Trumpeter 1/48 Cessna A-37B Dragonfly

[Holz44]

Awesome looking Dragonfly Steve! I always liked the AT-37 but was unaware of it's existence until a friend bought a couple surplus Tweets. Thought it was a cool low slung jet with great visibility. He was unfortunately killed in a mid-air with an A-26 Invader.
For a guy that says he doesn't do many aircraft, you aren't lacking in talent Fellow Addict!

 

[Steve Ski]

Awesome looking Dragonfly Steve! I always liked the AT-37 but was unaware of it's existence until a friend bought a couple surplus Tweets. Thought it was a cool low slung jet with great visibility. He was unfortunately killed in a mid-air with an A-26 Invader.
For a guy that says he doesn't do many aircraft, you aren't lacking in talent Fellow Addict!

Thank you, Holz.

Dang, sorry to hear about your buddy, that's a royal bummer. These are a far cry from a 172, any day, but a lot of fun to fly in. I had two "incentive rides" when I was in Panama. When you won Load Crew of the Qtr you got a ride, so needless to say my boss thought I was hoggin the birds. Well, learn to beat me in a comp, and we'll talk, HA!

Honestly, this is the first bird I've done in ages, seriously. The learning curve is unique, like cars are. Most of us love to dirty up a tank or paint figures, but doing clean work is not my forte'. I've been learning quite a bit from YT and several SBS', so it hasn't been too painful. As long as I'm still having fun I'll press on, but this canopy has been testing my patience.

 

[Steve Ski]

LAU-68 Rocket Pods

Yehaaaaaaaaaa! I sneaked into the bunker and we've finally made it to the rocket pods, so we know we're about to take this Tweety for a spin. Well, it would definitely be fun to do that again, but we still have a few minor things to tend to first, like arming this 'lil birdy. I was wanting to add BDU racks, but getting the scale correct would have been a chore. I could order BDU's from Flying Leathernecks Scale Creations, but not the rack, so I'll have to settle for just the LAU-68's. I didn't see anything that resembled this rack. T'sall good, this bird looks great with just the rocket pods.

These launchers had a rough texture to them, not clearly visible in these pics, but IMHO, from what I remember and the photos I've seen online, that is incorrect. Why is there a rough texture to these pods? Who knows, but that's an easy fix, and these beauties are so "cool," I can easily over look that issue. The guys at FLSC have a pretty decent line-up of ordinance, so check em out. https://www.flyingleathernecksdecals.com/

The pods were primed and given a coat of Tamiya Olive Drab mix. Once that dried, I applied Blitz Rounds metallic colors for the metal works followed by an Ivory Black oil wash for definition. Lastly, I added the smoke stains in the tubes and on the face with some of Mig's pigments. You can't see them in these photos, but I did add electrical lanyards to the appropriate locations on each pod and drill into the bottom of each bomb rack to insert them.

Other than finishing the canopy, for the 100th​ time, I will make the "Remove Before flight" flagging and rack pins, add the antennas, and install the canopy and piston. We're almost ready to sign off this birdy and let er rip.

More to follow soon, and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

 

[Steve Ski]

We're calling this pup done!

The Dragonfly Cleared for Flight

Trumpeter US A-37B Dragonfly Light Ground-Attack Aircraft, Kit# 02889
Dressed in 24th​ CAMS attire, Howard AFB, Panama, circa 1985-91? Call sign, Tweety.

This was a fun diversion from painting flesh tones all the time. This kit has minor challenges, but not beyond the normal expected for aircraft builders. I learned quite a few techniques along the way giving me a greater appreciation for the AC builders who work these kits often. I personally have not built a bird kit, other than one helo, in ages, so this did stretch my normal building process by more than just a bit. I see no reason not to recommend this kit; it's a fun build, and it's still available.

All comments welcome, and thanks for watchin. Cheers, Ski.

 

[kevin]

Wow, that looks like it's ready to take off!
I really like the subtle color variations in each of the colors in the camo scheme.
Well done.

 

[BarleyBop]

What a beaut! That double width canopy is something else!

 

[Tommergun]

Stunning work!

