MAKE YOUR MODELS POP LIKE A PRO’S

100%
EXPERTS GUIDE TO HOLIDAY 2016
NEW!
SUPERDETAILING
ALLNEW BUILDS
from world-class modelers
3
Detailin
Galleriesg

Chuck Sawyer’s P-38L – p.6

100  pages of new detailing

ıdeas and photos

Top-tier tank – p.22 Striking ship – p.32 D-Day diorama – p.56 Awesome Alfa – p.70 Better Borg – p.89
 THE #1 RESOURCE
FOR CAR MODELERS!

RELIVE THE
Glory Days
Scale Auto magazine will inspire and teach you how to
build better models of your favorite muscle cars, stock
Subscribe Now!
cars, street rods, and more. Every issue is packed with
helpful tips and techniques, modeling how-tos, detailed 2 EASY WAYS TO ORDER:
photographs, new kit reviews, and more!
ONLINE
Whatever your skill level, ScaleAutoMag.com
Scale Auto magazine is your essential
CALL
modeling guide!
800-533-6644
Outside the United States and Canada,
call 813-910-3616.
P28711

Sheperd Paine’s legacy continues in his

final book, which features some of the
best armor modelers in the world.
Covering all aspects of armor building —
including doing research, basic kit
assembly, painting and decaling,
weathering, creating battle damage,
adding equipment, and posing and
painting figures, as well as diorama
planning — modelers of all skill levels
will find tips and techniques to use
on their latest builds.

Buy now from your local hobby shop!

Shop at KalmbachHobbyStore.com
P28594

Sales tax where applicable. #12805 • $24.99

CONTENTS EXPERTS GUIDE TO 2016
6 Details make a striking Lightning
SUPERDETAILING
Getting the most of Trumpeter’s
1/32 scale P-38L
BY CHUCK SAWYER

16 Kitbashing an early Cougar

Crossbreed Grumman cats for the
hybrid F9F-6
BY DARREN ROBERTS

22 Pounce on a Panther
Details for a late-production
PzKpfw V Ausf D
BY BILL MORIN

32 Strike against the Missouri

Some fought to live, some fought to die
BY RENÉ HIERONYMUS

36 Polishing a little gem 16

Key additions make a 1/144 scale
E-2C Hawkeye sparkle
BY FRANK CUDEN

40 Show Gallery
High-flying detail

48 How to Build a BARV

Scratchbuilding makes a D-Day Sherman
conversion in 1/35 scale
BY ANDY COOPER

56 D-Day, Juno Beach

Tag-team allies model a diorama in
1/35 scale
BUILT BY GLENN BARTOLOTTI
AND JIM WECHSLER

64 Show Gallery
Powered-up armor 48
70 Rev up a Grand Prix racer
Superdetailing a 1/20 scale multimedia kit
BY BOB STEINBRUNN

78 Tiger Meet JAS 39C

Converting, detailing this Gripen
is a roarin’ good time
MODEL BY RICARDO DACOBA

82 Scratchbuilding tips and tricks

A master modeler shares the secrets
to shipshape modeling
BY DAVE STRAUB

89 Built for the Borg

Photo-etching and foraging, cubed
BY JEFF POLLIZZOTTO

94 Show Gallery
But wait, there’s more! 78
EDITOR’S PAGE
By Mark Savage
Getting better and better!
T he better models get, the better
modelers get.
The inverse is true, too: The better
modelers get, the better their models
get.
It seems simple and we see it at
shows all the time. A modeler
approaches our photo booth
and lays on the praise of our
magazine and all it has taught The goal,
him over the years. of course,
We’re not alone though. is to
The modeler usually is full improve,
of thanks for his fellow club to get
members’ tips, advice he better and
got from folks met at better at
shows and contests, plus modeling.
ideas shared with model-
ers worldwide via our
online forums — possibly some other
folks’ forums, too.
The goal, of course, is to improve,
to get better and better at modeling.
That’s our intention for every maga-
zine. We redouble our efforts for spe-
cial issues such as this one on
superdetailing, which can mean many
things to many modelers.
Here we’re looking at ways some of
www.FineScale.com
4 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
the world’s best modelers have gone
the extra mile and a quarter (2km) to
create stunningly realistic and exciting
models or vignettes.
There are ideas and tips galore in
our 11 all-new how-to stories, culled
from the bulging FSM story files.
But we’ve also gone
that extra little bit by
assembling three photo
galleries from the biggest
modeling shows that we
attended this past year.
We selected the most
detailed builds to focus our
spotlight on so you can see
what fellow modelers are
doing to raise the bar.
We hope you enjoy this
special issue, and particularly that you
pick up some ideas and new tech-
niques to make your great models
even better!
editor@finescale.com
THE FSM READER FORUM
Discuss model building with more than
30,000 enthusiastic modelers from around
the world.
FSM DIRECT
Our PDF article collections let you down-
load the information you need directly to
your computer.
PRODUCT NEWS & VIDEOS
The Modeling Products Directory and
New Product Rundown videos give you
the most up-to-date info on the latest kits.
MODEL KIT REVIEWS
Subscribe to FSM and you’ll have access to
our searchable online database of more
than 1,500 kit reviews.
EXPERTS GUIDE TO 2016
SUPERDETAILING
Editor Mark Savage
Art Director Tom Ford
EDITORIAL
Senior Editor Aaron Skinner
Associate Editor Mark Hembree
Assistant Editor Elizabeth Nash
Editorial Associate Monica Freitag
ART
Illustrator Kellie Jaeger
Photographer William Zuback
Production Coordinator Cindy Barder
CONTRIBUTING MODELERS
Paul Boyer, Federico Collada, Andy Cooper,
Raúl Corral, Frank Cuden, Phillip Gore, James Green,
Joe Hudson, Rick Lawler, Karl Logan, Harvey Low,
Rato Marczak, Chris Mrosko, Bill Plunk, Darren Roberts,
Chuck Sawyer, Cookie Sewell, Bob Steinbrunn,
Cristóbal Vergara, Jim Wechsler, Adam Wilder
KALMBACH PUBLISHING CO.
Senior V.P., Sales & Marketing Daniel R. Lance
Vice President, Content Stephen C. George
Vice President, Consumer Marketing Nicole McGuire
General Manager Brian J. Schmidt
Advertising Director Scott Bong
Corporate Art Director Maureen M. Schimmel
Art and Production Manager Michael Soliday
Circulation Manager Cathy Daniels
Single Copy Specialist Kim Redmond
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
888-558-1544
Advertising Sales Representative
Todd Schwartz, Ext. 539
Advertising Services Representative
ads@FineScale.com
RETAIL, TRADE ORDERS, AND INQUIRIES
Selling FineScale Modeler magazine or products
in your store:
Phone 800-558-1544
Outside U.S. & Canada 262-796-8776, Ext. 818
Fax 262-798-6592
E-mail tss@Kalmbach.com
Website www.Retailers.Kalmbach.com
CUSTOMER SALES AND SERVICE
Phone 800-533-6644
Outside the U.S. and Canada (813) 910-3616
Customer Service
FineScaleModeler@customersvc.com
Digital
FineScaleModelerDigital@customersvc.com
Back Issues
FineScaleModelerSingleCopy@customersvc.com
SPECIAL EMAIL & WEB ADDRESSES
Ad Sales adsales@FineScale.com
Letters to the Editor editor@FineScale.com
New Products mfreitag@FineScale.com
Reader Gallery Contribute.Kalmbach.com
Reader Questions questions@FineScale.com
Reader Tips tips@FineScale.com
Editorial phone (262) 796-8776; advertising (888) 558-
1544; customer service & sales (800) 533-6644; outside
the U.S. and Canada (813) 910-3616.
Experts Guide to Superdetailing (ISBN 978-1-62700-
465-7, EISBN 978-1-62700-466-4) is produced by
FineScale Modeler magazine and published by Kalmbach
Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612,
Waukesha, WI 53187. © 2016 Kalmbach Publishing Co. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part in any lan-
guage without written permission of Kalmbach
Publishing is prohibited. Single-copy price $9.99 in
U.S.A.; $10.99 in Canada and other countries. Canadian
price includes GST. BN 12271 3209 RT. Canadian and inter-
national orders payable in U.S. funds. Canadian
International Publications Mail Products Agreement no.
40010760. EXPEDITED DELIVERY SERVICE: Domestic First
Class-$2.50, Canadian Air-$2.50, Foreign Air-$6.00.
Address all correspondence to Experts Guide to
Superdetailing, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha WI 53187.
Printed in the U.S.A.
WHAT’S INSIDE

The
Next
There’s rarely a shortage of superdetailed aircraf
shot at the 2016 Squadron EagleQuest and the IP

Level! .
r

Modelers are always looking

40 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
for new ways to take their
,

builds to the next level,

whatever that means
specifically to them. With kit
quality constantly improving,
creating a highly detailed
model now means more than
just painting and weathering,
although that’s still a big part.

,’

The following pages will explain and show you how!

www.FineScale.com 5
Details make a striking
LIGHTNINGGetting the most of Trumpeter’s 1/32 scale P-38L
BY CHUCK SAWYER
I
have always wanted to build a
“fork-tailed devil,” the twin-boom
Lockheed P-38 Lightning. I prefer
1/32 scale, which meant the choice of a
Revell or Trumpeter kit. I chose
Trumpeter (No. 02227). It’s a good
model, but it still has several challenges
to overcome.
An additional challenge was my goal
of building a restored bird with clean,
bare metal — because a metal finish
hides nothing! As a matter of fact, every
tiny flaw is magnified. Extra care must
be given to both construction and
surface preparation.
6 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
These challenges are met in modeling
Maj. Richard Bong’s P-38 Marge as it
appears at the EAA AirVenture Museum
in Oshkosh, Wis. This particular
Lightning, No. 44-53087, is a later P-38L,
although it has the markings of a P-38J
Bong flew during the war,
No. 42-103993. The nose art was an
image of Marge Vattendahl, the future
Mrs. Bong.
So I had my plane, my paint finish,
and a specific subject. Aftermarket
products kicked the project up a notch,
either correcting or enhancing many of
the model’s details.
 1 2 3
I thought Scale Aircraft Conversions’ white- Instead, I drilled through the kit’s plastic gear However, the SAC scissors link looked better
metal landing gear (top) would be stronger leg and inserted a sewing pin for a strong core. than what the kit provided.
and help keep the bird on its toes, but it
needed work and the oleo was overextended.

4 5 6
Using metal files, a motor tool, and sandpaper, I opened the attachment points on the plastic I replaced the nose-gear scissor link with
I polished the scissor links, drilled holes in the gear legs, leaving a C-shaped mount for the Eduard photo-etched (PE) brass and used bits
hinge and leg attachments, and inserted pins. scissor links. of wire, styrene rod, and brass for hydraulic
lines.

7 8 9
In the main gear wells, I painted a coolant pipe Brake lines are black electrical wire with strips The lower engine intake doesn’t fit in the
and made a connector of electrical tape and of electrical tape as clamps. boom, producing a gap on the underside.
metal strips. Hydraulic lines are 28-gauge
electronic wire, super glued with brass bands.

10 11 12
Deepening the grooves in the bottom of the The gear wells have fit issues, too, forcing the Trimming or sanding locators improves the fit.
intake assembly and widening the locator hole booms to bow out.
for the pin on the boom wall improves the fit.

www.FineScale.com 7
13
Getting better! Glue applied to well walls from
behind closed the remaining gaps.
16
With the new pins, I can correct the engine’s
height and angle as needed.
19
The spinners are too wide for the nacelles. I
sanded them down and used a pin vise to
make new rivets.
22
Tamiya black Panel Line Accent Color
(essentially, a premixed wash) brings out
surface details (left).
8 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
14
The propeller shaft mounts too low, so the
spinner falls short of the nacelle’s top.
17
Now the spinner can be adjusted to the right
height and angle before super gluing the pins.
20
The kit’s thick side vent doors were cut off and
replaced by Eduard PE. Circular vents on the
sides were replaced with brass tubing.
23
P-38s had an inboard mirror on the side of
each boom so the pilot could verify gear
down. The kit provides clear parts; I covered
them in Bare-Metal Foil after painting.
15
To raise the prop spindle’s mount, I created
pins cut from drill bits, cut the plastic pins from
the bottom of the engine, then drilled holes to
accept the new pins.
18
Still, the prop shaft’s fit is sloppy. So, I centered
it and glued it in place. The props can still spin
on the shaft, though less freely.
21
Every panel line was rescribed, every rivet
mark repunched with a needle in a pin vise,
and the larger Dzus fasteners were repunched
with a Mega Tool punch set.
24
Before mounting the engines, I glued lead
inside them for additional ballast.
25
P-38s have large radiator assemblies outboard
on each boom. The kit parts are fairly basic.
28
I filled the lower seam on the front of the
boom with super glue and sanded it smooth;
Eduard PE screen went in the lower vent.
31
So far so good!
34
Super glue filled the pin marks, and a coat of
black lacquer covered them. I glued the film
instruments behind and used small instrument
decals from Airscale according to references.
26
I painted the interior of each radiator housing
and the booms with Alclad II aluminum, then
added Eduard PE vent doors and surface detail
to replace kit parts.
29
The door for the underside vent also is Eduard
PE, painted with Alclad II aluminum. To prevent
breakage, I didn’t add it until the end.
32
There should be rows of raised rivets just
before the tail. After filling the recessed rivets
with super glue and sanding them smooth, I
applied Archer resin fastener heads.
35
I used HGW Models fabric seat belts and PE
cinches made for a P-51D; they are almost
identical to those of a P-38.
27
I filled fastener depressions at the front of the
supercharger intakes and added raised rivets
using Archer resin fastener heads. More vents
were created with brass tubing.
30
Check your references: Some seam lines
should be filled; others really are panel lines.
33
A Cutting Edge cockpit set provided a subpar
resin instrument panel. I used the kit’s clear
plastic, even though it had nine ejector-pin
marks — all on the front!
36
I primed the cockpit with black; parts that
would remain black were covered with Tamiya
masking tape and Micromask fluid. The rest
was airbrushed interior green.
www.FineScale.com 9
37 38
I airbrushed the interior color from the sides and above, leaving areas A drop of super glue created knobs at the tops of control levers.
under overhangs shadowy. Other parts are painted Alclad II aluminum.

39 40
The cockpit is glued to the top of the nose-gear well. But do not glue This bird needed a better gunsight. I used a K14 left over from a Tamiya
the nose gear in yet! P-51D, comprising five plastic (three clear) pieces plus a PE part.

41 42
Before the superchargers were glued into place, I painted their recesses I used Master Details resin superchargers. Wartime superchargers look
black to cover bare plastic inside. rough and rusty, but new ones are almost entirely clean. I glued them in
from behind to prevent exterior glue marks.

10 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

43 44
The wings droop; there are gaps to contend with, too. To eliminate droop and add strength, I glued a plastic chopstick inside
each wing using household rubber cement, which remains flexible.

45
P-38Ls have a landing light on the port wing.
In this kit, the frame around the lens is
inaccurate, the fit is poor, and the mounts
show inside the light.
46
I cut off the tab on the top of the clear part,
then dry-fitted it in the wing and sanded both
parts to smooth out the imperfection.
47
I scribed a new frame around the lens; now it’s
flush. After polishing the lens, I used Pledge
FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish (PFM) to attach
a landing light from my spares.

48 49 50
A boarding ladder on the bottom half and the I applied super glue from behind the cockpit The supercharger and ends of the very thin
ladder handle on the top wing don’t fit at all; I walls to attach it. (Note the cardboard and and fragile wing tabs were also covered for
reshaped their grooves with a motor tool. masking tape protecting details.) protection.

51 52
A large gap between boom and wing is best filled with strip styrene. It’s The nose gear was a little skewed. I drilled a hole above the left pin that
strong, easy to sand, and it won’t crack like putty can. holds the gear leg in place and, in spite of the glue, I was able to adjust
and straighten it.
www.FineScale.com 11
53
In the nose, the portal for the cannon is overscale. I filled it with liquid sprue and let it dry for a few days. Then I sanded it smooth and opened a
smaller hole with a drill bit and circular files.

54
After installing the gun assembly behind, the
barrels slip easily through the nose cone,
which aligns them.
55 56
To keep this bird on its toes, I glued more lead Stripping insulation from a computer wire
into the nose. harness yielded ultrafine wire that I used to
detail the radio and other equipment behind
the pilot.

57
After careful polishing, the canopy parts were dipped in PFM, which adds clarity and smooths fine scuffs or scratches. I wanted the side windows to
be down, so I cut them off and left just the top portion of each window. StencilPal provides vinyl masks for the canopy, inside and out. Before gluing
the windscreen and rear canopy, I painted the inside interior green and the outside Alclad II aluminum.

58
For the canopy top lid, I installed a metal
rearview mirror (spare from a Tamiya P-51D)
and made a triangular locking mechanism out
of brass scraps.
59
On the side windows, I darkened the join on
the bottom with a black Sharpie. When Tamiya
Extra Thin Cement combined with the black
ink, it further darkened the join.
60
Eduard PE enhances the landing-gear doors.
Hinges inside the doors are best left off until
the end of the build. Here is one of the doors,
dry-fitted.

12 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 40
Number of Japanese aircraft shot
down by Richard Bong, all while
flying a Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

61 62
After sanding (starting with 1500 grit), I airbrushed Tamiya gloss black For bright metallic finishes, the surface must be perfectly smooth.
lacquer (TS-14) decanted from a spray can and thinned about 40%.

63 64
After repairing the inevitable flaws revealed by primer, I sanded with I removed sanding dust with a tack cloth and compressed air, then
ultrafine (6000-8000 grit) GSI Creos Mr. Laplos polishing cloths. airbrushed a little more of the black lacquer.

65 66
The kit’s props (left) just wouldn’t do. I replaced them with resin parts I painted the spinner with Tamiya Italian red gloss lacquer, using the kit’s
from Grey Matter Figures (right). prop blades for holders.

www.FineScale.com 13
67 68
After several days of drying the primer was masked for painting. Masks Smaller strips on the edges guard better against paint bleed. Then
can lift the alcohol-based Alclad II chrome, so I sprayed that last. larger areas are filled in with bigger pieces of tape.

69 70
First the aluminum … … then Tamiya olive drab (TS-28) and Italian red (TS-8) decanted from
spray cans. A kitchen waste bag protects the rest of the plane.

71
Several thin, misty coats of Alclad II chrome produced a stunning shine!
Go light or the Alclad paint might craze the primer.
14 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
72
Alclad II chrome must be sealed with a clear coat so it won’t lift, peel, or
be clouded by decal solutions. However, a clear coat can dull a high
gloss. I tried several, and Tamiya clear acrylic (X-22) cut with Tamiya
lacquer thinner worked best. FSM
 Sources
• Resin fastener heads, Archer Fine Transfers,
www.archertransfer.com
• Fabric seat belts, HGW Models (No. 132032),
www.hgwmodels.cz
• Metal landing gear (scissor links only), Scale Aircraft
Conversions (32004), www.scaleaircraftconversions.com
• Resin superchargers, Master Details (32037),
www.masterdetails.com
• Resin props, Grey Matter Figures (GMAJR3217),
www.greymatterfigures.com
• Resin wheels and vinyl masks, Aires (2105),
www.aires.cz
• Exterior and undercarriage photo-etch, Eduard (32126 and
32134), www.eduard.com
• Brass gun set, ProfiModeller (32138), www.profimodeller.com
• Marge decals, Pyn-up (PYN32001), The Fine Art of Decals,
www.fineartofdecals.com
• Vinyl canopy paint masks, StencilPal (SP 32031),
www.stencilpal.com
• Instrument panel decals, Airscale, www.airscale.co.uk
• Automotive hose clamps, Model Car Garage,
www.modelcargarage.com
• Punch set and Mega Tool, Unique Master Models,
www.umm-usa.com

“If you didn’t want to fly

down Market Street,
I wouldn’t have you in
my air force. But you
are not to do it anymore,
and I mean what I say.”
– Gen. George C. Kenney, Fourth Air
Force, reprimanding Lt. Bong for
buzzing San Francisco in June 1942

www.FineScale.com 15
 Kitbashing an early
COUGAR
Crossbreed Grumman cats for the hybrid F9F-6 /// BY DARREN ROBERTS

L
ike many, I credit my dad with getting me hooked on airplanes
and building models of them. He took me to air shows and the
local hobby store, where I would gaze in awe at shelves full of
kits. He let me look through the aviation books he had purchased over
the years, giving me ideas for my next project.
In the Army in the 1950s, dad had the opportunity to travel to bases
of other branches of the military. One of those was Naval Air Station
Pensacola, where he photographed a brand-new F9F-6 Cougar. That
picture hangs in my modeling room, a permanent reminder of how
influential my dad was to me.
The F9F-6 is essentially an F9F-5 Panther with swept wings. When
Kitty Hawk released its 1/48 scale F9F-8 (No. KH80127), I decided to
convert it to an F9F-6 with an assist from Monogram’s F9F-5 Panther.

16 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 Oops!

