Well I should be working...but I'm not! This is pretty much my last week I can do any modelling until Christmas.

Time to have a look at some of the instrument panels. Once again, I like the TD resin but I like the Eduard PE better. They also included a very finely laser printed insert with tiny instrument details on them. Si I got out the razor and scratched off the resin details I would replace.

I'm glad I spent the time doing this, fiddly though it is to paint on PE sometimes. Here is the lower instrument panel and the HUD and under the front windshield (not sure what that bit is called). I saw a ref pic for the radar and it looked like there was some white details on the screen. I tried very unsuccessfully to paint those in and decided to use some discarded decals. The radar bubble itself was a mix between red/brown on the northern hemisphere and wood/brown underneath to simulate a gradient. Then for the gloss I used a thinned drop of red clear, it sorted of took away from the gradient effect but believe me it looks much better for real the photo doesn't do it much justice. I did the same technique with the HUD lens, white and apple green highlights on light green with a clear blue drop on top. It's a bit hard to see but I used some multicolored dots in oils to pick out the hint of fabric khaki covering just behind the dash.

Cheers

And...the Jug has its NMF!

I'd originally intended to use Talon, but spray issues defeated me. I couldn't get it shooting consistently with anything less than 3/4 throttle, and at that point it's basically a fire hose. So after flooding one of the stabilizers, I switched to SnJ enamel. Still didn't spray Alclad smooth, but I got the job done.

After letting it dry for a bit (and wondering off to paint the prop and prime the blast tubes), I broke out the Dremel and polishing powders. The effect is pretty awesome, but a lot of work, and messy.

I didn't quite expect the F-104 to have such a tight office! Quite squeezy in there. Let's hope it all fits into the fuselage.

Cheers

Doogs wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the powders made a huge difference, hold on a sec I need my  there thats better. I am thinking I am going to have to do another painted NMF with the Talon paints, as the one I am doing next for the group will also have that old looking NMF. 

Casper your IP and pit look fantastic ! I have a 1/32 F-16 I have been afraid to build because of the detail possible in the pit. You have pulled this F-104 off very well indeed.

vetteman42

Doogs wow !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the powders made a huge difference, hold on a sec I need my  there thats better. I am thinking I am going to have to do another painted NMF with the Talon paints, as the one I am doing next for the group will also have that old looking NMF. 

Yeah - the powders transform the finish. Big downside, though, is how messy they are. If you've already got other colors laid down, make very sure that they're masked, because the powder goes EVERYWHERE, especially once you kick the Dremel on. 

Honestly, despite the shine, I'm leaning back toward Alclad. I like the idea of being able to lay it down all shiny, and just reach for different colors instead of having to play with different polishing combinations to achieve that tonal variety.

Speaking of Alclad...I sprayed the prop hub and blast tubes with Alclad Airframe Aluminum last night. This is my first time shooting the high-shine stuff on anything other than that trashy Revell Dauntless I keep for random testing. And I LOVE how it looks, especially on the prop hub.

Also got the upper surfaces started with a base coat of Ocean Gray. Going to be fading and blending it tonight, sealing it tomorrow, then moving on to Dark Green on Turkey Day...

Doogs: Wow, I wish I could get such an even finish, somehow I always seem to get dust in mine somehow. Looking forward to seeing her with all the paint and decals and stuff done.

Casper: First rate! Love how the cockpit is coming together.

Casper - wow you're going all out on that F-104 pit! Looking forward to tackling my first 1/32 build here in the near future...looks like it's possible to work a lot more detail into the office than in 1/48...

Hey guys, been offline for a bit regarding this GB but i can explain...

First of all let me congratulate everyone with outstanding WIP pics! Doogs's T-bolt is really shiny indeed with all the polishing and Casper's pit is really busy and colorful. Love it!!

Ok, so ive been busy on my P38 all week... Tried a gloss black base with future coat.... looked great. Then i tried to mist on some Alclad after i let that cure for a day or two. Came out all lumpy and orange peely.... So i sanded down the lumps, refutured to get it smooth and tried to cover the (now irregular black base) it with another coat of Alclad.

