1/72 PV-1 Ventura ZK-PVI

[KiwiZac]

Hi all,

I scored the Academy-Minicraft PV-1 for NZ$20 from an auction site and got the Ventura Publications Ventura sheet to decorate it. I'll be doing NZ4512 "Slippery Sam", but with no weathering - as if it was a well-kept, airworthy "warbird" in New Zealand.



The cockpit in the kit is very basic so I decided to spruce it up some, based on walkaround photos by a friend of the sole intact ex-RNZAF example. I added armrests to the pilot's seat, cut the back and sides from the right-hand seat, cut away part of the floor and removed the door from the bulkhead, and added a centre console/throttle quadrant from an EB-66. The control yokes in the box are not Ventura, so I scratched my own for the pilot. The rather poor instrument panel decal from the kit was used. After all this, the canopy is too thick to see much detail...but I know it's there!


Fit of the fuselage was good, although the top turret mount needed some trimming...wasted when it was accidentally glued in place! But the guns tilt, so that's fun. The only filler used was on the spurious starboard fuselage door - the panel lines are engraved and very fine, and my scribing skills are fairly poor, so I've avoided much more than that.



After two days work here's where I left Slippery Sam. Unlike many builds I've seen online, the wing-to-fuselage joins didn't cause me any trouble. Common consensus is that the cowls are the least accurate part of this kit, but given the scale and that I just build for my own satisfaction I decided not to replace them with aftermarket or modify them. The only change here was adding some scrap plastic to the "roof" of the oil coolers, which would otherwise be open.

Like most Venturas in Kiwi service, this one wore the four-tone US Navy scheme of Non-Specular Sea Blue upper fuselage, Semi-Gloss Sea Blue upper wings and tail, Intermediate Blue sides and Insignia White underneath. As I use Tamiya acrylics I have to use custom mixes for these colours (apart from White) but fortunately I found a good FS-Tamiya conversion site.

Thanks for checking in, expect to see this complete this time next week!

[Rick Lowe]

Zac, that's looking good! I look forward to seeing the completed article.

As an aside, I can thoroughly recommend Vallejo Acrylics; they brush smoothly, level nicely and cover well.
Plus they will brush paint for me, as opposed to Tamiya, which won't... 

Cheers

Rick

[NARSES2]

Coming together quickly and looking good

[zenrat]

If intending to brush on then look for the shades you want in Vallejo Model Color (sic) rather than Model Air.  The Model Air range is ready to airbrush and while it can be brushed on you'll need more coats.  Better to thin the thicker Model Color to your favoured brushing consistency (I just blob some paint on my palate and then thin with water transferred by brush from my cleaning jar).  Obviously if thinning the thicker paint then a bottle will go further.

Almost forgot to complement your work.  It's looking good.  I'm assuming these aircraft were militarised civil passenger planes?

[Captain Canada]

I was seeing your updates on FB and couldn't believe how fast you were building ! Looks great love that aeroplane.

[KiwiZac]

Thanks all! And for the tips about paint - a historian friend speaks highly of Xtracolour as he says theirs are exact matches to FS numbers but, of course, there don't seem to be any stockists in NZ.

Thanks CC! I am too - it's been a very pleasant build and even with the additions to the cockpit it's been very quick.

[KiwiZac]

Hi folks,
Another coat of self-mix Sea Blue is on the wings and horizontal stab, with the leading edge and final touching-up to be done (the demarcations are a must, they look awful right now and I'll just mask as I can't yet replicate a soft edge). I must say I love the "sit" of this model on the desk.



I'm optimistic she'll be done Sunday evening. Hoping for good weather for Saturday so Ian the Kiwi Herder and I can get to the Wanganui Aero Club's open day, which will feature handling displays by the locally-based Grumman Avenger and DH Venom.

[Captain Canada]

Agreed. Love the sit of this aeroplane. We were lucky enough to see one at a show in London a few years back and it looked just as good sat on the tarmac as she did in the air. Maybe even better !