In COD We Trust; C-2 Greyhound

Early days... got this in a trade, just the C-2 bits.  

Here goes nothing... 

Some wood filler to stiffen up the fuse and hold some nose weight in place. Not sure yet how much will be needed. The plastic is fairly thick so a bit stiff already. However it's quite old (in my stash for around 15-20 years, no idea how old before that) so a tad brittle for my liking. The back half of each fuse half practically snapped off the sheet before I cut anything.  

Estimate (or guess) the cockpit location.. 

Using the nose gear as a guide. 

Cut the tailplanes in half to remove the dihedral. Always was confused about how longer/shorter or same the span should be compared to the E-2. Well wonder no more.... 

Cut open the marked slots as close as possible to the marks. 

On both... my cutting not so hot this side... and I drilled out the windows.  

Note the location pins... 

Insert the tailplanes from inside... 

Up to the forward pin.. 

And repeat on other half... until friction stops them 

And how close is that to the plan?  

Spot on! And straight! 

Even matches the warpaint plans! 

Tabs added to one fuse half.  

Everywhere I can fit.. 

Big one on the bottom  

Looks pretty good... 

I might have needed to sand off a bit more here but at least both sides are dead straight  

Bottom is even better.. 

Just this little lip on the cockpit. However this will be cut off anyway later. Instructions suggest this to be removed after the fuselage is joined. 

Looks good. That's enough for one day's modelling. Off to Cobh later to see a fireworks display celebrating the anniversary of the handing back of the Treaty Ports from the British in 1938. Thanks for watching... 

Need to remove these fairings from the tails. On E-2, not on C-2. 

Fuse joined and tail added. 

Not perfect but close enough for me. 

Join turned out not as great after glue than it looked on dry fit. 

Wings together, I backed these holes with plastic sheet before glueing the top to bottom. Backing for filler. 

The step in the join is annoying me. 

So brushed on this stuff. Intend to sand it back. Let's see how it works. 

Second application... 

Again, here goes nothing... 

So time to select the aircraft I plan to model. To keep in my collection of being on USS Nimitz during CVW-8 time frame I have only found this photo that identifies a serial. To the far left is a C-2 with Tailcode "JM" and serial 5123. Of note, it also has the raised section between the tail fins, as per the kit parts. Later Greyhounds didn't. This has to be 155123. So Google "C-2 155123" and..... 

JM "123" 155123 Naples 1976. Too early for the TPS era on the Nimitz photo. This and the following photos aer here..
c2greyhound.com/index.php/buno/16-155123 

JM 34 155123 in Germany around 1979. Still too early for the Nimitz pic but best I got. Nimitz pic is sometime between 1985 to 1987. The JM now has a white drop shadow which is not on the Nimitz photo. Surprisingly to me, the gull grey seems to go under the engines and fuselage.  

Again in 1979. 

And the same aircraft in 1989. Tail marking has changed from JM to RW. COD is gone off the engines as well. So .... I'll go by the last 2 pics until I find a better photo.  

Sanding done. Not too bad... 

Underside ok too, not fussed here but I don't turn my models upside down... 

Next step, cockpit.  

Nervous times ahead... 

Oops.... 

Not too bad. I decided not to cut out the area in front of the windows on the fuse. I figured it would be easier to fine tune the bottom of the windows rather than a flexible very thin area of clear vacform. 

Ok I think. I cut short of the cut line to allow an area to glue the canopy on.. 

Ok. I missed a trick and almost met disaster masking the windows. Before you cut out the solid area of the cockpit, use the inscribed windows as templates for masking tape. The clear canopy part is so thin that trying to cut tape on it risks cutting through the clear plastic.  

Primed grey and first coat of white  

Looking ok. Wings and engines on as per e-2 instructions  

Still some touch-ups required.  

Front root 

And tail area 

Still refining the canopy joint... 

....And the wing/fuse. Doesn't help that I keep popping the seam. 

Oh well... 

Sprayed the grey using a 50/50 mix of Humbrol 129 and Xtracolour gloss 16440. White is tamiya LP matt and then gloss white.  

Looks better. 

Possible controversial decision made here. I'm of the belief that the lower wings were grey, not white. 

Bottom seam also popped. I'm past caring. 

Wings and lower fuse painted in light gull grey. 

Tape lined up at bottom with existing panel line. 

Using 10mm tamiya tape lined up with the bottom panel line on the fuse marks exactly the divide between grey and white. 

155123. Mid 80s.  

155123 early 80s. Flaps look grey. 

Grey flaps and port wing flap underneath.  

Poor quality photo of 155123 in 1984. 

155123 late seventies. The flaps are obviously grey as are the undercarriage doors. But the folded port wing shows a hint at grey underside? 

Sister ship 155124 mid 80s. Grey under wing obviously here. 

Found one at last. This is 155123 at Ramstien in 1984. Seeing as the Nimitz pic is August 1985 I've decided to copy this scheme for the model. Until someone shows me a better pic from Nimitz showing more of 155123 and what nose number she's wearing it can't be argued. Also the grey underside of the port folded wing is definite here.  

This is sister ship 155124 showing definitely grey underside of wings. Not standard or common, but both these birds seem to have been similarly marked throughout their lives, in VR24.  

So after a while we're back. Used this red paint pen to do the red edges on the u/c doors. 

Started scratching up some windscreen wipers. Florist wire with some white glue. 

And in place on the E-2 parallel build. 

Decals are from all over the place. Mostly generic letter and numbers sheets.  

Used the Heller kit decals for walkways. Managed to screw one up. 

Uc on. 

Happy overall how it's turning out, despite the mistakes.  

Just after taking this photo I went to attach the undercarriage doors.... 

... and this happened. 🙁 ?
Catastrophic structural failure.  

Back on. Slightly awry. Damage is only to paintwork. Looks salvageable. 

Front a bit worse.  

Wipers don't look as good as the Hawkeye's ones. Ok though.  

Deluxe Materials Perfect plastic putty put on with a damp blade. 

Drilling out navigation lights  

Retractable nose light carved from a Trumpeter sprue from 1/350 aircraft set. A C-2, appropriately.  

Nose gear doors, cut from fuse when cutting out vac parts and attached some staples to assist assembly.  

Looks OK 

Couple of beauty shots showing construction mostly finished, just a few aerials and touch up painting to be done 

Same 

Same 

Same 

Same 

Same 

Roof mounted horseshoe antenna. Coffee stirring stick looks like a good start  

Close enough  

Sanded, filed and cut to shape 

Looks good enough from a metre away, like the rest of the model.  

Finished. Well, missing the "COD" on the engines and flag on tails, awaiting suitable decals. Otherwise finished.... 

Finished  

There should be a US flag on the fins, but I haven't a decal the right size. For now, anyway. 

Poor light I know. Hides a load of sins.... 

Been a slog, too many self inflicted problems, won't win any contest but satisfied with the result and always good to get another model finished. 

With the E-2C conversion also finished today. Think it's time for a Matchbox model next......