WIP "Decal Madness" Hasegawa 1/48 F-86F-30 Sabre JET in NMF

Almost finished with the decals. The letters "USAF" on the main wing are incorrectly located. They are too close to the fuselage. Oh well!!! The last decal that needs  to applied is a large band of stripes behind the main wing.

Coming along nicely, Johnny.  As others have mentioned, Hasegawa decals are a dog.  I applied Hasegawa kit (#9705) decals on an Alclad painted 413 Sqn RCAF Sabre 5 many years ago.  As you have done, I trimmed most of the main decals as close as I could to reduce the amount of carrier film on the decal but it still took me a while to beat them into submission. The stencils really showed the carrier film.  I will say they were a bit better in appearance when applied to a gloss coated finish and then clear (gloss or flat) coated after application.  Keep it up!

Mike

rangerj

Note: The P-51 wing was in fact painted in the assembly process as a way to improve the laminer flow of air over the wing. I have pictures of wings being painted before being attached to the fuselage. I think they also filled the dimples from the rivets as part of that process. Unfortunately there are not many color pictures from that time frame.

 

Note: The P-51 wing was in fact painted in the assembly process as a way to improve the laminer flow of air over the wing. I have pictures of wings being painted before being attached to the fuselage. I think they also filled the dimples from the rivets as part of that process. Unfortunately there are not many color pictures from that time frame.

Nice work so far! I too hate Hasegawa decals, but they include some nice schemes. To cut away the carrier film just use a sharp hobby knife and trim around the decal. It helps to use a straight edge or even a swivel knife for round shapes. You don't need a scissors and you don't need to slice through the decal paper. Then, after dipping and when the decals is ready to slide off, just scrape away the film

TIME FOR THE DECALS. How I hate doing this.

The decals have really thick carrier film, plus the film has a matt, milky finish:

Following is a link from some guy describing how to remove carrier film after the decals have been applied:

http://www.florymodels.co.uk/today/2014/12/12/xmas-present-number-4-free-to-watch-o-in-part.html

I tried this on a test model. The mineral spirits did nothing. I then tried testors enamel thinner which is mostly mineral spirits. That removed the carrier film and the decal (note the top decal). I then tried Purple Power. That gave the same results as the thinner. Then I tried something really insane. I purchased some micro Q-tips by Tamyia. I dipped the Q-tips into Purple Power and scrubbed away the carrier film that was between the painted decals. That worked, but one needs to be very carful because it is real easy to damage the decals (note the letter "U" in the lower decal). Also, it is difficult to remove all the carrier film (note the letter "F" in the lower decal).

Removing the carrier film after the decal is applied does not work, so I thought that I would cut out each individual letter in "USAF" for the main wings. I ordered a Tamyia decal scissor. The scissors are nice, but the instructions do not help much . However, do we really need instructions as to how to use scissors? I would guess that the text includes warnings against cutting your fingers and nose off.

So, I used the scissors and a hobby knife to cut the letters apart.

I used a lot of water and Micro Sol and Micro Set. The letter "S" was the most difficult to apply. I really like the results. Individual letters with no carrier film.

These are large letters and it is not  too difficult to cut them apart. I think that cutting smaller letters such as "U. S. AIR FORCE" may be nuts!!!

So far I have applied the following decals. The decal on the nose required a lot of Mico Sol to sit down properly, but it looks okay.

 Next step is to apply what seems to be thousand of small decals .

rangerj

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that CONVERTS the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion resistant anodic oxide finish. Aluminum is ideally suited to anodizing. Do not misunderstand, I am NOT criticising your work. Your model has the correct "LOOK" for the upper wing center section. I do not recall if the under wing was done as well. I have seen several F-86s up close and the center section of the wing does not look painted. As for the B-29 I do not knowas I have not looked into that aircraft. I have seen the Commemorative Air Force's B-29 FIFI  up close, in fact inside her, but not the upper surface of the wing.

As a matter of fact your model looke great so far. I am a huge fan of the F-86.

 

It is difficult to determine from photos of F-86, P-51, F-104 and B-29 airplanes if the center section of the main wings were painted or anodized. I've read that the center sections of P-51 wings were painted to improve airflow, the center sections of F-104 wings were painted to prevent corrosion and that the center sections of B-29 wings had a different color because ther were of a different alloy than the remainder of the wing.  Who knows for sure.

