Dutch Hudson
CMK PUR was a good investment- great details.
Port side. Limited run kit. Vague placement of parts, much flash removal. The opposite of the last Beaufort project. I'm sure this is better than the 1960's Airfix one.
Note side walls PUR veneer
everything, well nearly everything, has gone through the black primer 'sheep dip'. Flaws?, yes many in this limited run/cottage industry kit!
CMK a/market has added some great cockpit details.
One last look inside
About to go to close, (W/O seat to be added).
A dry brush of the Wright Cyclones and a few bits picked out too. I will tone back the gold.
Some undercarriage details, typical for this limited run I guess.
MPM give you many spare windows, which aren't needed. Despite the misgivings about the fit of this kit, these transparencies are top-notch, tight, and once in a bit of capillary action from Tamiya's quick setting thin ensured they're going nowhere. A coat of Pledge to shine them, and we close....
Closing courtesy of CA glue for immediate aligning on parts of the fuselage, followed by thin cement for the ending power. Couldn't quite get it perfect, but I have minimised filler and sanding as much as I could.
Here's where the kit's instructions are woeful....the bomb-aimer's seat is too far forward and can't share the space with the nose's table and associated equipment, so I remove, reduce the legs underneath the seat and re-position (correctly?, I dunno) further back. I think the seat is too big for the scale, but c'est la vie....
et, voila! and note the wings to fuselage joints....again, limited runs have their limits.
basking in the next UK heatwave, everything baking nicely....
At the end of day 3, we have a Government-issued silhouette of a Lockheed Hudson. For identification purposes only.
used Airwaves's torque links rather than those supplied in plastic.
End of day 4, Sky Type S (71.303) getting a bit better with the pre-shading. (Need to even up the wings). Decided on a "Dutch" Hudson out of Leuchars, Fife, Scotland.
First pass of camouflage, day 5.
Vallejo 71.324 (green) goes down OK, but I always wrestle with 71.323 (brown): clogs, spurts and never is consistent. Will need to tidy the underside lines and re-do some fading that’s lost under the confounded brown!
Vallejo 71.324 (green) goes down OK, but I always wrestle with 71.323 (brown): clogs, spurts and never is consistent. Will need to tidy the underside lines and re-do some fading that’s lost under the confounded brown!
Second pass of camo. Of course, the US painted these to RAF near-as-damn colours, so my BS green and brown may not be totally accurate. I’ve also greyed the BS Sky type S as I’m reading some of the Hudsons were aluminium/grey on undersides.
Baking in the last (for now) hot UK summer’s day.
Some minor tweaks still needed on the top to underside line, and a remedial fix of the broken tail wheel. I have ordered some brass 0.303 guns, which means the project will go into holding pattern until they arrive.
All decals are on. Allowing to settle before the washes.
End of day 5.
Decals on, Pledge’d, wheels and undercarriage legs fixed (although one strut is too fiddly to get inside the wheel bays, so is left off). Only Boulton-Paul turret to be finished.
Decals on, Pledge’d, wheels and undercarriage legs fixed (although one strut is too fiddly to get inside the wheel bays, so is left off). Only Boulton-Paul turret to be finished.
The Codes and Radio letter are all cramped up around the roundel- I think this was the case in reality.
Re. cramping, radio code looks odd straddling the last window, but there was no where else for it to be placed.
Props are ready, will leave off until pin wash, smokes and grease are added.
End of day 6. Oils and smokes plus some grease. I used Maskol on the glazed nose and it has reacted with paints etc. and I have a small crust to remove carefully ?
On finals, (into Leuchars)…
The turret will be added once the barrels arrive
Props on, we're on short finals with matt varnish done. Turret, radio wires, forward-firing Brownings, and unpicking of masks (plus need to fix the front nose transparency).
Bottom sides show my (subtle?) weathering better.
PBottom view.
Double Dutchman now Flying Dutchman- masks off, Uschi-rigged, only turret and front MG to go on. “Approaching the outer marker”….
Double Dutchman now Flying Dutchman- masks off, Uschi-rigged, only turret and front MG to go on. “Approaching the outer marker”….
Finally, the AirMaster 0.303 British Brownings came in and I was able to finish the Boulton-Paul turret.
