RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120730 – Curtis SB2C-4 Helldiver 85 … · 2012. 7. 30. · RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120730 – Curtis SB2C-4 Helldiver 85-5983 Revell 1/48 Review The

RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120730 – Curtis SB2C-4 Helldiver 85-5983 Revell 1/48 Review

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced. Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the Big-Tailed Beast (or just the derogatory Beast), Two-Cee and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling characteristics). Neither pilots nor aircraft carrier skippers seemed to like it. This kit has 115 parts with photo etch and clear pieces. Length: 9-1/2" (241.3mm), Wingspan: 12-7/8" (327.02mm), Height: 3-1/8" (79.37mm), skill level: 3.

Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

Fig 000a) This is the box art and parts from the kit. I always start a model by giving it a bath in soapy water to remove any foreign debris that could affect gluing and painting.


Fig 1) All trees have been washed and dried. I’m ready to start assembly.

Step 1- Front Cockpit Assembly

Fig 1-1) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist.

Fig 1-2 & 1-3) This kit comes with photo etch parts. The seat belts are included so I removed the molded in seat belts from the pilot’s seat with a #11 Exacto blade and 400 grit sandpaper.


After all parts were ready, I applied Testors Acryl Chromate Green to the main components and flat black to the radios. If you can find Testors paints at your local hobby shop, you can use this great web site to cross reference colors. “The Ultimate Model Paint Conversion Chart” located here: http://www.paint4models.com/index.html Fig 1-4) All parts have been painted and detailed, and weathered. Detailing consists of painting the control stick grip flat black, the gear handle flat white and red dots on the top of the stick. I detailed all the wiring and hydraulic lines with a silver pencil. To weather, I used the same silver pencil by sanding it into a fine powder , then brushing it on all parts. This kit contains photo etched parts for added realism. To remove the parts from their tree, use a shard knife on a hard surface like a piece of glass. Stick a piece of tape to the back of the photo etch tree so the parts don’t fly off and get lost. Carefully sand the photo etch pieces to remove any remnants of their mounting points. Some photo etched parts will need to be sanded to fit properly. To attach the photo etched pieces, use a toothpick or piece of wire to apply a small amount of CA superglue, two part epoxy, or clear enamel paint to the model. Then, the photo etched piece can be put into place using tweezers or a toothpick dipped in candle wax.

Fig 1-5 & 1-6) The photo etched parts are brass and need to be painted. I painted the catches, slip buckles, anchors, and latches aluminum, and the leather backing, leather color.

Fig 1-7) Installed the seat belts to the pilot’s seat using super glue. Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

Fig 1-8,) Installed the seat into the cockpit. Step 1 is complete. Step 2 – Rear Cockpit Assembly This station was occupied by the Observer / Gunner.



Fig 2-3) All parts from step 2 have been painted with Testors Acryl Chromate Green. When this dried, I painted the radios Flat Black, and ammo boxes Aluminum. All parts have been weathered and are ready to glued together.

Fig 2-4) All parts have been glued in place – Step 2 is complete


Step 3 – Pilot / Fuselage Assembly For this build, I will not be using the pilot in the cockpit due to the photo etch seat belts, but I will assemble, paint, and detail the pilot.


Fig 3-2) There were a few sinks in the radio stack and ejector pin marks in the pilot. I filled those with Squadron Products fast drying white putty.


Fig 3-3) I sanded all putty then started painting. I started by painting the Radio Stack, Instrument Panel, and Tail Hook with Testors Acryl Flat Black, and the Oil Cooler with Testors Acryl Chromate Green. The pilot’s boots, gloves, and helmet were painted with Testors Acryl Leather, shirt and pants were painted with Tamiya Khaki Drab, face and arms with Testors Acryl Skin Tone Base Light, and finally the life vest with Testors Acryl Insignia Yellow. After the Radio Stack dried, I applied Testors Acryl Chromate Green to the Radio supports and shelves, Testors Enamel Chrome Silver, and Tamiya Red to the switches and wires, and Testors Acryl Pale Green to the radar. After the radar dried, I applied a dab of Future Floor Polish to simulate a lens. After the Instrument Panel dried, I applied a coat of future floor polish. This will allow the decal to seat properly. Unfortunately, this needs to dry over night before applying the decal.

