MiG Killers Group Build, 7/07 to 6/08

Wow! You lads have all been quite busy! I really need to get cracking.

Mist, that's one fine-looking Crusader! I've always liked the lines on that bird and your build indeed does it justice.

Rand, I swear you could do a clinic on pre-shading! That looks awesome!

Air Master Modeler wrote:

Berny? Does this mean I need to repaint the exhaust/tail area on my Phantom???  I tell ya.... I dont wanna...I dont wanna...! Seriously though I'd rather not have to go back over it again cause I may FUBAR it.

I would at least paint the stab torque box a darker color of metal.  Once you add the exhaust stains to the blast panels it will look much better.

Yeah Mist,

Great Crusader.  It looks good and mean.  Like it's ready to launch in the Gulf of Tonkin.  Is that wing is refered to as "Variable Incidence?"  I'm not sure if that's the proper name or not, but it looks cool. 

I've been busy with that thing that people do to get money... Work... Right?  Yeah, that's what it's called.  I finally put some more paint on the Phantom.  I like to work from lightest color to darkest, the dark tan makes it look like a desert version.  I used MM Earth red to preshade, then I filled in and misted with MM Dark Tan. 

The first pic shows alot of Earth red

Then I filled in with Dark Tan

Then I misted some dark tan until I got the blending I wanted. 

Coming Soon... Green

Semper Fi,

Chris

Question here, all opinions wanted. 

I'm thinking that cutting smooth curves in Masking tape would give me the propper border between camouflage colors in scale.  Another Possiblity would be Silly Putty for a softer border.

What do you guys think,

Semper Fi,

Chris   

Ooh, I don't know if my hands can be trusted to do that, but I'll definately consider it.   

Semper Fi,

Chris

Chris,

Your paint job is off to a great start! Rattler has the right idea about going free hand on air brushing your camo pattern. Let me add to it, I have done free hand camo with an airbrush and used a pencil to trace out pattern on the model then airbrush it. Set your PSI to 15 and set air brush to spray in a thin line. The trick here is to also use the airbrush to trace over penciled in patterns starting with outlining and then working from the outside to the inside with each color. No need to mask. This will help you get that soft blended demaractation between colors. Practice on scrap till you get the hang of it.

Chris, that is a great step by step set of photos you posted. I really like how that turned out and I will try that one day on a camo scheme. If you have those skills I think you can handle doing the other colours freehand. Like rand said, just do some practice on some scrap plastic first to get the hang and ryuthem of it and then hit the model.

Steve

OK guys,

You've convinced me.  I'll go ahead and use the Freehand with pencil method.  Time to break out the $3 F-101 Voodoo. 

You will like it once u are done and u will always use that method.The overspray will blend the colors together and will look good for sure u will be surprised.

Now with me my dumb butt putt the wrong shades of grey on my eagle so went and got the right paint today so luckily the wrong shades was lighter so just sanded down smooth and started all over but lookin good now,hopfully have decals tomorrow in the mail and have this bad boy done this weekend will finish up the paint tonight and work on rockets tomorrow.

Hey Guy's the History channels Dogfights is on tonight and it is a repeat of the Mig killers episode. It is the one with the A-1's downing of a Mig-17 and I think also Showtime 100's great day. Hope ya get to see it.

Steve

They also had a new episode entitled "No Room for Error."  One part featured Col. Olds' F-4 getting his 3rd and 4th Mig Kill.  I watched it while I was tracing out a camo pattern on a 1/32 Col. Olds' Phantom.  I love that show, and I love my DVR.  The Skyraider episode is great too.   It's more proof that it's the man, not the machine.     

Semper Fi,

Chris 

Once again Gents, I have been a busy little bee. Detail painting is all finished and I am ready to prep for decals and hope to have that done this weekend. I hope to have this beast finished by end of next week. I took Berny's advice and did go back over the tail section and get the metal colors corrected and it came out pretty good. Some panel line detail is going to look dark, I did correct this after I took the pictures.

Now for your viewing pleasure, here are the pictures of my progress. Comments welcome.

Enjoy!

I'm glad you listened to Berny,

The engine/exhaust area looks better now. Even Though, It looked pretty darn good before.  You've made some real good progress, and we can't wait to see it finished.

Semper Fi,

Chris 

I haven't been getting much done on the Phantom lately.  Today, being Saturday, was the perfect chance.  Unfortunately, the maid didn't show up, I had to clean the appartment myself.  Free help is impossible to find. 

So all I did today was touch up some of my Medium green.  I like the pencil freehand method.  Deathrattler was the first to recommend that I do the camo freehand, but I had my doubts.  Well, Deathrattler and the rest of you guys were right.  So far, I like the results.  I still have to add the dark green, but here's how she looks right now.

Rand, are you doing decals right now?

Semper Fi,

Chris

Lookin good man,glad u likin the results to me that is the best way to do camo since they sprayed out in the field anyway makes it look more realistic that way.When i first got my airbrush the salesman told me that was the best way to learn how to use a airbrush was doin camo like that.

Now to the eagle decals are on letting the sol set on some of the decals maybe put another coat on tonight and then goin to spray again with future and then with flat coat and be done i waited to put the tail wings on until last so it was easier to manuever it around and i need to put them on so tomorrow there will be pics of the beast on her for u all to look at.

Sweet, we're looking forward to seeing the Eagle.

