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lesthegringo

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Posts posted by lesthegringo

  1. The problem with this technique is that as the glue solvent gradually evaporates out, you get sinkage. In my experience this makes this technique useless for anything other than very fine layers or thicknesses.

    I started using the talc and superglue mix a couple of years ago, and have never used any other filler since (unles you count plastic strip glued along edges). It is fast, cures hard enough to scribe, soft enough to sand, never shrinks and works out cheap because you can buy the cheap superglues from your local cheapie shop. You can fill large areas and gaps very quickly as you can add layers a couple of minutes apart.

    My vote is for talc and superglue, give the dissolved plastic a miss

    Cheers

    Les

  2. it didn't surprise me at all... as it was released more than 20 years ago...

    your SR-71 photos are really nice! thanks for sharing them70.gif

    ...and, for 1/48 SR-71 lovers... IIRC Hypersonic Models was working on a new plastic kit of it! (their resin bits are outstanding) ...and, also Tan models that is rumored also to have their project...

    Count me in for a good 1/48th sled!

    Les

  3. I've used Simple Green before, as it seems to be able to get rid of really stubborn release agents. I had problems with paint 'eye-spotting' on styrene parts that alcohol wouldn't remove and couldn't use more aggressive stuff. I used Simple Green to strip the dried paint off one time and found it got rid of the problem.

    Worth trying, and you can always use it to strip paint off your models

    Hope that helps

    Les

  4. Great reply, many thanks. I'd wondered whether all the hype matched the reality, and in fact could see the stria from the printing process on some Eduard F6F engine cowling parts, although to be fair they were finer than those above. I have no way to actually test it myself, so need good feedback like this.

    To me it sounds like the technology is not yet ready for home use for modelling. I assume the industry grade items are capable of better but looks like I'll be using this only for non-scale stuff if I do decide to get one

    Cheers

    Les

  5. Little detail parts that can't be injection moulded due to their geometry, like airscoops, or stuff like gear doors where ejector pin marks are impossible to avoid. I'd be using it for other non-modeling projects too, like improving my F1 car sim rig, making some 'cockpit' parts for a flight sim, so the detail parts thing would be a nice bonus, if it was possible

    Cheers

    Les

  6. Thanks for the help guys

    I'm now looking for some good pictures of the intercooler trunking and the area around the rear of the engine bulkhead, does anyone have this? An internet search has turned up virtually nothing of value, as it mainly focusses on the engine or exterior views

    Cheers

    Les

  7. Thanks guys, great info, and many thanks for the links. The Eduard engine definitely has the edge in terms of level of detail, and the ear deflectors seem to be very well represented, so I'll probably go with that. I'll check out all those links, and may be back for more!

    Thanks as ever for your assistance, very much appreciated

    Cheers

    Les

  8. Guys, this is unashamedly a repeat of a post over on Britmodeller, hoping that by putting it up here as well I increase the chances of an answer

    In support of my Jasmine F6F built I need to pin down some painting details plus some other bits and bobs.

    First up is to know what the little silver tank in the picture below is, and what colour it should be. It fits into the fuselage behind the pilot

    20160405_193350_zpsfnp5nkr9.jpg

    Secondly, I have sourced an Aires detail set for the F6F 5 which has a better resin engine and ancillaries, plus some better cockpit details and weapons bay detail - though curiously despite Aires supplying the correct number of barrels for the guns, they only supply four Brownings.

    However the Aires engine also is missing the very prominent intake trunking, plus there is nothing depicting what appears to be a ring around the engine in between the cylinder rows. A quick look at a very nice Eduard Brassin engine in my stash that was destined for a British fleet air arm bird (along with a Wolfpack wingfold set) shows it to have the intake manifold supplied, and the individual cylinders have the segments of the ring cast onto them. The moulding quality of the Brassin set is higher too. The problem I have is that the Brassin set makes the ring look like a dividing firewall, rather than an external ring which I believe is more correct. Has anyone got some good reference material that they can use to help resolve this?

    Lastly (for now) I see that some Hellcats in reference photos have the internal areas forward of the front cockpit bulkhead painted in light grey. Is this due to restoration or is that period correct?

    I have looked for instruction sheets on Hobby Link Japan to try and help with some of the painting guides, but all they have are trumpeter instruction sheets - I don't think I'll trust those very much!