Fig 3-4) The decal has been applied using Microsol. Microsol softens the decal and allows it to sit in small details. After this dried (overnight) I applied a coat of Testors Acryl Flat Clear, followed by a detailing with red, white and blue paints to bring out switches and levers. After this dried, I dry brushed the entire panel with silver pastel.


Fig 3-5 & 3-6) All parts have been glued in place.

Fig 3-8) Glued the fuselage together and allowed it to dry overnight. – Step 3 is complete Step 4 – Engine Assembly Fig 4-3) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist. I then painted the Engine Testors Acryl Flat Black and the Crank Case and Air Cleaner Testors Acryl Neutral Gray. After they dried, I dry brushed them with silver and black pastel.


Fig 4-4) The Exhaust Fairings were painted Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042), Exhaust stubs and Wire Harness were painted Testors Enamel Steel. Fig 4-5) The wire harness has been glued into position with super glue. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier. Step 5 – Bomb Bay Door Assembly

Fig 5-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist. I Painted the Bomb Bay Doors Testors Acryl Chromate Green on the inside and Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042) on the outside


Fig 5-3) Painted the Actuators Testors Acryl Flat Black and the End of the struts Testors Acryl Chromate Green. When this dried, I applied Chrome Bare Metal Foil to the strut.

Fig 5-4) Weathered the Bomb Bay Doors and Actuators with pastels and a silver pencil. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier. Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

Step 6 – Bomb Assembly

Fig 6-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist and glued the Bomb halves together using Testors Liquid Cement.

Fig 6-3) Painted the Displacement Gear Testors Enamel Intermediate Blue (FS35164) Fig 6-4) Sanded the seams on the Bombs and sprayed them with Testors Acryl Olive Drab, followed by weathering with silver and black pastels.

Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands. Fig 6-5) Painted the Displacement Gear Testors Enamel Steel

Fig 6-6) Glued the bombs to the Displacement Gear with Testors Liquid Cement. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier. Step 7 – Wing / Stabilizer Assembly

Fig 7-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist and then glued the Stabilizers together using Testors Liquid Cement Fig 7-3) Painted the Wheel Wells with Testors Acryl Chromate Green. Some of this can be seen from the bomb bay, so I made sure to get plenty of coverage.


Fig 7-4) Painted the Dive Flaps Pockets Tamiya Flat Red


Fig 7-5) Painted the Cannon Barrels Testors Flat Black. When they dried, I brushed them with silver pastel.

Fig 7-6) Glued in the Cannon Barrels then glued the wing halves together

Fig 7-7) Glued the wings and Horizontal Stabilizers to the fuselage. Fit of the parts to the Fuselage is very good and requires only one spot to filled. Step 8 – Strut Assembly


Fig 8-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist Then painted the Gear Struts, Main Drag Truss, and Gear Acuators with Testors Acryl Chromate Green. When dired, I added Bare Metal Foil to the Oleo Struts and Actuators. Then I weathered all parts with Silver and Black pastels. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier.

Step 9 – Wheel Assembly

Fig 9-2 & 9-3) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist and then sprayed the wheels with Testors Acryl Chromate Green. When dried, I chucked the tire/wheel into my lathe and painted the tire with Testors Rubber.

