KRI76 Posted March 9, 2014 Share Posted March 9, 2014 I'd love to do some whale-watching one day...grate pictures indeed! I cannot though wait until we'll have some news about the build: I have enjoyed every second of this build! /Kristian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Edit Edited November 11, 2014 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kike Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Great pics Chuck! I want you to come back to work on the hog too!! Glad to know you're having a good time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Oh my...Island Fever after only two weeks?!?!? ;-) (Many visitors like visiting Hawaii...living here is completely another thing..) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Oh my...Island Fever after only two weeks?!?!? ;-) (Many visitors like visiting Hawaii...living here is completely another thing..) I can relate to that! My wife could live here all year- and love it. I, on the other hand, don't like heat all that much for long periods of time and the sun screen deal is a pain every day. I love it here to get a break from work or the cold, but after 2 weeks, I'm done. Good thing too, because I'm getting fat sitting around eating and drinking too much every day, but I know one thing for sure: two weeks at home and I'll be dying to come back! There's nothing like a tropical paradise with the security of the US of A. You Americans are lucky. BTW, on which island do you live? Were you born in Hawaii? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 LOL..heat? This is fairly chilly for us Island-folks! You will feel the heat during Summer/early "Autumn" here, but we don't get those crazy 100 degree (Fahrenheit) heat waves. No extremes for us in the temperature department, so we're fairly thinned skinned. Evenings in the 60's will have us breaking out our down blankets! Yes..born/raised on the Island of Oahu...I can't see myself living anywhere else (well, San Diego/San Francisco I could) and I have traveled much for work, but I would always relish the day I would see home just before landing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Well, after 2 weeks I'm finally getting bored and I miss working on the A-10. I'm sick, I know! Good for you.. By my definition you have decompressed; which is good. Now; Try to literally enjoy the nothingness (Boredom) for what it is: A lull from your busy and demanding life. This is not only good for you physically, but importantly, it's good for you mentally. BTW; Awesome pics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Pretty nifty with the camera aren't you Chuck. Brilliant photos. So good holiday but ain't it time to Hog the work bench and get back to it. . Excuse the intended pun! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 So good holiday but ain't it time to Hog the work bench and get back to it. . Excuse the intended pun! You are absolutely right Holmes, but I don't leave for home until tomorrow. As much as I love the sun, sand and surf, I am totally done! It must be time to go home- and continue modelling. However, it's supposed to snow some more next week, so I'm sure I'll be ready to turn around and come right back in no time! One good thing about walking away from a build is that you have time to think about the next stages and how you're going to do them. I have several new ideas that might work out better than the usual stuff, so this break might actually result in a better model than otherwise. We'll see! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.linus Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 (edited) Hey chuck, I hope you enjoyed your trip! I know that you and I share an affinity for dirty aircraft.i have a few shots of some pretty filthy a-10s from a recent base visit in my area. I'll send them your way if you'd like them? Also, I love all the attention you pay to the little things! You're the reason why I now focus much more time to the details. I believe you said earlier in your post, something to the effect : the small things are what really make a model stand out- (maybe not exactly, but that's what I took from it) either way ithink you're right and that's one of the main reasons that your builds are some if my favorites I follow and reference. Keep it up! Edited March 23, 2014 by .linus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Since it's been forever since I've posted a real modeling update, here's where things stand now for those who are interested. Upon returning from vacation (most of the vacation pics have been taken down to avoid any more clutter), I discovered two things: 1) The model looks way better than I thought after a few weeks away from it. All that hard work seems to have paid off! I can't believe how much better it turned out than I expected a year ago when I started this crappy kit. 2) I found lots of small errors I had missed before, so I tried to fix them all over the past week. 3) The liquid sprue issues I had on the wings before are now solved and eliminated. Whew! I am on to finishing the landing gear, which is no small feat with new plumbing and wiring. The kit gear doors are awful, so I've spent a lot of time cleaning them up and adding Eduard detail when available. After I've got that step out of the way, I should be assembling and painting the ordnance, but I just can't get motivated to do it! This pig is so close to decals and weathering (my favorite part) that I'm afraid I must basically finish the model, other than attaching little antennae, etc., before I hang a missile or a bomb. Also, one other tip I discovered the hard way. As much as I've had success with enamel paints in my cold Canadian garage where my paint booth is, spraying acrylic Future in the cold has been almost a disaster! It sprays lumpy and creates a bad orange peel finish. With careful sanding and the reapplication of Future in warmer temperatures, everything is fine now, but there were a few sweaty moments when I may have said some very bad words. :o And to think I model to relax! ^_^ I have nothing to show right now, but next up will be the completed landing gear, then Future/decals, then bombs, missiles and other stuff that hangs from the pylons. Stay tuned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KRI76 Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Chuck, please hurry with some updates...! I'm suffering from serious withdrawal... /Kristian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Modelmkr Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Also, one other tip I discovered the hard way. As much as I've had success with enamel paints in my cold Canadian garage where my paint booth is, spraying acrylic Future in the cold has been almost a disaster! It sprays lumpy and creates a bad orange peel finish. With careful sanding and the reapplication of Future in warmer temperatures, everything is fine now, but there were a few sweaty moments when I may have said some very bad words. Just as a tip, I always take the paint I'm going to spray and sit the bottle or cup in a dish of hot water. This warms up the paint and it sprays easily and goes on creamy smooth. That said, I'm not spraying in a cold winter garage, so YMMV. Marc B. