This
is the ID Models Vacform model of the Grumman Tracker as it served with
vliegtuigsquadron 4 from HNLMS Doorman. The Tracker replaced the Grumman
Avengers in the early sixties and served with the squadron until 1971 when the
squadron was disbanded. The kit is a typical vacform so the only thing you get
is two large sheets of plastic with the basic fuselage, engine pods and wings
shapes, and one small sheet of clear plastic with the windscreen and
searchlight. There is no undercarriage, but there are shapes that resemble the
wheels. The rest of the model you have to built yourself. I
have shortened the fuselage because in the kit the length of the fuselage is
that of the G version which is somewhat longer than the A version. I thought a
nice big model, so lots of detail in the fuselage, so I started to build the nav
and the sonarstation. On I went
and built the seats and the entire interior and I opened the door in the right
side of the fuselage. I thought that you could look inside through the door. How
wrong I was.
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
|
|
The
engines came from the Revell Beaufighter and where made to resemble the Wright
R-1820. This was done by adding some plastic struts and filing the crankcase
round instead of the shape from the Bristol Centaurus. The cowling was also made
from the cowlings of the Beaufighter, because it is a hell of a job to get the
vacform cowlings nice and round. So with a lot of filler and sanding the Revell
cowlings where mated to the vacform parts.
The
cockpit, or was it the flightdeck, was made when the fuselage halves where glued
together. So the panel and again two seats where made. The control columns came
from the trusted Beaufighter and one from the scrapbox (A good friend and
modeller donated his crashed Beaufighter for this project, thanks Peter). To
built the flightdeck the “roof” was removed, but in a later stage it seemed
a good idea to put it back on because the clear part of the windscreen and side
windows was very flimsy. And it was better to build the details on to the
thicker plastic part then on to the clear part. So when the roof was put back on
and painted grey the clear part was placed over it and was sanded flat on to the
rest of the fuselage.
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
|
|
After
this it was time to make the wings which where made folded up because of space.
The Tracker is not very long (about the same length of a Hunter), but the
wingspan is very big. This is a very straight forward action and not a very
difficult job. To make the model a little more lively I opened the bombbay up
and detailed this a little up. Finally
time for the painting. The Dutch machines where painted in sky and dark sea grey.
When the paint was dry, the decals went on. The letters and signs sets from Dutch
Decal and another friend and modeler made all the other markings (thanks
Meindert). So after a long built there it was a Grumman Tracker. And up for the
next vacform. Happy building.
Henk
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|
|
|
|