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Stealth GB

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 29, 2004 9:40 PM
Erm yeah well seems it was my idea, i'll be building a Revell 1:72 SR71, finer details later.

Can I be coboss?
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Friday, July 30, 2004 12:25 AM
I've got a Tamiya 1/48th F-117A Nighthawk and a Italeri 1/48th F-22A and a whole bunch of recon figures in 1/35 and a 1/48th MH-53J Pave Low III. Um, what won't be considered stealthy?Tongue [:P]
I'm in with either the F-117A or F-22A or both.
-Aaron
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 3:03 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by _ROOSTA_

Erm yeah well seems it was my idea, i'll be building a Revell 1:72 SR71, finer details later.

Can I be coboss?


lol sure! any help w/ hosting a GB is greatly appreciated Blush [:I]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 4:11 AM
If I can get a 1/48 S-37 Berkut Stealth Fighter by September, I'm in, coz I'm still looking for a decent kit. Any recommendations from you guys? Thanks. Wink [;)]
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Friday, July 30, 2004 5:56 AM
Tony,
I've never seen a 1/48 S-37, who makes it. The only ones I've seen is a 1/144 from Revell and a 1/72 from Italeri. I think a Russian company also makes a 1/72, but I can't think of the name right now.
-Aaron
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 6:57 AM
Yes, Aaron, actually at this point I'm just hoping some manufacturer comes up with the kit in 48th scale. I'm putting off buying the Italeri kit because I've read somewhere that it has a lot of inaccuracies, so, I'm trying to hold off until a better one comes along. Maybe a company like Zvezda will come up with one, I hope. Well, anyway, thanks for the advice, I appreciate it.
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Friday, July 30, 2004 8:45 AM
I'm undecided? No, I'm fairly certain that I commited to this. The timeframe is good.
I'll be building a 1/48 F-117. Not certain of the details of the kit. It's a Monogram (I think) and comes with some basic photo-etch screens. It's been lying around for a while, and this will probably be the first A/C I've built in a while.
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: North East Texas
Posted by roadkill_275 on Friday, July 30, 2004 9:44 AM
Let me clear a few projects off my desk and I'll be able to join this. Put me down for Testors 1/72 B-2A Spirit.
Kevin M. Bodkins "Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup" American By Birth, Southern By the Grace of God! www.milavia.com Christian Modelers For McCain
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 10:58 AM
I have yet to participate in a group build, so I think ii would be in the best interests of all involved if I sit this one out and merely observe as a student, leaving space for those moderlers with intimate knowlege of the prototypes.
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Oklahoma City
Posted by Zone V Afterburner on Friday, July 30, 2004 11:28 AM
Put me down for an Italeri 1/48 scale F-22 in operational markings.Big Smile [:D]
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you........ Jesus Christ......and the American soldier..... One died for your soul......... The other....for your Freedom!!
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Friday, July 30, 2004 6:15 PM
Will aftermarket accessories be allowed? I'd like to add detail to the F-22 which just isn't there OOB. I'm sure everyone's well aware of the Italeri F-22, so I won't bother mentioning them. Good luck on your's, Scot.
-Aaron
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 6:31 PM
always wanted to build a F-117... but, I don't have one yet, so if I get one before Sep, count me in?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 7:17 PM
my f-117a is the academy 'ghost of baghdad'.
I'm just started on a 1/72 revell sr-71, so might as well throw that in too!
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Oklahoma City
Posted by Zone V Afterburner on Friday, July 30, 2004 7:34 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by adrake2

Will aftermarket accessories be allowed? I'd like to add detail to the F-22 which just isn't there OOB. I'm sure everyone's well aware of the Italeri F-22, so I won't bother mentioning them. Good luck on your's, Scot.


Tongue [:P]Uh Oh..... I hope so... got the Eduard set for it.....didn't really plan on building it without it.Big Smile [:D]Big Smile [:D] Good luck on yours too Adrake!
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you........ Jesus Christ......and the American soldier..... One died for your soul......... The other....for your Freedom!!
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Friday, July 30, 2004 10:21 PM
OK, so umm....well.....er......I kinda started a kit already - can I still join up with yous guys? :) I've had a move, a new job, and some MAJOR home remodeling to do in the meantime so I haven't really worked on it too much just yet. I'm sure many remember my beginnings though with the Tamiya F-117A kit that I've been wanting to super detail for years. I've got some electronics worked out for the rotating beacon, and fiber optic cockpit lighting. I've also worked on filling some of the seams on the fuselage that don't appear on the operational aircraft. I've got the Black Box cockpit set, and a couple of PE kits as well for details, and a Two Bob's decal sheet (talk about hard to find!!)

Anyway, if you'll have me, I'd certainly like to join in. Also, if anyone has a need for the PE set for an Academy 1:48 kit, I bought and opened one by mistake. It's yours for postage if you want it. Just drop me an email.

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 30, 2004 11:09 PM
alrighty, sign me up, but in the undecided category :)
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 8:37 AM
So far so good everybody! If you have a just-barely-started project and want to use it here then it's fine but just pause it until the GB start date. Use the time that gives you to work on the other 20 projects you've got running! We all do it, lol don't worry!
I've been thinking about changing the start and end dates and seriously want to. I thought that maybe starting it on September 11 would be patriotic or something but I don't want to take a serious date like that and trivialize its importance by making it the starting date for our little group build here. How about September 3 to February 3? The Friday start gives those who are ready and raring to go the chance to get some work done and pics posted on the first night, which would enthuse others. Just a thought, but please give an opinion of agree/disagree and why/why not. I don't want to ask people to start when they don't want to.

onyan - Sweet! I was hoping to see one or two S-37 builders. Very cool chioce. I hope you find a 1/48; it would be a great project to keep an eye on!
zokissima - imsorrybutyoudidntsaywhatyouwantedtobuildjustthatyouwantedtoparticipatesoiputyoudownforundecidedpleasedontkillme!!! lol Tongue [:P]Oops [oops]
sharkskin - Don't worry about being new to group builds ... this is my first one, too! Wink [;)] Come on and join if you want, it's all about having fun man!
Akuma - Roger, Roger! Sleepy [|)]

I went to my local hoshy bop yesterday Clown [:o)] and looked for my model on the way from one destination to the next, but they didn't have any in the aircraft section of the store. I went up front and asked if they had any that were in stock and for some reason not shelved, and they looked one up that they could get from the warehouse if I put in an order for it. It was an Academy 1/48 F-117 ... I know Academy to make good products but was unfamiliar with their F-117 so I jumped on it anyway. But from people that know better, did I order a good model? Just wondering what I've got myself into here; I've never made an order quite like that before, all but completely blind as to what I was ordering.
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Saturday, July 31, 2004 5:31 PM
As I mentioned before - just let me know if you'd like the aftermarket PE kit for the Academy 1:48 nighthawk. It's yours if you want it. Email me for specifics.

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 7:51 PM
Only F-117 I know of that I can buy in person is the AMT Ertl kit... and well, that one's not right, is it? Ah well... Might buy it anyway... (We can all pretend? )
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: North East Texas
Posted by roadkill_275 on Saturday, July 31, 2004 8:37 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Audiophile121
roadkill_175
Testors 1/72 B-2 Spirit


Have I been demoted now??Tongue [:P] Last I checked it was roadkill_275!!
Kevin M. Bodkins "Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup" American By Birth, Southern By the Grace of God! www.milavia.com Christian Modelers For McCain
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, July 31, 2004 9:23 PM
Sleepy [|)] hahaha .. mybad! Black Eye [B)]
I'll fix it right now .. lol now I feel dumb ... oh well. Nothing quite like some good old healthy humiliation after a trivial mistake! [:o0]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 1, 2004 2:41 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by roadkill_275

QUOTE: Originally posted by Audiophile121
roadkill_175
Testors 1/72 B-2 Spirit


Have I been demoted now??Tongue [:P] Last I checked it was roadkill_275!!


