Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner" *DONE*

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Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner" *DONE*

Post by JamesPerrin »

So here's the kit! that won the random kit lottery: http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3638; Looks like I was destined to build CBK. Unfortunately not much to look at. I bought this kit from another CBKer and wither them or the previous owner had removed every part from the sprue and discarded the box. The blue instruction sheet makes me think this is an original 1980 release with the Rothgo-esque backdrop of bold colour. http://www.vintage-airfix.com/airfix-mc ... p-223.html;

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The parts are crisply mould in dark blue which is close to the actual finish but is a bit difficult to see details. Surface details is raised, though restrained but a bit scratchy. Cockpit has some fine raised detail that will come out with dry brushing and a usable seat. I thought I had an extra bit of IP, but I then realised it was a brake calliper that had broken off a leg. from The undercarriage is very fine and is only let down by the criminally shallow wheel wells.

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I've just started by painting the cockpit parts very dark grey (black with a hint of white). Refined the splitter plates and cleaned up a few parts. I think I want to tackle the intakes that are void of trunking, at the moment all you'd see is a blank with the compressor face on it. If I were a less lazy modeller I'd rebuild the wheel wells too, I'd have to lengthen the delicate undercarriage but life is too short for such faff.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by JamesPerrin »

Some useful references:

Banshee incl links to walkarounds: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.co.uk/20 ... notes.html;

USN 40/50's pilot combat gear: http://www.salimbeti.com/aviation/equipment.htm;
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by Saxon »

It's a classic shaped aircraft that you see hanging from boys bedrooms in movie etc.

Looking forward to seeing it built.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by novokits »

Lucky Winner!
Good and pleasure kit.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by MerlinJones »

Whatever you do, take a good scan of the decals.

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Bruce
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by JamesPerrin »

MerlinJones wrote:Whatever you do, take a good scan of the decals.
Roger that. They looked pretty good, no yellowing, but I'll test one of the recon decals as I'm not doing the -2P variant.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by ShaunW »

Excellent subject, but why on earth would someone remove all of the parts from the sprues? sure fire way to lose the smaller stuff if you ask me.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by JamesPerrin »

Well having all the bits rattling around has meant that I've gone through them all removing seam lines and checking them over. The undercarriage doors all have sink marks which I sanded out, the added bonus of slightly thinning all the parts. Gun ports and holes for the rocket pilons drilled out.

No mention of nose weight but a quick dry run suggested it needed some. Cockpit got drybrushed and I've then been able to close up the fuselage.Looks like a good join and should need no filler only rubbing down. That'll be a first since I built the Airfix Sabre! JP can be added through the hole.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by ejsnotgrass »

The guy removed the boxes and seperated the parts because he though it would take up less space(which was a pity because he had a few kits which he could have made a lot of money from)
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by JamesPerrin »

Well I bit the bullet and made a start on improving the takes. I stuck the compressor face/bulkhead in place with blue tack into one half of the wing. I then started to build up the trunking with Milliput. The other half of the wing was tape in place and the whole thing taped to the fuselage. The rest of the trunk was then built up and smoothed out the best I could with a brush handle, blending it to the intake lips and splitter plate. I drinking straw of the correct size was used to 'core' out any putty that was obscuring the compressor.

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One that had dried I careful prised open the wing halves and removed the moulded intake. With the compressor face in place it was difficult to perfect the surface, but now I could run a file around the inside and improve things. Some extra putty was used to fill in the odd dent and nick.

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Meanwhile I made a couple of mods to the pilot. I sanded off the visor and those pips on the back of his helmet, and reduced it in overall size. A distinctive feature of the photos I found of USN pilot from this time was how the oxygen mask hung to one side of their helmet. I sliced of the moulded mask from below the pilot's chin and repositioned it, the air hose was trimmed back and replace with a short bit of stretched sprue. Fiddly as hell but I'm rather pleased with the result.

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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by Barry »

Nice 'fix' on the intake.
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by JamesPerrin »

Due to my fiddling with the intakes the not great wing to fuselage join turned to rather poor. So that the wings were even I ended up with quite a gap on the underside of one. Fortunately big enough though that shims of card could deal with the matter.

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Up top it was a matter of getting the ol'filler out. More filler finally blended in the intake trunking and rounded off the inner corners. We'll see if I've made a hash of it when I slap some silver paint on them tomorrow. The horizontal tailplane was a poor fit too as the left and right part are too curved at the base to meet the vertical tail.

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I like pilots, they almost never need filler and this particular incarnation of Airfix's JP is joy to paint. Note that many of the USN helmet appear to have a bronze/gold finish which makes for something a little different.

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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by MerlinJones »

Very nice figure work, james. Very, very nice.

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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by JamesPerrin »

MerlinJones wrote:Very nice figure work, james. Very, very nice.
Cheers, it's just a pain that I have to build the aircraft to display him :grin:
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Re: Airfix 1/72 McDonnell F2H-2 Banshee "Lottery Winner"

Post by philp »

Looking good so far.

Did the US Airfix kit back in 2000 as part of a 50 year Korean War display at a local musuem.

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