John B Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) Entering this group build late, but I really started this build over 5 years ago. I always planned a 1/48 Hasegawa A-4E/F in Blue Angels markings, but didn't really focus on it. I worked on this Hasegawa A-4C instead - When I painted up the cockpit for the A-4C, I went ahead and painted up the A-4E cockpit. Same thing with the engine face, intakes, exhaust, wheel wells and landing gear. I've been on a Skyhawk kick lately so I've pulled this long-delayed project out to finish. Here's where it stands today - I'm building it as much OOB as possible. The only aftermarket that will be incorporated will be a mix of the Yellowhammer and Victory Productions decals and a Cutting Edge seat. I'm not worrying about Blue Angel-specific changes to the cockpit and intakes. Harv is hooking me up with the ladder stowage tube from the TA-4J kit. Edited May 4, 2009 by John B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Julien (UK) Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Nice one! You know how much I love the Blues! Julien Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 I've hit a major snag. I used to have a large spare parts stash. A few years back, I gave away a bunch of Skyhawk parts for the Skyhawk Group Build. I must've given away some parts I needed for this project. Can anyone spare these Hasegawa A-4 parts? E39 - Strut brace E25 - Nosewheel steering cylinder E11 - Blade Antenna F24 - Bent In-flight Refueling Probe E9 - Centerline Pylon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HS-4Grandson Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 John, Send me your address and I will send you out what I can find for you. Stanton Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted May 14, 2009 Author Share Posted May 14, 2009 (edited) I just received my order of 5 replacement parts from Revell today. Just when I thought I was back on track, I realized that I'm missing the clear piece (for the speed indicator lamps for the LSO) that goes on the leading edge of the left wing. AARGH!!! Luckily, this light cover was painted over on the Blue Angels Skyhawks. I plugged the slot with sprue and sanded it to shape. After a some Mr. Surfacer, more sanding and a coat of blue paint. I have to figure out how to produce a glossy finish. At first, I custom-mixed Blue Angels Blue using th formula outlined in the Yellowhammer Decals instructions for the Blue Angels F/A-18As. (Gloss dark blue enamel + Flat Insignia Blue enamel.)The result produced a dead flat finish. I sprayed this mix with 1 part paint, 2 parts laquer, and 1 part thinner and got this semi-gloss finish. It looks glossy until it dries semi-gloss. I'm going to sand and spray thinned laquer to try to get a glossy finish after I let it cure for 48 hours. Edited May 15, 2009 by John B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Julien (UK) Posted May 15, 2009 Share Posted May 15, 2009 John, To get a nice glossy finish just use your normal paint and apply some johnsons future, works for me every time. Julien Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 I worked on the fuselage and wings last weekend. I wet-sanded with progressively finer grades of sandpaper to remove the orange-peel effect. I then buffed the paint with an old T-shirt to get it semi-glossy. I followed up the buffing with a coat of Tamiya polish. It looks much better than it did before. The wingroot on which I filled the hole - Here are the wings and fuselage - I'll do more sanding and buffing over the weekend. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 I haven't posted an update in while. After sanding and polishing, I still didn't think the paint was glossy enough. After consulting with Darren Roberts, I just applied Future with a soft 3/4-inch brush. I prefer to paint and work in sub-assemblies whenever possible. I pre-painted the intake lips, leading edge slats, and brake chute canister with Tamiya acrylic gloss back. I then painted them with Al-Clad II Polished Aluminum. Afterwards, I brush-painted them with Future to give the shiny finish some depth. (I need to redo the intake lips after I accidentally brushed too much Future the parts and the finish turned foggy. I started applying decals last night - I decided at the beginning to mark the jet as flown by one of the Marine pilots (usually #2), I just need to settle on which year to depict. Once I have all the decals on, I'll wipe down down all the surfaces with a clean rag and apply a final coat of Future to blend everything together. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Julien (UK) Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Looking good John! Julien Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 This should turn out nicely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted July 3, 2009 Author Share Posted July 3, 2009 Just a quick update for the 4th of July weekend. I'm finished applying the decals. I test fit the wings, fuselage, landing gear, and tails. Still need to put a final coat of Future on the wings to seal the decals, paint the tires, yadda yadda yadda.... Yes, I know the "2" on the tail is crooked, but I'm not about to mess up the Future finish and other decals at this point. I'm hoping to finish before the next model meeting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Julien (UK) Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Looks great, I did not notice the 2! Love those white wall tyres! perhaps you could suggest that to them Julien Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Najk Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Looking really good so far, can't wait to see it finished! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 Looks great, I did not notice the 2!Love those white wall tyres! perhaps you could suggest that to them ^_^ Julien ;) Too late. I've already painted the tires and started attaching the parts. Besides, why would the Blue Angels care what my opinion is about their tire color scheme? I'm disappointed by how the leading edge slats and intake lips turned out. I still need to paint up seat, attach the remaining gear doors, flaps, yadda yadda yadda... Does anyone have any suggestions how to paint the landing light on the right gear door? Could I do this way? 1 - mask the lens portion, 2 - coat the reflector portion with Future, 3 - spray Alclad, 4 - spray acrylic gloss black, 5 - spray Blue Angel blue, 6 - and then coat with Future? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
slick95 Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Looks great!! SLICK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Julien (UK) Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Besides, why would the Blue Angels care what my opinion is about their tire color scheme? Only jesting with you john, looking good. Julien Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1/48 scale pilot Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 (edited) I still need to paint up seat, attach the remaining gear doors, flaps, yadda yadda yadda...Does anyone have any suggestions how to paint the landing light on the right gear door? Could I do this way? 1 - mask the lens portion, 2 - coat the reflector portion with Future, 3 - spray Alclad, 4 - spray acrylic gloss black, 5 - spray Blue Angel blue, 6 - and then coat with Future? Sounds like it would work but also like a lot of steps to take for a landing light. I would mask the lens with elmers glue, paint the reflector with a medium bright silver acrylic, (aluminum maybe) then white over that. future over the while thing once you rmove the masking and it should turn out fine... Edited July 10, 2009 by 1/48 scale pilot Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John B Posted July 12, 2009 Author Share Posted July 12, 2009 (edited) Suffered frustrating set-back today. I was headed to the monthly model meeting and loading the car with the model in a box on top. The box slid off the pile and the model landed upside-down on the pavement. The parachute cover flew off somewhere. The antenna behind the canopy also disappeared. The yellow on the tail was scratched up. I kept a little scrap decal so I can fix the scratch. I have an extra antenna and parachute cover thanks to a very generous ARCer who sent me a bunch of leftover A-4 parts. In addition, this old Monogram Skyhawk was in the same box and it suffered some damage. Oh well. Edited July 12, 2009 by John B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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