I think FiFi is 100% painted, so who knows what is going on there? 

Regarding the underside of the F-86 wings, I could not find any photos that indicated if the center section was painted or not.

So, I do the best I can. On the F-86, I painted the cener section with unbuffed Model Master Metallic paint. The remainder of the wing is BMF. I think it looks similar to the real thing, so I am happy.  

Keep your comments comming. They make me a better modeler.

John

Anodizing is an electrochemical process that CONVERTS the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion resistant anodic oxide finish. Aluminum is ideally suited to anodizing. Do not misunderstand, I am NOT criticising your work. Your model has the correct "LOOK" for the upper wing center section. I do not recall if the under wing was done as well. I have seen several F-86s up close and the center section of the wing does not look painted. As for the B-29 I do not knowas I have not looked into that aircraft. I have seen the Commemorative Air Force's B-29 FIFI  up close, in fact inside her, but not the upper surface of the wing.

As a matter of fact your model looke great so far. I am a huge fan of the F-86.

rangerj

Looking good so far. Keep going. I recall reading somewhere that the center upper wing section was anodized rather than "painted". Anyone know for sure? I'll be interested to see how you get "that look".

 

Rangey,

Was the center section of the upper main wing on the B-29 also anodized rather than painted? I will be starting a BMF model of Revell's B-29 shortly.

rangerj

Looking good so far. Keep going. I recall reading somewhere that the center upper wing section was anodized rather than "painted". Anyone know for sure? I'll be interested to see how you get "that look".

 

I know that the center upper wing section was not left in a natural metal finish. In most photos it looks like that section was painted in aluminum paint. If it was anodized,  it would be in natural aluminum, similar to the aluminum frames of storefronts. The only way I could do that is to finish the sections in BMF and then use a very thin wash of Mineral Spirits and white artist paint.

John

Looking good so far. Keep going. I recall reading somewhere that the center upper wing section was anodized rather than "painted". Anyone know for sure? I'll be interested to see how you get "that look".

BrandonD

Oh, and those decals are Super Scale. They layed down well, but you can still see the film to some extent. I think my next challenge with decals will be cutting them out exactly, so there is no film.

-BD-

 

I just ordered a Tamyia decal scissor and try it on the decals for the Saber.

BrandonD

Nice work so far. I'm still not where I want to be with NMF planes, but I think I am getting closer. I have never tried foil, but I like the look of yours.

My Hasegawa Sabre was painted with one shade of Alclad: Airframe Aluminum. My first step was Mr. Surfacer 1500. I followed it with Tamiya gloss black. Then came Alclad, followed by Alcad Aqua Gloss acrylic clear coat. Next up was decals, and then another layer of Aqua Gloss.

In the end, I wasn't happy with the way it looked like metal heavily coated with clear coat. The uncoated Alclad looked much better, but I wanted to protect the decals from the wash that came after, so in that place I'm at a loss.

I'm following your build with interest.

I hope I'm not hijacking your thread if I post a couple pics of mine:

To achieve the different shades of metal, I sprayed more or less Alclad Airframe Aluminum on the plane. So the gun panels got the least spray, and the tops of the wings got the most, since spraing increasing coats tones down the shine and gives more metal color.

-BD-

 

That's a great looking Saber. I really liked how you were able to make the panels different tones. It adds a lot of visual interest to the model and makes the model look more like a real MNF.

You should try doing the BareMetal Foil finish. I would suggest that you try it on a P-47. That plane has simple shapes.Use a paper blending stick to burnish the foil. Then do a single rub with 0000 steeol wiil to give it some texture.

Oh, and those decals are Super Scale. They layed down well, but you can still see the film to some extent. I think my next challenge with decals will be cutting them out exactly, so there is no film.

-BD-

Nice work so far. I'm still not where I want to be with NMF planes, but I think I am getting closer. I have never tried foil, but I like the look of yours.

My Hasegawa Sabre was painted with one shade of Alclad: Airframe Aluminum. My first step was Mr. Surfacer 1500. I followed it with Tamiya gloss black. Then came Alclad, followed by Alcad Aqua Gloss acrylic clear coat. Next up was decals, and then another layer of Aqua Gloss.

