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Downen Scaled Replicas

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Everything posted by Downen Scaled Replicas

  1. Downen Scaled Replicas
    In addition to lines defining the control surface locations, photos of the flying test articles consistently show a handful of prominent panel lines on the vehicles. Those have been recreated on the model. To get the engraved panel lines to “pop” for photos, my darkest grey enamel panel line wash (PLW) was applied over a coat of Tamiya’s X-22 Clear Gloss acrylic thinned 50/50 with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. Normally I would use a slightly lighter grey for this PLW, but this build is intended to be photographed for marketing the kit and the darker color will ensure that the engrav
  2. Downen Scaled Replicas
    I’m going to pivot on the color scheme for this model… yeah, I’m a flake that way… Rather than a Have Glass V scheme, I’m going to go with the flying prototype’s two-tone camo and use some Hataka Orange (lacquer) paints that have been sitting on my workbench for a few months. This will be my first experience using Hataka’s line of paints. Initially I assumed that the Avenger / Avenger ER test articles were in an F-16 style two-tone camo using FS36118 Gunship Grey over FS36270 Haze Grey (or variously Neutral Grey, Medium Grey, etc.). But once I sprayed paint chips for th
  3. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Unfortunately, I failed to take a photo of my preferred process for filling joints (gaps) on 3D printed resin models. I use the same liquid resin which was used to print the model. The resin is siphoned off into a squeeze bottle with a needle applicator (20 gauge if I’m not mistaken). The resin is run into the joint in question, and then exposed to UV light for a few seconds to cure it in the joint. This should only be done in thin layers so that the UV light can cure the entire run of resin. Since it’s the same material, the filler basically becomes part of the model. Once sanded, the joint s
  4. Downen Scaled Replicas
    A brief pause while I check seams on the fuselage… A display base approximately 4.75 inches in diameter has been designed to accept a 5/32” brass rod for mounting the Avenger in “flight mode”. The base has raised detail representing a stylized Avenger. My process for painting display bases such as this is summarized in the accompanying photo. After priming, the base is sprayed overall in Tamiya’s TS-26 lacquer gloss Pure White. Tamiya’s rattle cans have never let me down; they atomize well and the paint self-levels to a smooth, tough finish. The vehicle is i
  5. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Cruise over to my website (noted in my signature) and add your name to my mailing list. I'll be sending out a notice once the kit is ready. Thanks. --Troy
  6. Downen Scaled Replicas
    It’s a good idea for me to pause now for a bit of pre-assembly painting. It will be difficult / impossible to access the engine fan & mixer parts as well as the inlet and exhaust ducts after assembly. On the 1:1 scale Avenger prototypes the inlet color appears to be the base color of the overall vehicle. On this build I’m going to do a hypothetical Have Glass V operation paint scheme, so I’ll airbrush the inlet the lighter shade of gray FS36270. The boundary layer diverter will be airbrushed the darker FS36170 since it, too, will be difficult to access once assembled. I like Mr
  7. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Yessir. That's correct. I've designed a display base, which I'll start work on shortly & post here.
  8. Downen Scaled Replicas
    All parts printed, most still with their print supports intact in this photo. Everything seems to have printed well, although there are a few edges that need more supports so that the edges aren’t quite so ragged. I find that 3D printing is almost as much an art as it is science. That’s why 2 or 3 prototypes are typically required before all the issues are worked out with a new design. Even then, I still tend to find small issues that require design tweaks months or years later. Note the 3D printed display base and the 3” long brass rod for displaying the model in flight. More on t
  9. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Just saw this posted by Aviation Week on July 31. We’ll see what develops… MQ-20 Emerges As New Candidate For Adversary Air Surrogate A new U.S. defense project is devoted to converting two General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) MQ-20 Avengers into air-to-air adversaries for training fighter pilots. The jet-powered uncrewed aircraft systems won the $98 million contract for Project Red 5, a prototyping effort led by the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), an arm of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The contract calls for GA-AS
  10. Downen Scaled Replicas
    When I first saw photos of the General Atomics Predator C “Avenger” I was impressed with the design and the “mean” look of the vehicle relative to many other uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV). No kits have yet emerged for the Avenger, so many, many months ago I began tackling the design. With complex curves that seem to shift and change with every new reference photo, it’s been an off-and-on project which, finally, is approaching completion. The Predator C first flew on 4 April 2009 employing a turbofan engine and incorporating stealth features, both of which were perhaps fir
  11. Downen Scaled Replicas
    And heeeeeeeere’s the lineup! The basecoat is Model Car World (MCW) 2119 Dark Gull Gray FS36231. Bottom of the aircraft: MCW 2119 Insignia White FS17875 Top of the aircraft: MCW 2120 Gull Gray FS36440 Details: Tamiya TS-12 Orange (decanted for airbrush), MCW 2148 USAF Thunderbirds White (rudder stars), and MCW 2000 Gloss Black (nose anti-glare panel). A1H Build 21 - Paint A by Troy Downen, on Flickr The entire lineup is lacquer which produces a fast-drying and rock-hard finish capable of taking some rough handling and masking, and also capable
  12. Downen Scaled Replicas
    You're very welcome. Thanks for following along.
