Official Natural Metal Finish Group Build

Richard, you are a building machine! Your Jug looks great so far!

Richard That looks great so far, looking forward to seeing the decals on!!!! WELL DONE!!!

Thank you all so much for your kind words, appreciate it

Just as i feared i will have to spray the red/ white striped tail myself as the decals are too horrible for words.... Never before have i used Academy' s decals this size without problems and this kit is no exception i'm afraid....

The moment i put one of the tail decals on i noticed they are out of dimension and to make matters worse it cracked up once i tried to relocate it. But no harm done as i already suspected this to happen on me.

No decal update tonight but pretty soon then

Richard

Kermit man this Thunderbolt is looking nice ! You did a beautiful job on the canopy and gear bays. Cant wait for the markings to go on her. There isn't anything I can pick on you about

Well Vetteman... I can give you something to pick on then....

Just finished up the Mig15 to the best of my ability... Due to the paintstripping the NMF didn' t turn out as good as i wanted in some places, especially the canopy area but overall this certainly was a fun build to do.

Weathering is kept to a minimum apart from some exhaust staining and powdering the wheelbays lightly. Hope you guys like what you see:

And to conclude...the mandatory kermiefied " artists impression":

Richard

Here the latest pics of my MiG 19. Been in a bit of a modelling black hole last couple of weeks, having force my self to get this far. It hasn't turned out as well as i had hoped. I think i have been spoilt over the years with hasagawa kits that fall together. I am now at the sage where i either just get it finished or it gets put to one side and forgotten about.

I gave it a coat of black enamel followed by future. It was then given 3 light coats of white aluminium. I then used a couple of other Alclad colours to try and vary the panels but they don't look any different. I then use dthe Alclad polishing cloths and in some areas the black undercoat is showing through. So i am not really sure how to weather these.  So, i am just going to add the decals and wash the panel lines. Just not sure how to do wear and tear on a bare metal surface,

Bish -- Nice build! To weather NMF, try pencil graphite. I did it on a Korean War Mustang last year and it came out pretty good. Grind up some HB to 2B graphite on coarse sandpaper, just scrub the pencil on the sandpaper to get a small pile of powder, then apply it with a short, stiff brush in the direction of airflow, working backward from panel lines. Mask the lines themselves with post-it paper, keep moving the masks around to vary the effect, and before you know it the aircraft becomes a mosaic of different tonalities. Be subtle, go easily, and if you make a mess, just wipe the graphite away with a damp tissue.

Cheers, Mike/TB379

Thanks Mike, will try that. Hopefully i can salvage this. Trust me, it doesn't look that good in the flesh, but thats mainly from the construction phase.

Would you also suggest highlighting the panle lines with paint or will the dust do that for me.

I knew this MiG kit wasn't going to be my best ever, but it was a good base to practice NMF on before i move onto my tamiya P-51's and acedamy B-17.

Bish, That's a nice paintjob you have done. Always been interested in the Alclad paints myself but never got around to testing it. Can' t wait to see how it progresses. I like those early Mig jets.

As for my juggie...

Told you guys how i sc*ewed up the big tail decals so i had to take a deep breath and attempt to spray it on myself. Never done such a thing before but i am pretty darn pleased with the results. Quite tedious to mask stuff up for 90 minutes and spray it over for two but it's the end result that is the reward:

Applied a coat of white first. Futured it and masked it with tamiya tape after it dried sufficiently:

After the red coat went on i had to mask the freshly sprayed tail section and spray new aluminum paint because in my impatience i handled the plane with white paint on my mitts.... But now that everything is back in order i will put on another light coat of future before the decalling fun can start... Almost there.....

Thanks for watching and see you soon

Richard

Nice Jug Richard. Love that tail, i want to do one of those Fw 190's from JV 44 that have the red underside with white stripes, but i have put it off due to having to mask it like you have. So i applaud you for taking the step. This was my first go with Alclad, it was easy enough to use, went on very well, i just did 3 fine layers. My only drama is weathering it, but hopefully i can sort that with the advice i have just got.

