The 50 Shades of Gray Group Build!

Nice progress Stik.  The exhaust tube is a good addition.

Thanks Bish. It’s a decent kit, but it shows what happens when the kit is made before the design is finalized. It has a mix of prototype and production features that are not quite right for either one, OOB.

So today was another good long session at my work bench on this one. It’s been a rainy day here... yes it rains in Arizona... lol! So perfect modeling weather.

First up, the X-35A has a prominent exhaust on the right side aft of the intake that the kit does not include.

So I went to work drilling a hole, added some tube styrene that looks about the right diameter and glued it into place, then sanded it down to proper profile.

Then I glued the intakes in place, the X-35 has a sawtooth edge there compared to the F-35 having a straight angled edge

and lastly, I also glued the vertical stabilizers in place

Now that all of the basic airframe is done, it looks like a -35! There are still a few items that the kit is missing that I need to add before I am ready to start painting.

Thanks Carlos.

That 35 is coming along well.

Love that Harrier Bish! Great finish on that one!

Glamdring, thanks! I’m doing what I can with this one.

I did seam sanding on the main assembly today, so the only thing really worth taking a photo of was the inlet doors that I addressed. The kit parts sat too low in the openings on the ledges molded, so I created some new ones from thin sheet styrene cut to match the shape and sit on top of the kit parts. A few minutes of sanding after the glue had dried and I had nice flush fitting doors.

Thanks Robert.

The base is a bit of chipboard with some MDF underneath to give it height and a neater underside. The edging is just balsa wood glued and nailed in place then stained and varnished.

Bish - The Harrier did not disappoint!  Thanks again for participating.  For a matter of curiosity, what materials did you use for the base, like the wood frame?

 Stik - Sweet action on the -35!

Some nice work here guys. Really need to go through the thread and get a proper look at what everyone else is up to.

Time to wrap up the Harrier. Adde some RBF tags as well as a Hasegawa USAF figure painted in UK Desert DPM. The cut of the uniform looked close enough in this scale. Figures are always a let down.

This aircraft was base at Kandahar in 2009.

Thanks for hosting the GB, deffinetly nice to have somthing different. Please feel free to use which ever pic you choose.

Thanks Mongoose. This will be in the prototype scheme of Gunship Gray 36118 over Neutral Gray 36270.

Yeah that thing takes alot of sanding! It's such a cool plane it's worth it. Looking smart there. Are you doing the HAVE GLASS paint?

And then, just like that, this afternoon it started to take final shape! 

Next up, sanding...

Thank you Glamdring. Mongoose, that cockpit looks sharp! I’m really liking the wiring work added!

I forgot to upload these to Postimage yesterday so I could update this last nite.  Ah well, now it’s done....

Vertical and horizontal stabilizers built... actually several days ago...

and the lower swivel engine doors installed after the saw tooth trailing adages were straightened...

 The X-35A was built with the swiveling nozzle engine for the X-35B installed, as well as all the associated doors for the lift fan, but no lift fan. Once the flight test program for the A was completed, it was taken back to the Skunk Works in Palmdale, the lift fan was installed, along with associated controls, and then it was redesignated as the X-35B, and went back out for flight test of the B program. No X-35A exists today, only the B and C remain.

Very nice work there on both builds!  I don't have any suggestions to offer on either, my builds are usually limited to ground vehicles.   

Looking forward to seeing that engine turn into a plane stik!

Here’s my next in-process shot. Take a look around and offer any advice. Now’s the time for me to make additions while i can still take the IP and seats in and out  The wires for the side of the rear IP aren’t on, too fragile to do till very end. once this is set then the PE for the center consoles, the detailing and weathering can commence. Looking forward to comments 

Glam, the -35 is unique indeed! And they sure do seem to grow on you once you start seeing them in person. A very powerful machine!

I did the detail painting the engine exterior. Now it’s ready for installation. 

Interesting stuff there Stik, glad to see your progress on the -35.  Such a unique jet.

Well, I started getting back to work on this over the past few weeks, and now I have enough photos worth posting.

