OFFICAL NATURAL METAL FINISH GB V (2013-2014)

Hang in there Talent!  Trainwrecks like that which can be successfully navigated give me hope to soldier through my own little meltdowns. =D  Keep it coming.

B52Gunner, that's a great link!  that'll come in handy for my build in a big way.

Glad it helps!

Hey guys I am officially done with this 1/48 Academy P-36 now, I just don;t have the will to try and flog a dead horse anymore.

I have learned the following. 

Alclad black primer does not work for me, the decals in this kit ware really bad (had to mask and spray the tail), will do the pannel wash before decals next time.

I would say I am about 70% happy with the NMF look, I was going for pollished allu, but it looks more like airframe allu to me. The Tamiya gloss black enamel gave me way better results.

i find you have to polish the black to within and inch of its life and put on so thin a coat of the polished finishes they are hardly there, to get anything resembling the look they promise. a lot of hassle.

I think the finish you achieved is really nice and looks the part perfectly.

Don't despair Theuns.  You've got a really clean looking plane here.  Sometimes I still get hung up on leaving certain joints/gaps and the like unfinished...unrefined.  I'll think that what I'm looking at will be fine and get covered up, but it's not always the case.  I paint very well, but those simple things still elude me every now and then.

That NMF still looks real nice.  It reflects light well here in these photos.  I think it's still pretty solid! =]

Hi Theuns....your P-36 is a very nice bird!The assembly and paint work are very very good.....compliments,Enrico.

I think the P-36 looks great.  I really don't know why some would polish it up to be shiny when a satin or flat finish look so much the part.

Just a quick update.  After a lot of fuss to make a polished surface (minus a little carefully planned "wear & tear"), and then some more fuss...I finally got to a point where I can leave this gloss black alone.  This is the Alclad Gloss black.  You can't really see the entire surface shine here as I don't have an adequate light source with which to film.  So I took a couple of different views.  Here they are:

2013-09-06 18.04.50 by brittvallot, on Flickr

2013-09-06 18.05.56 by brittvallot, on Flickr

2013-09-06 18.06.32 by brittvallot, on Flickr

I buffed up the panels for the ammo doors as I had some dust cling to it after cleaning. So that will probably get touched up...still debating how that might show differently under the Alclad paint.  I'll do some test on something else to see.  And of course I still have to tend to the tail.  =]

Theuns: Your P-36 looks really good! Thats a great NMF!

bvallot: looking nice yo far! I can't wait to see more!

I'm in thestates right now (untill Sept. 25th) and I can only access the forum using my phone. I still accept new registrations, but I can't add anything to the wall of fame/buipd roster uuntill I'm back in Vienna.

I forgot to post the pictures of my completed F-105B.

Cool looking Thud you built tere.

Theuns

I tried the alclad gloss brimer again, this time much thinned and at 20psi, I think the results with the Airframe allu came out OK. will see in larger size later.

I also decided to rather paint on the theatre bands after the hassles with the P-36 decals, just really hope it doesn't come back to haunt me!

I shot some alclad gloss blasck primer on this morning, but still not the look I was going for, there was a slight texture to it so I go buy some alclad sanding pads to get it smooth. After a go with 6000 and 12000 it looked like this.

A few coats of airframe allu and I am relatively happy with the metal look of it. Way better than the last effort on the P-36

Theuns

Just as I suspected my rush job on the marking bands has come back to haunt me, rats!!!:-(

I will try to put the decals over them as a last resort, the prep work on the alclad has however paid off I think.

Theuns - now THATS a nice finish 

68GT - nice job on that 105 i was wondering where the pics had gone 

Been doing bits here and there that are not worth pics (filling/grinding/swearing)

but got the engines just about done. they get buried so deep in the fuse that this is probably the last time they will be seen

e by omgpainful, on Flickr

w by omgpainful, on Flickr

q by omgpainful, on Flickr

Those look great it's too bad they will be mostly hidden.

Fantastic looking burner there!

I was on my way the the airfield I work this morning but due to riots in the area I was turned away , so I spent the day puting on all the decals on the Sabre,there are many of them !

Theuns

Hi...same news......the cockpit is ended ....all oob exept for oxy and anti G tubes and the radar visor get by alluminium tube and thin acetate film Painted with tamiya clear orange......Ciao from Italy...

What scale is that pit, it looks awesome. How the hell do you do all the switches so neatly?

