http://www.FineScale.com 35A little wiring for the plug leads is the least
I could do, 8.
The wings determine the version of the
aircraft built. The way the kit’s wings are
molded are for the earlier C-45s because
the nacelles are molded as the short, stubby
ones of the original Model 18. If you want
to do one of the later, more capable ver-
sions, then it’s mod time.
First, I marked out the shape of the new
nacelle, extending it down the wing and
bringing it to more streamlined shape, 9. I
used flexible vinyl tape to give a clean edge.
The new shape was constructed out of
Milliput in superfine white, 10.
Once that dried for 24 hours, I sanded
and shaped it to the proper profile, 11.
Note: a dust mask is an absolute necessity
here. The edges were then taped up again,
readying them for filling with super glue
mixed with talcum powder; this not only
makes a smooth joint but also adds a huge
amount of strength to the area, 12.
When it came to smoothing the new
nacelle, I messed up by using the wrong
product; while Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500
dries hard and smooth, I discovered that it
doesn’t like to stick to Milliput, 13.
After sanding all that off, I used Alclad
II gray primer and microfiller, which did
the job admirably, 14.
Adding rivets
The wings went together without drama,
although detail work was needed on the
cowlings around the joint straps — strips of
.05-inch plastic card performed well, 15.
As nice as the exterior panel lines are, it
is rather smooth, so some rivet detail
wouldn’t go amiss. I freehanded this addi-
tion using a pounce wheel, 16. While most
of the airframe got the rivet treatment,
don’t forget that the control surfaces were
all fabric covered on this aircraft, even the
main wing flaps, so no rivets on those bits
were needed, 17.
The subassemblies of fuselage, wings,
and tail are then brought together to make
a pretty looking little aircraft.Time to paint
Over its years of service, Expeditors and
their many variants wore a huge number of
schemes. Everything from olive drab to
Day-Glo orange and all points in between.
In the box you get two sets of decals: a
USAF machine from 1948, and an unex-
pected British Fleet Air Arm version with
the bright post-war roundels and black let-
tering, from 1949.
Personally however, I didn’t want either
of these after seeing the decal sheets avail-
able from Caracal Models.
I opted for the Military Air Transport
Service (MATS) version, from 1961 — a
classy silver with white roof and bold mark-
ings. To keep the silver finish bright, I
chose an undercoat of Alclad II gloss black
base, which remains tacky for quite a while,
18.
This was followed by a quick application
of Alclad II aluminium over the whole
frame, 19. A few sprays of Duralumin
added tonal differences to some panels, 20.
I then mixed the aluminium with 25%
Humbrol flat light gray (H147) which
tones down the shine on the fabric control
surfaces.Weathering and decaling
I masked and sprayed Humbrol gloss white
(H22) over the fuselage crown. Then the
antiglare panels and the de-icing boots
were masked and painted with Vallejo
Model Color black (70.950), 21. The beauty
of using a soft acrylic on top of the hard
Alclad is that it can be picked off with a
cocktail stick to give a slightly weathered
and chipped look.
Speaking of which, just a few bits of
pastel dust worked into panel lines and a
little soot around the exhaust will do for
the weathering this VIP transport. Pledge
Floor Gloss (PFG) sealed everything.
The Caracal decals are thin and brittle
and also very “grabby” so a lot of water was
needed. Once in place, however, they settled
down beautifully.
A little gray pastel dust worked into the
markings made them look realistically
faded. A quick spray of the PFG sealed the
decals and pastels.Finishing touches
Missing from the kit are the brake calipers
on the otherwise well-molded wheels. Tiny
slices of 1mm plastic rod with some fuse
wire brake lines replicated them, 22.
I attached the aerials, propellers, landing
light in the wing, and the doors to the
undercarriage and main cabin, 23.
A dusting of satin varnish on the silver
airframe and flat varnish on the black area
finished off the build. I carefully removed
the masking from the glazed areas (and
breathed a sigh of relief that they were still
clear). With that, I had a complete
Expeditor. FSMRevell’s 1/48 scale Expeditor provides a good starting point.
The only big changes needed are to upgrade the engines and
elongate the nacelles. It turns into a real looker with metallic
paint and aftermarket decals.