Martin B-26B Marauder by CDW - FINISHED - Airfix - 1:72 Scale

[Javlin]

19 hours ago, Egilman said:

the neighborhood 5 & Dime down on the corner....

Late 60's early 70's it was called Calvert & Careway 1/2 mile from the house the local drugstore  part of an isle to a/c kits.The place had your lunch bar with red then white stools best dam hamburger/fries in town $1.65 with your drink.Oh and the milkshakes it was treat when we went family of seven kids did not happen often.Now you stirred a memory Craig good ole days ......carry on!!

[AJohnson]

10 hours ago, CDW said:

The worst fit issue I have found so far is the engine cowl to wing fit. It’s atrocious 

 

Well back in the 1970/80s I would of said that was pretty dammed close. ! 🤣 Yep, needs a good clamp, and you  just to need to channel your inner  1970’s child “couldn’t give a f@“&” attitude and go for it !

[CDW]

Laid down some zink chromate green inside the fuselage halves and on the inner bulkhead assemblies. Filled in the sink marks on the fuselage and sanded them down. Then got out my clamps and dealt with the cowl to wing fit. Once it dried, sanded down the worst high spots then scribed some panel lines on the wings before giving them a once-over with sandpaper. Onward and upward.

 

 

[CDW]

Tip:

When you wear down one of your filing sticks, save it to cut into small sections and glue them to your plastic clamps' jaws. They will keep the clamp from sliding on the plastic which can be frustrating when trying to clamp a surface with curves such as the wing-to-cowl fit.

[Dave_E]

Gotta just love clamps! 😀

[Egilman]

2 hours ago, CDW said:

Tip:

When you wear down one of your filing sticks, save it to cut into small sections and glue them to your plastic clamps' jaws. They will keep the clamp from sliding on the plastic which can be frustrating when trying to clamp a surface with curves such as the wing-to-cowl fit.

Old school techniques for dealing with old school problems..... Ya Gotta Luv it!!!!

[Canute]

That engine nacelle seems to be fitting better. Nice work hiding that joint. 😄

 

The mold maker must have been related to the Matchbox panel seam trencher. 🙄

[CDW]

Just now, Canute said:

That engine nacelle seems to be fitting better. Nice work hiding that joint. 😄

 

The mold maker must have been related to the Matchbox panel seam trencher. 🙄

None of it makes any difference when you finish the model, punch a hole in the tip of the wing, tie a string to the wing tip then whip fly that thing round and round. Remember those days?

[AJohnson]

2 hours ago, CDW said:

None of it makes any difference when you finish the model, punch a hole in the tip of the wing, tie a string to the wing tip then whip fly that thing round and round. Remember those days?

Oh yes and shooting them with air rifles, even launched a few fighters on firework rockets! 🚀 🤣

[Canute]

All of the above. 🤣

[CDW]

A little putty, a little sanding, add a few details then commence with primer and paint. 
 

[CDW]

What at first appeared to be a scratch in the clear plastic nose glass turned out to be imperfections in the plastic itself, not something that can be cured with Future or Pledge. I’ll live with it, no big deal. Imperfections in almost every piece of clear plastic parts.

[CDW]

Here she is after a wet-sand and a rinse. No putty yet. Might just primer it then paint it and call it done. Nothing I do will turn it into a silk purse in any event. It will make a nice 6-foot shelf model.

[AJohnson]

14 minutes ago, CDW said:

Here she is after a wet-sand and a rinse. No putty yet. Might just primer it then paint it and call it done. Nothing I do will turn it into a silk purse in any event. It will make a nice 6-foot shelf model.

