jgrease Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Don- thanks much for your feedback! Building and posting online certainly pushes one to do a better job. I look forward to seeing you post soon! John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 John, Your exhaust looks really good. For sealing NMF areas I don't use Pledge or even Glosscoat as they just add a unnatural shine to it. I much prefer to use Alcads Lacquer Klear Kote. It's already thinned, and you just get a nicely protected surface with a little shine. Here's an example: Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Joel- can you decal/wash over the Alclad or how does that work? I just figured I'd Future it and then give it a semi-gloss at the end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) jgreaseJoel- can you decal/wash over the Alclad or how does that work? I just figured I'd Future it and then give it a semi-gloss at the end. Sure you can. It works just like any other clear gloss. On the F-4B I sealed the exhaust area with their gloss, then masked it and use Glosscoat for the rest of the model for decaling. The stuff is expensive, so I didn't want to waste any. Ok, call me cheap. You can use it over paint if you want to. Go to their web site. They have a lot of great information and tutorials. You'll find answers to all your questions, and even questions you haven't thought of as yet. Joel Edited July 21, 2014 by Joel_W Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Thanks Joel. I have a confession to make- I already Futured it. I think it will look ok though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peterpools Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 (edited) igrease I've done a number of Alclad NMF and applied the decals directly over the Alclad without using any Alclad sealer at all. Just be a careful, wear Nitrile gloves when handling the aircraft as not to leave fingerprints. I'm not a fan of of leaving the clear carrier film when decaling over Alcad and remove the carrier film before applying the markings. Peter Edited July 21, 2014 by Peterpools Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 Awesome finish! I don't think mine will be quite that smooth. I do few NMF planes, so my skills in that area are lacking! Thanks for all the tips and encouragement! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peterpools Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 John Thank you and if I can be of any help, please don't hesitate. Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Not to go off on a tangent here, but here's the response from someone we'll just refer to as "Tom" when I posted that I wasn't having as many problems with the Voodoo as he had presented in his "nothing fits" rant: "Tom said on July 21, 2014 Well, given that I can see all the poor fit of the parts in the photographs – the gaps and seams, etc. – you’ve certainly run across all the problems I had, without taking any putty to them. You may have a different definition of the word “success” than I do." Nothing but the best from folks who have declared themselves the elite of the model building community. Keyboard muscles. In any event, tangent over. I will update my build tomorrow. I hope that I can work past all the problems Tom had that I didn't address. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 John, Just buy a bottle of their Kleer Kote and use it next time on any NMF surfaces. But spend a little time on their web site, it's worth it. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 John, Those two P-51D builds by Peterpools just happens to be my brother. His work is nearly flawless, and his natural metal finishes are done to a museum like standard and finish. Believe me when I tell you that his techniques and methods work. We just differ in that I prefer a more operationally worn aircraft. What I've learned about MNF's, I learned from him. Where one other areas where we do differ is that I prefer to seal with Alcad Kleer Kote, while he doesn't coat before nor after decaling. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Good morning! Once again, thanks to those of you that replied to this build, and those who messaged me as well- the encouragement goes a long way! So here's my progress as of this morning: And the other side: The decals are almost all from the kit. The ANG emblem and the "Nevada" came from the Almark decals sent to me by Scorvi (thanks again! Your decals are on the way.) I clipped the tail numbers from the kit sheet, except for the ones and the dashes. The kit decals come off of the backing quite easily after ten seconds in warm water. The larger decals like the walkways and national insignia have some kind of residue on them, which I hope the next coat of Future will cover. Here's one more of the tail area: I'm very happy with the results. Sorry to the rivet counting, obsessive-compulsive trolls if they find fault with it. Next question- there is a decal for what I'm guessing is either an antenna or explosive charge in the canopy (b4). Does anyone actually use decals on the clear parts? In the past I've not had good luck with that kind of decal. Any opinions? My next step is another coat of Future to seal the decals, then a nice simple wash. Thanks for looking! John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 John, Your decaling looks really good. No silvering nor flash, which is a death sentence for even the most complicated of decaling applications. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 I think it looks great, and like I said I'll certainly be building one of these in the near future thanks to your success with this kit. And as far as those idiot comments made by that gentleman, I consider the person who had the determination to complete the kit successful, not the person who gave up and threw it away. Great job and keep it up! