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CrowTRobot

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Everything posted by CrowTRobot

  1. Thank you. This is one of the older Czech Model kits from '99 I think.
  2. Well, after 5 months of work I finally I just finished this... pantload of a model. Like most short-run kits it had a lot of rough edges: The resin intake trunk was ridiculously short, so I replaced it with a longer styrene tube. The surface detail was so faint that one coat of paint would have obliterated it, so I rescribed it. The wings and horizontal stabilizers attached via simply butt joins with no positive attachment points. I built sturdy attachments using brass tubing and steel pins. There was gaping hole behind the cockpit where the aft deck should be. I had to fill it in with s
  3. Wow- fantastic job! Are those Eagle Strike decals? If so then I have the same set in my stash. I wince every time I look at them because the green trim is going to be tough to apply without leaving any seams or wrinkles. However, yours look like they were painted on! What kind of decal solvent did you use?
  4. This is some stunning work! I'd love to see an in-depth tutorial on your finishing techniques.
  5. Buffing metalizers are typically airbrushed on then lightly buffed with a soft cloth to a produce a smooth, shiny, natural metal finish. When first sprayed they look rather flat and slightly grainy, but wait a few minutes and then buff it out. The degree of shine can be controlled to some extent by the amount of buffing, but don't over do it or else you might rub the paint off. They are typically lacquer-based paints. You can buff pretty much any paint (I usually do it with all of my paint jobs), but buffing metalizers are designed to look their best after buffing. The only buffing metalizers
  6. This is my only Hasegawa F-4, so I can't say what the others are like. Yes, weapons and drop tanks too.
  7. I have the "Showtime 100" version (Kit No. P1:2500). I haven't built it yet, but I can tell you that it does have a multi-piece canopy. The external stores & pylons have fine raised panel lines, but the wings & fuselage have engraved panel lines.
  8. I'm a satisfied customer of Fireball Modelworks.
  9. Thanks you all for the kind compliments!
  10. F-104C-5-LO 56-930, 476th TFS, 479th TFW, George AFB, CA, 1959 I just finished this Hasegawa 1/48 Starfighter. I added Eduard photoetched details, but I also scratch-built a few things. I created the ducting beneath the canopy using copper wire, and I fabricated a new pitot tube from hypodermic tubing. The oxygen hose is made from magnet wire, and I rebuilt the area around the gunsight glass using bits of wire & styrene and added a dust cover made from tissue paper. The decals came from the kit (mainly stencils) and Eagle Strike. Paints used were Alclad. Testor's Metalizer, Testor's Mode
  11. The Albatros/Zotz Dragons and Tiger and Girls set has markings for 2 gun-nosed J models: "Emergency Strip" (olive drad over gray) "Sunday Punch" (natural metal) They're out of print, but the show up occasionally on eBay; that's where I got mine.
  12. Yes, you can. I have mixed it with Testor's black & white enamels to produce varying shades, and it works very well. I don't know how long such a mixture would last in storage; I mix just enough for the immediate job. It sprays well and lays down well.
  13. Try Fireball Modelworks. I had some decals made back in the Spring, and I was very happy with the service
  14. I had the same question a while back, and I went with the Monogram kit + a few aftermarket goodies. With a little elbow grease and patience it can turn out quite nicely.
  15. I do exactly the same thing, but I don't have any problems with paint bleeding under the edges. Here are somethings to check: 1) Make sure the clear parts are cleaned well before you mask. This will help the tape adhere properly 2) To ensure a good seal run a smooth, rounded burnishing tool along the edges of the tape before your first paint session. The handle-end of a paintbrush works nicely. 3) Be careful spraying along the tape edges. Make sure your air pressure is not too high, and don't ever spray directly into the edge. This could force paint under the tape. Spray away from the edge
  16. I recently had some decals printed by Fireball Modelworks. I sent my artwork in SVG format, and the decals were printed on an ALPS printer on very thin paper and sent back to me. The decals were very nice, and the pricing was reasonable.
  17. Yup, this is what I do too. Decanting & spraying it with an airbrush gives you much better control. I also polish the cured black paint with MicroMesh before moving on to the Alclad.
  18. If you have some 2-part epoxy putty you could try putting a small "noodle" of it into that gap. I don't know about other brands, but Apoxie Sculpt doesn't shrink, and you have ample time to work with it before it starts to harden. You can also smooth it out with a water-moistened finger/Q-tip/etc.. so no harsh solvents are required.
  19. I used to get gritty finishes from time to time- mostly with really quick drying lacquer-based primers. Here are a few things to try: - Add more thinner to the paint - Lower the air pressure at which you spray - Hold the tip airbrush closer to the surface being painted so the paint has less of a chance to dry enroute to the model When you get a gritty finish try wet-sanding it smooth with some 1500 grit sandpaper. You can then usually polish it out with something like MicroMesh cloth.
  20. Yep. A white base will make the yellow coat much easier to apply, and you'll need fewer coats.
  21. Paint 'em! It's not that hard, and you'll be much happier with the end result. The yellow bands on my F-86 were painted with Testor's Insignia Yellow
  22. Thanks for the compliments! A few pointers for anyone building this kit: 1) You must dry-fit extensively before you can glue anything together. The fit was especially bad in these areas: - Nacelles to fuselage - Fuselage halves - Canopy to fuselage - Cockpit to fuselage - Main wheel wells to wings The wings mount to the fuselage with a simple butt join, but the fit was not so bad here. I reinforced the attachment using a couple of small brass tubes as spars. 2) If you're building the VMFN-513 version as I did then please note that this aircraft had had no markings on the
  23. This is the Czech Model kit of the Skyknight. Building it was a real adventure from the banana shaped fuselage halves to the canopy-from-hell. I'll never complain about the fit of Monogram kits again. The kit decals were a mixed bag. They were very thin and nicely printed, but the red markings were a dull maroon color. I had custom decals made to replace them (thanks to Joseph at Fireball Modelworks). Paints used were Floquil, Model Master, and Alclad.
  24. Very nice work! The checkered cowling looks spot on, and I like the detail work you did on the engine.
  25. Whoa- Sweet SLUF! Great work- now go bang on that Monogram F-105 so we can see pictures of it when you're done!
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