Fiddlers Green

Excellent modeling, Don. You've produced another fine airplane.

Looks great Don! You made an old model look like new Nice extra details too!

Thanks for the nice feedback gents. Tim, the base is my own creation. The flight deck was obtained from the download section of the Zealot forum (I think, or maybe it was the Papermodelers forum). The original file is in 1/33 scale, so I had to reduce it to get a 1/72 version. Then I had to copy and paste a bit of it on the end to get the length I needed.

_________________
Regards,
Don

Currently working on: 1/72 FG Wildcat
Recently completed: 1/72 FG Crosby CR-4

that is one fantastic lookin plane.....

_________________
Laterz
Possm_23
Never say anything you wouldnt think out loud!
Take your time leavin.....but hurry back!!!!
Every tub has to sit on its own bottom!!!!

Ditto willygoat's comment - superb work Don .

For a change of pace, I built the 1/35 scale Spice Fiero offered for free at http://www.bestpapermodels.com/index.php?menu=8&submenu=&product=20 Spice Engineering built Le Mans race cars from 1986 to 1990. This is a model of their 1988 car. It's a simple and very well designed model that goes together without a hitch. I highly recommend it if you're ever looking for a frustration free one day project.







My larger 1/72 scale airplane base seemed to be about the right size to park the car on, so I used one that had I previously printed out to complete the Fiero display. I printed out a nameplate for the front to finish it off.





I think it came out pretty nice, although it would probably look even better printed on shiny paper.

_________________
Regards,
Don

Currently working on: 1/72 FG Wildcat
Recently completed: 1/72 FG Crosby CR-4

that looks great...how did it build?/

_________________
Laterz
Possm_23
Never say anything you wouldnt think out loud!
Take your time leavin.....but hurry back!!!!
Every tub has to sit on its own bottom!!!!

Nice one! Those Fieros sure were something.

I like it!

It was a trouble free build, possm. The instructions were clear and the parts fit perfectly - a very well designed model. Wooden dowels are supposed to be used for the axles, although Q-Tip shafts would work as well if you're a paper purist. The mirrors were a little dissapointing to me - kind of 2D - although they could be faithful to the real car for all I know. The chassis bottom and tire sidewalls need to be strengthened with 1mm cardboard. The rest of the model is cardstock. It's the one and only car I've ever built, and I've got to admit it left me hungry for more, so beware. Paper model cars may be as addicting as the airplanes are!

_________________
Regards,
Don

Currently working on: 1/72 FG Wildcat
Recently completed: 1/72 FG Crosby CR-4

I thought I'd take a crack at building Fiddler's Green F4U Corsair. I was really impressed with the artwork on the Ira Kepford version so I decided to build that one. Kepford was one of the US Navy's top aces during WWII. He flew with VF-17, the famous "Jolly Rogers", a land based squadron operating out of the Solomon Islands, originally assigned to the USS Bunker Hill.

WSAM (1/60) called for a 60% reduction, so to make a 1/72 scale model I printed the file at 50%. After it was half built, I thought it looked awfully small, and it is - based on the final wingspan/length it's more like 1/95 scale. I don't know if my math was wrong or if the WSAM recommendation was incorrect to begin with. I'm bummed because it came out pretty good, but it doesn't match up with the other models in my 1/72 scale aircraft collection, and I seriously doubt that I'll build another one. Oh well.

I thought it would be nice to create a kind of tribute model to Ira Kepford, so I poked around on the net to see what was out there. I had a lot of different ideas, but I decided to make the autographed photograph of Kepford posed in front of his fighter an integral part of the overall display. Using MS Paint, I stretched out my small base, gave it an oak texture, and topped it off with the photo of Kepford. I didn't like the way my usual brass name plate looked against the oak base, so I made one using shades of blue. The pedestal that supports the plane is made of 1mm card clad in the same oak texture as the base. Even though the plane is in flight, I used the kit propeller, detailed a bit, rather than a prop disk. A pitot tube and exhausts are the only extra detailing I did on this one. The few actual photos of Kepford's plane show that it did not have antenna masts, so I left them off. Here's what the finished model looks like. Photos are of the usual crappy quality - sorry about that.











I like it a lot, but I just wish it was 1/72 scale.

_________________
Regards,
Don

Currently working on: 1/72 FG Wildcat
Recently completed: 1/72 FG Crosby CR-4

I like it a lot too! It's a very nice looking Corsair, and nicely displayed as well .

thats my favorite WWII plane......

_________________
Laterz
Possm_23
Never say anything you wouldnt think out loud!
Take your time leavin.....but hurry back!!!!
Every tub has to sit on its own bottom!!!!

Very nice! I especially like the prop details. Can you tell us a little bit about how you made them?

That is one clean Corsair. Very nice nice work. As usual