I've always had a liking for US Navy aircraft, especially the ones in flamboyant colours and with a real sense of purpose. I'd often considered doing the 1/48 scale version of the Buckeye one day - as it is my preferred scale - but when the Wolfpack kit appeared on special at my usual retailer - BNA ModelWorld - I just had to have it. In addition to the kit I also bought the Eduard canopy masks (CX423) and T-2C interior etch set (73534), with the latter really helping to lift the cockpit detail to another level.
The kit was an enjoyable build with no major issues and the fit was so good that only a minimal amount of work was required to cleanup the various joins. With assembly completed the model was then primed with Tamiya Fine Grey Surface Primer, followed by an overall coat of Gunze Gloss White (H1). The areas to be painted Orange were then masked and my own mix - consisting of Gunze Orange Yellow (H24) mixed with a few drops of Red (H3) and few drops of Yellow (H4) - was then applied to the relevant areas. I was very happy with the colour as it was a much better match to what I'd seen in photographs, in comparison to what was recommended on the instruction sheet. The areas to be painted black were then masked and sprayed with Gunze Tire Black (H77), as I find it to be less stark and a much better colour for aircraft in this scale.
With painting completed the model was then sprayed with Future and once this was dry the myriad of decals were then applied. The decals are very thin, went on without any problems and reacted really well to the application of both Micro Set and Micro Sol. The model was then given another coat of Future, followed by a panel line wash of MIG PLW Light Grey (A.MIG-1600) and once this was dry a coat of AK Interactive Satin Varnish (AK191) was then applied over the entire model, giving it a nice scale sheen. It was then just a matter of removing the paint masks, fitting the undercarriage, attaching the canopy and then applying the appropriate clear colours to the navigation lights and rotating beacon.
I found the Wolfpack Buckeye to be a superb model and a fun build, that can be enhanced with a few added extras without to much effort and is one I'd highly recommend to all.
The kit was an enjoyable build with no major issues and the fit was so good that only a minimal amount of work was required to cleanup the various joins. With assembly completed the model was then primed with Tamiya Fine Grey Surface Primer, followed by an overall coat of Gunze Gloss White (H1). The areas to be painted Orange were then masked and my own mix - consisting of Gunze Orange Yellow (H24) mixed with a few drops of Red (H3) and few drops of Yellow (H4) - was then applied to the relevant areas. I was very happy with the colour as it was a much better match to what I'd seen in photographs, in comparison to what was recommended on the instruction sheet. The areas to be painted black were then masked and sprayed with Gunze Tire Black (H77), as I find it to be less stark and a much better colour for aircraft in this scale.
With painting completed the model was then sprayed with Future and once this was dry the myriad of decals were then applied. The decals are very thin, went on without any problems and reacted really well to the application of both Micro Set and Micro Sol. The model was then given another coat of Future, followed by a panel line wash of MIG PLW Light Grey (A.MIG-1600) and once this was dry a coat of AK Interactive Satin Varnish (AK191) was then applied over the entire model, giving it a nice scale sheen. It was then just a matter of removing the paint masks, fitting the undercarriage, attaching the canopy and then applying the appropriate clear colours to the navigation lights and rotating beacon.
I found the Wolfpack Buckeye to be a superb model and a fun build, that can be enhanced with a few added extras without to much effort and is one I'd highly recommend to all.
