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USAF X-20 Dynasoar w/ Titan IIIC


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Say hello to a (somewhat) new project of mine, a 1/100 USAF X-20 Dynasoar with Titan IIIC. I'm using the wonderful 3D-printed model of the X-20 from Colossus on Shapeways that comes with a Titan III interstage. The booster is the

from MPC.

Here are my preliminary expenses:

Titan & X-20 kits - $84.99

Research materials - $28.70

Total cost to begin build: $113.69

This is a build I started on last summer after finishing my 1/72 Dreamchaser. I have spent many hours over the last several months just trying to reach the point of having something worth showing. After lots of trial and error, I can finally begin to share this build with you guys. More on that as I dive into the build process... Here we go!

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July-August 2014

DAYS 1-7

2.5 hours

Build cost to date: $113.69

I decided to start with the X-20 first. I figured this portion would be quick and easy. I can't get too ambitious with this build just yet, because all modeling projects are about to go on hold so I can pack up and move into a new house this spring. If I can finish the X-20 before the big move, I'll be happy.

Even though I'm building this X-20 in launch configuration with the Titan IIIC, I'm leaving the heat shield cover off of the windows. Why? I dunno. I like to think the engineers would have solved the issue before the Dynasoar ever flew.

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As you can see in the photo above, the Shapeways 3D printing of the X-20 in their White Strong & Flexible material has a very grainy surface texture which has been a major pain in the a$$ to get smooth for painting. I hope posting my process of trial-and-error here will save many of you time if you ever choose to work with WSF 3D-printed parts.

So the first step was to sand off as much of the grainy surface as possible. I used a brush with metal bristles, and steel wool. This gets it a little bit smoother, but not by much.

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The pencil lines you see are a product of my decal-making process. I am creating decals to cover almost all of the surface of the X-20 to show the panel lines since I cannot scribe them into the surface.

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Here I filled in the hollow model with epoxy. A wooden dowl rod is inserted to aid in handling the model during the sanding and painting process.

I dipped the model in Future, in an attempt to seal the WSF material for painting. WSF is extremely absorbent, like a sponge, so whatever you can do to minimize the absorbtion helps. I've heard spraying with clear coat also helps, but I didn't try that here.

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September 2014

DAYS 8-10

1.5 hours

Build cost to date: $120.68

I picked up a can of Rustoleum 2-in-1 Filler Primer from my local Autozone store. I was hoping this stuff would help fill in the surface area so I can sand this thing smooth. Here's what it looked like after spraying:

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As you can see, the Rustoleum 2-n-1 primer just added more texture. What you see is what it looked like before attempting any sanding. It didn't sand all that well, and I was left with a surface that was pretty much like I had started out with, if not a bit worse. At this point, it was time to go back to the drawing board.

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The model after sanding off the primer. Almost the same as what I had started out with.

Researching the topic of smoothing WSF online, I read where someone brushed Elmer's white glue onto their WSF parts. This seemed like a great idea, so I gave it a try, first on the belly of the vehicle. I let that dry, then did the top surfaces. This technique worked decently on the flat surface of the belly, but not so much on the rounded areas like the fuselage and nose. The Elmer's glue is too drippy and not sticky enough to stay on those rounded surfaces long enough to dry. The photos from this time period of the build somehow got deleted off of my phone.

Once again, it was back to the drawing board. I was able to successfully strip the model again with brake fluid since I left the primer layer on before I started gluing. This avoided having to buy another X-20 and start over.

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October-November 2014

DAYS 11-13

2 hours

Build cost to date: $127.67

I asked someone who had successs working with WSF what their secret was, and was told that simple filler primer will work, after several coats with sanding. Unhappy with the 2-n-1 stuff I had tried earlier, I headed to my local hardware store and picked up a can of Rustoleum Filler Primer.

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After a few coats and lots and lots of sanding, here's how it turned out:

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It looks pretty smooth in the photo, but in reality it was still rough in a lot of places and unacceptable. Some of the areas with surface texture issues are visible here. The nose and top of the fuselage are good to go, but he flat surfaces like the belly and wings still have rough areas. I was pretty frustrated at this point, so once again, I stopped to regroup and figure out a new plan.

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January-February 2015

DAYS 14-18

5 hours

Build cost to date: $156.00

Over the holidays, I stumbled across the holy grail of smoothing products...

