Official Natural Metal Finish Group Build

Here it is

I foiled what I could before final assembly, because it is easier to handle the kit that way.

It is now ready to join the fuslage halves, so I can foil around the top and bottom.

(I put a paint bottle in to give some idea of the size of the kit).

vetteman42 wrote:

Dioramator WOW thats a bigun, how many rolls of foil did you have to use ? A great start I must say, cant wait to see this one finished !!!

I started with a 10 meter roll of foil ($0.99 at the supermarket) and still have most of it left. I'm using my paper guilotine to cut it, and am not wasting very much.

I'm joining the fuselage thisafternoon, I can honostly say I've put kits together that fit a hell of a lot better than this one, clamps and tape everywhere. So finally it is starting to look like a plane.

Brett

Dioramator Thanks for the heads up on the fit issues I have the bit kits I have the Revell 1/32 P-51B I am waiting to start on. Hope you have more pictures soon.

I have been making progress on the P-38 I should have used paint instead of foil on this build, but being a stuborne type I had to finish with the foil. I just have to finish the tails and will be ready for the canopy and final details. I will try and get some pictures posted this evening.

Dioramator,

Looking very good mate. You seem to have the foil method in your fingers I might have read over it, but what brand of stang are you doing? Looking forward to your final assembly results.

On the side: Been away from the group for a few days (bit of an armor phase: /forums/1174760/ShowPost.aspx) and all of the sudden half the community is doing foilwork. Are you guys doing stuff behind my back here??

Might have to do a flak panzer to slow you guys down...

I haven't forgotten the aircraft department but i have done so many AC models lately i wanted to do something else to keep "fresh". Learning lots of stuff and plan to get back on here to apply learned techniques and improve with every new model. Ofcourse i will keep you guys posted

Richard

Hi Guys

vetteman, the fit issues are mainly confined to the fuslage halves, (which will look very obvious if not addressed) I had to put it together on join at a time, luckily I was able to get clamps and bolsters to most of the joins. the really bad one was between the cockpit and the tail. so I got it looking pretty good, but it was at the expense of a couple of rivets.

Kermit. the model is the Airfix 1/24 North American Mustang. I have some photos of one that visited our local airport, that I am using for reference for the build. (that is an Australian built Mustang, built in Fishermans Bend in Melbourne)

Brett

Hi Brett -- Wow, Eclat! I photographed her several times at Avalon Airshow. She was (still is?) the personal mount of "Traps," the one-time leader of the RAAF Roulettes. Excellent reference, we do have some beautiful Mustangs Down Under.

Mike

Dioramator Thanks for posting the picture of the RAAF Mustang, I am ashamed to admit I havent before now seen a picture of one of them. I did know they were built there though. Now I am chompin at the bit to see your build of a very nice looking pony.

Hi Mike

wow, I didn't realise there was another Aussie in the group.

That's the plane, "Eclat". the photo posted above was one I picked up off the net. the photos that I am using (for reference) were taken by my wife at the Jamestown Fly-in in October 2000, but using a film camera, so I have just scanned a few of them in (so excuse the quality).

they let my brother-inlaw park his mustang on the tarmac to take some photos of the two Mustangs together.

how is your project coming along?

Brett

Hi Brett -- yes indeed, I'm over in Adelaide.

Nice shots! I must get to the next Avalon and update my photo archives with digital stuff, I have five Avalon shoots all on film, plus video from the '03 event.

I do approve of the Boss 351! There's one just like it in an auto-detailers' shop here (even the same colour!). My fav is the Pontiac Trans Am, my fiance drives an '82. I've always said I wanted to take a photo like this of my prefered means of transport, a '79 Trans Am and a '45 Mustang!

You know, this makes me feel like dashing out another Stang, maybe in obscure Latin American markings, I have a great Guatemalan scheme of NMF and Mayan gods... Will need to rustle up a spare Tamiya D.

