Final progress report – F4F-4 Wildcat, F4U-2 Corsair and A6M2 Zero

I have finally decided to finish up the F4F-4 Wildcat as Marion Dufilho’s Wildcat even if I don’t have much information about which Wildcat he flew on August 24, 1942.

 

I know he flew a F4F-4 and I know he was a naval aviator aboard USS Saratoga with Richard Harmer. F-8 could even be the plane he flew or it could be the Wildcat Richard Harmer flew on that same day when he crashed his Wildcat aboard the carrier after being wounded.

I guess I will never know unless his son Tom looks at his father’s log book for that information.

My Forgotten Hobby II is a way to remember a hobby I started back as a kid in 1958, and is a way to motivate me with building what I have in my stash. It is also a way to share the experience and the fun of building model airplane kits some of which are in their boxes since the 1980s.

This being said here are my two other builds…

Richard Harmer’s No. 15 F4U-2 Corsair…

 

Saburo Sakai Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero…

 

Next time on My Forgotten Hobby II?

The choice is yours…

 

Finally decals!

Decalling is always an apprehensive part of building a model kit.

Everything can go wrong…

I knew the Tamiya Zero was an older kit, and the decals had to show their age also.

Even by soaking them a lot they did not detach that easily. But I was finally able to affix them.

It was not the same with the Wildcat or the Corsair which were newer model kits. The Wildcat decals are thicker, but they conformed well.

Instructions were somewhere vague on their precise location, but people will not spot the difference if some decals are a few tenths of millimeters off.

The Corsair decals were more delicate.

Time is of the essence when decalling. There is no need to rush, and I have to let everything settle down until at least next Sunday as I will be on a little vacation.

Weathering before decalling

I have been a little under the weather lately so progress has been a little slower than expected. Yesterday I have decided weathering the three planes instead of adding decals.

 

 

 

 

Progress Report – Done! Except decals

All three builds are now completed. I am thinking of decalling the Wildcat as the one flown by Pug Southerland on August 7, 1942. I had found this beautiful model before on the Internet.

The Zero will be Saburo Sakai’s Mitsubishi A6M2.

Source

Then it will be Richard Harmer’s Corsair.

Progress Report – Finally Making Progress

I have to move on with finishing what I have started. I couldn’t even remember when I started the Corsair. I had to look it up!

August 9, 2019

Almost 40 days ago… 

September 17, 2019

The Zero has received its clear acrylic coat as well as the Wildcat and the Corsair. I have decided to finish up the three models and get them ready for decals.

All canopies were glued with clear acrylic paint which is much better than liquid cement.

 

 

 

 

 

The three propellers had their tips painted yellow.

 

A second coat will be needed. The Corsair had its landing gear glued with Gorilla glue. I still have to glue the doors.

I still have a few parts to glue on before adding decals first the Zero.

Source

The Wildcat will be next, then the Corsair. After I should be able to move on to the next build which I will let my loyal readers choose…

Intermission – Cleaning up the workbench

There is nothing worst than having a messed-up workbench or a worktable.

Yesterday I cleaned up the workbench which is a small kitchen table my son had when he was at the university almost 20 years ago. After cleaning up I took these pictures of the progress I have made with my three builds since the end of my streak.

First, the Zero has been almost completed.

The pilot is checking the cockpit.

The nose was painted and the propeller will get a base coat before being painted silver.

The Corsair is still waiting for a coat of white on its underside, and will be the last one to be completed.

I am still undecided about how to finish it, either as Richard Harmer’s F4U-2 Corsair or a Marine Corsair.

Like the Zero, the F4F-4 Wildcat is almost finished.

The Zero will be finished first probably later next week, then the Wildcat, and then the Corsair.

I will be offline for the weekend. It’s my grandson’s birthday party tomorrow.

Progress Report – Tamiya – Saburo Sakai’s A6M2 Zero – First Steps

My instructions were in Japanese.

This leads me to believe that this model kit of the Zero is from the mid 70s.

Could be a collector’s item then!

I got a jump start since I could not use the airbrush on Monday.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 5

And then, lo and behold the grandchildren left and there was a window of opportunity…

I finished the F4F-4 base coat.

I touched up the Corsair base coat…

Then came some mixing of homemade zinc chromate with a drop of black and silver to simulate Grumman bronze green. I then used it with a paint brush instead of an airbrush.

Finally I have decided to use the Grumman bronze green as interior green for the Zero.

I don’t think anyone will notice.

Progress Report – Tamiya – Saburo Sakai’s A6M2 Zero

My instructions are in Japanese. I found these on Scalemates yesterday. They will be quite useful.

For once I won’t have to look for how this model airplane has to be painted and for the proper decals.

A nice review is here.

Excerpt
The Zero, next to the P-51 and Bf-109, is probably the most modeled WWII fighter. The Tamiya kit of the early war Zeke was considered state-of-the-art when it was released over 25 years ago. By today’s standards it’s just okay. Cockpit detail is passable and there are a mix of very fine raised and engraved panel lines. The wheel wells are molded in and detailed plus you get a choice of either open or closed canopy clear parts. The engine is just a half molding so displaying it with the cowl removed or open requires some aftermarket resin. Flaps are molded in place so don’t expect Hasegawa finery here. Despite their age these molds have really stood up to the test of time. There is no flash. The only problem I could see was the lower wing (which is one piece) was a bit warped. The decals are typical Tamiya and seem thick but after application that thickness appears to go away.

F4U-1/2 Progress Report Day 17 – F4F-4 Wildcat – Pausing…

Sunday morning…

Nothing to report except three of my grandchildren, 7, 5 and 2 years-old, are visiting until Sunday night. I shall return on Monday with more reporting unless I find spare time to start my next build…

More about Saburo Sakai here.