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted April 13, 2014 Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hey chuck. Is there any more progress on this one? I really need my "chuck's super awesome A-10 build" fix. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hey chuck. Is there any more progress on this one? I really need my "chuck's super awesome A-10 build" fix. Thanks for your interest! Due to work and a few other time killers like doing tax returns for myself and family, I haven't accomplished enough on this build to warrant a real update. Right now I'm doing decals after about 20 different trips to my paint booth to get the Future finish as perfect as possible. This process has revealed additional build flaws that the paint job was still hiding, so I've been doing lots of touch-ups on just about every square inch of the model. I also managed to drop some metal tweezers on the nose area, creating a big chip in the paint and plastic- AFTER I had sealed in some decals. What a pain to repair when you have to be extra careful with masking tape around decals! I also had a another setback with the decals themselves, which I had been half expecting anyway. It turns out I can't do the Indiana ANG Blacksnakes! If you look at the snake head in the pic below, you will note that it is a very complicated pattern that stops and starts along certain panel lines and the snake's nose is directly on top of the two circular black antennae. Since I heavily modified and narrowed the nose area and moved the antennae quite a bit (kit location was very wrong), the big 3 piece Caracal decal does not fit! Not even close, which is not the fault of the decals, which are likely and understandably made for an unmodified kit. As disappointing as this is (I REALLY wanted that snake head!), the Caracal decals has a "Plan B" version of the Idaho ANG "Skullbangers" for serial number 78-0707, another A-10C. Fortunately, the camo-paint pattern is pretty much identical to the Blacksnakes and should wind up looking something like this..... If I can't have the snake head, I'd rather keep it simple like this. I think the hog and shark heads have been overdone and I bet I'd still have difficulty fitting the nose decals if I could find another version. My next update will be full decals and panel line wash, again using the Tamiya panel line product. I've tested it in a few areas and it really looks fantastic, allowing me to accentuate some panel lines and keep others very subtle with no wash at all, just like the real deal. I've also changed my mind on the weathering. This Hog will be fairly clean, which is a first for anything off of my work bench! Give me a few more weeks and I'll have a full update with lots of pics and a tutorial on the application of Future, which I've changed quite a bit from prior builds. I'm now using 50% Future and 50% Windex, which just might be a first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Anyway to use the snakehead as a template but modify it and spray the snakehead markings on with the airbrush ?? Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Anyway to use the snakehead as a template but modify it and spray the snakehead markings on with the airbrush ?? Steve Hi Steve, Believe me, I thought of that and at least a dozen other ways to keep the snake head alive. In all circumstances, masking the scale markings in preparation for paint would be a nightmare and take many, many hours. I also think the chances of doing a bad job are higher than doing a good job, so "less is more" would apply here. Sometimes you need to know when to fold your cards and move on. One other thing I forgot to mention: The Caracal decals are SUPER thin and very difficult to work with. Don't get me wrong, I do like them and I will always take a thin decal over a thicker one, but once you place the decal down and remove any moisture, your chances of moving it again are not great if you don't like the alignment. With the big snake head decal on both sides and a small decal on the nose that ties the 3 decals together, you need to move the decals around a lot to make them fit properly. I have no idea how this can be accomplished with these decals, because it's certainly beyond my skill set. Thankfully, like I usually do, I bought two sets of decals to repair mistakes. So far, I've scrubbed about 6 decals because of this issue, but they do look terrific when they are on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 That's a bummer, the snake head would have been cool. I sometimes think the decals guys are making them too thin and there is no room for movement or errors. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NavyF4s Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi Chuck Sorry to hear about the snake head decal. About the 50-50 mix of Future with Windex, I know there is ammonia in Windex and with this in mind I tried spraying straight ammonia over fresh future. The result is amazing, it seems to re-liquefy the Future letting it lay down super smooth. With %50 Future how much blue starts to show? Maybe try this for yourself, it might be just the cure for any orange peel troubles. Did you say a clean hog :P/> An avid watcher of your builds Anthony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Chuck there are some Indiana ANG A-10C pics without Snake head here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rsteup/sets/72157626714841794/with/8840251161/ Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi Chuck Sorry to hear about the snake head decal. About the 50-50 mix of Future with Windex, I know there is ammonia in Windex and with this in mind I tried spraying straight ammonia over fresh future. The result is amazing, it seems to re-liquefy the Future letting it lay down super smooth. With %50 Future how much blue starts to show? Maybe try this for yourself, it might be just the cure for any orange peel troubles. Did you say a clean hog :P An avid watcher of your builds Anthony Hi Anthony, Yes, I've used the straight Windex method many times for the reasons you mention. Here's a pic I've used many times of the results: I have always put a bit of Windex in with the Future to reduce the surface tension and get it to spray a bit thinner, but now I've gone way up to 50%. There's some guys in the Tools and Tips Forum that will tell you that Windex/ammonia does all sorts of bad things to Future, but I've never had any trouble with it. The trouble with 100% Future is that it's thick to begin with and you need to increase your air pressure to get it to spray properly without sputtering. This results in dried "dust" in areas of the model where air turbulence allows Future droplets to dry before they hit the surface and I find the nozzle of my air brush plugs up too much. Thinned with Windex, I can spray at lower air pressures and get the surface nice and wet without adding too much Future per coat. I'd love to show the results on this Hog, but I'm too busy decaling! More later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Chuck there are some Indiana ANG A-10C pics without Snake head here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rsteup/sets/72157626714841794/with/8840251161/ Jari Thanks Jari. Without the snake head, there's not much left that's interesting, so I've gone with the Idaho version instead. At least the "Skullhead" decals have retained a bit of the nasty look I'm looking for. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KRI76 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Hi Chuck! Nice to hear what you've been up to. I have been coming back to this thread in hope for updates for a long time now, and I'm happy to read about the status. I'm really really sorry for the snake-head problem. Even though I'm sure you've thought about this, I'll throw my 2 cents in anyway... I sometimes read a truck modelling forum. Those guys do some pretty impressive work and I can warmly recommend checking this forum. Some amazing scratch-building going on there btw... Anyway: truck modeller are used to detail their paint jobs with this stripes that they create by carefully applying thin line-decals cut to exact length. Looking at the snake head, the lines seem to be all straight which would help if doing this way. The eye could be taken from the Caracal decal sheet and the nose wouldn't be too hard to mask. Just a suggestion... /Kristian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KursadA Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I also had a another setback with the decals themselves, which I had been half expecting anyway. It turns out I can't do the Indiana ANG Blacksnakes! :crying:/> If you look at the snake head in the pic below, you will note that it is a very complicated pattern that stops and starts along certain panel lines and the snake's nose is directly on top of the two circular black antennae. Since I heavily modified and narrowed the nose area and moved the antennae quite a bit (kit location was very wrong), the big 3 piece Caracal decal does not fit! Not even close, which is not the fault of the decals, which are likely and understandably made for an unmodified kit. Hi Chuck, Sorry to hear about the problems with the decals. The thinness of these decals is the primary reason why I stopped using the Czech printer(all of my recent 1/32 sheets are printed by Microscale and I will keep using them for my 1/32 sheets for the foreseeable future) I designed the decals to fit a standard Trumpeter A-10 kit. If you believe you may want to go forward and try alternative approaches (such as applying the decals in multiple pieces, etc.), I am willing to send you as many free snake head decal sheets you might need - I received many more than I ordered, so I have lots of spares. Alternatively I can provide you with the outlines of the snake artwork, so it may be possible to cut it in vinyl on a Silhouette printer and use it as a mask. Just let me know if I can help - I'd really love to see this project completed! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Hi Chuck, Sorry to hear about the problems with the decals. The thinness of these decals is the primary reason why I stopped using the Czech printer(all of my recent 1/32 sheets are printed by Microscale and I will keep using them for my 1/32 sheets for the foreseeable future) I designed the decals to fit a standard Trumpeter A-10 kit. If you believe you may want to go forward and try alternative approaches (such as applying the decals in multiple pieces, etc.), I am willing to send you as many free snake head decal sheets you might need - I received many more than I ordered, so I have lots of spares. Alternatively I can provide you with the outlines of the snake artwork, so it may be possible to cut it in vinyl on a Silhouette printer and use it as a mask. Just let me know if I can help - I'd really love to see this project completed! Thanks Kursad for the offer! Now that's customer service! I am now firmly committed to the Idaho scheme, having placed a number of decals on the model already, but thanks anyway. This bird will still look pretty cool when finished. I should have mentioned earlier that Kursad warned me that these decals could be problematic. The big ones, like the snake head, are a real bear to work with, but the smaller ones are perfect if you remember to keep them hydrated until you commit to placement. The stencil sheet is printed in Italy by Cartograf and they are "Normal Excellent" and you can move them around without fear of them folding on themselves and creating a mess. Also, the white "H" decal in front of the refueling door, while super thin, is the only one I can find that is the correct size for the narrowed nose. All the other decals for this feature (Cutting Edge, Astra, etc.) are too fat, again likely to accommodate the too fat nose of the unaltered kit. Edited April 14, 2014 by chuck540z3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.