Good luck on that B-2! I'm building one, though I'm busy with other models at the moment (My B-2 is for the bomber GB )
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 8:56 AM
Hey all. Been away for the weekend. Is there a thread for this in the GB forum?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 10:36 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by zokissima

Hey all. Been away for the weekend. Is there a thread for this in the GB forum?


I tried putting a thread on the aircraft GB section but it didn't work. Must have tried at least five times.
*shrug* May as well try again..... Black Eye [B)]
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Thursday, August 5, 2004 6:11 AM
fictional I know but what about testors Mig -37 Ferret?
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Thursday, August 5, 2004 7:27 AM
Appeal to the powers that be!!!! We need help getting this thread on the GB forum.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 5, 2004 11:07 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Audiophile121

QUOTE: Originally posted by zokissima

Hey all. Been away for the weekend. Is there a thread for this in the GB forum?


I tried putting a thread on the aircraft GB section but it didn't work. Must have tried at least five times.
*shrug* May as well try again..... Black Eye [B)]


Not sure which one your talking about. Have you tried the GB section outside of the Aircraft one, the GB thread in this section is locked I think.
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Oklahoma City
Posted by Zone V Afterburner on Friday, August 6, 2004 8:00 AM
You might try contacting Lawrence Hanson about this personally,I think he is the only one that can post on that page.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you........ Jesus Christ......and the American soldier..... One died for your soul......... The other....for your Freedom!!
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Saturday, August 14, 2004 11:32 AM
Anyone know of any aftermarket accessories for a 1/48 F-22? I know Eduard makes a PE set but is there any resin sets for weapons bays, landing gear, etc.?
-Aaron
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Oklahoma City
Posted by Zone V Afterburner on Saturday, August 14, 2004 7:15 PM
I don't know of one ..... but if you find something let me know please? Thanks!!
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you........ Jesus Christ......and the American soldier..... One died for your soul......... The other....for your Freedom!!
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Sunday, August 15, 2004 2:34 AM
Yeah I didn't think so. SOL makes a set of resin AIM-9Xs and AIM-120s. Flightpath and Cutting Edge Modelworks also makes resin AMRAAMs. You would just need to cut off the tips of the fins to make the C models that the F-22 uses.
-Aaron
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: and just won't go away.
Posted by Quagmyre on Sunday, August 15, 2004 5:38 PM
_ROOSTA_ requested a Stealth GB badge for you guys so I threw one together.

Here's the full size.


And here's the 80 x 80 badge to be used in signiatures.


Hope You like it!


Current and Subsequent Projects:
1/48 scale Tamiya P-47 "Razorback" - Complete
1/48 scale Testors/Lone Star Models PT-22 Recruit - 20% Complete 
1/48 scale Monogram C-47 Skytrain - Not Started

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 15, 2004 5:52 PM
That is awsome mate looks fantasitic.
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Sunday, August 15, 2004 8:06 PM
Cool [8D] Holy cow... that's AWESOME.
-Aaron
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 1:14 PM
Hey Will, Just checking to see if you got my email on the PE parts and all?

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Friday, August 20, 2004 9:36 PM
In Case anyone's interested, there are several auctions up on ebay right now that might interest those working on a Nighthawk kit:

Superscale Decales in 1:48
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2587&item=5915705019&rd=1

Tamiya kit in 1:48 for $20.00 (a heck of a good price for this kit):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50302&item=5915182434&rd=1

Same kit starting at $3.00, but has been opened and has a reserve:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1189&item=5916152132&rd=1

Just some options for folks interested in this GB and stuff..... :)

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    September 2015
  • From: The Redwood Empire
Posted by Aaronw on Friday, August 20, 2004 10:06 PM
I'll ask again now that this is stickied, how are you defining stealth? Would pre-"stealth" night fighters or bombers be considered stealth? I'm thinking about aircraft like P61 Black Widow, PBY Black cat, He219 Uhu, Mosquito etc.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Littleton,CO
Posted by caine on Saturday, August 21, 2004 3:01 PM
I think I'll join in with a 1/48 Academy F-117... I happend to pick it up at Hobby Lobby during their half off models sale a few weeks ago. Kind of conveniant that this GB poped up about the same time.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 22, 2004 4:42 PM
May I join this build with a 1/72 F-117?
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Monday, August 23, 2004 8:46 AM
I am supprised no one's really mentioned doing a U2 (just saw the post over on the main A/C board)...that would surely count towards stealth wouldn't it??
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Littleton,CO
Posted by caine on Monday, August 23, 2004 7:41 PM
It's black, but not exaxtly stealth... but we might be able to let that one slide.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 12:39 AM
Wasn't the U2 designed for stealthy/high altitude penetration of hostile airspace? I was under the impression that it was painted in the same black 'iron ball' paint as the SR-71 etc. Maybe I'd heard wrong...
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Littleton,CO
Posted by caine on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 7:31 PM
Well, true it was designed to penatrate enemy airspace and it was (still is) painted black. But black paint doesn't make a plane "Stealth". Stealth (in the aircraft world) usually refers to an aircraft's ability to go undetected by radar, or at least have a significantly reduced radar cross section.

Technically, the U-2 was far from stealth. After all, several got shot down by enemy missiles during the 60s. In fact, the SR-71 is only boarder-line stealthy. It had a lower cross-section than probably any aircraft when it was built, but it doesn't compare to the RCS of the F-117 or later aircraft.

But I'm not putting this GB together, so I'm certainly not going to dictate the technicalities of this project.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Sunday, August 29, 2004 1:03 PM
Good info Caine, though again, I was under the impression that the U2 was painted in the "Iron Ball" black paint, not just your off the shelf Krylon ya know? It was the paint as much as the aircraft's shape etc. that helped it with stealth. And even an F-117A has been shot down now so I'm not sure that's as great a defining characteristic as it used to be. :)

Still curious to learn from all who know more than I do - like everyone else! :)

Best!

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Midwest US
Posted by balta1 on Sunday, August 29, 2004 7:02 PM
Hi all,
I would like to join to GB as well. Put me down for the 1/144 Revell B-2 and the 1/48th Monogram F-117.

Stir not the bitterness in the cup I have mixed for myself!

 

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, August 29, 2004 9:45 PM
OK I'm in but I'm not sure with what yet...
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, August 30, 2004 11:38 PM
Lets say that the definition of stealth then is 1. painted in "stealthy radar evading" paint and/or 2. has a "stealthy radar evading" airframe.
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Thursday, September 2, 2004 8:20 AM
Just another point of consideration on the U2: It was designed to fly at very high altitudes right? Something like 60-70,000 feet plus? Wasn't this design parameter directly linked to it's ability to hide from enemy eyes and SAMs etc.? Again, I know it didn't work all the time, but it seemed to get the job done for the most part didn't it?
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Ft. Bragg, NC
Posted by adrake2 on Thursday, September 2, 2004 9:38 PM
The U2 was designed to fly over Russia's SAMs, but it couldn't fly high enough to evade their radar. RCS, or Radar Cross Section, wasn't a factor in it's design. In fact, the Iron Ball paint came on later U2s and TR-1s. The SR-71, however, was the first aircraft to have RCS considerations in it's design parameters. Eisenhower didn't only want an aircraft that the Russian's couldn't shoot down, he wanted a plane that they couldn't even detect.
-Aaron
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 4, 2004 12:05 PM
Hey all, been a while since I've looked at this thread. Sorry.. :-X

But it's day two of the GB! SWEET! I wonder if anybody has started yet. Personally, I have not - there's a huge hurricane that is sort of keeping people busy around here, and I'm waiting for a PE detail kit to come in the mail, but I don't expect it to come anytime soon because the hurricane has paused the postal service. Has anybody indeed begun their project already? Keep us updated, it's half the fun of a GB!

