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Quick question--and I think you alluded to this already...

The "range finders", for lack of better terms on the main batteries: is that just from some generic ship PE, or did you use something more specific? It looks wonderful.

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thanks Jesse and Chippy for your kind words :cheers:

As for making an accurate plane, I'm not so sure. Details probably, but painting is not my strong suit

I'm hoping to start either my 1/32 SU-27 or 1/72 A400M - both of which I intend to light and detail.

Sci-fi is great in respects to any detail you add can't really be wrong because of its general nature, but with a real subject you can get it sooo wrong :woot.gif:

see you again soon

M

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Very small update for you

I'm really happy as I finally got the engine tubes sorted out and are now almost ready for installation. I didn't have any white LED's so I had to make do with blue ones, but the effect is still really good:

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I fixed light leaks between the tubes with good 'ol putty and it worked a treat:

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And I wasn't 100% happy with the color of the guns, so I resprayed in a darker gray:

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Am much happier now with the color choice! Am going to spend a bit of time tonight joining the 2 engine tubes and get installation underway. Should only take a couple of hours to sort out.

From there, I can finish the lighting and finalise assembly ready for the first layer of primer! YAY!

The end is in sight! It's all down hill from here (fingers crossed)

Thanks for stopping in'

MH

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OK - I finally got the lighting installed! :woo: and the tail is now on - which was a lot of effort!

I had to be a bit creative to stop the major light leaks from the back section (styrene sheet and putty):

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and of course - the obligatory light testing:

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All the lights will be connected to their own individual switch so I can turn on/off each component - something I wish I'd done with the Venator - oh well, never mind. The nav lights on the fins will hopefully (IF I can get the one I have to work that is) be connected to a flasher unit to too add that little bit extra coolness :woot.gif:

Now, its onto final assembly/detailing and the then time to paint.

I also have a great idea for a base/display, so hopefully I can pull it off. I think the base will take as long to make as the ship :blink:

Thanks for stopping in :cheers:

MH

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hey Tanis

Yeah, the exhausts look really bright in these pics - mostly because they are the only light source in that room at the time and also because all of the lights are hooked up to a single 9V battery - when finished, the exhausts will only be on 2xAA batteries so they won't be that bright.

The hull lighting won't look like that for much longer though - the entire body will be painted black then holes drilled out for "windows" later on.

Thanks mate :)

MH

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Thanks Jesse - it is coming along quickly (a first for me - I expected this one to take much longer)

Well, construction is now finished and it's ready for paint! I am however, really annoyed at myself because I made one huge building blunder - I fixed the bottom fins in the wrong position :bandhead2:

I looked at some references and realised they aren't supposed to be there but more on the sides. The worst things is I can't take it apart to fix it! :angry:

Oh well, there's no point sulking about it and it doesn't look to bad. Seeing as I'm not a huge fan of anime I won't loose much sleep over it

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next pics should be of the finished product

Thanks for stopping in

MH

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MH

EXEMPLARY work...

Will the positioning of the bottom fins in a place other than where it needs to be make a huge difference,because I did not notice and would not know until you mentioned it.

Will that detract from its original look?

Thank you :thumbsup:

HOLMES

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thanks Holmes! Nah - I don't think it detracts too much from the original - I hope. I don't think too many people will spot the issue quickly :whistle:

Well, the base coat is on and some pre-shaded and masked panels before it.

Now have to wait for it to dry so I can sand it back lightly and move onto post shading etc etc etc

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Next post will hopefully be of the final ship and then it's ready to begin the base idea I have - fingers crossed I can make it work properly :)

Cheers

MH

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no - there are rough spots in the finish - despite my best efforts to get the paint /thinner mix right, the temperature here does not seem to be the best suited for painting anything

I have to go find some more abrasive cloth and rub it back as much as I can without ruining it any more.

but hey, I am open to ideas on how else to fix it.

The hard thing about it is its a small ship and there lots of delicate pieces are present to avoid hitting.

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Ugh. I've had some success with a cotton swab in tight areas, just dry buffing it, but that can also lead to darker shiny spots. A curved hobby knife blade can help gently scrape the powdery material away too. What base paint are you using? Is this something you could lightly brush with some thinner to blend in? Mineral spirits can work wonders to retard practically any thinner so you'll have longer work times.

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well, I use methylated spirits as my thinner because it's supposed to be better than most. but I am doubting that quite a bit now.

The base paint is just Tamiya XF1 (light blocker) and then Gunze paint on top. I only have this issue when using Gunze paints - never Tamiya. Maybe I should not use meths for thinner and just use water....

I'm going to use the cotton bud tip as per your suggestion to see how that goes. However, I was wondering if a good few coats of clear will even the finish out?

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Hi Mad... I might suggest taking your paint brush with thinner, wiping off the excess with a towelette. Then sort of dry brush to try to take off the pebbly dust. It's just a thought although I have never tried it before :blink:.... The trick is to get the base coat down wet, but not too wet.... Forgive me since I'm sure you already know that.

/Jesse

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Hey Jesse

Thanks mate - I will give that a go. The cotton bud tip seems to be OK on a flat surface but when it comes to raised detail, I'm finding it leaves trails of cotton behind it. I might try dipping one in some thinner and gently wiping over it

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I found some old Tamiya mesh cloth - which is like the micro mesh cloth (I guess) - and rubbed it back some, which smoothed out the worst areas.

The I clear coated it, washed it and it all looked great........until I sprayed on a coat of Testors Dull Coat. It ate away at the paint underneath (yes, even through the Alclad clear) and has made an even worse mess than before :bandhead2::explode::wmsmiley-poop-hits-the-fan::crying2: (all the emotions I went through this afternoon minus a few swear words)

I took some pics, but I am bitterly disappointed in the over all finish of it. Judge for yourselves, but this won't be seeing a display table anytime soon

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I have to now build and finish the base, but I'm not going to expend the energy on what I had in mind. I can't be bothered with it anymore....

Anyway, thanks for stopping in and for all of your suggestions to remedy the paint issue.

MH

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