Semper Fi,

Chris

ridleusmc wrote:

Rand, are you doing decals right now? Semper Fi, Chris

Yup, I started decals yesterday, planning to take my time to apply them and make sure they go on right since I am using MircoSol and Set with kit decals. I have not used this stuff in years but so far so good.

I got some more paint down.  Overall, I don't like Testor Model Master Acryl Paint.  I decided to use it was because they have matching FS numbers.  However, the stuff just isn't as user friendly as Tamiya Acrylics.  It's working, but I often have to clean the AB needle of congealed paint.  Experimenting with different amounts and varieties of thinner haven't resulted in much success.  Even overthinning results in congealed paint.  So far I've tried Testor's thinner (manufacturer's recommendation), alcohol, and even Tamiya Thinner.  I'm just going to keep painting and clearing the AB periodically, but next time I'm sticking with Tamiya Acrylics.

Here's a couple of pics, my paint delema hasn't resulted in any tradgedies. 

Semper Fi,

Chris    

Ok guys here she is.Her story is a F-15c from the eglin gorillas she shot down a mig on Jan.29th,1991 shot down a Mig-23 with a AIM-7 at 1700hrs. flown by Capt. David Rose southeast of kirkuk.It also has 2 SU-22s under its belt which was shot down on Feb. 7,1991.I hope you all like it and I hope the pictures are good enough took them outside but sun wasnt out so hope they are good enough.

hope u all enjoyed.

Great Looking Eagle.  I can see there's alot of hard work in that.  I like the cockpit area.  From the pic I can see the area behind the seat and it looks great.  The exhausts look used, but not abused. The weapons loadout looks intimidating.  The camo is also cool.  I didn't know that one plane claimed 3 enemy aircraft in Desert Storm.  Was it the same pilot for the Su-22's?

Great work,

Semper Fi,

Chris

Very nice work on the F-15, nice detail. A lot of good building going on here.

I have finally broken open the box and got started. As I said earlier the detail on this AMT kit not very good. Cockpit has no detail whatsoever, and thankfully the kit comes with decals for the IP and side consoles. No raised detail at all and it's shape is questionable compared to the Hasegawa kits. I have broken the kit into mini asemblies, so small progress on construction side of things. I hope to have the front office finished soon but until then here is the progress so far.

Even the decals and parts were not the same shape?. Still a lot of work to do. Thanks for looking and any comments welcome.

Steve

ridleusmc wrote:

I got some more paint down.  Overall, I don't like Testor Model Master Acryl Paint.  I decided to use it was because they have matching FS numbers.  However, the stuff just isn't as user friendly as Tamiya Acrylics.  It's working, but I often have to clean the AB needle of congealed paint.  Experimenting with different amounts and varieties of thinner haven't resulted in much success.  Even overthinning results in congealed paint.  So far I've tried Testor's thinner (manufacturer's recommendation), alcohol, and even Tamiya Thinner.  I'm just going to keep painting and clearing the AB periodically, but next time I'm sticking with Tamiya Acrylics. Here's a couple of pics, my paint delema hasn't resulted in any tradgedies.  Semper Fi, Chris

Chris,

I used MM acrylics also and have not had your problem. The trick here to run Windex through your air brush each time you stop spraying or change colors as this helps keep the tip and needle clog free and lets the paint flow. Fill a siphon feed jar with Windex and spray it through airbrush until it just sprays the Windex and let dry for a few minutes before spraying paint again or changing colors. I have even used Windex as an acrylic paint thinner and it worked pretty well for me.

I don't know if that'll help.  Windex (well, the store brand ammonia glass cleaner) is my usual AB cleaner.  I think it's just the AB/Compressor/Paint combination.  I used Tamiya flat black for the nose and it was such a smooth easy process that it seems worth it to go Tamiya whenever possible.  MM through the AB is just too much of a pain.  Tamiya even seems easier to clean out of the AB.    

Today I painted the nose and I prepped the areas which will get a metal treatment.   

Semper Fi,

Chris

Chris,

If your using a double action AB this will happen. I use a single action Paashe H and have had no problems unless forget to clean it after using it. I thin MM Acrylics with straight 91% alcohol at a 3:1 ratio and use windex myself to clean it. I think you may be right about it being the combination thing.

On another note, I am still putting on decals. Using the MicroSet and Sol has slowed me down cause you gotta wait for that stuff to dry before you can do anything else. The results will worth it though. I have about 45% of the decals done and it's going well. I should have this bird done in about a week.

Rattler,

Great Job on the F-15!

Sid,

That's a sweet lil office even if it is decals. Looking forward to seeing more.

Now as for myself... yup, I am still working on decals. I wish now I had an aftermarket decal set for VF-96 because the kits decals wont take the MicroSet and Sol very well. I have had to drown them in the stuff to make decal sink into panel lines. I may switch to using Future thinned as a decal set solution since I've had better results with it.

one thing i will do with the sol when i am using it and when i am at a decal that really needs to sink into a panel line or havin trouble with it is put some sol on it and take a damp paper towel and push the decal down with the sol most of the time that helps alot of people say not to touch the decal once u got sol on it but i do it but i do it right when i put the sol on when it is starting to wrinkle up that usually helps me.

Thank you all on the good feedback on the 15. I am thinking about doin another one but goin to do the skyraider even though i have already done one but i want to do a skyraider all decked out with a/m and pe just to have one.Will be awhile though cuz right now i have to take a break from modelling for some personal reasons but goin to get all stocked back up on models and paint in my time off to be ready when i can get back.