In regard to the whole 'definition of stealth' issue ... it really depends on what era you're talking about as to whether or not your target plane would be considered stealthy.

aaronw - Radar wasn't developed until later in the war ... so things like the P-61 Black Widow, the Mosquito, and those other night fighters would all be legitimate projects for this group build. They were made to be less detectable than other planes, which is in essence stealth, so yeah they're acceptable to me. Gotta ask my coboss (_ROOSTA_)! lol. I'm unfamiliar with the Hw219 Uhu and the PBY Black Cat, so I don't know how to make those calls.....

Maybe we should try to compile a list of aircraft that would be acceptable projects? That would be difficult, and we'd end up questioning new ones anyway on whether or not they're stealthy ... I'm willing to go for it though.

caine, ddayomaha, balta1 - I will be adding you to the beginning post of this thread on the list of participants after I finish typing this. Good luck with your build, and have fun!

uilleann - The U2. The U2. The U2. Personally, I'd give it the thumbs-up on stealthiness and project legitimacy. But ask _ROOSTA_ for confirmation on that, he's coboss.... I have no idea exactly how they were painted, but I do know that the paint does effect a plane's RCS. But I'm pretty sure that in its glory days, during the Cold War, they were close to undetectable when they were that ridiculously high up in the atmosphere.

I have a book on the U2, I should look that up .. also a book on the F-117, I should look up its paint for comparison as well.

Hope everybody's projects are going well, or that you're at least finishing up whatever is on your workbench so that you can at last tackle your kit for the GB! I'll be doing my best to keep things updated and what not, but theres a huge storm right overhead and I'll be needing to keep the phone lines open.

Happy building! Cool [8D]

Over n out
Will
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 5, 2004 10:21 AM
You stay safe and dry down there Will

Thanks for letting me into the build
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Tuesday, September 7, 2004 11:26 AM
Did anyone start their projects yet?
I think I'll look inside the box today. I haven't built an AC in years, so this will be interesting.
By the way, what is an appropriate colour to use for the 'black' radar-absorbing paint? Flat black seems a little too dark for me.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 7, 2004 11:24 PM
My family and my house is fine for those concerned but this isn't a personal forum so I'll try to stay to the point while giving an update as well. The storm knocked out power for virtually all of central Florida about two seconds after I posted my last blurb on this thread. We've maintained running water the whole time and are still without electricity, but we just got phone service back tonight, so I come to you thanks to my gargantuan extra-car-battery-to-power-converter-to-laptop-computer-to-phone-line rig. People not even a mile away have been restored to full power so we should be up and running by tomorrow, but for now, we're getting creative. Go crudeness!

I opened my box today and checked out the pieces and the instructions some more ... been a while since I've looked at it. The instructions are so simple for this kit (Academy 1/48 F-117A), quite possibly too simple.

See Spot.
See Spot run.
Run, Spot, run.

Instructions are so ridiculously crude compared to the rest of the aircraft I've done, which have all been Revell-Monogram up until this one. I find that I'll have to do some picture-questing to learn how I should do the interior of the cockpit and such. I've got a whole book on this plane but they don't give any well-detailed pictures or illustrations of the cockpit or the weapons bays; it's basically just a history of how it came to be.

Does anybody have any scanned (detailed) illustrations of F-117 interior? Or know of a website that in any way depicts the instrument panel details in one of these suckers? I'm gonna check the library tomorrow - maybe it's open and I can return my book that was due the day the hurricane hit and everything went dark - and scavenge for anything I can find on the F-117. In the meantime could somebody help me out? I'm so bored without any power! I need something to do!!
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 9:00 AM
DAMN! And I had a TON of reference photos of the cockpit etc too. All except for the fact that my blasted hard drive decided to go belly up and I LOST IT ALL!!!!! AAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

In lighter news - how's the mail service? Did you get your PE kit yet? It should be close if not there already...

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 9, 2004 8:39 PM
I'll all for having as many people in this GB as possible and I'm happy to say that any night fighter can be classified as stealth for this GB taking into consideration the timeline of radar and when it actually was advanced enough to consistantly pick up everything that tried to get through. But if anyone knows, Could a single BF110 nightfigther get picked up on radar back in the 40's?
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Friday, September 10, 2004 8:57 AM
I think I'm gonna end up putting the plane together this weekend. i don't want to start painting until I get some feedback, as I'm not really certain how to paing and weather an apparently all-black aircraft.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 11, 2004 10:41 AM
I got the PE kit in the mail yesterday. Yesterday was the first day that the postal service regained functionability around here, because of the hurricane - I got like four packages in the mail yesterday. Was happy to see that one in the pile. It probably arrived a while ago and was simply not delivered until then.

I begun last night with my Academy 1/48 kit, but the power went out again so I went to bed having only cemented the bombs together and the engine slats into place. Today, with power back and my airbrush once more available, I will be painting!

Brian - Do you remember any of where/how you attained those pics of the cockpit interior? I'd certainly like to look them up and check them out! Cool [8D]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 11, 2004 10:51 AM
Just had an idea on how to maybe paint the exterior of the F-117:

Apply a dark metallizer (Model Masters Gunmetal is the one I'm thinking of), seal it, apply a one or two light coats of flat black over the lacquer, then seal that.

That would allow for it to be black and would also give it the strange metallic character that it has. Or at least theoretically, it would ...

Feedback?
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Littleton,CO
Posted by caine on Saturday, September 11, 2004 4:55 PM
For anyone building the Academy 1/48 F-117, the ejection seat doesn't seem to sit properly. It bumps up against the control stick base in the cockpit tub and only touches the cockpit in the back. Has anyone else noticed this? Is that right... I don't think I have ever build an aircraft where the ejection seat doesn't sit flat in the tub.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Saturday, September 11, 2004 8:34 PM
The Tamiya kit will have a similar problem in the tub if you use aftermarket seat kits. (At least I've found it to be this way) Some careful sanding and trimming seems to help there though. I've not seen the Academy kit in person however, and I can't speak as to the best way to remedy it's fit troubles.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 11, 2004 10:24 PM
I am doing the Academy F-117, but haven't played with the cockpit yet. I've just assembled the bombs and a bit of the undercarriage so far. Thanks for the heads-up, though, maybe I can work an angle with that and get it to not look as weird as it sounds like it'll end up looking.
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  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Sunday, September 12, 2004 6:52 AM
Just another quick heads up - if anyone's interested in doing the Tamiya kit, or is generally looking for parts, keep your eyes open and pointed at ebay. Currently, theres a Tamiya 1:48 kit by itself for $20, and another of the same kit including the BB cockpit upgrade and the Eduard P.E. detail set as well going for $40. The kit alone retails for $52 now, let alone the cost of the upgrade kits.

I got both of my last kits on ebay for $20 each. Not too bad really! :) Hopefully, this will help some folks out. Sorry, i don't have a link handy just now, but do a search for F-117A and you'll get two pages of results. Haven't done a search for "stealth" yet, but I imagine it'd be similar.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by uilleann on Sunday, September 12, 2004 4:56 PM
Hey Will, sorry to have missed the question a few posts back - no, I don't remember where I picked up all those photos...but I'll keep my eyes open. Glad to hear the P.E. made it off to you safe and sound.

