by Josh Kaiser

I started the build off by sanding the inner trailing edges of the upper and lower wing halves. This is one of the only inaccuracies with this kit- the trailing edges look like they’re about 2 scale inches thick!  I managed to sand them to about a ¾” scale thickness before I got tired of sanding and gave up.

The next step was the cockpit. The Dual Combo issue of the kit includes a beautiful fret of color photo etched parts, and the painting/printing on them is fantastic!  The larger gauges and a couple of words on the instrument panel are actually (or seem to be, anyway,) readable!  The panel was folded and assembled as per the instructions, with the front panels being attached to the rear one with Future, and then the gauges were given a couple more applications of Future to simulate the glass and also to help keep the parts attached.  The aircraft’s two nose gun charging handles are represented by a couple of photo etched parts that are folded in half to create the handle.

Naturally, I always lose one or two parts during a build, and this time the carpet monster must’ve really had a hankering for some photo etched metal.  While trying to attach said handles to the instrument panel, I somehow managed to drop one of them onto the floor. After almost two hours of looking for it, I finally gave up.  Fortunately, I still had the other handle to make a styrene replacement.  But then, it too was lost, though I have no idea how or when.  However, just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Wing_nut on the Finescale.com forums came to the rescue.  He said that he had the parts and could send them to me.  After a couple days waiting for them to come in the mail, they finally arrived, and the project was back on track.  (Photo 03 shows the panel with the styrene replacements I had originally installed, photo 05 shows the photoetched versions, as well as the IP rear part and gunsight.)

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The rest of the cockpit went together well, with only the rudder and aileron trim knobs, the fuel tank selector switch, the upper part of the gunsight, and the rear of the instrument panel added from styrene. The cockpit area was painted with a mixed paint that I later discovered is very close to Model Master RAF Dk. Green, just a hint darker and less green than the Model Master color.  Adding a little black to the Model Master green will get almost the same color.  The details were picked out in black, and the seat was also painted black.  A small rod was added in the space in the rear bulkhead, and the photoetched seatbelts were draped over it to match reference photos.

After the cockpit was finished, I assembled the gear bays, and then the fuselage and wings were assembled.  Here was where I ran into my first fit problem.  By sanding the wings, I must’ve messed up the fit somehow, because there was a large (a little less than 1/16”) gap at the wing root.  After filling this with Squadron white putty, I thought I was done, but when handling the model, I accidentally cracked the putty.  I was then stuck with a choice: remove the wings and redo the assembly/filling, or try to refill the gaps and risk the wings not bonding right and have the same thing happen again.  I chose the latter, and solved the bonding problem by mixing Squadron white with a little liquid cement to improve adhesion.  The seam isn’t as good as I would’ve liked, but it’ll do.  Plus, I found a way to help cover it up, which I'll describe later.

Next, the model was painted with Model Master enamels- Olive Drab ANA 613 for the upper surfaces, and Neutral Gray for the bottom.  The OD did something I’ve never seen before.  It dried with several areas having a different sheen/color that looked better than any fading I could have done.  (VERY) Unfortunately, this effect disappeared after I added the final clear coat.

The decals were from Aero master’s “Aircobras (note the typo) At War Part III” sheet.  Since they were aftermarket decals, I figured that they would be good quality, but no matter how much Micro Sol I applied or how many times I applied it, they wouldn’t even show the smallest sign that the Sol was working.  And to top it off, they silvered a little bit after I added the clear coat.  I was able to fix this a little bit by slicing them repeatedly with a sharp hobby knife and then applying some Sol followed by some Future diluted with water.  The yellow tail tip and spinner were hand painted with some Testors flat yellow with a little red mixed in to match the decals.  After decals the last few bits were added like the landing gear and machine guns.  The nose cannon and machine guns were drilled out and painted with MM Metalizer Burnt Metal.  The exhausts were also painted with this color followed by brown and rust-colored watercolor paint washes.

The wing seams were hidden by adding some paint wear/chipping with MM burnt metal mixed with Floquil old silver, and the model was weathered with watercolors.  A few months later I also added better exhaust streaks and some smoke/cordite stains on the wings with pastel chalks. (the weathering doesn’t look as pronounced in the photos as it does in person, either.)

Overall, this was a very satisfying build, and though a couple of things could have gone better, it was worth the time and effort I put into it. (Photo 16 shows a little bit of the other kit from the dual combo, done as P-400 “the Flaming Arrow” from the same decal sheet.)

*One last note: in the two shows I have entered this kit, it won the special award “Best 1942 Pacific Theater” at the 2007 IPMS Seattle Spring Show, as well as “Best Junior Model” at the NOPMS show.*

Josh

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