plasticWerks_JL Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 I've been following along, and your work looks flawless. Looks like an interesting scheme, and a bit out of the ordinary. Looking forward to seeing more progress! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 The tanks look great. This will be a cool looking bird. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Well, I thought my work/life schedule was going to allow me some more modeling time! :rofl:/>/> My building has been slow on my end but I do have a little more progress to show on my build. The fuselage is pretty much assembled and most of the seems/flaws corrected. Here is how it looks: You can see in the last photo the small AOA probes I added using the pointy end of several pins. The kit does not include the visible nose AOA probes so I just added them in. I epoxied these into holes I drilled out in the nose cone so they stay put as the pinpricks in my fingers can attest! Have fun modeling! Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 Looking great! I all too well understand the modeling time issues and feel your pain. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted May 13, 2016 Author Share Posted May 13, 2016 Hi everyone! Here's a short progress report on my Orange Jumper Viper. I'll be gone for a week or so on a long business trip so I wanted to get something posted before I go on a modeling break for a week or so. I have the Viper mostly assembled and wearing a gray MR Surfacer primer coat. Next step when I return is to ad the strengthening plates on the fuselage and close up the canopy. Have fun modeling Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted May 13, 2016 Share Posted May 13, 2016 Nice clean build so far. Really looking forward to seeing this finished. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted May 28, 2016 Author Share Posted May 28, 2016 It's painting time! I have the Viper masked and ready for the multiple color coats required for a classic 3 color F-16 scheme. It will be tight trying to get this finished by the deadline as I have some business travel scheduled for June but I will give it a go. Here's how the model looks as it gets ready for the first coat of paint, the light gray for the underside. You can see the reinforcement panels on the top of the fuselage which correspond to the panels worn by the Orange Jumper in the time frame that it wore the markings that I want to use. These very nicely came with the DACO decals that I will be using. Have fun modeling! Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted May 28, 2016 Share Posted May 28, 2016 Looking great. You can finish it in time, your so close! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted May 29, 2016 Author Share Posted May 29, 2016 Thanks for the encouragement! It is my habit of making sure that the various paint coats are really drive before moving on that will likely delay finishing the model. I am using up some old Xtracolor paints for the Viper which sure will not speed things up! :woot.gif:/> Have fun modeling! Mike :cheers:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted June 3, 2016 Author Share Posted June 3, 2016 The odds just got lower on my making the end of month deadline with this build. I finished doing the 3 final color coats on my Viper and I found flaws in different areas for each of the different grays. :bandhead2:/> Nothing that can't be fixed with a little light sanding and some selective respraying. It is mostly some dust and junk in the topcoat and also a few areas that the masking was not great. This wont take a lot of work but will take time for each coat to dry before masking the next fix. I'll be away for the next week on business so that will delay things even more. Hopefully, I will have the decals on by the end of the month! Have fun modeling Mike :cheers:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 That stinks, I hate when that happens. But, it is worth fixing. Look forward to seeing the paint. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 I am also really looking forward to getting the final paint coats on and having the Viper ready for decals! I have been busy working on the different sub-assemblies while also working on the fuselage. One of the cool standouts color wise on the Orange Jumper is the orange painted Orpheus Pod usually carried on the center station. Fortunately, the DACO Decals set comes with an injection molded Orpheus Pod! How can I resist? I assembled and painted the pod and have already decaled that little sucker. Here's the different pylons that will be used on the completed model: Here's a photo of the finished Orpheus Pod: I do like the way it looks after the decals have been added and the semi-matte clear coat! Hopefully, my next post in a few weeks will be the fully painted F-16B ready for the decal phase. Have fun modeling Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 That black and orange look is mean looking. Love it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pollie Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 I am a bit late to the party, but did you add the prominent HUD repeater box on the aft glareshield? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted June 17, 2016 Author Share Posted June 17, 2016 Hi Pollie Thanks for the heads-up on the repeater box for the aft cockpit. Unfortunately, other than the large grab handle between the seats, I did not add anything else than what was in the Revell kit. I will have to remember this the next time! My test Viper is now wearing the final paint coats. Here is it getting some well needed drying time: It is now on to the decal stage. There are a bunch of teeny decals so this will take some time....... Have fun modeling! Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 You can do it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pollie Posted June 18, 2016 Share Posted June 18, 2016 Coming along nicely! Can you tell me which paints you used for the camo? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted June 18, 2016 Author Share Posted June 18, 2016 Thanks for the encouragement guys! Pollie, I sure can tell you the paint that I am using for the exterior. It is Xtracolor from Hannants that I bought years ago when they still were able to ship paint by air. I really like the Xtracolor line of paints as they cover well and give a gloss/semi-gloss right out of the tin. The downside is the extra drying time they need especially in the humid southern part of the US where I live. When my Xtracolor paints are used up, I have some Hataka, Mr Color and Mr Paint (a new one from Eastern Europe) that I plan on testing as my "Go To" fuselage paint colors. On an unrelated note, I have started to decal process but it is going slooooow! I take my time at this stage and now have most of the wing walk markings added along with a bunch of tiny stencils/markings. I hope to resume decaling tomorrow when I can get some time at the bench. Have fun modeling Mike :cheers:/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pollie Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Thanks for that Mike. I look forward to seeing her finished. The J-066 used to be my bird before she got transferred to the test unit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted June 26, 2016 Author Share Posted June 26, 2016 Hi Pollie That is really cool news! If I had known that one of my fellow ARC modelers actually worked with this F-16 in real life, I would have been a lot more nervous in starting this build! :rolleyes:/>/> Were you a pilot or crew chief/maintainer for J-066? Here's an update on my build for this GB. With less than a week to go, I will not be able to get the model finished in time as I look at my schedule for the next week. I have made progress, but I will likely need another week or so to complete the model with expected drying time for adding the fiddly bits, detail painting, etc. Here is how my Viper looks this morning after the decals have dried and a coat of gloss paint added: Next step up is a little wash to bring out some highlights followed by the overall matte coat before putting the pieces together. I'll post a final look at the progress of this build at the end of the week as the GB finishes up. Have fun modeling Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pollie Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I was the dedicated crew chief when it flew with it's last operational sqn before becoming the testbird for the RNLAF. It looks good with decals on! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 That looks beautiful! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted July 1, 2016 Author Share Posted July 1, 2016 Well everyone, I gave this a good fight but it looks like I lost this battle. My Orange Jumper F-16B MLU will not be finished by the deadline today. I came close, but was not able to finish in time. A few last minute errors that will require some rework on some parts did not help either. Here is how my Viper looks this evening: I just placed the exhaust section for the photo and I just noticed that it needs to be turned slightly. No problem as it is not glued in! And here is a shot with the painted and decaled Orpheus pod just sitting on the pylon to see how it will look. I hope to finish this within the next week and post the final photos in this thread if it is ok with the moderators. Still left to do is finish the landing gear, add the different pylons and stores along with the stabilizers. Finally, some detail painting still needs to be done along with adding a decal on the "Viagra boom". Sorry that I fell short, but I learned a lot with this build! Have fun modeling Mike :cheers:/>/> Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 It looks great. I'll keep watching as you get this one finished up. Thanks for joining! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sentry30 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Looking nice so far!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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