 

 

That’s the issue isn’t it, with so many more “deserving” kits out there and limited time to do them, a balance must be found in time/result/enjoyment equation. 
Glad you preserved so far with it. Hole punch and string at the ready! 😉

[CDW]

I changed my mind. While technically it’s not putty, Mr Surfacer 500 does an excellent job of sealing fine seam lines. Easy to apply with a paint brush and it dries more quickly than putty, Sands very well and fine. It’s a product I can’t do without. 😵‍💫

[CDW]

3 minutes ago, AJohnson said:

That’s the issue isn’t it, with so many more “deserving” kits out there and limited time to do them, a balance must be found in time/result/enjoyment equation. 
Glad you preserved so far with it. Hole punch and string at the ready! 😉

So very true. Every modeling project need not be a Picasso. Need some relaxing fun and good memories too. 

[Canute]

Sometimes you just want to slap something together and not sweat the details.

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

Sometimes you just want to slap something together and not sweat the details.

Amen Brother....

[CDW]

I wonder why the B-26 Marauder is so under represented by model companies? The 1:48 B-26 from Monogram was the last, best version in 1:48 scale. There was the old AMT 1:48 version and it was a dog. You had an ancient Revell kit in 1:72 scale, the equally ancient Frog kit, and of course this Airfix kit. Only other and most recent 1:72 kit that comes to mind is the Hasegawa kit that appears to be out of production. Copies of it are selling for upwards of $100 on Ebay. 

[Canute]

Maybe because it was relatively obscure. The B-17/24 were workhorse strategic bombers. The B-25 was in the Doolittle raid, which was a morale booster during the early war. The British twin engine bombers (Hampton, Blenheim) early on were not very effective due to development limitations pre-war. Then they developed the Mosquito and hit it out of the park.

[popeye the sailor]

old airfix kits.........closest I've come to them were the old MPC profile series kits     look'in good Craig.....keep in mind though,  some of the projects that don't look good in the beginning,  sometimes look best when finished.  it may be better to use the open version bomb bay doors,  than the filler part.........it will look more realistic,  and you won't feel like you need to scribe the door seams more to achieve the realism    clear plastic parts can be terrible to work with.  you could try buffing it to bring down the 'scratch' and then touch it up with window maker

[CDW]

55 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

old airfix kits.........closest I've come to them were the old MPC profile series kits     look'in good Craig.....keep in mind though,  some of the projects that don't look good in the beginning,  sometimes look best when finished.  it may be better to use the open version bomb bay doors,  than the filler part.........it will look more realistic,  and you won't feel like you need to scribe the door seams more to achieve the realism    clear plastic parts can be terrible to work with.  you could try buffing it to bring down the 'scratch' and then touch it up with window maker

I agree on the bomb bay doors. The closed door option is not a good fit. Too much filler required. The glass is not fixable. The clear has imperfections inside. Will just live with it as is. Thanks for your comments and for dropping in.

[CDW]

16 hours ago, Canute said:

Maybe because it was relatively obscure. The B-17/24 were workhorse strategic bombers. The B-25 was in the Doolittle raid, which was a morale booster during the early war. The British twin engine bombers (Hampton, Blenheim) early on were not very effective due to development limitations pre-war. Then they developed the Mosquito and hit it out of the park.

Obscure doesn’t seem to be an issue for model companies. Wait until you see my Natter kit build. Talk about obscure…

[Canute]

Do you have the whole launch complex? I was a fan of those odd WW II a/c, back in the day. Almost no aircraft of that era was too off the wall, outside of the Luftwaffe paper designs, the Luft '46 ones. I rediscovered trains and the rest is history.

[CDW]

12 hours ago, Canute said:

Do you have the whole launch complex? I was a fan of those odd WW II a/c, back in the day. Almost no aircraft of that era was too off the wall, outside of the Luftwaffe paper designs, the Luft '46 ones. I rediscovered trains and the rest is history.

It’s just the plane/rocket in 1:32 scale

[CDW]

Ready for primer and paint

[CDW]

So far, I am very happy with the black primer which will give the foundation for the silver paint to come. Mr Surfacer 1500 diluted with 60% leveling thinner. A very smooth surface.

[CDW]

[CDW]

AK Xtreme Metal aluminum

 

 

[Javlin]

Looking good Craig even for an old kit.