F-117 Nighthawk ... update 7JUL ...

Thanks Jet ... maybe I'll do a short, one-pager, write-up on how I did it. I didn't really take any in-progress pictures, but I've got a couple other 'pits that I've got on the bench.

After doing it this way, I can't really see myself going back to paints ..... Hmmmm .... wonder if I could just color a NMF A/C with the silver marker!?!? ..... nah .... HAHA!

Thanks again for the comments.

Looks like your "I'm too lazy to get the paints out cause I really don't feel like it, but it needs to be done..." technique paid off.

Thanks Jet .... Call it a moment of "I'm too lazy to get the paints out cause I really don't feel like it, but it needs to be done .... ". However, I think that it's possibly going to turn into my "new way" of doing things! HAHA!!!

Looks like the Sharpie technique paid off.

Been a while since I've touched this one ... but finally got back to work on it a little and got the pit installed. Here's a quick update.

Got the pit all worked up and painted. Found a neat little trick for painting up the pit ... call me lazy, but it works for me. I took a silver Sharpie marker and just picked out a few of the interior details. Then I took red and green fine-tip Sharpies IOT make the red and green lights/ switches. I think they came out pretty nice. I also had to clean up a little gap btwn the pit and the fuse with some Milliput.

The pit is installed into the upper fuse. Now, priorities are to paint the jets exhausts, install the gear bays into the lower fuse, and glue the fuse halves together. I expect a "little" bit of work to get the halves to marry up nicely. After that, it's off to paint. I'm also expecting to be painting this one for a good minute.

During the EagleQuest show a weekend or two ago I had the oppurtunity to sit down and talk to Dan Clover, one of the Masters guys, who gave me a TON of good tips as are as painting a monotone paint scheme. Getting excited about it, but I also know that it's going to take awhile.

Anyway, here's what I've got at the moment. Guess I need to take more pics.....

As always .... all C&C welcome.

VERY COOL! I can't wait to see what the next update brings! I like those guided bombs you have attached, very nice!

    Thanks, Jim

Awesome insight! Thanks for the suggestion. In looking at reference pics, I thought that it had kind-of a reddish/ rusty hue to it. I'll definately take that into consideration....

modelchasm

Touche' Mikey ... the PM kit is a better kit than the Revell. Would I do it all over again, I'd probably go w/ the PM first. However, the CMK resin kit is "supposed" to be for the Tamiya kit (isn't everything made for Tam kits!?!), but I'm finding that fitting it into the Revell kit, besides having to cut out the bomb bay doors, isn't really a problem.

Frank, thanks for the comments. I'm looking forward to finishing this one up, but the little details are making things a little slow right now.

We'll try to get more updated this week.

Yeah and I even built the Testors 1/48 scale F-117 years back and it was actually a pretty decent kit as well with open bomb bay open or closed refueling receptical even the cockpit was pretty detailed. I've seen the real F-117 up close and personal while they were taxiing. And one thing I've noticed that really stands out is that the screens on the intakes are really electrically heated de-icers to prevent ice from forming in the intake and they get so hot they can actually glow red. So when you paint this thing up remember to paint the screens a redish hue.

Touche' Mikey ... the PM kit is a better kit than the Revell. Would I do it all over again, I'd probably go w/ the PM first. However, the CMK resin kit is "supposed" to be for the Tamiya kit (isn't everything made for Tam kits!?!), but I'm finding that fitting it into the Revell kit, besides having to cut out the bomb bay doors, isn't really a problem.

Frank, thanks for the comments. I'm looking forward to finishing this one up, but the little details are making things a little slow right now.

We'll try to get more updated this week.

You are really doing some serious conversion work on this one!  The tubing on the L/G, screens on the intakes, etc are a great idea, really improved the look.  This is an exciting build to watch!

I think the CMK set was actually meant for the ProModeler kit open bomb bay and all. The ProModeler kit is actually worth the money especially with the PE it comes with.

Mikeym_us

modelchasm:

Hey Chris ...

Sorry, but this Revell/ Monogram kit doesn't even come w/ an open bomb bay! So, no bombs .... at all. I cut the bay doors so I could open them and I'm using the GBU-10's from a Hasegawa "Modern US Smart Bombs" kit.

