AX 365 Posted March 27, 2014 Author Share Posted March 27, 2014 Next set... Due to my work schedule (work at night, sleep at day for Fri, Sat and Sun), the third mist coat probably won't get applied until Monday afternoon. Thanks for checking in. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 Its looking nice. That gloss black is tough tp photograph but you did a good job. I'm excited to see the Alclad on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bigasshammm Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Gloss black looks so good when done properly though. Nice work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Mike, what do you use to buff/sand the gloss black before and after coats? Where do you find it? Your paint looks nice and shiny. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 1, 2014 Author Share Posted April 1, 2014 Thanks guys. It looked better in person. ALF...I just made sure the surface was clean before applying the gloss. I used a mild soap solution and warm water to get the grease / fingerprints off. I let it air dry for a day. I then sprayed the gloss black with mist coats and let the first application dry for a couple of days. I then used 2000 grit wet / dry sandpaper and gave her a light wet sanding to get rid of the unwanted dust etc. After letting it dry, I applied a second coat of gloss black and covered it immediately. After letting it cure for 4 more days, I checked her this morning and there was no dust or lint trapped on her. I did give her a quick once over with a ratty old t-shirt just for good measure and then earlier this morning I sprayed the first coat of Alclad II White Aluminum (#106) with the pressure regulator set at about 13 p.s.i. or so. It turned out pretty good but I will spray another coat of #106 to even out the colour as there is a bit of streaking visible at a certain light angles. And no...not streaking as in the old Ray Stevens song! Don't look, Ethel! Here are some photos of the first coat of Alclad. More photos will be posted after the second coat is applied. Thanks for looking. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Looking great. The Sabre really comes alive in that NMF look. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted April 1, 2014 Share Posted April 1, 2014 Don't look, Ethel! But it was too late. She'd already been IN-censed. Boogadie boogadie... Thanks to you, I have that ear-worm stuck in my head. You're on a tear (or a streak, as it were...). Great explanation for how you did things with the undercoating. I will try to follow your example. One question about the upper wing colours; I've noticed some pics of Korean-War era Sabres that seem to have a very dull aluminum colour in the middle of the upper wing surface (almost like a light grey colour, from root to the tip, just aft of the leading edge area, and stretching as far back as the flaps and ailerons). Have you noticed that? Is it a dull aluminum colour? I'll send you a couple pics by e-mail so you can see what I mean. Unfortunately they're not pics I can freely post here, since they belong to other web sites. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 More photos with this update. I still have some colour to add but most of the Alclad is done...maybe. A second coat of #106 was applied to even out the colour. I have since sprayed Semi Matte Aluminum (#116), Dark Aluminum (#103) and Steel (#112) along with MM light grey and flat black to the Sword. I sprayed the center section of the top of the wings, part of the horizontals stabilizers, the rudder and a couple of other small panels with #116. Barely noticeable is the #103 on the machine gun cover doors and an area behind the Steel on the exhaust opening. The light grey and flat black are readily apparent. I still need to spray a red band behind the intake and paint the cover for the radar ranging gunsight. I am also contemplating spraying a few extra splotches of Alclad on other panels as well as the ailerons to add some extra tonal variations. Unfortunately my save on the broken seam is a lot more evident with the Alclad sprayed over it but with any luck I might be able to hide some of that boo boo with the fuselage codes and other decals. We'll see. The Wheels, Part II When Mr. Smith was the CFI at Chatham, he would often partake in visiting former colleagues at various bases in Canada and the United States. One such visit took him to Andrews A.F.B. Let's just say there was some alcohol involved at a reception held one evening in his honour. More to follow. Thanks for looking in. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Its looking great! I really like the color variations in the panels, they really help bring it to life. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 10, 2014 Author Share Posted April 10, 2014 Its looking great! I really like the color variations in the panels, they really help bring it to life. Thanks. And I agree. This is the first time I've sprayed different shades of Alclad to simulate different panel shades. On previous NMF builds, I've relied strictly on different colours (paint or decals) to break up the spectrum. I like the realism of the finish much more with the differently shaded panels. It's more work with taping and cleaning the airbrush but it makes a world of difference. From now on all my NMF builds will garner the extra masking and spraying. A few more photos. The front wheel well was sprayed. The nose band was painted on and the ailerons have received a spray of Duraluminum. I have seen photos of the main gear wells that show the wells in aluminum with only the areas where the wheels and hubs retract painted with interior green. I'm not sure about 'The Wheels" but this is the option I'm going with. The only painting I have left to do is the pitot tube, FOD covers and fuel dump. I should be able to begin decaling in the next few days. I'm going to use the kit stencils as I only have 2 more Leading Edge complete 1/48 scale Sabre stencil sets left and I need those for my 1 Air Division Sabre project. I'll see how they turn out. The stencils from the Academy kit appear to be superior to the Hasegawa ones. Let's hope so. Thanks for looking in. