Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

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Zee28
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Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Zee28 »

Hi everyone,

Like Barry, I've been building loads but not putting them on the forum, very remiss of me, so here's another one.

There have been some great Helldivers on this forum over the years so I decided I wanted one too. I was just about to follow my usual route and grab an old Airfix one then I had a thought..... Despite claiming to be an avid CBKer it's ages since I built a Matchbox kit so I thought I try the Matchbox Helldiver rather than the Airfix one, to make a change, so here we go. I knew it'd be a bit basic but that's part of the appeal of old Matchbox kits isn't it?

Dramatic box art, typically Matchbox.

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And this is what you get in the box. The bright blue plastic in particular was extremely hard and shiny and (almost) totally resistant to the usual glue! Very odd......

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First job, as always, get the canopy framing out of the way. The frame lines seemed quite heavy but I used them anyway.

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The interior and fuselage were all pretty simple so it all went together quite quickly.

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The rest of the main airframe went together quickly with just a little filler here and there to smooth things out. The 'Working Feature' was the wing fold which actually worked very well and even 'Clicked' into the folded position securely. As a 9 year old I would have been thrilled by this but now, as a jaded miserable old git, I glued them in the down position and lightly filled the gap so the hinge line would be still visible but not big and wobbly.

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There were no exhaust stubs provided in the kit so I made two out of the tube of a cotton bud (Q-Tip).

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The underneath was sprayed as per the Matchbox painting guide, grey and blue.

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Then the upper flying surfaces were sprayed dark blue. I did these first for ease of masking later.

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These were then masked up with tape and clingfilm. I use clingfilm a lot for masking large areas, it's 'scrunchable' around any shape and cheap and readily available, but it's only fair I offer a note of caution: It's is perfectly safe with harmless enamel paints but I have NOT tried it with acrylics and I do know that with the 'Hot' acrylics (such as Halford's aerosols) the clingfilm WILL melt and make a sticky mess all over your model and ruin it, so please be wary if you don't use enamels. Ta!

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Then the rest of the plane was sprayed. I wanted a more irregular and softer line between colours which I am led to believe is more typical of this type of aircraft. So I masked with lines of rolled Blu-Tak rather than masking tape and sprayed at a slight angle to try to give a soft edge.

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Anyway, after decals and a satin coat all over, here it is, all done. I hope you like it.

Finish is all Humbrol enamels and Humbrol Satincoate.

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Regards,

Zee28
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iggie
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by iggie »

That's a great build and the soft demarcation to the fuselage colours is excellent!
Best wishes

Jim
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
shangos70
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by shangos70 »

Very nice Zee, lovely paintwork. I have one of these and was looking at it the other night.May take another look soon.
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skypirate
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by skypirate »

That is the best turned out Matchbox Helldiver I have seen!
You can be proud of that result from a simple kit.

cheers,

David
vacant
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by vacant »

Great result.
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Eric Mc
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Eric Mc »

Extremely nice.

Matchbox kits are so rewarding to build.
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MarkyM607
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by MarkyM607 »

Very nice work. I do like the Helldiver but it does look like they couldn't be bothered to design the tail end!, sort of 'It's Friday, 5.29pm, that'll do!.' :lol: :lol:
Hoping to return to modelling sometime this year!! :lol:
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dollar19
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by dollar19 »

Beautifully finished!
That's inspiration for me to finish my half painted Monogram kit.
celt
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by celt »

Wonderful build of a Matchbox favourite,well tidy.
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Clashcityrocker
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Clashcityrocker »

Lovely looking Helldiver. I love your description of yourself as "a jaded miserable old git" :)

Nigel
Barry
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Barry »

Good looking Helldiver. Nice solution on the exhausts.
2012 A:12 B:13 C:0
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Zee28
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Zee28 »

Thanks for all the nice comments everybody, it is genuinely appreciated, especially considering it's a simple OOB build. So glad you guys liked it.

Thanks again,

Regards,

Zee28
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Stuart
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Stuart »

Zee28 wrote:Thanks for all the nice comments everybody, it is genuinely appreciated, especially considering it's a simple OOB build. So glad you guys liked it.

Thanks again,

Regards,

Zee28
It maybe OOB but it's still blooming awesome!

A very tidy build Mate - Like the painting.
Stuart Templeton I may not be good but I'm slow...

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Stupot
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Stupot »

Very good result Zee. I like it! 8-)
Old fashioned paint brush user.
Lone Modeller
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Re: Matchbox 1/72 Curtiss Helldiver

Post by Lone Modeller »

Like the others have written - an excellent result from a basic kit. I too really like the soft edge you have achieved between the fuselage colours - in all a first rate build.
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