Well - I just wanted to build this unique-looking bird, and what I had in the stash was a VERY OLD Frog kit. I was thinking OOB, but from the moment I opened the box, things started happening... I was thinking I'd not add any interior details - just open up air scoops and stuff like that. Looking at the canopy, it's one loooong piece of glass, and pretty thick and full of raised framing lines. I did a quick search to see if I could find a replacement (didn't), but found a set of canopy masks for it, and decided I could sand off the framing and polish it, then use the masks, and end up with a more clear greenhouse. That led me to thinking that you might actually be able to see some of the detail, and it is just one big empty cavern! So.... The only 2 pieces of the below photos that are part of the kit-supplied interior are the two grey floor sections (with holes in them for the seats) - one for the pilot and one for the gunner. There were also 2 seats, but nothing for the observer/navigator. I added the bulkheads, stringers, decking and radio from styrene, snagged a seat from my spares box for the observer, built the swiveling gun mount from a couple of landing gear legs (spares box) and some wire. The extra magazines for the rear gun came from a set of engine dolly wheels sanded down in diameter and thickness. Below is the twin gun piece I found in my spares box as a framework to build out the guns. I used another two of the modified engine dolly wheels on the gun, along with styrene and some more parts from the spares box to create the guns. And as usual, since I'm building wheels-up, I had to totally replace the gear doors, as they did not fit AT ALL. I mentioned that I cut down the rear deck area to depict the gun cover open and slid along the back of the fuselage. I'll glue down a piece of thin styrene to depict the cover pushed back. I also had to then cut the rear canopy section that tilts open (like on the Dauntless, it just pivots back into the section in front of it), so that the gunner can get at his guns and do his thing. I used an engraving tool to depict the rail area where the panel slides open/closed. So then - I bit the bullet - and decided to sand off all the raised panel detail and rescribe everything. I found a good diagram on the-blueprints.com to help me in that task. I wish I had made this decision prior to building out all the interior detail so I would have less hassle sanding and scribing - but oh well! I had recently purchased a Valom Blackburn Firebrand kit, which contained a multi-media torpedo. I decided the Firebrand is cool enough looking without the fish, so stole it for the Barracuda build. The torpedo trunk is resin, the horizontal fin is styrene, the propellors, propellor guards and vertical fins are PE (did I mention I hate PE...?). I'll have to manufacture some shackles for the torp. More pics to come as I progress.
I sprayed the cockpit with RLM 66 and the radio / passenger compartment I used RLM 02. even though th3 insides will not be seen or exposed except through a small opening through the upper gun position. The tail wheel assembly did prove a bit fiddly and the bulkheads made it difficult to close up the fuselage sides.. I had assembled the center part of the wing and engine nacelles and it snapped right onto the fuselage with minor gaps in the wing to fuse joins.
Prior to getting all the parts together I decided too shoot the RLM 76 undersides then put in the windows for the gondola. This kit also has some transparencies that belong to the H-3 variation and they are so closely numbered as to being identical so you have to keep a close look out. The fit of the fuse sides were a bit frustrating because one side was warped ever so slightly . I use the heat from a hair dryer to massage it a bit and with a bit of convincing it came together finally.
The nacelles them selves were another fiddly feature of this kit as they consist of 9 or 12 pieces with no positive mounting features. Only a beveled side to mate the surfaces to each other. This kind of smacks limited run to me but all-in-all this time they went together with out much fuss.
Finally I got to get to the transparencies. The one that always gets me frustrated the most is the nose gun blister. I bit the bullet and ordered the Eduard masks and spent the better part of a whole day masking all of the clear bits.. I also used Micro Ind. Micro Mask, the blue stuff, for that nose piece and it seemed to work the charm I'll find out after painting how well it worked.
That's it for now, kiddies,
thanks for looking
Cockpit looks good. What are the seat belts made of? PE, tape or cloth? Don't you really like green-house canopies! Masking looks good. The starboard wing root gap is going to take a little TLC.
Coming along nicely.