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Well done on the different shades of aluminum, Mike. The wing looks especially good. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CorsairMan Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 It is so much nicer to break up the panels with slightly different shades. I am still learning how to be subtle with it but it really makes an impact. Nicely done! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 (edited) You may have mentioned this but I mised it, but how are you masking between coats and not lifting or damaging the previous coats/colors? You are doing a great job :thumbsup:/> ! Cheers! Don. Edited April 11, 2014 by Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 12, 2014 Author Share Posted April 12, 2014 ALF, CM and Don: Thanks for your kind words gentlemen. As I said, it's a but more work to mask and paint bit the end result is worth it. I also like what Tomcat Fan is doing with his P-47 in this GB, as you have already seen as well. Don - the ONLY time I've ever had a problem with lifting Alclad after taping was when I sprayed it over a flat black primer coat. The Alclad came up and the finish on my Sabre was splotchy. Ironically, I was masking different panels to achieve the effect of what I accomplished in this build. I ended up stripping off as much of the Alclad as I could by applying tape and simply pulling it off. I then reprimed with a flat grey primer and had no other problems. Go figure. Having said that, let me amend my original statement. I also had lifting paint problems when masking with 3M blue painters tape and scotch tape. I have never had a problem when using Tamiya tape or low tack 'Post It Notes'. I used the Post It Notes for the first time on this build to mask the areas around the ailerons, machine gun access covers and the two small panels on the upper fuselage. Everything else was done with Tamiya tape. Although Alclad dries relatively quickly, I usually wait at least an hour or so after spraying the main body colour before masking to apply the shading coats. I've started applying the kit stencils. I had to use a couple of spare Hasegawa stencils too. They are going on surprisingly well. I hope the same goes for the main Model Alliance decals. I had an issue with cracking and splitting when I did my 422 'Tomahawk' Squadron Sabre a few years back. The decals are a bit brittle but I have overcoated them with liquid decal film. My fingers are crossed. Thanks for looking in and providing the feedback guys. I appreciate it. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 The decals and stencils are on. I have overcoated them individually with Future as some of the kit stencils came off while I was handling the model. I wear cotton gloves while handling the model while decaling so the stencils lost some of their adhesion while drying. The Future helped cure the problem. I'll spray an overcoat of Future to seal everything and give it a uniform finish. One thing that struck me odd about the main decals is that Model Alliance stated that there was no definitive proof 'The Wheels' had the number 1000 applied on both sides of the forward fuselage. Consequently they only provided one 1000 decal to be applied to the right side of the model. They cited Milberry's Sabre book as a reference. I guess they couldn't have looked too hard as a photo on page 86 clearly shows the last two zeroes in the 1000 on the left side of the aircraft. Another mistake is the point of the red swish that has 'The Wheels' on it. The decal provided on the sheet has an arrow. In the photo in Milberry's book, the point of the swish is actually a little Sabre. Here's a photo of that photo. Fortunately I have a set of Leading Edge Models RCAF numbers in 1/48th scale so I was able to replicate 1000 on both sides of the model. Here are a few other teaser shots of the model. We're in the home stretch now. Hopefully by week's end I'll have it finished with more photos to show the end results. Thanks for looking. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Almost done and its looking great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Attention to detail - the decal producer could use a lesson in that. It's almost as if you had been trained to observe... Do you like the Future as a clear coat over the Alclad, in person? It's hard to tell the overall effect from photos. I have struggled with which clear overcoat to use on Alclad. Also, why do you leave off the horizontal stabs until near the end? Is it to facilitate masking/painting the portion near the tailpipe? ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 Thanks for stopping by and dropping a line gents. I haven't sprayed the overcoat of Future yet, ALF. I did on the first AX365 I built in 48th scale and it turned out pretty well. It didn't detract from the overall appearance at all. I just gave it a couple of light coats. I let the first one dry for a few days and then sprayed a second coat. I let it dry for a few days before touching it to avoid leaving arches, loops and whorls in the Future as it cured. I covered the model with a large box to avoid having dust settle into the Future as it cured. I used the old Bic pen up the tailpipe truck to avoid touching the model and then I set the sprayed model on little plastic triangles (points in the wheel well openings to avoid marring the finish) and covered. Simple. Setting model on triangles illustrated here: And you're absolutely right about the horizontal stabilizers. It's for ease of masking and painting. It also makes it easier to apply the small decals on the fuselage near the vertical stab and around the exhaust. Unfortunately the decal producer and his company went T/U a while ago. He was charged with, and convicted of, fraud and false pretenses and sentenced to jail time. Not likely to see a revision of those markings any time soon. I guess he wasn't paying attention to the right numbers when he was printing the sheet. Thanks again my friend and Joyeuses Paques a tous. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I haven't sprayed the overcoat of Future yet, ALF. I did on the first AX365 I built in 48th scale and it turned out pretty well. It didn't detract from the overall appearance at all. I just gave it a couple of light coats. I let the first one dry for a few days and then sprayed a second coat. I let it dry for a few days before touching it to avoid leaving arches, loops and whorls in the Future as it cured. I covered the model with a large box to avoid having dust settle into the Future as it cured. I used the old Bic pen up the tailpipe truck to avoid touching the model and then I set the sprayed model on little plastic triangles (points in the wheel well openings to avoid marring the finish) and covered. Simple. Setting model on triangles illustrated here: And you're absolutely right about the horizontal stabilizers. It's for ease of masking and painting. It also makes it easier to apply the small decals on the fuselage near the vertical stab and around the exhaust. Unfortunately the decal producer and his company went T/U a while ago. He was charged with, and convicted of, fraud and false pretenses and sentenced to jail time. Not likely to see a revision of those markings any time soon. I guess he wasn't paying attention to the right numbers when he was printing the sheet. Thanks again my friend and Joyeuses Paques a tous. Mike Mike Thanks for the great tips. The idea of little cones for painting without gear installed is something I never thought of. I understand you might have been unhappy about the quality of the decals, but please tell me you had nothing to do with him ending up in jail... Joyeuse Pâques à toi aussi - and to SWMBO. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pkrasna Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Looking great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 17, 2014 Author Share Posted April 17, 2014 Thanks pkrasna. I appreciate the compliment. ALF - Not me but my cohorts across across the pond threw his scamming butt in gaol. Apparently the judge was non-plussed with his actions, hence a significant stay at the crow bar hotel. I got the Future sprayed as the sealing coat. It turned out really well. It has cured for a few days as I can handle it easily without fear of dislodging the decals. I'm still being careful though. As I said earlier, finish line is in sight. Hopefully by the end of the weekend, after we get Easter dinner over with. And you will note my error with one too many "S" in my salutation. Damn sausage fingers! Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted April 18, 2014 Author Share Posted April 18, 2014 (edited) Finished her about 1/2 an hour ago. The Wheels - Part 3 The reception and party were a smashing success. A great time was had by all in attendance. The next morning when it cam time to leave, Mr. Smith was nowhere to be found. Not wanting to leave the CFI behind, some of he pilots he flew down with were about to set out searching for him when who should arrive and a big blue Cadillac, chauffeured by the Base Commander no less? Yup...S/L E.G. Smith. One of the pilots who was impressed with the company Mr. Smith was keeping, the way he was so hospitably treated and amazed that the Base Commander would drive him to his Sabre personally, said to Mr. Smith, "Well...aren't you The Wheels". And the rest is history. Mr. Smith liked his new moniker so much that as soon as they arrived back at Chatham, he had Sabre #1000 painted up as you see it here and in the photographs. Mr. Smith was as happy as all get out when he told me the story, I thought I'd share it. So there you have it and without any further blathering, here it is. The Wheels. Canadair Sabre #1000, serial number 23210. More photos in the Completed builds thread. Thank you all for looking in and leaving feedback and encouragement. It was greatly appreciated, most importantly right after my faux pas, deconstruction and resurrection. As usual, comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. Finally, a big thank you to falcon20driver for moderating this GB. Take a bow! Cheers! Mike Edited April 18, 2014 by AX 365 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Absolutely top shelf Sir ! Love the markings. Well done. Cheers! Don. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spectre711 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 That's a nice one Mike! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 Great job Mike, and a fun story. Aren't you the styrene! Nah. Not a great moniker... you don't have to like it or use it. Hoping mine looks as good - yours is quite the inspiration. A beautiful aircraft, great subject, and well built. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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