First up, I modified the exhaust nozzle to backdate it to match the X-35. The kit part had the angled end and faceted nozzle petals of the F-35. I had to sand off those angle facets and ends to match the earlier design

Then I added some fine mesh into the inner surface of the engine to match the grill like texture of the area  between the flame holder and the afterburner nozzle

and lastly I started painting based on photos I found at F16.net and gluing parts in place

Nearly all of that will not be visible once the fuselage halves are glued together.

Bish

Thanks Glamdring. It's not quite done yet, need to get it on a base and sort a figure out.Should be finished by the weekend.

 

Ok then!  Can't wait to see your base, they are always a pleasure to see.

Thanks Glamdring. It's not quite done yet, need to get it on a base and sort a figure out.Should be finished by the weekend.

Well done, Bish!  Want the first picture used for the completion list?

Thanks Nick.

Glamdring

Very nice detail there Mongoose!  What did you use for the cables?

 

thx Glamdring. I used .5mm platistrut rod, .010 & .020 lead fishing wire, and some old telephone cable i stripped the insulation off of (the twisted wire on the back deck). I just tried to match up some sizes by eye looking at pics Like this

Well done, weathering I like ummm yes.

A final short update before i wrap this up. Got the GR.9 finished with a flory wash. I have gone for a rather grubby lok which i think match's the pics i found quite well. Stores were adde along with the canopy and other final bits. I used the decal for the Det cord on the canopy as i didn't have a PE set for this kit. I am not as keen on the decal as i am on the PE i used on the Shar.

Just got to add some RBF tags, fit it to the base and sort out a figure.

Not really sure where I went wrong here, other than I noticed the superstructure had picked up a warp which was not noticeable until the flexible deck piece was no longer flexible when glued to the hull. This has led to a sizable gap:

Apparently I didn't do enough sanding beforehand.  When I test fitted, there was a slight gap that needed filling, but not this dramatic.   I am filling in with clear cement, I will cut a shim for the very tip, can't wreck that decal!

Very nice detail there Mongoose!  What did you use for the cables?

The last couple days have been fairly productive. I’m about 95% done detailing the cockpits. There’s some white painted wire set aside and 1 piece of tubing that have to wait till the pilot IP is glued in place to install. Looking at it i just think it’ll be better to paint it separately. the wiring behind the pilot seat is just set in place for now. A few wires to place over and around the pilot coaming. The gunners cockpit is pretty much set i think. Tried to add as much as i could from photos. There’s quite a few walkarounds but cockpit details are harder to come by. If you guys see anything out of place let me know.

looking at the pics close up i think I'm going to change out the little boxes sticking out the side of the pilot's IP. Do my triggers look too big (definitely a 50 shades of grey question ;-) I think they do in the pics. Not wide enough either. May redo those 4 before i prime. 

Absolutely, Mongoose.  Welcome aboard!

Glamdring Id like to throw my hat in the ring on this one. I've got the 1/35 Academy AH-1Z to build. Only on step 1 of the instructions before I remembered this GB.

and I've got the Marine Skid Zulu's sheet from Flying Leathernecks.

Nice camo work there, did the LHS give you a bulk discount on the paint?       

OK gang, I have some (in my opinion) major progress to share!

I got the nacelles and stabilizers D.O.N.E.! Painted, washed (nacelles), and flat coated. 

I only used dark washes (black and "grime") on the underside of the nacelles to give the impression of fluids that have leaked and settled in the panels. I'm not big on heavy panel lines. After too much, the kit starts to look like a technical drawing. Anyway, here you go.

The stabilizers are set too.

I also got some paint and gloss coat splashed on the airframe. I did my best with my airbrush. This is the first time I've done a camo job entirely freehanded!

If you remember, I outlined my bomb bay doors in white. Partly as a primer to check fit but also because I was planning on replicating this look: B-1 underside

I found a copy of that photo that stated the white outline was the bomb bays' interior white showing through the doors' edges.

Well, after I sprayed the camo color, I went back with my razor saw and carefully scratched away the camo color revealing the underlying white.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Not perfect but in the ballpark.

OK, so next is decals then flat coat. After that, final assembly. But first, I need to assemble the landing gear. I'm going to give my airbrush trigger finger a break for a while. I'll start on the gear then move to the decals. I'll share again when there's more to show.

Comments, questions, and criticisms welcome. Please feel free to share. Thanks for looking!

-O