The Little World

I am pleased to report that I have gotten my mojo back.

The Hobby Boss F4U-1 is complete and on the tarmac at Wet Dog Regional beside her sister craft – The F4U-1 pre-built model from the same maker. Think I have done as decent a job as the makers themselves, and have certainly restored my confidence. I’ve found out where I went wrong and why…and have instituted procedures to prevent it again.

The Corsairs are iconic birds – we’ve seen them star in a television series and there are YouTube films of current restored versions flying. One recent video shows an entire flight from inside the cockpit on a sunny afternoon, and I am terrifically impressed with the point of view the pilot gets in the big bubble canopy. I guess having the luxury of so much horsepower means they can make it a bit bigger and roomier – like the P-47 – and the driver need not skin his knuckles so much stirring it about.

The option to have the canopy open was welcome with this model. It was also presented with the Hawker Hurricane Mk II but the casting of that canopy was too thick and it would not sit on the fuselage – I opted for the closed version there. This one’s light and delicate, but with clear and crisp framing. Bless Hobby Boss for this, as it lent itself perfectly to the thinned paint-bow pen technique.

As far as the finish goes, this was Mr. Hobby Clear all the way – the gloss stuff in a small jar. Thinned 50/50 and used under the decals as well as over for a seal. I have given up trying to find the much-vaunted Kleer, Pledge, or whatever floor polish in our local DIY stores or the supermarket. Nothing I see suggests it will be successful, and as long as the Mr Hobby stuff is available, I’ll use that.

I also have about 4000 gallons of semi – matte and matte varnishes that were purchased as trials or in error…but they can be used on Bomber Command and Coastal Command aircraft. Also on any tanks or vehicles I ever build. Or I can build buildings and finish them off with these sprays. No wastage if at all possible.

And in case you are wondering at the perspective of these pictures – a little more dramatic than normal – I am trying out my 18mm f:2 Fujinon lens rather than the 35mm f:1.4 in the Tiny Studio. It will enable me to get more wingspan in when I build the larger 2 and 4-engined jobs. Of course, for complex photos at Wet Dog, I’ll still revert to either the 14mm or the 35mm Tokina f:4 Macro to allow for precise layering.

As an aside, I note that Canon are making a 35mm macro for their APS-C cameras – the small sensor ones – and for their M-series mirror-less in 30mm. These are very interesting because they have a pair of LED lights in the nose to light up tiny subjects very close to the front element. Not a pictorial effect, but perfect if you need to capture detail in dim places. I’d love one if I had a Canon body.

Time for Fujifilm to bring out  short macro to complete the 80mm and 60mm range. I vote for 40mm AF and smallest aperture to f:29. I’d buy it in an instant.