The 50 Shades of Gray Group Build!

Been a while since i updated as the build slowed a bit, partly due to a painting issue. The Harrier has 3 shades of grey on it, though you can hardky distinguish the lighter 2 even in the flesh let along on the pics. I used Xtracolour for all 3 but for some reason the 3rd one took ages to dry, it was still tacky a week later. So i had to do quite a bit of repair work.

I put on a coat of Aqua gloss to seal the paint before adding the decals.

Next up some weathering.

That is splendid work on the Harrier, well worth the wait.  

Thanks Robert.

Hey gang, I'm back!

First things first, Robert, nice to see you back at it. Looks like the Freedom is coming along. Bish, nice work on that Harrier. You know, I've never built one before. Your build is giving me the itch.

OK, so when I last left you, I had the forward and rear section joints to deal with. The rear section left me with a pretty serious step to deal with on the fin's leading edge. I'm happy to report that my split-tube idea worked!

You can also see that I had continued to clean up the seams, although I don't have an in-progress picture of the forward seam.

I did run into a couple of bumps along the way, but nothing too major. While wresting with this thing's seams, I accidentally smacked its nose against the edge of my work table and knocked the radome clean off. I mean that literally; the break was clean right along the joint.

The break was so clean that all I had to do was glue it right back on. Practically no clean up necessary.

A little silver paint proved how lucky I was.

While getting ready to prime the stabilizers, I accidentally dropped one. Luckily, it landed right on its corner, breaking it off. Here it is after I sanded the break straight.

A little scrap sprue and CA later, things were back to where they needed to be.

Looks good as new under primer.

Speaking of primer, I got this thing sprayed! Did I mention this kit's big? I had to take it out to the garage, set it up on my saw horses, and shoot it with rattle can grey primer.

While the primer dried, I started on a couple of the smaller details. Remember I said I left the intake trunks out of the nacelles? Well, that would have resulted in a see-through engine assembly, so I needed a way to avoid that. The easiest fix? FOD covers! 

I started by tracing the interior opening onto cardboard and cutting out the respective shapes. Then I wrapped the shapes in facial tissue and brushed on some diluted white glue.

Once they were dry, I popped 'em out, sprayed some red and weathered, and popped 'em back in to see how they looked. Whatcha think? Pefect? Nope. Good enough? I think so.

Now that the intake covers are done, I needed to make sure the nacelles were ready too. So, I splashed on some primer to check my seam work. I'm happy with the way things turned out.

Seeing my work on the nacelles, I was (sorta) excited about seeing my seam work on the airframe. After I used some #0000 steel wool on the gritty grainy primer, I brought the beast back to my work table.

SUCCESS!

I was very happy to see the fruits of my labor. Here are a couple of shots of the seams and the resribing.

There's a bit of a ghost seam on the forward section, but I think that will disappear under some paint, which happens to be the next step! My plan is to start spraying the camo then work on the landing gear while the paint dries. I'm not particularly looking forward to doing the paint work because I lack skill and confidence when it comes to my airbrush. Oh well, we'll see how things turn out.

Anyway, thanks for helping me stay motivated with this project. Please, continue to share your comments, questions, and even criticisms. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned!

-O

Some good saves there, O, and I really like those FOD covers - that's a good tip!

Bish, that Harrier is looking great, very sleek.  I have the old Airfix GR7 in the stash, and I can hear it elbowing its way towards the top of the pile, thanks for the nudge!

O how many ways can we say that thing is huge! Sawhorses, that's a 1st for me And i build 32nd stuff. Dang. Seems look good i have to agree. You better put a flashing yellow beacon on the nose and wingtips before you paint though. Can't afford to whack it into anything form now on 

Theuns and Plasticjunkie,

Those Sundowner birds look fantastic!

Robert,

Freedom is coming along nicely. 

Bish,

Nice work on the Harrier.

O,

I don't know if I'd have room for a Bone in 1/144, definitely don't in 1/48.  You've done a good job wrestling that beast into submission.

Magnificent work O!  The intake covers will add a nice color pop. 

I'd say hang it from the ceiling, but then your wife will likely use it as a reminder to never buy you a kit ever again.  

That B1 is looking really slick

I was blown away when I first saw it at an airshow how unbelievably noisy it was!

Theuns

Please forgive this heavily manipulated photo, the glare off the gloss is unbelievable with my light, and it was already after 10pm and didn't feel like working a solution.

Deck decals have been applied:

This is a big hurdle in the build, now it's onto gluing everything together and adding the PE rails. I am concerned the safety ring isn't far enough forward and the superstructure nose covers it a little.  Bit it may be the slight warp of the deck.  Thinking I may have to sand it down some first.

OK gang, I have some (in my opinion) major progress to share!

I got the nacelles and stabilizers D.O.N.E.! Painted, washed (nacelles), and flat coated. 

I only used dark washes (black and "grime") on the underside of the nacelles to give the impression of fluids that have leaked and settled in the panels. I'm not big on heavy panel lines. After too much, the kit starts to look like a technical drawing. Anyway, here you go.

The stabilizers are set too.

I also got some paint and gloss coat splashed on the airframe. I did my best with my airbrush. This is the first time I've done a camo job entirely freehanded!

