Heller 1/48 Dassault Etendard IV M

Vit13

hello ,

very nice . I like it.

Etendard , escadrille 59S .

Thank you Vit! You've got a good eye catching the Squadron  I do like their insignia.

hello ,

very nice . I like it.

Etendard , escadrille 59S .

Thank you Chad! You are far too kind!

Woah Stik, you've seriously stepped up your game with this one. Very subtle weathering is definitely the way to go here.  Very cool man!

TB, no real need for a tutorial on my wash here. I used a pre made enamel wash product. I sealed the base colors with Tamiya acrylic clear, applied the wash, let it dry, then cleaned it up the next day using Mona Lisa thinner and some cotton balls. So easy, even an ex grunt like me could do it right the first time.

Hey Stik!

 YUP!!

I hear ya G. One of the guys in my old AMPS chapter built one with all sorts of AM and other goodies and it was just gorgeous. I'm planning for mine to be nice, but I don't have the wallet to afford all the dress up parts like his had. But man, the basic design is pure early space age high speed Mach plus sexy. And that just begs for a serious effort.

stikpusher

I've got the Heller Mirage IV in the stash as well. I'm curious/cautious about building it one day. I've seen how nicely it can be built.

 

When I built mine in high school, I thought it looked the part.  I remember having trouble neatly painting the round belly radome.  The lack of cockpit detail didn't bother me, as I set the canopies closed.  Others with more talent, stamina, and references have built this kit to eye-watering standards.  I think it is a really beautiful aircraft.

Your xtra effort turned out an xtra nice model Carlos. Nice job. I might have to dig around or a 1/72 version of this bird.

Hey Stik!

       How about you do a tutorial? Your panel lining is awesome. Just enough to keep interest but, not overdone. That is a Pretty Boidy my friend!

I've got the Heller Mirage IV in the stash as well. I'm curious/cautious about building it one day. I've seen how nicely it can be built.

In addition to the Etendard, I also have a 1:48 Mirage IV with the ASMP missile in the stash.  I built the bomber version many years ago, but those devious folks at Modelsvit have announced new tool kits of both.  

Jim and Tom, thank you.

Tom I've got that Heller Etendard IV P in my stash as well to build one day. Those saw combat over Lebanon in the 80's and the Balkans in the 90's. I'm not sure when I'll tackle it, but hopefully sooner than later. Just not too soon as my plate is already full for the next six months at least...

WOW!  What an excellent build stikpusher especially considering that it's a HELLER kit!!  I always felt that the Etendard was a very attractive plane, probably one of France's best designs.  I have a recon version by HELLER up in the stash somewhere?

tjs

Very nice work Stik!

Stay Safe.

Jim 

wpwar11

Is the canopy a little crooked?  Looks like it's a little off.  Could be the pictures.  Nice job getting it done.  I always like your builds.  You clearly have a high level of skill.  

 

I think so... just a tad bit to the right. I thought it was straight in person, but photos show what looks to be some misalignment. And it's super glued in place, so it's not going anywhere easily. There are a few other alignment issues with this one, and it's not going to any contests, so I'm not gonna worry at this point. 
Thank you for the kind words regarding my builds. 

Is the canopy a little crooked?  Looks like it's a little off.  Could be the pictures.  Nice job getting it done.  I always like your builds.  You clearly have a high level of skill.  

Thanks Patrick. Xtracolor enamels are getting harder and harder to find here in the USA, although there is a store on eBay that looks to have most of the line in stock.... and for reasonable prices. He also stocks the Xtracrylic line, if you want to give those a shot since you've stopped using enamels. I can't say much about those, as I only have one in all my paints, and have only hand brushed that stuff.

Hi, Carlos - That's a dandy model of a sleek fighter, very nicely done, your treatment of the panel lines really makes it stand out. Glad you stayed with it to the finish, persistence pays off.

Thanks for the post and photos, I quit enamels a long time ago, but seeing your info on Xtracolor makes me want to see how to get it ordered.

Patrick

double post 

Thanks G. This sure is no Tamigawa shake and bake just add glue kit. Modeling skills required...  But with some extra effort and persistance, a nice model can be completed. I don't recall having many sink marks on this one, but there were a few. Thankfully not too easily seen. The recessed detail did look a bit weak until the primer went on. Then things looked much better. I do hope that you have not tossed your Etendard yet, and that you will be building it here sometime. It is quite rare to see one built, not just here, but on any forum!

That turned out rather well Stik!

It makes me reconsider tossing my kit and actually building it OOTB.  Mine has awful sink marks on both lower wings that distort all that lovely recessed panel detail.  The Etendard is a neat looking airplane, especially the early version with the antenna fairing under the pointy nose.

Tony and John, thank you.

Tony, all the photos that I could find of the type in service showed them to be fairly well maintained. So I went with a used, but not abused look.

Well done, Carlos

Really fantastic,looks like a nice clean build.

Eugene Rowe

Well you powered through and got it done !

 

Thanks. I've got too many shelf queens to finish up already. I'm not gonna add any more to that backlog if I can help it!

Well you powered through and got it done !

Eugene and John, thank you. 

Eugene, I see the flaws, plain as day. But I'm not gonna call them out... 

John, not quite silk.  It certainly a smooth high thread count fabric. 

That's a silk purse there Stik.  Well done.