I think the Tamiya kit does come w/ open bays, but I don't know if it comes w/ ordinance or not.

Sorry.

 

The ProModeler kit of the F-117 has open Bomb Bays and bombs as well as the Italeri F-117 also has open bomb bays as well.

Dead on, Mike ... however, the detail on the PM's bomb bay details are really least desired. Some of the details on them are just incorrect. But they're doable. The bombs aren't all that great either. Hasagawa's modern smart bombs kit is probably the best out there.

modelchasm

Hey Chris ...

Sorry, but this Revell/ Monogram kit doesn't even come w/ an open bomb bay! So, no bombs .... at all. I cut the bay doors so I could open them and I'm using the GBU-10's from a Hasegawa "Modern US Smart Bombs" kit.

I think the Tamiya kit does come w/ open bays, but I don't know if it comes w/ ordinance or not.

Sorry.

The ProModeler kit of the F-117 has open Bomb Bays and bombs as well as the Italeri F-117 also has open bomb bays as well.

Work's been going a little slow on this one. I gave up trying to scratch the bomb cradles for the bomb bay and ended up buying the Promodeler version in order to get a few parts I needed/ wanted. Later in the future, I'll probably build this one as well, but in a in-flight configuration.

Let's see ... from the last update, I think I left off w/ the bomb bay. I've gotten a lot more pieces primed, but not necessarily finished.

Here are the bay doors ....

... and the gear doors ...

All things F-117 getting primed ...

Here's a little work on the inst panel and the cockpit ....

And the not-quite-finished bomb cradles ....

Sorry for the delays in updates .... but we're hoping to get this one wrapped up soon. As always .... all C&C welcome! Enjoy!!

Hey Chris ...

Sorry, but this Revell/ Monogram kit doesn't even come w/ an open bomb bay! So, no bombs .... at all. I cut the bay doors so I could open them and I'm using the GBU-10's from a Hasegawa "Modern US Smart Bombs" kit.

I think the Tamiya kit does come w/ open bays, but I don't know if it comes w/ ordinance or not.

Sorry.

modelchasm:- does this kit come with the B-61 nuclear bombs?

cheers, chris

tomcat4evr

lookng great on that woblin goblin the other nickname it had for you that didnt know     but anyways its lookin awesome

Hey, thanks!  ... Woblin Goblin .... never heard that before .....

... but it might make for a nice name for the A/C .... painted right there on the bay door. Hmmm .....

lookng great on that woblin goblin the other nickname it had for you that didnt know     but anyways its lookin awesome

Thanks John ... appreciate that.

And here's just a quickie-update for this evening ....

I had planned on doing the gear/ bomb bay washes w/ oils since it would be going on to a white paint job, but I didn't have any mineral spirits and frankly, I didn't feel like going out and buying some. So, I made due w/ my acylics ... I know, not the greatest for washes, but I think it came out pretty nice ...

The first wash on the front gear ...

... and w/ a little more plumbing ...

Main gear ... right washed, left not washed just to show the difference.

First wash of the bomb bay, and then the finished (w/ wash at least) over-head ...

And lastly, just a quick mock-up ....

Enjoy .... and as always .... all C&C welcome.

I like it.  The plumbing on the gear is great.

JOHN

You can build a VUF pretty cheaply, especially if you're only going to make one to do something the size of canopies and other small parts.

For the landing lights ... I think you went a little more in depth than I do, but that's ok .... you only have to do 3x anyway.

As for the lighting .... yeah, it was kind of a drag to dump it, but I think it, in the end, would have thrown off the look of a "shut-down" A/C just sitting there. No big deal though ... I'll be using the LEDs else-where.

I wished I had a vac-form buddy, but oh well....

As far as those landing lights, I have been experimenting with clear sprue. I rounded the end of a cut piece, then cut it from the sprue. I then thinned and flattened the back side, coated with Future, then painted the back silver. My first attempt came out pretty good, but it was tedious.

Not to get off the F-117, sorry to see you give up on the lighting project. That would have been interesting to see.......

Thanks, Darwin ....

