Gift GB

29 build is done...will try to get pics later this afternoon and posted up...the GB has been great!

Took Bish advice on Tamiya weathering pastels...used Soot and Rust

I haven't tried the jig method.  I suppose I was too lazy to attempt building one, but now I've got to build a Pfalz for the Hollywood GB, so I'm considering methods and techniques.  

What did you use for glue?  I'm thinking that superglue sets up too fast to give enough time to adjust the struts and wing.

I just thought i would wing it (excuse the pun) and it seemed to work. Maybe if i was doing a 32nd kit i might try a jig.

Thanks, Bish.  I've only done one biplane recently, but it seems using a jig of some sort is the current conventional wisdom.  

No, i glued the bottoms in, trying to make sure they were as straight as possable. Then when i put the top wings on i turned it upside down and just had to tease them into place. I was expecting it to be a bit of a nightmare, but it wasn't to bad.

How did you handle all those struts, Bish?  Did you work up some kind of jig to hold things in place?

Greg, all in all its not to bad. It needed a little bit of filler on the top of the lower wing join. The fuselage comes in 4 pieces, top, bottom and tow sides. Getting the top and bottom on needed a bit of sanding on the frame work running along the sides. With a little bit of extra detailing it can be a great kit. I am useing a review on Military Modelling as a guide. He added some cockpit details such as rudder pedals, and he also sanded down the wing ribs which he says are to prominate. But i guess it depends o how accurate you want to be.

From what i can gather, it was first released in 1986 and apart from the box has not been changed.

Bish: that monster of an aircraft is coming along nicely!  How's the fit?  I remember building a few Airfix kits back in high school.....

The stars were part of the decals; the decals were top-notch in this Tamiya kit. Used the Micro-Sol and Set, but very little.

Time for another update. She is almost ready for painting. Seems a bit odd to paint it half finished, but its the best way i can think of to rig it without getting paint on the rigging. I still have to do a bit of sanding and the masking. One of the supports for the right engine has gone AWOL, so need to replace that as well.

Here, you can see the holes for the rigging, but i ned to add some more as there are none for the cross wires.

And yes, the rear of the fuselage is twisted. I didn't notice this until to late.

Theuns, no problem, i will get to it. Hopefully you wiull get the chance to build the otehrs soon. Its a bummer when work gets in the way, but needs muct and all that.

Becky, i use Pro Modeller wash all the time and have never had a problem. I find that any excess can be removed with a damp cotton bud.

bad, thank you, i can't say i am falling in loive with them lol. And thanks on the Stuka comment. I hate to seem like i am bragging or anything, but i am pretty proud of that and i think its going to take something to match it.

Beckyhead, nice Skyray! It does look like a nice kit and you did it justice. I also love the shading!

Bish, good progress on the Handley. I've always had a soft spot for WWI aircraft. Can't wait to see how your build moves along! By the way, I'm a fan of your Stuka as well.

Beckyhead- the skyray is top shelf. Love the detail work you did on the landing gear. Were the stars on the blue areas decals or hand painted?

Thanks for the compliment of the shading. That turned out a little better than I though. The panel lines too.

By the way, has anybody ever had problems with Flory's promodelers wash? It left stains on the finish that I had to lightly sand off.

Mate, I think it best if you delete the P-51 and maybe the A-4 (1/48) for now and just add the F-6f please. I will see how far I get with my building this year, I might be starting a new job soon and it could 'interupt" my play time!

Theuns

Beckyhead: very nice looking Skyray you got there!

Z Square 8

CMK- had not heard of this method before..."then polish the plastic with toothpaste and an old cotton t-shirt".

I'll have to give that a go as well on the next build that I do w/NMF. Thanks for that tidbit!  

That will be an impressive plane, Bish.  It's got a lot of struts!

Nice looking jet, Beckyhead.  Very sharp,, and nice job on the shading.

I am supposed to be in this gb but have been waiting since january for white ensign to restock and deliver the pe set for my belfast. I ha ve no idea when or even if i will ever get started let alone finished.  i am not a happy bunny, sorry.

That looks really nice. To have your pics show on the page, you need to use the rich formatting button. I will take an image direct from you PB account for the front page if thats ok.

Hey, team!

Well, I've finally finished the Skyray, albeit with a multitude of learning experiences and challenges. Pics aren't thebest, and I apologize..

 This Tamiya kit is AWESOME, one of the best I have built, to inclue the decals which applied without a hitch..includng the large blue ones. The only thing I added was a Eduards aftermarket cockpit set. Any issues I had were not with the kit, but with my choice of building materials and my skills..

The Good:

1. The cockpit turned out better than I though. I went creative with a couple of things, but only for the purpose of enhancing details.

2. I am very please with the landing gear. I took my timeon the small part to ensure the best detail and paint possible. I'm especially please with the use of copper wire for brake lines. They turned out super.

