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Finished Revell/Monogram 1/48 F-89C Scorpion

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Finished Revell/Monogram 1/48 F-89C Scorpion
Posted by echolmberg on Saturday, July 11, 2015 8:01 PM

Hi guys!  

As some of you may have been figuring out, I'm a sucker for Northrop planes.  P-61s, flying wings, you name it.  The F-89 is no exception.  Here's my 4th F-89.  I just love these planes.  They were big, brutish-looking and very colorful as well.  Gotta love those '50s era jets.

I painted the entire works gloss white and then picked out a few of the panels with various shades of gloss greys.  When all that was dry, I applied some SnJ powder using some cotton balls.  The different hues of the undertones were picked up nicely by the powder.  If I wanted some additional panels to be picked out, I used MM metalics.  For these, I generally eyeballed some mixtures to vary their shades.

The decals are from an aftermarket Aeromaster sheet that was maybe half a dozen years old.  The decals reacted nicely to Solvaset but a couple of them cracked here and there due to their age I think.

The kit went together great but for some odd reason, it took me four tries to paint the simple fuel tanks.  Either the paint bled under the tape or the demarcation line was too crooked or some other goof up had me stripping the stupid things three times before I finally got it quasi-right.

When all was said and done, a couple of coats of MM metalizer sealer sealed the whole works.

Enjoy!  Comments and critiques are always welcomed.

Eric

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • From: Streetsboro, Ohio
Posted by Toshi on Saturday, July 11, 2015 10:36 PM

Very beautiful, the silver really eye catching and brings out the character of the aircraft.  Congratulations on a fantastic build!

Toshi

On The Bench: Revell 1/48 B-25 Mitchell

 

Married to the most caring, loving, understanding, and beautiful wife in the world.  Mrs. Toshi

 

 

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: State of Mississippi. State motto: Virtute et armis (By valor and arms)
Posted by mississippivol on Saturday, July 11, 2015 10:52 PM

I love it! You've got to be the high time guy for -89's.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Sunday, July 12, 2015 1:24 AM

Beautiful! Keep those Northrop birds coming!

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    August 2013
Posted by Jay Jay on Sunday, July 12, 2015 7:48 AM

Beautifully done.  Really looks like the model is made of aluminum rather than plastic. very realistic.

 

 

 

 

 

 I'm finally retired. Now time I got, money I don't.

  • Member since
    July 2015
Posted by Huey54 on Sunday, July 12, 2015 8:24 AM

Job well done.

cnq
  • Member since
    March 2013
Posted by cnq on Sunday, July 12, 2015 8:50 AM

Beautiful job. I like it.

  • Member since
    January 2003
Posted by Darren Roberts on Sunday, July 12, 2015 9:14 AM

NOICE!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Member since
    April 2013
Posted by KnightTemplar5150 on Sunday, July 12, 2015 11:00 AM
Nicely done!
  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Sunday, July 12, 2015 11:45 AM

We have one of these on display in our local park. It's been on stilts there for decades now. Nice to see someone makes a model of it. You did a great job on this one.

BK

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Sunday, July 12, 2015 5:28 PM

I love this kit.  It doesn't have a high parts count at all so, with my limited modeling time, it's the perfect kit for me.  

Thanks to everyone for the kind words.  It's going to sit on my overhead cabinet at work with another of my F-89s.

Eric

  • Member since
    March 2003
Posted by rangerj on Sunday, July 12, 2015 7:18 PM

Super job. I saw one on display in MI, but cannot at the moment remember what airport I saw it at. Anyone?

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Northern California
Posted by jeaton01 on Sunday, July 12, 2015 9:27 PM

Very nice, Eric.

John

To see build logs for my models:  http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html

 

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Cavite, Philippines
Posted by allan on Sunday, July 12, 2015 11:20 PM

Nice.  I can imagine how the tanks couldve given you problems.

No bucks, no Buck Rogers

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Monday, July 13, 2015 1:19 AM

They come in a top half and lower half.  After gluing them and cleaning up the seam, you just have to paint one side black and the other side metallic.  Not hard at all, right?  Somehow I found a way to botch it up several times.  At one point, I sanded the seams using wet/dry sanding pads under the kitchen faucet.  Water had filled the tank.  I thought I got it all out.  When I stated airbrushing the black using Floquil paints, that's when some water leaked out and ruined the paint job.  Argh!  It was little gremlins like that which repeatedly tripped me up!

Eric

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Monday, July 13, 2015 8:35 AM

Ohhh, very cool! I too love the different metallic panels you've done there!