Bish,

Cheers mate, appreciate the comments. Personally i never bother with the panellines that much...tried a dark wash on the panellines once but thought it came out a bit exxagerated imho. Being deeper than the surrounding metal the panel lines will stand out by themselves i think. Will try some preshading in the future though; never tried it...

If i do however decide to use weathering on the NMF i usually revert to either my trusty Tamiya weathering sets or the use of various shades of chalk. You just use one of them applicator sticks like the Mrs. does with her make up.

Richard

Thats a good point, i have got a couple of those Tamiya sets. think i will give that and the graphite a try and see how it looks.

Kermit

Well now my friend you said heres something I can pick on meaning your MiG 15 ? I cant find a thing wrong with it from the pictures looks fantastic from here. Simple markings and just a mean looking fighter, as I said before I love the fact you decided not to hide that engine. Sir my hat is off to you in your painting of the red and white stripes on your Thunderbolt very well done . I have to say again though " Man you are a fast builder Richard"

Bish

I am really liking your MiG-19 . I find that keeping weathering to a minimum on NMF seems to work best other than exhaust staining being on the heavy side.  As Thunderbolt379 said earlier I have used ground pencil lead and some light work with pastels for weathering. I have used burnt umber for fuel stains that came out ok.

Heh fellas!

Working out of town and weekends are quite busy so hopping for a few rain out days to get back on the kitchen table (work bench) Great work everyone and I will do my best to complete my P-51 by vetteman's deadline of May ? 31 ? Anyhow have a great week and hope to do a bit  of modeling next sunday.

Regards Jason ~

Kermit,

I really like the paint job! Tedious to mask, but the results are worth it. I saw this kit a few days ago in my LHS for a little over $20 CDN - definitely a bargain, but i just got the Tamiya kit at a show, so I will have to wait. I thought you were using Alclad paint- what is your base NMF paint?

Rob

Maxfax,

Because of their wide and easy availability here in Holland and surrounding countries i usually use the revell paint range with a sidestep to humbrol now and then. I heard that the revell paints are much harder to get in the states though... This kit is certainly not the best around but in terms of "bang for buck" i would certainly reccomend it. Just watch out for the wing-fuselage join as it needs some filling and sanding. But then again, thats just about the only negative comment i could think of Thanks for your comments (to all).

Finished her up before i went to work this morning and weathered her up just moments ago. Fast build...? Maybe.... i just have a lot of modeling time on my hands

Here she is in all her glory:

And to conclude... *Glenn Miller on the background*:

The NMF and semi gloss red were sprayed with airbrush ready revell paints. Everything else is done with the revell acrylic paints. Exhaust staining is provided by my tamiya weathering set B and the wheelwells, wheels and landing gear have been treated with dark brown chalks.

Kinda lost count by now Randy..... My next NMF will probably be started at the start of your next NMF gb, giving me time to clear my workbench somewhat and have some R&R in your beautiful country next June.

Thanks for watching everyone. NMF is the best

Richard

Richard that looks outstanding!!! WELL DONE MATE!!! That just looks right!!!

Randy if you want to bag Richard on something, I saw something and it is the ONLY thing I could see that caught my attention. The left 3/4 view you can see the slightest gap at the rear of the canopy.

Kermit Very nice Jug you have built there buddy Right down to the anti-sway bars on the bomb racks. I really like the tail markings too, as I have said earlier my hat is off to you for that work. Hey Richard if you should run out of space I have room for a few of your builds on my shelf

Simpilot I cant really bag on Richard for canopy because if you look close the canopy is not locked closed, so the gap should be there. Actually the only thing I can bag on Richard for is the fact that he pulled a build from the group that turned out quite well. I have been thinking of hijacking it though

Richard your Jug will be on the front page ASAP my friend

Vetteman,

Hey Richard if you should run out of space I have room for a few of your builds on my shelf

LOL,... i started hanging the bigger ones from my ceiling For the smaller ones i saw a nice deal at the local DIY market for a wooden cabinet... Ill be ok for a little while to come my friend, sorry...

