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my favs are F`s

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Everything posted by my favs are F`s

  1. Thanks! Btw I just figured out some subtle ''weathering'' with satin/matt clear finish would be even better, then very very subtle drybrushing at a shallow angle (to restore the shine of the knobs/switches only). I'll give it a go tomorrow. Just the side consoles... cause right now everything looks crystal clear, and is shiny. I doubt even a newly produced plane can have so ''glossy'' IPs.
  2. It could be just me discovering something new for the first time, but those 3D decals are HIGHLY recommended! It really looks good in person, but now I can't even believe what I see in the cloze-up images... tremendous! Anyway, the cockpit tub is ready:
  3. Awesome model! I did the ZM 1/48 kit a few years ago, of the same VF-92 squadron (3882 though, with the full yellow tail), and I like it a lot. You nailed the weathering.
  4. Hi ALF - yes, I used just a regular blade, and anoter one that is flat (like a chisel). A lot of scraping, very very slowly and precisely though, in all directions to remove the raised parts evenly. Then just a couple of passes with a piece of 4000 grit sandpaper to ''polish'' the surfaces, as I thought the decals can stick easily this way, however, this was not needed at all. PS: The decals stressed me quite a lot - as soon as they contacted the water - they changed color... actually, lost color. 🙂 The base gray color became 100% transparent... it was basically black instrument pa
  5. Thanks! hehe 🙂 ...almost. It is without the bombs yet, only the bomb bays open and the rails move...
  6. Here is my third 1/32 scale build, and my first of the legacy planes (I have the Blackbird as well, but I don't consider it exactly a ''legacy plane'', as it has stealth features and flew about a decade after the Starfighter). It is a very special kit to me, as I got it as a present. Well, I would have choose the American C version if I could 🙂 , so a conversion it will be. This kit includes a lot (quite a lot) of optional parts and I gotta figure out the perfect match. The markings would be a challenge, as I have only the four US national insignia decals in the correct size and registry, but
  7. The first-stage weathering is with oil paints - I used mostly blue and white, and a little bit of black as well: Then, I will proceed with the final matt coat, and another stage with oil paints. Although I use Abteilung oil paints, which are the best in the category, they dry very very slow. So, I started my new model - the F-104 Starfighter in 1/32 - check it out.
  8. And, the decals are on. Some were out of scale and I had to use from the spare box, others were simply missing... but I did what I could to replicate them. Anyway, they are very very nice in terms of gluing/handling. Here is an overview, and note the subtle discoloration of certain panels and components as well: Cheerio and HNY! 🙂
  9. Thx guys! Here are the final mods of the exhaust plates (without weathering) - I imitated the moveable cooling plates with self-adhesive bare metal foil: Then finished it with very thin transparent coats of paint, to preserve the shine at certain angles: I plan a heavy weathering for these exhaust areas, so they will change the look quite a bit as well.
  10. Yep, that's it. And maybe some rescribing, depending on how deep is the glue/you need to sand... Assuming it is CA glue.