BAD mistake. Every little speck and smudge showed through the coat.....

Been busy for a week now and i am tired of sanding and recoating, hoping for the best... So i sanded once more.... refutured.... came out baby butt smooth. Applied my trusty revell airbrush ready aluminum paint and came up with this:

Might not be the smoothest NMF paint but indeed the most forgiving i ever used. No need for black bases or even a smooth black base as this will cover in one go. Period.

What ive learned from this:

The Alclad 101 normal aliminum paint doesnt need a black gloss base so dont take any risks and botch the basecoat. It will only make the Alclad look bad. A future coat over your bare plastic will do with that paint.

Strangely enough i must say that this coat of revell paint looks better than the little t-bolt with Alclad i did before this one.... Maybe it's the Alclad/ sanded basecoat...?

Richard

I really like the detail inside this Aires Exhaust kit.

Problem is with the rest of the engine, to paint or not to paint?! The whole thing apart from the 'up the shaft' view will be inside and not seen.

There is the possibility of building the kit with the engine out but I'm not sure if I like the look of the F-104 with it's tail off and on a trolley.

What's peoples thoughts on this, painting what's not going to be seen...

Casper the Chihuahua

What's peoples thoughts on this, painting what's not going to be seen...

Personally I don't paint or detail areas that won't be seen. I don't even really like detailing areas that can barely be seen (anything beyond the seat in a Wildcat cockpit, for example). 

Okay. The Monogram P-47 isn't getting finished. At least any time soon. The old Monogram decals decided to prove their worth:

And the ensuring removal left white residue all over the paint job.

I don't have it in my to go back to square one with this kit, so I'm starting over, this time with a Tamiyabolt and Aeromaster decals (same markings). I'm going to try to play it a bit straighter with the paint this time, which means that only the underside of the port wing will be bare metal. Not really enough to warrant putting it up here, alas...

aww, DoogsATX, sorry to  see such unfortunate results. Especially with a build so close to the finish!  It doesn't look like you gloss coated the paint though. Could that have been a contributing factor to the decal debacle?

OWL

CallSignOWL

aww, DoogsATX, sorry to  see such unfortunate results. Especially with a build so close to the finish!  It doesn't look like you gloss coated the paint though. Could that have been a contributing factor to the decal debacle?

OWL

I glossed it with Testors glosscoat lacquer...I think I probably could've sprayed it on heavier, but after the Future debacle with the Soviet birds I've been hesitant. 

But no, the decals were down decent last night, then this morning they were all jacked. 17 years old...I think the adhesive was just too degraded.

Doogs,

Aww man... From the look of it the camo worked out so well for you. It's a real PITA and i can imagine you want to walk away from your jug after this happened... I feel your pain LOL. What did you use to get the decals off? Rubbing alcohol or smt?

Had a bit of "old decal" stuff going on myself and i must say that the bottle of Microscale liquid decal film i invested in goes a long way in restoring them. Also works great as a protective layer on custom printed decals btw... Just my fifty cents. Still fragile and fiddly but workable.

This weekend ive been busy with mostly NMF spraying of ordnance, droptanks and the tiny bits and bobs but i also sprayed on the anti glare panels. Pictures of the restored "putt putt Maru" showed a glossy anti glare so i copied that with future coatings. Also these same pictures do not show the yellow lining to the fuselage panel but the instructions called for them and i thought it looked more dashing this way

As soon as im done painting i can start on the decals and finalizing construction. WIP's to follow soon

Richard

Bad luck Doogs, decals can make or break a model in the end!

I've almost done the tub, in fact I've just weathered the True Details side walls and done some last minute cutting and sanding to get the heavy bottomed resin tub into the fuselage.

These tubs can sure look nice but are often not compatible with the kit they are meant to fit into. I also cut out the top of the dash where the HUD sits and have attached some copper sheeting to act as a small shelf so the dash sits flush and not on top so the front windshield will fit. This also means the exact fit of the upper instrument panel vs.the rest of the tub had to be excruciatingly exact and I spent almost an hour test fitting and whittling away small amounts of resin.