Thank you all for your nice comments and yes, after taking the pics i noticed the gap too. It has been summarily dealt with since

My next project will most likely (but it can change at the drop of a hat...) be the B17 but ill wait for the new NMF group to begin before i start it so ill have time to complete some other stuff

Richard

Kermit, nice P-47!

Got some work done on the 17. Got all the clear pieces installed and the ball turret. Just need the rest of the guns, bombbay and doors, and well of course the props and she'll be done.

The ball turrett installed

Got the lower antenna wire installed as well

And finally the nose clear piece was the last of the clear pieces to be installed, had to add the Norden bombsight first.

Hopefully have her done by the weekend!

If i'ts not to late to join i'd like to jump in with a tam 1/48 P-51d/m in RAAF colours...What can i say looking at page one inspired me, awesome builds.....Once i get into it it should only take me a couple of weeks to get done......Jules....

B17Pilot Lookin good there buddy The excitement of this build finishing is building I cant wait !!

Julez72 Of course you can jump in and to the group Also it looks like a welcome is due you to the forum here too, from the number of your posts. Looking forward to seeing your build and I will have your build on the front page shortly.

PS Julez72 your build is on the front page, feel free to grab the group badge if you like.

Thanks vetteman, I've already made a start so i'll get some pics up over the weekend.....

I'm doing an RAAF P51 that was originally based in Japan 1947 but the one i've decided to do is on permanent display about 40 min from here....It seems to have a 51K prop but 51D exausts, it's a very nice lookings aircraft with some good noseart so i'm hopeing my model does it justice....MY FIRST NMF but i reckon i'll be alright...........Jules...

julez72 sounds like an interesting build, may I ask are you going to use paint for the NMF or foil. Just curiosity on my part. Also don't be afraid to ask questions here, lots of very talented builders here willing to help out.

Looking forward to that build as well Julez!!

Vetteman, Yeah i'll be using allclad 11 white aluminun for the exterior and i'll pick out the flaps, rudder and the gunbay hatches with duraluminum....I've tested it out on an old junker zero and it cracked up when sprayed over the allclad black undercoat but worked really well when sprayed over an undercoat of future...So i'll use future as an undercoat and as a barrier coat between the colours...around the exausts i'll probably mix up MM enamel gunmetal and aluminum to get the right colour colour shade......

Simpilot, thanks mate, I've already done the pit .( adapted a spare 109G zoom set instrument panel to fit and stole it's seat belts but it looks pretty good) The tamiya kit is a gem and fits together, well like a tamiya kit but i'll have to be carefull and keep the sanding to a minimum...Something tells me every flaw will show with an NMF....

Jules.....

FINALLY!  She's finished. That's right I got my B-17 done, and it only took well, let's just say longer than expected.

The bombbay has been installed, along with the doors.

The finished B-17

I also submitted a couple of photos to the reader's gallery, so maybe they will publish it.

Hope ya'll like!

Absolutely stunning to look at B17pilot !!! Especially the exhaust staining looks spot on I think your model shows the time you have spent on it and all i can say is that i hope the 1:48 B17 i have in my stash will look as good as yours once it's built The only thing i can think of with this one is that i would have done something more to the wheels in regard of weathering. Really a personal thing i have... I like the way the treadmarks on wheels pop out if you powder them lightly

Very well done mate

Richard

Oh wow I wakeup check my email and what do I find ?? A finished very well built B-17 Flying Fortress. 

B17pilot I really like the weathering you have done, not too heavy and not to lightly either. The markings are prefect and I can tell you took a lot of time on this build, well worth the extra effort. I do hope to see it in the Readers Gallery. And hey thanks for joining our little group of Shiny lovers.

Thanks Ya'll! Yea maybe by the time you start another NMF build, I'll be ready for my B-17C.