Re - Building the Tamiya 1/50 Mitsubishi F1M2  PETE

This kit had been built up many years ago by my son ,and ended up in a carton with numerous other semi finished models when his interests switched to other 
 activities . So this one emerged from the carton ,to be broken apart and built
up all over again .  The trigger for picking this subject was the finding of some magazine plans which appeared to agree more closely with photos than the original kit . The kit decal sheet was still to hand with plenty of codes  etc. to enable many many choices of markings ,including some of the ones illustrated in the magazine feature .
The most significant differences were the shape of the windscreen and observer's enclosure , and that all of the wing float struts and the rear float struts in the kit were moulded as  one - pieceV shapes whereas photos showed that these struts were all separated by a space  where they entered the floats. 
Fuselage
The major parts came apart easily, revealing a  very basic interior  .  Not having any illustrations  ,it was decided to build  theoretical interiors for the cockpit and observer's position , including a new floor, instrument panel ,side consoles ,control column , radio gear ,new  moulded seats  for both crew members and scratchbuilding a new gun for the observer .  The fairly prominent rivet detail was drastically reduced without totally removing all of it, as was the ribbing on the rudder . Before fitting the interiors ,some frame detail was added to the inside of both positions wherever  it would be noticeable .
   New struts were made to fit at the rear of the main float to match the drawings and photos . Wooden masters were made ,and new canopies moulded, referring to the plans.
The centre section struts were chunky and were replaced with new ones made from flattened copper wire filed to a streamlined section ,and soldered together.  A clear piece of sprue was fitted into the end of the fuselage and wet sanded to match the shape ,to represent the rear nav light .A small hole was drilled on each side of the fuselage to take the antenna lead from each tailplane.
Tailplanes
Rivet detail reduced ,elevators separated and refitted slightly drooped .Small holes drilled near tips for antenna leads .
Engine & Cowling  
The kit engine had been made up from a number of small parts so it was left assembled and simply painted and set aside for later fitting. The cowl flaps were thinned and cleaned up and new exhaust pipes made from metal tubing. The cowling was attached using white glue so that it could be painted in place ,then  removed for fitting the  engine  later.
Propeller
The kit prop blades were thinned and cleaned up to be fitted later .

Wings
The rivet detail on both wings was reduced together with the ribbing on the ailerons . The lower wing was joined to the fuselage and the small bracing struts fitted .Small holes were drilled in place in each wing so that the minimal rigging required could be done during final assembly,including a small hole in each main wing strut to take the antenna lead from each tailplane.
New wing float struts were made so that the floats could be mounted to agree with photos and drawings . The struts were fitted into the holes in the wings temporarily with white glue to establish the correct positions and when set, the floats superglued to them and properly  aligned . When set hard ,each float / strut assembly was removed for re-attachment after finishing painting of the fuselage/
lower wing assembly .
The upper wing was trial fitted to the centre section and main struts to ensure that
all struts fitted into their respective holes,  by turning the wing upside down and lowering the fuselage on to it ,and checking for proper alignment . The metal centre struts were adjusted until everything fitted correctly , and the wing was put aside for undersurface painting .
Canopies
The moulded canopies were trimmed to ensure a good fit ,the framing added using strips of adhesive metal tape painted in the upper surface colour . 
Beaching Trolley
This was assembled , and sprayed with a coat of dull metallic grey with a few random blotches to simulate some rust .
 Painting
The yellow ID leading edge stripes were applied first and then masked off.
 Next came the lower surface light grey on the underside of each wing , underside of the fuselage , tailplane , main float , and under each wing float assembly. 
After masking ,the upper and lower wings ,upper surface of each float , fuselage and tailplane were sprayed  JN Green . 
It just looked too clean ,so some fairly brutal dry brushing was done with a dull Aluminium  paint to try and simulate a weary appearance without overdoing it . When the shabbiness seemed reasonable ,everything was given a glosscoat .After applying the decals, the upper wing and the float assemblies were attached with superglue ,the rigging and antenna leads fitted ,and a gloss sealing coat applied  overall .  The engine with cowling was attached and the   prop added. Small braces were fitted to the wing rigging .
 At each small strut attachment point ,a drop of thinned white glue was applied, resulting  in a small fillet  ,concealing any slight gaps . When completely dry , the fillets were carefully brushed with a thinned drop of the required colour .
Finally ,a dull coat was applied overall ,and the canopies attached, with the telescopic sight also being put in place. 
Conclusion
While far from perfect, it's a  better result than the first time it was made up,   so it'll have to do ,even if it is 1/50 scale. As ever,.Pieter Stroethoff's photos are a great help with the appearance .