Trumpeter 1/32 F-4U-4 Corsair

[Rob]

Taking my time. I build a little bit and then I get the sprue goo out and putty and get it ready for paint. Just a couple spots here and there needed it. It's that soft plastic Trumpeter uses I guess. It's amazing the lack of quality control. On one sprue you can see ejection marks just a little bit and you get the other sprue and the injection pins are halfway through the plastic. Look at these two landing gear Bays. Each was on its own sprue. One Bay is perfect the other Bay has absolutely tons of ejector marks. But even with all that I still think it's going to make a pretty decent model.

 

[BarleyBop]

Looking pretty decent so far!
BTW, love that oilstone box... for knife, chisel or plane blades?

 

[Rob]

Looking pretty decent so far!
BTW, love that oilstone box... for knife, chisel or plane blades?

 

[Rob]

Neither. This particular box is all original. I got it from my dad after he passed years ago. Lately I've been using them to fine tune pe. They work great to grind off the little nub you sometimes get on the edges from trying to snip it off

 

[Rob]

Neither. This particular box is all original. I got it from my dad after he passed years ago. Lately I've been using them to fine tune pe. They work great to grind off the little nub you sometimes get on the edges from trying to snip it off

View attachment 146701

Closer look

 

[BarleyBop]

I got it from my dad

What a wonderful keepsake.
I could tell from the wear and the typography that there must be a story there. Priceless.
I've never seen silversmith stones before. Thanks for the closer look.

 

[Rob]

After decals and gloss.

 

[kevin]

That's coming along great. Are those Tamiya colors on the model?

 

[Edbert]

Dang Rob, that looks great!

 

[Rob]

Thanks guys! Yes those are Tamia paints. At first I was listening to everyone else instead of myself and my eyes. Guy at the hobby store said no flat blue because they were heavily weathered. So the first one was flat blue and I didn't like it at all. When I looked at it it wasn't that Corsair blue that I wanted to see with the white on the bottom that I think looks so cool. So I went through my paints and I found a bottle of x3 royal blue that I bought and somehow it got pushed to the back and underneath some stuff where I didn't see it. So I opened it up and my eyes immediately said that's the Corsair blue. And the medium blue is just X3 thinned a little bit more than halfway with white. I could have went with a more weathered look but it wouldn't have looked like the one I remembered when I was a kid and visiting the Smithsonian Institute and looking at just plain hanging from the ceiling

 

[kevin]

I plan on sticking with Tamiya, for whatever reason it's about the only paint line I successfully got to spray from my airbrush.
Do you any issues mixing colors together?

 

[Rob]

I plan on sticking with Tamiya, for whatever reason it's about the only paint line I successfully got to spray from my airbrush.
Do you any issues mixing colors together?

The only time I ever have issues is when I use another brand of paint. I just like Tamia. I have a lot of their LP paints and the X and XF line. I only mix it in my airbrush or if I absolutely have to paint with a brush with Mr color leveling thinner. I never have any problems. It could be the airbrush. I have a patriot 105 with a 5 needle and it's real hard to clog it up. I love it. If I need to spray tiny detail lines? I just don't clean it super good for about 4 or 5 times and the nozzle gets a couple coats of paint dried up and I can get tiny lines. Then I clean it real good and it'll empty a half a paint cup pretty quick

 

[Steve Ski]

Wow!! That's some gorgeous color, Rob, WOW! She's a beauty!

 

[Littlemarten]

The only time I ever have issues is when I use another brand of paint.

Unless you really know what you are doing, it is generally best not to mix different brands of paint. Basically, "Never cross the streams."

 

[Rob]

Wow!! That's some gorgeous color, Rob, WOW! She's a beauty!

Thank you ski. I appreciate it

 

[Rob]

I know I said in the beginning of this build that the plastic was soft and blah blah piece of poop kit and I got a little bit of a kickback on that. But that's all right. This one would be no fun if we didn't talk a little bit and argue a little bit but just a little bit of the arguing please. Anyways. I'm done with it. I honestly think this is the best model that I've ever built. I know there may be a fingerprint and a dog hair and some dust and some of the parts didn't fit right and I didn't do any weathering but this is how I remembered the Corsair when I was a kid. Of course I took liberties especially with the decal on the tail. But all in all? Even though I bad mouth Trumpeter a little bit? After building this and enjoying the end product? I will try another 132nd kit by them

 

[Littlemarten]

If someone saw this 1:1 scale, at an air show, they wouldn't give it a second thought. There was a time when the Navy kept their birds as clean and shiny as possible—to help prevent corrosion, and for a little improvement in speed. These days, those are less of a concern because the speed difference is negligible, we have better, corrosion resistant paints, and stealth characteristics, whether visible or electronic, are far more important.

Delightful series. I am somewhat dismayed by the problems with Trumpeter quality, as I have several in the stash. I hope I do as well with them as you did with this.

 

[Tommergun]

Fantastic work! Makes me want to bust mine out and use this as inspiration.

 

[Rob]

If someone saw this 1:1 scale, at an air show, they wouldn't give it a second thought. There was a time when the Navy kept their birds as clean and shiny as possible—to help prevent corrosion, and for a little improvement in speed. These days, those are less of a concern because the speed difference is negligible, we have better, corrosion resistant paints, and stealth characteristics, whether visible or electronic, are far more important.

Delightful series. I am somewhat dismayed by the problems with Trumpeter quality, as I have several in the stash. I hope I do as well with them as you did with this.

Thank you for that. Yes the quality at first kind of got me down and a little perturbed because why would you have one landing gear Bay perfect and the other landing gear Bay has 13 sink marks.? Doesn't make sense. I think someone said other kits aren't like that, you got a bum one. So I am going to try another 132nd Trumpeter kit just to compare them and have some fun.

 

[Rob]

Fantastic work! Makes me want to bust mine out and use this as inspiration.

Thank you! You have the same kit? It would be interesting to see what you think of it once you get around to cracking the Box.