I started the build of this kit within two weeks of getting it!
That is something of a first for me: normally a kit will age and
gather dust bunnies on my storage shelf for several years before I
take it upon my self to build them. But with this kit I was
intrigued with the aircraft. In addition to the plastic parts,
canopy masks are provided along with photo-etched seat belts.
These are welcome additions, but I later discovered there were not
enough masks for the clear parts.
Earlier
reviews of this particular kit note that sink marks are present on
the rear fuselage, and in the case of my kit that defect was true.
Another negative comment dealt with the kit’s instructions being
somewhat vague in certain steps. More on that later. I had also
heard that you must build the Accurate Miniatures kits per the
instructions, step-by-step, without deviations.
Cockpit
Assembly.
The
kit instructions show two major steps to assembling the cockpit. I
separated all the parts from the sprues and segregated the parts
per the steps. Be careful here: many of the parts are very dainty
and require a delicate touch to remove them from the sprues. The
instruction also express this caution. I mounting the various
components on foam board with tape or on tooth picks with white
glue. I then airbrushed the parts with Floquil Platinum Mist and
set them aside to dry. I airbrushed the pilot and gunner’s seats
and the gunner ring flat black, and later dry-brushed these parts
with Rub-n-Buff Silver, leaving just enough black to create a bit
of a shadow effect..
I
also painted the interior of the fuselage halves as well as the
fuselage floor with the platinum mist. Before the fuselage
interior was painted I fixed the rear bulkhead in place. Again,
following the instructions various cockpit components were painted
their respective colors. Once everything had dried I ran a diluted
wash of Tamiya Smoke in all the nooks and crannies. This was
allowed to dry. Initially I was a bit unsure of exactly where the
cockpit side frames would attach to the floor assembly, but with
some experimentation I got the sides to fit pretty well.
Engine
and Cowling Assembly.
I
air-brushed the engine components and propeller blades flat black
and later dry-brushed the parts with Rub-n-Buff silver for a
metallic sheen. The propeller blades were scrubbed with the silver
to take on the appearance of a metallic surface. I dry-brushed the
wiring harness copper per the kit instructions. The engine front
was dry-brushed with several shades of gray, going progressively
lighter to create some shadow effect. This assembly was set aside
for later installation.
The
cowling is comprised of several parts: the cowling front, two
halves, air duct bottom, two exhausts and cowl flaps. You have
your choice of open or closed cowling flaps. I chose to use the
closed flaps as I did not care for how the open flaps looked when
mounted between the cowling and fuselage front. I dry-fitted the
various parts to make that determination. I replaced the exhaust
pipes with aluminum tubing properly painted and weathered. These
would be installed later in the build. The cowling halves appeared
to be slightly warped, so some care was necessary to fit the two
parts together. Gluing the cowling front to the two side helped
with the warpage, but I was concerned with future fit problems in
this area.
Fuselage/Cockpit
Assembly.
I
taped the fuselage halves together and glued the two stabilizers
in place, making certain that the alignment was correct. Some
trimming of the starboard tab was required before the part was set
in place correctly.
Fixing
the completed cockpit to the port side of the fuselage was a bit
of a test, but the instructions were correct. I also glued the
tail wheel in place. I then waited while the solvent set up and
there was little risk of movement when the starboard side was
matched to the port side. When I proceeded to mate the right side
to the left side it was evident the fuselage parts were warped
just a bit. Careful application of solvent and clamping helped get
the parts together properly.
At
this point I was disappointed with how much of the fire wall
backside was visible through the open cockpit. Then I realized I
had forgotten to install the instrument panel! Minor surgery to
the two front joins helped with the tardy installation of this
part. So much for following the instructions!
The
two exhaust pipes were inserted in the openings in the cowling and
fixed in place with superglue.
Wing
Assembly.
The
underside of the wing tops were painted with Floquil Platinum
Mist, while the wheel wells were painted with Modelmaster MM4759
light sea grey. I figured that after assembly of the wings’ tops
and bottom it would be too difficult to paint these areas without
excessive masking. The center wing flap was detailed on the top
side so I carefully scribed the outline and dropped the flap for a
more candid appearance. The instructions offered no hints or
suggestions on this part, but I did it anyway.
The
kit is furnished with four wing-mounted gun “barrels”, but my
references showed that the SB2U-3 was equipped with a single
machine gun in the port wing. The three remaining holes were
filled with plastic rod and putty after the wings’ tops and
bottoms were assembled. The wing was then fitted and glued to the
fuselage. The fit was near perfect and no filler was required.
Weapons.
I
decided to install the bombs as I was building an aircraft that
was involved in the Midway battle. The centerline bomb cradle and
the wing racks were painted flat black, then dry-brushed with
Rub-n-Buff silver. The bombs were first airbrushed a dark green
and lightly over-sprayed with a dark olive. Once dry the bombs
were lightly dry-brushed with Rub-n-Buff silver. Later, the bombs
were given an oil wash of burnt sienna and umber.
Painting.
Model
Master (MM) Acrylic paints were used throughout this phase. The
model was first primed with Plasticoat white sandable primer which
was allowed to dry for 24 hours. There are two bands of tape noted
on the fuselage to hold the fabric in place (!). I used thin
strips of drafting tape over the white primer to mask the primer
from the overcoat colors. Preshading was applied to all panel
lines and wings/stabilizer to fuselage junctures using Tamiya flat
black. The undersides were airbrushed with MM 4759 light sea gray,
and the upper surfaces as well as the outboard portion of the wing
undersurfaces was airbrushed with MM 4847 US Navy blue gray. The
fabric portions of the wings and fuselage were masked and
over-sprayed with MM 4847 US Navy blue gray lightened 10% with MM
flat white. Later, the fabric portions were lightly dry-brushed
with light gray to accentuate the ribbing.
The
canopy greenhouse was masked using the kit-furnished masks
supplemented with metal foil and Tamiya masking tape (there were
not enough kit masks) and airbrushed with Floquil platinum mist.
When this had dried the canopy was over-sprayed with MM medium
blue.
When
everything had dried for 24 hours Future was airbrushed for the
sealer coat and glossy base for the decals and markings. I used a
grey oil wash for all panels lines and recesses.
Decaling
and Weathering.
The
kit decals were used throughout. The ribbing on the wings and
rudder required several applications of decal solvent before the
decals settled down completely. Once the decals had cured and
settled down the entire model was over-sprayed with Modelmaster
satin clear coat. It was done!
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