McDonnall F2H-3 Banshee Canadian Navy 1:48 - Early Jets

[Gearup]

Thanks Lou! So the remaining pylons were still attached but only the outboard positions were used.
Fraser

[Dave T]

It seems like there are lot of complicated shapes to figure out on the Banshee. It looks great so far.

[Gearup]

Thank you Dave. Yes this has been a challenge. I relied a lot on photos to get the wing shape close to the correct shape. It actually was easier than I thought it would be. The humps that define the engine nacelles were not evident from any one 3view or photo so much time was spent on those. The four guns also are not that clear on 3views either. They give the aircraft "jowls " as they change the fuselage cross section.  Again photos really helped to get the fuselage profile.  I must have been fun building the actual aircraft structure with those complicated wings.

Fraser

[lastvautour]

I underwing pylon were for free fall weapons and unguided rockets. Apparently we were the sole user of the Sidewinder

The following is a quote from Wikipedia
Armament
4 × 20 mm (0.787 in) Colt Mk 12 cannon, 220 rounds/gun (upper pair), 250 rounds/gun (lower pair)[46]
8 × 60 lb (27 kg) High Explosive rockets
or
6 × 500 lb (230 kg) bombs and 2 × 60 lb (27 kg) H.E. rockets
or
2 × AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles (in Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) service)

Lou

[Gearup]

In the paint shop.

[lastvautour]

Beautiful smooth finish Fraser.

Lou

[Dave T]

Just realized how big it is after seeing next to an airbrush. Nice carving.

[Gearup]

Thank you both. I am still working on it. I always seem to hit a wall when it is time to apply finish and decals. I am also learning to design and print decals for this model. Trust me....I'm not that fast with that yet.

Fraser

[Boomerang]

Fraser,
It will all come together.

Looking forward to the finished model.

Gordon

[Dave T]

I was the same way about finishing models. I made a LOT of models and just painted them with red primer, because carving was the most fun part.

[Gearup]

oh my goodness.....I can't believe the summer has gone and I didn't post since April....

I have been working on the Banshee, albeit at a slower pace.

So what have I worked on?
Paint, decals, missiles, masking and painting ( i know I said that twice).

So to provide some updates on the project.

Wheels, I turned these on the lathe. I used a wood from the Boxwood family. It grows like a hedging bush and are generally quite small. The wood is really a delight to turn for small pieces that require fine details.
I turned the basic wheel shape (round....go figure) using a small parting tool. I drilled the centre hole and parted it from the stock. After I had turned a few, I remounted the wheel blanks on a dowel face to allow me to finish the wheel. (technically a wheel is the metal hub part of the entire wheel assembly of wheel plus tire but i digress...)

I used a small skew chisel made from a miniature flat blade screwdriver and that works really well.

Usually i would paint the tire on the lathe as it is easy and provides a nice clean definition. However I wanted the black to show behind the spokes.

Next i made the wheel details of of the forged spokes. I used my silhouette vinyl cutter to cut the spoke design into card stock that was then painted as aluminium and bonded to the wheel.

Next, the gear doors.

Fraser

[Gearup]

I made the gear doors from overhead transparency sheet. Its very clear and it is easy to loose parts until you get the primer on them. The sheet stock is only .005" thick and makes nice stiff and flat parts that can be cut to tight tolerances. But if you pick them up wrong with tweezers, the material may bend a bit creating a spring that can launch them across the room if they slip. I assume they go very far as I usually can't  find the strays so I always make more than i need.

One of the images show the parts prior to painting mounted to the popsicle sticks. You literally cannot see them directly on the sticks, but the shadows of the parts show up really well. (i'm sure there is a scientific explanation for that. Probably due to the refraction of the light.)

Again to paint them, i use very sticky double sided tape to attach the parts edge on to popsicle sticks so I can hold them and not blow them away with the airbrush.

(SOOKWANG brand) Here's the amazon link for the 1/8" wide rolls. Its like contact glue on a roll and I use it when I'm  mocking up as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Scor-Pal-FBA_2sp201-Scor-Tape-27yds-Pack/dp/B071GLQHQ4/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1RPPGPEK0YOSF&dchild=1&keywords=sookwang+double+sided+tape+1%2F8&qid=1633851777&sprefix=sookwang%2Caps%2C283&sr=8-3

I will bond the doors to the gear when I have the gear in place. Likely one of the last parts to attach to the model.

now on to masking for markings.

Fraser

[Gearup]

I spend a good deal of time just sitting and looking at pictures and drawings to get the markings. Perhaps a bit too much....
I find it fun to design the masks for the markings and to cut out on the silhouette cutter.
Basic process is to design the mask and size it to scale. I then leave enough boarder around the mask to allow me to apply tamiya tape to attach the bigger sheets of masking material. In this case I used fine sheet paper that is used to stuff gift bags. I find it at the dollar store here. I also used washi tape from the craft store to mask areas that need a bit more protection or that are curvy. The tape feels just like the tamiya tape but is a lot cheaper and I have had good success with it. It was off-season themed tape and was in the bargain bin.

when appling the stencil mask, a light tack tape called transfer tape is applied on top of  the stencil before peeling it from the backing paper. This keeps the pieces of the stencil in place so it is easier to place it on the model. The tape is then peeled from the stencil leaving it attached to the model.

I masked white circles for the future roundel marking. (Upcoming grief). In preparation for the aluminium leading edges, i masked and applied gloss black as a base for the paint. You think it would have been easy to find gloss black? Nope, sold out and with the supply chain problems we are encountering, it was a bit of a search for it.

So more details to figure out. Ill post more soon. Its finally coming together!!

Take care
Fraser

[Boomerang]

In word "WOW" fantastic result so far Fraser.

Looking forward to further updates.

Cheers

Gordon

[lastvautour]

I fully agree with Gordon on your marvelous progress.

Lou