As you can see I have started painting the Albion fuel bowser using the paint provided by Airfix.
The acrylic paints in tiny jars work fine even if they are hard to open.
I have painted the figurines using two colors for now: RAF blue and light khaki. More details will be added to the figurines later.
There is no indication on how to paint the frame. I have found these two video which are quite useful.
I am still using my homemade light blue and homemade thinner on the USS Saratoga.
Deciding which color to use isn’t easy. This is the Saratoga leaving Pearl Harbor circa June – July 1942.
USS Saratoga (CV-3) alongside Naval Air Station, Ford Island, in Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, circa June–July 1942. Her original 8″ guns and mounts had been removed in January that year, at Pearl Harbor, just after she was torpedoed off Hawaii on 11th January. She was rebuilt at PSNS with 5″/38s in twin mounts, and returned to active duty on 22 May 1942. Both her 8″ guns and those from the USS Lexington (CV-2) became shore defense weapons in Hawaii.
Official US Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-K-456.
This is another photo…
Maybe my light blue is too light and I should repaint with a darker shade.
In 1945, according to Tamiya, the shade of blue was sea blue.
Then there’s the deck color to decide… natural wood color or blue stained.
I have decided.
USS Saratoga CV-3
Here are my four other aircraft carriers.
USS Hornet CV-5
USS Essex CV-9
USS Yorktown CV-3
USS Enterprise CV-6
Next time?
Very British Albion fuel bowser
I like the look of the Albion fuel bowser.
Very British.
https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/40130-bowser-pump/
I am slowly assembling it… Slow but sure.
As you might have noticed, you see lots of Tamiya cements featured on My Forgotten Hobby IV. Different kinds of cement are needed depending on how small pieces are.
I have set aside what I have done for now. This is what I did on Easter Sunday.
I had intended to use my airbrush to paint the USS Yorktown. I had lined the interior of my spray booth with paper to keep it clean. After I started to mask the hull I changed my mind, grabbed a jar of homemade light blue and painted the sides.
I then added a few drops of black in what was left and painted the deck a darker blue.
Tomorrow I will mix some homemade light blue with light gray and complete the painting.
Next…?
Painting the USS Saratoga.
The joy of painting with a paintbrush.
I found on YouTube all I need to know for what I have ordered at JacHobby two days ago.
But there’s a story behind what I had ordered when I got to the hobby shop on Saturday morning.
I was getting my Tamiya tapes I had ordered.
I asked the owner how long it would it take for the regulator to arrive. He said it could take longer than he first thought, but he told me he would check for alternatives…
So I left the store knowing he would try his best.
Driving back home, my wife phoned telling me the owner had just found an alternative.
Guess what? It was in his backstore. Exactly the same regulator and half the price!
About the spray booth…
It works fine and I can use it as a hangar.
This way I am sure I won’t lose any parts.
I want to add more figurines to my of C-47 diorama.
I spent most of Thursday assembling them.
Painting them with Vallejo black primer before wasn’t a great idea as I had to scrape areas to cement the parts.
I might use a paintbrush to paint them. However most figurines are RAF blue as well as other accessories: oil bowser, trolley accumulator, ammunition cart, etc…
So I might be using my airbrush and gain some experience. On another note, I have started the Albion fuel bowser.
I had learned how to use masking tape to hold small pieces with these builds.
I also found out that using the turntable is great for positioning and glueing parts precisely.
My workstation needs a little clean-up.
As well as my workplace.
I finally found what I needed for my airbrush at JacHobby.
I was not procrastinating to avoid starting to use my spray booth when I got it from Amazon Prime last Monday.
Nope, I had more important things to do like removing the tarps in front of my house.
And let them dry in the driveway.
Once done I set up the spray booth.
On Thursday I started using it feverishly. Figurines still on the sprue had a primer coat.
I will never do that again.
Then the Bedford truck got the same treatment…
In my haste I forgot to spray the bottom…
Then black primer on the USS Yorktown…
Unstoppable…
Black primer on the USS Saratoga…
Now what to do next? I need to calm down and take a deep breath.
Always interesting and informative to see what other modelers do. This is light-years from my comfort zone.
About what I did with the Bedford truck? I had assembled these parts and then I realized something was wrong…
The top would not fit.
I couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong…
Then I checked the instructions.
Wrong option!
Next time…
Lest we forget
Day 49
This is my new set-up…
I don’t intend to store my spray booth once I have used it. I have enough space to build my model kits and keep the spray booth operational.
Speaking about model kits, Inch High Guy is building this model kit in 1/72 scale.
I have always wanted to buy Tamiya 1/48 scale Brewster Buffalo.
Plaza Japan had one, but I was always changing my mind at the last minute to order it.
Japan Post is not shipping to Canada anymore. So I decided to look on the JacHobby website.
They can order one, but it would arrive only in June. I have ordered it anyway with some Tamiya tapes which they have in stock: 1mm, 2mm and 3mm.
I can wait until June for the Brewster Buffalo, but I will get the tapes on Saturday morning and have a look around the store.
My Forgotten Hobby IV 