What's another hour of sleep ... decided to load a few more pictures to bring this page up to speed.

I got bored a bit back and decided to cut out the air intakes IOT add in a more realistic screen. Being bored was NO excuse for the amount of work that this ended up being ...

I also cut screens to use over the FLIR and DLIR openings. The kit has some "glass" (the same nasty yellow color ....) and I sure wasn't going to use that. All in all I think it turned out ok ...

V-tail, or the "ruddervaders", was assembled, puttied, and sanded. Didn't take too much putty. Fit was pretty nice. Only issue for fit was getting everything to line up JUST right on the fuselage .... and even that didn't come out PERFECT. Just didn't want to go ...

And and little plumbing work on the front gear ....

Enjoy ... and as always, C&C welcome ....

Very impressive work so far.  Keep us posted.

Darwin, O.F. 

So, I think I got a little carried away in thinking about lighting this one up. My original intentions were to model this A/C out on the tarmac, all shut-down, canopy open, "remove before flight" tags, etc, etc .... and then I went all out and lit the whole thing up!?!? Something just didn't add up.

So, I took out all the wiring, and started to close things up. I've gotten a little more done than what's pictured, I just haven't had the time to load my newest pictures up.

Been away from the bench awhile, but here's what I've got so far ....

Landing gear was cut up and re-worked w/ brass & alum rod.

Flaps were cut in half, split, and reattached w/ tubing to look "at rest".

Main gear primed, painted and attached to lower fuse half. Normally, I wouldn't do this, but there's no way to attached the upper and lower wings w/o the main wheel bays .... just the way the kit is. No biggie though. I still have a little plumbing to do and the wash, but that's it. In hind-sight, however, I should have just finished the gears before attaching them. Oh well.

Took a break from the A/C and assembled the GBU-10 bombs (2x). They come from a Hasegawa modern smart bomb kit. Straight from the box, except I cut the guidance nose off and reattached it at an angle that you would see if the A/C was just sitting there.

Those are pretty much the pics I have for right now. Like I said, I have more, but I need to load them. I'm also minus my paint booth and AB at the moment, so I feel a little stalled. Might just go ahead and hand paint the cockpit, just to keep rolling.

Anyway. Hope you guys enjoy the update, and as always .... any and all C&C welcome.

I hadn't even heard of that second technique before. Let us know how it turns out.

David

I feel your pain, Jim ... I think that you're best bet is to vac-u-form couple of canopies. I don't have a VUF set-up, but I'm going to mail the kit canopy to a friend who's going to do it for me.

For the landing lights .... two suggestions .... 1) You could slowly build up layers of Future until you get a "dried bulb", but this will take lots of time and patience. ... or ... 2) Carefully heat the end of a piece of clear sprue until a bulb forms. Then lightly sand the bulb w/ fine sand paper to remove any burnt residue. Then just snip it off and glue in place. This is the method that I will probably go with.

I am faced with the same issues with my Revell 1/72 scale F-22 Raptor. It also has the yellow sprue of parts that includes landing lights and the HUD. The yellow is just awful I think. I won't use the HUD as I am including a Eduard detail set and this was provided and the landing lights? Yellow? Ugh! I don't even want to use the canopy as most of the photos I now see show a smoke tinted canopy.....

I don't think that they make a clear yellow, but I could be wrong. Clear orange wouldn't work either, so I'll probably end up using Future lightly tinted w/ yellow food coloring. That's probably going to be my best bet.

Hobby Lobby has in their model RR section thin sheets of colored styrene/ PVC/ acetate (I don't know what it is. But I'm sur ethey have some yellow. I might look and see how yellow that is and if its not to bad I might try teaming that w/ the vac-u-formed canopies.

I just don't understand the clear yellow sprue they made for this kit .... its just plain stupid. They even call for clear-yellow anti-collison lights/ BEACONS to be placed on the top and bottom of the fuselage!?!?! HELL - O!!!!! They're RED!!!! They do the same thing for the nav lights on the wing tips! WTF!?!?!

Oh, well ... that just means more work for me ....

Didn't get anything done on her today .... spent most of the day trying to plan out how/ if I'm going to wire this thing for LEDs and blinking LEDs ....