Official Ground Attack Group Build

My US is trip is almost at an end but I did get visit an air museum in Santa Rosa California. They had a Corsair A7-C there which was being restored and I got a tour with Jim who used to load weapons on Phantoms and F-106s. Thanks for the tour, Jim!

Cheers

I little progress on the Superbug.  I painted the GBU-24s and the GBU-38s:

Here's the arrestor hook:

Here's the base paint job with the Light Ghost Grey lower parts and the Dark Ghost Grey upper parts.  I took several pictures of the painting process but when I tried to upload my pics to my computer they I discovered that they had somehow been deleted.  So I only have the latest weathered pics.

I masked off the wheel wells and boarding ladder and painted them white. Again, I took pics of the masked wells but the pics are gone:

I've also painted the distinctive black spine for the Royal Maces paint scheme:

I painted on the anti slip area.  I think it looks a little bit better than the decal:

That is looking fantastic!  I need to get an F/A-18 someday...

After doing a lot of lurking on this thread and admiring the amazing work you fellas are turning out, I figured it was time to take the plunge and join in on this GB, so Logan, if you catch this, please sign me up. I'll be building the 1/48 Tamiya IL-2m3. Not sure if it'll be in winter camo or a more conventional scheme, but either way it should be a fun build.

Dre

That is looking fantastic!  I need to get an F/A-18 someday...

ruddrat

After doing a lot of lurking on this thread and admiring the amazing work you fellas are turning out, I figured it was time to take the plunge and join in on this GB, so Logan, if you catch this, please sign me up. I'll be building the 1/48 Tamiya IL-2m3. Not sure if it'll be in winter camo or a more conventional scheme, but either way it should be a fun build.

Ok, here's where I'm at now.  Got the plane detailed and gloss coated.  just waiting on some little stuff before decaling:

I painted the muzzle cover Alclad II Stainless Steel and it turned out really good.  I have to mask it so that the dull coat doesn't mess it up:

Here's most of the stuff that will be hanging underneath her:

That's looking sharper still, Fly.   I'm digging the really subtle shading in the camo and the preshading.

Sweet work on the ordnance too!

I think that I'm just about finally finished (maybe) with the cockpit work on the Frogfoot.  I've substituted a set of seats from a Flanker that have the belts molded on after several attempts to get some PE or tape belts to work on the other resin seats.  Luckily the two aircraft use the same-series ejection seat!!  I CA'd the side panels into place and the IP shrouds are still loose so I can put the IP's in place after I finish them.

I'll add the gunsight and periscopes last.

The IP's are turning into a piece of work each.  I painted the PE panels that came with the resin set and then used the instrument decals that came with the kit.  I put the decals onto some really thin white styrene stock and cut each one to fit the panel as the kit's decals didn't fit the PE openings... that was really tedious but well worth the effort.  I'll flat coat all of this and then add some shiny stuff to make the glass bezels.

I'm making progress, but slowly.

Fly - thanks man!! Happy to be on board! Been wanting to do that IL-2 ever since I saw the test shots. Wasn't disappointed when I opened the box - looks like a great kit. That 'bug of yours is lookin' real nice. I like the effect of the preshading, and the ordnance, man, that looks like tedious work, but it'll look awesome when hung underneath.

Dre - I am becoming a huge fan of your work. Already saw what you've done so far on that MiG for Manny's GB, and these 'pits here look amazing! Top-notch stuff!

I should be cutting into the sprues at some point this evening on the 'vick. Hoping to get some pics up too.

Appreciate the praise, Ruddratt, but it's really nothing more than tons of patience and a very slow approach so I don't screw anything up.  I'll do a little here and there and then do something else to change my mindset.  Today I've been sticking decals on the Frogfoot's ordnance.

That MiG-21's cockpit probably won't look as sharp as this since it's not a resin set.  The detail makes the difference when it comes to painting.

Decals on the weapons and they're ready for a flat coat... a variety of guided bombs, gun packs and cluster munition dispensers.

and the business end of some free-fall guided bombs

Thanks guys. Actually, there is no pre shading. Its post shading only. I like post shading because I like to get a solid coating of the base colors and I can get better color variations with post shading. 

Dre, nice work on the Frogfoot 'pit.  You hand painted all the detail?  It doesn't look drybrushed.  I like the bomb lenses, too.  Did you pant the backsides silver or something?  They have a nice deep reflection on them.  I like how they seem darker around the edges.  Is that smething you did or is it the camera?

Rudd, looking forward to the IL-2.  It will be interesting to see some progress pics since the kit is so new.