    Cheers guys

    Les

  9. Thanks

    The local shop did have it, amongst their glues and adhesives in a bottle that I had obviously previously dismissed as a glue. Anyway, gave it a go, and we will see if it does indeed do the job, although if the Jasmine frets are stainless, I may not be as effective. Having said that, it does spray beautifully, and nice and thin - stinks to high heaven, though!

    Les

  10. Thanks milcari. In the end I decided it would help push me if I did make it a WIP thread so I started one over on BM. Hope I can do it justice. Still interested to know what kit they used for the bits

    Les

  11. Does anyone have any recommendations for a primer for photo etched parts? For preference one that bites into the surface the same way automotive etch primers do (only for steel rather than brass or nickel)

    I want to prepaint and then be able to bend, which you cant do without a good primer as the paint cracks off

    Cheers

    Les

  12. Guys, my well meaning but slightly misguided wife has given me one of the Jasmine photo etch F6F-5 'kits' as a birthday present. She had seen me poring over a build of one over on Britmodeller and showing pictures of it to the kids and assumed that I would like one - without realising my utter fear of photo etch!

    However, it was a present and I wouldn't want to disappoint her by not making it or giving it away, so I will try my best to make it, although I'm not confident of a very good result.

    I intend to paint the structure in chromate primer, with cockpit green in the cockpit area and then paint the engine, visible and accessories in their representative colours - that's more traditional modelling where I feel I am on safer ground. Painting the photo etched structure may also allow me the chance to hide and screw-ups that I will almost inevitably make, plus using a scan of the frets may be able to replace any bits I destroy beyond recovery with sheet styrene replacements. I'm still very nervous about the whole thing though.

    Looking at the included resin (not sure if it is, but suspect so) parts that depict the engine and so forth, they are fairly poor quality. The nose cowl is also cast in resin, but again has a lot of casting inclusions. I suspect that the parts from the Aires F6F detailing set, and maybe even the Eduard engine may be useable to improve these areas, however the undercarriage and nose cowl parts are not included in any of these sets. I don't know which kit Jasmine used to base the parts on, other than to say they are definitely not Eduard parts (compared it with the one in my stash). I don't know if any of you guys are able to confirm which one it is? If I can identify it I may try and get aftermarket bits for that kit to substitute the originals.

    I would love to be confident enough to post a work in progress build, but alas I am really quite pessimistic about it due to all the photo etch. Still, I will give it a go and you never know, it may turn out half decent! In the meantime, any help and suggestions from you all would be warmly received

    Cheers

    Les

  13. Guys, I'm using some nice Zotz decals, P-47 pin up girl markings. The issue I am having is that the edges of the decals are very pronounced, principally the insignia but also to a lesser degree on the others. it's almost a sharp edge to the carrier film, which is very visible. I am using future to get the decals to snuggle down, and on a couple of other recent models (Tamiya F4U and Eduard P-400) I have been able to make the decals look like they are painted on, so suspect my basic technique is sound.

    So do you have any suggestions as to how I can get the edges of the decals to be less obvious?

    Cheers

    Les

  14. F-14A I believe.

    Happy with that! Just building the Hasegawa version, which is interesting but showing its age, so I'm looking forward to seeing how AMK's comes out. I can wait, though, got too many (according to the missus) to build before getting a new one anyway. Even if the kit doesn't come with Alicat markings, I'll probably get aftermarket decals which will almost certainly appear shortly afte r the kit release

    Les

  15. I've taken pictures of the belts and the instructions and marked up the instruction photo to explain my confusion

    I suspect the belts in the photo are not the same scale, and maybe not even the same belts. The buckles are too narrow for the belts that go through them, you have to trim the belts to go through otherwise you destroy the ends trying to push them through. I have spent a whole hour just trying to be one buckle on, and still am only 3/4 done on it

    20160320_101052_zpslu210f1t.jpg

    20160320_101003_zpsi3q5pp3w.jpg

    Hope these work!

    Les

  16. first time trying these, I am using the set for the 1/48th Hellcat.

    There are no instructions, just a picture of the assembled belts, but I can't seem to work out how they go together using the picture. A diagram of what threads through where would be helpful indeed, and the HGW site has no information to help. The photo included just confuses me as it looks like there are two short bits sticking out each side of the buckle - which logically cannot be right unless you have one short bit over the long belt

    Let me try and get some pictures to explain, meanwhile any tips gratefully accepted

    Les

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