P-38J Wicked Woman by DocRob - FINISHED - Tamiya - 1/48

[DocRob]

Hola fellow modelistas, on to a new project.

As a short holiday is nearing, I was looking for an in between project and Tamiya's P-38 was on my list since a while. I have both, the -J and the -F version, but I want to use Eduards positive rivets on  a high shine aluminum finish, so it could only be the -J. Aftermarket will be limited, I will use Quinta cockpit decals for the first time, Master brass barrels, only because I can glue them in after painting and said Eduard rivets and canopy masks.

Because of the high shine aluminum finish, I'm after, I wanted good decals and a simple paintjob, to reduce masking, so no invasion stripes. I decided to use Bombshell Decals for 'Wicked Woman', which is only accentuated in gloss and matte black.


 

The build log will be very brief, as everything fits like a glove and until now, I had no difficulties of any kind. If you are in search for the perfect kit, you possible can't come closer. The engineering is even better than with Tamiya' 1/32 Corsairs, hard to believe. If you are an engineering aficionado, you should build one of the three P-38's.
 

I started with the cockpit, scraped detail away, to accept the Quinta decals and airbrushed the base colors, followed by some brush detail painting and a very light oil pin wash. The Quinta decals, which I used for the first time look mostly very good and were applied using water thinned PVA and CA for very small parts. The seat belts look a bit unreal and HGW's offerings are looking better, but are a pain to assemble in 1/48. The dashboard has a slight rasterized look, but only through the macro lens. In all the Quinta set is a huge time saver and easy to work with.
 

 
 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[yvesvidal]

Yeah...another marvel being created.

 

Yves

[Landlubber Mike]

Oooh, me likey Rob!

[ccoyle]

The pace of aerospace progress in the first half of the 20th century always fascinates me. Just looking at all of the details in a P-38 cockpit, it's easy to forget that only 35 years had elapsed since the Wright brothers took to the air in what was essentially a powered box kite.

[Canute]

I'm in, Rob.

 

Back in days of yore, I watched a P-38, painted up as Tommy McGuire's "Pudge" fly into McGuire AFB, NJ. It was mounted flyable on a display in front of the passenger terminal. Every few years they take it down, tow it to a small hangar and clean it up. They also fire it up, but don't taxi or fly it. Unfortunately, no photos. 😞

[DocRob]

3 hours ago, yvesvidal said:

Yeah...another marvel being created.

 

2 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Oooh, me likey Rob!

Thank you Yves and Mike, I will try my best, to have a shiny representation of Wicked Woman in the end. 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

2 hours ago, ccoyle said:

The pace of aerospace progress in the first half of the 20th century always fascinates me. Just looking at all of the details in a P-38 cockpit, it's easy to forget that only 35 years had elapsed since the Wright brothers took to the air in what was essentially a powered box kite.

Indeed Chris, the development from wood, canvas and string, individually put together to mass production of powerful and reliable full metal planes was very rapid.
This kit represents in a way this development in kit quality. Having just finished the ancient Tamiya Renault RE20 kit, you can see a clear progress in every aspect of tooling and engineering.

 

Cheers Rob

 

[DocRob]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

Back in days of yore, I watched a P-38, painted up as Tommy McGuire's "Pudge" fly into McGuire AFB, NJ. It was mounted flyable on a display in front of the passenger terminal. Every few years they take it down, tow it to a small hangar and clean it up. They also fire it up, but don't taxi or fly it. Unfortunately, no photos. 😞

I found some pictures of 'Pudgy' and they show the high shine aluminum look, I want to replicate. It will not be easy, as there is a bit of masking required, always a risk on polished aluminum surfaces.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

In a blink, nearly the whole fuselage, wing and tail boom construction were finished. If you ever asked yourself, why Tamiya brought out the extra thin cement, with this kit it shines, with perfect fitting panels and intersecting parts.
The construction of the plane is a bit complicated naturally with the double tail boom construction and the numerous air intakes and large wheel bays, but following the instructions, it's an easy build, not the least due to ingenious engineering.
My goal was to achieve the least spoilt surface, to have a good base for a gloss coat before applying the rivets.


 

 

The wheel wells were sprayed with AK's Extreme Metal matte aluminum, followed by my own thin mix of black oil color, diluted with matte thinner.

 

Cheers Rob

[Roger Pellett]

You Richard Bong, a WW II Ace who flew a P-38 was from Poplar, Wisconsin, a tiny town about 25 miles from Duluth.  I believe that the art on the box depicts his plane.  For many years, a P-38 sat in the Poplar city park.  Several years ago, the plane was removed, and taken to the Duluth Airport where is was restored by members of the Minnesota Air Guard.  Bong’s widow, Marge was instrumental in establishing a Veterans Heritage Museum in Superior, Wisconsin, across the Harbor from Duluth.  The plane is the centerpiece of their collection.