In the end, I wasn't happy with the way it looked like metal heavily coated with clear coat. The uncoated Alclad looked much better, but I wanted to protect the decals from the wash that came after, so in that place I'm at a loss.

I'm following your build with interest.

I hope I'm not hijacking your thread if I post a couple pics of mine:

To achieve the different shades of metal, I sprayed more or less Alclad Airframe Aluminum on the plane. So the gun panels got the least spray, and the tops of the wings got the most, since spraing increasing coats tones down the shine and gives more metal color.

-BD-

Thanks for the tip. I think that I will cut out the wing letters "USAF" and apply them as individual letters.

Lots and lots of Set and Sol. Not much else you can do with those decals. 

Same with Academy and older Revell releases. 

Well, it's time to join the wings to the fuselage. For some reason, the wings did not fit correctly, so I needed the big clamps to make a tight joint.

The wing/fuselage assembly is finished.

Now, on to the decals, which I dread. Hasegawa decals are really thick and have a matt finish. I have had bad resuklts in the past.

I need to figure out a better way to apply the decals.

I'm attempting to replicate the wing below. Note that the moveable sections of the wings are unpainted aluminum. I'll use Bare Metal Foil for those parts of the wings.

After glueing the upper and lower wing halves together, I painted the wing with Testots' Metallic Aluminum. After drying I sealed the unbuffed metallic paint with Metallic Paint Sealer. Bare Metal Foil was added to the mobable parts of the wings. I used a rivet making tool to add rivets. I used a light at a low angle to exaggerate the appearance of the rivets. In reality they are more subtle looking.

Before I glued the fuselage together, I checked to make sure that I added enough weight. I taped the fusegale together and clipped on the main wing and rear wings. The plane's nose tipped forward when it was balanced in a small screwdriver. All's well.  The two halves of the fuselage were then glued together.

After the glue on the fuselage set, I filled the seams with Tamyia Surface Primer. After sanding, the fuselage is ready for finishing.

 ALl the joints are filled and sanded. Now it's time to apply the Bare Metal Foil. I tried an aluminum darkening product on the panel that covers the engine. I noticied in photos that this panel somes gets discolered from the heat of the engine. I am not sure that I like the affect. I may replace that panel wit a new piece of BMF.

Mike,

Thanks for the suggestions.

John

Everything looks great, even the monkey!  LOL!

Toshi

Good progress so far.  I really enjoy building these Hasegawa Sabres.  I've put together at least 20 of them.

A couple of tips, if I may?  The rectangular, wedge shaped vent in front of the speed brake well in your last photo is unique to Japanese built Sabres.  They're not there on North American, Canadair or CAC built Sabres.  Not sure if you want to shave it off and fill the resulting hole or leave it as it is.

Secondly, when attaching the nose ring, glue the small piece that contains the landing lights between the fuselage halves first.  The instructions call for gluing the nose ring in place first.  By gluing in the landing light piece first, you'll get a better fit of the nose ring to the fuselage and you won't need a prehensile tail to spread the fuselage pieces on the bottom to create the correct gap.  It will also lessen the amount of filler needed, if any, around the nose ring / fuselage butt joint.

I look forward to more progress.

Mike

AFter the cockpit is finished, it's time to glue it to the engine's intake tube. The tube is in two parts, top and bottom. The seam is not really visible when looking into the front opening of the tube. The silver ring at the rear of the tube is the engine's compressor. However, it is not visible when looking into the intake tube.

The next step is to add weights to the tube to keep the plane from sitting on it's tail. The instructioins indicate the amount of weight to be added. I wish all manufacturers did the same.

I used weights that are intended for a pinewood derby car kit. They were glued with epoxy. I used some high temperature duct tape to make sure the main weights would not fall off.

Now, the final step befor closing up the fuselage is to glue the front engine tube/cockpit assembly and the rear exhaust tube to one side of the fuselage. There is no engine in this kit. It doesn't matter because it won't be seen.

It's not possible to glue the front tube, rear tube and both sides of the fuselage together at the same time without three hands, or a prehensile tail.

 So I decided to glue both tubes to one side of the fuselage and temporally clamp the fuselage together to allaign the two tubes. After the glue dries I'll glue both sides of the fuselage together.

. 

Toshi

Nice start on the pit, looking forward to more!

Toshi

 

Thanks Toshi. I hope you enjoy.

Nice start on the pit, looking forward to more!

Toshi