Fig 9-4) Weathered the Wheels with Silver and Black Pastels. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier. Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

Step 10 – Door / Rack Assembly

Fig 10-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist after which I painted the inside of the Gear Doors Testors Acryl Chrome Green. The outside of the Gear Doors, Rocket Stubs, Cannon Muzzles, and Bomb Racks, painted with Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042). When dried, I painted the Cannon Muzzles with Testors Acryl Flat Black, and the Bomb Rack Stabilizers Testors Enamel Silver. The Yagi Antenna was painted with Testors Non Buffing Metalizer Aluminum. All parts were weathered with Silver and Black Pastels. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier. Step 11 – Flap Assembly

Fig 11-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist followed by painting the underside of each Flap and Slat with Tamiya Flat Red, followed by a coat of Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042). The Pitot Tube was also painted with the same Sea Blue, but the tip was painted with Testors Aluminum. Trim Actuators are photo etch parts and were painted with Testors Aluminum. The Flaps and Slats were weathered with Silver and Black Pastels.


At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier.

Step 12 – Front Canopy Assembly

Fig 12-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist and then the clear plastic parts are dipped in Future Floor Polish. This will hide any microscopic scratches and make the part look clear, not foggy. Fig 12-3) After the future dried, I masked of the windows with Tamiya Tape.

Fig 12-4) Glued the Windscreen to the Fuselage using Micro Krystal Kleer.


Fig 12-6) Painted the Pilot's Canopy with Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042). When the paint dried in about an hour, I removed the masking tape and weathered the Canopy with Silver Pastel Step 13 – Fixed Rear Window Assembly


Fig 13-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist and again the clear plastic parts are dipped in Future Floor Polish. This will hide any microscopic scratches and make the part look clear, not foggy.

Fig 13-3) After the future dried, I masked of the windows with Tamiya Tape.

Step 14 – Gun Assembly


Fig 14-2) The machine Gun was painted Testors Acryl Flat Black the weathers with Silver Pastel. The Shields were painted with Testors Acryl Chromate Green the weather with Siler and Black Pastels. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier.


Step 15 – Gun Assembly Continued


Fig 15-2) Clear Plastic parts are dipped in Future Floor Polish. This will hide any microscopic scratches and make the part look clear, not foggy.


Fig 15-4) Glued the Turtleback Window to the Fuselage using Micro Krystal Kleer.

Fig 15-5) Assembled the Rear Seat Assembly then Painted with Testors Acryl Chromate Green, followed by weathering with Silver and Black Pastels. I then glued the Seat Belts onto the sea. The Gun is just placed into position to check for fit. At this point, I’m going to put all these parts away until the fuselage is painted and ready for final assembly. This will make masking much easier.


Step 16 – Observer’s Canopy Assembly

Fig 16-2) Removed all parts from the trees, removed parting lines and any flash that may exist and the clear plastic parts are dipped in Future Floor Polish. This will hide any microscopic scratches and make the part look clear, not foggy.


Fig 16-4 & 5) Painted the Oberserver’s Canopy with Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042). When the paint dried in about an hour, I removed the masking tape, then glued on the Air Deflectors using Micro Krystal Kleer and then I weathered the Canopy with Silver Pastel


Step 17 – Propeller Assembly


Fig 17-2) When I paint propellers, I always paint the tips first. I used Testors Acryl Insignia Yellow.

Fig 17-3) After the Yellow dries, I mask off the tips with Tamiya Tape, The spray Testors Acryl Flat Back.


Fig 17-4) The Hub is painted last with Testors Enamel Aluminum.

Fig 17-5) The inside of the Cowl was painted with Testors Acryl Chromate Green. The front of the Cowl was painted with Testors Acryl Insignia Yellow.

Fig 17-7) Masked off the Yellow on the Cowl using Tamiya Tape, then sprayed the Cowl and Antenna Mast with Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042) and weathered the Cowl with Silver and Black pastels


Step 18 - Decals

Fig 18-1) Applied a gloss coat of Future Floor Polish to the Prop. This will give a great base for the decals.

Fig 18-2 & 18-3) The fuselage has been masked off for painting using Tamiya tape. Fig 18-5) I used popsicle sticks hot melted to the cowl of the airframe. Then sprayed the entire Airframe with Testors Enamel Sea Blue (FS35042)


Fig 18-6) Painted the Leading Edge Slat Pockets with Tamiya Flat Red, then unmasked everything except the cockpits and glass.