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This is Reynolds XTC-3D High Performance 3D Print Coating. This, my friends is the miracle smoothing compound that if I'd had this to begin with, would have saved so much time and effort!

XTC-3D works similar to epoxy. You mix one ounce of the hardening liquid for every two ounces of resin. You really don't need much, i used only a fraction of the 6 ounce kit and that was enough to put two coats on the model.

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Two very very thin coats was all it took to smooth out the surface. I brushed on the mixture right on top of the primered surface with no issues. The second coat was just on the belly, which was a bit rougher than the rest of the model. The surface is dry after 30 minutes, and completely cured after 3-and-a-half hours. What an amazing product!! Finally, it's time to paint.

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Here you see the model after a couple of coats of Testors Gray Primer Enamel and some very minimal final sanding. Since I will be using Testors Gunmetal Metalizer to simulate the Inconel surface material of the X-20 airframe, I will need to paint the aluminum and copper surfaces first (I read that metalizers peel off easy if masked over). It took about an hour to mask those areas off. Here is the painted result:

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I gave myself an extra millimeter of space when I masked. That way, when I mask again to spray the Testors Gunmetal, I can overlap a bit and not leave any primer exposed.

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Here we are masked up again and ready to spray on the Gunmetal. Again, the masking took about an hour.

Edited by Hotdog
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February-March 2015

DAYS 19-23

3 hours

Build cost to date: $156.00

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So I got a bit too excited and decided to spray on the Gunmetal layers after giving the primer layer only one day of cure time instead of the usual 2 days I normally wait for enamels. The result was two cracks in the finish, one just above the cockpit windows, and the other on the starboard stabilizer. Now I will have to sand these cracks smooth, and re-spray the primer and Gunmetal layers. Doh!

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Here is the result after painting the last Gunmetal layer and removing the masking tape. I still need to clean up the edges where the masking tape was. But we have a bigger problem...

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Notice how the Tamiya masking tape has pulled off layers of the copper in the adapter section! Apparently two days of curing time is not enough for masking on enamels. Perhaps I should have sprayed on a layer of clear coat first? Arrgh! Setbacks like these are the reason it takes me so long to finish a model!

So now what to do? My whole reason for not painting the copper portion last was because I read that Gunmetal should not be masked over, but now it looks like I'm going to have to do just that and re-spray the copper (after some light sanding, of course!). I'm afraid that putting masking tape on the Gunmetal portion of the model is going to have the same effect that the masking tape had on the copper portion.

Any suggestions or ideas?

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Any suggestions or ideas?

Thanx for showing us your difficulties and solutions for dealing with these 3D parts. The final solution looks great!

Regarding your paint problems, it's hard to suggest without knowing your process. So, allow me to tell you how I do it, briefly.

Back in the day, I was an Illustrator and learned to use the Airbrush for commercial work and I learned a few techniques I use in modelling.

Looking at your Copper paint, I see a texture which I'll assume is from the masking tape. When I apply paint, using my Double action airbrush, I will spray the colour on by 'misting' it. pffffffffffft ... then I'll just blow air on it, no paint ( easy with the double action ) pffffffffft ... then 'mist' on some more paint, building up the colour slowly. And by blowing on air, it aids in drying the 'misted' layer of paint. For me, 2 days of drying is quite sufficient. I've seen some modellers spray on their paint and apply so-o-o much in one shot, that it drips. Not good.

For masking, remove the tackiness of the tape by sticking it to your pant leg and pulling it off and then sticking it to your model. THEN, when you're spraying, spray in the direction AWAY from the tape seam. In other words, don't spray TOWARDS the tape's edge. Again, in 'misted' layers.

For masking I've used a variety of things if I think it may pull up the paint or decal underneath ... like Post-it notes. Again, spraying AWAY from the edge of the note.

I've also used Electrical tape for areas like the nose of the Dyna Soar. It stretches and works nicely in areas like the Shuttle's nose too. But what you do, is spray the nose colour FIRST , then mask that ( after drying time ), then spray on the fuselage's colour.

I hope this helps Hotdog .... and I sympathize with you but have to give you a 'pat on the back' for sticking with this!

Keep on keepin' on!

Pete

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Thanks for your response, Pete. Always good to get your input.