All in all, not a bad kit. Some work required, but now I’m looking through the transparencies I can see some nice cockpit details.
Landed. Leuchars.
Dutch Courage(ous).
I’ll post some outdoor shots with the EOS 5D.4 later.
Dutch Courage(ous).
I’ll post some outdoor shots with the EOS 5D.4 later.
Komentarzy
45 10 August 2022, 17:22
Andy BallThanks for popping in Patryk, I've made the Ventura (Academy) too - have you?, a much better kit than this, but I guess this is better than the ancient offering from Airfix.
11 August 2022, 13:46
Patryk S.Hi Andy! I did do the Novo Ventura and have one in my stash (rebranded by Chematic). I am looking for the academy kit but it is extremely hard to find. I have the PBO version of the Ventura in my stash though and it is high on my to do list so watching your current build with much interrest!
11 August 2022, 14:10
Andy BallI didn't realise the Academy Ventura was that hard to find? Maybe they'll re-release? I did the RAF one, so the PBO may be prettier? I'm wondering if the re-badges version of this (Revell/Italeri?) may have been a better buy?, anyways it's taking shape now.
11 August 2022, 19:11
Andy BallThanks again Cuajete!, the CMK seats look smaller than those they replace in the kit. The instrument panel is good too, haven't attached it yet….😬
11 August 2022, 19:12
Patryk S.In Poland it is indeed, but I was able to locate a minicraft rerelease today and I will buy it when I am back from Germany next week. Sorry, I did realise now I made a mistake with the PBO - it's not a Ventura but the USAAC / US Navy Hudson - thats what I had in mind. In the Revell / Italeri you would only get other decal options, the sprues are the same. Great progress so far!
11 August 2022, 19:57
Andy Ball@Patryk, I've just checked the reboxed offerings and they all have the same build sequence and faults this MPM offering has, so I'd be disappointed if I'd bought a mainstream manufacturer. Minicraft's Hudson maybe the best in this scale, and I didn't know they did one😞
12 August 2022, 21:39
Andy Ball@Łukasz, glad to have you in the audience- this is another attempt at a model-speed record 😀
12 August 2022, 21:40
Andy BallOlivier, thanks for peering over the project, I think the cockpit's the best part! (sadly, forgot to photo the instrument panel which was equally detailed for '72nd).
13 August 2022, 16:50
CuajeteVerey nice progress, Andy! 👍
Once the fuselage is closed, can you see anything inside through the passenger windows? Is it worth having seats?
13 August 2022, 18:03
Andy BallHi Cuajete- probably "nada" (I haven't taken the masks off yet, but prior to them going in I thought little to be seen. However the kit allows the door to be modelled in an open position, but I haven't
13 August 2022, 20:07
Guy RumpVery fast progress Andy, it's going well for an MPM. I still haven't plucked up the courage to build any from my stash as yet. I thought it was just me that has occasional issues with the Vallejo 71.323. 👍
14 August 2022, 18:31
Andy BallThanks Guy, it's only going fast because of the dedicated hours I've got. I think the paint for RAF dark earth needs s substitute- some of the Air Vallejos don't perform well through the H&S.
14 August 2022, 22:18
Andy Ball@Jan I think we need to recognise the sacrifices the Dutch made in WWII for the RAF. That is, being stationed on the east coast of Scotland 😉😂
14 August 2022, 22:19
Neil PatrickLooking great Andy. Do I spy a guitar string in the fuselage? E, A or D I'm guessing? 😉
14 August 2022, 23:02
Andy Ball@Neil, indeed as part of my random and fictitious approach to cabins, it is a pipe for something- it can't be seen now! Correct, it is an A string!
15 August 2022, 17:51
Erik LeijdensVery cool to see a 320 Dutch naval aviation squadron Hudson! Well build too, eager to see the end result.
17 August 2022, 09:40
Andy Ball@Erik, pleased we can pay back some respect to those Flying Dutchman who never gave up on us and their own.
18 August 2022, 12:30
Andy Ball@Ł, Cuajete and David, thanks, I'm in between jobs at the moment and have this window to self-indulge. Plus it keeps me off too much beer!
18 August 2022, 12:32
Andy BallThanks again Guy. It turned out better than I imagined. Still, this scale needs a good/better Hudson IMHO
30 August 2022, 22:27