Bri~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by uilleann on Monday, September 13, 2004 8:50 AM
Also, for anyone with cable and the Discovery Wings channel, there's been a special on the last day or so on Stealth tech. I immagine it will replay for another day or two. check it out or record it if you can.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 8:15 PM
just wondering if anyone knows what colour the ejector seat is in a f-117 stealth? is it an ACES II seat? cause i have a pic of that but none of the seat in the actual aircraft so I'm not sure. Thanks for any help!
oh and I finished the Habu I was making at about the same time this GB thread came up. If youre interested, the pics of the finished bird are here http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=27327
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Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 8:21 PM
Black. It is an ACES II seat but they didn't want any part of the cockpit to be overly visible from the ground or another passing aircraft, so they tried to 'black out' as much of it as they could - including going so far as to put glare shields sometimes called "elephant ears" to shield the glow from the displays from reaching outside the canopy. Even the pilots helmets are black or dark grey. Sounds kinda over the top to me...but that's the story I've seen anyway.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 8:30 PM
wow fast reply! thanks, cuz i was THIS close to going grey on it! thanks again!
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Posted by uilleann on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 9:08 AM
You could probably get away with a very dark grey, to add a little visusl interest to things in there, but I'd be careful and avoid going too light. interestingly, the floor of the cockpit tub and the back wall arev all fairly light grey in color. Although much of the upper surfaces are covered in black swtch plates, wire bundles, electronics, hydraulics etc. The main panel is also black - as is the dash above it.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by uilleann on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 9:21 AM
Here are a few links to some auctions on eBay that some may want to follow:

$20 Tamiya kit (usually $52+)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=50302&item=5920979628&rd=1

$10.51 Tamiya kit (may go for dirt cheap!)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1191&item=5921003426&rd=1
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 7:20 PM
thanks again uilieann for the colour info. so has anyone else started building yet? I'm just getting into it, painting the seat and cockpit. too bad about the instruments being decals in the academy 1/72. Im also trying to decide whether or not to have the bomb doors open. I REALLY dont like painting white....
anyways, later!
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Posted by uilleann on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 10:06 PM
HA! And GLOSS white at that! Such a major pain in the tail!! The Tamiya kit has decals for the main panel as well, though it also has some great raised detail that would dry brush very nicely if that's your thing. Have you looked into any of the aftermarket photo etched kits for your plane? They would likely give you razor sharp details and still hold true to your scale.

For my own part, I don't care for much in the 1:72 size unless there isn't any other option for my subject, but I know there are plenty of good kits out there and lots and lots of aftermarket goodies to be had. Check out ebay and Great Models for some ideas.

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 16, 2004 7:20 PM
yeah but i sort of decided not to go with the AM stuff for this one, i sort of decided to do it out of the box, and whatever i can scrape up myself. I like the small size since they dont take up too much space, although i do have a few 48th kits to do as well.
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Posted by uilleann on Saturday, September 18, 2004 8:58 AM
I'm curious to see what everyone has gotten done so far on their builds - pics anyone?? :)
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by caine on Saturday, September 18, 2004 11:36 AM
For those who already haven't done so, the F-117A Walk Around book by Squadron is full of detailed photos and is definately worth the purchase if you want to be accurate. I think I'm building mine out of the box, but I might add a few scratch built extras if they seem easy enough.

The statis of my kit is that I have assembled the ejection seat (and had some fit problems mentioned previously) and I airbrushed a grey primer coat over all of those sections that will be painted white later. I have about five other kits going right now that I need to finish before winter finally hits, so my F-117 will be taking a back seat for the moment.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 18, 2004 9:33 PM
Very informational posts, Brian. Many thanks -- I had no idea that the cockpit was all "blacked out" but could only follow the directions. I already painted the seat olive drab! Perhaps I could just paint it flat black again. Which is possible because I finally located my air compressor after it was hidden away somewhere for the storm! I have regained my airbrushing capabilities! Did you know that they had to specialize the windshield because the RCS of the pilot's helmet was greater than the plane's? I think that's pretty neat.

matt-alberta: It never ceases to amaze me, how people get their cockpits painted in such detail. How do you do that? Can you share any tips with me to help me do the same sort of thing to my cockpits? Man, I wish I could paint details like that!!

I've been bogged down with papers, essays, and the like .. ugh ... homework bites! Some evenings are open, but I paint in my back yard and the mosquitos make it so that I can only paint in the daytime so evenings are out. This weekend is free, though, so I plan on cramming some work into the weekend, weather permitting. Personally, I look forward to late fall and winter with my modeling -- the days are longer and the temperature doesn't get that bad here in central Florida.

... so approximately how light is the gray on the Nighthawk's cockpit floor?
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 18, 2004 9:42 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Audiophile121

matt-alberta: It never ceases to amaze me, how people get their cockpits painted in such detail. How do you do that? Can you share any tips with me to help me do the same sort of thing to my cockpits? Man, I wish I could paint details like that!!

it's deceptively simple... first, paint it white. then, thin out some black and try to let it run around the dials and stuff. then wipe off the black that inevitably gets on your nice white buttons and whatnot as good as you can, and try to pick out some more of the white again. repeat until youre happy with it. seems to work pretty well for 1/72 pits anyway, since its more about the impression, if you know what i mean.Big Smile [:D]
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 18, 2004 11:38 PM
I found a pretty good site with some hi-res photos of the nighthawk if anyone is interested. I'm having trouble finding a good shot of the cockpit from above, since there isnt a store in town with any reference books and I dont want to order from squadron for just one book. anyway, heres the site http://www.aleinn.com/black_projects/f117_photos.html

so I emailed the photographer of those shots and he got back to me this morning. "Thanks for the nice words. No, I didn't get any shots into the cockpit except for the ones from the ground. Once I took out my long lens they immediately began to close the canopy, which they did within thirty minutes. The armed security force also were very sensitive about me taking shots of the rear engine exhaust area, at one point motioning me to get back with a gun barrel.
Attached are a couple of shots that might help your effort. Send me a shot of your completed model when you are done.
Thanks again,
Andre'"
the shots sent are just the same ones as on the page. but still really useful. what a nice guy!
Later
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Posted by uilleann on Sunday, September 19, 2004 10:21 AM
Let me mention a couplke od things here to try and clarify what I mentioned earlier! :) The cockpit is for the *most* part completely black. Things like the ejection seat are pretty much all black - with a few exceptions. Stuff like the O2 bottle, some wiring and cables, the ejection handles and the seat cushions are all their respective "natural" colors still. The cusions for example are olive drab, but the seat framework is black.

The canopy glass is treated with Indium Tin Oxide - the same material that gives the F-16 and F-22 canopys their gold hues. It's also the stuff that makes touch screen computer monitors work. And will, you're exactly right - the pilots head and similar things poking up above the canopy sill did indeed have a greater return than the rest of the aircraft hence the use of the oxide. I'm curious to know if anyone has had any success in modeling a scale screen that covers the front FLIR and targeting pod just below the front glass?? You can see a little of it here along with the irridecent coloring of the canopy:





an image showing the cockpit PRE install of the full color moving map displays:


And this is the *ONLY* photo I've ever seen with regards to the F-117A's current cockpit layout. There are some black and white shots of the test aircraft in Dayton I think, but they are nothing like the instrumentation in the production craft:


