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In with a Vigilante, and my daughter with a Tomcat


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Hi Guys

I would like to join in with a 1/144 vigilante. It is the CROWN/OTAKI kit and is pretty basic, but I hope to try and add a little detail. I plan to open up both canopys, add some seats and cockpit detail, fold the wings maybe and use some of the great starfighter decals for an Enterprise sqn. Izzy, my daughter, age 7 (and a bit ive just been told to add) would like to build a Bounty hunters tomcat from the early deployments on the Big E. She is going use an old airfix kit. She is an old hand at group builds now and usually joins in with me, hope you guys dont mind her joining in too.

here is a pic of what we plan to build (I havent got the ra-5c decals yet, but will order them this week)

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Will post when we have some progress!

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Hi :wave:

Im Izzy.

I started my Tomcat today, and I am going to do a Bounty hunter one ( like Boba fett). I started off with the cockpit and the wings. I painted the inside black and the seats on the cushions green. I used white on the buttons, like daddy said, with a dry brush, and then it magically showed the buttons. Then i stuck it together, being carefull because the wings and the tailplanes move! I have stuck the engines in but I havent stuck them on to the airplane yet.

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Hope you like it so far.

Now Dad wants a word.

Hi Guys

I havent got nearly as far as Izzy! All I have done is manage to cut out one side of the canopy hhods. The rear canopy has no window in it so I will need to cut one out. Unfortunately, as it is meant to be built closed, the scale thickness is massive, so I will have to try and thin the hoods down too. Got to work out how to fit a cockpit now :coolio:

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Hope all your build are going well, cheers

Tim

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  • 2 weeks later...

Way to go Izzy!

Excellent work on that cockpit!...It looks as though you managed to do a very nice job assembling the fuselage as well...:thumbsup:

That Miramar book you have there is one of my favorite's. It's all ratty and dogeared now but it has sure has provided me with a lot of inspiration over the years.

Keep up the great work... :D

Hey Tim,

Well at least we know who the real modeler in the family is... :whistle:

Cheers,

Mark

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WOW, thanks guys for your really kind words, Izzy is beaming at them (and I am chuffed you all like her work, and really appreciate the encouragment you give her)! She loves modelling, and I love having someone too build with.

Time for an up date. Izzy has stuck the engine intakes on, tailfins and nose ,she is funny to watch, she reads the instructions meticulously before commiting glue, and sands all the bits she cuts off. I really could learn a few things off her I think. I am going to introduce her to filling gaps with tippex, I think she is ready :thumbsup: (though not tonight as she is playing Lego Star Wars on the playstation, she totally rocks as a daughter!!

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As for me, well I have managed to cobble together a cockpit from thin plasticard and aeroclub seats. I used photos as references as to how it is supposed to look. I am quite pleased with it, it looks ok from a distance anyway! Just mated the forward fuselage to the main body, dropped the flaps, folded the wings and sprayed the bottom white. My decals have also arrived from Starfighter Decals (highly recommended), so its really taking shape now.

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Hope all your builds are going well, they all look really good!

Tim (and Izzy, She just shouted to say thanks from the bedroom, lazy tyke)

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Hi Guys,

Just a quick update on the Vigilante! Izzy has been doing housework/ cleaning chores all week in-order to gain a 'Brownies badge' so has not done anything, though she wants to do some painting tomorrow.

The canopy hoods are really thick as they are not meant to be open, so I plunge moulded some new ones using spare clear plastic, not sure how they will turn out, but its easy to try so why not!

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Thats it for tonight, hope all your builds are nearly done too!

Will update tomorrow with Izzys tomcat.

Cheers

Tim

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  • 2 weeks later...

Evening!

A quick Izzy up date, she sprayed the bottom of her Tomcat white the other day and I masked it up for her. She painted the wheels and fiddly bits while I did this.

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Then on to spraying the grey, we hung it on the washing line so she could get at it better. We used Halfords grey as it was all I had, though the perfectionist she is, she moaned it was too dark (and she is right, comes with being a woman!), Anyway, we had to stick with it or we were going to run out of time.

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I gave her some pilots that I had already painted, but she repainted their helmets. One blue with white lightning stripes ( a bit of a fluke this one, she wanted white stripes but, when wiping the white paint off after a bit of a mistake, it looked like lightning, so it stayed) and the other ,with very agrresive looking ladybird dots!

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Once dry, she painted the blue and yellow on the rudders and strakes. And the black glare stripe'

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Now, the bit she was looking forward to, the stickers. She is only half way through, hopefully she will finish tomorow.

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Hope you like her build so far, I will post pics of both our finished projects tomorrow

Cheers

Tim And Izzy

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Hi Guys

Well, we made it. After a small delay due to forgetting to do her spellings last night, Izzy got the last of the decals, the wheels and missiles on tonight.

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fiddly decals

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glueing the wheels on

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Trimming the fingers, i mean doors!

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Cheating with the stripes on the arrestor hook.

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Quick change for bed (it is the crazy time of 8 o clock here) and time for the final pics!

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and with a few little people around.

She has loved doing this group build, and I have enjoyed doing it with her. Thanks again for all your kind comments and encouragment, she loves reading what you guys have written and thinks its cool that people from other countries have taken time to write. She is joining in the dropping Iron build next, I have a spare 1/72 b-1b that she has her eye on, so that along with my peacemaker should keep the kitchen table cluttered for some time yet!!

Oh yeah, almost forgot, I finished the 1/144 vigilante too. It was a worthwhile project as it looks much better with a bit of detail added to the cockpit. The starfightre decals are great but, VERY fragile, I had to repaint the red on the engine intake warning decal as i rubbed the decal off due to handling, oops!

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Great work, you two, on my all-time favorite Navy jets (must be the shape of the intakes I like)...I can't get over the all-around great job on that Tomcat! I wish the one I built when I was 48 looked this good.

Have you thought about posting the finished pictures in the "Display Case" to make sure everyone gets a chance to see them?

I'm not just patronizing a kid build here, it really looks good.

John

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Ha HA, Yeah, she put me right on a few things!! :salute:

Thanks guys, I will show Izzy your kind words in the morning, when she has finished her Easter egg hunt that is!

Again, I appreciate you and everyone who has taken time to post. And I really urge everyone who has kids to let them join in, Izzy has made ladybugs, star wars ships and all sorts, its great fun to be able to do it with her. She is doinga B1 next and a an airfix gazelle, both in 1/72 so not to much of a size difference then!

Thanks again guys,

Happy easter!!

Tim

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