1/48 Revell PV-1 Ventura NZ4509

[kiwicorsair]

Hi All


With the Corsair in the can I am moving onto something with more than one engine. After the corsair my favourite Kiwi plane would be the Ventura. I chose NZ4509


I am building this with the addition of the following


Brassin wheels

Eduard belts

Xtradecal markings for NZ4509

Also Ventura's Pacific twins book for reference






Cheers

Mike

[Dave Homewood]

Mike I have fixed the photo links for you again. Please se the Insert Image button, drop the links in the pop up box, and then hit enter, and the photos will show on the page.

I'm looking forward to following this build.

[kiwicorsair]

Thanks for fixing Dave , I shall do so in future


Cheers


Mike

[alanw]

Hi Mike,

Cool Subject, got a Ventura and Hudson in mind to build, but that's ages away.

You might be interested in this thread with photos, Dave posted of the Ventura
at MOTAT

rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/20036/lockheed-rb-34-ventura-motat

Look forward to your build

Regards

Alan

[kiwicorsair]

Hi Alan


Thanks for the link to those awesome pics , the interior green is an interesting shade. I have two of these kits so I might super detail the interior of the second one.


I have not been man enough to buy the CA Hudson , all the Lockheed twins are favorites of mine.


Cheers

Mike

[kiwicorsair]

Progress - black base coat on interior bits.


Main parts of interior painted in Gunze US interior green

[ZacYates]

Great start! I quite like the Ventura too, but I'd have nowhere to put one in 1/48!

[davidd]

Just comparing the cabin bulkhead among the model shots (above) and the bulkheads shown in the B-34 at MoTaT in the linked pictures (latter taken by none other than our hard-working webmaster Dave H!) and wondering if the model bulkhead represents the one betwixt the cockpit and the W/Opr compartment, or between the latter and main cabin. I have read that some kit-sets have rendered some of these bulkheads rather poorly, so thought I should pipe up now in case some rectification is required. If not, ignore this message. However I will continue to follow this thread with interest.
David D

[kiwicorsair]

Thanks for the comments David.

I must confess I am no Ventura expert , I had started construction prior to seeing those great photos from David H. The bulkhead in the photo is attached directly behind the cockpit. I will consult the photos again and see what I need to do.

Good spotting

Cheers

Mike

[kiwicorsair]

Sept 4, 2016 16:56:06 GMT 12 ZacYates said:

Great start! I quite like the Ventura too, but I'd have nowhere to put one in 1/48!

Thanks! Glad it's looking ok so far. I should be able to shoehorn this into the cabinet

[dewobz]

Looking good so far kiwicorsair. Great to see a build of NZ4509 in this livery. She's contained in several decal sets but seldom gets depicted in models I've seen.

I've modified one quite simply by cutting off the left side of the bulkhead (as seen from front) and using the folding 'jockey' seat from the kit instead of the full co-pilots seat. From memory I think you remove the co-pilots controls as well? Search on here for other builds too, Calum did an excellent one of 'Slippery Sam' (I think?) recently with the full navigator/radio compartment.

Cheers
Wally.

[kiwicorsair]

Sept 5, 2016 9:00:22 GMT 12 dewobz said:

Looking good so far kiwicorsair. Great to see a build of NZ4509 in this livery. She's contained in several decal sets but seldom gets depicted in models I've seen.

I've modified one quite simply by cutting off the left side of the bulkhead (as seen from front) and using the folding 'jockey' seat from the kit instead of the full co-pilots seat. From memory I think you remove the co-pilots controls as well? Search on here for other builds too, Calum did an excellent one of 'Slippery Sam' (I think?) recently with the full navigator/radio compartment.

Cheers
Wally.

Thanks Wally , some great points there. I will check out those other builds on this site. I like to try and build the seldom modelled schemes if I can. Saying that I may build my second Ventura as Slippery Sam.

Cheers

Mike

[dewobz]

Mike, back in the day ... before I joined Flickr and before I knew about RNZAF Ventura cockpits, I built NZ4509 depicted after her Jan 1944 repair and partial repaint, following her epic air battle over St George's Channel on Xmas Eve 1943 ... rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/16183/pv-1-ventura-nz4509

It's still a favourite build of mine for several reasons. I even managed to open the pilots sliding window, as seen in the B&W photo on page 248 of 'Air-to-Air' by Chris Rudge.

The model is now owned by the son of an RNZAF pilot who flew it later during 1944 ...

A slightly sore point with the Revell kitset for me is the incorrect position of the Starboard Rear Fuselage window and its surrounding panel lines. If you ever do one with Roundel-Bars insignia you'll see why. I've corrected these errors now on 2 occasions ... some minor surgery, filling and rescribing ...

Cheers

[kiwicorsair]

Thanks again for the information on this particular aircraft Wally.