Fig 18-7) Bottom side unmasked and ready for gloss clear coat.


Fig 18-9) Clear coated the entire airframe with Future Floor Polish. Fig 18-10) The future was allowed to dry overnight, so it’s time to start decaling. The tools I use to apply decals are a tub for warm water, scissors, small tweezers, Exacto Blade, Micro Sol, a small brush to apply the Micro Sol, and of course, the decals.

Fig 18-11 & 18-12) I applied all the decals to the airframe. Cut out one decal at a time. I then dip the decal in warm water for approximately 10 seconds, then place it on a flat surface. In about 1 minute, I slide the decal off the backing paper into position on the airframe. Using a small paint brush, i move the decal into the perfect position. When I'm happy with the position, I dry the decal by dabbing, not wiping. Now I coat the entire decal with Micro Sol. This softens the decal so it sits in panel lines and brings out the details below the decal. Allow this to air dry. Sometimes, I'll go back and apply more Micro Sol if there is a lot of detail. Don't rush this. I let the model sit over night and the decals are always nested into position. Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

Fig 18-13) The decals were applied to the Flaps and Antenna as described above.

Fig 18-14) The decals were applied to the Prop as described above.


Fig 18-15 & 18-16) I let the airframe and other parts sit over night then apply another coat of Future Floor Polish to seal the decals. In addition, the prop, Antenna, Flaps, and Slats, have been coated with another coat of Future Floor Polish to seal in the decals.

Fig 18-21 & 18-22) Again, I let the future Floor Polish dry overnight, then i apply a coat of Testors Acryl Flat Clear to the entire airframe. Apply Testors Acryl Flat Clear to the prop, Antenna, Flaps, and Slats. Step 19 - Weathering

Fig 19-3) The airframe is complete with weathering. It's very simple technique. Using a silver pencil, draw lightly over every panel line. Do one section at a time. Then using a soft paint brush, brush the silver in the direction of the air flow over the airframe. For added effect, I'll rub the silver pencil onto a piece of 400 grit sand paper them pick up the silver sanding dust with the paint brush and apply it. After this is complete, I brush the entire airframe again with black pastel. This tones it down a little bit. Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

Fig 19-4) To weather the propeller, I use the same silver pencil only I bub the edge of the pencil on the leading edge of each blade to simulate wear. Then I brush with silver over each blade in the opposite direction the propeller turns. To simulate chipping, I chuck the blade into my metal lathe and turn it up to about 500 rpm, then I'll touch the silver pencil to the spinning propeller. The effect is minimal, but worth it. You can do the same thing by chucking your prop into a drill motor, Dremel or drill press. Just be cautious on the rpm.

Fig 19-5 & 19-6) The Flaps and Slats were weathered just like the Airframe.


Step 20 - Final Assembly

Fig 20-1) Started assembling the sub assemblies to the airframe. I started by gluing on the bomb bay doors, engine, and exhaust.

20-3,The landing gear was a little tricky so I did this in stages. I glued the main gear leg into the wings, turned the airframe right side up, and positioned the gear until it was straight. I let this dry over night. Right On Replicas, LLC ©2012 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.

The next morning, I attached the remaining gear parts and the rest of the components. I did not glue the canopies or propeller in place. I used stretched sprue for antenna wire which I glued on with super glue. Everything else was glued on with Testors Liquid Cement. The airframe is complete

What a great model. I would recommend this kit to anyone looking to try photo etch for the first time, or the experienced builder looking to add a beautiful Hell Diver to their collection. Heck, I may build another one.


Documents

RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120730 – Curtis SB2C-4 Helldiver 85 … · 2012. 7. 30. · RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120730 – Curtis SB2C-4 Helldiver 85-5983 Revell 1/48 Review The