 

[Jakko]

Very nice, one to be proud of

 

[Steve Ski]

Wow, that looks like it's ready to take off!
I really like the subtle color variations in each of the colors in the camo scheme.
Well done.

Thanks, Kevin, and thanks for following along. Lo0oking closer at the pics I can see this is not as crisp of a finish as I'd have liked, but I'll take it. I surely can't change it now, lol.

What a beaut! That double width canopy is something else!

Wouldn't this be a great ride sitting in the driveway?

Stunning work!

Thanks, Tommer.

Very nice, one to be proud of

Thanks, Sir Jakko!

Next up, as promised to my lovely bride, American Indians. My collection is small comparatively, but there's enough there to learn the flesh tones in decent form. She chose the Andrea's Miniatur's Sioux Loading Carbine, S4-F02. I think she picked it because of the pretty pony. Great, I also get to learn how to paint horses, and I've never done one of those either. This will be interesting.

Now that I've got my research work cut out for me, time to get to work. Maybe I'll get one of these done before New Years.

Ya, right.

 

[BarleyBop]

paint horses

Will be watching closely, the last horse I painted was under a Napoleonic Hussar, I think, and I was a teenager. About the same epoch

I have a Moroccan mule, and a French colonial Goumier horse in the stash.

 

[Holz44]

Truly a pleasure to follow along and "feel" some of the same anxieties that trouble all builders. You created a beautiful and accurate replica of probably the most "Badass Cessna" to ever grace the Heavens! It will be a shame to not see more aircraft coming out of your hangar.
Until next time....................

 

[Steve Ski]

Will be watching closely, the last horse I painted was under a Napoleonic Hussar, I think, and I was a teenager. About the same epoch

I have a Moroccan mule, and a French colonial Goumier horse in the stash.

Again, this will be a stretch to my norm, but it wouldn't be any fun if we just dribbled in the half court, HA! We'll see how this goes. I've already got a line on some great YT vids for pony painting, and a decent brush or two, so a thread will commence soon.

 

[Steve Ski]

Truly a pleasure to follow along and "feel" some of the same anxieties that trouble all builders. You created a beautiful and accurate replica of probably the most "Badass Cessna" to ever grace the Heavens! It will be a shame to not see more aircraft coming out of your hangar.
Until next time....................

Oh, you lil devil, temptith me not, HA! Ya know, I do have quite a few bird kits on my shelf with loads of AM PE and resin, and the learning curve wasn't so bad, so I will probably throw one in the mix between figure work. My forte' is figure painting and I'm not quite to the level I would like to be. But it never hurts to do some switch hitting every now and again, ya?

Thanks for the kind words, Steve!

 

[BarleyBop]

We'll see how this goes

... just remember to ignore all the 'neighsayers'!

 

[Steve Ski]

... just remember to ignore all the 'neighsayers'!

Oh ya. Like my daddy always used to say, "It ain't none of your business what you think of me anyway!" The neigh sayers are usually the button and rivet counters, know it alls, and who listens to them anyway? No, we Ruck Over and have fun, cause "sniffin paint and gluin them fingers together" is way more fun than a rocking chair any day!

 

[BarleyBop]

The neigh sayers

Hahaha, Steve, that was a failed attempt at some horsey humour! 'Neigh' sayers...

 

[Holz44]

Amen on that staying busy aspect!! Besides life long model building that kept me happy, I watched my Father in Law build doll houses, wooden wagons, etc. Painting, fitting, figuring things out until he passed at age 94!! Keep that brain working and eye/hand coordination going! Good lessons.

Build on!

 

[Steve Ski]

Amen on that staying busy aspect!! Besides life long model building that kept me happy, I watched my Father in Law build doll houses, wooden wagons, etc. Painting, fitting, figuring things out until he passed at age 94!! Keep that brain working and eye/hand coordination going! Good lessons.

Build on!

Yep, and I know several former co-workers who went back to work because they got bored,...........VATT???? That's just plain nuts!

 

[BarleyBop]

I know several former co-workers who went back to work because they got bored

... my Dad kept busy, doing things he loved. It seemed like many of his colleagues hadn't learned that lesson: for about ten years after he retired, all too many of them just stopped living, literally.

