Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 (edited) Hi all, Just finished this Rafale as part of the Tiger Meet Group Build. Totally OOB RoG. Great little kit and goes together well. Here is the WIP link <<Link>>. This is the Armee de l'Air's EC 5/330 Cote d'Argent CEAM Rafale B that participated in the 2006 NATO Tiger Meet. Photos taken with my phone camera. Going to post some more from my proper camera later tonight. Hope you enjoy. Edited April 1, 2015 by Crazy Snap Captain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 That is an absolutely beautiful build CSC! You should be darn proud of that one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tobiK Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Noice! Noice! Noice! Good job on the french fries! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Andrew, OMG!! What an outstanding overall presentation!! Those tail markings along with the leading edge of both sets of wings are unbelievable. :jaw-dropping:/> Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Nicely done!! I'm not really a fan of tiger striping but your build looks great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
J Hammer Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Great work Captain. Nice job on those tiger stripe decals. They look menacing! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 Thanks for the kind words chaps. Here are some pics from my proper camera. Getting better at using this thing...slowly... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 Part II Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicholassagan Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 Oh that's nice! Good update. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aigore Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 (edited) Gorgeous build and very nice pictures too :D/> Edited April 4, 2015 by Aigore Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Crazy Snap Captain, I keep on looking at your decaling, and it looks absolutely perfect. The wing feathers, is the yellow decal or paint, with the rest of the feathers being decals? Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 Hi Joel, Thanks for your kind words. The whole thing is a one piece decal (OOB). RoG decals are pretty good, I applied around three servings of Mr Softener to get them to really blend in. Worked a treat. And believe it or not, not a drop of future or gloss coat went on this plane! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EagleAviation Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Great work Andrew! :thumbsup:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BeeJee Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Nice ! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Good job Andrew!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Andrew, No gloss under the decals. And not a drop of silvering that I can see. You must have polished out the paint with ultra fine grits to 12,000. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Hi Joel, Nope...no gloss. And yes you're right, I polished the paint job with micro mesh all the way up to 12,000 grit. Next step, good quality kitchen paper towel rubbed over the model for a final polish and then a quick wash with tepid water and a minuscule amount of dish washing solution. After the model had air dried, I used Mr Setter that helps the decal set nicely and then Mr Softener to get them to conform. I ran a # 11 Xacto along any panel lines and reapplied Mr Softener again. Then sealed with Tamiya Flat Clear acrylic. If you look at the walkway decals next to and aft of the cockpit you'll see no silvering even though these decals had a lot of clear film between the light gray stripes. There is one decal that has a bit of silvering, but this was an oversight by me rather than the process being flawed. If you look at the last picture of post # 7, you'll notice a decal near the wing root that looks a tad glossy around a grill panel. I had retouched this area with paint and had forgotten to polish up after I painted. I also forgot to use the Mr Setter on this decal (or maybe I was just too lazy and skipped it). The result was slight silvering and no amount of flat clear could get rid of it. The key though for me is the way that you lay down your initial paint job. Getting the ratios and pressures right makes a huge difference. When I laid this paint job I just knew I got it right. I used some tips from Paul Budzik's videos and Chuck540Z3's posts and it seemed to work a treat. I really don't like using future and really don't see the point of laying down a beautiful matt/satin paint job only to have it glossed over with future (which is also a pain in the rear end to find here in Australia). Thanks again for your kind words Edited April 8, 2015 by Crazy Snap Captain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Andrew, I've watched Paul's vids and read Chuck's prep method for decaling. Paul doesn't use any gloss media, but polishes the paint to a smooth and consistent surface. I've thought about that for some time, but have shied away from actually doing the "full Monty" as damaging the paint, or breaking off parts really scared me to death. But every time I see this technique used, I'm just amazed at the results. Chuck polishes then Glosses with Future/Pledge till he has a glass like finish. To completely different decaling techniques, but both offer the perfect surface for decaling. Paul's method needs a lot less Matt media to produce the final flat finish then Chuck's would. But Chuck does end up with the same flat finish. I'm presently painting my 1/48 scale Eduard Spitfire with my new Iwata Eclipse, and the paint is rougher then with my old gun. Most likely it's my unfamiliarity with the new air brush. So I'm going to rub down the finished paint as see just how smooth I can get it. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
taggor Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) CSC awesome build! Your second series of photos look great (actually so do the first!). I so want to get into the photography part of the hobby but, it's going to take a bit of saving to get there. The tiger meet planes are always so colorful and your Rafale "Bravo" is no exception! Excellent work! Edited April 8, 2015 by taggor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Andrew, I've watched Paul's vids and read Chuck's prep method for decaling. Paul doesn't use any gloss media, but polishes the paint to a smooth and consistent surface. I've thought about that for some time, but have shied away from actually doing the "full Monty" as damaging the paint, or breaking off parts really scared me to death. But every time I see this technique used, I'm just amazed at the results. Chuck polishes then Glosses with Future/Pledge till he has a glass like finish. To completely different decaling techniques, but both offer the perfect surface for decaling. Paul's method needs a lot less Matt media to produce the final flat finish then Chuck's would. But Chuck does end up with the same flat finish. I'm presently painting my 1/48 scale Eduard Spitfire with my new Iwata Eclipse, and the paint is rougher then with my old gun. Most likely it's my unfamiliarity with the new air brush. So I'm going to rub down the finished paint as see just how smooth I can get it. Joel Hey Joel, The part I borrowed from Chuck was a tip he shared re airbrushing in corners and crevasses. He noted that the paint seemed to always go down rougher on these sections. I can't remember the exact theory he put up on it (something about a whirlwind effect that made the paint dry quicker before it hit the surface), but he solved it by dropping his compressor pressures. I tried this and it worked brilliantly. As for the paint coming off when you sand, it's not a problem with flat areas (such as wings etc) but as soon as you have any lumps or bumps, it will come off. In these instances I retouch up and more often than not, decals don't really go in these areas. If they are required, I will polish it up with a drop of future. Hope this helps somewhat. I'm afraid my writing skills are not as good as some. CSC awesome build! Your second series of photos look great (actually so do the first!). I so want to get into the photography part of the hobby but, it's going to take a bit of saving to get there. The tiger meet planes are always so colorful and your Rafale "Bravo" is no exception! Excellent work! Thanks mate. Appreciate the compliment! Highly recommend getting a decent camera. Yet another things to spend hours on trying to master! Edited April 8, 2015 by Crazy Snap Captain Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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