The XTC-3D was the perfect solution for smoothing the Shapeways WSF. I just wish I had found it sooner. I wasted 10-12 days of build time trying the different methods of smoothing the surface before I found the wonderful XTC-3D product.

So, spraying the copper area with a couple of layers of clear coat still would not have prevented the Tamiya masking tape from peeling off the paint?

Indeed, I did paint the nose first, along with the copper adapter section, before masking those areas off and painting the body in Gunmetal. I did this because I read somewhere that Testors Metalizer paints peel off with masking tape. I didn't know the regular Copper Enamel paint would also be susceptible to this. Now, I get to sand the adapter section smooth and try a less-abrasive masking technique that I hope will preserve the nice, smooth Gunmetal finish underneath it.

The technique I plan to use, which I've never tried before and have only read about, is using wet strips of newspaper to mask. Not sure how this will work on the nose (or if I even need to repaint the nose?), but I'm hoping it will do the trick around the adapter so I can re-spray the Copper.

Anyone used the wet newspaper masking technique before? Any tips? Hoping I can get around to doing this before I have to box everything up for the big move...

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Wet Newspaper eh ... never heard of that one! But if you try it, the paint that you spray on may seep thru the wet paper.

As with all this, you should be trying it all out on scraps.

To clarify Hotdog ... when I suggest painting the nose or tail first I mean without masking. Think about it, when you mask, you're protecting one surface from painting ... if you're only gonna paint over it, why mask? So don't be afraid to overspray the area by 1/2" ... you're gonna mask it and paint over it anyways. Plus it saves that much time in masking!

And the tape texture on the Copper, it's never wise to apply masking tape over the whole painted area. All you need to mask is the edge after all. So cover the large sections with paper or plastic grocery bags and just use masking tape on the edge that you're masking.

I've used Model Master Metallizers and had no problems with it lifting off. It's almost bullet proof stuff, that paint!

And looking at your Copper / Gunmetal interface, it looks like you've got some Gunmetal seepage under the mask ... and the nose too, which tells me that the masking isn't doing the job or you're spraying the paint on too thick. The tape doesn't need to be really tacky, (the old Frisket paper used to be held down more by Static attraction than adhesive) but it should be burnished down.

And I don't think you'd need to sand down the whole aft section, maybe just the damaged area.

You really didn't waste 10 - 12 days of build time, you're learning about new products and methods ... and saving us the grunt work! :woot.gif::thumbsup: THANX LAD!!

Since getting into this hobby 6 or 7 years ago, I've tried a lot of techniques, made a lot of mistakes and learned a helluva lot about what works ... for me. And I used an Airbrush for 15 years before Photoshop and Illustrator came into being and learned a heckuva lot there too. It surprises me how much I learned in the Graphic Arts that applies to this hobby.

So, I guess what I'm trying' to say, is be prepared to make mistakes if you're trying something new. It saves on the frustration quotient and you'll keep your hair and good looks that much longer. :bandhead2:

Pete

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  • 2 years later...

Well Hotdog, this post is a little after you started your Titan III/X-20 project, but I only just got mine done. Now I am just waiting for a wood base to display my Titan III/X-20. Your posting of your build got me going & I got a MPC Titan IIIc and a Shapeways X-20 1/100 scale by Alternate Visions. I decided to make my version a copy of a Boeing contractor model. I first got the X-20 in black acrylic which turn out to be a waste since it cost more & I still had to coat it with XTC-3D as you did anyway to be paintable. While sanding the X-20 it fell and when it hit the floor a winglet snapped off. Seems the model is much more brittle when coated by XTC-3D (like glass). Rather than fix it I reordered the X-20 in Frosted Ultra Detail so I didn't have to redo the XTC-3D coating, which cost more $$$. A little wet sanding with fine sandpaper & the X-20 was good for paint. I have enclosed a photo of my Titan III/X-20 and a link to a photo of the Boeing model from the Boeing photo archives http://www.boeingimages.com/archive/Dyna Soar Model with Booster-2F3XC5OGM7U.html

Hotdog; thank you for your posting of your Titan III/X-20 build without your posting I would not have gotten my Titan III/X-20 done.

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Edited by Solo7
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Amazing work, thank you for sharing! Glad I could inspire you.

 

Hopefully one day I'll dig mine back out and finish it. It's still boxed up from when I moved a couple years ago.

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