1
I cut the nose off the Monogram kit’s fuselage halves just forward of the nose-wheel well (left). The Kitty Hawk nose parts, accurate for the Cougar,
replaced them (right). The fit was almost perfect; if not for an errant cut on my part, it would have needed little filler.

2
The nose of the -6 didn’t have the refueling probe featured in the Kitty Hawk kit, and there is no provision to model the nose without it. So, I cut a
piece from the kit’s probe (left), glued it into the opening at the tip of the nose, and sanded it to shape (right).

Lights

Lower rudder
3 4
The tail of the Monogram fuselage needed a couple of changes. First, I I cut the horizontal stabilizer fairing from the Kitty Hawk tail to use on
sanded off the lights and associated fairing. To make way for the the Monogram fuselage so I could attach the swept tail planes from the
Cougar’s larger lower rudder, I scored the outline with a scriber until the Cougar.
plastic was thin enough to cut it away with a hobby knife.

www.FineScale.com 17
 5 6
Careful sanding refined the fit of the Kitty Hawk fairing and the I separated the center section of the Monogram kit’s one-piece lower
Monogram tail. I sealed gaps with Mr. Surfacer 500. Working on the wing with a razor saw along the wing-fold lines. The intake lip was
halves before gluing the fuselage together allowed me to lay them flat removed also. I assembled the fuselage, including the cockpit, and
on the workbench, making the work easier. added the landing gear.

7
The fillet behind the wings differs between the -8, which extends to the exhaust, and the -6, which ends halfway back, the same as the Panther. I cut
away the top half of the fillet from the wings of the Monogram kit, stopping at the rear wing-fold hinge (left) and glued it to the lower half (right).

8 9
Attaching the Kitty Hawk Cougar lower rudder and horizontal stabilizers I then cut away the forward part of the intakes from the lower fuselage
finished the tail. of the Kitty Hawk kit.

18 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

10 11
I cut the pieces longer than required; the extra plastic will make refining Testing and trimming fit the piece onto the lower intake area; the front
the fit easy. I removed the intake lip and the step that meets the lower should stop at the middle of the Monogram speed-brake well. Apoxie
fuselage. Sculpt smoothed the transition between the different kit parts.

Remove

12 13
To finish the upper part of the intake section, I removed the wheel-bay Then, I sawed off the intake lip along the molded line.
supports from the underside of the Kitty Hawk upper intakes.

Rivets

Location slots

14 15
Using a razor saw, I cut the intake pieces to the inside of rivets between For the final step, I removed the tab with the locating slots from the
the second and third location slots from the front. intake parts.

www.FineScale.com 19
16 17
I glued the parts onto the other wing-root sections and filled gaps with The chord of the -6 was shorter than the -8. An extension of the leading
Apoxie Sculpt. edge creates a dogtooth at the wing fence that needs to be removed.
But pay attention, because it’s not a parallel cut. Instead, it tapers from
the fence to the wingtip. I used tape as a guide.

18 19
I thinned the plastic along the tape with a scribing tool, then cut With a knife, I cut away a third of the area from the trailing edge to the
through it with a knife. A coarse sanding stick rounded the leading edge recess for the spoileron.
and restored the airfoil shape.

20
I temporarily attached the wing and separate flap marking the line for
the trailing edge and making sure it aligned with the Monogram wing
fillet. After cutting along the line, I attached the wing and flap and
sanded the trailing edge to shape.
21
On the final leg now, I installed a set of Steel Beach resin intake lips
(No. SBA48138) and filled the landing-light opening in the starboard
wing’s leading edge with 2-part epoxy putty. The Cougar had a light in
the port wing only.

20 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

22
Using styrene rod and sheet, I filled the locating holes for the wing pylons (left) and the locating slot for folded wings (right).

23 24
That’s what an early Cougar looks like! I added photo-etched fences and After base-coating the model with Alclad II gray primer, I sprayed Alclad
spoilers to the wings before painting. II dark aluminum on the leading edges and masked it off with Tamiya
tape. Then, I sprayed the model glossy sea blue. A combination of kit
and Furball Aero-Design decals mark it as a VF-91 fighter.

Cougar nose without

refueling probe Steel Beach
intakes

Blended
wing roots

Cougar
lower rudder
Kit and
Furball decals

The canopy and fiddly bits finished the Grumman Cougar.

Metallic leading edge Now, I have a wonderful reminder of the man who got me
Modified Kitty Hawk wing started building models. Thanks, Dad! FSM

www.FineScale.com 21
Pounce on a Panther Details make a late-production PzKpfw V Ausf D /// BY BILL MORIN
A
s a modeling subject, the
German Panzerkampfwagen V
Panther may well be overdone
— thousands have been built
for every vehicle that actually existed.
But any armor model collection without
a Panther would be like a banana split
without the banana — and since I hadn’t
modeled a Panther since high school (the
old Tamiya Panther Ausf A), my collection
was deficient!
The first Panthers rolled off the line in
January 1943. Production designations were
an alphabet soup: the first Ausführung
(model or mark) was Ausf D, followed by
Ausf A and Ausf G. Many of the Panthers
wore Zimmerit, a nonmetallic paste applied
to thwart magnetic mines or sticky bombs.
The PzKpfw V was expensive, compli-
cated, and temperamental, but its 75mm
gun, sloped armor, and excellent mobility
22 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
made it a formidable fighting vehicle.
My model represents one of the last of
Ausf D, produced in September 1943.
What’s in the cupboard?
While I was planning this project, my wife
said, “Why not use that Panther stuff you
already have instead of buying more?”
Shaken from my modeling bliss by the real-
ization that she knows the contents of my
stash and what a Panther is, I agreed. I
already had a lot on hand.
My base is the Dragon 1/35 scale
Panther A Early Type, Italy 1943/44
(No. 6160). The A designation is supported
by some references, while others call it a
late D. It’s a transitional vehicle combining
D components with some A features (nota-
bly, the newer, cast commander’s cupola). I
thought it was easier to backdate the early
A than update one of the D kits. And I
already had this kit. I added Atak’s resin
appliqué Zimmerit (No. 35038). It was
actually the arrival of this set in the mail
which prompted my wife’s “suggestion.”
A word about glue
For joining plastic to plastic, I use Testors
liquid plastic cement, Tenax-7R, or a com-
bination of the two. I attached the resin
Zimmerit with Devcon 2 Ton liquid epoxy;
in addition to strength, its 30-minute
working time allows for adjustment as well
as easy removal of excess at the edges.
Smaller Zimmerit panels and other resin,
metal, and photo-etched (PE) parts were
attached with Devcon 5-minute liquid
epoxy. I know conventional wisdom indi-
cates super glue for such materials — but
some of you have yet to discover that
advancing age brings ham-fistedness! Five
minutes allows for alignment, and I don’t
 1 2
Building from the bottom up: This is the right road wheel for the period Tiger Model Designs’ resin replacements for the idler wheels needed
this tank model depicts. drilling and aluminum tubing for axles for a sturdy mount.

3 4
Resin Zimmerit on the lower hull has irregular edges, as the real vehicle A tank wouldn’t look right without mud. Here’s the first layer.
would. This was a good spot to try my first panel.

risk the damage or destruction of having to
redo super glue. (I still use super glue where
placement is less critical.)
The wheels go ’round
I chose this particular kit for its wheels.
Most Panther D models have the original
16-bolt rims; mine has the later 24-bolt
wheels, more likely for a tank wearing
Zimmerit, 1.
Nothing would be more annoying than
having drive sprockets or idler wheels snap
off. I glued the kit’s sprockets to the flat
tops of the final-drive housings for a solid
mount and replaced the hubcaps with spare
parts of an earlier design.
The molded-on idler arms provide a
robust mount for metal tracks. The same
cannot be said of the idler wheels.
Designed for use with the kit’s plastic
tracks, they attach with minimal contact. I
used Tiger Model Designs’ resin idlers and
made replacement axles for them using 3⁄16"
aluminum tubing.
The resin idlers have starter holes on
their backs; I drilled these out with a 1⁄8" bit
in a motor tool. I wasn’t worried about pre-
cision; some wiggle room allowed for
adjustments. I applied a dab of epoxy to the
end of each tube section before aligning the
wheels and letting the glue set, 2. I filled
around the axles with super glue.
Plaster and mud
Since this was my first work with resin
Zimmerit panels, I practiced on the lower
hull sides, which would be behind the
schürzen (skirt armor). I test-fitted and
trimmed the panels, then held them in
place and traced their outlines onto the hull
in pencil. Then, using a motor tool with a
round burr, I roughed plastic within the
outlines for better glue adhesion. I also
lightly sanded the backs of the panels with
medium-grit sandpaper.
After applying light coats of epoxy to
the hull, making sure to stay within the
marked outlines, I positioned and clamped
the panels in place, whisked away any
errant epoxy with a clean microbrush, and
left it all to dry overnight. I followed the
same sequence with the rest of the
Zimmerit. It already looks cool, even before
painting, 3.
Now it was time for mud. Overly
smooth concoctions look like chocolate
frosting; instead, I mixed Celluclay with
water and white glue in a resealable plastic
container and added varying amounts of
kitty litter and Woodland Scenics fine bal-
last, fine-blended turf, static grass, and
chopped-up field grass. I colored the glop
with brown acrylic “craft store” paint and
mixed it well to eliminate white specks.
I applied this mud to the lower hull,
road wheels, sprockets, and idlers, 4, work-
ing it with a short, stiff brush. Build it up
gradually: You can always apply more, but
removing excess can be a problem.
After pairing up the road wheels, I test-
fitted suspension components and glued
the road wheels to their axles. I had to add
a link to one track run and file down the
inner guide horn on several links on both
runs to fit them around the idler wheels.

www.FineScale.com 23
 5 6
Resin, PE, white metal, and plastic mingle on the rear plate, nearly These little storage bins are big on detail, with resin Zimmerit and PE
complete here. heat deflectors.

7 8
Pre-painting grates on the engine deck: Later, thin paint and chipping With the resin Zimmerit panels glued on, the hull sides are ready to
would randomly reveal this red primer. receive details.

The drive sprockets are super glued to
the final-drive housings. I used thick super
glue and accelerator to attach the tracks
around the sprockets, then to the bottoms
of the road wheels. Final joins are at the
rear. The tracks are not glued to the idler
wheels; any slack needed to join the ends is
pulled down around the idlers, tightening
the top run.
Panther’s tail
I used Moskit metal exhaust pipes (now out
of production), but they were too wide to fit
inside the tops of the resin exhaust hous-
ings; I inserted short lengths of brass rod
into the tops of the housings, extending
them into the hollow pipes, gluing every-
thing together, and aligning the pipes while
the epoxy set.
The jack was stowed horizontally below
the exhausts in hanging brackets bolted to
the housings, 5. I shaved the appropriate
bolts from each housing, attached the PE
hangers from the Aber set, then added
replacement hex bolts punched from .005"
sheet styrene using my Historex punch-
and-die set. I assembled the brackets from
the Dragon PE set and attached them to
the hangers; I also used Dragon PE for the
bracket that secures the tops of the exhaust
pipes to the rear hull. After installing the
Zimmerit and exhaust system, I assembled
the jack and put it in its brackets. I used an
Aber PE part for the tiny round reflector in
the lower left corner.
The Atak set includes one-piece resin
replacements for the rear stowage bins. On
early tanks, metal heat deflectors were
attached to the bins’ inner faces; I added
these using Aber PE, 6. A convoy light was
mounted on a bracket bolted to the bottom
of the left bin. I replaced the kit part with
Aber’s PE assembly, adding a bit of 1⁄16" alu-
minum tube for the bulb, a piece of wire for
the electrical conduit, and more of my .005"
punched bolts for the bracket. The com-
pleted bins were left off to ease installation
of the upper hull. Then I glued the rear hull
plate to the lower hull; I reinforced inner
joints with thick super glue.
Hull
Work on the upper hull began with paint-
ing the engine-deck grates. Since I would
be using radiator inserts, I wanted a light
coat and no overspray. I brush-painted the
grates’ inner surfaces with flat black enamel
followed by Vallejo burnt cadmium red
acrylic (70.814) on the grates, 7. The main
paint coats can later be sprayed from a shal-
low angle to avoid spraying through the
grates. Any missed spots will look like red
oxide primer.
I installed the glacis plate’s Zimmerit
panel before gluing the glacis to the hull.
Since this panel mates with the lower hull
panel and both upper hull side panels, I
took my time to make sure it was right.
While I retained kit parts for the front
brackets on each side, using a hobby knife
and pin vise to make adjustments, all other
brackets were replaced with a combination
of Aber and Dragon PE. Working from
front to back, the Zimmerit panels and the
brackets were installed sequentially and
clamped to the sides, 8.

24 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 9 10
These beautiful Modeling Artisan Mori resin radiator inserts are ready Under the sponsons, PE sleeves add realism to the kit-supplied schürzen
for installation. hangers.

11 12
A punch and die produced styrene bolt heads to further detail the More PE, more punched bolts, more detail on the rear deck.
hangers.

Then I installed the resin radiator lines and thin them before gluing them to While adding the remaining details to
inserts, 9, flowing thin super glue along the sponsons. The actual hangers slid into the upper hull sides, I could not help think-
their edges. sleeves welded to the sponson bottoms; I ing the Panther was designed by people
Mounting the periscopes, I masked the added these from the Aber PE set, detail- with a penchant for fiddly things. In addi-
lenses with small pieces of Tamiya tape ing them with Grandt Line 1¼" hex nuts tion to other latches and fasteners, this tank
before hand-brushing them with Testors and bolts (No. 15). I punched more hex has about two dozen retaining pins, each of
Model Master field green enamel (1712). bolt heads out of .010" styrene at the outer which has a retaining chain, and each of
This was followed by hand-brushing flat tops of the hangers, 11. those is attached to the vehicle with a bolt.
black enamel after they had been installed I joined the hull halves with liquid sty- Unless you ignore these details, a combina-
in the upper hull. rene cement, epoxy, and super glue, then tion of PE and scratchbuilding is required.
The front fenders are molded onto the added the rear stowage bins. On the hull Attempting to make latches, brackets,
sponson floor plates. I thinned the fenders’ roof, I replaced the gun-barrel travel lock’s and holders workable to allow insertion of
edges by scraping them with securing chain with components after painting and finishing is
a hobby knife before a multipiece assem- a great way to mar finishes and ruin com-
slightly bending them with
my fingers and gluing the
floor plates to the upper
6 : 49 : 57 bly from the
Dragon PE set,
which also provided
pleted work. Instead, I assembled the tools
and PE items before attaching them to the
model as subassemblies.
hull, reinforcing inner the screens covering After installing PE and scratchbuilt wire
joints with super glue. In round numbers, the engine deck grates retaining pins, I used Grandt Line .032"
The schürzen hangers thousands of and air intakes. The round head rivets (No. 153) with their
attach to the sponson PzKpfw V Panther, corners of the screens, shanks intact to attach the retaining pins’
bottoms, 10. I scraped as well as the spare- chains to the vehicle. I drilled tiny holes
the kit-supplied hang-
M4 Sherman, and track mounts, were with a pin vise at the attachment points,
ers with a hobby knife T-34 Soviet tanks detailed with more then passed the shanks through the ends of
to remove their mold produced in WWII punched bolt heads, 12. the chains before pushing them into the

www.FineScale.com 25
13
Clasps, retainer pins, and chains are PE additions that look more to scale
than what comes with the kit.
15
Art imitates life — the Germans also had to improvise the attachment of
the tow cable aft.
holes. Thick super glue was applied before I
seated the rivets in their holes. Technically,
these chains should have been secured with
hex bolts. But my method provided easier
and more-secure attachments, 13.
I replaced the kit’s barrel-cleaning rod
with 3⁄16" styrene tube, to which the kit’s
modified end caps were glued. After adding
Aber PE latches and retaining chains, I
glued the tube to the left side of the hull
and secured it with Dragon PE straps, 14.
I hung leftover track links on the upper
rear hull. Tops of the uppermost links need
to either have track pins added or the cast-
in track-pin ends removed; I opted for the
former, adding pins made from .020" brass
rod. Then I installed the spare tracks’ retain-
ing pins and attached their chains.
The tow cables are braided copper wire
inserted into resin ends. I hung the front
ends on the forward tool brackets and
installed retaining pins and chains. I had
trouble hanging the rear ends on the rear
hull posts, however, due to the spare-track
sections. At first I thought this was my
26 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
14
Styrene tubing replaced the barrel-cleaning rods with their stowage on
the hull’s port side.
16
Bits of PE detail the schürzen’s upper attachments.
mistake, but photos indicate that the
Germans had the same trouble. Some
showed the posts not being used at all. I
depicted the rear tow-cable ends roped to
the spare tracks with nylon string, 15.
I attached the schürzen with thick super
glue and added rectangular PE plates with
bolt heads from my spares box to represent
the retaining plates just below each of the
upper hanger hooks, 16.
Turret
Compared to the hull, building the turret
was a breeze. After installing the main
Zimmerit panels, I removed the opening
for the loader’s roof periscope, since this
was a later-A feature. I filled the hole with
thick styrene strip and applied a thin layer
of super glue before smoothing the area
with progressively finer sanding sticks.
I installed a few kit parts on the turret
roof, then mounted the resin commander’s
cupola. The clear vision blocks’ inner lenses
were masked with Tamiya tape prior to
installation; the only other interior part
used was the prominent bottom cupola
ring. The anti-aircraft machine gun ring
mount was glued to the outside; I left the
hatch loose to facilitate painting. I salvaged
a PE blade sight from my spares and
attached it to the turret top just forward of
the 12 o’clock vision block, 17.
I used my remaining metal track links to
up-armor the turret sides. Unlike the hull
brackets, those used to hang track sections
on Panther turrets were field modifications
that varied widely in uniformity and quality.
After gluing the tracks to the turret, I made
rough hangers from .010" x .060" styrene
strips, 18.
I assembled the main gun barrel, replac-
ing a tiny PE retaining bolt for the muzzle
brake with a punched .005" styrene bolt
head. After mating the barrel with the
mantlet, I mounted the gun, 19.
Paint
I used to paint wheels, tracks, schürzen, and
tools separately, as many modelers do. Now,
except for interiors or open-topped vehi-
17
A resin commander’s cupola and PE blade sight on the turret roof add
detail topside.
19
Finally, with the gun mounted, I am ready to paint.
cles, I paint everything in situ: Planning
and preparation times are reduced, and the
finish seems more integrated, rather than
the model looking like it was cobbled
together. Also, the risk of damaging previ-
ously painted parts is lessened.
I don’t worry about exact paint ratios.
Vehicle painting during World War II was
an imprecise art, with endless variations in
colors, patterns, application, and quality —
even before the effects of weathering.
After priming with Testors Model
Master light earth enamel (1954) from a
spray can, 20, I airbrushed a base coat of
Tamiya dark yellow (XF-60) lightened with
Tamiya flat white (XF-2) and thinned with
91% rubbing alcohol, covering everything
except the bottom. Next came patches of
Tamiya NATO brown (XF-68) lightened
with flat white and thinned as before, 21.
Now it was time for some old-fashioned
hand-painting; all paints are acrylic except
as noted. I outlined the brown patches with
Polly Scale panzer olive green (505113) to
complete the camouflage.
18
Spare track adds a little protection to the turret. Styrene hangers make
them look more at home.
20
After priming with spray-can paint, I’m ready to airbrush a coat of
dunkelgelb (dark yellow).
My model depicts a vehicle on which
spare tracks on the turret were overpainted
with dark yellow, after which the tactical
numbers were applied, 22. I brushed
Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish
(PFM) onto areas to receive markings, for
which I used Cartograf decals from a
Dragon Tiger kit. Copious applications of
Microscale Micro Set, careful cutting with
a brand-new hobby knife blade, and
repeated tamping with paper towel on the
tip of my finger settled the decals into
irregular surfaces. I sealed the decals with a
hand-brushed coat of PFM.
I painted the tracks’ outer surfaces
(along with a few of the schürzen plates)
with Polly Scale panzer dark yellow
(505111). This paint is slightly darker than
the base coat, providing variety. Painting
the tow-cable ends with Vallejo Model Air
dark yellow (71.025) provided yet another
variation on dark yellow. While I painted
one set of spare track with Testors Model
Master gunmetal enamel (1795) to depict
newer items, the rest were picked out with
two shades of “craft store” brown.
Wooden tool handles were first painted
with the darker of the two craft browns,
then with Tamiya clear orange (X-26) for a
varnish finish. Metal tools were painted
with several Vallejo colors: black gray
(70.862), gray green (70.866), dark bluegray
(70.867), dark gray (70.994), and London
gray (70.836), 23. The dark bluegray was
also used for periscope frames inside the
commander’s cupola, locking mechanisms
on crew hatches, and as the initial coat on
the convoy light’s bulb, which was then
coated with Tamiya clear blue (X-23).
The interior of the hatches and cupola
were finished in Vallejo ivory (70.918);
head pads on the hatches are Vallejo leather
brown (70.871). The spare tracks’ pins,
coaxial machine gun muzzle, and the travel
lock’s chain were picked out with Tamiya
metallic gray (XF-56).
Washes and filters
I airbrushed the wheels, tracks, and lower
hull with Tamiya flat earth (XF-52) light-
www.FineScale.com 27
21
The yellow is followed by airbrushed splotches of rotbrun (red brown).
I used Tamiya NATO brown.
23
A variety of Vallejo acrylics lent diversity to the stowed tools and
equipment. Tamiya clear orange gives wood handles a convincing finish.
ened with Tamiya flat white and alcohol,
carrying the color up to the schürzen and
fenders. I then moistened a brush with
acrylic brush cleaner and swept some of
this coat from the camouflaged road wheels,
24.
Dark washes deepen recesses and create
artificial shadows; filters shift the shades of
paint to which they’re applied. I sought to
achieve both of these effects simultaneously
by mixing a medium gray wash/filter with
Humbrol matt tank gray (67) and Testors
Model Master flat white (1768) enamels
with odorless mineral spirits (also used for
all subsequent washes and filters). This was
applied to all surfaces of the turret, upper
hull and schürzen, and repeated on the
Zimmerit. This mix enhances Zimmerit
detail without overpowering it.
Next came dot filtering on non-Zim-
merit areas of the turret and upper hull.
Using Art Advantage artist’s oils and work-
ing small areas at a time, I applied dots of
orange yellow and emerald green to the
brown camouflage patches, then whisked
28 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
22
After applying tactical markings, it was camo the old-fashioned way:
I outlined the blotches with hand-brushed Polly Scale olive green.
24
I swept away some of the weathering so the camouflage shows
through.
away the oil paints with a brush damp with
mineral spirits.
Dots of lemon yellow and crimson were
applied to all areas, but the yellow turned
out to be a little too garish (the effect
should be subtle). To rectify this, I applied a
thin filter of cerulean blue. This must be
done sparingly to avoid turning the tank
indelibly blue — I used only about 20-25%
as much of this color as the others — but it
worked like a charm, toning down the yel-
low and creating subtle, irregular dark
patches.
Metal surfaces now appeared lighter
than the Zimmerit, 25.
Next, I applied a thin Testors flat brown
enamel (1166, which actually has an orange
hue) to the tracks. Several applications built
up the color until it was distinguishable
from lower hull components. I also used the
wash to lighten the two darker spare-track
sets on the hull.
I followed with filters of Testors Model
Master raw umber enamel (2006) on other
spare tracks, tow cables, exhaust pipes, and
the metal portions of tools.
Areas to which mud had been applied
(lower hull, road wheels, and ground-con-
tact track surfaces) were treated to a series
of heavy filters using Model Master enam-
els in the following order: armor sand
(1704), dark tan (1742), wood (1735), sand
(1706), and radome tan (1709). These filters
were also randomly applied to the insides of
some track links (for variation) and spat-
tered along the bottoms of the schürzen.
And, no, I didn’t forget the wheels!
Where visible, tires received several layers
of a very heavy wash of dark gray enamel
followed by a coat of dark gray acrylic.
Capillary action draws the wash into details
on the wheels.
I painted worn areas of the tracks, drive
sprockets, idlers, and the wide rims on the
center sets of road wheels with Tamiya
metallic gray, which looks like bared metal
without being too bright, 26.
Using a No. 2 pencil, I outlined engine
deck panels, the transmission access panel
at the front of the hull roof, and bolt heads
25 26
Surfaces without Zimmerit should appear lighter, as they do in wartime Capillary action draws a dark wash into and around details on the road
photos. wheels.

