After months of
working with limited run kits where a lot of energy is spent fixing
problems and improving with aftermarket items, it's nice to take a break
and complete a well-engineered kit OOB without a lot of effort. We've
all needed that little 'refresher' which helps you prepare for the next complex
kit and remind you that this hobby is supposed to be fun! Well, that
'refresher' for me was Trumpeter's 1/48 Grumman F9F-2 Panther. Out of the
box, this kit is well detailed and goes together without any problems.
This kit is so nice, I didn't feel the need to improve it with many aftermarket
items. Okay...except for aftermarket decals and some photoetch
seatbelts. Using SuperScales No. 48-1182 Decals for USN & USMC F9F-2
Panthers for VF-31 and VMF-311, my Panther was finished with markings for
F9F-2 No. 125130 of VF-31 on board USS Leyte in 1951.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The cockpit and
wheel wells were painted interior green (this is the true color - not white or
yellow chromate) and weathered and drybrushed with oils to bring out the
details. Eduard photoetch seatbelts were applied. Prior to
assembling the fuselage, be sure to add plenty of weight to the nose or you'll
have a tail sitter. With the kit construction complete, I painted the
leading edges and wing tank tips with Model Master Aluminum Metalizer and
buffed with a cotton cloth. Future was applied to the aluminum areas and
then masked. Model Master Dark Sea Blue was then applied over the entire
model. I've seen a few modelers fade the panels on this aircraft with a
lightened Dark Sea Blue, yet according to references, this is incorrect.
Despite the effects of sun, sea and war, the Dark Sea Blue paint on the original
aircraft did not fade enough to be detectable. The Dark Sea Blue paint on
the original aircraft was virtually weather-resistent. Because of the
paint's weather-resistent nature, paint chipping was a rarity on the real
aircraft, so I chose not to simulate any on my kit. A few smudges and
streaks were then applied with oils and pastels to simulate grime, hydraulic
leaks and soot from the gun ports. Most of the weathering is barely noticeable
with the Dark Sea Blue paint. No need to apply a wash to panel
lines - you won't be able to see it anyway with the Dark Sea Blue!
The US Navy
kept these birds well maintained, so a glossy finish was in order. With
the painting completed, I applied the decals and sealed with three coats of
Future. The high gloss finish was a bit too much for the kit,
so I 'scaled-down' the gloss by applying a 50/50 mixture of clear satin and
clear semi-gloss.
What US Korean
warbird collection is complete without a Panther? This was a joy to build
and a nice break from limited run kits. In all, I spent about 18 hours on
the kit and am very pleased with the result. Now its time to reenter the
world of limited-run kits..........
Eric
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