And a shot of the IRADS system components up close:
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 20, 2004 10:23 PM
Interesting stuff about the nighthaks here, I'm looking forward to seeing some of them finished with the detail it sounds like some are going to get. I've just put the fuselage on my SR71 together and there are a few gaps and scratches that happened in the box I'll have to fix but I havn't run into anything to bad yet, at least no problems I didn't cause (I glued the pilot instrument panel on in the wrong spot) not to worried about that though because I didn't give the cockpit much detail, I'm doing it canopy down and the windows are very small so It wont be obvious and the detail I did give it should look ok.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 12:57 AM
well I've got some cockpit shots for you all. I made up some seatbelts out of thin brass, put ejection spurs on the seat (If thats what they're calledConfused [%-)] thats what they look like anyway...) with a rbf tag on it. made video screens from transparency paper i printed out at the officeWhistling [:-^]in black and dark green... oh and added a couple little boxes and wires, probably add more after I get it in the fuselage and see how it sits... All this because I wasn't happy with the decaled panel LOL...
for all the time i put in it, maybe I should've just gotten the resin. Nah!
oh btw no I havent forgotten the stick, just havent put it in yet



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Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 1:04 AM
Sweet Matt! Looking good! I'm sorry - but remind me the make and scale you're doing? Now if I don't miss my guess, the "spurs" you're refferring to on the top of the ACES II seat are actually pitot tubes that the seat uses to orient itself and deploy the chute upon ejection. If you do a search for the seat on Google or some such site, I think you'll probably have some luck finding some good shots that represent that feature.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 1:06 AM
academy 1/72. pretty small, i dont know why Im bothering with all this you cant see it anyway!
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  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Wednesday, September 22, 2004 9:36 AM
oooh, very nice Matt. I haven't even started this build yet. Lack of a place to work. I'll see if I have the time to start either this or next weekend.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 11:48 AM
Delayed another week ...

Florida has met the record of most hurricanes in one season! Four. Too many if you ask me ... so I'm waiting for electric to come back on. Then I'll get my cockpit together and put up some pics for display.

Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]Angry [:(!]
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Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 10:07 PM
What are you up to now Will - FOUR??? And how many of those were a cat. 4-5 at that?!?! Unbelieveable! Glad you're safe though.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 12:31 AM
Ok, so I've installed the cockpit and masked the canopy, primed, and painted the bays white. had to put some green putty on one of the long wing edges as there was a bit of an overhang. have i mentioned how much i hate painting gloss white? Banged Head [banghead]heres some pics, not too exciting but hey, its getting there! i decided to prime it as I'm planning on just putting on the black in really light coats and hoping that it will bring the color down a bit for that sort of dusty black look they seem to have in all the pics I've seen.
Hopefully I'll get started on that tomorrow.



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Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 3, 2004 11:34 PM
Well I'm more or less done. After taking photos I saw a couple areas that need a bit of work. All in all I had fun with this kit, although the primer was pretty much a waste of time I think, the lesson is black covers everything instantly. I think it looks ok though. I still need to make the hydraulic canopy supports out of something, since I couldnt find anything around the house that looked right, anyone got any ideas? THe canopy pretty much needs to be up, or else I'll have to retouch the white on the edge of the cockpit . Also, some of that primer got into the cockpit, hence the dusty look, but its only noticable in close ups, cant see it with my eye so I can live with that.
The things I'm most pleased with on this one are the canopy, came out pretty sharp and clear, used scotch tape and a sharp knife and I think it worked pretty good, but I was sweating the whole week it was on there, since pretty much the last thing to do is peel off the tape and find out how it looks. I like the wires on the landing gears and on the gear door, and I like the way the bombs look. And I like how the cockpit turned out, considering how plain it looked when I started.
Well, here it is, my own private Skunkworks! Let me know what you think!



oh and the tires sort of suck. need to touch up that black.






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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 4, 2004 7:58 PM
Nice job, I like the cockpit and your undercarrige looks good too.
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  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 4:11 PM
Wow, great job. To say the least, I am keeping your pics as references for my own bird of the same wing Smile [:)]
On that note, I have a question. Not being an AC guy, what colour is it that you used? I thought all stealth aircraft had a flat-black finish? Maybe it's the photos, but it looks like yours is semi-gloss almost...
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 6, 2004 6:37 PM
yeah i ran out of flat finish, Im gonna hit it again when i get to the shop to get more. I used tamiya black gloss spray, basically to make it easier to decal,and only managed to get one coat of flat on there before it ran out. Thats what I did with my sr71, and I think I put about 3 coats of flat on that b4 i was happy with it. I got an airbrush recently so Im going to hit it a few more times to dull it down a bit. I think the camera flash accentuates it a little too, it doesnt look that shiny on the shelf.
Thanks for the nice comments though!
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Posted by uilleann on Thursday, October 7, 2004 8:43 AM
Matt, what did you use for the gear door tubing/hoses/wiring stuff? Looks great!
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, October 9, 2004 12:36 AM
Brian, its all very thin wire from radio shack with the insulation stripped off painted black and superglued on. and a tiny piece of brass on the gear door. I still need to actually finish the thing, but when i get that close to being done I cant wait to move onto my next project. when I get back after the weekend I really got to do the last 20 minutes work on this thing!
So, is anyone else getting anywhere with these black beauties yet?
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Posted by uilleann on Sunday, October 10, 2004 10:12 PM
Soooo.....due to my move a few months back, and a new job etc. etc. yadda yadda, I haven't had nearly the time I'd have liked to put my silly plane together, but here's a great shot of some of the pieces! :)



If anyone needs it, I still have an extra resin ACES II seat from the Verlinden kit that I won't be using. It's in 1:48. So far, I've gotten the electronics together for the rotating beacon, filled most of the panel lines on the top of the fuselage, worked a bit on the landing gear assemblies and started in on the black box cockpit detail set. Still have ages to go it seems though. *sigh*

It's fun, but sometimes, I wish the hard parts would just finish themselves! :)

Bri~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 11, 2004 11:00 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by uilleann

If anyone needs it, I still have an extra resin ACES II seat from the Verlinden kit that I won't be using.


As for myself, I have only barely surpassed minimal progress on my kit. Tomorrow is entirely free, though, so I plan to hit the workbench for most of the day. However, I've got a few questions ...
1 - Brian, how much for the resin seat? Is it produced for use with any particular kit? (More specifically, is it compatible with my Academy 1:48 kit?)
2 - Anybody, what's the best way to apply P/E parts to the regular polystyrene plastic? I tried conventional superglue and it didn't hold. Not only that, but once the PE parts fell off, the glue got really cloudy and it looks horrible! I looked around on the forums and couldn't find any significant advice. Please help!
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Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 1:07 AM
The seat was originally designed for the Tamiya kit I believe, however, I seem to recall it works well in the Hasegawa kit as well...may also work alright in the Academy kit...but I haven't heard. I can take some measurements with my dial calipers later on and see what sort of dimensions it would take if ya like. I'll be happy to ship it for postage too.

As for the P.E.-polystyrene bond, I've always just used superglue myself...depending on the part, sometimes the gel works better than the reg. liquid. Not much help there - sorry!

B~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by philp on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 11:01 PM
Brian,
Good to see the stealth is still in the works. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Phil Peterson IPMS #8739 Join the Map http://www.frappr.com/finescalemodeler
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 14, 2004 9:07 AM
I finally got some work done on my model! YAY!!!

Glued exterior PE parts into place, glued the tail wings on, masked around the cockpit for later painting .. assembled/painted cockpit with PE parts included .. assembled bomb racks .. put PE parts onto landing gear assemblies.

PE parts aren't that hard to do ... I just about completely botched the port intake thingy, and my superglue got cloudy and all that nasty stuff, but I just used a needle to poke the glue out from the grid. Good as new ... almost.