Cheers,

Mike

Quick progress report on the Tamiya 1:72 Thunderjet -

Interior painting is coming along nicely, I'm about half done the cockpit, the seat is done but for the harness decals, the tailpipe is done, and the gear bays are all sprayed chromate yellow. The intake is being put into NMF and the nose weights are installed, two above the gear bay, two superglued inside the fuselage under the level of the cockpit floor. The wings and auxilliary tanks are assembled, but the seams are not yet dressed.

This lil kit just about clicks together, it should be excellent. I've ordered up the Express Masks for the canopy, and will be using kit decals, a scheme from 1956 (thus a grey interior, not green, as the AF changed in 1953). I tried a quick squirt of the Talon Acrylics on some scrap plastic and at this point I'm not sure if I'll be using them, I might go with enamels and leave the Talons for experimental spraying at a later date. We'll see when I get closer to the job, though.

Cheers, photos before long,

Mike

EDIT: I managed some spraying thisafternoon, the rest of the interior gray and satin black. Unmasking, touchups as needed, drybrush the controls and apply the instrument and harness decals, and this one will be nearly ready to close up the fuselage.

After years of ships i have found out the same thing about both aircraft and armor. You can get a long way just cleaning and gluing parts (after the pit colouring ofcourse) before you have to take out the (air)brush. Great for a casual evening of modeling imho.

Looking forward to your progress pics stick

Richard

You're right there, Kermit -- there are times you don't want to be bothered with the infernal spraying gear, you just want to trim and glue plastic! Some types of models demand to be painted first, motorcycles, for instance, and I believe Formula 1 cars must be put into colour 100% before assembly. Tanks are good, many of them you can assemble almost completely before getting to the paint, and, as you say, but for the visible interior, planes are the same.

Here's some progress on the Thunderjet. First the cockpit subassemblies, the three-part seat, two-part panel and the tub, sprayed up and drybrushed in acrylics, with the harness and instrument decals applied, and an Aussie 10c piece for scale:

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Next, the cockpit assembled:

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And the cockpit, intake/nose gear bay assembly and jetpipe assembly installed in the right fuselage half (note the crushed lead slug visible under the cockpit floor):

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My next job is to close up the fuselage. One sprue attachment point did not cut cleanly, and the plastic 'laminated away' on the surface. I've sealed it down with cya again and will file and polish it out after joining the halves. The wings are assembled and it looks at this point as if Tamiya have tooled the junctures with several degrees too much dihedral (odd sort of error for them to make!). I may try shimming the wingroots at the top with .010" stock to push the angle down, and close the joint up with putty.

Cheers,

Mike

Thunderbolt379 Your Thunderjet is looking good so far, but I gotta ask how do you work so well on such a small scale that looks like a 1/72. The 1/48 make me crosseyed at times.

Hi Randy -- Thanks! Yep, it's my first time going down to 72 for a while, and the detail really is fiddly-small! It's good to know my eyes can still handle it, though I must agree I prefer 48. The good things about 72, they cost less and they take up less shelf space.

The scale difference is an interesting question -- my magnifying specs are the same power, my brushes and tweezers the same size, but the object is smaller. The procedures are very much alike but it feels like doing microsurgery without a microscope...

I have a blog essay on this topic, I must post it one of these days!

I'll be closing the fuselage today, and doing some jointline dressing,

Cheers,

Mike

Thunderbolt379 Would you please let me know when you post it ? My 1/48s have been taking up a lot of room in fact I have had to give 2 of them away to make room for new ones. Maybe then I would have the nerve to try one and see if I can build in 1/72.

Randy -- by all means. My blog is a due a new post any day now, I'll see if I can rustle up some photos and get that essay up next. It's not very technique-heavy, more a discussion of the merits of different scales, but interesting all the same.