3. I used paint instead of decals for the red intake markings and the flat black between the front of the cockpit and the nose. I used Tamiya NATO black and provided a perfect contrast. I think my masking techniques paid off a little.

The Bad:

1. PRIME. I WILL NEVER PAINT A MODEL AGAIN WITHOUT PRIMING. I paid the price on this big time. I used Testor Model Master Acryl...and it loved to come off with the masking. Not sure if it's becuase I should have washed the model a little, but I also did not like the performance of Testors which leads to...

2. Avoiding Testors Model Master Acryl in the future for large areas. This bloody paint loved to stop in the middle of spraying with my Iwata HP..regardless of how much I thinned them. However, flow got a little better when I used Tamiya acrylic thinner  instead of the Testors brand. Wierd. Regardless, the Tamiya I've never had a problem with, but the color selection is limited. I wish Tamiya would produce the range of colors that Testors had. I need to find a new paint. Any ideas or suggestions????

3. This model would have been sooooo much better if the paint had performed the way it should. I had no control  or decent focus on good application of the paint.  

New Technique:

I thought I'd share this need little method I found really works when painting stripes on arresting bars or ejection seat handles:

Tape the item onto a black piece of paper: Note. You painted the base color already (i.e. white for arresting hooks, yellow for ejection rungs.) When the paint is dry, masking of the area...but don't wrap it around. Just cut out the right width, then place it across the portion(s) you want masked. Using a toothpick, just tuck-in the little excess between the paper and the part.

DRYBRUSH the color (black) on to the part...build up gradualy until you get full coverage. So much measier, and I've had 100% success with this.

Anyhoo...photos..

CMK- had not heard of this method before..."then polish the plastic with toothpaste and an old cotton t-shirt".

I'll have to give that a go as well on the next build that I do w/NMF. Thanks for that tidbit!  

Thanks for the confidance boost Theuns just what i need.I am still really chuffed with the Stuka.

Will the F-6 be in addition to the other two, or do you want me to take one of the other two off the roster.

Stunning work lads! That Handley will be a rigging nightmare! Bish , just love the Stuka mate, the crew really give it some "feel"

That B-29 came out very well indeed. Just as a matter of interest about the "different" hues or colors of Alclad sheeting on full size- it has to do with the amount of copper they mix in the alloy to get different strengths od sheeting. The more copper the stronger the allu sheet gets, but it also becomes more brittle.

Inorder to form it into shapes without  the allu cracking, they need to sometimes heat the sheets to soften it for working. Then it needs to be  heat treated again to get the strength back, this also colors the allu sheet slightl brownish.

The one mechanic where I trained said it needs to look slightly like "toast"  LOL!

As for my next Gift build I think it will more likely be the 1/32 Revell F-6f Hellcat. (need to brush up on skills before tackling the Mustprang)

Theuns

....oh, now that is going to be sharp Bish!

29 build update...nearly complete. Fussing with the small decals between the bomb bay doors. I believe there are about 10 or more and all of them combined would not cover 1/2 a postage stamp.

I think its about time i posted an update for my build. I have been at it 3 weeks, but its been slow going. I think the thought of all that rigging has been putting me off. But now i have decided just to go for it and hopefully i get it right.

This is the kit.

I am doing this OOB, so theres not a great deal of detail in this one.

Then got the fuselage closed up and the tail on.

I am almost finished getting the wings on prior to painting, so should have some more pics tomorrow.

Z:  here is a link to Tower Hobbies.  They show the three Floquil silvers.  I can't say that once applied, I see much difference in them--but if I were really perceptive, I'd be Sherlock Holmes.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0095p?FVPROFIL=&FVSEARCH=Floquil+Silver&search=Go

I've never used Alclad, so I don't know what it costs.  I usually make the silver paint really thin--about 1/2 paint and 1/2 thinner, so by the time I'm done, I have twice as much as I started out with.  I used to add about 20% Floquil Glaze to it, since talk was way back when that this helped smooth the paint.  I've stopped doing this, and haven't really noticed any deterioration in application or appearance.

You still have to make the plastic really flawless--no scratches, seams, etc.  I usually sand it down progressively with finer and finer sandpaper, then polish the plastic with toothpaste and an old cotton t-shirt.  Then, it has to be carefully washed, cuz you don't want to leave any toothpaste on it.  No, not at all!

Floquil is a strong, hot-paint--it is not acrylic.  But it seems to grip the plastic very well, and when dry, it develops a pretty hard, durable finish--very useful when masking, so it resists paint pull up if the surface is prepared adquately.

It's an option, but if you're getting good results with Alclad, there's no reason to switch.  If you do try it, probably do it with something that isn't too close to your heart! 

Concur on the nice looking 17!! What does the Floquil RR paint cost compared to Alclad? about the same? Same size bottle?

Thats a nice B-17 check. Is that the Academy C/D kit. If so i have the same one, though planning on doing it as an RAF Fort I.