No pics to show it, though. Dad has digital camera w/ him on 4-day business trip. I'll post some pics soon as I can though.
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Posted by uilleann on Thursday, October 14, 2004 12:14 PM
One of the harder things I've been working to figure out how to get correct are exactly those darn intake grills. On production aircraft, they are definitely NOT just a thin flat piece of screen - they have a very distinct depth of an inch or two at least...more like a waffle iron than a window screen if that makes sense. But of course, all the PE screens are just that - thin screen. To my mind, they should be about 4-6 times thicker to accurately produce the appearance of the real screens.

Thoughts??

Bri~

P.S. HI PHIL! Sorry I've missed the last few meetings...stay on me about it and I'll see if I can't keep making it out to some soon!!
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by uilleann on Thursday, October 14, 2004 4:45 PM
One quick question...anyone have a good lead on a MXU-648/A cargo pod thing that the pilots often use to transport personal stuff to airshows etc? If there isn't a kit of this pod available in 1:48, can an ordinance kit be used and modified to work? As I understand it, It's basically the casing of a modified Vietnam-era BLU-1/B (or BLU-27/B) 750 lb. napalm bomb, equipped with a side door, that is used to store personal effects, tools, and about anything else one can stuff in there.
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by caine on Thursday, October 14, 2004 11:32 PM
I haven't seen the baggage pod sold in any weapons kits, but I found a couple that came with my new Hasegawa F-16C kit. Hasegawa's Weapon Set A contains the old napalm bombs if you want to try to make some from that kit.

Well, hopefully I'll finish some of these other kits I have going so I can really get into my F-117. Well, I guess I will have an X-35 done soon, but I started that well before this thread was started so I guess it won't count. I'll try to get some pics on after that one is finished too.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
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Posted by uilleann on Friday, October 15, 2004 8:15 AM
Don't suppose I could talk you out of a pod there Caine?? Big Smile [:D] Or if anyone has one of the H-"A" kits and isn't using the old napalm cans....

Guess I'm just boring and like to hang stuff you'd see at airshows from the bombrack rather than stuff you drop on peoples heads to make them go boom. Ah well!

Brian~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by uilleann on Sunday, October 24, 2004 5:46 PM
Cool - so I got a cargo pod on it's way. Now if I can just find some time to work a bit more on the kit inbetween all the new reeds I gotta make for the pipes! Sucks having two hobbies that you love so much! :D

Bri~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 25, 2004 12:57 PM
hiya, folks !
i've been checking out this thread 4 awhile now, thinking about building something... stealthy....
nice skunkworks, matt ! the nighthawk's 'office' is looking really great !
is this a closed build or can people still join up ?

frostySmile [:)]
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 9:19 PM
No worries frosty... what you wanna build?
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, October 27, 2004 10:07 PM
Thanks Frosty, although I've got to admit I'm a little bit tired of painting things black by now!
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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, October 28, 2004 12:34 PM
i have a 1/72 revell/monogram sr-71 i could build 4 this...
i didn't realize just how big the Blackbird was,
even in 1/72, it will b the biggest a/c i've built yet.
looks like i'd better lay in a supply of black paint !!!

frostySmile [:)]
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Posted by uilleann on Saturday, October 30, 2004 8:41 PM
Out of curiosity, haven't seen anyone with a YF-12A or an F-19 in the build. Surely these would be great subjects? Incidently, I don't think I've *seen* a YF-12A kit for ages and ages.... *sigh* oh well! Any SR-71 type aircraft with twin nuclear cruise missle launchers is pretty damn cool in my book either way!
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
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  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Monday, November 1, 2004 6:15 AM
Is it to late to jump into this build? I have Italeri's Mig-37 which is a fictional aircraft I know but it seems to fit the spirit of this build.
A side note on the U-2/TR-1 These aircraft are NOT stealth aircraft and were never designed to be "undetectabel" The survival factor of the U-2/TR-1 was its ability to fly at rediculously high altitudes. What they believed were out of reach of Soviet style anti aircraft SAMs. Not high enough as was proved a couple times. The paint used on these aircraft came from a CIA mandate that the aircraft coming out of SKUNKWORKS should be painted black, against the recomendations of designers that black is not the best color for low visiblity at night. (a dark kind of pastel grey was suggested.) The reason the black paint was wanted was these aircraft at first were restricked to night ops not only to reduce enemy detection in enemy territory but outside the bases they operated out of. They took of and landed in darkness and were immediatly stored in hangers. Quite often the only people who knew they were on base would be the pilot, maintainers, and base commanders. Ive heard stories that not even the ground controlers or airtraffic controlers knew these planes were coming or going and that landing lights were turned off during take off and landing. just some info and myMy 2 cents [2c]

thanks guys and lemme know about the Mig-37
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
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  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Friday, November 19, 2004 9:01 AM
OK, so the suspense is killing me! How's everyone else coming along with their builds? I haven't had two seconds to breathe between work and a new CD with the band, but hope to continue moving along shortly.

INFO GUYS! :)

Bri~
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 19, 2004 1:54 PM
well, i've taken off the shrink wrap & looked inside the box...
cut the top fuselage section off of its sprue & dry fitted it 2
the bottom fuselage section 2 check the fit....
(looks like there'll be some gaps 2 fill here & there)
that's as much as i've done so far, still gathering reference materials
at this point...
this SR-71 is really huge, i wonder if anyone makes one in 1/144 ?
because i really don't know where i'm going 2 put the 1/72 one
once it's built !

frosty Smile [:)]
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Monday, November 22, 2004 9:42 PM
Is it too late to join in? I've got an X-32 that I just started that would sort of fit the GB.
As for a meaningless bit of stealth trivia: According to a friend of mine who works with military radar systems, the Dehavilland Mosquito was very stealthy (in terms of radar) for it's time not only because of it's small profile but also because of its all-wood construction.

my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Thursday, November 25, 2004 7:23 AM
I've been a little lazy with this build. I haven't done ANYTHING yet, but considering the kit, I should be able to put it together in a day or so, as soon as I can find a day or so to build Smile [:)]
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Friday, November 26, 2004 9:48 AM
I've started painting doing some detail painting and will probably work on detailing the cockpit/ejection seat today.
my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posted by zokissima on Monday, November 29, 2004 8:36 AM
Ok, well it's become painfully obvious to me this weekend that I probably won't be able to finish this one in time. Hell, I'd be lucky if I had the time to START it on time. Thus it is my sad duty to inform you all that I will be dropping out of this GB.
Good luck to the rest of ya, have fun!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, December 7, 2004 11:36 AM
Hey all .. I'm back. Guess I should have said I'd be gone for a while ... lol, mybad. Wink [;)]

Sweet - new participants! Yeah, come on in and join .. it's all for the sake of fun and nobody is forbidden to participate. (Unless you're building something big, slow, and noisy!)

