I got myself a PV-1 Ventura from one of the forumers and thought of sharing its build progress with everyone. First off were the control panels. Minicraft only provided decals for a flat piece of plastic.

I decided to experiment a bit and added some details. I scanned the decal and imported the picture to Microsoft Word. I then traced out the details and resized it accordingly. After that, I printed it out onto a piece of paper and placed a clear sheet of plastic over it. I used my scriber and made small indentations so that my drill will have a "catch" of grip on the smooth plastic. After drilling away, I got what you see below.

Next up were the bulkheads behind the cockpit and radio station. Minicraft only provided the option to build the cockpit (a bare one) and nothing else behind it. Looking around on the internet, I found some details on the radio station and decided to add something there because there is an window there. After hacking, sawing, cutting, measuring, gluing and puttying, this is the result.

I also extended bomb bay area because there is an opening and turret on the upper part of the fuselage.



There is a slight gap between the floor and the walls of the Ventura but I am not going to do much to it. I have a feeling that when I close up the aircraft, one wouldn't be able to see much into the interior. This is why I'm not adding anything else because it will be just an overkill.

Here is a shot of the two halves before being closed for dry fitting. Looks like a piece of kampung fish that got cut into two. :P

Taking a closer look, one really can't see much into the aircraft.



Here is a top view looking into the upper gun turret. I think the gun turret will obstruct most of the view into the aircraft.

looks good so far bro.... that kit sure looks familiar :P

Did I buy it from you moJimbo?

If I did, sorry for not saying it earlier.

it's ok.... at least u managed to start building it he he :D

This is an interesting subject indeed. Looking good so far.....no harm adding more detail even if cant be seen...you know its there :P

I think Hudsons are cuter tho :lol:

A very short update on the Ventura.

I did some major sanding on the nose sections and they came out as you see in the picture. They were initially not flushed against the fuselage, as you can see in the forth picture in the post. Now it looks much better.