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1/48 scale A-6E Intruder


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FYI, we would paint non-skid on the steps of the B/L usually it was black in color it would wear off pretty quick to, just some more tidbits of info for you. Again looking good:)

Scott

Scott,

Interesting to say the least. I haven't seen any pictures of those non-skid steps, but then again I haven't looked for any either. If I took some Tamiya tape and cut it so that it just covered the top of the step, and then painted them flat Nato Black, would that be a good representation of the the non-skid surface? I'm assuming that the paint was pretty thick and more like a rubberized surface.

Joe

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FYI, we would paint non-skid on the steps of the B/L usually it was black in color it would wear off pretty quick to, just some more tidbits of info for you. Again looking good:)

Scott

Scott,

Interesting to say the least. I haven't seen any pictures of those non-skid steps, but then again I haven't looked for any either. If I took some Tamiya tape and cut it so that it just covered the top of the step, and then painted them flat Nato Black, would that be a good representation of the the non-skid surface? I'm assuming that the paint was pretty thick and more like a rubberized surface.

Joe

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It's more like a sandpaper consistency as opposed to rubber I have some photos somewhere I'll post some when I find them, all of them didn't necessarily have it done just another option.

Scott

Scott,

But it would break up the solid red by adding some contrast.

Joel

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Scott,

I took your advice on the cockpit boarding ladders, and decided to add those non-slip step coverings. My 1st idea was to use masking tape, but that quickly turned into a no go. the top and bottom steps have a raised pattern on them, and the middle to steps have holes in them. The holes would be easy to duplicate with a pin, the but grid work would have been almost impossible, so I decided to try painting by hand. I shake a little being nearly 67, but what the heck, if you don't try, you'll never know. I used Tamiya's XF-63 German Gray thinned by just wetting the brush in X-20A. Had a little touch up work, but overall they turned out pretty nice, and the no slip paint helps to break up the massive overall red.

Joel

A-6E09_04_14_130.jpg

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Aigore,

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. I know you're real busy packing for the show/contest this weekend.

Joel

Actually I'm all packed....just need to i get everything in to the car. I'll be bringing along a healthy supply of CA-glue. :)

Already begun a new build in the SW group build.

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Joel.

You're my hero! This is becoming the definitive A-6E build!

David,

Thanks so much for those ego building words, but it's a far cry from a definitive build. Believe me they are errors if you look hard enough. I'm just a basically OOB build guy that does some enhancing, and tries to reach the next rung on my build level ladder with each build. There are times I'm just thrilled to have beat the beast. whistle.gif/>

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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Those B/L's look great Joel the whole build is looking good. KUDOS my friend.

Scott

Scott,

Thanks so much for your more then kind words. Believe me, I've been relying on your vast expertise for just about every step of the way. The B/Ls were your suggestion, and it paid off in Spads.

Joel

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Enrywar67,

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm glad that you like the build so far. And yeah, I'm also still a old prop man at heart, but I do like these "propless" birds too.they're a whole new world to learn.

Joel

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U done yet? tease.gif

j/k biggrin.gif

What´s the next step?

Aigore,

I'm so far from done, it's not funny :bandhead2:/> Like I said, I'm one of the slowest builders here. Besides, my work schedule which varies hours and days weekly, our house is one of two other avocations, and my 2014 Hyundai Elantra Sports Coupe is the other. It's maintained in better then showroom mint condition.

I just applied the 2nd coat of gloss for decaling. Still doing the prep work on the main gear doors which have 7 sink holes each, and the landing gear which is just in the starting phase, and will receive some detailing as well. Lets not forget the loads out, which are just glued together at this point. After decaling, sealing, then the weathering starts. I guess close to another month if I'm lucky.

Joel

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How are you going to do the red edge warning markings on the gear doors? I've been using strips cut from white decal paper airbrushed with Vallejo followed by Microscale Liquid Decal Film for that type of marking. Works quite nicely...