Sooo ... overkillphil with an X-32. frostygirl with an SR-71. Awood23 with a Mig-37. Sounds good to me :o)

Awood23 - What kit did you make for that aviation team group build? I've always wanted to make one of the old A-4 Blue Angels, a sleek F-16 Thunderbird, or something like that ... but was afraid they would come with huge decals and be cheesy like that. What did you do and how did you do it?
  • Member since
    March 2004
  • From: Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by uilleann on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 1:19 AM
OK so I'm DYIN' HERE! How's everyone coming with there builds? Me....uh....we....er...ya see......it's like this... :)

I seriously haven't had more than a second to breathe the last two months and so haven't really gotten any progress done past what I had well...a few months back. I suck I know. :D Just curious how the rest of you are coming on?
"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Tuesday, December 14, 2004 9:18 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by uilleann

OK so I'm DYIN' HERE! How's everyone coming with there builds? Me....uh....we....er...ya see......it's like this... :)


Well, this model would probably be done if I didn't have to fix all the ejection points and fill in all the panel lines that aren't supposed to be there. Other than that, it should move along pretty well once I get those done.
my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Wednesday, December 15, 2004 10:01 AM
Audiophile, I wsnt to build the Mig for this build but Im home stateside right now on emergency leave and I doubt I'll get it finished before the end date. I will post pics of it for you guys anyways for those intrested.
For the aerobatics group build Im building Premiers 1/48 Hawk in the RedArrows livery seen in my sig. The kit decals for any aerobatic team can be a pain but Ive learned some tricks that make applying them a little easier.
#1 Never use Premiers supplied decals. They're AWFULL
When dealing with large decals that come with kits for builds like the red arrows, blue angles, and thunderbirds, Just because theres one big decal doesn't mean it has to be applied as one big decals dont be afraid to cut a decal in half and even thirds to make them easier to apply. Especially the longer fusealge stripes... Just make sure that you allign the next stripe up to the next one and try and apply the next decal while the first one is still wet and movable. Id wait till the whole decale is in place where you want it before applying any decal setting sollutions.
For more experience modeler try making masks... and painting marking rather than decals. The results are much nicer. One thing Ive tried in the past with some success with a Blue Angel. Paint a base of yellow covering the area where the decal will be applied. Apply the decal then paint the blue and use the decal as the mask simply remove it after you done painting. Just some ideas... I wouldnt be afraid to tackle kits like these as practice will only make you better. And in my case using a crappy kit will force you to get better :)
Im still working on my RedArrow but Ill be posting progress pics as it some along, Just follow the thread and if you have any questions about how I did something just ask. Some of the other guys in that build will also be more than happy to recommend kits that are user friendly for what you want to build. In my case Id say go with the Airfix 1/48 kit. I havent built it but its GOT to be better than this one :)
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    November 2005
Stealth GB
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 11:26 PM
Hello, I just purchased a Revell SR-71 Blackbird today and would like to join this group build. I know that theres about 5 or six others that are building this same model and Im just going to have to jump on the blackbird bandwagon. This will be my first groupbuild and im wondering if anyone can fill me in with the details of this groupbuild?Cool [8D]
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Wednesday, December 22, 2004 10:15 AM
First off Michael, WelcomSign - Welcome [#welcome]Sign - Welcome [#welcome]

If you go back and read the very first post of this thread it outlines the details of the build. The start time had passed, the end date is 5 Feb 05. All group builds are about the same. The first post in the thread gives all the specs... subject matter, start and end dates, AM or OOB... and so forth. Some get a little outta hand with whacky things like "the mad fokker day" build a fokker in 24hrs... but hey that just adds to the fun right? Your subject matter for this build has already been accepted so I think your good. The owner of the thread seems to be a little slow on replies but accepting none the less so I'd so go ahead and contribute. Its easier to beg for forgiveness than ask fpr permission Smile [:)]
One tip, We all like to see progress and completed pics. So if you have a digi cam or even a regular cam and scanner take pics and post em. If you have problems figureing out how to post pics ask and if some one doesn't help you sooner I'll walk you though it step by step. :) Now get building Smile [:)]

Audiophile, dont want to step on your toes here, just trying to help.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    November 2005
Stealth GB
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, December 23, 2004 2:01 AM
Does anyone have ideas about weathering for a sr-71 blackbird? Im sure that any weathered areas would have been immediately painted over in order to keep the airplane stealth. Any suggestions would be helpful. I am still in the preparation stages right now. I will provide pictures when I advance to later stages. I do not know how to post pictures here. Any advice here would be greatly appreciated!
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Thursday, December 23, 2004 10:57 AM
Weathering a Blackbird can be kinda intresting though I have seen it done. Painting the SR-71 wasn't done so much to keep the plane stealth as it was necessary to keep internal components from burning up during flight. Infact stealth was not really a consideration during design. It was designed to be so fast nothing could catch it much less shoot it down. The stealth features of the blackbird are a by product of the sleek design for speed. keeping in mind that the aircraft was designed for extremely high speed flight it had many thinks that could be used for weathering while on the ground. On the ground the aircraft leeked fuel like a bucket with a whole in it. It wasnt till the aircraft got up to speed and expanded from the heat that all the seals closed up stopping the fuel leaks. Weathering that would be intresting to see... If you want to add depth to the aircraft you can try varying shade of black on the panels, burning out the exhaust cans, even try using a fine tip lead pencil to accent the panel lines... just some ideas. As for posting pics if you want to send me an email at Awood23@yahoo.com I'll write back with detailed instructions on how to do it.

Some intresting history about the blackbird you might find intresting.
Originally designed as the A-12, The blackbird had armerment which was all later deleted. It was found that if equiped with cannons the aircraft would run into its own bullets. the aircraft could also carry nuclear bombs and it was calculated that the Blackbird could take off from California, drop its bomb over china and land somewhere on the east coast before the bomb hit moscow. Also when announced to the public the SR-71 was originally tagged as the RS-71 which stood for Reconisance Strike. As it wsa president Lyndon B Johnson (I think it was Johnson, maybe Carter?) making the announcement no one corrected him and they simply changed the meaning to Strategic Reconnisance.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, December 25, 2004 4:44 PM
My blackbird is about 45% complete now. The fuselage and canopy are fully assembled and the assembly is ready to be airbrushed. I am thinking about doing a primer basecoat with modelmaster enamel. After that has dried I am planning on spraying on a shade of lightened model master acrylic black paint. After the lightened black has dried, I will spray on a coat of future. The application of decals will follow then another appiclation of future to seal the decals. Once that has fully dried I will begin the weathering/detail process which will consist of outlining the raised panel lines with pencil? (I am not exactly sure what kind of pencil to use that will adhere to the future) and then patches of spilt fuel and burnt exhaust (anyone have any photos or ideas where the fuel has spilt on this airplane). The final step will be the application of dullcoat.

I would like to post some pics. Awood23 ygm!
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Saturday, December 25, 2004 5:12 PM
posting pics is easy. First you need to load your pics to a site allows hosting of images . Ron Georges is one but I dont have the link saved on this computer. A great on I like is www.photobucket.com Open your own account, its free up to so many megs. and load you pics. Once there loaded to which ever site your going to host them on you have to link them here. To do that, In a seperate window, open up the picture you want to post, right click on the image and click on properties. find the address or URL to the image. It should look like this http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/Aidan%20at%20Work/Kirsten/Sights/F-15Cb.jpg
now add to the back minus any spaces. (I've added spaces to these to stop you from seeing the dreaded red X) take out the spaces and you have
note: to url has to end in .jpg and many site though they allow you to store images i.e. yahoo and msn photos do not allow linking. Rongeorges and photobucket are the only two I know of though I know theres more and if you ask Im sure some one could direct you too more. As for pics of the blackbird, check out this link, 7 pages of great pics. A very nice reference site for pics
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?&maxres=500&keywords=SR-71&keywrange=all&nr_of_rows=77&first_this_page=0&page_limit=15&sort_order=photo_id+DESC&thumbnails=&engine_version=6.0&nr_pages=6&page=
Hope that helps
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Wednesday, December 29, 2004 10:15 AM
Hey Mike, I just found the link i was looking for the other day. http://rongeorge.com/modules/Gallery/upload
Using that link, go to "login" in the upper right corner, the Login is newfsm and the password is models. Once logged in go to admin options and add photos. Once the photo is uploaded use the same instructions as posted above to link the photo here (using properties and img tabs) You may like this site more as it doesn't require you to open an account and like photobucket its free. I perfer photobucket because I can store pics of more than just my models i.e. Group Build badges, reference pics, and other odds and ends...
Good luck and as always if you have any difficulties just ask.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 4, 2005 2:20 PM
amigos:
much as i would have loved 2 participate in this GB,
the combination of time constraints, a monogram kit w/ poor fit issues
& the size of an SR-71 (even in 1/72, she's a big ol' bird) r telling me
that i'll have 2 regretfully withdraw from this GB.
please accept my apologies....
too many ideas, too little time... Dead [xx(]

frostySmile [:)]
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Thursday, January 6, 2005 10:18 AM
So how is it going folks? I've now joined the upper and lower fuselage and should be ready to paint in a few days, cross fingers. I'm going to try to post progress pics in a couple of days.
my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    November 2005
My current projects Blackbird
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 8, 2005 1:07 AM
Here are some pictures of my blackbird. Its about ready to be painted. When I was sanding the model, I accidentally erased some raised panel lines. Any ideas about restoring these lines would be very helpful. Well here are the pics and enjoy. Ive included pictures of my other project. A 1/72 Italeri Sherman tank.