  13. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Thanks SakisG! I've not known much about Skyraiders prior to doing the research for this build. Turns out, they're great airplanes! While that primer is setting up, a quick look at the helmet. Recall that I 3D printed an APH-6 helmet because the client wanted the helmet displayed in or around the cockpit, but did not want a pilot displayed with the airplane. There is a pilot figure included with the Tamiya kit, but the helmet on the figure did not have much detail. So even though I considered cutting off the little guy’s head and drilling out the face (yuck), instead I went the way
  14. Downen Scaled Replicas
    At last I’ve solved (temporarily, at least) my issues with having photo editing software. So onward with the build documentation!! How about we wrap up those landing gear first, since the gear bays are painted? The gear were entirely straightforward; I used SAC’s metal replacements since I wanted to ensure that the struts would be robust in case they got knocked around a bit by the client. I used some 26 gauge copper wire for hydraulic brake lines and, if you can see it in the photo, a Molotow “liquid metal” marker to paint the shiny metal oleos. (Those markers are awesome! Get one
  15. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Drifterdon - thank you so much for the offer. I have pushed on ahead with my own decals and masks at this point, but you're extremely kind for making the offer.
  16. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Thank you. I appreciate that. Last night I installed the latest OS "Catalina" on my Mac and inadvertently rendered all of my Adobe software inoperative. Catalina does not support the last non-subscription based version of Photoshop and Illustrator, so before I can post anymore update photos here I have to figure out if I'm willing to shell out nearly $60 per month for a version of the Adobe products that works with Catalina (I am not) or if after 25 years I switch to something else. Ugh. Meanwhile, I'm actually working on the Skyraider cockpit... Visualize it in your mi
  17. Downen Scaled Replicas
    I am indebted to 82Whitey51 for saving me from a significant and very embarrassing error that would have had me sanding and re-painting tail codes very late in the game. Yuck! I see my error: I’ve been using Ginter’s “Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider Pt 2” exclusively as reference for the Air Wing Six tail codes. On pp 13-14 it states “A ship and tail code change occurred in late 1962 when VA-65 was assigned to the nuclear powered Enterprise. CVG-6’s new tail code became “AE”. Four A-1H deployments were made aboard CVN-65. They were from: 3 August to 11 October 1962, 19 October to 6 Decemb
  18. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Hmmm... I'm glad that you pointed that out. I saw "AF" from the photo above of the S/N I'm modeling when embarked in 1963 on Intrepid, but thought that "AE" was correct for the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis onboard Enterprise. I'll dig deeper so that I get the correct markings. Thanks!!
  19. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Phantom, I didn't think to mention, but I did gloss coat the doors with Alclad Aqua Gloss, which is acrylic. No problem with the red color bleeding or running. The Copic markers use an alcohol-based ink which also permits rough edges to be cleaned up by rubbing with a cotton swab (Q-Tip) wetted with Windex (which also has some alcohol in it). I really do like the effect. Steve, I see that you're using a marker intended for Gundam kits. The Copic markers are also Japanese and originally developed for Manga artwork. I'm guessing that the Gundam marker uses a similar ink (?)
  20. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Thank you for all of the feedback. I really appreciate it. I'll return to the helmet when I'm ready to spray the orange colors on the airframe. Paints for the cockpit have not yet arrived so I’m breaking tradition and keeping myself busy by starting on something other than the cockpit! Ordnance… Twelve (12) 250 lb bombs under the wings, two drop tanks and a 500 lb bomb on the center pylon. I forgot that the kit does NOT include the 500 lb bomb, but fortunately I had a resin set from True Details in my spares box. I’m sure that a coat of primer will reveal
  21. Downen Scaled Replicas
    I've had feedback offline that seems to indicate that if the cowl flaps are open, the nose flaps will also be open, exposing the engine. In my last photo posted above, the cowl flaps to appear to be open. So I'll proceed with having the nose flaps open AND the cowl flaps open, and with the plane sitting on the deck being prepped for takeoff.
  22. Downen Scaled Replicas
    This is a build of the 1/48 Tamiya A-1H Skyraider for a client specifying the airplane flown by his father while embarked on the USS Enterprise with the VA-65 Tigers during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1/72 scale Hasegawa has a kit that would have fit the bill perfectly (save for the BuNo and cowl number)… … but 1/48 scale was strongly desired, which points squarely to the Tamiya kit. So, there will be some custom artwork required to replicate BuNo 35322 and other VA-65 specific markings. This is the only p
  23. Downen Scaled Replicas
    The panel line wash worked well to highlight the control surfaces and the panel lines on the top and bottom of the fuselage. As I mentioned, I scrounged through my leftovers and found a set of USAF markings that I thought would work well for what a Darkstar might have looked like if it had been placed into service. Overall I’m very happy with the look of the completed model. If you look down the inlet and exhaust nozzle you can just see the engine fan and mixer peeking out! I’ve built two prototypes as I worked through tweaks to im
  24. Downen Scaled Replicas
    I’m going to do a hypothetical operational scheme on this model using Light Ghost Grey, similar to what would be seen on a Predator or Reaper UAV. I’m using Model Car World’s military line of lacquer paints for the first time. I really like the way they airbrush easily and dry quickly. A bit later I’ll use a light gray enamel panel line wash from AMMO MiG. I’ve used a black-basing technique for the paint scheme. I painted the entire model a dark gray (but oftentimes black will be used) and then gone back over the dark color with the top coat color (Light Ghost Gray) us
  25. Downen Scaled Replicas
    Ernie, the printer is a FormLabs Form 2. It's stereolithography (SLA) which uses a laser to solidify a liquid resin polymer. I did a lot of research before purchasing the printer and so far I'm really happy with the results. --Troy
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