -1) and pick the best one. I think your main issues are lighting and computer editing of the pics after they have been taken. It appears as though your lighting is too strong from one direction, so try to mix it up a bit with at least two light sources to fill in the dark shadows and even out the light areas. The biggest improvement I think you can make is with computer editing of your pics. I don't use anything special at all like Dark Room or Adobe. Windows 7 already comes with photo editing software that works really well. Open your pic and the "Edit Organize or Share" tab will come up at the top left. Click it and your pic and all the other pics in your current folder will be displayed as thumbnails. Click your pic again and all sorts of editing stuff will then be displayed, especially on the right where you can adjust exposure, details, etc. Cropping is at the top. What's cool with this software is that you can always "Revert to Original" if you want to go back and start over (upper right tab). About 18 months ago I wrote this little piece below and in it you might find some tips that could be helpful. Believe me, I'm still learning myself, but I have made a lot of improvements with my photography over the past 2 years using these methods: Model Photography for Dummies Edited December 9, 2014 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
crackerjazz Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Incredible work, Chuck! And agree with Janissary, your photography skills are to-die-for. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Chuck, Like you, I found that nearly all the after market decals subjects for the P-38J or L contained what you deemed as politically inappropriate nose art. For me it was exactly what I was looking for, but for you, they do present some issues for publication down the road. Your current choice unfortunately does contain "boobs", so it really doesn't meet your requirements. While I'm not a 1/32 scale builder, Checkout Kit-World's 132035 sheet. It's for Robin Olds Scat and Wicked Woman both are NMF P-38J's. Scat is perfect for your needs. And yes, I realize it's a J not a L. But the conversion to a J from a L is rather easy. Also since you're doing this a sort of "what if build", the marking for one type used on a different version has occurred in real life. Glacier Girl is a perfect example of this, so there is actual history to back up your decision to go that route if you so choose to do so. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Great job so far Chuck as usual. As far as political correctness is concerned IMHO if you are picturing a plane commonly used with that kind of art nose, you have to do it all the way through! somebody told you on LSP forum. that It was what those heroes wanted to sport on their planes, magazines should be ashamed if they refuse to show your awesome work just for showing an accurate "political incorrect" nose art! anyway nobody complained when these guys were risking their lives for them to be able to talk about correctness today! Go with what you want and with what you like most Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Great job so far Chuck as usual. As far as political correctness is concerned IMHO if you are picturing a plane commonly used with that kind of art nose, you have to do it all the way through! somebody told you on LSP forum. that It was what those heroes wanted to sport on their planes, magazines should be ashamed if they refuse to show your awesome work just for showing an accurate "political incorrect" nose art! anyway nobody complained when these guys were risking their lives for them to be able to talk about correctness today! Go with what you want and with what you like most Kiki, I'm pretty sure that Chuck is referring to the issue that many readers of modeling magazines are minors. And as such the publishers don't want the parents not to allow their children to buy and read those modeling magazines. Honestly, I'm not sure as to what is legal for general publication and what has to be labeled as " Adult" material, and sealed in a plastic bag. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 11, 2014 Author Share Posted December 11, 2014 Hey guys, don't worry about which nose art I use due to magazine articles alone. If this WIF was a restored bird and was displayed at air shows, etc., I'm pretty sure the nose art would be a bit subdued for that reason alone. Having said all that, I may just stick on whatever nose art I like the most when I get that far, which is a combination of the art itself and the rest of the paint job. For instance, there's a really good looking decal set for "Glamour Puss II" (you can see where this is going!) and "Shady Lady", but the spinners and tail are lime green for both aircraft- yuk. Stay tuned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hey Guys, I need some help if you can. I'm starting the main landing gear bays and I can't find any pics of the outboard side of each bay. The inboard side is easy to photograph, so I've got lots of those, but I can't seem to find any pics of the outside wall anywhere. The other issue I'm facing is that I've got all sorts of pics of restored birds and the gear bays have been heavily modified from when they were made, which is OK considering my subject, but it's VERY confusing when you try and stitch every view together to figure out where all the plumbing should go. Thanks, Chuck Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Chuck, Hope that a few of these pics will be of help. