A small bit of progress on both D4Ys today. They're getting close to the painting stage. I mixed up some red/brown propeller paint for the 1/48 J2M3 so I sprayed the propellers for these also and did the tires as well.
Group Build> Japan
This next little project took just over three hours of total relaxation to complete. The poor A6M2N at the top of this photo has been sitting on top of a box in my storage shed for almost nine years without being disturbed, cleaned, or moved in all that time. Then I needed a ring cowl for the D3A2 Val that I built earlier in this thread and used the cowl from this Rufe to make a mold.
Group Build> Japan
I purchased this kit not long after Tamiya first released it, probably in 1974 or '75. If memory serves this is either the first or second model I ever painted with an airbrush, that being a Badger 350 that I still use today. I took all of the disassembled bits into the sink today and gave everything a good bath. It didn't look too bad under all the dust and grime so I hauled all the pieces to the model desk. I was missing two pieces--the top 1/2 of the radio antenna mast and the little scoop section inside the cowling--both easily fixed items.
Group Build> Japan
Initially I was going to strip all the paint and redo this one as I have the other old models, but the paint looked pretty decent. The cockpit had fallen free at some point so I carefully demated the wing from the fuselage. Then I cleaned the cockpit up, added some seatbelts, and reassembled everything back the way I did it 36 years ago. I hand't yet discovered filler for seams when I built this kit, but being a Tamiya it fits pretty nicely anyway. I decided to just button everything back together and repair the broken antenna mast. The only painting I did was the black on the cowling (I'd done some damage during the RTV mold making) and a little touch-up of the joints on the wing/fuselage and the main float/wing joint. I have no idea what color the paint is as it doesn't match any of the Humbrol Japanese colors I have......but it's green and grey.
I evidently sprayed the model with flat clear after decaling as all the markings are still in good shape after over three decades, probably half of it spent in unheated/uncooled storage sheds.
So, without any more blabbing
, this is what came off of my modeling desk in the year 1975 after today's three-hour rescue:
Group Build> Japan
