Stearman PT17 by Jack12477 - FINISHED - Revell - 1:48 - PLASTIC

[Jack12477]

I decided after completing the 1:350 warship models that I would venture into other categories of plastic models.  After completing 2 car kits and another airplane kit, I decided on the Stearman bi-plane.  I started it before I thought about documenting the build.

I am painting it in the US Army blue and yellow livery.  For paints I am forgoing the usual hobby paint like Vallejo and going with artist colors instead, Cerulean blue and Cadmium Yellow.

 

Assembling the interior frame

 

 

 

 

[Jack12477]

Some photos of the other models I completed before starting this one

 

1965 Ford Mustang

 

1957 Ford Del Rio station wagon

 

F4U-4 Corsair

 

[lmagna]

Looks like you have been staying busy and off the streets Jack.

 

Looking forward to this build as well.

[popeye the sailor]

 have a friend of mine that is building the Guillow's version of the stearmans...a very popular plane     interesting choice of paints......I have another friend in Canada,  that did a Duke's of Hazzard model with Jo Santos paint....I think something similar to what your using .    looks good  

 

well done on the other kits........like Lou said........it's good to stay busy   

[Jack12477]

Oh I forgot to include the 1:350 USS Fletcher kit I completed before I launched into those other kits.  (All in Stealth mode )

 

Photos of the USS Fletcher

 

[Jack12477]

More progress on the Stearman

 

Panel lines on wings were done using a watery black paint with a 0 brush running it down the length of the groove then before it dries wiping my thumb across the groove perpendicular to the groove - leaves the paint in the groove - slightly smudges the wing surface (weathering it a little). Did likewise with the raised surfaces

[lmagna]

Nice work Jack. This one is going to blow out my monitor with it's bright colors!

 

Great looking job with the camouflage on the Fletcher. Not and easy pattern to do.

[mtaylor]

It's funny, to me anyways, one would think that the navy would have the blue and army would have they yellow.

 

Looking good, Jack.  At 1:48 that still a tiny little thing isn't it?  Hmmm...  build a wooden 18th century frigate with a Stearman on board.   

[cog]

7 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Looking good, Jack.  At 1:48 that still a tiny little thing isn't it?  Hmmm...  build a wooden 18th century frigate with a Stearman on board. 

Go for it Mark. Liven things up a bit on deck  and you get some colour in your build too

 

Great going Jack ... not much PE on the Fletcher, camouflage came out rather well ... giving us the silent treatment right ... we'll have to watch out for you ... sen in spies to check upon your builds 

Edited May 19, 2019 by cog

[Jack12477]

Yea, Mark, the Navy version is all yellow like on the box art.. Didn't want a Canary Bird so I went with the Army version.. It is small enough to fit in palm of my hand.

 

Sorry Carl, these went together so fast I didn't think to stop and document  each step.  I used PE left over from previous ships, doors and some railings, on the Fletcher.

 

Lou, the kit comes with a paper template for the hull camo. So I photocopied it, put some Tamiya masking tape sticky side down  on a piece of glass, taped the template over the Tamiya, then cut the pattern out with a scalpel,  transfer the cutout to the hull. I then brush painted drawing the brush from the tape onto the hull so the painted didn't build up along the tape edge. 

 

Thanks for the compliments  and Likes

[Papa]

If you like the Stearman bi-plane you will enjoy “Cannibal Queen” by Stephen Coonts.  The book relates Coonts’ travels around the USA in his Stearman, The Cannibal Queen; so named because she’d bite you in the *** if you weren’t careful. I found it amusing that Coonts, who flew A6 Intruders, kind of had to learn to fly all over again with a tail dragging bi-plane.

Ron Gove

[CDW]

You've been busy, Jack. 

I love that Ranch Wagon Ford station wagon. 

You know, you are the first modeler I've seen do an online build on the Stearman kit. I am surprised what a nice kit that is, and you're doing a great job with it. When I saw that kit advertised for sale, I imagined it was a rebox of some old tooling they found somewhere in an attic, had no idea it was a new tool.

Edited June 8, 2019 by CDW
spelling error

[lmagna]

5 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

I then brush painted

That makes it even more impressive if you brush painted it! She is a real winner.

[Jack12477]

Thanks, Lou .