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scorvi Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) John, Your decaling looks really good. No silvering nor flash, which is a death sentence for even the most complicated of decaling applications. Joel YES the decals are real nice in the kit. Let me know how the Almark decals work out for ya!?! The decals are done by Cartograf (I think) so they should be pretty good! I had no problems they lift from the backing sheet with ease and they adhere nicely ---one precaution use a little extra water on the surface on the model so you can move the decal into its proper place w/o ripping it That is what I did here: Great build coming along nciely! Steve Edited July 22, 2014 by scorvi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KAGNEW Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 nice job PM sent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 (edited) Gentlemen- thank you all for the kind words! It's been a pleasurable build, and it looks to be in the home stretch. As Scorvi mentioned, the decals from KH appear to be Cartograf. The come off the paper easily, but as he mentioned, make sure your surface has some dampness so you can make adjustments. It's a shame the stenciling is gibberish, and not what one would expect if Detail & Scale were involved, especially the buzz numbers- FR is given rather than the correct FB. Still, the stencils used on the airframe aren't really legible, so no harm, no foul. I've also noticed that the kit decals settled down nicely with little encouragement. Oh, and Steve, the Almark decals went on nicely as well. Didn't get to use a lot of them, but I'm happy with what I used. And I really like what you've done with the Voodoo as well. So today will end with me applying the decals to the lower fuselage- not many, so that shouldn't take long. As I said earlier, tomorrow will be an overcoat of Future, then a wash and another top coat. Thanks again for stopping in! Ps- A big thank you to Kagnew for offering to send me a replacement canopy! Much obliged! John Edited July 22, 2014 by jgrease Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peterpools Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 John Wonderful progress on the Big Voodoo. Your decaling is perfect with not a hint of flash or carrier film. Keep 'em coming Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Another fine morning here on Long Island. Except for the uncomfortable heat and humidity. Well, after finishing the decals yesterday, I realized that I placed the red fuselage band too far forward by about one panel, but in my defense, it looked like the right place to put it based on the panel lines. Sorry. I think it still looks good, and today I applied another coat of Future to seal the decals before I hit the Voodoo with a wash. All of the decals settled down over the surface detail very well, so another good point. I've got lots of little bits waiting to be placed after the wash is completed, starting with the landing gear. One of the complaints about the kit landing gear is that the gear legs' locating pins don't fit into the holes provided securely. Based on a dry fit, they will fit, but I wish they were just a bit more longer or something to give a reassuring connection. Not sure what I can do at this point. I ve also sanded and painted the wheels, first painted with a coat of Testors Rubber, and then dry rushed the sidewalks with Testors Aircraft Black. I'll probably put another coat on the sidewalls after they dry completely. Moving to the fuselage, I've noticed my paint finish is terrible along the lower fuselage/wing joint where I had to putty and sand. I think I needed to use a few finer grades of sandpaper to smooth out the putty and glue residue before painting. Hopefully the fuel tanks cover the marks a bit. Speaking of fuel tanks, does anyone have good clear photos of the Voodoo external tanks? I can't find any good ones. Just that there are no markings for them, and I'm sure that they must have had something written on them. Also, if you have a copy of the D&S of the Voodoo, on page 63 is a shot of the inside of the flaps on a Canadian -101 with a number inside the flap. I kind of like the idea and even if it's not done by USAF it may just break up the monotony of the finish. I'd like to hear what you all think about that. Finally, I assembled the exhausts, or the exterior parts of the engines. Here they are: Now that photoetch to me is just there for the sake of making more photoetch parts. There's nothing there that couldn't have been molded onto that inner ring. First of all, it will barely be seen, and secondly I couldn't get it to fit the whole way around the ring as you can see. I think I should have just left them off. So that's all for today. I thank you again for looking, sharing your opinions and helping me along. Enjoy the day! John Edited July 23, 2014 by jgrease Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Great looking One-O-Wonder ! I guess I will need to save up to get one on my workbench. Keep us posted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ThudDriver Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 You know whats nest about your build: your having fun. That's what the hobby has always been about: having fun. Great job on your witch craft. It sure looks like a Voo Doo to me. Question on your 192 TRS Nevada ANG paint job: where did you see that paint scheme?? They received F-101A/C's that were converted to rare RF-101H standards. Not sure that they used any pure F-101A/C's unless they had familiarization birds before getting the H moded H airframes. Could be wrong, but.. Nonetheless, damn I like your bird ! Best Regards Frank (just up the coast in CT) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Frank- I had gotten that info on the web, which is always a dicey affair. From what I read, they used C units as transitional trainers. I posted a photo earlier: I did the grey panels based on the Almark Decals instruction sheet, and I thought it would set off the plane a little. And thanks for the compliments! Don- Thanks as well for the compliments! This is what makes this build even more fun for me besides doing what the "experts" say can't be done with this kit. John Edited July 23, 2014 by jgrease Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ThudDriver Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Oh you sly fox you ! That's sweeeeet ! And the beat goes on ! (and I was beat !!) That has to be an extremely rare with ! Best Regards Tiger Frank Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jgrease Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 I hope that the inaccuracies will be tolerable. Try to keep it together everyone. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 John, I'm surprised about you not catching the rough area after priming as you were pretty consistent with your double checking all puttied and sanded areas. Hopefully the tanks will hide those areas. I always use the same technique for sanding: Emery Paper: 320,600, then Micromesh pads: 4,000,6,000. If it's going to be a NMF, then I continue with 8,000, and finally 12,000. As for their decision to use PE parts rather then injected modeling details, it's a lot cheaper to produce PE, and there lies your answer. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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