TBF-1C Avenger by Ewart Yong | ||
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Brand: | Accurate Minatures |
Scale: | 1/48 | |
Modeler: | Ewart Yong | |
AddOns: | Dangerboy Hobbies Wingfold Set, Verlinden Update Set |
I guess by now enough has been said and written about the history of this great airplane so I guess that I will not go into that. I purchased the kit by mail order about 5 years ago and like most, only got around to building it recently. In the meanwhile, I obtained the Verlinden detail set and wingfold details from KMC. It was a real pain trying to obtain the KMC wingfold detail since it was already out of production when I wanted it. Anyway, I was fortunate to obtain a set through a friend. On opening this set, I was impressed by the resin castings and the photo-etched details, but alas the instruction sheet did not explain clearly how one was supposed to install the folded wings. Since it looked pretty fragile to me, I decided to abandon the idea of displaying the model with the wings folded... Thankfully, Dangerboy announced the release of their wingfold set and I gladly got my hands on a set after all the rave reviews.
The Accurate
Miniatures kit can only be described as fantastic! Detail on most parts
is very finely molded and intricately portrayed. Panel lines are
recessed and extremely well molded. Clear parts were realistically thin
and free from any distortions. I especially liked the idea of having a
false bottom where the clear parts and decal sheet were packed thus
separating these more delicate bits from the rest of the kit parts. The
biggest disappointment was the instruction sheet but I was quite well
prepared for this after reading numerous reviews on AM kits. The
diagrams were more like hand sketches and did not clearly show the
attachment of certain parts. This shortcoming was however more than
compensated for by
As usual,
construction began with the cockpit interior. I used all the kit parts
except the pilot's seat which was replaced with the resin part from the
Verlinden set. I added lead foil belts and fuse wire buckles to the
radio operator's seat and spray painted the interior according to the
instructions. A thin black-brown wash of water colours was applied to
accentuate the details and the entire interior was further highlighted
by drybrushing a lighter shade of the basic colour over the raised
detail. The dorsal gun turret was also assembled and painted as per the
kit instructions with only the addition of the electrical junction box
from the Verlinden set.
The fuselage
and the wings were painted as separate entities. I sprayed the white and
masked off these areas for the gull gray topside colour. To achieve the
soft demarcation, I masked the separation line with blue tack. Testors
enamels were used throughout. After allowing the paint to cure for about
three days, the model was sprayed with Humbrol gloss clear varnish in
preparation for decal application. Decals were excellent and reacted
well to the setting solutions which I used. In fact, for the national
insignia on the wings, my over zealous application of Aeromaster Sol
caused some tearing; these areas were duly touched up when the decals
were fully set. My only gripe during the application of the decals were
that the diagrams in the instruction sheet were vague, with no
indication of the decals' orientation. This was especially irritating
with the smaller stencil decals.
Overall,
this proved to be a very enjoyable project. I completed this model over
eight months. The Dangerboy wingfold set simplified things a lot,
especially for those like me who intend to pose the aircraft with the
wings folded but find difficulty with the more complex KMC set or
scratchbuilding. I do not build to enter contests or even strive for
perfection so I hope you readers out there can forgive me if you find a
few blemishes, imperfections, glue stains or technical errors in these
pictures.
Postscript: I built this model about two years ago. Sadly, the excellent Dangerboy resin wingfolds are no longer available as the company is no longer in operation. I have heard that the molds have been taken over by LoneStar but have yet to see them. If anyone knows how I can obtain these former Dangerboy wingfold sets, I would appreciate if they could drop me a note.
April 27, 2005 |