It's actually a 1:1 pit!  

Well, still waiting for my seat belts and I also ordered some wheels from Edward Brassin.  I tried my best but can NOT make those rubber tires work!  It's near impossible to get rid of the seam.  I thought about maybe rolling them in some colored resin putty to simulate mud/dirt but went ahead and ordered the wheels anyway.

The following pics are just my drop tanks being prepped and the engine cowling panels painted.  I first primed the parts with Alclad Gray Primer, sanded with pads up to 12k grit, then followed suit with Alclad Gloss Black, sanded that smooth and then painted with Alclad White Aluminum.  For contrast, I painted the panels nearest the engine exhaust with Alclad Dark Aluminum and a few small panels on the lower engine cowling.  The propeller is turning out nicely.  I opted to just paint the tips in lieu of using the supplied decals.  As soon as my belts get here, I can finish the cockpit and start gluing the main structures together.

WOW!  All I can say is WOW!  Great job.  Wish I could get that good with detail.

Oh, that yellow blob is me trying to make a yellow bag/backrest in lieu if the perfectly rectangular one Tamiya provides.  It's made of Sculpey and then baked.  Not sure if going with it or no backrest period.

Lookin sharp B52Gunner.  That's the 1:32 Tamiya Mustang you're doing, right?  It's such a beautiful start it almost makes it look to easy!!  Eduard makes really excellent kits, and I have a hard time deciding sometimes which I tend to like better...the planes I had to scratchbuild or modify some way or the smart/pretty ones...  I suppose it just depends on the plane. =]

I even like the attempt at making a better seat.  I like to try to build my own things when I can.  Just feels better. =]

Keep em coming.  It's looking great.  

Yessir, it is indeed the Tamiya 1:32.  I appreciate the remarks!  This is my first NMF build so I was a bit intimidated with the size and scope of the build but I am a School of Hard Knocks alumni so what the heck?  I just jumped right in!  The parts are going together so well it's scary.  With the exception of a few fills due to ejection pins, it's a dream.  I am going to run the antenna wire as well and already have the canopy drilled and it's ready for a dip in the Future and I have a few ideas on how to get that rigged.  I'm just waiting for these dang seatbelts.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/111149497282?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2648

They were ordered at the end of August but coming from the Czech Republic takes some time I guess!  As soon as the seat belts get here, I can complete the canopy and then I get to see it put together.  Everything else is near done.

I have all the ailerons and flaps sanded and ready for paint.  Should I attach to the wing before painting or go ahead and paint and then attach?  I been tossing that one around for some time now.  Again, I appreciate the kind and encouraging words.  It's been 30 years since I done any serious modeling but it sure is fun!

Hmpf?! Well, Gunner.  I suppose since it's a 1:32 scale you may have enough room to attach it now...clean up seams you may have to treat...and then paint without any problems.  Personally, I'm doing the 1:48 version...and I hit the place where the wing is meeting the fuselage with the gloss black first, then attached the wing...then touched up a few places along the seam of the wing root and followed up with the gloss black to finish along the wing/fuselage.  You can see that up above.  It worked out okay for me. I guess it really comes down to your painting methods/paint scheme.

For instance, I'm considering throwing down some White Aluminum first and taping off certain parts around panel lines to allow that lighter color to show.  The radiator is the only part that worries me most, but I can handle doing what I have planned so I'm not worried about not being able to reach it well later. If you're throwing down more than one layer of color, then I'd give it some consideration.  If your taping skills are strong, then I say go for it.  This is my first mustang though.  I'm sure others out there have found some pretty solid ways to negotiate that little snafu.  =]

Seems like you have things under wraps from what I already see.  I say just go with your gut. ;]

Ok lads, I am calling it done. Pitty about the out of register decals on the insignea :-(

I also messed up the front black band on the fuse due to rushing the masking!

Overall a nice little kit, good fit and detail for cheap.

Base color was alclad airframe allu, the central spanwize areas on the top of the wings I did in dark allu, but it came out lighter than the rest....go figure!

Gun pannels and exhaust is pollished allu.

The decals around the speed brakes were a real PITA and fidly.

I am not sure if the model is to "shiny" but in some pix of Korean Sabres they do seem to be qiute "clean and shiny" 

That Sabre is REALLY nice.  The finish is superb.

Darwin

Beautiful!  Awesome looking Sabre there!