I also found the copper useful to get those 90 degree angles. Just popped them into my Hold'n'fold and they ensured a perfect fit to the resin. Also will help in fitting the part exactly into the fuselage.

So as I am moving house in two weeks I am delaying putting the plane together at all. Just concentrating on the little details so everything can live in the box and not become an annoying shape that needed to be carefully padded and braced.

I assembled the cannon using elements from the Hasegawa kit, Eduard PE and Verlinden resin. I also tackled the radome, the kit details almost non existent. I plan on displaying with the nose removable so I wanted some variety in there. I found an excellent photo of the radar assembly and it was real busy with wiring and tubing going everywhere. I approximated this look with audio cable, paper clips and B-17 & tank parts and unused bits of the Verlinden resin kit.

After some silver dry brushing and an oil wash it should really add some interest to the front of the plane.

Cheers

Havn't been around much lately, too much extra work in December...It's good to see that everyone is still making progress

Jeremy, Yeah i knew yours was going to be a beauty...You did an outsatnding build sir, well done

Doogs, ouch man thats gotta hurt, hurts me just looking at the pic

Casper, Nice work buddy the office looks great, well done

Richard, yeah thats the scheme i was doing, now i have to look at your pics and wonder what might have been I'll get there in the end though...Nice work on your Putt putt

Julez,

Thanks mate! Wasn't really aware you were doing putt putt maru too... Would have chosen trailblazer instead if i did. I liked both.

Word of caution though....:

DO NOT USE THOSE DECALS!!!

Seldom have i used such bad decals in my entire life..... Even after 8 (!) coats of microsol the tail stripy things still look like pieces of plastic bag nearly falling off and all wrinkly... Really horrible decals.

Almost done on my model... some decals....the tiny fiddly bits...cleanup and weathering.... should be done tomorrow

To be honest i am kind of eager to get done with this one and move on... NMF went pretty well but the decals were a nightmare and i am not too proud of that canopy.... Pretty nice kit though and would certainly do it again with AM decals.

Richard

I'm trying to get caught up to all the great builds so far. This is the 1967 monogram kit. after sanding I will primer it tonight in flat black. not sure of the markings yet.

Richard, hmmm the green building machine strikes again...Your P-38 looks sweet sir, great job on a difficult kit buddy Thanks for the heads up regarding the declas, i will definatly paint on those stripes when the time comes...I tell ya something about the P-38 in NMF just looks so cool....

Radio wow that kit is older than me, looking good so far mate

Arghhh  i feel the need to shorten my life by inhaling some more alclad fumes, bugger it i think i may make a  start that B-29

xradio81,

Nobody hates the jug! In fact it would be in my all time top 5. Really looking forward to see what markings people choose for their model as there is a staggering diversity. Looking good sofar. Would you reccomend this kit to people or refer them to other brands? Got an Academy overhere that i did before and i did certainly like that one. Not the best but great considering price vs. features.

Well....

Just finished the P38.... Can't really say much more about it and to be honest it is probably ending up on the back part of the shelf. I came very very close to give Randy a Dear John message. The decals kinda screwed my build as did the canopy. Decals being Academy's fault and the canopy being one of my worst ever LOL.... Ah well. Construction itself was pretty straightforward without much problem. Canopy needs cutting off and no clipping off like i did; left a nasty gap on the port side.... I would say that only the wheel well tubs need some attention with lining them up to the fuselage parts.

And the decals...... Well.... take a look at this next pic:

The tail decals were even worse! And the prop ones got countless coats of microsol mind you; they just would NOT settle down.

Conclusion for this kit/ model:

1. Great kit in dire need of AM decals

2. Not my best ever by a long shot and happy to be done to be honest

3. Another thing or two learned about black basecoats combined with Alclad. I miserably failed on this one ending up using the low tech metal paints.

4. I'm glad my sig depict very well what my thoughts are right now: Fall flat on your face, get up again and keep going with a smile

Richard

Richard: sorry to hear about the decal woes. Sometimes it seems like the darn things just won't work no matter what you do. Still excellent work on the paint, she turned out a lot better than how mine is coming.