27 28
A No. 2 pencil subtly replicates worn and bared metal — and it’s quick! A coat of Testors Dullcote protects the paint and weathering and unifies
all the effects.

around each, 27, as well as the tow cables them from having to be handled. To further “rubber band” track sections to create ran-
and metal edges around the crew hatches. guard against damage, I ensure that all ele- dom impressions from previous traffic, I
A wide, soft brush was used with ments fit within the base’s perimeter. I like attached the model directly to the base with
Tamiya’s Weathering Master C set (87085) to use inexpensive pine plaques, available in Devcon 2 Ton liquid epoxy. I pushed the
to apply gunmetal to the upper metallic many shapes and sizes. groundwork up against the inner edges of
areas and small amounts of orange rust to Initial sanding was followed by spray- the tracks with a wood chopstick, then left
exhaust pipes and spare tracks. I switched cans: two coats each of Rust-Oleum gray everything alone until the epoxy’s handling
to Tamiya’s Weathering Master B set primer and satin black (sanding between time had elapsed. I worked around the
(87080) to apply soot to the main gun’s coats with progressively finer grits), then model, pushing mud up to and under the
muzzle brake, the coaxial machine gun port two coats of Testors Model Master semi- outer edges of the tracks, 29. I then created
in the gun mantlet, and the open ends of gloss clear lacquer (1959). I stuck adhesive more random impressions as well as tracks
the exhaust pipes. After hatches were felt pads under the base and masked its made by this tank.
installed, the entire model edges to prepare for For the remainder, I applied the rest of
received several light coats groundwork. my mixture in random globs and sprinkled
of spray-can Testors
Dullcote flat clear lacquer,
which really unified the
10 Using my previ-
ous mud mixture, I
applied the ground-
on various colors of TechStar static grass:
winter tan (TC3010), light green
(TC3007), medium green (TC3008), and
finish, 28. Then I
Number of work in stages. A dark green (TC3009). Once the ground-
removed masks from the operational Panthers strip of dirt road work had dried, I fixed everything in place
periscopes. in the front line by under the vehicle by using a brush to drip Model Master flat
July 10, 1943, (between the inner clear lacquer (2015 ) over all the grassy
Based on what? the fifth day of the edges of the tracks) was areas. Dry-brushing the grass with yellow
I permanently mount the only portion applied artist’s oils turned it to autumn, 30.
my models on bases, Battle of Kursk before adding the model. After treating the roadway with several
mainly to prevent – Gen. Heinz Guderian After using some old washes of Model Master raw umber enamel

www.FineScale.com 29
29
This is no “hovertank.” Tracks are sunk into the dirt and sod is pulled up
for realism.
31
Using the same pigments on the model and ground makes the tank
more part of the scene.
(2006), it was time to apply final weather-
ing. I applied several Vallejo pigments with
a wide, soft brush: light yellow ochre
(73.102), light sienna (73.104), natural
sienna (73.105), burnt sienna (73.106), and
green earth (73.111, actually a light sand
with green tint). The last was applied to the
upper surfaces of the vehicle. The other four
were applied randomly to both the lower
surfaces of the vehicle and the roadway,
blending the two, 31.
Figures to the fore
My figures don’t win awards, but they
always add life and a sense of scale to a fin-
ished model.
The wounded soldier on the turret is
Verlinden’s “SS Tank Officer WWII,
Seated” (355) with a head from Verlinden’s
“Iraqi POWs” (355), 32. (I shaved off the
eagle insignia on his left arm.) The other
figures are from Dragon’s “German Tank
Crew 1939-1943” (6375), but their heads
are old Verlinden or Jaguar spare parts.
I also placed headphones in front of the
30 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
30
Dry-brushing with yellow artist’s oils gives the grass an autumnal shade.
32
Figures can be mixed, matched, and combined; the wounded soldier’s
head and body came from two different Verlinden figures.
radio operator’s hatch, 33, as well as both
headphones and a throat microphone set on
the commander’s hatch. The map is another
Verlinden item. On the ground, the guy
hoisting a bottle has a burlap cover on his
helmet that I made with tissue soaked with
white glue and water, 34.
I primed the figures with Rust-Oleum
gray. Skin is painted with Testors enamels:
flat tan (1167), a dry-brushing of light tan
(1170), and light raw umber washes. The
eyes are thin slivers of white decal, irises
dotted with a black permanent marker
before I applied them. It’s easier than
painting them, and easier to correct.
The figures are finished with Vallejo
acrylic paints except for the tank com-
mander’s cap (lightened Polly Scale panzer
olive green) and the helmet on the “bottle
guy” (Tamiya khaki, XF-49). All clothing
was dry-brushed with lightened shades of
the base colors. Leather items were dry-
brushed with Vallejo leather brown.
Archer Fine Transfers provided the uni-
form insignia (“Heer Uniform Patches,”
FG35045A, and “Heer Shoulder Boards,”
FG35051A). In addition, the bottle guy got
two PE badges from an old Verlinden set
called “WWII German Soldier’s Gear.”
Testors Dullcote from a spray can elimi-
nated any shine.
One last thing: Don’t let the girls in
your house throw out old makeup. You’d be
surprised what it can be used for! One of
my wife’s kits contained several shades of
eye shadow, including brown-violet and
blue-violet. I used the first on the darker
uniform items and the second on the
lighter ones. Applied lightly with a stiff
brush, these shades complement uniform
colors and add subtle highlights. ( Just make
sure there’s no glitter in the eye shadow.)
After removing the masking tape from
the base and touching up the edges of the
groundwork, my project was complete. I
know that my Panther is hardly perfect.
But I have achieved a happy medium
between fun and perfection — and 30 years
after the last Panther I built, I know this
one is better! FSM
33 34
Headphones came in the same Dragon set as these two figures. I added Ein Prosit! Tissue soaked in white glue and water forms this figure’s
the cigarette. helmet cover.

References
Germany’s Panther Tank: The Quest for Combat
Supremacy, Thomas L. Jentz, Schiffer,
ISBN 978-0-88740-812-0
The Spielberger German Armor & Military Vehicles
Series, Volume 1: Panther & Its Variants, Walter J.
Spielberger, Schiffer, ISBN 978-0-88740-397-2
Achtung Panzer No. 4: Panther, Jagdpanther
& Brummbar, Dai Nippon Kaiga,
ISBN 978-4-499-22671-4
Sources
Panther Ausf D working individual-link metal tracks (No. ATL-33), Friulmodel,
www.friulmodel.hu
Aluminum and brass Panther Ausf D/A and early G gun barrel (No. 35 L-04),
PE details (No. 35029), Aber, www.aber.net.pl
Panther 600mm (early) idlers (No. 35-15430), Panther D armored cast exhaust
housings (No. 35-15483 ), and Ausf D cupola interior and periscopes
(No. 35-15521), Tiger Model Designs, www.newtmd.com
Radiator interior set for Panther D and A (No. MGP09), Modeling Artisan Mori,
www. artisanmori.web.fc2.com
PzKpfw V tow cables (No. TCR01), Karaya, www.karaya.pl
Resin Zimmerit for Panther Ausf D (No. 35038), Atak, www.atakmodel.istore.pl

Panzers at Saumur, Motorbooks, Kit, PE details, figures, Dragon, www.dragonmodelsusa.com

ISBN 978-4-499-20554-2 Figures and accessories for turret, Verlinden, www.verlindenonline.com

Verlinden figures An accumulation of

White- Resin mantlet
aftermarket details, basic
metal PE grilles techniques, and modeling
exhaust Dragon figures Aluminum/ fundamentals — and just
brass gun
barrel plain taking the time —
yield a Panther worthy of
shelf space in my collection.

Friulmodel
metal tracks PE schürzen Resin
Zimmerit

www.FineScale.com 31
SHOWCASE SPECIAL
STRIKE
against the Missouri
Some fought to live, some fought to die /// BY RENÉ HIERONYMUS
J
apan’s determination to halt the Allied
advance during World War II is vividly
reflected in the term kamikaze or
divine wind.
Originally used in reference to the
typhoons that destroyed the invasion forces
of Kublai Khan in 1274, and again in 1281,
the term was resurrected in 1944 by
Adm. Masafumi Arima, who personally led
the first Special Attack Force (Shimpū
Tokkōtai) against the Allies.
On April 11, 1945, during the invasion
of Okinawa, a flight of 16 approaching
Japanese aircraft was spotted by radar. Of
those, one pilot set his sights on the
American battleship Missouri and would
32 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
not be stopped. Coming in low off the
stern, hit repeatedly by anti-aircraft fire and
struggling to rise, the aircraft caught the
side of the ship with its left wing at the last
instant. The “Zeke” swung hard against the
hull, sending a fiery wave of debris onto the
deck. The remains of the pilot were found
among the wreckage. Most likely he was
Setsuo Ishino, who had radioed a telegraph
message to base at 2:39 p.m. that he had
spotted the enemy fleet. Missouri was hit by
the kamikaze aircraft at 2:43 p.m. Missouri’s
captain, William Callaghan, ordered the
burial of the then-unknown Japanese pilot
the following day. A Marine honor guard
fired a salute and his body was committed
to the deep. The dents from the attack
remain on the Missouri’s hull to this day.
In the planning stages, I decided to
build a 1/72 scale model all the way from
port to starboard. I did run into some
length restrictions, however — I’m happily
married and want to keep it that way. (Do I
have to say more?) The final dimension of
this model, including its base, is 115cm
(46") long, 62cm (24") wide, and about
56cm (22") high. Total weight is 28kg, or
60 pounds.
 Between
October 1944
and August
1945, some
3,000
kamikaze
sorties are
estimated to
have been
flown.

U.S. Navy
This is one hell of a photo if you think
about it. Taking a closer look, you can see
how many people were involved in this
terrifying event. I’m sure each had a
thrilling story to tell afterward. Unusual
things and stories have always been most
fascinating for me as a model builder.

www.FineScale.com 33
 1 2
I started with the aft turret. I realized I could do better than the details I I quickly realized just how big this model would be and how many
originally purchased and set about building my own. While the hull and details it would require. I wanted to overwhelm the onlooker by the
superstructure took only a few days, those details took months! sheer number of details, giving him innumerable situations to look at.

3 4
The inner structure of the smokestack and tower was covered with The big Mk.38 radar is so detailed it took almost 40 hours to complete.
styrene sheet and 2-part putty, then sanded smooth. After repeating
this several times, I added dozens, if not hundreds, of details.

5 6
The plywood inner structure of the hull and superstructure was covered The 16" and 5" turrets rotate and elevate. The 5" barrels, Mk.37, and
with three layers of styrene sheet. For the details I used more styrene Mk.22 radar came from Scale Warship in England. I designed more than
sheet, white metal, resin, wood, aluminum, brass — you name it. 120 different photo-etched parts on five sheets.

7 8
Attempting to improve my modeling skills, I tried something new when I pre-shaded panels; others were shaded later, once again depending
painting. I added several layers of color, each one a little lighter or on where they were positioned. All the colors I used were self-mixed —
darker depending on its place. This gave depth to the finished look. the only exception was the flat black.

34 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 9 10
The aircraft model is the 1/72 scale Tamiya A6M5 Zero (No. 60779), With the model finished, I tallied some of the numbers: I cut and sanded
which I think is closest to what Mr. Ishino flew. 2,400 strips for the wooden deck sections; used 3.4m² (37 square feet) of
styrene sheet for the entire model …

11 12
… 250 grams (8.8 oz.) of putty to create the shapes of the smokestack … roughly 220ml of self-mixed color, five bottles of super glue, two
and the aft director tower … bottles of plastic glue …

13 14
… 25 Oerlikon 20mm guns on the model, 11 Bofors 40mm quad guns, … and one roll of toilet paper to create the water surface. The total
four 5" turrets … building time was 746 hours. Would I do it again? You bet! FSM

www.FineScale.com 35
Polishing a little gem
Key additions make a 1/144 scale E-2C Hawkeye sparkle /// BY FRANK CUDEN
W
hat we have here is one of
the nicest 1/144 scale kits
to ever grace a modeler’s
bench. I don’t often dabble
in this scale. However, after working on a
few other 1/144 scale models, I decided to
see what I could do with Revell’s little gem
of a Grumman E-2C Hawkeye.
I also like the newer scimitar 8-blade
propellers from Retro Wings (No.
Rw44001), so I added those and aftermar-
ket markings from Starfighter Decals.
Refining it right away
I began by reworking the seats, adding
headrests, belts, and more structure to the
bulkhead behind the seats, 1. Mating the
one-piece wing did not present problems,
2; however, filler was needed at the wing-
to-fuselage joints.
Next, I glued on the large upper intake,
36 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
inner tail fins, and engines, 3. Excellent fit
made assembly easy and minimal filler was
required.
Working on the engine intakes, I was
unable to achieve a perfect circle inside and
couldn’t eliminate the inner seams. So I
covered the blemishes, 4, and also improved
the inspection panels on the upper wing
and added antennas on the radome pylon
and behind the cockpit on the fuselage.
The radome cradle fit well but needed a
couple coats of thinned white glue to blend
attachment points to the fuselage. The outer
fins require careful alignment. The instruc-
tion’s head-on view helped me get it right
the first time.
I vacuum-formed a replacement canopy
and used the kit’s canopy as a mask, tacking
it in place with white glue. Three crew win-
dows per side, located under and just aft of
the wing, were raised outlines on the kit. I
drilled them out and added Microscale
Micro Kristal Klear to create scale windows
after painting.
From references, it appears there are
three tie-down rings on the lower fuselage
side: two in front, one toward the back. At
a model railroad shop, I found small plastic
rings and used them here. These little
details add interest to the model.
After refining the parts a bit, I glued in
the three landing gear legs. Additional
inspection panels are visible, 5, as well as
the “plates” I added behind the engines’
exhaust pipes. The plates were made from
.005" styrene sheet. I inserted styrene tube
in the jet exhausts to match photos show-
ing short pipes sticking out back.
Reference photos revealed an additional
plate behind the auxiliary power unit
(APU), so more .005" sheeting was cut to
fit and glued in. I also drilled out the APU’s
 1 2
Detailing the cockpit was the first important upgrade. I added The kit’s one-piece wing fit well but required a bit of filler along the
headrests, belts, and more structure to the bulkhead behind the seats. wing-to-fuselage joints.

Emphasized
inspection panels

U-shaped
antenna
from solder
3 4
Next, I attached the upper intake, inner tail fins, and engines. Fit is A punch-and-die set created thin sheet-styrene discs to emphasize the
uniformly good. wing’s inspection panels (white discs). U-shaped antennas were added,
modeled from thin solder.

exhaust, as the hole appeared too small
compared with the real aircraft photos.
Next, I busied up the landing gear bays
with styrene sheet and small-diameter rod.
Note the two small tie-downs forward and
on either side of the nose wheel leg, 6. Two
small blade antennas were cut from styrene
and attached under the fuselage near the
tail hook. I glued the hook and ancillary
fairing in place; the fairing needed a little
filler to blend with its surroundings.
Time to paint
I started with Testors Model Master gloss
gull gray (FS16440), 7. At this stage of its
life the E-2C wore a wraparound scheme,
so one spray session covered the model. My
chosen scheme from Starfighter Decals,
(No. 144-122), the Black Tail Hawkeyes,
came from VAW-117, whose E-2C aircraft
were assigned to the USS Nimitz.
I masked and sprayed the vertical tails
using Tamiya acrylic NATO black.
Although it’s an acrylic, I thinned it with
lacquer thinner for a smooth finish. Then I
masked both the wing and tail de-icer
boots and hit them with a coat of Floquil
engine black, providing a dark contrast to
the NATO black tail surfaces.
A friend’s overhead color photo of an
E-2C in flight showed partial white strip-
ing on the radar dish. I thinned a few drops
of Polly Scale white and applied them,
exactly as in the photo, to some of the
dome’s recessed panel lines.
The antiglare panel in front of the cock-
pit was also masked and sprayed with
Floquil engine black.
Worried that assembly of Retro Wings’
individual scimitar prop blades would be a
bear, I put it off. However, each blade
attached with ease using thin super glue, 8.
Deep holes in the spinners easily accom-
modated the blades’ mounting pegs and
allowed a lottle wiggle room. I could attach
all 16 blades and still have time to set the
proper pitch. I didn’t want to feather them,
thinking they looked better in a “cutting-
the-air” position. A couple sizes of circle
punches and thin sheet plastic created the
intake covers, which I painted red.
I painted the turbine exhausts Testors
Model Master steel (No. 4679). I thought
the Starfighter Decals VAW-117 shark
mouths for the forward engine cowlings
were a neat touch, 9.
I sliced the upper wing/fuselage walk-
way decal from the Revell kit into three
sections. There were tricky areas around the
radome pylon legs that could cause prob-
lems during application, but I got the three
sections correctly placed.
A friend put me onto vinyl spackle joint

www.FineScale.com 37
 Blade antenna

Tie-down
rings

5 6
Next, I attached the landing gear legs and added .005" sheet styrene to Further detailing included two tie-downs under the nose and two blade
create plates behind the engine exhausts and APU. antennas by the tail hook.

