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jonbryon

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Everything posted by jonbryon

  1. I don't think it's possible to use CA as a filler without having to sand it, whether you use accelerator or not. In fact, I don't think it's possible to use filler (or Mr Surfacer, or whatever) without sanding *at all*. People say they can do it, but the joint always seems to be visible afterwards if you look closely enough... Cheers Jon
  2. Don't we do that anyway? Who follows the instructions? Cheers Jon
  3. I LOVE this kit. The fit is actually very good - much better than many other Hasegawa modern jets, such as the F-teen range. The problem is with the instructions, which are rubbish. If you follow them you will have no end of problems. I wrote a fairly extensive message on the matter: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....&hl=harrier And this is my recommended construction sequence (you can find it on my website at http://www.thebryons.com/av8bplus.html): "My suggestion for general construction of these kits is as follows: *Attach the rear fuselage halves (A1 & B1) toget
  4. People often mention the price of this kit and how high it is. I paid £15, which I thought was a bargain (same as the UK price for a Monogram A-10). Then again, I bought it in Hong Kong; everyone outside Asia seems to be getting ripped off Cheers Jon
  5. Just a quick note on P-47D pricing. I go to Hong Kong quite frequently and was last there in August. The most expensive model shop I know of there (Continental Models) had the the Razorback at HK$499, which is about US$65. So a US retail of US$150 is a huge mark up. The cheapest model shops I know of (UML, a.k.a. DML/Dragon) don't stock Trumpeter (generally). I haven't seen it here in China yet, but I would guess it will be available at around $50-60, maybe less if you bargain hard and don't ask for a receipt... Cheers Jon
  6. Thanks Drewe, I'll try that. I have found that I need to thin Mr Color much more than I would expect (it's pretty thick) and that helps get a smoother finish. I'll try reducing pressure, but really I need a better regulator. Mr Color paints are great in that they dry fast and spray smooth (excepting my little problem). They're the only paints I can buy locally, but they are completely useless for brushing, as I'm sure you know, which limits their versatility a little. I've used Rainbow 10 to get the special boxed sets of Mr Color paints which contain colours not available separately - gr
  7. Thank you all for the comments. Smithery seems to be taking care of how to get the resin parts. I was told there were very few left, but I don't know if they've made some more. I'm surprised the set hasn't been taken on by a more major manufacturer. Some have commented on my paint finish. It's extremely simple and is detailed on my website, but here are the basics: 1. Wash model using liquid detergent and an old toothbrush. Air dry. 2. Prime with Mr Surfacer 1000, highly thinned with Mr Levelling Thinner, applied through an airbrush in thin coats. 3. Polish rough areas using Tamiya
  8. Hot off the workbench is this Eduard 1/48 Mirage IIICJ. Additions were: Brass rod/wire nose pitot Brass rod gun barrels Redux resin seat Resin Atar 9C engine and rear fuselage (unknown manufacturer) Isradecals markings Full lowdown at www.thebryons.com/mirage3cj.html Comments welcome Cheers Jon
  9. Sorry to butt in on this thread, but I have the Airfix Hawk 100 in the 'to build' pile and am intrigued about the issue with the nose. I managed to get a High Planes kit of the Hawk 100 very cheap from Hannants (25% of list price) and intended to use it to detail the Airfix kit (cockpit, undercarriage, markings, etc.). Does anyone know if the High Planes Hawk has a more accurate nose than the Airfix one? If so, I would consider chopping and swapping the noses. Unfortunately I can't check, since my stash is 6000 miles away. Cheers Jon
  10. I have a bottle but rarely use it. Too fragile in my opinion, and will chip or flake quite easily. I still haven't found a better filling solution than super glue. Cheers Jon
  11. Thanks Smithery. It's quite a fun build - nice and simple. Cheers Jon
  12. Thanks TuveB. I believe they are they same kit. Cheers Jon
  13. After 13 years of using Revell Contacta I got fed up of sinking seams (I call them ghost seams). I've tried all the solutions above and the only foolproof solution is to ditch poly cement altogether and make the model only using Superglue. In my experience, Smithery's method does work, but assumes there is enough plastic to squeeze out of the joint. In practise, on most of my builds, the fit is not good enough to squeeze out excess plastic (i.e. there is a small gap, or the parts only just touch) so it's impossible to avoid the sunken seam. That's what I think anyway Jon
  14. That works, but the alternative omits the extra gloss coat, which saves time and the opportunity to add more bits of dust in the final finish. My last two builds looked like this (chosen to show the wash added to the decals only after they were added): I flat coat straight over the decals. I never really understood why people gloss coat over the decals, but I guess there must be a reason (it's often said 'to protect them', but from what, I'm not sure). Cheers Jon
  15. Both. You should put on the wash before the decals. Then apply the decals. And then very precisely apply a wash to the panel lines that run over the decals. If you wash the entire plane *after* decalling what will happen is that the wash will slightly discolour the decal carrier film, usually because it is slightly matt or because it is slightly raised from the rest of the surface. Jon
  16. Often, but not always: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index....&hl=harrier Cheers Jon
  17. I would really appreciate you posting your findings from this. I got one of the Flankers very cheap (£15 in Hong Kong instead of £35 in the UK) but would like to know how accurate it is. Cheers Jon
  18. Thanks Mike. It's just Mr Color Silver (#8) airbrushed over Mr Surfacer 1000 which had been polished with Tamiya Compound. The silver was coated with Johnson's Klear and then a mix of Pollyscale satin and flat. Since the original aircraft was painted silver, I was not trying to replicate a B/NMF. Cheers Jon
  19. Couldn't agree more. I rather like the Academy Fishbeds and thought that they made up into fine models. I was under the impression the only problems with them were mislabelling of the bis as an MF, mislocated bulges on the fuselage and rather weak cockpit detail. But maybe I'm wrong... Cheers Jon
  20. Thank you all for your replies. Since I have no people to show them to in the flesh (except the wife!), I appreciate the chance to display them in public electronically. Cheers Jon
  21. Here are my most recent builds, built in tandem since they are sister kits. The first is Hobbycraft's 1/48 Avia S-199 in kit markings. Only mods were to replace the guns and pitot tube with brass tube. Unfortunately I think I painted it the wrong colour and the props should be the same colour as the fuselage... The second is Academy's 1/48 Hispano HA-1112-M1L, also in kit markings. Full(er) story at www.thebryons.com/model_index.html and follow the links... Thanks for looking Jon
  22. jonbryon

    AV-8B

    DON'T USE THE AIRIES ONE! It doesn't fit in the Hase cockpit. I ordered 2, had them sent to China (expensive) and there's no way they fit in the plastic cockpit. Ended up just using the photoetch seatbelts on the kit seats. An expensive way to add belts... Cheers Jon
  23. Mine's the same...but I haven't used it yet! Cheers Jon
  24. You can build an early, unslatted F-4E. I had an E boxing and wanted to do a Vietnam example from 1972, so swapped my slatted wing for an unslatted one from an EJ box with someone. You may be able to do the same... Cheers Jon
  25. FWIW, when I built the wings I attached the flaps first and then the actuators. I found a significant gap between the two which was solved with simple clamping. The other point with the wing is to be careful to get it centred relative to the fuselage. I found mine was 0.5mm out, so the inboard flaps needed adjusting to fit correctly. I have read others had the same problem... Cheers Jon
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