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Post by Ian H. on Oct 1, 2022 1:14:25 GMT
I figured I would just go ahead and jump in the deep end with this one. I am going with the Trumpeter KA-3B "Whale" because you really have to love a carrier based behemoth with a whopping 80,000 lb. takeoff weight. And then when getting back to the deck for recovery you had to cope with wingtip clearances of mere feet. I will be using Caracal decals to depict a "Whale" from either the USS Hancock, USS Shangri-la or USS Bonhomme Richard on one of their respective 'Nam cruises. Great video here of some Demons and Skywarriors, as well.
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Post by tommygunn on Oct 1, 2022 7:34:05 GMT
Nice choice, Ian.
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Post by SteveM on Oct 1, 2022 13:17:48 GMT
Nice one! I'm really interested in seeing how this goes together Ian, believe it or not I nearly bought one last week for this GB but my illness took me out before I went for it.
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Post by Boots on Oct 1, 2022 14:08:25 GMT
Nice looking wingy......i`m in.
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Post by Armorguy on Oct 1, 2022 15:15:29 GMT
Yes please, I'm in!
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Post by Robbo on Oct 3, 2022 13:59:26 GMT
Crew of three eh? Must of been a fair size
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Post by Paul B on Oct 3, 2022 14:45:33 GMT
This was carrier based . Grand choice there Ian
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Post by Ian H. on Oct 14, 2022 20:37:44 GMT
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Post by Paul B on Oct 15, 2022 6:27:44 GMT
Grand start there Ian . Just looking at that PE set scares the heck outta me
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Post by SteveM on Oct 15, 2022 7:24:36 GMT
It wouldn't be a Trumpy kit if it didn't need some work, but at least they (mostly) fit together. Nice work so far matey.
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Post by Armorguy on Oct 15, 2022 11:24:11 GMT
Great start Ian, I wish I have your knowledge on the crazy little details of the planes you build.
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Post by Ian H. on Oct 15, 2022 11:28:55 GMT
Thanks, guys! Steve, there is usually a surprise or two with Trumpeter. However, I must say this kit looks to be fairly nice. It is one of lt the later varieties with the darker plastic that has the finer rivet details, instead of that grainy, light gray plastic from the early kits. Guy, here's a photo of the pilot's head rest which is not quite what the kit provides. FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES ONLY
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Post by PorcoRosso on Oct 16, 2022 16:40:04 GMT
Off to a good start, Ian. I saw one of these birds at IAT Fairford a few years back. It looked massive!
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Post by Ian H. on Oct 21, 2022 22:36:45 GMT
Off to a good start, Ian. I saw one of these birds at IAT Fairford a few years back. It looked massive! Thanks, Joe! Yes, these jets were huge and the fact we were flying them off small-deck Essex Class carriers in Vietnam is really amazing. Very little wingtip clearance on that angled deck for landings.
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Post by Boots on Oct 23, 2022 20:09:29 GMT
Great start Ian ....but that etch sent a shiver down my spine
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Post by Ian H. on Oct 23, 2022 20:53:35 GMT
Thanks, Boots! Funny part is most of the PE is for the bomb bay which will not be used.
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Post by Ian H. on Oct 29, 2022 20:00:53 GMT
I made some progress on the flight deck, finally. My main hurdle was finding good pictures of the seats because I knew the Trumpeter ones were not right (imagine that!). There was not a lot of good reference photos out there for KA-3s. I finally found a flight deck photo of an A-3 at the Pearl Harbor Museum and the photo was actually panoramic and could be panned, 360 degrees. I panned the photo and got good images of the seats. I modified them as needed and added the correct, scratch-built head rests. I then added the PE belts which came with the kit. The flight deck is now ready for some primer.
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Post by Boots on Oct 29, 2022 20:19:21 GMT
Very nice work indeed Ian
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Post by PorcoRosso on Oct 29, 2022 20:25:09 GMT
Good start on the cockpit, Ian.
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Post by Ian H. on Oct 29, 2022 20:28:33 GMT
Thank you, gents!
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