7 8
I masked and sprayed the vertical tails using thinned Tamiya acrylic Polly Scale white fills some of the radar unit’s trim lines. The Retro Wings
NATO black. The deicing boots are Floquil engine black for contrast. scimitar prop blades went together well and were easily installed.

compound to fill small seams, like those
around the vacuum-formed canopy and
landing gears, 10 and 11. A moist cotton
swab removes the excess without destroying
surrounding detail, so a couple of applica-
tions did the job. Removing the residue is
easy, and it does not interact with paint or
plastic — at least not with enamel- or lac-
quer-based paints. I haven’t experimented
with acrylics yet.
Finishing makes the model pop!
I had some frustration with fishing line
between the antennas. Instead, I stretched
sprue to the proper diameter, glued the
short lengths in place, applied heat and
presto! they worked. I still can’t figure out
what happened, but the wires are holding
their tension.
I then created a dirty, brownish-black
turbine exhaust stain under the wings out-
board of the engines. When the wings were
folded after an arrested carrier landing, the
engines continued to run as the aircraft tax-
ied to its assigned spot. Over time, the hot
exhuast stained the folded wing sections,
12. I replicated that with an airbrush.
Afterward, I carefully glued the props in
place. The scimitar blades are delicate — I
didn’t want to risk breaking one — but they
look quite massive when in place.
After hand-painting a red edge on all
gear doors, front and back, I tacked them in
place with white glue followed by a bit of
super glue to ensure a good bond. The
wheels were next and fit well.
Care was needed when attaching the
radome to the pylon, as just setting it in
place revealed a slight tilt. After liquid glue
was applied, I made sure the radome’s final
position was exactly horizontal. The fuse-
lage’s circumferential propeller warning
stripe went on well despite having to travel
over the large upper fuselage intake.
Sectioning it into three strips was a good
solution.
The vinyl patching paste I used around
the canopy seam blended in well with its
surroundings, 13. Using Tamiya clear
orange (X-26) and thinning it with water, I
coated both the side and overhead cockpit
windows.
I used Kristal Klear to fill the six fuse-
lage side windows, 14.
Finally, I used soft artist’s pencils to
trace the kit’s engraved panel lines.
Applying light pressure gave just enough of
a highlight so they weren’t overdone. A lit-
tle smudging around the flaps completed
my weathering.
This was a fun little build that, with
some added detailing, makes a nice addi-
tion to any collection. FSM

38 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 9 10
This Hawkeye is starting to take shape now. I added the shark-mouth There are always a couple small seams to fill; I used vinyl spackle joint
decals to the engines and applied the American flag decal to the tail. compound around the vacuum-formed canopy.

11 12
Similarly, I used the joint compound on the landing gear. This works Nearly finished, I finally airbrushed a dirty, brownish-black turbine
well, as you can swab off excess without hurting surrounding detail. exhaust stain under each wing.

13 14
You can see that the spackle I used to fill gaps by the canopy blended Finally, I used Microscale Micro Kristal Klear to fill in the six fuselage side
well. Adding Tamiya clear orange (X-26) to the overhead and side windows.
cockpit windows gives the model a well-used look.

www.FineScale.com 39
SHOW GALLERY

High-flying detail
Those magnificent modelers and their flying machines

There’s rarely a shortage of superdetailed aircraft at major model contests. Here are a few exemplary builds FSM
shot at the 2016 Squadron EagleQuest and the IPMS/USA National Convention. Each builder offers some pointers.

SAM MORGAN
SPENCER, NORTH CAROLINA

SAM’S 1/144 SCALE MI-24PN
“Hind” started life as a Dragon
kit. The fuselage halves were
the only pieces used from the
kit, he says. Everything else is
scratchbuilt, including a full
interior and cockpit made of
tiny pieces of sheet styrene,
copper wire, lead wire, and
stretched sprue. To fit all of it,
Sam shaved the inside of the
body with hobby knives until
it was as thin as paper. “You
really can’t use a rotary tool of
any kind because the
tolerances are so close that
you run the risk of punching
through to the outside,” he
says. “It’s a slow process, but
once you have the fuselage
shells ready the real fun can
then begin.”
To measure the inside of
the fuselage for bulkheads
and floors, Sam closed the
halves around a chunk of
modeling clay to form a
template of the interior. Once
the floor is right, everything
else goes quickly. The cargo
area contains troop seats,
lights, electrical conduits, a fire
extinguisher, and more. The
two-place cockpit is crammed
with seats with belts and
harnesses, control pedals and
sticks, gunsights, instrument
panels, fuse panels, and
oxygen tanks. (He referred to a
Monogram 1/48 scale Hind to
get details right.)
Other areas received the
same treatment: Engines,
intakes, exhaust shrouds, rotor
head, landing gear bays,
landing gear, etc. were built
from scratch, one component
and one area at a time. For
Sam, it’s about the challenge.
Pushing a kit outside the
envelope is where fun and
adventure lies, he says.

40 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

KENDALL BROWN
PLANO, TEXAS
MATCHBOX’S 30-YEAR-OLD KIT
remains the only injection-
molded 1/72 scale PB4Y-2.
Kendall was determined to turn it
into a detailed replica. “Some of
my favorite projects have been to
resurrect or salvage obscure
subjects and kits and modify
them into something that you
wouldn’t ordinarily see in a
collection,” says Kendall. “I call it
styrene alchemy, or a Midas effect
to transform something really bad
into an interesting piece of art.
“The Privateer is a great
example of what I like to do. It is a
1980s-era tricolored chunk of
really heavy, hard, brittle
Matchbox plastic which
represented, in my humble
opinion, one of the most peculiar
airplanes in the U.S. World War II
inventory — big and ugly! My
father was an aerial photographer
in one of these beasts in the U.S.
Navy with VD-3 squadron in
WWII.”
The only kit parts in Kendall’s
Privateer are the shell of the
fuselage and the flying surfaces.
He sanded the exterior smooth
and ground away the interior with
a motor tool. Almost everything
else was scratchbuilt, including
panels, ribs, floors, lines, gear,
turrets, and canopies. He roughed
out the shapes needed in
laminated styrene sheet, then
carved and detailed the parts.
“Old school,” he says. “No home
resin or etching.” He took care to
get details correct from one
compartment to the next so the
whole project would be right
when it came together. “One must
have the same degree of detail
whether one is looking at the
cockpit, the bomb bay, the wheel
well, or, yes, even the crew toilet
in the back,” he says. The only
aftermarket parts are True Details
resin wheels, Cobra Co. engines
and nacelles, and Miniworld gun
barrels. The decals were created
by coloring black-and-white
photos of the nose art and
printing it on decal paper.
“This project was one of love
of the craft of modeling and
scratchbuilding,” says Kendall. “In
addition, a friend challenged me
to build such a beast, as he is
doing a PB4Y-2 in 1/48 scale. The
fun has been exchanging
research, e-mails, photos, selfies
of bleeding fingers at the bench,
etc. over the past two years —
and his is still unfinished. Ha!”
www.FineScale.com 41
ANDREW WHITE
HOLLYWOOD, MARYLAND
ANDREW WORKED ON FULL-SIZE
GREYHOUNDS in the U.S. Navy
and he drew on that knowledge
to deliver a detailed 1/48 scale
C-2A from Kinetic’s kit. First, he
added a few extra ribs along the
sides with strips of Evergreen and
Plastruct styrene. “I used a lot of
little bits from my spare parts box
to replicate things such as the
electrical junction boxes,
hydraulic filters, the ramps’
hydraulic control box, the relief
tube, and a fire extinguisher,” he
says. “The crew intercom boxes
were scratchbuilt with bits of
Evergreen plastic and detailed
with Reheat instrument faces.” He
improved the roof area with
styrene L channel, T channel, and
strip. An M.V. Products lens
became the overhead light. He
used a spare actuator and landing
gear parts from the spares box to
make the elevator actuator and
trim package, and dressed up the
42 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
ramp with Eduard photo-etch and
hydraulic actuators made from
steel hypodermic needles. Eduard
photo-etched (PE) belts equip the
passenger accommodations,
where Andrew cut off the mounts
on the seats and scratchbuilt new
legs for every row. “I really could
have gotten by with just doing
the last two rows closest to the
ramp but … ” he says. To improve
the floor, he scribed seat tracks
and floorboards. “In real life, the
last row of seats are reserved for
the naval aircrew — loadmaster
and plane captain,” Andrew says. “I beat up pretty good — and seat. “I also cut open the overhead
put a crew helmet from True applied a few zaps from various escape hatches and used small
Details on one and a helmet bag decal sheets, because that’s what plastic and PE parts to make the
on the other.” the passengers like to do,” he says. handles,” he says.
Surprised that Kinetic omitted Eduard PE improved the Wolfpack Designs resin wing-
loading ramps on the port cockpit with instrument panels fold set provided a little more
bulkhead, he made them from and the forward door, detail and a stronger join than the
styrene with scratchbuilt brackets complemented by Steel Beach kit parts. Andrew added styrene
made from PE fret, which he says resin seats. Scratchbuilt cockpit wing-fold lock flags to the
is great for details. “I painted and details include the aileron control nacelles. Royale Resin wheels
weathered the ramps — they get package cover behind the pilot’s corrected the undercarriage.

JOHN ADDED MORE THAN 130
scratchbuilt and salvaged parts to
Roden’s 1/48 scale Beech
Staggerwing, detailing the Wasp
engine with chrome and black
pushrods made from pins, and
adding a chrome ignition ring
with spark plug wires — brass
AIRBUS BUILT THE BELUGA, or
A300-600ST, to haul sections of
aircraft and other oversized cargo.
Eugene detailed Revell Germany’s
1/144 scale Beluga to
demonstrate that role and
opened the large hatch as
indicated in the instructions. “I’ve
seen pictures of models with
open cargo-bay doors, but I did
not like how the interior was
wire painted black. For the oblong
exhausts, Jake squeezed styrene
tube, then thinned the edges.
Inside, the graceful biplane
features a homemade instrument
panel and pins for throttle and
mixture levers. Tissue seat belts
with buckles made from photo-
made — in all cases it was left
with smooth blank walls, and in
some cases not even painted,”
Eugene says. “As one can see from
pictures of the actual plane, the
interior of the cargo bay is very
busy.”
Deciding it would be
impossible to build and paint all
that detail with the fuselage split
in half, he separated the cargo
WARREN, MASSACHUSETTS
etch scraps adorn the seats. He
dressed the landing gear with
springs, chrome oleo struts, and
shocks made from pins and craft
items. He flattened the main
wheels slightly to show weight
and contoured the hubs to a
correct concave shape. The disc
bay from the lower fuselage with
a fine saw and built it separately.
After gluing the upper fuselage
halves together, he lined the walls
with ribs made from 1mm square
styrene strip. The floor is sheet
styrene outlined in part with 1" x
1" strips to replicate seats. “I
added electrical and hydraulic
lines to the walls and floor, and
painted the interior,” he says. The
JOHN “JAKE” BANAS
brakes are 1/24 scale CDs from a
car detailing set. The kit had no
gear bay details, so he scratchbuilt
that, too. Other scratchbuilt
details include a cast-resin
propeller spinner, white-glue
wingtip lights backed with foil,
and antennas.
EUGENE MARDAR
McCORDSVILLE, INDIANA
door’s ribs are 1mm rods rather
than the square stock used inside.
For the crew door in the belly, he
cut out the molded hatch and
scratchbuilt stairs and a door. The
Beluga’s cargo is Revell Germany’s
1/144 scale A320, glued together
and sliced apart after the 13th
window. He covered the rear with
tracing paper to model the cloth
cover used by Airbus.
www.FineScale.com 43
 FREDDY PEDRIQUE
MIAMI, FLORIDA

AT THE HEART of Freddy’s though Freddy had to make laminated sheet styrene sanded 2.75" rocket launchers and a
detailed Bronco is Testors’ ancient minor adjustments to ensure the to shape. Sheet styrene wing ventral fuel tank from Hasegawa’s
1/48 scale kit — but there‘s not a wing fit. But he wanted more, so spoilers finished the control A-4. He boxed in the gear bays
lot of it left. He detailed it with he cut open the canopy with a surfaces. with sheet styrene and plumbed
Paragon’s OV-10A resin and fine hacksaw, lightly sanded the Freddy opened the weapon the wells and brake lines to the
photo-etched set, which edges, and dipped the sections in bays to expose four detailed gear legs. The engines started
upgraded the cockpit with a one- Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface 7.62mm machine guns, with two small blocks of plastic
piece tub complete with nicely Finish. Then he scratchbuilt scratchbuilt the doors with sheet Freddy carved, detailed with
cast ejection seats, instrument handles and actuators. After styrene, and detailed them with styrene bits, and wired. He
panels, and control sticks. He cutting the flaps from the resin styrene-rod hinges. Underwing scratchbuilt firewalls and frames
added throttles, canopy-frame wings, he replaced them with stores include four aftermarket and cut open the cowls.
support, an optical gunsight, and
wiring. There’s also a replacement
wing with correct vortex
generators, a complete horizontal
stabilizer and rudders, exhausts,
bulged tires, engine air scoops,
and upper radome. The set’s
photo-etch (PE) fret includes
wheel well doors, mirrors, landing
gear torque scissors, wing and
elevator counterbalance masts,
ejection-seat activation rings,
trim-tab actuators, and
windshield wipers.
The set didn’t require any
modification of the kit parts,

44 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

PHIL DANIELS
NEWPORT, NORTH CAROLINA
PHIL PULLED OUT ALL THE
STOPS to detail Trumpeter’s 1/32
scale TBF-1C. “It’s a very good kit
with all of the features that I was
wanting: a complete engine and
mount, folding wings and flaps,
open bomb bay, and exposed
crew spaces,” he says.
The work started with all of
the photo-etched (PE) Eduard
offers for the Avenger, including
engine details, exterior and
interior sets, seat belts, bomb bay
details, and flaps. He took a little
artistic license to display the
technology of the TBF —
although the wings fold and
unfold in unison, he built one
stowed to show the hinge, the
other extended so he could lower
the flap and reveal the structural
detail.
Because the engine is a focal
point, Phil removed all of the cowl
panels. In addition to the PE, he
detailed the engine, its mount,
and the forward bulkhead with
styrene, copper and lead wire, foil
of varying thicknesses, and
scratchbuilt oil coolers.
He did similar work in the
cockpit, bringing the instrument
panel to life with Eduard colored
PE. There’s a ton of detail in the
turret and aft crew space that’s
nearly impossible to see. “The
bomb bay and landing gear were
all enhanced, again with help
from Eduard PE, lead and copper
wire, and a little scratch work,” he
says. “Thankfully, all of those areas
are easily viewed.”
The exterior got as much
attention. “I felt the recessed
panel lines and rivets were a little
too large and threw the scale off,”
he says. “The Avenger had flush
fasteners for the forward half of
the fuselage and forward of the
main wing spar; aft of these areas,
raised fasteners were used.” For
realism, he filled the recessed
detail with paint and wet-sanded
until it was just barely visible. For
the access panels, wheel wells,
cockpit, and engine compartment
fasteners, he used Master Club
injection-molded rivets, available
in several styles. At each location,
he drilled a .012" hole, inserted a
rivet, and secured it with Weldon
No. 4 solvent. “I probably used a
thousand of these!” he says. For
long rows of fasteners, he applied
Archer Fine Transfers 3-D decals;
they come in several sizes with
different spacing. “They apply just
like any decal, and the carrier film
disappears under the paint,
leaving raised fastener heads
visible like the real deal,” he says.
“I went through several sheets.”
The build took about 11
months. The TBF-1C he modeled
— No. 47763, Torpedo Squadron
14, USS Wasp, late 1944 — had
special meaning for Phil. He knew
the gunner, Joseph Eugene Cross;
he and pilot Lt. William Arthur
Davidson were captured after
being shot down in another
Avenger — 47763 was down for
maintenance — and held at the
same POW camp as Louie
Zamperini of Unbroken fame.
(Radioman Walter Wygonik did
not escape the aircraft.)
Phil is a lifelong friend of Cross’
son. “I wanted to do something
special for the family that I have
been so close to over the years,
hence the model,” he says. “It now
belongs to the Cross family as a
tribute to their father and his
crewmates for their service and
sacrifice.”
www.FineScale.com 45
JOHN WADE
GURLEY, ALABAMA
MATCHBOX’S TIGER MOTH is not
the best kit in the world, but it is
pretty accurate — and it’s the
only game in town in 1/32 scale,
according to John.
“I have often been asked
which of the 44 types of aircraft I
have flown was the best,” he says.
“My reply is always, ‘It depends on
what you want to do with it.’ If you
want to experience the joy of
flight with just you, five gauges, a
throttle, and a string-wrapped
joystick, this is it. You land by the
sound of the wind in the wires,
and aerobatics are a gentle joy.
Your head is in the wind, washed
by the prop, and your nostrils are
assailed by the smell of exhaust
and oil. When the flight is over,
more than any aircraft I have ever
flown, the little Tiger Moth leaves
one with a great case of ‘Perma-
Grin.’ What a great aircraft and
memory! Hence all the work to
make a nice replica.”
Work indeed! He improved the
basic cockpit with styrene- and
wood-strip structural members,
and pedals and other details
made from thin solder, stainless-
steel wire, and Slater’s rod. He
46 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
photo-etched parts for the
throttle quadrant, map holder,
flight computer, and seat belts.
“Homemade photo-etching is
quite an adventure,” says John.
He replaced the kit’s simple
instrument panels with decal dials
sandwiched between sheets of
white and clear styrene and
topped with styrene with holes
for the dials and painted gray.
John cut seat cushions from a
1⁄8"-thick sheet of Apoxie Sculpt,
detailing them with pottery tools
and a hobby knife. After painting
them with Testors gloss dark
brown, he dry-brushed several
increasingly lighter shades of
brown and tan. He applied
Detail-It dark brown wash,
sprayed with a light coat of clear
flat to maintain a leather patina,
then added cracks and veins with needles replicated pushrods; Model Detail braided-steel lines.
a fine brush. The cockpit doors other fittings were made from To display the power plant,
were thinned and fitted with wire thin solder or silver wire. Clamps John vacuum-formed a cowl
latches. and end fittings are made from panel. The spinner is a piece of
The kit engine features a basic Bare-Metal Foil, household polished aluminum turned in a
block, sump, and cylinders. John aluminum foil, or aluminum motor tool. The hardest aspect
separated the cylinders for more automotive tape detailed with was correcting the antispin
finesse and added a heat shield paint. He detailed the firewall strakes. After vacuum-forming a
made from brass sheet embossed with stainless-steel wire, thin new fillet for the rear fuselage, he
with a ballpoint pen. Sewing solder, stretched sprue, and made strakes from .030" styrene.
 TIM STUMPF
HAMILTON, OHIO
THE BASIS OF TIM’S KFIR C.2 is
Revell’s 1/32 scale Mirage V and a
resin conversion from IsraDecal
which supplied a resin cockpit,
wheel wells and doors, weapon
pylons, air scoops, and nose radar
fairing as well as cast-metal gear
legs, a turned-brass pitot, and
photo-etched (PE) engine,
cockpit, landing gear, and cannon
details. But Tim didn’t stop there,
adding an Aires resin exhaust
nozzle and scribing all of the
panel lines in place of the 40-year-
old kit’s raised detail. The set’s
cast-metal landing gear was a
little rough, so Tim replaced many
of the struts with tubing from
Small Parts, which has an
expansive line of stainless-steel
tubing designed to fit together. “If
you got all the sizes, you could
assemble them in one continuous
telescoping tube,” Tim says.
Hydraulic lines made with .005"
and .010" lead and copper wire
were added to the landing-gear
struts and wheel wells. Hose and
wire clamps made from
aluminum foil dressed up the
hydraulics.
He made intake halves by
thermoforming .020" styrene over
a balsa wood master. The parts
were trimmed and joined with
styrene-strip reinforcement.
Tim replaced the resin
instrument panel with .004"
aluminum cut from a soda can. He
super glued a scale copy of the
panel to the aluminum and used
a rat-tail file to open the holes for
the dials. Decal instruments and
PE bezels finished the panels, a lot
of work, but worth it, according to
Tim.
“The engine provided by Isra
decal was poor and complicated
to install,” he says. “I used a J79
engine from Aires and modified
the fuselage so that it could be
installed at the end of the build.
This too was worth it.”
The Kfir’s distinctive canards
required fillets that were not
included in the resin set, so Tim
scratchbuilt them. Speaking
about the extra work, he says
there were some parts that just
would not fit. “There was a lot of
sanding and fit checks going on,”
he says. “That was very frustrating,
but when you really want
something, you persevere.” FSM
www.FineScale.com 47
 How to build a
BARV
Scratchbuilding makes a D-Day Sherman conversion in 1/35 scale /// BY ANDY COOPER

When the Allies landed Sherman tanks at Normandy, most were expected to go inland. But a few of them — Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicles
(BARVs) — were designed to go back into the sea and clear the way for the forces that followed.

A
multitude of specialized vehi-
cles were employed by Allied
forces in the D-Day invasion of
June 6, 1944. Most of them
were famously developed by Maj. Gen.
Percy Hobart’s 79th Armoured Division.
Known by the rank and file as “Hobart’s
Funnies,” they were weird and wonderful
contraptions designed to overcome both
natural and man-made obstacles in the
path to Berlin.
There was one highly specialized vehicle,
however, that was never developed or oper-
ated by the 79th but by the Royal Electrical
and Mechanical Engineers (REME) of the
British army. It was a tank without arma-
ment, and its five-man crew included a
qualified diver — yes, a diver.
If you have not guessed already, it was
the Sherman-based Beach Armoured
Recovery Vehicle, or BARV. Its chief duty
was to recover drowned and bogged-down
vehicles and clear the shore for the men,
equipment, and supplies that were critical
to the Allied armies advancing inland.
(They also pushed beached landing craft
back into the sea.)
The Sherman was modified by replacing
the turret with a welded, shiplike super-
structure that enabled the vehicle to operate
in water around 9' deep (2.7m).
More than 50 of these vehicles were
completed and tested prior to deployment.