 

Now some updates:

 

Tail  section installed

 

Panel lines highlighted

 

 

Simulated wood decal applied to propeller

 

 

Engine assembled

 

[Jack12477]

Moving right along:

 

Installed the engine into the fuselage,installed the wind screens,  and lower wing

 

To show just how small this model really is - it fits in the palm of my hand

 

 

[cog]

I always find them small parts a pain to glue, the sticky stuff always seems to be to generously applied no matter what you do ... nice progress, Jack

[Canute]

Looking good, Jack. And I like the way the decal fit on the prop. 👍👍

[popeye the sailor]

very nice progress so far Jack.  the prop is interesting.........never saw a kit with decals like that.  you'll have this one finished in no time   

[Jack12477]

Thanks, Denis. Yes I was surprised at that decal also.  Nice touch tho.

 

Some more progress photos:

 

Upper wing and struts installed; starting to apply decals

 

[Canute]

That little guy the mechanic or the instructor, Jack?

[cog]

Ken,

 

It's his private magician, and the other his bodyguard

Edited May 21, 2019 by cog

[Jack12477]

He's the spy annihilator, Ken ! Keeps  Carl's spies from  seeing what we are doing ! The stern looking sourpuss is the yard foreman! 

[popeye the sailor]

looks great Jack!   

[vossiewulf]

I got to fly a Stearman at an airfield north of Charlottesville where you could rent various biplanes and aerobatic planes. You had to take an instructor with you, but if you were certified for tail draggers you could take the entire flight. Really a wonderful airplane to fly, controls very responsive without being too much and control forces are not huge, although I never approached the Vne (don't go this fast) speed, so they might get heavier at high speed. But on a nice summer evening in Charlottesville with the sun setting over the mountains, it's a really fun experience being in a sweet biplane with an open cockpit and a giant radial in front of you, you end up flying big arcs back and forth because it feels like you can point the nose anywhere you want so you get to pointing the nose around. And easy in a loop, don't have to dive much for the needed speed and it just has the to be expected significant rudder input up and across the top and back down as the p-factor of the big prop tries to yank the nose around. People tend to think of gyroscopic forces from the prop would be a problem, but in reality the vast majority of the time the p-factor that varies continuously with your angle of attack is what the pilot is fighting. It basically causes asymmetric thrust that yaws the nose one direction the higher you point the nose, and in the opposite direction the lower you point the nose.

 

Jack, that one was in USAAC blue and yellow also, your colors look good, I recall the yellow being on the green side. You've also done very well with the assembly, nice and clean and the decals are well done so they'll look very good once they get their final flat coat. It's a nice model to put up on the shelf and if you want to get rid of it for some reason I'll find room for it on my shelf

 

[Jack12477]

Thanks Vossie,  I tried to match the colors in the box art side panel.  Not having any  typical model brand paints available I decided to use Artist colors instead . I think they matched pretty well.

 

Now for the finishing touches - adding the wire cross bracing to the wings - tried several different materials from fly fishing tying line to sewing thread but none of it worked too well. Switched to solid 26 gauge black coated wire, rigid enough to stay in place until I could CA glue it. Since it was spooled I had some trouble getting the curve out of it but got it pretty straight after several attempts.   Model is now finished.

 

Before attaching the cross bracing to the wings:

With the cross bracing installed and FINISHED :

 

 

This was a fun and easy kit to build.  What took the longest was painting and then waiting overnight for the paint to completely set before continuing. All the parts fit together nicely and will little to no flash. 

 

Thanks for following along .

[popeye the sailor]

looks great Jack......I believe this is the only kit that I've seen,  where the box art shows a different scheme.   I've always seen this plane in blue and yellow.

    the paint works well for the model,  although I'd probably be impatient with the dry time     super looking plane!

[Jack12477]

Thanks. Denis

[ESF]

Very nice job Jack.  The weathering looks super and the propeller looks for all the world like the real thing.  Thanks for sharing.

 

Steve

[cog]

Nice result Jack. My spies informed me you were "done" with it

[iMustBeCrazy]

6 hours ago, Jack12477 said:

Since it was spooled I had some trouble getting the curve out of it but got it pretty straight after several attempts.

In general, the best way to straighten wire is to stretch it slightly. eg. clamp one end in a vise and pull on the other end.