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quote name='11bee' timestamp='1410295415' post='2645619']

Great work. Those ladders are little sub-models all by themselves. First rate stuff here. Can't wait to see her finished!

11Bee.

Thanks so much for your most positive comments. At this point I'm right there with you, and can't wait to see her finally finished, but like I said to Aigore, I've got a long, long way to go.

How are you going to do the red edge warning markings on the gear doors? I've been using strips cut from white decal paper airbrushed with Vallejo followed by Microscale Liquid Decal Film for that type of marking. Works quite nicely...

David,

I've always painted the Red edges on the gears door by hand with a #3 or #5 brush. Usually the only flat side is the side with the hinges, so I can see decaling those without an issue, but the other 3 sides all have a L shaped lips. Seems to me that getting the decal to seat down flush would be very tenuous at best. They're actually easier to paint by hand since I use the inside of the L as a guide for my brush. And yes, They never come out 100% perfect, but in looking at more then a dozen photos of the real door edges, they're rough and worn on an operational aircraft.

Joel

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Hi Joel, nice work on this bird so far, i just found out you are Peter's brother, i always follows his work and we met each other when i finished my only 1/32 bird (P-51) but normally i work on 1/48 scale planes, now i will start following your builds.

Best regards

Jorge.

PS: sorry if my english is not the best

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Hi Joel, nice work on this bird so far, i just found out you are Peter's brother, i always follows his work and we met each other when i finished my only 1/32 bird (P-51) but normally i work on 1/48 scale planes, now i will start following your builds.

Best regards

Jorge.

PS: sorry if my english is not the best

Jorge,

Thank you for your most kind words on my build. And yes, Peter is my brother. While he loves and builds 1/32 props and 1/48 scale jets, I prefer 1/48. Peter speaks very highly of you, your builds, and your skills. I'll be following all your builds here as well.

Again, thanks for stopping by,

Joel

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Well, it's time for another update on the A-6E Build. I've been diligently working on decaling the basic air frame, slats, and flap assemblies. It's literally taken me 5 work sessions of a min of 4 hours each to get this far. As you can surely tell by now I'm one of the slowest builders here, yet I think I'm moving at a decent pace. Go figure.

When I first planned out my build, I decided that I wanted to replicate one of the colorful paint schemes that many of the A-6's wore back in the 70's-80's. Fightertown Decals makes a few sheets that meet my needs, so I decided on their # 48063 sheet, and the then specific aircraft #501 of the VA-165 Boomers from the USS Constellation circa 78/79. The sheet requires that you use the stenciling from the kit decal sheet, which I did.

The good news is that the Figthertown decals were in perfect color registration, not to thin and not to thick, as were the Hobby Boss decals, so that they both worked well with the Microscale system over a gloss base. I did find that the Fightertown decals colors seems more intense in their color, while the Hobby Boss decals were some what softer in intensity. Since part of my weathering plan is to apply a very thin air brushed wash over them, this isn't a big issue to be concerned about.

The bad news is that I did have two issues with the Fightertown decals. The fuselage Stars and Bars are just to big, so I used the kit decals. The same issue and solution was needed for the red triangle Danger Jet Intakes. Comparing them to pictures, they just seems way out of scale. Needless to say that I was very concerned about the highly detailed tail decals. They and all the other decals on the sheet fit perfectly, so I'm at a lose as to why I had those specific issues.

I'm certainly not looking to bash fightertown as I really like their decals, just curious if anyone else had that issue with their A-6 decals, or did I screw up. This in no way would deter me from using their decals on another build.

I still have to decal the 4 pylons, build and paint, and decal the bomb loads, so I have a long way to go. Here's a few pictures of the decal process before sealing in a few coats of Testors Glosscoat.

Joel

A-6E09_14_14_133.jpg

A-6E09_14_14_136.jpg

A-6E09_14_14_134.jpg

A-6E09_15_14_137.jpg

Edited by Joel_W
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