If you remember, I outlined my bomb bay doors in white. Partly as a primer to check fit but also because I was planning on replicating this look: B-1 underside

I found a copy of that photo that stated the white outline was the bomb bays' interior white showing through the doors' edges.

Well, after I sprayed the camo color, I went back with my razor saw and carefully scratched away the camo color revealing the underlying white.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. Not perfect but in the ballpark.

OK, so next is decals then flat coat. After that, final assembly. But first, I need to assemble the landing gear. I'm going to give my airbrush trigger finger a break for a while. I'll start on the gear then move to the decals. I'll share again when there's more to show.

Comments, questions, and criticisms welcome. Please feel free to share. Thanks for looking!

-O

Nice camo work there, did the LHS give you a bulk discount on the paint?       

Glamdring Id like to throw my hat in the ring on this one. I've got the 1/35 Academy AH-1Z to build. Only on step 1 of the instructions before I remembered this GB.

and I've got the Marine Skid Zulu's sheet from Flying Leathernecks.

Absolutely, Mongoose.  Welcome aboard!

The last couple days have been fairly productive. I’m about 95% done detailing the cockpits. There’s some white painted wire set aside and 1 piece of tubing that have to wait till the pilot IP is glued in place to install. Looking at it i just think it’ll be better to paint it separately. the wiring behind the pilot seat is just set in place for now. A few wires to place over and around the pilot coaming. The gunners cockpit is pretty much set i think. Tried to add as much as i could from photos. There’s quite a few walkarounds but cockpit details are harder to come by. If you guys see anything out of place let me know.

looking at the pics close up i think I'm going to change out the little boxes sticking out the side of the pilot's IP. Do my triggers look too big (definitely a 50 shades of grey question ;-) I think they do in the pics. Not wide enough either. May redo those 4 before i prime. 

Very nice detail there Mongoose!  What did you use for the cables?

Not really sure where I went wrong here, other than I noticed the superstructure had picked up a warp which was not noticeable until the flexible deck piece was no longer flexible when glued to the hull. This has led to a sizable gap:

Apparently I didn't do enough sanding beforehand.  When I test fitted, there was a slight gap that needed filling, but not this dramatic.   I am filling in with clear cement, I will cut a shim for the very tip, can't wreck that decal!

A final short update before i wrap this up. Got the GR.9 finished with a flory wash. I have gone for a rather grubby lok which i think match's the pics i found quite well. Stores were adde along with the canopy and other final bits. I used the decal for the Det cord on the canopy as i didn't have a PE set for this kit. I am not as keen on the decal as i am on the PE i used on the Shar.

Just got to add some RBF tags, fit it to the base and sort out a figure.

Well done, weathering I like ummm yes.

Glamdring

Very nice detail there Mongoose!  What did you use for the cables?

 

thx Glamdring. I used .5mm platistrut rod, .010 & .020 lead fishing wire, and some old telephone cable i stripped the insulation off of (the twisted wire on the back deck). I just tried to match up some sizes by eye looking at pics Like this

Thanks Nick.

Well done, Bish!  Want the first picture used for the completion list?

Thanks Glamdring. It's not quite done yet, need to get it on a base and sort a figure out.Should be finished by the weekend.

Bish

Thanks Glamdring. It's not quite done yet, need to get it on a base and sort a figure out.Should be finished by the weekend.

 

Ok then!  Can't wait to see your base, they are always a pleasure to see.

Well, I started getting back to work on this over the past few weeks, and now I have enough photos worth posting.

First up, I modified the exhaust nozzle to backdate it to match the X-35. The kit part had the angled end and faceted nozzle petals of the F-35. I had to sand off those angle facets and ends to match the earlier design

Then I added some fine mesh into the inner surface of the engine to match the grill like texture of the area  between the flame holder and the afterburner nozzle

and lastly I started painting based on photos I found at F16.net and gluing parts in place

Nearly all of that will not be visible once the fuselage halves are glued together.

Interesting stuff there Stik, glad to see your progress on the -35.  Such a unique jet.

Glam, the -35 is unique indeed! And they sure do seem to grow on you once you start seeing them in person. A very powerful machine!

I did the detail painting the engine exterior. Now it’s ready for installation. 

Looking forward to seeing that engine turn into a plane stik!

Here’s my next in-process shot. Take a look around and offer any advice. Now’s the time for me to make additions while i can still take the IP and seats in and out  The wires for the side of the rear IP aren’t on, too fragile to do till very end. once this is set then the PE for the center consoles, the detailing and weathering can commence. Looking forward to comments 

Very nice work there on both builds!  I don't have any suggestions to offer on either, my builds are usually limited to ground vehicles.   

Thank you Glamdring. Mongoose, that cockpit looks sharp! I’m really liking the wiring work added!

I forgot to upload these to Postimage yesterday so I could update this last nite.  Ah well, now it’s done....

Vertical and horizontal stabilizers built... actually several days ago...

and the lower swivel engine doors installed after the saw tooth trailing adages were straightened...

 The X-35A was built with the swiveling nozzle engine for the X-35B installed, as well as all the associated doors for the lift fan, but no lift fan. Once the flight test program for the A was completed, it was taken back to the Skunk Works in Palmdale, the lift fan was installed, along with associated controls, and then it was redesignated as the X-35B, and went back out for flight test of the B program. No X-35A exists today, only the B and C remain.