Doogs man what a bummer Did you try brushing on a bit of clear to see if it took care of the clouding ?

Xradio81 the Jug is looking good from what I can see. You have really done well taking care of the infamous Monogram seams.

Casper man thats got to be one of the most detailed offices I have seen, very very nice work

Kermit wow !!!!!!!!! my hat goes off to you sir for the beautiful save on that finish, I like it. The decals are a bummer but over all its a fine build, and I do like the markings you chose.  The front page has been updated with your build

Now Richard that makes five builds for this group, I guess I will haffa come up with a booby prize for both quality and quantity. And I have to get to work on my second painted NMF build soon to.

Is it five already? Can't help it my friend, i just like NMF's and can't help always being busy on one... Know what? Just count 3 of mine as one official one and we should be ok

Almost started the trumpeter wildcat ya know but the jug for the no aftermarket GB was planned already and yes, i do like jugs.....Ummm..... ya thats what i meant, i like jugs...period.

Thank you all for your comments gents!

Richard

vetteman42

Casper man thats got to be one of the most detailed offices I have seen, very very nice work

I just got back from NZ and am moving house in a week so that's all my modelling for the moment! But my new place gives me a dedicated model area that's not the dining room table!

Cheers and thanks everyone for their comments.

Hello all! I don't mean to jump into the middle of your GB, but I just started a 1/72nd scale Tamiya P-51D. It will be a mostly OOB build I have previously failed at using BMF, Testors Metalizers (You know the issues with that!) and played around a bit with Alclad, which didn't really give me the sheen I had hoped for. Now I am very interested in using household foil and Microscale adhesive. Doing a bit of dry fitting, I think I can most likely apply the metal to the completed fuselage, assemble the wings and apply foil there, and of course the stabilizers. The wings attach at existing panel lines so no issues with seam filling-and dry fit looks very good. I also did a bit of experimenting with the foil and parts from the kit and I think this might be my method to try. I also have been reading about different ways of altering the appearance of the foil.

I just wondered what problems I might encounter with decals and maybe areas that would be painted, rather than bare, such as those black and white strips across the wings on some Mustangs. Although it would be my first NMF, if I can pull it off, I want my results to be acceptable to my standards.

Thanks for any advise you might offer.

jimbot: I found foil to work very well and give nice results! To answer your questions on decals and paint--Future. Some people swear by the stuff, others at it for some reason, but that is what I used to seal the foil and provide a base for paint and decals to adhere to. Tis probably the same thing as with paint when your masking, but use low tack painters/modeling tape and you should be good.

For a first foray into foil, many suggested using a simple airframe (such as an F-86 Sabre, MiG-21,etc) to practice on before one attempts the more complex curves of other aircraft.

Good Luck!!

OWL

Well heres an update on my Jug. Just finished spraying the final enamel coat of Dupli-Color chrome. After it dries for a few days I will spray some future and let it dry for a week or so until I gather some decals. Now I need to start my Ar-234 for the early jet group build which is long overdue.

Jimbot58 you will need to use future over the foil before paint and decal neither will adhere to the foil without it. Personally I prefer to brush paint future on the foil rather than spraying it on. It seems to fill the seams in the foil better and results in fewer lifting troubles for me. As CallSignOwl said low tack tape is a must with the foil.

Also you will find the compound curves of the P-51 will be quite challenging, the wing roots, belly scoop, and the nose, especially on that small a scale. I dont wish to discourage your build at all, but would suggest a simpler airframe for a first foil build, maybe a P-47 or one of the early jets. Dont worry about detail, just put it together taking care on seams and such, any imperfection on the surface will show up like a sore thumb on foil. Once you learn how the foil will stretch and form then do the P-51.

Did you wish to join the group ? You are more than welcome to, would love to have ya.

Xradio81 wow that finish went on smooth and very shiny, looking fantastic

I'm in. Minicraft Constellation in 1/144. Going to build it as "Columbine," Dwight Eisenhower's presidential plane.

Cdclukey you are in and welcome to the shiney side. Sounds like an interesting build.