 

Roger

Edited August 27, 2023 by Roger Pellett

[DocRob]

The plane on the box cover is indeed the P-38 flown by Richard 'Ira' Bong and the nose art depicts his wife Marge. I was thinking about this livery for my build too, but I wanted high quality decals, to lay down perfectly onto high gloss aluminum surfaces, without the need to use any solvents other than water with a drop of detergent in it. Tamiya decals tend to be on the thick side and may have some visible parts of carrier film.
The Bombshell decals are printed by Cartograph and they are complete with national markings and stencils.

 

Cheers Rob

[Dave_E]

I’m in 🍿🥤 looking great! 👍😀

[DocRob]

47 minutes ago, Dave_E said:

I’m in 🍿🥤 looking great! 👍😀

 

Thanks Dave and good to have you on board.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

For adding the nose to the fuselage, Tamiya gives you different sets of guns (grey) which have to be glued from the inside and are in the way, while riveting and airbrushing the surface. Therefore, I used Master barrels and the Tamiya parts with cut barrels and pre drilled holes for accepting the brass barrels from the outside.

 

 

Next was the base layer for the riveting. Eduard suggests using Mr. Surfacer with some gloss medium, but I went with my trusted Tamiya LP1 gloss black, thinned with about two thirds of Mr. leveling thinner. The finish is of a very high shine and should be a perfect base.
Some black on black pics , I don't think, there is need for polishing.

 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

Rob the riveter has been starting to work . I followed the process, described in Info Eduard' May 2022 issue. You have to cut the decal precisely, as the carrier film is covering the whole sheet. Some parts needed to be cut out, where raised details or similar are onto the plastic part.
Then the decal is pressed onto the sponge, soaked with water with some drops of detergent mixed in. A few seconds are sufficient and the decal slides off the backing sheet very easily. Placement on the model is critical, but the decals are generally forgiving, except for wrinkles, which are not so easy to remove. After placement, I used a dry sponge to press onto the decal without movement, followed by checking it and pressing more refined with a damp flat brush and rubber decal applicators.
 

Workplace:
 

 

Before (right wing underside)

 

 

After (left wing underside) The photo was taken some minutes after application, recommended drying time is 24 hours.

 

 

The decals with slightly raised rivets, which you can see and feel with the fingertip.

 

 

 

In case of the Eduard rivet decals, there is no later lift off the carrier film, like I think is the case with HGW's rivets. Nearly the whole plane is covered with decal in the end and needs another base layer of very fine finishing primer, in my case again Tamiya LP gloss black.

 

Cheers Rob

[Javlin]

We've gone from raised rivets as a kid to engraved smooth as adults and now seniors/kids sometimes back to raised rivets again

In all honesty looks really good Rob I was wondering about the silver so another coat of gloss black?I await the final results.

[Egilman]

47 minutes ago, Javlin said:

I await the final results

Me too, it's interesting the things that can be done today compared to what was done earlier.... In reality raised rivets in the aircraft industry when out in the late 30's in favor of flush riveting especially on wings and control surfaces... you can tell where the rivets are, but you couldn't feel them...

 

It does add a "Look" to a model... The bare aluminum finish is going to be interesting for sure...

 

Thanks brother for the detailed demonstration of the technique...

[DocRob]

4 hours ago, Javlin said:

We've gone from raised rivets as a kid to engraved smooth as adults and now seniors/kids sometimes back to raised rivets again

In all honesty looks really good Rob I was wondering about the silver so another coat of gloss black?I await the final results.

Thanks Kevin, there is some truth in what you say about the rivets . I think, it's more about looking right, than being right with the visual effect. My plan is indeed to lay another coat of gloss black onto the rivets, before I spray polished aluminum. I only hope the rivet decals withstand the Tamiya lacquer color with thinner. In any case, I will follow my old rule, first applying a very thin coat of color, dried quickly with the airbrush, to seal the decals, than a bit more to have the high shine black base.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

3 hours ago, Egilman said:

Me too, it's interesting the things that can be done today compared to what was done earlier.... In reality raised rivets in the aircraft industry when out in the late 30's in favor of flush riveting especially on wings and control surfaces... you can tell where the rivets are, but you couldn't feel them...

 

It does add a "Look" to a model... The bare aluminum finish is going to be interesting for sure...

 

Thanks brother for the detailed demonstration of the technique...