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    February 2007
  • From: Brunswick, Ohio
Posted by Buckeye on Monday, July 13, 2015 11:22 AM

Very nice!

Mike

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • From: Close to Chicago
Posted by JohnnyK on Monday, July 13, 2015 3:10 PM

Great looking model. I need to give the  SnJ powder a try.

Your comments and questions are always welcome.

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • From: Close to Chicago
Posted by JohnnyK on Monday, July 13, 2015 3:11 PM

I have  question regarding the  SnJ powder. Did you have any problems with the decals "silvering"?

Your comments and questions are always welcome.

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Monday, July 13, 2015 3:16 PM

Thanks to everyone again.  Johnny, if you can get your hands on some of that powder, I highly recommend it.  Using different shades of gloss paint underneath will give the metal powder different hues when you apply it.  Black, greys, blues, white and other colors will work great but just remember that they have to be gloss paints.

I've  had good luck masking over the stuff, too.  However, in order to ensure it takes to masking, it's best to reduce the stickyness of the tape first.  I always rapidly stick and unstick it to my fingers to cut down on the tacky nature of the tape.  Once that's done, you can pretty much mask with out any lifting of the powder.  I'm really surprised at how strong the stuff is.

Eric

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: North Pole, Alaska
Posted by richs26 on Sunday, July 26, 2015 7:12 PM
Eric, here is a little story I found which illustrates the effectiveness of the F-89 as an interceptor which caused it to be phased out fairly quickly, I guess: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palmdale

WIP:  Monogram 1/72 B-26 (Snaptite) as 73rd BS B-26, 40-1408, torpedo bomber attempt on Ryujo

Monogram 1/72 B-26 (Snaptite) as 22nd BG B-26, 7-Mile Drome, New Guinea

Minicraft 1/72 B-24D as LB-30, AL-613, "Tough Boy", 28th Composite Group

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Central Florida
Posted by plasticjunkie on Sunday, July 26, 2015 7:23 PM

Got this one in my stash and it's huge even at 1/48.  You did a great job at reproducing the metallic panel shades.

Too bad Gerald stopped marketing the powder. I was lucky enough to meet a fellow modeler at the 2012 Nationals who mailed me a bottle from his stash.

 GIFMaker.org_jy_Ayj_O

 

 

Too many models to build, not enough time in a lifetime!!

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Monday, July 27, 2015 8:25 AM

Looks great!  I really liked the plane during its active service time, and then saw one crash at an airshow.

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Monday, July 27, 2015 6:35 PM

Nice job Eric.  Thanks for sharing...

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by USAFASME7 on Friday, July 31, 2015 2:41 PM

BEAUTIFUL!!! And a rarely built aircraft too. Nice job!

--Rob

Glue Sniffer since 1977

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Nebraska, USA
Posted by CallSignOWL on Friday, July 31, 2015 5:52 PM

wonderful build!

what paints did you use for teh NMF?

------------------------

Now that I'm here, where am I??

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Friday, July 31, 2015 5:55 PM

Speaking of F-89s, I came across something which led me to post this...

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/general_discussion/f/50/t/167285.aspx

and thought of this build... Wink

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    January 2014
Posted by Silver on Saturday, August 1, 2015 7:44 PM
Great job on such a rare kit.
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Green Bay, WI USA
Posted by echolmberg on Friday, August 7, 2015 12:21 PM

Thank you again for the kind remarks.  Owl, about 90% of the NMF was achieved through the use of S-n-J metal powder.  I think the stuff is out of production now.  It was picked up briefly by Hawkeye Hobbies but I think it, too, is no longer available.  eBay might have some but I'm not completely sure.  I bought my powders maybe 12 years ago from Venture Hobbies which I think was in Schaumburg, IL.  Note that I said "was" because I do believe Venture Hobbies has gone the way of the Dodo.  I picked up two bottles while I was down there.

I like the powder because it's always been tough as nails for me.  It takes great to masking and I can easily use different shades of MM metalizers to vary the tones of various panels.  It also holds up well to the use of decal setting solutions.  Since the powder goes on mirror smooth, there are no problems at all with silvering.  I just use setting solution to make the decals form to compound curves and settle over panel lines.  

Eric

  • Member since
    November 2019
Posted by Whitecloud100 on Monday, December 23, 2019 12:13 PM

Looks like a nice build, but I'm unable to see the photos.  They are blurred out.  Can you tell me how to 'unlock' the photos?

 

 

caw

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