So confirming what I have seen in reference pics of Kiwi PV-1s

. No co pilot control Column installed
. Copilot seat folded down
. The left side (from in front of the A/C) of the bulkhead is removed? Now is this a straight cut only leaving the part of the bulkhead behind the pilot?

Cheers

Mike

[kiwicorsair]

Also went a bit silly on Ebay and snagged a set of Quickboost props for this guy.

Currently eyeing up some resin 50cals

[ZacYates]

Go for it. Resin is fun! I have a Quickboost prop for my Spitfire XIV and it's gorgeous.

[dewobz]

Kiwicorsair ... Mike,

"So confirming what I have seen in reference pics of Kiwi PV-1s

. No co pilot control Column installed
. Copilot seat folded down
. The left side (from in front of the A/C) of the bulkhead is removed? Now is this a straight cut only leaving the part of the bulkhead behind the pilot?

Also no pedals I'm pretty sure. Someone correct me if I'm wrong?

See - rnzaf.hobbyvista.com/venmod.html - scroll down to B&W photo

Cheers
Wally.

[kiwicorsair]

Thanks Wally , got my head around the cockpit layout.

I also saw a couple of builds from the same guy on Britmodeler where he does the same mods and scratched the area behind the cockpit - wireless ops station?

Looking forward to the weekend so I can crack into more of this build.

Question - can you build an RB-34 from the early Ventura that revell also makes?

[dewobz]

kiwicorsair, "can you build an RB-34 from the early Ventura that revell also makes?"

Short answer = YES, but only by either combining the 2 kitsets, PV-1 Ventura + Ventura Mk II or by obtaining the required parts for each option.

rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/22028/48-34-ventura-nz4602-1944

The Ventura II requires the Martin Turret [to replace Boulton-Paul] OR The PV-1 Ventura requires the 'glass nose' with windows [clear parts] [to replace the solid nose]
.
Both kits - if depicted as B-34 or Ventura II - require the corrected 'blister' canopy, manufactured by AlleyCat (@ Hannants) but OOP when I last looked.

So you can get 2 kitsets and cannibalise or you can apply to Revell 'Spare Parts' online for the required parts. They seem to be okay about sending them. I did both and now have an extra Martin Turret, which I'll use to build B-34 NZ4600 sometime in the near future.

I hope to take either a Ventura II or B-34 to Armistice in Cambridge this year, where my NZ4602 '02' OP-O [cited above] won the 'People's Choice' award in 2014.

PS - The RNZAF Roundel Blue appears much lighter in the photos of NZ4602 than it actually is. I used the new Ventura set PV-1 Venturas with 'corrected' Dark Blue roundels. However, as luck would have it, the Xtradecal set you are using has both Wing & Fuselage Roundels with yellow outlines, either designed for or entirely suitable for NZ4600 [and no doubt other home-based PV-1s & B-34s] but not actually specified in the set as belonging to an aircraft in it ... Kinda weird but a boon for us RNZAF WW2 aircraft fans huh? Xtradecals Roundel Blue is nice and dark too ...

Cheers

[kiwicorsair]

Sept 9, 2016 11:10:12 GMT 12 dewobz said:

kiwicorsair, "can you build an RB-34 from the early Ventura that revell also makes?"

Short answer = YES, but only by either combining the 2 kitsets, PV-1 Ventura + Ventura Mk II or by obtaining the required parts for each option.

rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/22028/48-34-ventura-nz4602-1944

The Ventura II requires the Martin Turret [to replace Boulton-Paul] OR The PV-1 Ventura requires the 'glass nose' with windows [clear parts] [to replace the solid nose]
.
Both kits - if depicted as B-34 or Ventura II - require the corrected 'blister' canopy, manufactured by AlleyCat (@ Hannants) but OOP when I last looked.

So you can get 2 kitsets and cannibalise or you can apply to Revell 'Spare Parts' online for the required parts. They seem to be okay about sending them. I did both and now have an extra Martin Turret, which I'll use to build B-34 NZ4600 sometime in the near future.


Thanks Wally - great news about Revell spare parts , I will use that option to build a B-34 in future.

I hope to take either a Ventura II or B-34 to Armistice in Cambridge this year, where my NZ4602 '02' OP-O [cited above] won the 'People's Choice' award in 2014.

PS - The RNZAF Roundel Blue appears much lighter in the photos of NZ4602 than it actually is. I used the new Ventura set PV-1 Venturas with 'corrected' Dark Blue roundels. However, as luck would have it, the Xtradecal set you are using has both Wing & Fuselage Roundels with yellow outlines, either designed for or entirely suitable for NZ4600 [and no doubt other home-based PV-1s & B-34s] but not actually specified in the set as belonging to an aircraft in it ... Kinda weird but a boon for us RNZAF WW2 aircraft fans huh? Xtradecals Roundel Blue is nice and dark too ...

Cheers