  11. I had some difficulties nailing the perfect ''main black'' color (I want ''transparent colors'' (filters) after the main color, also a light ''blending filter'' after the white decals, also an overall matte finish that must slightly lighten everything underneath)... and had to take all this into account now, but I think I did it right. 🙂 So, after removing the masks, the goal is to reveal the bare plastic with slightly higher edges from the two layers of Surfacer 1500, and at the end (after the main color), I will slightly sand them down to reveal the contrasting white lines in some key areas,
  12. Yeah, it is the RAM mats that is visible for sure, but what is there underneath them? - isn't it the skin of the plane, which is some kind of a ''thin metal'', be it aluminum, steel, or whathave you. And the RAM mats are so thin that it is quite possible to accept any shape/wrinkle/form on the surface underneath them. I didin't see any one of them in live, 🙂 so it's just guessing that I can. But here is the airframe from the Reagan Library display - it is without the RAM mats - the finish is just bare paint to ressemble the real plane in color... maybe one of the few cases when all
  13. In my opinion, everything made out of ''thin'' metal sheets and that has bulkheads in the framework - gets tear and wear over time. Pretty much every plane and boat... even the passenger planes can have this. Of course, it is normal to become more evident over time... the weight alone of the metal sheets/skin is enough for such deformations, I can only image what would it do to giant planes with tons of weight just by sitting on the ground with years, not to mention when the air pushes those huge flat surfaces at let's say ''high speed''. 🙂 Stealth doesn't play a role I think... if they still
  14. Thanks lgl007, and thank you, Rich! Could be, who knows 🙂, and btw it depends on the specific plane/airframe, and also on the viewing angle/light angle. For example, here is a pic of the real plane: and here is the model from a distance, slightly zoomed picture: and from another angle and a closer distance - the oil canning is barely noticeable:
  15. The top side - first things first - highlightning the oil canning patterns: the results: After that - some unsuccessful trials with aluminum self-adhesive tape... I thought to keep these stripes permanently, but they are too too out of scale... So - instead, the easy way 🙂 - just proper masking tape that will leave very very subtle (almost invisible) indentations once removed after the priming, which I hope (and I'm 99% sure) will look right to scale: And here it is after the first
  16. The bottom side is prepped, finally. 🙂 Here is the oil canning effect : And the launch rails are now with decals, and installed on the trapezes... still not weathered though.
  17. And, of course, this 1/32 scale is just perfect for oil canning effects of the surface. 🙂 The real plane was covered in RAM and almost not a single river was visible, so I'll skip the riveting part, but those planes saw quite some tear and wear. I'll do 80-788 airframe, which looks rather smooth, so the oil canning effect will be very subtle. Here is how it started from the underside - some tracing of a pattern with a pensil in the first place...
  18. A few updates on the horizon - there are two engraved hex shapes right behind the canopy.. I made them flush. Also, all antennas will be retracted, so their provisions/covers also gotta be flush with the fuselage with engraved channels along the edges, something like that: These little pointy triangular ''winglets'' on both sides of the exhaust plates are out of scale. They are barely noticeable in the real plane, so I couldn't leave them just like that. I ended up making the out of PE and they look way way better now:
  19. I don't know how many years later, both halves of the fuselage are now glued. 🙂 It feels like a milestone. I had to make some contraptions to straighten the leading/trailing edges, which were pretty much straight, but not on a macro level, especially from the transition to the nose chines. Now they are straight, and I will give them a whole week to dry. I used both cement (gel) and CA glue (liquid). It's an even more beautiful silhouette with the tails - I'll add them next.
  20. And here they are complete - with the subtle weathering, and a few wires/elements as addons. I know the bay ceilings will not be visible at all, but I had to add at least a few extra details... 🙂 This is with the launch pylons retracted: And extended: And they are still not 100% ready yet. The launchers/rails are next, which will be visible easily, so I should add dozens of tiny decals and pieces to make them look like tiny models. I also plan to make them compatible with different bombs. I want to make two AGM-158s so
  21. The hydraulics can also retract and extend with the doors. Then painting, and a testfit with the doors open and closed: They fit perfectly. I did that suite some time ago, but I remember that no additional sanding or alignment was required. The kit is spot on.
  22. The bomb bays mostly went through a ''functionality'' modification rather than detailing. I also kept a subtle weathering overall. So, to open and close, I added some magnets on specific places, embedded metal rods on the opposite sides (to the doors), and two pins on both sides of the bay, to keep the doors at an equal distance from each other while open.
  23. wowsers! Quite the mods here! 🙂 Would you display it with a mirror underneath? How much of all this will be visible anyway... It sits pretty close to the surface and only the front wheel bay can be ''somehow'' seen, and only from the one side (the view from the other side is completely blocked by the wheel bay door). I did this kit a few years ago - it is an awesome kit, and you transformed into a masterpiece so far. Keep it on! And cheers.
  24. I did a conversion of this kit 🙂 :
  25. Howdy! 🙂 I can't wait to catch up with the recent pages and I'm sure it will be an amazing adventure. Just that last picture with the decals on and the weathering is enough to me to say ''it's gorgeous''. Gorgeous!
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