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Micro

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Posts posted by Micro

  1. Thanks, Sernak. I agree. They are absolutely phenomenal. Still in disbelief at how well they fit the panels once they are sanded.

     

    So just a note about the lack of updates. I was detailing the cockpit with some wires and plumbing and had an accident. The forward fuselage slipped out of my hand and the whole thing fell to the floor. I don't even want to take a picture of the damage that was done. The forward windscreen cracked and the HUD was destroyed. I've been taking time to process that because it really hurt my soul. I'll start up with the repairs in the next few days. 

  2. Thank you very much gents. I'm flattered.

     

    Steve you were absolutely right and I appreciate you reminding me. I just took a picture at the end of the night before I completed the HUD. That little delicate thing took a few months off my life. It's now got its second piece of combiner glass. 

     

    Now I'm starting to add the scratch details around the cockpit including ECS plumbing.

     

     

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  3. Thanks, Thadeus.

     

    Slowly but surely moving along. Forward fuselage assembled. I didn't like the plastic piece fitted to the SSP so I took some ultra fine wire twisted it and created a cable. Drilled out a section for the HUD projector. Filled it with chrome paint first then clear green. Next step is to touch up the comings and build the HUD.

     

     

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  4. What kind of foam do you guys use to place into areas like painted wheel wells to protect them while other painting is done? And I guess not just what kind but where do you get it? All I've been able to find is floral foam which doesn't work at all.

  5. Thanks, Bastian.

     

    Working on the cockpit tub now. I'm using the kit tub with the Quinta 3D decals. Scraped off all the raised details from the molds. Laid down Tamia dark ghost Gray which matches the Quinta set. The fit of these decals is absolutely superb. They go right into place. They are pretty glossy so they need a flat coat after being applied. I'm masking off the glass portions  because they have a really nice shine to them.

     

     

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  6. Well, I'm going for it. I had planned to build the Tamia kit for the second jet in my 2-jet build. But I already have the Hasagawa kit and I think I've learned a few things after my last build to make this one go a lot smoother. This jet is going to sit next to my VF-124 Tomcat. It's going to represent the time frame from when the 124 was decommissioned and VF-101 took over at Miramar.

     

    I'll be using the Furball decals, Eduard seats, Quinton 3D cockpit set, and DW 3D printed landing gear. 

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  7. Completed this build today. It depicts a special jet from my past. The decals belong to an F-14D and there are a few other inaccuracies, but I mainly wanted an Alpha in the black markings of a line jet. A fairly tough bill due to the fit of the hasegawa kit. This one will always have a red-headed stepchild feel to it. Nevertheless I love it.

     

     

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  8. Well, it's finished. I have an odd love-hate thing going on with this build. It was an absolute bear to put together and is definitely not what I had hoped it would be, but it has a special meaning for me. I'll be redoing the canopy at some point because a big chunk of the Future came off. One thing is certain though, this thing was definitely a learning experience. Thanks for the support during the build. I'll be posting a few more pics in the Display Case forum.

     

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  9. Well, back at it. If I had to guess, about 30% of this thing's total weight is going to be putty. I started putting the fuselage together and I'm now in the sanding phase. It's been disappointing to say the least. But, I'm going to use it as a learning experience.

     

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  10. Thanks guys. I appreciate the words of encouragement. Yeah I had put this thing on hold after wrestling with it with about three tubes of putty. And yeah that joint between the forward and a half fuselage is ridiculous. I'm going to get back to work on it in the next few days and just knock it out.

  11. I'm posting basically just to vent! When I was younger hasegawa kits were the top of the line. I had this kit on my shelf for about 10 years and have been excited to build it for even longer than that. Now that I'm building it I'm becoming infuriated. The fit throughout the entire kit is atrocious. I don't know if the molds are just worn out, or if I'm doing something wrong. But the amount of putty and sanding I'm having to do is absolutely ridiculous. I'm giving strong consideration to cutting my losses and getting a Tamiya kit. Okay, rant over.

  12. Thanks, Happy. Yeah, I will always be the first to admit that my memory has its shortcomings. But I remember thinking I had to absorb everything that plane Captain taught me. I remember him grabbing some cleaner and wiping down the area behind the gun. Like I said I don't actually remember much about the jet itself, I just remember him complaining as he was cleaning, saying that he wished they would upgrade that jet to the new gun vent. 

     

    Anyway, Slow progress but coming along. Still working on the landing gear because of how much I enjoy doing the little details. Mostly finish on the nose gear, with plumbing done with solder wire. I also added the abort latch and actuator. I also had to create a new AOA indexer because I lost the kit part. Still some final details to do on that one. Just began work on the main gear. Added the details from the Edward detail set. Now some putty and sanding before painting.

     

     

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  13. Thanks! It's fun to get back in to this hobby. So fairly interesting story about that gun vent. In 1989 I was in the Naval Sea Cadets at then Nas Miramar. We spent a week of the summer with VF 124 and each of us were assigned to a plane captain. I still remember my plane Captain taking me on a walk around of the airplane with his name on it. I don't remember the modex or the buno, but I do remember the gun vent. That was because he pointed out to me that that particular airplane still had the "old" gun vent and needed to be upgraded. Anyway, after my walk around I got to sit in that thing and it was one of the more memorable experiences of my life. So I decided to build it as best I could. I ended up buying the Verlinden accessory kit specifically for the old gun vent. Looks wrong I know, but at least in 1989 at VF-124 there was one jet with the old vent still on it.

  14. After about another 11-year hiatus I've decided to build a kit that I'm familiar with in markings that have special meaning to me. 

     

    I finished the cockpit and front section a few weeks ago and I've now started on detailing the landing gear, which I always found fun for some reason.

     

     

     

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