Well, I think I've finally got rid of builders block. I've spent the past few days working on the TA-3B from Trumpeter. Overall the kit is not too bad. I've got the main office and the bombardier training section complete as well as the front and main gear bays. There are some minor areas that are incorrect for the TA- version, one of which is the rear facing third seat in the cockpit. This would normally be a forward facing seat. Another area is the main gear wells, there should be an open area at the back of the bay that would be open to the other side; however, to do this on the kit, would take a lot of "tinkering" to get it right. Also, the rear of the TA- version did not have guns, it had an optical sensor to score bombing efficiency for the training of bombardiers. This should be a pretty easy fix, as I will leave off the guns and use some clear acetate to simulate the camera lens. If you notice in the photos, I've added some strip styrene to the fuselage in spots to increase strength and help to line up the seams, there are only a few small locating pins, not near enough for that large of a seam.
I tried my hand at some chipping of the floor using the salt method. I first sprayed a bit of Alclad duraluminum on the floor, then applied a few bits of salt; after, I sprayed a coat of black Stynylrez primer and then removed the salt. After that had dried I added some more salt and a final coat of light ghost grey. It wont be seen since its inside the deep wells of this aircraft but it gave me a chance to try something I'd never done before.
Thanks for looking.