48 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 1 2
Showing his work: Andy redrew the templates on card first, checked the The superstructure starts to rise as Andy places some of the first vertical
fit, then transferred them to styrene plates. He reinforced construction with sprue segments.

3 4
While the glue was still drying, he added forward plates so he could With the hull sides’ dimensions known, it was easier for Andy to fit the
adjust the fit. But when he was satisfied, he allowed the glue plenty of bow section (G).
additional drying time before proceeding.

Modern variants of the BARV are still used
by the amphibious forces of Britain and the
Netherlands.
Though it is not strictly a “Funny,” this
unique design was reason enough for me to
continue my quest to model these famous,
fascinating, and sometimes simply odd
armored vehicles.
About the templates
In my research, I got lucky: While surfing
the Internet, I found plans and templates
for a Sherman BARV that I was able to
save and rescale to 1/35. I also found excel-
lent photos of a restored BARV, and I had
my own photos of a preserved example at
the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth,
England. Armed with photographs, plans,
and templates, I grabbed a Tamiya
Sherman from the stash and set to work.
I’ve provided an amended copy of the
templates here (see p. 55). These can pro-
vide the extra plates you need, but they are
still somewhat approximate. I cut template
pieces slightly larger than indicated, then
cut or sanded the pieces to fit. Parts H and
K will need cutouts to fit the kit’s hull.
Parts G (the bow sections) require sanding
and filling to mate them over the hatch
fairings on the kit hull. They also need to be
slightly longer at the bottom edge, as indi-
cated. Part I (the rear roof section) could
also be cut as one part and scored to make
the fold; make a mirror image on the other
side of the template and cut it out as one
piece. Part F (front roof panel) is lightly
scored and bent to the roof profile.
Likewise, score and bend Part M (rear of
the exhaust stack) along the centerline to
match the profile of the hull stern (parts K).
I found I needed to fair this section in with
filler.
From there, measuring the model and
referencing photos will enable you to finish
the superstructure. I recommend interior
reinforcements and letting the glue dry
thoroughly after each step before proceed-
ing to the next.
Arriving at styrene
I transferred the scale templates to some
stiff card and cut them out. Then, I tacked
the pieces together with masking tape and
played jigsaws on the Tamiya hull until I

www.FineScale.com 49
 5 6
The stern was a little more complicated. Andy
started with pieces E, then C, and added the
two D pieces …
8 9
… before tacking it together on the bow.
knew more or less where the slabs would
go. Where templates needed modification, I
redrew them. Then I transferred the tem-
plates to .030" sheet styrene, 1.
It was easy enough to blank off the
sponsons and rear hull. Then it got tricky. I
decided to start with the slab sides of the
superstructure, as these are essentially verti-
cal and align with moldings on the hull.
The rigid .030" sheet styrene would provide
a sturdy foundation. Starting with the rear
sections, I glued these into the engine-deck
aperture on the hull, where the engine
cover would normally fit, 2. I added the
forward sections before the glue set so I
could make adjustments, 3. I braced these
sections with scrap and lengths of sprue
and let the glue set for a few days.
With the side uprights solidly in place, I
cut out the remaining templates and tai-
lored them before transferring them to
sheet styrene. The bow sections were fairly
straightforward once there was a fixed ref-
erence point, so I did these next, 4. Again, I
test-fitted everything so adjustments could
50 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
… before stopping to let the glue dry to
ensure the structure was firm before
proceeding.
The upper bow pieces helped Andy determine the angle on the upper
sides.
be made before the glue set. I added more
sprue and scrap braces for strength.
The rear part of the hull, with five sec-
tions, was more complex. I modified the
card templates to fit, then cut the sections
from styrene sheet. The two sections labeled
E in the photos were fixed in place first, 5,
and left to set. Section C came next, closely
followed by the two angled D panels, which
needed filing and sanding for proper fit. I
added more scrap and sprue reinforcements
before leaving everything alone for a day to
let the glue dry, 6.
Test-fitting and letting the glue dry at
each step had paid off so far.
Superstructure roof
To make life a little easier, I cut roof sec-
tions from thinner .010" styrene sheet. I
used my card templates to cut the pieces I
needed and tacked them together with
masking tape — but they were so far off
that I tossed the templates and measured
each section myself.
I thought the front roof parts would be
7
Switching to .010" sheet styrene gave Andy
more flexibility in forming parts. He scored and
bent this piece to the form he needed …
better cut as one piece, scored then bent to
the desired angle, 7 and 8.
Roof sections J and I were cut out next
and cemented in place, 9. I used card scraps
to make tabs for a firmer join, 10. As
before, I let everything dry thoroughly
before proceeding.
Now the degree of difficulty increases.
The towers at the top of the superstructure
— for crew access, the engine exhaust, and
ventilation — have to sit squarely atop the
sloping roof.
With its vertical plates, the crew hatch
was the easiest place to start, 11. I made the
bow section from one piece, scored and
bent as before, then cut side pieces to fit.
The exhaust tower did not look right, so
I removed it and rebuilt it as a subassembly;
then I could fiddle with its alignment to
the hull. It turned out to be largely a matter
of trial and error, and the most time-con-
suming part of the build.
Referring to photographs, I noticed a
flat section between the exhaust tower and
the crew hatch that was not apparent in the
10 11
Any which way but loose: Andy added sprue and card reinforcements to Vertical plates and clear reference photos helped Andy decide to build
shore up the superstructure. the crew hatch next.

12 13
Photos and plans were not so clear in the area near the crew hatch and Once he had established its lower plates, Andy could top off the exhaust
exhaust. Andy had to cut a lot of test pieces out of card before obtaining tower at the stern.
a good fit.

plans I had. I cut the roof to accommodate
this, 12; a flat section of sheet styrene held
everything nicely in place.
I smoothed the sheet-styrene exhaust
tower with Tamiya plastic putty. After
everything set, I closed the top with more
sheet styrene, cut to shape, 13.
The flat step to the rear of the crew
hatch is the top of a ventilation shaft. The
lid could be raised or lowered to allow air
inside; I decided it looked more interesting
raised. I built it from plastic card, 14, using
spacers to create the flanged top cover, then
set this subassembly aside for later.
Hull details
With the basic structure of the upper hull
more or less complete, I made various
details from styrene sheet, rod, angle, and
strips, as well as copper wire and several lit-
tle bits from my spares box.
Among the details were swing-bolt fas-
teners around the engine cover; I made
them from small lengths of styrene rod
with styrene strip on either side, 15. The
walkways along the sides are styrene angle,
strip, rod, and some old smoke-detector
mesh, 16. Splash guards atop the super-
structure are thin styrene sheet rolled
around a segment of pipe, then weighted
down and heat-formed with a hairdryer, 17;
the curved styrene was then cut to size and
attached to the hull. Copper-wire handles,
lifting lugs, rope eyes, styrene-strip steps
and water deflectors, punched styrene riv-
ets, and rod hinges were among the many
details that accumulated as I followed pho-
tos, 18.
Among the last construction details
were the prominent weld beads around the
superstructure. I laid down thin strands of
stretched sprue, softened them with liquid
styrene cement, and sculpted them to
model the beads, 19.
Paint and finishing
I primed the BARV with Tamiya gray
primer from a spray can, 20. Preserved
examples of the Sherman BARV look gray.
More specifically, one source stated the
Royal Navy won an argument over the
color as the vehicle would be operating pre-
dominantly in the sea, and therefore should
be battleship gray. (Interestingly, this army-

www.FineScale.com 51
14 15
The top of the ventilation shaft was built as a subassembly and fitted Fasteners on the engine-deck covers were a prominent detail worthy of
after the glue dried. scratchbuilding — all 34 of them!

16 17
Walkways along the sides are made from found materials; Andy got the Heat-forming gave Andy the curved styrene he needed …
mesh by disassembling a smoke detector.

navy conflict also played out among the
various Allies in many operational aspects
before and even during D-Day.) So gray it
would be.
I pre-shaded prominent lines and fea-
tures by airbrushing GSI Creos Mr. Hobby
acrylic tire black (No. H77), 21.
Next came a base coat of Tamiya dark
sea gray (XF-54) with a little medium sea
gray (XF- 53), 22. I used the darker color
on the lower regions of the BARV. Tamiya
light sea gray (XF-25) and ocean gray (XF-
82) provided highlights and tonal varia-
tions, 23.
Marking the BARV
Markings were difficult to pin down. The
preserved vehicle I had photographed wore
a blue, yellow, and red striped flash and
white serial numbers and stars. Others also
had a circular anchor symbol on a light blue
background, and I saw one contemporary
photo with the air recognition symbol on
the exhaust vent tower. All the period pho-
tos I saw were different, though. Some had
the flash on the superstructure’s side, and
others on the hull sides. I found no photos
taken at the time that showed the entire
vehicle. So, I decided to compromise by
doing as I pleased.
Consulting my spare decals, I found I
had the makings of the blue, yellow, and red
flash. I also unearthed some black anchor
symbols from a 1/72 scale German marine
helicopter; I was able to use those over cir-
cles I punched out of light blue decal film. I
chose a serial number from one of the
period photos and used Letraset dry trans-
fers for the numerals. The stars came from
the Tamiya Sherman.
After applying Pledge FloorCare Multi-
Surface Finish (PFM) and letting it dry
thoroughly, I applied the decals. After they
had dried, I sealed them with more PFM,
24.
Weathering
Most photos of BARVs on Normandy
beaches are shot from too far away to see
much weathering on the hull. I based my
weathering on several factors: First, most of
the BARVs stayed on the beach to help
keep supplies moving. Second, the weather
at the time of the invasion was unseason-
ably stormy; and, third, these vehicles spent
much of their time submerged in saltwater
with waves breaking over them. My BARV

52 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

18 19
… to make splash guards atop the hull. Wire handles and other details Stretched sprue, softened with liquid styrene cement and sculpted with
made from styrene scraps and spare parts start piling up around the a hobby knife, depicts rough weld seams.
vehicle.

20 21
It’s amazing what a coat of primer can do to make everything look like it Andy airbrushed pre-shading with Mr. Hobby tire black.
belongs on the same vehicle!

22 23
According to one of Andy’s sources, as long as the vehicle was operating Andy lightened the mix to add different tones and shades to the finish.
offshore the Royal Navy felt it should be gray like boats and ships.

www.FineScale.com 53
24 25
He applied Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish (PFM) to provide a Without much overland travel, a BARV’s weathering was mostly new
glossy, receptive surface for decals. rust that Andy depicted with burnt-sienna washes.

26 27
He concentrated the corrosion in places where seawater would be likely Streaks and chips are then subtly blended. Rope and cable made from
to collect and linger. White streaks depict saltwater runoff and residue. linen thread stiffened with diluted white glue are stowed aboard.

was going to be a D-Day-plus example, so
corrosion and wear would have accelerated.
With the PFM now thoroughly dried
over the decals, I applied a wash of burnt
sienna artist’s oils, 25. Thicker pinwashes of
the same color went to areas where rust
would start, 26. Drain holes around the
splash guards got special attention as I
allowed the wash to run out of the hole and
down the sides. More rust runs were ran-
domly applied around the hull, using a dry
or thinner-soaked brush for the desired
effect. Spots of white artist’s oils were
blended and finished the same to depict
saltwater runoff, 27. The tracks got black
and burnt sienna washes and a dry-brush-
ing of silver. Fresh scratches were simulated
using dark gray and dark green enamels and
a small brush. I kept repeating these pro-
cesses until I was happy with the effects,
then over-coated with Testors Dullcote.
Winding it up
Among the last stowed items were tow
cables and ropes made from linen thread
painted with diluted white glue to stiffen
them and eliminate fraying. I made eye
ends for them with copper wire. The cables
were stowed on the upper deck and shack-
led to the rear of the vehicle.
Recovery vehicles always seem to
acquire a collection of wooden blocks, so I
used wood scraps to stow some of these
topside. I fastened a rope to the bow and
coiled the end on the top deck. A folded
crew ladder was made from styrene strip
and rod, and fixed to the rear hull; a small
rope tied nearby aids boarding. Shackles
from my spares box and more made from
copper wire finish out the hardware.
A dusting of black and gray pastels pro-
vided exhaust stain. I applied some residual
sand created with ground-up pastels, mix-
ing light gray, yellow, and a little black. A
final spray of Dullcote sealed the pastel
effects, leaving only the antennas and a buf-
fer made from Milliput epoxy putty to
complete the build.
I loved making this model — I’ve
wanted to do so since I was about 12! It
looks complex, but it is not unduly difficult.
Styrene stock is inexpensive and easy to
work with. It only takes some understand-
ing of geometry and a lot of time to build a
BARV — a frequently overlooked vehicle
without which the Allied invasion may well
have foundered. FSM

54 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 Templates: 1/35 scale

Part A Sponson fillers x 2

Part D Part F
Front roof panel x 1

Part B Rear hull Score and fold

Front of Part C
panel replacement x 1 Part E along center line
exhaust Lower stern
stack section x 1 Upper stern/hull
section x 2

Front

Part G Part H Front hull uprights x 2

Bow section x 2

Top
Part J Center roof section x 2
Part L
Rear Front of exhaust
stack
Part I Rear roof section x 2

Scale: 1 inch
Part K Rear hull uprights x 2
Part M
3 cm Rear of
exhaust
stack

At the point of invasion,

the French shore was
clogged with wreckage.
BARVs helped clear the
way for vital supplies to
keep the Allies moving
forward.
D-Day,
Juno
Beach
Tag-team allies model a
diorama in 1/35 scale
BUILT BY GLENN BARTOLOTTI
AND JIM WECHSLER

O
ne morning in February 2009, groundwork and the figures. had an 11" x 14" base that defined the
Jim Wechsler woke up, got a Jim suggested a Commonwealth theme, space. Jim had a British Porpoise ammuni-
cup of coffee, checked his since he had a Tamiya Centaur with a lot of tion sled for the Centaur to drag, reinforc-
e-mail, and embarked on a aftermarket items. “The Centaurs were ing the D-Day theme.
modeling adventure. operated by the Royal Marines Armoured Glenn laid out the scene on a grid,
The e-mail was from Glenn Bartolotti. Support Group, a British unit put in vari- adjusting the position and angle of the
They had never met — Glenn lives in ous locations on D-Day building to show off
Florida, and Jim in California — but they — including Juno Beach the tank and figures.
had become acquainted as modelers on the to support Canadian “Ernie Kells, Queen’s In the layout, and in
Internet and admired each other’s work. forces,” Jim says. Glenn Own Rifles – one of the real photo, a slope
Glenn was suggesting that they collaborate would model a house five soldiers who and stone wall by the
on a diorama. Neither had ever worked made famous in photos house looked like a
with another modeler, let alone someone of the Canadian land- arrived at this house good place to pose the
more than 2,500 miles away. But somehow ing at Bernières-sur- on D-Day, now 84 tank, giving Jim a
it seemed like a good idea. Mer. years old. Sorry about chance to articulate the
They checked their collections and came The discussion throwing grenades Centaur’s suspension to
up with a plan — to show Canadian troops moved to position- add further movement
advancing at Juno Beach on D-Day, June 6, ing the building, into your cellar.” and action.
1944. Jim would build a vehicle, Glenn tank, and figures — – 2009 guestbook entry at Then Glenn turned to
would scratchbuild a house and its sur- composition. La Maison des Canadiens, the house looming over the
roundings. They would collaborate on the Glenn already Bernières-sur-Mer, Normandy, 1/35 scale diorama.
France
56 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
 1 2
After the landing, troops pose in front of a house that served as a Glenn contoured styrene foam with a knife to form a base for his part of
landmark for Canadians at Juno Beach. the groundwork. He says, “The foam takes up space so the ground
Conseil Régional de Basse-Normandie / Archives Nationales du Canada material does not have to be applied as thick.”

3 4
Glenn roughed in masonry with Gatorfoam, then The bay window and balcony
formed a wall and walkway with Magic-Sculpt two- were framed in with styrene
part epoxy clay. “I used my imagination for what I sheet; the door came from
couldn’t see in the photos,” he says. MiniArt. “It is not the exact door
on the balcony,” Glenn says, “but I
could not see all of the door, so it
had to do.”
5
Working with the photo of the house, taken shortly
after D-Day, Glenn used Photoshop to tint the
courtyard wall and better envision the scene. He
inflicted corresponding battle damage on the house.

6 7
Glenn sculpted stonework with dental tools and textured the epoxy “The dormer was a lot of work,” Glenn says. “I made countless patterns.
clay with a toothbrush. A final once-over with the toothbrush smoothed The angles were a pain!” Still, he enjoyed the challenge of re-creating it
lines and unified textures. from photos. MiniArt windows grace the dormer.

www.FineScale.com 57
 8 9
Gatorfoam, similar to foam-core but more rigid, is often used for Glenn covered the Gatorfoam with Magic-Sculpt and sculpted
architectural models. Glenn used it on the house walls and as a core for fieldstone. Before the clay cured, he laid sections of sheet styrene atop
much of his masonry. the wall like capstones. He would cover them with clay, too.

10 11
The house’s west wall is covered with epoxy clay, ready for Glenn to Counting the rows of brick in the photo helped scale the pattern to the
sculpt bricks. model.

12 13
A thin layer of epoxy putty, stippled with a toothbrush, replicated The chimney is made from layers of epoxy putty.
stucco on the second story. In his continuing research, Glenn would
swap this door for a French porte.

58 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

14
After the main portion cured, Glenn rolled out
thinner strips of putty and placed them a fourth of
the way from the top for a decorative midsection.
15
A balcony rail was fashioned with
fence pieces made by MiniArt, cut
to shape and glued into position.
The downspout is made from
sections of sprue, bent to shape,
with attachment brackets made
from lead foil strips.
16
Meanwhile, Jim was working on the Centaur. “Tamiya
seems to have anticipated that people might want to
articulate the suspension,” Jim says. “Each pair of
wheels is mounted on a simple rocker arm that
attaches through the hull. All Tamiya adds is a small
pin on the hull; if you want to move the suspension,
just cut off the pins and the arms swing free.”

17
Each road-wheel arm has a hole on its back side that matches a pin on
the hull. Jim smoothed the arms and plugged the holes with .040"
styrene rod and putty. He says, “I might have skipped this, but with the
Centaur climbing that wall I thought it might be visible.”
18
To keep the tank from rolling, Jim glued the polycaps to the wheels and
then to the arms. He glued the rear wheels in position according to the
base’s terrain and let them dry. Then he glued the wheels riding over
the wall (third on the left and the second one on the right).

19
The rear wheels were easy to locate; they rode on the ground. “But I had to think about the ones in front of the wall,” Jim says. “The tracks would
prevent them from maximum extension; about ¾ of maximum seemed about right. Then I hung the second wheel on the left between, but not
quite in a line with, the first and third wheels.”