De nada Egilman, when I write about a new technique, it's also a moment for me to reflect about it and find solutions to problems which arose.
I know about the use of flat rivets for planes like the P-38. The decals only help to give the optical illusion of visible rivets and visible they are on the real thing, but more due to being not exactly the same metal, like the sheets they are holding in place. 
I have to see, how the rivets turn out under a coat of polished aluminum and will decide then, if it looks right to my eye.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

I finished the riveting today and have to say, fitting of the rivet decals is near perfect. I ran into a bit of trouble on one of the tail booms, where two decals met on the upper and lower side. They overlapped a tiny bit, which made ugly wrinkles, which I couldn't sort out completely. I will see, what I can do about it after they are thoroughly dried. The good preparation payed off, the decals glided lightly onto the surfaces in general. Tomorrow, before spraying a new black base layer, I check for tiny bubbles, which I take out by stabbing into them with a needle.

 

 

 

 

 

I added seat, radios and armor plate into the cockpit, before gluing the canopy in place. The Eduard masks fitted like a glove and before mounting the clear parts, there needed to be glued some parts to their inside, like the gunsight and structural bar.
 

Last unobstructed view into the cockpit:
 

 

 

Canopy glued in place:

 

 

Cheers Rob

[Old Collingwood]

That  is  looking Superb  -  the  rivet  detail   looks   so  right.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

Laying the rivet lines down so accurately is great work

Alan

[DocRob]

21 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

That  is  looking Superb  -  the  rivet  detail   looks   so  right.

Thank you OC, lets hope the look materializes under the polished aluminum in the end. The term you used, is what I'd use too, it looks right, maybe the real rivets should be flush, but we as modelers have to get the look right, scale wise.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

15 hours ago, king derelict said:

Laying the rivet lines down so accurately is great work

Thank you Alan, luckily the rivet decals wer printed very accurate for kit, but alignment, was not so easy sometimes with the black rivets onto gloss black base with all the reflections. In all. I'm positively surprised, how good the rivet decals worked. The main issue, is they fold very easy and are not so easy to unfold. Generally the are very forgiving, except of this.

 

Cheers Rob

[DocRob]

I prepared the P-38 for polished aluminum with a coat of gloss black over the rivets. Tamiya's LP-1 worked again flawless, highly thinned sprayed with about one bar of pressure. Luckily the Eduard rivet decals seem to withstand the sprayed on chemicals.
The plane has some gloss black stripes on tail and wings, which will be masked before spraying polished aluminum. Same goes for the matte black anti glare panels, which will be tedious to mask. Luckily those are in areas without rivet decals under them, so masking will be a bit less of a risk. In any case, polished aluminum should be the last layer, before decaling, I will not risk and harm the shiny surface.
Before airbrushing black, the canopy received a coat of interior green and I hope, I will have no fogging issues due to lacquer fumes, always a risk.

It's hard to capture the high gloss surface with rivets on photos.

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers Rob

[ccoyle]

Can't wait to see the final effect -- betting it will be awesome!

[DocRob]

1 hour ago, ccoyle said:

Can't wait to see the final effect -- betting it will be awesome!

I hope so, Chris, but before this comes masking, which will be a bit tricky in this case. Then I will evaluate, if I use AK Extreme Metal polished aluminum or Alclad's. Luckily, there are two upper wings in the kit for whatever reason and I prepared the other to test the polished aluminums.

 

Cheers Rob

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, DocRob said:

Same goes for the matte black anti glare panels, which will be tedious to mask.

Brother, if your doing Dick Bong's "Marge" the anti-glare panels were olive drab, not black...

photo was taken at the EAA AirVenture in OshKosh, WI. 2014.... The Plane is housed at the Richard I. Bong Memorial Veterans Center in Superior, WI. They were OD on all the Pacific war P-38's and most of the European ones as well....

 

Bong flew three different P-38's during the war, the first was standard issue OD over Aircraft Grey, the second, was bare metal with Green wingtips and Spinners, and the last was as you see above... Bare metal with red tipped wings, stabilizers & rudders, Red Propeller spinners...

 

It's a very well known scheme...

Edited August 30, 2023 by Egilman

[Canute]

Did they have anti-glare panels on the engine sides facing the cockpit? I used to know, but haven't been in those books in eons.

[DocRob]

1 hour ago, Egilman said:

Brother, if your doing Dick Bong's "Marge" the anti-glare panels were olive drab, not black...

Hehe, no Egilman, it will be 'Wicked Woman' like the title said, which had matte black anti glare panels and some stripes in gloss black.

 

Cheers Rob