Official Natural Metal Finish Group Build

Hi all

Flying wing is done.

This is the last build for this group, and I finelly got the approval from my Dr for surgery, hope it works this time. I am tired of being in pain, Tip for the younger guys, Take cake of your back while working. I spent 30 years as an electrican and just wore my back out. This has been a fun build and I have enjoyed all the other planes that have been done, its time to go back to something with color. I have an Amodel AN-22 in 1/72 scale which is a monster , that I want to get started. also have a SA-4 on the way from Poland in 1/35 scale. Real sharp kit from a new company, in resin. Keep the builds coming.

jd

 Rob & Aggie- Excellent 58s, fantastic job on the foil. I think I'll stick to paints, I'd hate to wreck a perfectly good kit. Do you guys do 1 panel at a time, or cover a large area? I couldn't see any seams in there anywhere.

 Sherman- The Bounder is quite impressive. How long is that thing, looks freeeekin huge. Great job on that, as well as the "wing". I got inspired a bit, saw a "wing" at the LHS the other day, grabbed it up. Then I saw the $ tag....$65 (1/72 Italeri).....NO THANKS!!! So I bought something else(don't tell Rob) Hope all goes well with your surgery, I can't even imagine how it would feel to be pain free. I think I was born with a bad back, 13 years of layin brick, block,stone, and concrete didn't help one bit! Good luck!!!!

 I do have an idea for my next project, one(maybe 2) of them will fit here in the GB. Gotta wait till they come back home from the airshow, so I can get some pics.

        FERMIS

Sherman1111 Nice job on the wing and a really good job on those nasty seams I saw in your WIP photos. Too bad all the cockpit detail was lost when you closed her up, but hey its good practice for when you can see a cockpit, its how I look at it. Keep us posted on your back thing JD and if a shiney urge should strike you again ....................

 Hint, here's one of em.

 I took a ride in this one about 9 yrs ago, I've had the kit in the stash since then, picked up 2 more last yr, and another 2 the other day, I'm planning an inflight formation. Then will go on display at my airport.

 Here's a bonus (new "wing") that flew over my house about 15 mins. ago........twice!!!!

FERMIS

Rob & Aggie- Excellent 58s, fantastic job on the foil. I think I'll stick to paints, I'd hate to wreck a perfectly good kit. Do you guys do 1 panel at a time, or cover a large area? I couldn't see any seams in there anywhere.

Well for me I did try to apply the foil along established panel lines so as to hide the seams.  But the pictures actually don't tell the entire story - if you're standing in front of the build really looking, you can see seams in the foil, especially along the underside near the tail cone.  But thanks for your kind words (and even my wife was appreciative of how it looks).

I changed my mind on the AN-22, and if you don't mide I will do one more for the group. It is a Soviet T-4, or S100. Looks real close to a XB-70. She has a metal finish rather an aluminum so this ought to be interesting. It is another Amodel kit in 1/72. I have mabe 2 weeks before surgery so I might finish it in time, and it will fit in my model cabinet.

I hope you don't mind, but I like the Soviet birds. They are different.

 Revell just reissued it. I got mine for about $15 each at the LHS. The 2 from last year, I got at a contest vendor for $5 each. I also have one from Ocidental, $10 at vendor table. That one will stay in my collection. For the most part, all my kits come from vendors tables, usually 50% off, give or take. I save all my change throughout the year,($100-$150) then I can go nuts. I usually come home with 10-15 good kits. Last spring, I spent $165 total, covered entry fees, gas, lunch, 25 kits, and some AM goodies. At list prices, the kits alone would have cost over $300. I win!!!

 Squadron has it for just under $15.

Hi all, 1stly all i can say is wow. Ive spent the best part of this evening going through the entire GB looking at all the fantastic stuff being put out.

 I mentioned to Soulcrusher that i was planning to build an NMF Mustang (Tamiyas new one) and he suggested i had a look over here with the possibility of building it here. I could do with all the help i can get as ive never built anything in NMF...So can i join? Is it too late?

If i can, the kit is Tamiyas P-51D in 1/48

...Guy

Hi Luftwoller

What kind of finish did you plan on useing on your p-51?

jd

Luftwoller wrote:

Hi all, 1stly all i can say is wow. Ive spent the best part of this evening going through the entire GB looking at all the fantastic stuff being put out.  I mentioned to Soulcrusher that i was planning to build an NMF Mustang (Tamiyas new one) and he suggested i had a look over here with the possibility of building it here. I could do with all the help i can get as ive never built anything in NMF...So can i join? Is it too late? If i can, the kit is Tamiyas P-51D in 1/48 ...Guy

Luftwoller Glad to have you join us in the shiney group ! There are a a number of methods being used here for NMF I have used Reynolds Wrap for all of mine so I can help out with that and there are others here who do better than I do who will I am sure.  Others have used Alclad and Talon paints and I think a couple guys are using Bare Metal Foil, from I think it is Micro Scale Industries. So there are a number of choices along with some talanted help here. I have seen some of your fine builds and am looking forward to seeing what you will come up with. Your build is entered on the front page.

Yeah what Fermis said I have a couple cans of that in my paint box just haven't tried it yet. Hope I didnt get your finish wrong on the front page Fermis. Leme check.

Yup I did get it wrong Fermis sorry about that  

Hello everybody!

Per invitation by Vetteman i just wanted to stop by and say hi to all the guys overhere in the "shiny syndrome corner". But i have got a good set of polaroid sunglasses so i should be good inhere...

If the invitation still stands i would like to announce my build of a Hasegawa 1:48 Checkertailed P51D in NMF. Yes, Vetteman, i did announce a P38 and i made a start on it but sofar the gaps and seams are just too horrible to put online. Anyways, i started the mustang a while ago and am in the painting phase and will be ready to show some work soon i hope. This will also be my first 1:48 kit i ever built.