20
For the articulated suspension, Jim used Friulmodel white-metal,
workable tracks, gluing them on, then painting them. Accurate
Armour’s Porpoise ammunition sled provided white-metal attachment
rods and brackets that bent too easily; Jim replaced them with styrene
rod, tube, and strips (but left the sled unattached for shipping to Glenn).
He sawed off the back of the sled at the edge of the base.
21
For groundwork, Jim collected dirt from his yard, sand from the beach,
brown and black powdered paints, and Fixall, a wall-repair product, “like
plaster of paris, but it has much better adhesion and dries very hard.” He
added water, Woodland Scenics Scenic Cement, and a shot of Elmer’s
white glue, then more water until it was like pudding. Sprinkling dirt on
top produced the final sandy texture.

www.FineScale.com 59
22
With the Centaur reared back on its hind wheels, Jim worried that the
numerous ejector-pin marks under the fenders might be seen. So he
filled them all — a lot of puttying and sanding — but now admits that
throwing some mud and sod up there would be a quicker, easier fix.
24
To weather the lower hull, Jim dusted it with Tamiya acrylic buff thinned
about 80%. “I kept dust minimal,” he says. “I just wanted to integrate the
colors a little.” A wash of Winsor & Newton raw umber artist’s oils
deepened details. Jim saved the rest of the weathering for when the
model was complete.
26
“Aber has a nice photo-etch for this,” Jim says of the wading stack. “I
painted the inside while it was still on the fret. That was a lot easier than
trying to spray in there once it was folded up.”
60 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
23
Painting tracks in situ with Testors Model Master enamels, Jim led with
raw sienna to represent rust and dirt. Then he airbrushed the lower hull,
road wheels, sprockets, and idlers flat black; touchup would correct
overspray on the tracks. “I tried to avoid the tracks, but I didn’t worry
about it much,” he says. He panel-faded with green drab followed by
olive drab. Dry-brushing green areas with Afrika dunkelgrau brought
out details before a heavy layer of Testors Dullcote. After touching up
the tracks, he dry-brushed them with Testors Metalizer aluminum.
25
“The upper hull really is a drop-fit,” Jim says. “Just a bit of glue and no
filler.” He added Eduard photo-etched brackets and clamps and ran the
tow cables through the clevis on the hull’s front. “The instructions leave
the cables lying on top, but that seemed odd to me,” he says.
27
The Aber PE included a wading shield for the turret. “Piece of cake,” says
Jim.
28
As with the lower hull, Jim base-coated the rest of the tank flat black
and panel-faded with green drab and olive drab. He postponed dry-
brushing until after he had applied decals.
30
Next, another flat clear coat, then dry-brushing with Afrika dunkelgrau.
Using Testors Model Master enamels, Jim painted: tow cables with raw
sienna, dry-brushing with Metalizer dark anodonic gray; tools with
Metalizer gunmetal dry-brushed with Metalizer aluminum; dark tan
wood handles; and military brown for the leather pad on the
commander’s cupola, dry-brushed with Afrika dunkelgrau.
32
As Jim and Glenn divvied up the figures, Jim took on the Canadians.
From left: two figures from a Dragon set, with lead-foil equipment
straps; the third infantryman is a combination of two Dragon figures,
with a resin head from a third figure; and the tank commander is from
the Tamiya kit, with wires added to the headset.
29
The turret’s degree markings are from an old Bison Decals sheet. First,
Jim applied a heavy coat of Testors Glosscote to prevent silvering. He
says, “Having built a Centaur before, I learned that there are four eyelets
on the turret. The instructions say to add these after the decals, but the
note is easy to miss — and if you glue them on first, applying the decals
is really tough.” He also suggests working front to back.
31
Jim applied a wash of Winsor & Newton raw umber artist’s oil cut 80%
with Mona Lisa odorless thinner. A thinned dusting with Tamiya buff
was sufficient weathering. “These tanks were straight off the landing
craft, so they weren’t terribly dirty,” Jim says. “Mainly, I was just looking
to integrate the colors and lighten the model a bit.”
33
Jim followed Dragon’s instructions for painting the figures, though he
lightened colors slightly. Testors enamels include: Afrika khakibraun dry-
brushed with a lightened Afrika dunkelgrau, also used for straps and
packs; green drab for helmets; French chestnut for the tank
commander’s jacket; and wood dry-brushed with tan for the faces. He
finished the figures with a layer of Testors Dullcote and a wash of Winsor
& Newton raw umber artist’s oil thinned 80%.
www.FineScale.com 61
34
Meanwhile, Glenn was continuing work on the
house. Here, it’s primed and ready for some
serious exterior painting.
35
The house was damaged, but, considering that thousands of Canadians were beating on its door,
it could have been worse. Glenn planted static grass in the yard, then gravel and rubble bricks
from Custom Dioramics. He broke up some of the bricks for more debris. Glenn attached
everything with white glue, then brushed on a mix of white glue and water to keep it in place.

36 37
Glenn began overall painting with a dark tan base coat. Two main layers of color served as an undercoat for the finish and
weathering.

38 39
Glenn hand-painted the trim with Vallejo Model Color German black Glenn painted the stucco with a mixture of ground pastels and white
brown. He credits abstinence from coffee for a steady hand. artist’s oils, “as if I were painting on a canvas,” he says. “No dry-brushing
at all! I made the shell marks lighter, as seen in photos.”

62 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

40
“I paint each brick and stone one at a time,” Glenn says. “Varying the
shades adds life to the stonework. Most modelers take the easy way out
and just dry-brush, but that ties all the items too closely. Sure, it’s fast,
and it brings out texture, but you lose realism.”
41
No time for a break: Glenn converted two Dragon figures to show one
German wounded and another urging him on. A little epoxy putty on
the kneeling figure’s shoulder filled a gap between it and the other’s
hand, making it look more natural.

42
A coat of black Vallejo primer provides pre-shading. Glenn glued the
figures together and painted them as a pair: “The hand was pressed
onto the wounded figure’s shoulder while the Magic-Sculpt was soft. I
wanted to make sure the hand on his shoulder looked convincing.”
43
He finished the figures with Vallejo paints, which offers a full line of
Wehrmacht colors and excellent brush-painting characteristics.

Long-awaited, liberation comes to France — and these two unfortunate German soldiers are doing their best to get out of the way. FSM

www.FineScale.com 63
SHOW GALLERY

Powered-up armor
Fighting vehicles locked and loaded with detail

Whether scratchbuilt or sourced from the aftermarket, there’s detail inside and out in these scale replicas.
FSM shot them at the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society (AMPS) International Convention in Sumter, S.C.,
and talked to the builders about what makes their models special.

MICHAEL POWERS
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA

MICHAEL’S VIGNETTE depicts a
British army vehicle that has
blown an engine seal while on
patrol in Afghanistan and is under
attack by Taliban fighters.
The basis for the scene is
HobbyBoss’ 1/35 scale Land Rover,
which Michael updated to 2008
standards with Accurate Armour’s
R-WMIK TES(T/H) conversion set.
“The upgrade was practically a
replacement!” he says. “The rear
body, frame, wings, seats,
machine gun and its mount, rear
gear basket, sand channels, front
GPMG mount and weapon,
wheels, and roll cage were all
replaced.” Other new parts
included the armor panels and
the basket for the camo netting
on the hood.
The engine was one of the few
kit parts left; Michael added
ignition wires before installation.
The AC Models crew fit pretty
well, but using the Accurate
Armor conversion turned Mike
into a surgeon. “The gunner was
too short,” he says. “I cut him at
the knees and gave him a couple
of extra inches with brass wire
and Green Stuff epoxy putty. His
arms were altered to more closely
fit the handles on the .50-cal.”
The AC Models set included
some stowage. Other items came
from Live Resin, for L82A2 rifles,
ProArt Models for backpacks, stuff
bags, and the water cooler,
Accurate Armour for jerry cans,
water bottles, ammunition boxes,
and carbon-fiber antennas,
Mission Models’ spent casings,
Skif lenses, and a Tasca M2 barrel.

64 Experts Guide to Superdetailing


“I AM PRIMARILY a figure painter
and I work almost exclusively in
the larger scales — 120- 200mm,”
says Kurt. “U.S. Marine Corps
subjects are favorites of mine, and
I was researching the fighting in
Hue City during the 1968 Tet
Offensive for a Marine figure
project that I had in mind. I kept
running across photos of M274s
armed with the 106mm recoilless
rifles used by the Marines during
the urban fighting there.”
Thinking the vehicle would be
a good subject for a vignette, Kurt
bought Glencoe’s 1/15 scale Mule
hoping he could detail it, but
decided it wasn’t right for the
project. “My only option was
scratchbuilding it,” he says.
“Fortunately, I had taken about
50 photos of a Mule armed with a
106mm at the American Armored
Foundation Museum in Danville,
Va., a few years earlier. These
photos became a primary source
of information for this build.”
Technical manuals provided
KURT HOLLAR
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA
basic dimensions but no scale
plans. “The Mule is a fairly simple
vehicle, though, and I decided
that, if I could get the basic cargo
platform built to the correct
dimensions, I could then estimate
the sizes and proportions of all of
the remaining details of the
vehicle,” he says. “In retrospect, I
am reminded of the saying ‘fools
rush in where angels fear to tread,’
as this became a very challenging
process.”
During the almost eight
months he spent on the project,
including vehicle, figures, and
groundwork, he built and rebuilt
some of the Mule’s subassemblies
several times to get it right. Kurt
used sheet styrene for the basic
platform and many of the sliced and used for most bolt Kurt mostly used super glue
vehicle’s small details. “The heads on the vehicle.” on the build, but soldered the
vehicle’s frame is tubular by The Glencoe Mule provided basket assembly for the foot-
design, so I used styrene tubing the engine block. Brass and pedal controls. Epoxy putty filled
for this as well as the muffler, aluminum sheet, rod, and tube gaps, formed seat cushions, and
recoilless rifle, .50-caliber sighting were used in place of styrene smoothed transitions on complex
rifle, and many engine details,” he where it offered an advantage in shapes such as the breech of the
says. “Hex-shaped styrene rod was strength and scale thickness. recoilless rifle.
www.FineScale.com 65
KEITH FRAPE
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
BRITISH ARMY ENGINEERS in a
Chieftain armored recovery and
repair vehicle collect a busted
Challenger power pack in Iraq in
Keith’s 1/35 scale vignette.
He converted Tamiya’s
Chieftain — actually just the hull
— with an Accurate Armour resin
and photo-etch set. After cutting
the kit’s lower hull as indicated, he
joined the lower nose and rear
plates with Accurate Armour’s
lower and upper hull. The kit
suspension and vinyl tracks were
then installed.
“The Accurate Armour resin is
high quality, with very sharp, crisp
detail, but it’s prone to warpage
and some shrinkage,” Keith says.
“When the items are unboxed, it is
prudent to ensure every item is
present and accounted for and in
usable condition. Air bubbles may
be present on some of the larger
items. If they are not on a visible
surface, they can be filled and
sanded. Minor bubbles can be
66 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
filled with super glue.” He washed
the resin parts with warm water
and a few drops of dish soap,
rinsed them in cold clear water,
and set them aside to air-dry.
He primed the multimedia
model to give it a uniform surface
and color, and to promote paint
adhesion. The Challenger power
pack, also from Accurate Armour,
was a complicated build made
harder by vague instructions.
“Constant page-turning is needed
to see where things connect,” he
says. “Leave the actual gluing of
the radiators until the last thing.
Adjustments of some items will
be required. The very first
question you must ask yourself
before starting is how are you
going to show the finished power
pack? Once you start, it will be
almost impossible to change your
mind. Weaving of cables and
hoses must be thought through
before gluing larger parts to the
pack!”

GLEN SPENT SEVEN YEARS
building Tamiya’s 1/35 scale
Leclerc as a French tank on a
United Nations peacekeeping
operation in Lebanon in 2006.
His numerous improvements
include: photo-etched details
MAC JOHNSTON
SALISBURY, NEW YORK
THERE ARE A FEW DRAGON
PARTS in Mac’s 1/35 scale broken-
down RSO RS1500 Waldschlepper,
but most of the halftrack is
scratchbuilt.
from Tamiya — engine grilles,
fuel-tank straps, air-conditioner
screen, and stowage-rack mesh
— and Eduard — handles,
latches, tool racks, and a lot more.
Bronco individual-link tracks
replaced the kit’s vinyl runs. The
Referring to drawings, he made
the cab from brass sheet soldered
together for strength. The frame
of the bed was made from
Evergreen styrene strips; the
MIDLOTHIAN, VIRGINIA
barrel is a Voyager resin and
turned-aluminum combo.
Glen added nonskid texture to
horizontal surfaces with a mix of
Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface
Finish and sand. He made
individual tie-downs by shaping
wood came from Micro-Mark’s
lumber yard. “All the side supports
are from a Royal photo-etch set,”
says Mac. “I punched out all the
bolt heads from Evergreen plastic
GLEN MARTIN
pieces of silver solder and super
gluing them in place.
Other additions include: a
Eureka tow cable; MV Products
lenses for the headlights; DEF.
Model cooler and water bottles;
and wire antennas.
sheet.” The front wheels —
modified RSO wheels cast in resin
— and the Dragon road wheels
feature scratchbuilt brake and
steering linkages.
www.FineScale.com 67
KONRAD SCHREIER
REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA
COUNTERWEIGHTS ADDED to
early M10 turrets turned out to be
too heavy, so lighter blocks were
added and the rear of the turret
changed to accommodate them.
Konrad built one of these later
tank destroyers by kitbashing
Tamiya’s 1/48 scale Achilles (a
British version of the M10 with a
17-pounder main gun) with parts
from a Tamiya M10 and early-
pattern suspension from a
HobbyBoss Sherman.
As on the full-size vehicle, the
Tamiya road wheels were fitted
with cover plates to prevent
jamming. Konrad replaced the
plastic track skids on the bogies
with brass and turned corrected
return rollers on a lathe.
Other changes to the hull
include a mid-production
transmission cover, scratchbuilt
engine hatches underneath, and
sponson filler plates. Hauler
photo-etched (PE) engine grilles
68 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
reveal a scratchbuilt engine cover
inside the rear hull. Appliqué-
armor bosses decorate the hull
and turret.
Inside, Konrad scratchbuilt the
front compartment, including a
front bulkhead with access
hatches, transmission, drive shaft,
stowage tray and box, brake
beam and rods, driver control
levers and pedals, driver’s tool kit,
manual stowage basket, and SCR-
508 radio. In the lower section of
the fighting compartment are
scratchbuilt ammunition tubes
and canteens.
The turret received a lot of
aftermarket and scratchbuilt
attention, starting with the Hauler
PE turret-ring gear, equipment
boxes, and improved seats. He detailed the gun breech There’s more — soldered brass
Konrad made retaining straps for and direct-fire sight, and dressed stowage racks, scratchbuilt light
the ready rounds, a late-pattern up the M2 with an RB turned- guards, working hinges on the
indirect-fire sight mount, and a brass barrel and hand grips, hatches, and scratchbuilt tow
spare barrel for the .50-caliber scratchbuilt trigger and mount cables and bracket — all in a
machine gun. details, and a cast ammo box. model that’s not even 6" long!
 ASHLEY ABERNATHY
GLEN ALLEN, VIRGINIA
TO MODEL one of the first SU-122
self-propelled howitzers in
combat around Leningrad in
January 1943, Ashley added a ton
of aftermarket and scratchbuilt
detail to Tamiya’s 1/48 scale kit.
Photo-etch (PE) from Hauler
(No. HLX48086) replaced the
fenders, tie-downs, saw, and
ON NOV. 1, 1968, Lt. Col. Charles
C. Rogers rallied his troops and
helped man a howitzer,
inoperative due to casualties, to
repulse an attack on Fire Base Rita
in Vietnam. He later received the
toolboxes; he soldered the last
together for strength. The molded
engine screens were cut from the
engine-deck hatch and PE used in
their place over scratchbuilt
details. Ashley replaced poorly
molded hatch handles with steel
surgical wire; styrene brackets
support wire grab bars. He
Medal of Honor for his actions
that day.
Carl backdated AFV Club’s
1/35 scale M109A2 to a Vietnam-
era howitzer with a resin turret
interior from Warriors, a gun from
scratchbuilt cleaning rods from
styrene rod to fit PE holders and
twisted four .010" wires to form a
cable that he attached to tow-
loops from a Tamiya T-34.
Upfront, he added Grandt
Line bolt heads to the
gun and mantlet and
hollowed out the
HICKORY, NORTH CAROLINA
Italeri’s early M109, individual-link
tracks from Skybow, and a hull
interior from KMC. The last was
comprehensive, but it was
designed for Italeri’s M109A2. “It
did not have the corner-mounted
headlight to make way for a clear
plastic lens. Tamiya acrylics
provided the
camouflage colors;
Ashley used AK
Interactive chipping
solutions as a release
agent to weather the
winter white.
CARL WETHINGTON
projectile stowage rack, which I
had to scratchbuild,” says Carl. It
also had the later breech-
mounted power rammer, so he
scratchbuilt a folding cab-
mounted version. FSM
www.FineScale.com 69
 Rev up a
Grand Prix racerSuperdetailing a 1/20 scale multimedia kit /// BY BOB STEINBRUNN
R
oaring onto the scene in 1932, Alfa
Romeo’s Monoposto Tipo B (single seat,
Type B), better known as the P3, domi-
nated European competition for several years. In
1937, Englishman Kenneth Evans drove a P3 in
British racing green at Brooklands motor circuit
in England, where he finished second in a 10-lap
Mountain Championship Scratch race. That is
the car I chose to model.
About 1975, Casadio Models (now Revival
International) introduced a series of Grand Prix
racers that represented the cutting edge in multi-
media models. The box contained die-cast white
metal, black plastic, vinyl tires, and beautiful
wire-spoke wheels, already threaded. Some of
these kits were produced in all-plastic form —
so take care when you order.
70 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
The instructions are sparse, and some parts are
rough or inaccurate. What’s more, though the
paint job looks deep and lustrous, it is so thick it
obscures details. Yet many parts have mold lines
and seams that beg to be filed off and polished.
After some soul-searching, I realized I had to
strip the paint, clean parts with files and sanding
sticks, and repaint the British racing green.
I was surprised at the paint’s tenacity: primer,
color coat, clear coat, and possibly it was baked
on. The paint resisted immersion in both brake
fluid and Blue Magic Paint Stripper for more
than a week until scraping, scrubbing with a
brass brush, and using a hobby knife gently in
tight areas brought out the casting’s details.
Only then was I ready to correct and augment
the kit to my satisfaction.
 1 2
The model comes well-packed with parts in molded compartments and A Waldron punch-and-die set was indispensible in this build.
numbered bags. An extra engine is included for display. I scratchbuilt an
engine stand to show it off.

3 4
Assorted styrene nuts, bolts, and rivets from Tichy Train Group (TTG) A Flex-I-File with medium and fine grit reaches into tight, curved areas
dressed up the model inside and out. Each engine consumed several to remove mold seams — essential for this exhaust manifold. You can
hundred of these. Grobet 4S fine-tip tweezers handled the tiny bits. trim the sanding film for especially tight spots.

5 6
It’s more expeditious to paint interior details in one or two sessions. Vittorio Jano’s 2.6-liter, 8-cylinder engine had twin overhead camshafts
Some parts are held by their sprue, others by toothpicks, alligator clips, driven by a central gear train (hence the bulges for the gears on the
or a bit of steel wire stuck in styrene foam. camshaft covers). The left side had two small superchargers, each
feeding four cylinders.

www.FineScale.com 71
 7 8
The exhaust manifold sweeps up and aft. Lower down are the Marelli I detailed the gearbox with a shift gate, lever, and various fittings; the
magneto, water pump, and oil filter. gas and brake pedals are made with brass strips, styrene sheet, and
plastic nuts and bolts.

9 10
The final drive ran to a differential that split the drive into two torque I scratchbuilt the engine stand from 133 pieces; the two engines have
tubes housing two propeller shafts that ran back to two gearboxes on 1,020 parts between them. Brass rod and strip, copper screen, sheet and
the rear axle. This lowered the driver and the axles. Gear ratios could be strip styrene, and hundreds of TTG nuts and bolts were added.
changed for various race courses.

11 12
I painted the engine with various shades of Alclad II, both straight from The black magneto’s conduit runs up to the spark-plug wiring distribu-
the bottle and mixed. tion tube. I painted the exhaust manifold with a mixture of Alclad II
burnt iron, stainless steel, and gold titanium. The heat discoloration is a
light brushing of Alclad II hotmetal blue and a transparent, pinkish mix
of Floquil signal red and reefer white.

72 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

13 14
There are two screened intakes, carburetors, fuel filters, superchargers, Adjusting the stick in its gate: The P3 transmission had three speeds,
and intake manifolds, each feeding four of the eight cylinders. and the differential was mounted aft of the transmission.

15 16
The hand brake is on the left, as is the clutch pedal; brake and gas Conscience dictated that I strip off the model’s pre-painted high-gloss
pedals are on the right. paint to clean up seams and mold marks. It took 10 days of Blue Magic
to strip the tenacious, baked-on paint.