 

[GCB]

Great job Steve! Assembly, colors and weathering are amazing!

 

[Edbert]

Every day at the bench, I thank the gods of styrene for Mr. Surfacer™ and Aves ApoxySculpt™.

Is it similar to miliput? Obviously is is epoxy, I mean is it of similar consistency and sculptability?

Regarding retirement, the two scariest things for me is the thought of dying too early to enjoy it, or living too long to afford it. It always struck me as odd that here was estate planners for retirement. I get the idea of investment advice, but to plan retirement one key factor you need to know is "how long will you live".

Steve, that photo, taken by you or someone you know? The redacting has me curious.

 

[Jakko]

There is no way it can be as bad as Milliput.

 

[Holz44]

Which photo? There are a couple "Steves" in this thread.

 

[Littlemarten]

Is it similar to miliput? Obviously is is epoxy, I mean is it of similar consistency and sculptability?

Regarding retirement, the two scariest things for me is the thought of dying too early to enjoy it, or living too long to afford it. It always struck me as odd that here was estate planners for retirement. I get the idea of investment advice, but to plan retirement one key factor you need to know is "how long will you live".

Steve, that photo, taken by you or someone you know? The redacting has me curious.

Believe it or not, I've never used Milliput. Aves makes a variety of materials, of which Apoxy-Sculpt is only one. From what Jakko says, it may be superior. Use their Safety Solvent for cleaning and keeping it from sticking to tools. Aves.

 

[Littlemarten]

Regarding retirement, the two scariest things for me is the thought of dying too early to enjoy it, or living too long to afford it. It always struck me as odd that here was estate planners for retirement. I get the idea of investment advice, but to plan retirement one key factor you need to know is "how long will you live".

How long you will live is something you will hopefully never know until you die. Worrying about when you are going to die is a great way to make it happen sooner. As a very good doctor once said to me: "You can die any time." That scares some people, but to them I say: "You can choose to live in fear. Or you can choose to live. Living in fear is not living."

 

[Edbert]

Worrying about when you are going to die is a great way to make it happen sooner.

Not worried about dying, just unable to determine if I can retire today or not.

 

[Littlemarten]

Not worried about dying, just unable to determine if I can retire today or not.

Well, I was involuntarily retired at 55. "You can get retired any time." So planning for a long retirement is a good idea. And if you die before the money runs out, your heirs will thank you.

 

[Edbert]

Which photo? There are a couple "Steves" in this thread.

Apologies, I meant Steve Ski, it looks like a personal/private photo. So if the source wishes to remain anonymous, I get it.

 

[Jakko]

Apoxy-Sculpt (…) From what Jakko says, it may be superior.

Milliput is one of those things that a great number of British modellers swear by, and I (and probably a lot of non-Brits) mostly swear at. I used it for quite a long time mainly for want of anything else, and my chief complaint about it is that it's so hard — before mixing, I mean. It's very difficult to knead the two parts together for all but the superfine varieties, and back when I did use it, the only superfine available was white. Yes, that meant you had to knead a white part and an off-white part together and hope you got it mixed well enough.

I won't claim to have very extensive experience with epoxy putties, but over the years I've used a number. The very first was Verlinden's, which was sticky but kneaded together easily and generally worked well. Then I was forced to use Milliput, which was a big frustration compared to what I was used to, as I explained above. After too many years of using that (just not very often ) someone brought a packet of Sylmasta A+B from the UK for me, and that was just so much better — kneading it together is not too much work, and once mixed it feels (and looks) like soft caramel.

After those I've also tried Magic Sculp, which is a little less soft than Sylmasta A+B but very good to use too, and Green Stuff, which I'm not a fan of. It's too rubbery, making it hard to knead unless it's warm, like from your hands when kneading it, but then when you go and work it it cools down and becomes hard to shape again. These days I turn to the A+B when I need to make larger things, like sandbags on tanks, and Magic Sculp for smaller, like figure conversions.

 

[Holz44]

If it does concern the T-37 pics in orange livery, ask away.