There are fine gaps remaining which I filled with Kristal Kleer. The model builds up quickly, and mostly problem-free. A note on the engines: I drilled holes at regular intervals in to the crank case into which I cemented copper wire. I also drilled plug holes into the cylinder heads. The result - a very convincing engine ignition harness. Likewise with the landing gear, the addition of brake pipes can make a lot of difference. In the case of the F7-F, these are moulded onto both gear legs. From here I moved onto undercoat and pre-shading, after which a couple of days were set aside to allow adequate drying. The top coat was a mixture of black and tan. This produces a warm or 'light' black that allows the earlier shading to show through.


Twenty four hours later and the surface is dry enough to accept panel toning and exhaust stains. Because the paint is applied in such small amounts, it's dry enough to have a decent layer of gloss varnish. It doesn't need to be a piano finish, but smooth enough to allow decals to go down well.

I'm working on the F7-F-3N Tigercat in 1/48 scale. Why choose this one? The aircraft was developed too late to see service in WWII, and only saw limited service in Korea as a nightfighter/ground attack plane. It was heavily armed and fast, and purely from an aesthetic point of view, it's big and meaty!
For those of us with one or two grey hairs, this was a new tool nearly twenty years ago when it was released by AMT. It was a nice blend of Monogram style and detailed interior with finely engraved panel lines. A right good boxful of plastic for about fifteen quid. I built three in the first year of release. Now it's out under the Italeri name, who've changed very little - notably, the rubber tyres are now plastic.



The main centres of detail are the crew positions of course, the landing gear bays and the lovely engine. These areas are really very good and it's worth taking the time to add a little extra detail and fine paintwork. The fuselage is a good fit, but weight needs to be added to the nose to avoid tail sitting, although an integral oil drum/wooden crate assembly is included to prop up the tail if you prefer. I like to add a short length of curtain weight - very effective and it adds to the heft of the finished model too. The part fit is generally very good, my only concern centreing on attaching the engine/landing gear nacelles. These had to be braced with cocktail sticks while being pressed in to position.
More to come later.

Here's a couple of photos of the Trumpeter 1/48 Wyvern, the early version. It was a terrific kit and I enjoyed building it. Excellent detail and very interesting propeller section. All in all a great build.