17 18
Removing paint revealed over-scale and misplaced rivets that I filed, TTG’s tiny (.020") styrene rivets were tacked in place with Tamiya Extra
sanded, or ground off. I used dividers to mark out rows of rivets with Thin Cement, then secured with super glue. An inexpensive scalpel is
proper spacing, making tiny indents in the metal. great for spearing such minute parts.

www.FineScale.com 73
19
The molded screening on the kit’s radiator is over-scale; I overlaid it with
PE screening from Plano Model Products. It’s a model railroad product
adaptable to car models.
21
The PE hinge improved functionality and scale fidelity. Wire was
provided for the hinge pin, but .015" steel wire worked better. I made
latches from sheet styrene, brass rod and strip, and PE roll-cage gussets
from Detail Master.
23
The distinctive and highly visible suspension deserved attention. I
improved the adjustable friction shock absorbers on all four wheels
with scratchbuilt elements; front shocks comprise 24 pieces cut from
.015" sheet styrene. I cut the rear shocks away from the leaf springs,
which I detailed with TTG nuts, bolts, and rivets, U-bolt threaded rods,
and adjusting handles bent to shape from .010" x .020" brass strip.
74 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
20
The piano hinge on the hood’s centerline looked too big and came with
the hinge holes pre-drilled off-center, impeding the hood sections. I
super glued the two hood sections together, then cut them apart along
the hinge line using a miniature table saw; J-B Weld two-part epoxy
filled and smoothed the rough edges. Then, I installed PE piano hinges
from Model Car Garage’s Big Rig Details (No. MCG-2204).
22
Inside the hood, I reinforced the edges with .010" x .020" styrene strip
and TTG .020" rivets. I shaped more of the styrene strip to add louvers.
24
The kit’s leaf springs lacked detail. Using a homemade microsaw, I
scribed connecting links and shaped the upper- and lower-spring
attachment points. This careful carving was at the end of each spring
unit, where I knew it would be seen.
25
Rear axle and two gearboxes, scribed to show a central case with two
end plates: I cut off the molded bolts and replaced them with TTG bolt
heads. The torque tubes have end plates with bolts, as does the central
brake unit, which I scribed to look like a split case. Gearboxes are
detailed with filler plugs and scrap pieces depicting rubber bumpers.
27
The rubber-like tires have excellent tread. A molding ridge around the
circumference of each tire is easily removed with a sanding stick, which
also realistically scuffs the tread. Tires are stretched onto the wheels as
on a real car; I made several basswood “tire irons” for the job. The
beautiful wire wheels are already threaded; I airbrushed them with
Alclad II aluminum.
29
Kit-supplied brass torque tubes run back from the differential to the two
gearboxes on the rear axle. The transverse brass rod connecting the
mechanical brake system with the rear wheels replaced the flimsy one
in the kit.
26
The kit’s tiny screws are easily stripped; in some cases, it was better to
use Micro Fasteners’ tap-and-drill set and brass hex bolts, washers, and
nuts. Here, a rear cross member has been filed and polished and an 0-80
tap has threaded screw holes for the hardware.
28
Underneath, brass rods are part of the mechanical brake system fore
and aft, replacing plastic kit parts. The scratchbuilt front friction shock
absorbers in white show up well here, too. Black plastic bell cranks and
attachment points for the various brake rods were carved or sanded to
scale. Brass 00-90 hex bolts, washers, and nuts replaced the kit’s screws.
30
Body panels are test-fitted prior to painting to make sure none of the
added details interferes with them. Brass tubing depicts fuel and oil
lines along the floorboards.
www.FineScale.com 75
31
Ready for paint: a primer coat of Floquil reefer gray lightened with
white, followed by various shades of Alclad II for the bare metal. Next
came a British racing green I mixed with Floquil Southern green and
dark blue.
33
The Cartograf decals were thick, but Solvaset settled them. I allowed
several days for drying, then airbrushed with Floquil Crystal-Cote.
35
I airbrushed the seat and steering wheel with Floquil mud, a light tan.
After they dried for several days, I applied Winsor & Newton burnt
umber artist’s oil to the seat and smoothed it with a cotton swab to
impart a beautiful leather-like sheen.
76 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
32
After airbrushing the inside of the frame rails with Alclad II aluminum, I
applied liquid mask before airbrushing the British racing green. It was
much easier to brush these parts with two coats of liquid mask than to
apply tape to these intricate parts.
34
Mig Productions dark wash deepened nuts, bolts, rivets, and recesses,
creating contrast to make these details stand out.
36
Streaking the steering wheel with burnt umber replicated wood grain. I
cut the instrument panel face from .010" sheet styrene, drilling and
filing the openings to shape. That layer is backed with clear acetate from
a page protector, which looks like glass; behind that is another .010"
styrene sheet with the kit’s instrument decals.
 Sources
Liquid masking film, Bob Dively Models,
www.bobdivelymodels.com
Microfine solder, Scale Scenics, www.circuitron.com
Photo-etched piano hinges, Model Car Garage,
www.modelcargarage.com
Photo-etched screening, Plano Model Products,
www.planomodelproducts.com
Scale hardware, Micro Fasteners, www.microfasteners.com
Scale hardware, ignition wire, Detail Master,
www.detailmaster.com
Styrene nuts and bolts, Tichy Train Group,
37 www.tichytraingroup.com
Fuel and oil lines are Scale Scenics Microfine Solder (.018" diameter) Waldron punch and die, from Roll Models,
along with copper strands from a lamp cord; Detail Master provided the www.rollmodels.com
engine wiring in various diameters and colors.

38
Oil and fuel lines run along the frame; latches in the fuel, oil, and radiator caps are made from brass strip inserted in drilled holes. You can see the
mechanical brake linkage under the car.

A cloisonné Alfa Romeo badge procured online provided a fancy

finishing touch. My log shows this model has 2,521 parts and required
252 hours spread over nine months to complete. Great fun! FSM

www.FineScale.com 77
Tiger Meet JAS 39C
Converting, detailing this Gripen is a roarin’ good time /// MODEL BY RICARDO DACOBA

W
hen you attend a
Tiger Meet, you
don’t dress as a wall-
flower. You bring the aircraft
with the most ferocious paint
scheme you’ve got to the
annual NATO Tiger Association
meet. In 2011 the conference
was in Cambrai, France, and
featured 13 participants, one
being the 211 Squadron from
the Czech Republic. With it
came the Saab JAS 39C 1,100 people from
Gripen, with its stunning 17 countries watched
stripes and enough power to the Tiger Meet 2011
Background image: © Denisismagilov | Dreamstime.com

reach a top speed of Mach 2. 50th celebration.

Inspired, Ricardo Dacoba
re-created this head-turner by
turning the 1/48 scale Italeri
JAS 39A into a JAS 39C.
 1 2 3
Ricardo started by thinning the canards’ edges. He joined the intakes and fuselage halves then Ricardo integrated a resin APU housing and
He reinforced the connections with styrene reshaped the canard roots and moved the removed the air brake interiors to make space
pegs, smoothing with putty. mounts 2mm forward, drilling new holes. inside the engine nozzle.

4
Underneath, he relocated vents to correct their position, filling a void and adding new detail with more styrene.

5 6 7
Prior to rebuilding the main gear wells, Ricardo He used spare parts, styrene stock, and wire to … and the nose gear wells.
cut them out with a motor tool. scratchbuild new main gear well interiors …

Epoxy putty

8 9
Scratchbuilding eliminated space for the 20 grams of ballast needed to balance the plane. The Italeri interior was sparse, so Ricardo
Instead, Ricardo used the nose cone to make an epoxy putty form. He melted wax over the form decided to scratchbuild. He modified an Aires
then poured molten lead into the wax; the solidified lead then fit into the nose. To avoid being F-18 seat and loaded the rest of the space with
poisoned, always wear gloves and a respirator and ensure good ventilation when melting lead. spare parts and new fabrications.

www.FineScale.com 79
10 11 12
Paint and light dry-brushing made everything “One weak point is the joining of the fuselage Ricardo also built the instrument-panel
look like it belonged. with the canopy,” says Ricardo. He filled the coaming with epoxy putty.
gap forward of the instrument panel with
2mm of putty, smoothed, then shaped.

13 14
Smoothly joining the wings to the fuselage Ricardo cut up kit parts and installed Aires engine nozzles. Here you can see the difference
required hours of sanding. between the Aires nozzle (left) and the one supplied by the kit.

15 16
Topside, Ricardo airbrushed Tamiya dark sea gray (XF-54). The underside is a lighter shade of the same color.

17 18
Ricardo painted the vertical tail and canards white to make the decals Before applying the decals, a dark watercolor wash was used to
stand out. highlight the panels. He removed the excess with a cloth moistened
with water, wiping in the direction of airflow.

80 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

19 20
Ricardo formed epoxy putty around the drop tank, then sculpted a tiger He airbrushed flat black stripes on the tanks …
stripe stencil.

21 22
... and overpainted with Tamiya clear yellow. “With a symmetrical The nozzle was painted with Testors Model Master jet exhaust enamel
pattern, I could use the same template to paint both sides,” he says. and touches of black.

23 24 25
The ejection seat was Sidewinder missiles from Revell’s F-15E Strike Eagle After printing decals for the tail and canards, Ricardo
completed with seat belts (85-5511) arm the fighter. painted over any visible printing issues before putting
made from aluminum foil. them on the aircraft.

26 27
He continued the tiger pattern by painting stripes down the fuselage. Lastly, Ricardo used oil paints to reproduce hydraulic fluid drippings and
Like the drop tanks, he painted flat black and airbrushed clear yellow. dirt before adding a thin coat of Testors flat clear. FSM

www.FineScale.com 81
 Scratchbuilding
tips and tricks
A master modeler shares the secrets to shipshape modeling /// BY DAVE STRAUB

Research and references

M
y model of the USS Langley, America’s first aircraft carrier, as a seaplane
tender near the end of her career represents not only years of work but also a Once I’ve made up my mind what I want
lifetime of skills I’ve developed. Some of the techniques, like carving and to build, I start collecting all the plans,
sanding, date back to when I started modeling with Strombecker solid wood drawings, and photos. The images include
kits. Others, such as resin-casting, and brass-bending and soldering, I’ve learned through in-action and walkaround photos.
trial and error. This process takes time — five years for
the Langley — so I make a file folder to
Getting started the past: to build something for which keep everything together. It’s divided into
There was a time when scratchbuilding was there is no kit, like the Langley, to have one subgroups marked with pieces of colored
de rigueur for modelers. Whether it was in the scale you want. The latter is true for paper, 2. Those groups include models that
replacing a simple kit cockpit with a better- the collections of 1/62 scale seaplanes and I have seen, overall pictures, and detail pho-
detailed option from styrene or building an 1/200 scale dirigibles I’ve built, 1. tos of specific areas of the subject. This dos-
entire Soviet T-60 tank, most builders dab- But more than that, scratchbuilding sier makes it easy to find what I need as I’m
bled in the art. gives a sense of accomplishment. I got into planning and building.
However, many would argue that today it 20 years ago, and it opened up a whole I digitize drawings and plans, reducing
is a golden age for modeling, given the new world of freedom and enjoyment for or enlarging them to the scale of the model,
range of kits available and the breadth of me. Plus, it raised my skills to a higher 3. A lot of them are old blueprints and
subject matter covered. So, why scratchbuilt level. With each model, I stretch my abili- require tedious digital cleanup, but they
at all? For many of the same reasons as in ties and do things a little bit better. provide the best starting place.

82 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 1
My 1/200 scale USS Shenandoah was built on an aluminum bar with foam-core frames and pine stringers.

2 3
It takes years to gather the necessary reference material for a Converting plans from blueprints (bottom) often requires digital
scratchbuilding project, so it pays to keep it organized. cleanup. Photos clarify questions and reveal upgrades and refits.

But I never rely on drawings alone; they
may have been done quickly to satisfy a
publication, or they might show the subject
as planned rather than in service. Photos
are the best way to see how a plane or ship
looked in service, reflecting any changes
that may have been made.
Basic tools
Many basic modeling tools apply to
scratchbuilding, 4. Hobby knives with a
variety of blade shapes should be on every
workbench, but I also use scalpels. They are
extremely sharp — keener than hobby
blades — and wonderful for cutting fine
detail. Also invaluable are single-edge razor
blades.
Flush cutters, sometimes called sprue
cutters, are essential. I have two. The first, a
standard cutter that I have labeled “soft-
point,” is used only on plastic and very thin
brass. I never use it on steel or music wire
because they would damage the blades.
Instead, I have cutters with surgical, hard-
ened steel blades that will go through music
wire without injury.
While we’re on cutting tools, let’s not
forget razor saws. Different types of teeth
provide a variety of widths. Some are better
for harder materials, such as brass. I espe-
cially like the newer Czech saws, great for
thin cuts.
You can’t have too many tweezers of dif-
ferent shapes and sizes. I recommend
spending a little extra money to buy well-
made tweezers with accurate tips. Grab a
block of pith wood to keep the tips clean.
Round-headed toothpicks are one of the
most valuable tools you can have because
they have so many applications.
And then you should buy a series of
files. There are sand-board files and the nail
files beauticians use. If you go to a beauti-
cian supply house, you can buy the thinner
ones with different grits on each side. This
is much cheaper than buying them from a
hobby store.
Sandpaper should always be close at
hand, so I store strips of 180-, 320-, 400-,
and 600-grit sandpaper in cookie tins on
my workbench. Specialized devices can
hold sandpaper for a multitude of tasks, but
more often than not, I’ll sand an edge onto
a wooden tongue depressor or popsicle
stick, then wrap sandpaper around it.
Sanding sticks in several grits can be found
at hobby and beauty stores.

www.FineScale.com 83
 4 5
When it comes to scratchbuilding, you can’t
have too many tools. Every project requires
not only standard modeling tools but also
power saws, sanders, drills, and lathes.
7 8
This combination belt and disc sander works
well for shaping wooden parts and masters.
Again, spend a little extra to get high-
quality files, especially if you are doing a lot
of shaping. A variety of sizes and shapes is
good; I use my collection of rifflers and rat-
tail files for hard-to-reach spots and awk-
ward shapes. Remember to buy a cleaning
brush to go with the files.
You can’t beat 0000 steel wool for final
smoothing before painting, but you have to
be careful with it in tight spots.
To apply glues and accelerator, I use fine
and micro brushes. But the best thing I’ve
found for adding a dot of super glue is a
dentist’s micro file, used during root canals.
They are available in different sizes; I use
the blue No. 40.
For paint mixing and filler application, I
recommend painter’s palette knives or spat-
ulas. Sturdy, thin, and flexible, they also are
easy to clean.
Advanced tools
Old-school drafting tools — dividers, com-
passes, and squares — are worth their
weight in gold.
I transfer dimensions from drawings to
the model using dividers and compasses,
and they’re perfect for checking symmetry.
Mark the center and swing the dividers
from one side to the other and you’ll know
84 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
I used a punch and die to make glass for the
numerous portholes on the USS Langley.
Scores of pine strips run from end to end in the
dirigibles. This miniature table saw makes
quick work of all those stringers.
right then if you have identical lengths.
Precision metal squares, as well as their
plastic cousins, are essential for working
with drawings and producing straight lines
on styrene and metal. To guide a straight
cut, I use a metal plate with a knob
attached.
For really accurate measurements, I use
calipers. I prefer the older mechanical ones,
but digital devices are also available and rel-
atively inexpensive.
Pliers hold parts during cutting and
bending, so I have several, including nee-
dle- and bent-nose. I made a simple holder
with three dowels and end caps to protect
the tips and keep the pliers and cutters
organized.
Vises secure parts or the entire model
while you work or paint. I have several,
ranging from large bench-mounted units to
some small enough to hold in your hand. I
have several designed for working on circuit
boards that are perfect for holding small
parts. For really small, odd shapes, I use a
tri-claw wire grasper.
When I need to make holes or discs, I
turn to my large collection of punches and
beading tools, 5.
I use the living daylights out of my pin
vises and drill bits. In addition to opening
6
A good selection of cutting bits will make a lot
of jobs easier.
9
Coral is not a standard color for Unimat lathes,
but that was the color I had handy when I
refurbished mine. I turn wood, resin, styrene,
and brass on it.
portholes and such, I drill holes into thin
parts to be joined, such as wings and struts,
to accept music-wire pins.
Power tools
For heavy-duty drilling, I use two drill
presses: one purpose-built, the other a
Dremel stand that converts into a motor
tool.
Hand-held motor tools are great for
shaping and sanding everything, so I also
have a large selection of cutting and grind-
ing bits, 6. I drilled shallow holes into a
wooden block to store them.
I often work with wood, for parts and for
carving masters, so I have a couple of grind-
ers and a belt sander, 7. A Craftsman hand-
held motor tool does great detail work when
carving and shaping; miniature pad and belt
sanders finish the job.
To cut brass rod and tube, I use a high-
speed cutter, essentially a small chop saw. I
cut long strips of wood with a miniature
table saw, 8.
One of my favorite tools is my recondi-
tioned Unimat lathe, 9. It sees constant use,
whether I’m turning a single part or a mas-
ter for a resin casting.
In addition to wood, I turn slugs of resin
on the machine. Most of the time, the most
10 11
More than 44" long, the Langley’s hull was bigger than any single piece I’ve made the side cuts for a wooden Boeing 314 and have taped the
of jelutong. So, I laminated three with screws and glue. excess back on in preparation for the plan view cuts.

12 13
With the rough hull of the Curtiss NC-4 secured in a vise, I refine the Easy to cut and glue, styrene is ideal for building structures, such as the
shapes with power- and hand-sanding. Langley’s bridge.

14 15
Sheet styrene is consistently thick. I used it for overlapping plates on the I used long strips, rather than trying to model individual plates. Clear
carrier’s hull. nail polish brushed over tape masks “welded” them.

www.FineScale.com 85
16
Evergreen Scale Models styrene comes in myriad structural shapes. I
turned the crane pulleys on a lathe.
18
Brass is best for davits because it bends
without breaking and holds its shape.
therapeutic thing I can do is turn some-
thing on a lathe.
An end mill is nice, too, but it’s defi-
nitely more expensive and I don’t get as
much use out of mine as I do the lathe.
Glues
The adhesive I use depends on the materials
being joined and the strength required.
To attach wood to itself and anything
else, I use Elmer’s yellow wood glue; it dries
strong and can be cut and sanded. White
glue is great for paper, and when mixed
with water it can be used to stiffen thread
for rigging lines and tissue for tarps.
If I need time to mess with positioning
and alignment, I use epoxy. The 5-minute
stuff works well for quicker jobs, the 15-min-
ute for fiddly jobs. Just make sure you mix
the components equally or it won’t cure.
Super glue, sometimes called cyanoacry-
late adhesive (CA), is essential for joining
small things. I use the medium consistency
stuff all the time with kicker or accelerator
to speed setting. I poured resin into an old
spray-can lid and held the bottle in it as the
resin set so it doesn’t tip over during use. I
can refill that bottle, and I use the end of
the accelerant’s spray-nozzle tube to apply a
drop of kicker to a join.
For bonding large, flat surfaces, I use
3M Super 77 spray adhesive. It’s strong and
86 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
17
Evergreen L-beam styrene forms the towers that support the Langley’s
flight deck. They were all different, so I built them separately.
19
Brass’ strength helped the safety-net supports.
Small containers organize parts.
can be applied in a thin layer.
For detail work where even a little excess
glue would be a problem, I use Micro-Mark
Liquid PSA (pressure-sensitive adhesive).
About the consistency of white glue, PSA
is easy to apply.
For the portholes on the Langley, I
looped a little of the glue around the inside
of the frame, where it dried crystal clear but
stayed tacky. It saved my bacon when I
attached the planes on the deck. I ended up
moving them, and I was able to pry them
off without damaging either the planes or
the painted deck. All modelers should have
this in their arsenal.
Fillers
I’m not a fan of old-style modeling putties,
like Squadron Green, because the stuff I’ve
had always dries in the tube. Instead, I use
auto-body putty; it will last a lifetime and is
inexpensive. For heavy-duty filling, like
reshaping the Langley’s hull or filling large
gaps, I use straight Bondo.
Two-part epoxy putty works for small
gaps, but I don’t think it’s strong enough
for larger jobs.
A filler I’ve come to rely on for small
jobs is vinyl spackling compound. Say you
need to eliminate a minor defect in a wing
or a gap at the wing root. Swipe a little
compound over the area with an artist’s
20
I joined the parts with resistance soldering. The
alligator clip serves as a heat sink.
spatula and let it dry. If it’s not right, you
can wipe off the spackle with a damp cloth.
I use Elmer’s wood filler to smooth
imperfections in parts and masters made of
wood.
Woodwork
Whether it’s the master for a flying boat’s
hull or the Langley’s hull, many of my mod-
els start as a block of wood, 10. I use bass-
wood or jelutong. Both are easy to work
and have even density. In other woods, such
as pine, the density varies between the
rings; sanding produces undulations.
I attach the three-view drawings to a
block and cut around one of the outlines
with a band saw. To provide a flat surface
for the block to sit on, I taped the just-
removed chunks back onto the block and
cut along the next side, 11.
I finish the initial shaping with a belt
sander, then refine shapes with files, sand-
ing sticks, and sandpaper, 12.
Working with styrene
Evergreen Scale Models is a lifesaver, pro-
ducing styrene in hundreds of shapes and
sizes, including rod, tube, and sheet. I prob-
ably have $1,000 worth of the stuff on hand
and used at least that on the Langley.
Styrene is easy to cut with most model-
ing tools, including hobby knives and scis-
21
The Langley’s portholes had brass frames, so I
made them with brass tube. A specially
shaped dowel aided installation.
24
I disassembled the master, suspended the
components on thin styrene strips, and placed
them in a foam-core flask. Next, I’ll pour in RTV
rubber to make a mold.
27
For hollow objects, like a dirigible’s gondola, I
use rotational casting. Turning the molds lets
liquid resin flow into details as it sets.
sors, and can be joined with most model
cements.
I used it extensively on the Langley, not
only to build the superstructure and decks,
13, but for strips along the hull to represent
plates, 14. Clear nail polish brushed
between strips of tape produced weld
seams, 15. In addition, I used various
shapes to assemble girders and cranes, 16.
The right-angle L stock was perfect for
flight-deck framing and supports; they are
all different so I built them individually, 17.
For other parts, such as window frames and
stairs, I made styrene masters to make
molds for casting resin copies.
22
If you need a lot of something, you can’t beat
resin-casting. This is all of the Langley’s
Consolidated P2Y-3 flying boats, out of the
mold and ready for cleanup.
25
Thin parts, such as ladders, struts, props, and
wheels, can be cast in a shallow one-piece
mold. After pouring on the resin, I level it with
a Popsicle stick.
28
I coax the resin into grooves and recesses with
a toothpick. You have to work pretty quickly
before the resin sets.
Metal work
Brass has flexibility and strength, great for
thin objects such as railings.
I made a form from pins to bend davits
for the Langley’s boats, 18. The flight deck
is surrounded by safety nets supported by
rods. I knew styrene would not be rigid
enough, so I used brass, 19.
To ensure solid joins, I outlined the deck
with brass L stock and attached the 60 net
rods with resistance soldering, 20. Instead
of an iron, an electrical current running
through the joint generates heat. An alliga-
tor clip served as a heat sink to protect pre-
vious soldering work.
23
I made a master for the Curtiss SOC Seagulls
on the Langley with wood for the body, wings,
and float, turned resin for the cowl, and strip-
styrene details.
26
I use a vacuum chamber to draw bubbles of
trapped air out of the RTV, preventing voids in
the mold.
29
I molded some gondolas solid, then hollowed
them with a cutting bit on a motor tool.
Brass tubing is useful for exhausts. And
in the case of the Langley’s portholes, I
drilled holes in the hull and inserted rings
formed by cutting brass tube in the chop
saw. I created a special tool out of a dowel
to install the rings, 21.
Aluminum is more malleable than brass,
so I used aluminum tubing for the hawse
pipes on the Langley. Gentle pressure made
the cross section oblong.
Mastering resin
Of all the techniques I use, resin casting
gets more use than most, whether it’s for
airships, flying boats, or the Langley.
www.FineScale.com 87
Above and below decks, details cram the Langley. I cast the boarding In transit, the wings of the P2Ys were stowed in a rack on the stern. You
ladder in resin and detailed it with brass handrails. can also see a few of the dozen N scale figures on the model.