Cheers,

Mike

Bondoman I dont see why you cant enter that build Welcome to the shiney group. Sounds like an interesting build, althou I just cant picture what that would look like. Heck I'm not even too sure how to list it on the roster. I am looking forward to seeing it and following your build.

Thunderbolt379 I have been keeping an eye on your blog some interesting stuff you have been writing there. Been learning a thing or two also

EDIT Your build is on the roster Bondoman

Wonderful! I picked up the B-17C "Colin Kelley" today and am choppin' sprue. Here's the prototype. I'll build the B 307 as delivered to PAA, the one in the Smithsonian.

Here's the kit:

It's going to take a while, but you guys have already posted so much info it'll help a lot.

Hi bondoman, welcome to the group.

I was thinking that model would look spectacular in foil finish. although you would certainly have your work cut out.

my current build is my first attempt at foiling, and (unfortunately) I am hooked, definately won't be my last.

will post some more WIP update pics shortly.... just a few more panels to go

Brett

Randy -- that blog post just went up. I think it's a bit more tongue-in-cheek than the technical aspect you were hoping for, so I think I'll write a technique piece on working small as well!

Thanks for the kind words, BTW -- always glad to have my posts be useful!

I'm dressing joints on the F-84 at this point, fit of the fuselage is either endemic to the scale or Tamiya trapped rather a lot of stuff between those halves. No matter, I'll have the wings and tail on shortly. The wing joints are superb, that's a major plus.

Cheers,

Mike

Thunderbolt379 Thanks I did enjoy reading your blog, and I have had simular thoughts to what you wrote. I did get my hands on a 1/32 scale Revell P-51B with the thought of hey I can see this one and can go detail crazy, Was giddy as a school girl over the idea. Then came the reality check, after opening the box of course. Am I skilled enough to take this project on and do it justice ?? Not at this point in time, so it sits in my model closet awaiting the day I say ok I am ready.

I have made some headway on the P-38, its ready for the canopy at long last. After that a bit more foil work and shes ready for finishing up, painting, decals and fiddely stuff. I did try something new on this one and used foil from two differant manufactures. I got some cheapo stuff from the dollar store and noticed a slightly differant color so I spotted some of that on and do like the effect althou it is somewhat suttle, I hope is will show up in pictures. After the canopy is on and the foil is finished I will post some WIP pictures.

Oh I picked up a Highflight burner can for my F-104 build for 3 bucks on ebay, another problem solved

Randy, glad you enjoyed it. I have that same Revell P-51B in my stash, picked it up about ten years ago. I looked at all the rivets and the displayable engine and figured I had a long way to go before I could do justice to it. I'm thinking that sanding back the rivets may be the best way to go, a scribing job, and really work the engine access panels carefully to get the closest fit, because almost universally, openable panels only look good open -- closed they just simply don't fit to the tolerances of the real thing.

It's all a learning experience, and I think I'll still be learning the day I build my last one! (May that be a couple fo hundred years from now -- it better be if I'm gonna get value out of this stash!)

Cheers,

Mike

Got more done. I will never, use kit supplied invasion stripes again. Too much of a headache. I'll just take the time and spray them on in the future.

The landing gear and clear parts are done as well. After the paint dries, I will get to work on the prop. I hope to wrap this on up by the end of this weekend.

Thanks for looking. As always, an comments or suggestions are welcome.

Regards,

Jeff

You did the best you could firesmacker and it looks good from here. The yellow nose makes your model very interesting to see, as does the nose art text.

I take it you did not use any decal softeners to make the decals follow the curves of the wing roots? If not, i would suggest you carefully puncture your decals at those places with a fine needle and apply a generous amount of microsol or smt similar, possibly multiple coats untill your decals follow the curves smoothly.

Nevertheless, great build! Who doesn't like to see a stang...

A question on the side:

Did your painting instructions tell you to use that anthracite/ flat black colour as antiglare coat? Oh.... and are you planning to weather your kit? (exhaust marks and such?)

Richard