A 1/72 Surrender G4M1 Betty in 24 Hours
By Björn Bäcklund
A little explanation for the color scheme, from https://www.pacificwrecks.com/:
Surrender Delegation Arrive in G4M1 Betty Bombers
On August 19, 1945, two B-25Js of the 345th BG and 80th FS P-38 Lightnings were escorting two G4M1 Betty bombers. The Japanese aircraft carried a delegation from Tokyo en route to Manila to meet General MacArthur's staff to work out details of the surrender.
The Betty bombers were painted white with green crosses on the wings, fuselage and vertical tail surface and use the call signs Bataan I and II.
After the delegation landed at Ie Shima, they boarded a C-54 and were flown to Manila. After the meeting, they returned to Ie Shima.
One of the two Bettys crashed on its way back to Japan out of fuel, due to incorrect conversion of a liter from the gallon when the bombers were refueled. The crew were helped by local fisherman, and returned to Tokyo by train. The co-pilot, Rinpei Komai, is still alive."
The Build
24 hours. What can be done in that time? I decided to check it out and took out my Mitsubishi G4M1 "Betty" from Hasegawa.
I started. at 19.22...
...and I kept going with a straight out of the box construction.
But then I decided make new rivets...
I had worked the night shift last week, so I wasn't tired. At six in the morning I decided to quit and go to bed.
After basic paint I took a break and went home to my mother and for a cup of coffee.
Now almost one day later, I break for dinner. I can see that a good kit that can be constructed without too much filler and modifications, and you can probably build it in one day. Now I used many hours for the rivets and a coffee break, so I didn't finish it in one day but I decided to have it ready for the club meeting the next day.
Next step was a thin layer of white paint.
Masking the canopies would have taken too long so I brush painted them instead.
Masking the green crosses and then it was time for a night rest.
So at 15.56 I was so ready.
It did turn out better then I expected. In fact now I regret not masking the canopies and spraying them with the rest of the plane. They stand out too much from the rest.