The bow gives away Langley’s origins as a collier. Here you can see the I filled all of the brass portholes with clear styrene discs held in place
turned-brass binnacle and marker lights. with pressure-sensitive adhesive.

Working from a master, I can produce
scores of copies of any object I need a lot of,
such as the Langley’s window frames or the
P2Y-3s that occupy the carrier’s deck, 22.
The process starts with making a perfect
master, which can be constructed from sty-
rene, carved in wood, or maybe both, 23.
Spend time on this master and you’ll spend
a lot less time cleaning up the castings. The
surface needs to be smooth and free of
blemishes, because any imperfection will be
transferred to the casting. I coat masters
with a thick automotive body primer that
fills minor scratches and dimples, then
smooth the surface with 0000 steel wool.
Now, I’m ready to make the mold with
room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) rub-
ber or silicone, placing the object inside a
box. Foam-core sealed with super glue
makes a terrific container, or flask, 24.
Whenever possible, I use a one-part
mold; there’s no futzing with alignment
and no reason to use mold-release agents
that might soften details, 25. If you have to
make a two-part mold, pour the first half to
about halfway up the flask and let it set.
Then you can cut chunks out of the rubber,
coat it with mold release, and pour the next
layer of RTV. The cutouts will align the
halves. Remember to leave channels at the
top and bottom of the mold: one to pour
the resin into, the other for it to flow out of
and prevent air being trapped.
For complex shapes, such as the hull of a
flying boat that I made a single master of, I
will make one mold of the lower half. Then,
I flip it over and make a mold of the upper
half. In both cases, I pour the RTV past a
key feature, such as a belt line, that I can
use to mark the join for the resin parts.
If you plan to do a lot of casting, con-
sider investing in a vacuum pump and a
simple bell jar, 26. Placing the mold and
freshly poured RTV in the jar and remov-
ing the air should draw out air trapped in
the RTV.
Casting about
Pour-casting is easy. Mix the resin — don’t
whip it, just stir it steadily until the liquid is
clear — and pour it slowly into the mold.
Once it’s had time to set, you can pop it out
of the mold.
Bubbles form when air is trapped in the
mold. Gently squeezing small molds can
work, but I prefer to stir the resin in the
mold with a toothpick to dislodge air and
encourage the resin to fill fine creases.
For some parts, I pour in a little resin
and turn the mold around to get the resin
to flow into details, 27; a toothpick can
help, 28. This kind of rotational casting
produces hollow objects; otherwise, I might
have to hog them out with a motor tool.
But it takes special care not to punch
through the skin, 29.
Spin-casting uses centrifugal force to
push resin into the outer depths of the
mold as it sets. I repurposed a blood centri-
fuge for this. FSM

88 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

Built for the Borg
Photo-etching and foraging, cubed /// BY JEFF POLLIZZOTTO
T
he idea for modeling the Borg Cube from
Star Trek: First Contact was inspired by a
work assignment I had received to build a
refrigerator display prototype for a major soft
drink company. The design incorporated a 6"
Lumin Disc in the door handle.
This disc immediately reminded me of the
large ones above the Borg alcoves in several
Trek adventures. They are available in many col-
ors — I chose “Borg green” and planned to use
it in a base for the model. Using the disc as a
focal point, I decided on a 10" cube. The top
would be removable; the bottom would be
part of the mount.
Early on, I conceded that modeling an exact
replica would be futile (pun intended). But I
thought I could achieve something evocative
— though they were similar, no two cubes
were alike. Variations also showed up between
actual studio models and the later computer-
generated versions.
In addition to superdetailing the surfaces of
the cube, I wanted to install LEDs to produce
the green glow that emanates from the cube.
www.FineScale.com 89
 1 2
Fiber Optic Products’ Lumin Disc transforms electrical impulses into a Using a miniature table saw, I cut six square sides from .100" styrene
light display that responds to music, voice, or touch. sheet. I penciled in designs, including open areas.

3 4
The sides’ features were cut out on a milling machine. This also could be I built an 8" cube to mount inside the 10" cube to provide a place for the
done with a router or the tried-and-true “hole and saw” method. green LEDs and keep the interior from looking hollow.

5 6
Exterior detail was built up in layers using custom vacuum-formed Modeling a Borg Sphere began with two 2"-diameter clear acrylic
parts, plastic piping, kit parts, and many scratchbuilt items. domes. I filled them with plaster and used them as masters to vacuum-
form .020" and .040" sheet styrene.

90 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 7 8
I penciled designs on the sphere surfaces and cut openings with a drill Sphere sections were cut up for surface details; they started out in pie
and small keyhole saw, finishing with needle files. A chunk of .100" shapes but were diced further.
styrene served as a mount for four LEDs: two white, a red, and a green.

9 10
Exterior detail was added with styrene strips, pinheads, metal washers, Metal tubing served as a mount for the sphere as well as a conduit for
thin music wire, and photo-etch (PE) before gray primer. its wiring.

11 12
The docking bay for the sphere was made from 2 ⁄ " ABS pipe and
14 A styrene disc served as a door for the dock. I added two square green
adorned with styrene bits and pieces, including tank kit parts. LEDs to the door’s inside. The docking ring was made from .040" and
.080" styrene. Two black jeweler’s screws attach it to the cube.

www.FineScale.com 91
13
Myriad materials and a Micro-Mark MicroLux miniature table saw
helped make the cube ornate. I pulled spare parts from tank, ship, train,
aircraft, and sci-fi kits, and threw in pinheads, washers, rivets, and other
metal bits. I even collected donations from fellow modelers!
15
I needed a strong base that would hold the cube steady and
accommodate wiring. I built the stand around 3⁄8" aluminum tubing
using 1⁄8", 1⁄4", and 3⁄8" styrene.
17
I made more than 200 PE parts for the cube’s exterior using Micro-
Mark’s Pro-Etch System. The designs are drawn on computer; it’s always
a good idea to draw the artwork at least 50% larger than final size.
92 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
14
I had a circular vacuum-form master that I had already made up for the
soft drink display (the project that started this trouble). I trimmed it to
accommodate the face of the Lumin disc and built a base that would
hold the disc as well as the rest of the electronics.
16
The stand was suitably rigid. Good thing — the cube weighs more than
4 pounds! The Borg-style black tubing is split loom tubing for
electronics; it’s easy to cut and needed no painting.
18
Next step: Reverse the artwork and use a good inkjet printer to print
black on the film supplied in the PE kit. This photo-resistant material has
to be laminated to the metal for etching. These steps should be done in
subdued light; you don’t want to expose the film just yet.
19
You can use daylight to expose the art on the metal, but I do it indoors
with a 100-watt bulb. This takes longer (10 minutes or so) but it’s more
accurate.
20
After exposure, the metal is placed in developer that eats away the
unhardened, photo-resistant material. Then the metal is bathed in ferric
chloride (etch). The areas hardened in the last step protect the metal
you want from etching, while the etching bath removes unprotected
metal. Voila! PE parts. (Caution: Always wear gloves and eye protection.)

21 22
I primed the model with Duro automotive primer, then used a mix of Detail was painted with flat aluminum, copper, and gold acrylics. I
Tamiya chrome silver, metallic blue, and dark gray for the cube and scraped PE parts with a knife to remove paint and give them a
sphere’s predominant color. distressed look. Black artist’s oil washes deepened shadowy areas.

Meet Jeff Pollizzotto

Jeff’s father, a WWII vet, got
him into model aircraft before
he was 3. “I went from wood
planes to plastic planes, tanks,
ships, cars, and everything in
between!” Jeff says. “Growing
up on Saturday sci-fi and fan-
tasy shows exposed me to
spaceships. Forbidden Planet,
The Day the Earth Stood Still,
and The War of the Worlds
inspired me, and I’ve been a
sci-fi fan ever since.” A versa-
tile modeler by day, he’s been
23 building point-of-purchase
This is the most intense model I’ve ever scratchbuilt by far, and the prototypes for more than 30
heaviest. It took 10 months, weighs more than 4 pounds, and, in years. Jeff and his wife, Luann
addition to the PE, it demanded more than 7,000 styrene pieces. But Reneé, live in Levittown, N.Y.
resistance was futile. FSM

www.FineScale.com 93
SHOW GALLERY

But wait, there’s more!

These models have detail by the car … err, ship … um, spacecraft load.

There’s no shortage of detailing on all kinds of models. FSM shot these at the IPMS/USA National Convention,
WonderFest, and EagleQuest, and talked to the builders about their work.

JIM KRAUSE
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

IF YOU’RE LOOKING at Jim’s
desert patrol craft and thinking
you haven’t seen that before,
you’d be right.
He scratchbuilt the 1/20 scale
ship around a Maschinen Krieger
figure using sheet styrene and
repurposed kit parts from tanks,
planes, and cars. He cut and filed
RenShape styling board, then clad
it with sheet and strip styrene for
the main body; brass and
aluminum tubing was used for
the guns in the front and some of
the exhaust system and muffler
on the top. “I love designing sci-fi
vehicles, so I’m always playing
around with ideas,” says Jim. “This
one started with the pilot and the
seat. I wanted an open cockpit —
really open — and I wanted it to
look like it would be fun to fly.”
After picking the pilot and
seat, he sketched the idea and
made a wooden mock-up.
What advice does he give
would-be scratchbuilders?
“Sounds simple, but just go for it,”
Jim says. “Come up with an idea
and give it a go. The main thing is
have a blast. That’s what it’s really
all about anyway!”

94 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

 TERRY BARROW
CLINTON, MISSOURI
TO MAKE Monogram’s 1/24 scale
1926 Mack truck more authentic,
Terry scratchbuilt the bed from
balsa and basswood cut with a
hobby saw and knife. Super glue
ANTHONY GOODMAN
LONDON, ONTARIO, CANADA
BORROWING IDEAS from aircraft
modelers, Anthony added a ton of
detail to Hasegawa’s 1/48 scale
VF-1A Valkyrie from the anime
series Macross.
“I used Hasegawa’s photo-etch
joins some of the wood, but most
of it is held together with metal
pins and hardware he made.
He stained the woodwork
using oil paint thinned with
(PE) detail set (for the Valkyrie) to
add vents, grilles, antennas, and
thrust-vectoring fins,” he says. He
bolstered that detail with Eduard
PE for an F-15, aluminum-tube
gun barrels, and scratchbuilt
mineral spirits and sealed with
Testors Model Master enamel
clear flat. The rest of the vehicle
was painted with Tamiya acrylics.
When working with wood,
ejection-seat handles, HUDs, and
more details for the cockpit. He
opened the canopy and drooped
the flaps to suggest hydraulic
bleed while the ship is at rest on
the ground.
Terry is mindful of a carpenter’s
advice: Take your time, measure
twice, and cut once. “Always keep
scale in mind,” he says. “If it looks
too big, it probably is.”
Modified Hasegawa deck
equipment provides service and
power carts. He painted the ship
with Tamiya acrylics, GSI Creos
Mr. Color paints, and Alclad II
metallic lacquers.
www.FineScale.com 95
DAVE OLSZEWSKI
CORAOPOLIS, PENNSYLVANIA
DAVE THOUGHT Moebius’ 1/32
scale Viper Mk.VII from Battlestar
Galactica deserved an upgrade.
So, he dressed up a cockpit
tub from a 1/32 scale F-18 with
AS THE FLEDGLING U.S. missile
program progressed through the
late 1940s, a WAC Corporal
sounding rocket was mounted on
a V-2 to test two-stage separation
at speed; the result was the
Bumper. David’s detailed 1/35
scale cutaway includes a few kit
parts, notably the half of the
center and boat tail, and modified
fins from Revell Germany’s V-2.
96 Experts Guide to Superdetailing
sheet-styrene walls and an
instrument panel fitted with
Eduard photo-etched (PE) dials
for the space fighter; the rear deck
was embellished with spare parts
“This was an experiment to
see if I could replicate the non-
uniform surface texture, overlaps,
and oil can-like wrinkles seen on
museum V-2s,” he says. He
removed surface detail and
replaced it with two layers of
Flight Metals aluminum. “I used
Rosie the Riveter — single and
double-track type, both 1/32 and
1/48 scale — to replicate tack
and wire. The Hornet’s seat was
also conscripted for the Colonial
Fleet, along with Eduard PE belts.
Spare plastic and PE produced an
actuator for the canopy. Dave
welds found on the original V-2s,”
he says.
He made new parts from resin
and sheet and rod styrene, with
brass tube for the Corporal body
and Scale Detail wires for
electrical systems.
He shaped the fuel tanks by
wrapping .010" styrene around a
mandrel and dipping it in boiling
water. The bulkheads in the V-2
plumbed the landing-gear with
spare parts and wire.
Several shades of blue gray
make the Colonial fighter look
faded and worn.
DAVID CARLTON
GEORGETOWN, TEXAS
were made with a circle cutter.
Among the more unusual items
are doll-eye bulkheads in the
Corporal. The V-2’s engine is a
model unto itself, with a
3-D-printed bell connected to
turbo pumps, pressure tanks,
gauges, lines, exhausts, insulated
tubes, and a frame scratchbuilt
from Evergreen styrene tube,
sheet, and shapes.
 SAM MORGAN
SPENCER, NORTH CAROLINA
THE MAJOR TASK of the World
War II escort carrier USS Barnes
was to deliver personnel and
aircraft forward in the Pacific.
Sam built Pit-Road’s 1/700
scale USS Bogue as Barnes looked
during one of these missions, first
removing molded-on parts like
tread plate and arrestor wires with
hobby knives, scalpels, and
special tools he made to get into
ANDY CALDWELL
ROCKLEDGE, FLORIDA
A FAN OF INDY ROADSTERS from
the ’50s and ’60s, Andy has long
desired modern kits. Instead, he
made do with AMT’s Parnelli
Jones racer.
“I tried to keep the build
faithful to the way the car looked
in the 1963 Indy 500,” he says. “It
tight spaces. He filled the oversize
portholes and drilled new ones,
added keels and rudders to the
ship’s boats, and scratchbuilt
paravanes, anchor winches, gun
directors, and some masts. He
reshaped the anchors and
replaced the molded anchor
chain with metal links.
Anti-aircraft armament was
also upgraded. Sam replaced the
was a challenging task, since this
kit was originally created in the
mid-’60s and had lot of issues that
needed to be corrected.”
IndyCals provided an accurate
resin nose that Andy thinned to fit
over the frame before installing
magnets to facilitate removal.
40mm gun barrels with stretched
sprue. The 20mm guns comprise
five pieces: the barrel made from
stretched sprue, gun shield made
from sheet styrene, a pedestal
shaped from sprue, and a pair of
curved shoulder braces made
from wire. Gold Medal Models’
photo-etch provided railings, the
main-mast cage supports, and
radar dishes.
After bisecting the kit hood,
he joined the halves with a photo-
etched piano hinge from Model
Car Garage. Opening it exposes
the kit engine, beefed up with
scratchbuilt timing and cam
covers, starter yoke, and water
intake. The exhaust was
The aircraft, from Fujimi,
Hasegawa, and Tsukuda sets,
were all modified. Sam backdated
P-51Ds to Bs, and all of the P-47s,
F4Fs, Avengers, and Dauntlesses
received styrene nose grafts to
correct length. He replaced the
landing gear with scratchbuilt
legs and wheels after cutting out
wells. Props, gear doors, pylons,
and drop tanks also were added.
scratchbuilt using aluminum
tubes and mated to the header.
Alclad II hot-metal lacquers
discolored the pipes. Andy
replaced the plastic suspension
components with Albion Alloys
aluminum tubes painted with
Alclad II chrome.
www.FineScale.com 97
 VLADIMIR YAKUBOV
NEWARK, CALIFORNIA

VLADIMIR’S SCRATCHBUILT
Russian auxiliary cruiser Lena
started with a resin hull of a
generic passenger steamer from
the late 19th century.
Using plans from an 1896
engineering magazine, Vladimir
reshaped the hull and installed
Artworx self-adhesive wooden
decking. He inserted brass rods
into a rotary tool, and, using it like
a lathe, he shaped them into
masts; he soldered together the
segments.
Aftermarket details include:
LionRoar photo-etched railings;
120mm guns from North Star
Models’ Russian cruiser Novik set;
and boats, 47mm guns,
deflectors, anchors, and ladders
from several Combrig kits.
“If you are building models
from before 1922 and there is
limited information about your
subject, look in various online
libraries such as Google books or
Archive.org,” Vladimir says. “Old
books often contain very good
photographs and line drawings.”
Also, long-standing newspapers
often have photos not otherwise
available.

▶ JOE SCAVOTTO
DUNWOODY, GEORGIA

JOE SPENT FOUR YEARS souping

up Tamiya’s 1/12 scale Mini
Cooper. Except for the body shell,
fenders, engine block, and
wheels, he scratchbuilt details to
create a replica of a real Sports Car
Club of America GT5 race car.
The engine has new
carburetors, an aluminum air box,
new radiators, overflow bottles,
and is fully plumbed and wired.
Washes emphasized the engine
bay detail and reflect the real car’s
busy career. The same attention
carries to the suspension,
including control arms and
braces, coil overs on all four
corners, and disc-brake rotors and
calipers.
Inside, the driver’s seat is
shaped from aluminum,
upholstered with foam, and
draped with a cloth harness. More
aluminum, this time cut from a
baking tray, serves for inner door
panels, the rear deck, and the
floor. Joe’s scratchbuilt dashboard removed the fenders on either After painting the car with
includes dials and controls. The side of the separate hood to Testors Model Master spray-can
roll cage features large-gauge better access the engine. gloss black, he polished the finish
wire sheathing for padding, with Vacuum-formed flares to a high shine.
Bare-Metal Foil for clamps. complete the transformation. The The crowning touch was the
In addition to opening the tires started as wooden rings that Union Jack on the roof that Joe
race car’s doors and trunk, Joe Joe coated with rubber paint. raised with decals and clear coat.

98 Experts Guide to Superdetailing

SCOTT WASHINGTON
ATLANTA, GEORGIA

DRAWING INSPIRATION from the

artwork of Ian McQue, Scott
scratchbuilt three 1/160 scale sky
boats in traffic.
The hulls were vacuum-
formed with styrene using
masters carved from urethane
foam. “I carve the foam with just
about anything that will work,”
says Scott. “The foam is the
10-pound-density type — hard
enough to carve and sand, yet
very workable.” scratchbuilds some details, but kit
He uses clay sculpting tools parts supply many greeblies.
and hobby knives to carve, and “It usually takes about a week
ballpoint pens for scoring the or two to come up with a design
surface; pretty much anything that I like and then carve the
with a hard, clean edge will work, master,” he says. “But depending
he says. on the level of detail and size (of
The foam withstands the heat the model) I can complete one in
of vacuum-forming and allows for about two or three weeks, start to
a variety of shapes. “I can go as finish. I love sci-fi hardware in all
organic as I want,” he says. He its forms!” FSM
 HAVE YOU EVER ADMIRED A MODEL AND

WONDERED
“HOW?”

Subscribe to FineScale Modeler and Learn How!

When it comes to building models of aircraft, armor, ships, and even
sci-fi and figures, nothing compares to FineScale Modeler — delivered
right to your home.
From start to finish, each issue includes clear instructions and step-by-
step photos that show you how to better assemble, paint, and finish kits.
You’ll also find:
• How-to articles by experts. • Galleries from shows and readers.
• Unbiased kit reviews and • Exclusive online content and
product news. helpful tips.
• Valuable tips for every skill level. • And much more!
When you learn from the best, you save time and money by avoiding
unnecessary steps and purchases. Your year of inspiration starts today!

Subscribe Today!
2 EASY WAYS TO ORDER:
ONLINE FineScale.com • CALL 800-533-6644
P28708

Outside the United States and Canada, call 813-910-3616.