H8K-2 Emily 1/72
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May 8, 2021When I suspected the PE I purchased was for the newer tool version of the kit 🙁2
May 8, 2021When I confirmed the PE I purchased was for the newer tool version of the kit 🙁3
May 8, 2021Cockpit (hah)4
May 8, 2021R&D to discover that you can use this stuff to make small cockpit windows and lenses!5
May 8, 2021Because there are no mask kits for the greenhouse cockpit, nor the turrets. This was 3M tape, I soon went to Tamiya tape and pre-purchased masks whenever possible.6
May 8, 2021More sanding and putty can correct any poor fit... right?7
May 8, 2021Just how much tape? LOTS. I spent about 12 hrs doing this masking.8
May 8, 2021What happens when your primer doesn't stick. In this case neither Model Master's nor Vallejo would stick. I then ordered the big guns - Tamiya rattle can Laquer. Lesson learned.9
May 8, 2021The guilty parties10
May 8, 2021And how I tried to wash the acrylic primer off. However, I then made a mistake by using Laquer thinner to finish the job. Bad idea, that old plastic just couldn't take it.11
May 8, 2021Poor fit included the two fuselage halves. But, given how you had to align the cockpit at the same time... My trick was using the white glue to temporarily hold the deck in place (it is flexible for a while) then use a combination of Tamiya and SuperGlue to get the cockpit together. I didn't succeed at doing all of it at once. It's too big. So I had to glue it from one end to the other. that worked. Also, I had to gouge out the female alignment holes as they were all off by up to 1mm. Otherwise the two halves wouldn't align.12
May 8, 2021Speaking of fit. The greenhouse cockpit and the fuselage didn't quite line up. Too much sanding of the halves to get them to line up? Maybe. This is where the Testers and Squadron putties came to play.13
May 8, 2021I gave up on the original approach and realized that the cockpit was deformed. So my 2nd try involved this horrible jig in an attempt to minimize the putty needed. It worked.14
May 8, 2021Prior to that 2nd attempt. I don't recall what I used the Milliput for at this step, I did use it later (see below).15
May 8, 2021And the much reduced putty applied for the 2nd (and final) attempt.16
May 8, 2021Now about that poor fit. Getting everything lined up was fun. Superglue for the male connections into the fuselage wasn't going to be enough and there were huge wing seams (even after lots of sanding and filing). My solution follows.17
May 8, 2021Taped off the parts I wanted to protect and put in Milliput and then the Squadron putty.18
May 8, 2021Then primed properly. Note the smaller windows are blank. There is no real interior anywhere but the cockpit so keep it simple. Those windows get added at the end with the white glue.19
May 8, 202120
May 8, 202121
May 8, 2021Masking the yellow leading edges. Turns out I didn't do an adequate job of securing the paper, should have used 2" blue tape and not paper. Lesson learned.22
May 8, 2021Poor molding, but Milliput saved the day!23
May 8, 2021Now just having the best masking tape doesn't mean success.24
May 8, 2021Far from it.25
May 8, 2021Second try26
May 8, 2021Turned out "better" but not "great", but "good enough"27
May 8, 2021Showing the final paint, weapons, and hinomaru (purloined from a previously mistakenly ordered set of 1/72 hinomaru).28
May 8, 2021And those floats.... wires in the middle (copper)29
May 8, 2021And thread external. Since then I've moved to EZ line (clear) with permanent markers to color.30
May 8, 2021And remember the bit about using the white glue for the windows at the end, you bet.31
May 8, 2021And unmasking of the glass. So I have since purchased anti-static wipes to reduce the dust that is attracted to windows. And yes, I do use Future before I do anything to the canopy parts.32
May 8, 2021Completed and on the shelf.33
May 8, 2021And those radar antenna (yes the Japanese had a few radars and the Emily was one of the few aircraft big enough to carry them). Well, when I cut them from the sprue, I cut off the mounting pin 🙁. Super glue worked, but what worked best was super gluing a new pin to the antenna base, letting that dry, then inserting and gluing the spliced part into the hole.34
May 8, 2021A close-up of the nose. Not a contest entry but what a ride!
Comentários
1 8 May 2021, 23:48
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Older Hasegawa kit. it was a real stretch for me as the engineering wasn't good and the decals wouldn't float. My skills did improve, my tool set did expand, and I'm occasionally thinking of buying the newer tool Hasegawa... but I can buy two other kits for what that costs.