Fly-n-hi, the 'pit painting was this- airbrushed flat black into the underside areas to force shadows followed by the Interior Blue/Green from the top leaving some of the black showing.  Then I began to slowly fill in everything else with brushes of smaller size.  I only dry brushed the rudder pedals to show a little boot scuffing.

The bomb lenses were first coated on inside with a heavy layer of Tamiya clear blue backed by dull aluminum and flat black around the lip to give them that depth.   A little Future all-around for the decals and that's it.  Glad you like them , i think they turned out well.  From research, the real deals have a fine wire mesh behind the blue-tinted lens but I wasn't going to attempt that in this scale.

Thanks Dre, I'm going to follow your tip on my next set of ordnance lenses. They look outstanding.

Cheers

Tony

Glad to help with a practical solution.  Check your refs. as some ordnance has a clear lens with visible seeker heads and some are opaque...  

Back to work in the mancave. Lay down the underside coat of H316 Insignia White on the A-7 clumsy me spilt half of the paint pot as well and guess what....I don't have enough paint or money to finish this colour. Will have to put bird on hold again until next week and a visit to the LHS

Cheers

Running out of paint mid-way through a paint session, I think I'd lose my sanity.

Good luck and that A-7 looks good so far.

WOW! lots of great progress since i was on last, that F-18 is looking great and so is the A-7! awseome work fellas!

Dre- That cockpit work is killer, man! The hand has healed well enough, prectice dosent start until december anyway...now just gotta shed some fat and add some muscle. Been trying to get as much done on the bench as i can, but nice weather (finally, thank god) has lured me away from it to try and get ready to roll for the spring.

ruddratt- sorry for the delayed response, been kinda tied up lately, but i will add you to the roster momentarily, happy building! from what i have read, thats going to be a great kit, looking forward to seeing a buildup of it!

Keep up the good work fellas, i should have pice up of the finished(hopefully by then) B-25 gun nose by early next week.... just so ya dont think im slackin lol

Shed fat, build muscle, LOL!   If it were only so easy as writing it down.  

Summer tends to suck away the hours, don't it?

yeah its much easier said than done, ive lost about 35 pounds in the last 5 weeks, off to a good start:)

it does eat them up fast haha.

i checked out the flanker GB too Dre, pretty sick lookin birds over there too!

I sorely need to get back to my Flankers...  stalled for months now, but I might have finally hit on an idea to fix the nosecone problem on the Su-27B single-seater.   Lots of Milliput and sandpaper, grrr.

lol, the joys of modeling: lots of work that not many people understand or fully appreciate when they oooh and ahhh over your work. modeling is still, by far, the most frustrating stress relief ever lol, kinda like fishing, except with modeling u r guaranteed something to show for hours of work lol.

About all I'm guaranteed is incremental progress that can be measured with a micrometer- those cockpits are my prime example.   At least we all appreciate the efforts and time involved in our hobby.

I can usually guarantee getting wet and no fish. So can anyone who goes with me.

Cheers

Tony

What great fishie needs human bait?!?  

lol, tony that sounds like my last two outings.... two large individuals in an aluminum canoe= bad idea lol

Dre, that cockpit work you to is pretty amazing though..... too bad alot of it will be hard to see when you are done.

That's the first resin cockpit I've ever bought, and since the detail level is freaking amazing I thought that I'd try and do it justice.  Seems to have worked as I still haven't stuck into the fuselage but rather I sit there and look at it, lol.  I will buy more of them for future efforts.

There should be enough glass to see most of it, especially if I leave the canopies open.   I need to do the rest of the kit to same level- I spent a good week polishing out the 7-inch-long seams on top of the engine nacelles.  Can't wait to do the fuselage seams as the aircraft is about 18" long.

Time, patience and a good background TV program is all that it takes- I can't wait for football season to start.   Steelers better dominate and the Redskins better make an effort at not sucking so much.

After a trip to the LHS this week, I was able to restock up on H316 Insignia White and have finished laying down the gloss white.

I'll let that cure for a coupe of days before masking off for the grey.

Cheers

Dre, i wouldnt put my money on the Redskins just yet.... hopefully RGIII doesent crack under the burden of carrying his whole team lol. the Packers better start gettin their stuff together (i chould talk lol) cuz if they play the way they have been..... lets just say it wont be pretty lol.

Casper, lookin good! i have yet to build a modern navy bird.... to be honest the shades of grey worry me lol.

Lol, I don't put money on the 'Skins, I just try to be a fan since I'm originally from that area.  Snyder acts like it's a fantasy team, not a real one.   I never underestimate the Packers as they have a lot of obligations to live up to.  

But.. when it comes to being a homer, I'm all for the Steelers.