I have wanted to add
one of Tamiya's excellent Thunderbolt kits to my collection for some time. When
I stumbled upon one on eBay for a very good deal, I snapped it up. It is truly
an exceptional kit, rich with detail, and was built for the most part out of the
box, with a few minor homemade upgrades.
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Ignition leads on
the engine were made from small copper wire, secured with CA glue into small
holes drilled into the cylinders with a pin vise.
Additionally, I ran brake lines/hoses down the landing gear struts, again
fashioned from copper wire. The last custom touch was to use aftermarket decals
(from Sky Models), since the Tamiya kit gives you only two options.
I decided I had seen way too many "Little Chief"s lately, and wanted
something slightly different, and with a little more "cheesecake".
The paint job was
fairly straightforward, with preshading applied after the first coat of each
color, followed by a lighter coat of the same color, which blends the preshading.
The white areas were then masked and sprayed.
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After paint, the model gets a
glosscoat, then decals, followed by another glosscoat. Detail wash is then
applied, and then sealed by a flatcoat. The radio antenna is "invisible
thread", available at most sewing/crafts stores.
The Tamiya kit was a pleasure to build, and makes a fine addition to any 1:48
scale WWII collection.
Mark
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