Kazu

Thanks, Andy and Thadeus! I just got word that the decals and training ordnances were shipped from China and Japan, so I'll work on the various touchups until those arrive. I'm already thinking about my next project. While I sort of want to do another aircraft using the learnings from this project, I'm considering remaking a model I scratch built long ago, but with much improved detail and at a different scale (1/144) using 3D modeling and 3D printing (both would be new skills I'll have to pick up).

I'm almost finished with the aircraft itself. Some panel lining and weathering remain. Painting the 1/48 Tom Cruise figure with his motorcycle will be a project in itself. Still waiting for decals from China and the training ordnances from Japan.

Ah, thanks for pointing that out. I'll DM eraucubsfan.

Thanks for offering! But I need the ones from the E kit particular to Maverick's aircraft.

Hand painted the details and applied the decals. Still have to clear coat, panel line, etc., but here's how it's coming along. The tail fins are so fragile...

About 25 years ago, I did a 1/100 full-scratch build of another Zeta Gundam mobile suit, the Palace Athene (that's not a typo...it's how the creator spelled it). It was for the 2nd International Orazaku competition held by Hobby Japan, and I entered from the states. I had to do the paint job in one all-nighter because I had to do the photography the next day to make the deadline. I was told that during judging, the Gundam editor of Hobby Japan wanted to give it grand prize, but it ended up getting bronze because one of the judges said the paint job is too bland, which I can't deny. To be hones

Thanks, spejic!

Thanks, Andy! That was a brilliant suggestion. I embedded the piece in Blu-Tack and after sawing off most of the base, I sanded the rest down to the 0.5mm thin piece. Contrary to what I initially thought, this Reskit version isn't the same mold as the BRASSIN. It's broken into even more parts. Fortunately, the resin seems to be a bit less brittle and softer, so it took almost no time to sand things down. I probably could have sanded all the way without using a saw, which would have been even easier. But Blu-Tack was the way to go!

Thanks. I definitely won't give up, but I do feel the ultrasonic cutter solution is overkill. I'm finding they're very expensive, and the cheaper ones under $500 make me worried they're unreliable toys according to the occasional bad review. Even if they work, I'm wary of using something that slices things so easily. So I ordered 3D-printed ones. These days, I'm starting to see more benefits of 3D-printed ones over resin. During the 30-year hiatus I had of making aircraft, I feel the biggest change has been 3D printing...the detail we get in the detail kits and cockpit panels has b

Here's a 1/144 Hi-Nu Gundam (from the novel version of Char's Counterattack) and a 1/144 Messala (from Zeta Gundam) that I finished recently. They were both Volks resin kits. I started the Hi-Nu about 7 years ago, and the Messala was started last March. The Hi-Nu has magnets embedded in its feet to prevent it from falling backwards. They were both piloted by top-level aces in the stories, so you don't expect them to have much damage, if any, but not weathering them makes them look like toys...so maybe I shouldn't say they're finished. Once I finish my current project (F

Great, thanks GW!

I had a set of resin BRASSIN 1/48 AIM-9X. They molded the tiny tail end piece separately. It's the R5 in the image, and that piece has 4 parts protruding from a base that's a mere fraction of a millimeter. Just trying to cut the base can sometimes shatter the resin, ruining the piece. If you saw it off, you still have to sand off the base (standard procedure, right?), and in the process, the piece breaks. I managed to break all 4 parts so had to throw out the BRASSIN set. So I order a Reskit version, but I found it used the same mold, so same problem. Ugh!!! I consider myself prett

When aircraft have high-viz paint schemes, like gloss black on its spine, do they put caution markings and other icons on those areas? When I look at reference photos, it seems like they don't, but model-kit instructions indicate they do. Does someone know if there's a general rule for this or if it's just oversight when they painted the real aircraft? I've held off on applying the hook icons on the black area, but at that point I had already added the "NO STEP" and exhaust warning triangle near the tail end of the spine, and it does look a bit silly. I can still recover, and will

Decaling is almost complete (even for the 6 caps (?) on the vertical fins), I've painted all the navigation lights, and attached the anti-collision lights. I've been experimenting with ways to better "fuse" the decals to the model so they don't come off easily. What's been working is using Tamiya Mark Fit underneath the decal and letting it dissolve a bit before pressing it onto the model. I then do another pass from above to help conform and aid a bit more in the contact. It's been working well enough that masking tape doesn't take off the decals, but I'm still careful with large

That's really creative and cool! I love it!