See ya!

Kermit to the group build !! Your build is on the front page, gotta love a checkertail P-51, I am looking forward to seeing yours.

Like you I have to admit the P-38s are a nightmare mine has me and comming up with new colorful words. Most of mine went togeather fairly well its the nose thats the trouble, really bad seams and very badly missmatched parts.

My Mustang is going to be painted with Alclad. Ive sprayed odds and sods with the stuff but never a whole plane. As far as i gather, the main thing is make it Smoooooooth. Im waiting on a few cockpit references at the mo, but ill be swinging into action soon.

...Guy

Vetteman,

DON'T start please! I have already found out that the lightnings aren't exactly the easiest kits to build outthere... Right now i am applying putty and sanding like crazy and just hope something decent will come out of it eventually...

Thanks for allowing me to present my mustang overhere, even if it is pretty far into the build. I did not take any pics of the pit while building it but i think i could post some pics anyways once the masking comes off of the canopy.

Some pics:

Boxart

Decals... I was planning on doing the "Man o'War" as depicted on the box, but once my eyes caught the checkertail goodies on that sheet i knew i just had to go for that one

Painting instructions (bottom half is my checkertailed example)

And my model as it stands on my workbench as i write this (photographed without flash in lamplight).

The aluminum finish is done with the Revell Aqua color number 99 and not the spraycan i used for the thunderbolt. It has a more shiny "new" character to it imho. Not unsatisfied with the results myself. Rest of the airplane is done with the same paints. I have always used enamels but these acrylics by revell are really nice to work with and make cleaning the airbrush a breeze

Next stop is painting the nose and spinner and some yellow bands on the wings.

As i am still fairly inexperienced with using my airbrush i am not inclined to try to do the yellow and black checkertail myself so i will use the decals for that and hope for the best...

Untill next time

The Mustang looks great. Ive started the T-4 and finelly got the day for my surgery. Aug 6th so I should have time to finsh the T-4.

jd

Good luck with the surgery. Back pain can be a real bummer. I did a lot of motorcross and martial arts when i was younger and suffered awfully with a bad back a few years ago. Luckilly a good chiropractor and a good physio have really made me feel new again. I still get twinges now and then but nothing i cant deal with.

The Mustang is looking very nice. Whats the Hasa kit like. From my few dry fits with the new tamiya, it seems like its going to be a goodun. Out of interest, what colour did you do the inside of the rear of the radiator? Would that have been Bare metal or green or yellow chromate?

...Guy

T-4 started

have a couple of nasty joints on the back of the plane, nose is in droped position for landing. This must have been an interresting plane to fly. Whem the nosw was up , the pilot had to fly from radar and look out of a periscope.

jd

Luftwoller:

Thanks to you (and everybody else) for the kind words. I will try the alclad range of paints one day but first i want to get more familiar with working with the airbrush and gathering more aircraft building skills as i go along. Right now i am very happy to build OOB and making it look like the boxart...

Ummmm radiator,...radiator.... that would be the gap on the underside of the fuselage..right?. If so, i made the inside interior green. Had a bit of researching done and figured i could use interior green on all the parts i wasn't too sure about without being too far off the mark.

Being used to revell kits and their (sometimes questionable) quality the Hasegawa kit was a sheer delight to work on. Very nicely detailed and perfectly fitting parts all over. The use of putty is negligeable on this kit. I will certainly build more hasegawa kits in the future, even if they are more expensive in general. But judging from the quality overall it is money well spent.

@ Sherman: Good luck and a speedy recovery to you. Will have extensive surgery (full aneastatics and everything) done to my teeth in august myself so i can imagine you being a bit anxious... I know i am....

Your build is coµing along nicely sofar. Never seen that airplane before... Makes me think of a concorde in a way...

Time for a tiny update.

nose has received it's red coat and the wings have their yellow bands now. Only need to paint the spinner blades black, paint the exhaust and guns and then work on the undercarriage can start.

After that, this bird will be ready for a coat of future and decalling:

Flashlight:

Lamplight:

Thx for the advice Kermit, i think ill go with green inside the rad exit. Shes looking groovy with colour on it. Whose OD did you use for the anti glare? and why didnt you spray the prop blades black 1st? Enquiring minds need to know these things.

...Guy

Luftwoller,

Yes, why didn't i do that...asking myself the same question afterwards. But no harm done. Im still inexperienced and every build is giving me little problems to solve...

The OD is done with regular revell (aqua) number 46 "Nato Olive"... No mixing at all. I think it is quite a good OD colour. And fyi they have it in normal enamel too. Same number.

Didnt get much done today, not feeling good. I fixed the bad joint and added the rib on the back of the plane. Sure is an interesting bird. close to the XB-70 but smaller. I had the fortune of seeing the XB-70 fly when the Airforce retired her. I was in grade school and they let us go to the playground to watch the fly buy at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. Funny what you remember from your childhood.

Have a good evening

jd

What a great looking plane Sherman. Its a bit like our Concord passenger plane that doesnt fly anymore. Thats one of the great hings about this forum, youll always see something new.

Talking of which, ive been fairly busy on the Mustang.

I finished the pit, not going too far as there is going to be a pilot in the mix. Let me know what you think as this is my 1st Stang and only my 2nd figure........Be Kind,

and heres the Chappie, i think ill call him Homer!

More soon,

...Guy

Luftwoller,

Impressive start! And very funny to notice your cockpit floor looks a lot similar like mine: I used an ocher colour (revell aqua 88) and a hint of tamiya smoke afterwards. How did you accomplish yours? Apart from that it is a very tidy and neat office you are showing.

And Homer looks great too! Never tried my hand on a figure before, normally they stay in the box.

Looking forward to your progress