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Chuck, Hope that a few of these pics will be of help. Joel Thanks Joel. I've got all of those, but they show the problem. No decent pics of the outside wall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Don't know if this helps or not: http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/p-38/images/pof_p-38-13.jpg Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 (edited) Don't know if this helps or not: http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/p-38/images/pof_p-38-13.jpg Jari Thanks Jari. All pics of the gear bays help, but I still haven't got one of the outside walls. December 15/14 A small update- and a new GREEN background in my pics. I’m not sure which background is best, because the blue was too dark, the grey too washed out and maybe this green is too intense? Let me know which background appeals to you the most. The idea is to show the kit parts clearly, even if the background is a bit much! Before I show the landing gear, here’s an update on the trailing edge of the main wing that were damaged at the factory. Remember this from the top? And the bottom… After surgery with a heat gun and liquid sprue, it’s all better now…. The landing gear is almost finished as well. I painted the gear with Krylon gloss black, followed by Alclad Aluminum. The hydraulic lines made of wire were then glued into place, as were the rods at the rear. The Aires wheel fits a little sloppy, so I did not glue it into place and I won’t until the end of the build to ensure good alignment. It’s nice for once to do a good paint job and not even dream of messing it up with weathering washes! The main landing gear wheels do fit nice and snug, but the ends of the axles need to be trimmed back, because the wheels should fit very close to the scissor link. Since space was tight and tough to mask, I used “Bare-Metal” foil for the oleo’s using Ultra Bright Chrome. The car guys use this stuff all the time, so I thought it might be nice to give it a try here. I also bought Copper, Matte Aluminum, Gold and Copper colored foil for future projects when painting small areas is equally challenging. That hole at the bottom of the inner wheel on the right is for a brake line I plan on adding later when I get the main gear bays plumbed and detailed. That’s it for now guys. The landing gear bays are going to be a LONG process with a ton of work, but they should be fun to do. Cheers, Chuck Edited December 16, 2014 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 (edited) Found some more pics: Glacier Girls landing gear http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/attachments/painting-questions-tutorials-and-guidebooks/232911d1368020305t-38-lightning-colours-dsc02714_med.jpg Not all parts installed: http://www.p38.com/glaciergirl/gg4.jpg caption says Left main gear well looking forward Jari Edited December 16, 2014 by Finn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Chuck, The landing gear really looks well done. Definitely, a museum type finish/presentation. As for the bright green background, it's way to intensive. No issue with the color, but the brightness really catches the viewers eye, and I found myself staring at it as much as the parts. I've used Bare Metal Foil when I was modeling race cars. Just great stuff for the larger scales. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skydivin Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 If you don't mind a question... How do you get the tires to look so real? I have been struggling with this for some time and your's just look outstanding. ~ Rod Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 (edited) Found some more pics: Jari Thanks again Jari. Not great pics but a lot better than I have now of the outside wall! If you don't mind a question... How do you get the tires to look so real? I have been struggling with this for some time and your's just look outstanding. ~ Rod Certainly- and thanks. I'll give the whole painting sequence, just in case I miss something. First off, I sprayed the wheels with Krylon gloss black lacquer, just like I did the gear legs. No masking required, since over spray on the tires doesn't matter. When that has dried for about 2 days, I then sprayed the wheels with Alclad Aluminum. The reason for the lacquer primer is that Alclad doesn't like to stick to anything but lacquer where it can "bite" into it. The black base also provides a bit of contrast in hard to spray areas, allowing some detail to "pop" in contrast with the light aluminum color. For the tires, I used ordinary Model Master Flat Black enamel, after masking off the wheels. Fortunately the Aires wheels come with perfect vinyl film masks, so that part was easy for once. When spraying the black I used many thin coats of heavily diluted paint. You want the paint extra thin to get into the tire treads and also to lay down as smooth as possible. Around the wheels, I spray directly head on and try to avoid the sides of the wheels, which should remain aluminum in color. I do all this with a space heater next to my paint booth, which I use for all my painting year round. After a coat of thin paint, I transfer the parts to the heater to not only dry the paint, but to almost bake it on as well, then I spray on several more coats until I get the saturation I'm looking for. If you use this painting method, be careful of photo-etch parts, which expand quicker than plastic and pop the CA glue bond. Let the flat black paint dry for at least 2 days to cure to a fairly hard finish, leaving the wheel masks on. When nice and dry, buff the rough surface off the flat black paint with a fine emery or polishing cloth of at least 4000 Grit. The rough surface of flat black is what makes a lot of tires look fake, so you want this removed. When you're done, the tire surface might be a bit shiny, so I then spray a light coat of flat lacquer to knock down the shine. After the lacquer has dried, I then finish off the tire with my secret weapon: Tamiya Oil Stain pastels. I use this particular pastel for a multitude of weathering applications, but it looks particularly good and accurate for a weathered tire. In the pics above it doesn't show very well, but I applied the pastels to only the tread and not the sidewalls, because I want a clean finish. For a more weathered tire like my A-10 build below, I applied the pastels to all parts of the tire which gives the tire a worn and brownish-grey look. Hope this helps! Looks like I'm going back to BLUE for a background! I like it a lot better now that I see the difference. Edited December 16, 2014 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Not much detail but the names of the various parts: Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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