Suggestions and comments are Appreciated
Thank you in advance.
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Saturday, January 8, 2005 2:42 PM
Looks great so far Mike, my only suggestions would be to help your photography skills.
Try placing the model on one color background with little reflective qualties i.e a peice of cardboard poster board then use atleast two different light sources with white light, desklamps placed at different angles to highlight the model work great.
Cant wait to see the rest of this done. I should be getting started on mine here soon.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Monday, January 10, 2005 9:59 AM
Son of a Censored [censored]!!! I was masking off my X-32 yesterday and I made the mistake of using cheap masking tape on the intake so when I took the tape off it took six or so coats of flat white off with it. Given the confined space, this is going to be a pain in the neck to fix.
my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 11:52 AM
Can i still join? I have an F-22 started thats maybe 30% done. If so , i kno the paint on stealth planes is to make them invisible to radar but wut do u think about an F-22 in IDF desert colors?
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 2:37 PM
Izzy, I wouldnt get hung up about the paint sceme concerning its stealth Capabilities. If you havent seen this yet you may like it.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 4:11 PM
wow, awood, i havent seen that before. i guess this means the Nighthawk is becomming a Dayhawk huh? Well then im gonna gewt some idf decals. wut online store would have them?
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: Belgium
Posted by Awood23 on Wednesday, January 12, 2005 9:57 PM
Izzy,
I cant get this link to come up on the computer Im on, course Im on a government puter so it may be restricting it. Try this http://www.isradecals.com
Another option I was thinking... As your bird would be highly ficticious, you could always buy a kit of say an IDF F-15 and swipe the decals then build the Eagle using another set. Course the scorpion on the IDF's F-16's would also look great on the tails of a Raptor.
The pic I posted above is actually of the F-117 during the developmental stage before the airforce requested the all black scheme figuring they would only be flown at night. It turns out that black is not the best color for hiding in a night sky but as some one once said "real men dont fly in pastel painted planes"
I have heard rumors that I havent tried to verify that the NightHawk will be becoming a DayHawk with a Two Tone Low Vis Grey scheme
For more on that I direct you here
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16814

Good luck with your Raptor. Hope your gonna post pics. Id love to see it.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/Awood23/DarkSideBadge.jpg "your' not trying if your not cheating" "no one ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor bugger die for his" 'never before have so many owed so much to so few" 1/48 Spitfire %80
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 13, 2005 3:44 PM
the raptor is going along fine. this is my first kit in which im trying to kitbash/ scratchbuild the cockpit 'cause as many who have done this italiari kit know that the interior is seriously lacking detail. i already posted a msg in the aircradt forum but if anyone in here has any ideas about scratchbuild this cockpit id really like to hear.

Awood, the reason that site wasn't coming up is because it is called isradecal.com with no s. I tried to use your link but that didnt work so i googled the site. Thanks for the tip on it.
  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Northern Indiana
Posted by overkillphil on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 5:15 PM
Owing to a rigorous work schedule, a anxiety attack inducing academic schedule, and monster technical problems on my X-32, i'm going to have to bow out of this build. I just don't think I'm going to have time to work on this or anything else on my bench till the end of February at the earliest.
my favorite headache/current project: 1/48 Panda F-35 "I love the fact that dumb people don't know who they are. I hope I'm not one of them" -Scott Adams
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Littleton,CO
Posted by caine on Saturday, January 22, 2005 1:09 PM
Well, my F-117 is finally coming together. I finished the cockpit couple weeks ago and I'm now just cleaning up the rough edges and filling some gaps. I hope to be ready to begin painting soon.

As for the paint scheme talk... the color of the paint isn't what gives it radar absorbing properties, it's the material the paint is made of. Hence, some early F-117 and all the F-22s were painted in gray colors.

I have also heard about the daytime scheme for the F-117. Didn't we already have this discussion earlier in the forum? Anyway, the Air Force has been conducting experiments to determine the viability of using F-117s and B-2s in daylight operations. I read once in Aviation Week magazine about en experinemnt where a B-2 slipped between a pair of F-15s undetected in the middle of the day! But I would imagine that daytime operations would only be conducted in environments where the US has control of the skies.

Izzy, in short, paint your F-22 however you want. It wouldn't affect the radar signature of the real thing, so go with what you think works best. Of course, even the IDF F-15s are in a standard gray paint scheme. The desert colors work best for strike aircraft that want to fly low, not air superiority fighters that fly high in the sky.

Anyone else have updates on their kits?
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Modeling anything with "MARINES" on the side.
Posted by AH1Wsnake on Monday, January 24, 2005 7:14 PM
Hey all...I've been on the forum for awhile, but am new to the whole group build thing.....I know I am too late to join this one, but thought I'd let everyone know I just started the Italeri 1/48th F-22A "Raptor 01". Just started on the cockpit -- thought it was kind of sparse, so I am scratchbuilding the blank instrument panel with various styrene squares for MFDs. Look forward to seeing what everyone else finishes....happy building!

 

"There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and those who have met them in battle. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: Littleton,CO
Posted by caine on Saturday, February 5, 2005 5:32 PM
For anyone building an Academy F-117... after looking closely at some reference photo's in my "F-117 Walkaround" it looks as though the bomb trapeze in this kit is mounted backwards. The trapeze should be swung forward in the deployed position, placing the nose of your guided bomb slightly forward of the bomb bay. It should be relatively easy to correct, just turn the thing around and maybe move it a little forward. It's probably a little late for everone, but I guess I'm a slow builder.
http://www.shockwavephoto.com
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 5, 2005 10:02 PM
WOW ... I have been out of it for a while! My last post on the forums at all was in what, October? A thousand apologies, guys ... but I have made significant progress on my 1/48 Academy F-117.
Would you believe that the ModelMaster Gunmetal that I put on mine looks better than many of the the Flat Black paint jobs I've seen on others? I had originally planned on a base coat of gunmetal and a thing layer or two of flat black, but the gunmetal just looks so good that I think I'll leave it. I'll post pics of the plane when I find that elusive camera.....
Well I hope everybody is **HAVING FUN** with their builds, either completed by now or still in the process. I promise I'll be on the forums more often, at least until the GB ends.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 8, 2005 10:50 PM
Hi guys I havn't been around for ages but I have to say everyones builds are looking great. Unfortunately My SR71 had a little accident, Just after christmas I moved into a new flat (I know what you think happened but your wrong) in doing so I put my build on the back seat of my car along with a F16 i had built earlier, being the lazy ****** that I am I didn't get it out of the car until about 2 weeks after we moved in and when I picked it up I discovered that it had been melted! I had left the car in the sun a few times and when I picked it up my SR71 was in a U shape, I'll try post a pic of it soon. But yeah well that's me out.

Good luck everyone else.

P.S The F16 didn't suffer the same fate, maybe the plastic was of a higher quality I don't know.
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