Miss-Stang's Airfix 1/72 Texan/Harvard *FINISHED*

[Miss-Stang]

Sorry for lack of updates, had a headache yesterday and didn't fancy doing modelling, so I just kicked back a bit.

Back to it now though! I've glued the wings on, but before you can do that there's a small internal part that represents the undercarriage bays that needs to be glued into the centre inside of the lower wing and this gave me lots of grief. If simply glued in it fouled the inside of the fuselage when I offered the wing up and stopped the wing aligning properly with the fuselage sides. It's part 27 shown here:




So the undercarriage bay bit 27 was drastically sanded down and shaped so it slotted in without problems before I glued the wings on. I'm glad I test fitted it first though, or else it would have been a horrid fit!

Then I glued the tails on. Both wings and tail will need a little bit of filler here and there to blend them in nicely, but not too much. I'll tackle that once the glue has dried. Anyway, it's starting to look like a plane now!

[Miss-Stang]

Managed to get the engine assembled and painted up with a bit of dry brushing to try to give it some depth. The only modification was to drill out the end of the exhaust pipe because it was not hollow.




Now to try to get the two piece cowling to go neatly around it, hmmm.

Oh, I wish it was a typically Airfix one-piece cowling, not a two-piece with a join!

[Sissel]

Great work with this, Miss-Stang!

A really nice scheme you've chosen.

I get your grief with the cowling, I just hate it when they're made up of two or more pieces. I am dreading to start on my 1/48 Gladiator. Those cowling bits scare the living daylights out of me.

[Gregers]

Looking forward to this one. Should be a nice colourful build.

All the best.

Greg

[giulio_gobbi]

Your engine looks better than mine!

[PaulBradley]

Nice going, Miss Stang.

I am dreading to start on my 1/48 Gladiator. Those cowling bits scare the living daylights out of me.

My solution was to cut a circle of plastic card the same diameter as the inside of the cowling and use it as a spacer guide/support.

[Old_Tonto]

Good progress so far.

I had the same fit issue with part 27 so I threw it away - life is too short.
I am doing it wheels up anyway so hopefully you won't be able to tell. Another SAAF build should be good.
Whenever I used to work on my old Ford Escort I always had parts left over, you could never tell.

[Saxon]

I just had a look at my 1978 Airfix Harvard and the cowling is all in one piece so it does seem like you have a Heller kit here. Anyway looks like you are progressing well with it, look forward to seeing the finished result.

[Miss-Stang]

Hi all, sorry for lack of updates, Real Life got in the way, again! And thanks for all the encouragement and comments along the way everybody.

I'm back to it now. Undercarriage and wheels have been painted, wing and tail to fuselage joints have been filled and sanded (they didn't need much TBH). Then I spent a therapeutic few hours framing the canopy. I like to do this before I put it on the model where possible. Offering up the canopy shows it not to be a particularly good fit, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!

[Miss-Stang]

I just had a look at my 1978 Airfix Harvard and the cowling is all in one piece so it does seem like you have a Heller kit here. Anyway looks like you are progressing well with it, look forward to seeing the finished result.

I think you're right Saxon, you can even see where it once would have had 'Heller' stamped on the inside of the lower wing, but it's been scratched out of the moulding tool, it's just a scratchy lumpy bit now!

[Sissel]

From what I can see here the canopy looks great.
Must have been the voddie
I prefer cognac myself, really steadys the hands. Funny that.

Did you do it freehand by small brush/toothpick or did you mask and airbrush?

[Miss-Stang]

From what I can see here the canopy looks great.
Must have been the voddie
I prefer cognac myself, really steadys the hands. Funny that.

Did you do it freehand by small brush/toothpick or did you mask and airbrush?

Hi Prisca, I think you're right, I think the voddie helped

I masked the canopy then painted the frame with a small brush - I don't have the patience to cut out loads of little squares of masking tape so I can spray in one go

Hoping to get masked up and some paint on other parts of the plane today.

[Zee28]

Looking good so far!

Zee

[Miss-Stang]

I decided that some cool music was required to accompany the next stage, it had to be Black Stone Cherry with 'Blind Man', it rocks!

More Harvard shenanigans soon!

[Sissel]

Glad to see you have great music taste!