Harvard Mk2A (1.48)

[Pistol]

This will be my 3rd build so it's very much trial and error (mainly error at the moment) My late father (Royal Navy FAA) was trained to fly in a Harvard in Canada in the latter part of the war so this has some poignance and I would like to do a half decent build despite my limited abilities. As I improve I intend to build another and I aspire to do the 1.32 version by Kitty hawk (one day!). I have yet to post any pictures here using Flikr so please bear with me as I try and add to this thread as I go along with some pics I hope will be of some interest. So anyway, here's the kit and a snap of a 19 year old trainee pilot (PO FX112884 Chuck Ramsay)

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr
Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[Pistol]

Ok so I started by removing the moulded seatbelts as I thought I might have a crack at photo etch. The cockpit went together well I think despite the age of the kit and I was pretty pleased with it as it took shape.

Untitled by

[url=https://flic.kr/p/WM3Xfd]Untitled by

[url=https://flic.kr/p/WMhQmL]Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[Pistol]

Although the decals are Cartograph which I understand are very good quality, the cockpit decal was terrible. Apart from the fact that it didn't have a proper reference point it was as thick as treacle pudding despite 2 tbsp of microsol. As the cockpit is so prominent I took it off and tried dry-brushing instead. I did a passable job of dry brushing on a tamiya corsair (on my first model) but the dials on the italeri were pretty poor by comparison so it just looked a mess. So off I went to Airscale and bought some aftermarket. First attempt on the front cockpit was poor, the second attempt better, but these are tiny decals (individual dials) so we are where we are it seems. Im not happy with the result but at least Im no longer seeing dials in my sleep and pricking myself with pins

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[Pistol]

Okay so I've decided to do the canopies separately because otherwise I would have to get the paintbrush out for the front console which didn't appeal to me. Anyway they are now masked and ready for the interior colour. Im also leaving the nose off for the time being. She's now sanded and ready to see if the primer looks any good, so this brings us up to date. I may prime tomorrow (if the Gods seem to be with me) using Ultimate white primer. Thanks for stopping by

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr
Untitled by peter ramsay, on FlickrUntitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[Pistol]

More work to do after priming. I really must take more care to avoid so much repair work.
Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

First attempt at one of the bully boy colours. I wrestled with it quite a bit. I think I should have thinned it more than I did so mixed results here. We'll just have to see how she turns out. It's a steep learning curve after all so Im trying not to beat myself up too much at the moment. I've also just removed the masking tape from the canopy so it all needs tidying up.

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[Pistol]

It's also too....well yellow so I will need to lighten it up a shade I think! Any advice or tips (critical or not) will be gratefully received as always!

[aur0ra145]

Looking good so far!

[Pistol]

Thanks for that, much appreciated

[Pistol]

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

I was so absorbed in laying down a tricky colour for the first time that I just didn't think about the shade. Tamiya xf3 did not come out as insignia yellow (why should it I suppose?). I mixed some desert sand to darken the hue and then some white to lighten things up and misted a really thin coat on today. This has definitely improved things and whilst I'm still not happy with it, its now not a million miles away from my reference. I don't think I can risk laying down any more paint so we are where we are. Unfortunately, I made a huge mistake in removing the canopy masks prematurely and the difference in shade is now too glaring to live with. I thought I might be able to touch up with a brush but that hasn't worked out. So there we have it. I'll go away and scratch my head but I think Im just going to have to re-mask and re-spray. bugger..

[Pistol]

Happier with the colour. Managed to get get some gloss on this morning. I used Alclad 600.
Untitled by peter ramsay, on FlickrUntitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[aur0ra145]

Nice, that's looking really good so far!

[Pistol]

Thanks. I'm hoping it's not all downhill from here. The canopy has taken quite a bashing with the extra masking and painting so we'll just have to see!

[Pistol]

Made a start on the decals today. Im a bit on the slow side so only about 1/3rd of them done so far lol.

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr

[Pistol]

Well, there's still some snagging to do but Im calling it a day on this one. I know the photos look okay but sadly this one doesn't withstand close inspection. Something went badly wrong with the Clear coat and when I applied the wash I lost some decals and even paint (!) on the undercarriage. I also started to loose paint easily on the topside for some reason. As you can imagine, this was not my finest moment. I decided to leave the topside alone, forget the weathering, put on a final flat finish and tackle another harvard another day. At least that way it can take a temporary place on the shelf. Im putting it next to the 109 to keep it on its toes. There was lots of learning here for me. As anticipated, the canopy didn't take kindly to being re-masked and re-painted and with all the cutting, handling and painting it looks marked and beaten up (a bit like me tbh). There are plenty of other flaws too so I will take the learning from this and live to fight another day. I still had a great time with the build overall and will take the positives from it. I do think this is a super kit and I will still enjoy it. I will buy another when my skills have improved and go again...with a completely different clear coat! In the meantime here she is, warts and all.

Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr
Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr
Untitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr
Untitled by peter ramsay, on FlickrUntitled by peter ramsay, on FlickrUntitled by peter ramsay, on Flickr