AlexP

I haven't picked out a scheme yet as I'm waiting for the new Caracal decal sheet to be released soon

Hello all, I started a new project as a sort of mojo build with a few aftermarket items to enhance the model. I've been wanting to do a highly reflective metal finish for some time now, and the starfighter was the perfect candidate. The kit and some of the aftermarket items I'll be using. The first thing I did was drill out all the nav lights on the fuselage and cemented discs made from Evergreen sheet from the back side. I will later paint them with metallics and fill them with UV resin and clear colors followed by sanding and polishing

The steel cube comes with the dapping set, a very useful tool for scratch building.

Thanks for the info Ken, though I'm not sure I want to go through the trouble of correcting the fin at this stage in the build, will have to leave that for the second build with gear down and all the aftermarket bits. However, I did find this drawing of the '01' M version with a raked fin.

After looking over some reference photos I noticed that Trumpeter have completely omitted the prominent landing lights underneath the nose of the aircraft, so I decided to scratchbuild the lenses using a 36 gauge aluminum foil, punch and die set, a dapping tool, and a uv epoxy. Dry fit of the lenses, with the addition of new panel lines and rivets.

Thanks for the compliment Steve

The kit is actually quite good when it comes to detail and the fit of the parts, the fuselage is the only area that requires some special attention as it's broken down into five sections. I have several scribing tools that I use, but I mainly like to use the razor saw and the sharp round scribe.

Have two of these kits in the stash, so decided to build one in flight to make it a quicker build. The model is nearly ready for paint, just need to finalize the scribing and riveting work. The main gear bay doors are made up of seven individual pieces each that needed to be carefully cleaned up and glued in, making sure they all align properly. I still had to use some ca to fill minor gaps then sand it all flush, followed by scribing. The image shows one of the gear bays done with the sanding dust left in the scribed lines. Some additional panel lines and rivets

Definitely getting this Limited Edition as soon as it's released.

Absolutely stunning!

Stunning!

Fantastic work!

Fantastic looking pit!

I finally received the kit today, and my god is it stunning. I will definitely be putting a pause on my current project and starting on this beauty.

Great looking cockpit.