Kurt H. Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 (edited) At the 2014 NATS in Va, I was digging through a huge box of superscale/microscale decals and I found this gem I was not sure what I was going to do with it, but I had to have it I figured this GB would be a great chance to use it, so I acquired a revell A-7a reissue My goal for this build is not absolute accuracy, but to have a cool, gaudy bicentennial model on my shelf., hopefully it will look something like this (picture from Facebook, credit to original photographer) As near as I can figure the main visual difference between the navy and airforce A-7 is the refueling probe. To fix this I need to fill the hole where the probe mounts, that i am pointing to with the tweezers My favorite way to plug a hole like this is to use a stretched sprue nub I used plastic cement to secure it and trimmed it later in our next installment, wing & fuel tank assembly Edited July 5, 2016 by Kurt H. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yardbird78 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Interesting subject. I didn't realize anyone made an A model kit of the SLUF. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spectre711 Posted July 5, 2016 Share Posted July 5, 2016 Thats a looker Kurt! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted July 8, 2016 Author Share Posted July 8, 2016 And moving right along to the cockpit not many pieces ... 3 all together, the tub with integrated seat, the IP and the stick, but it looks just fine once painted and mounted in the fuselage with the not so seamless intake And the wings are ready whenever the fuselage comes together. I did not take a picture but the fit of the tailpipe in the fuselage half is tricky and is holding me up. I had also forgotten to paint the tailpipe area inside the fuselage so while that dries the fuselage joining will wait. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 I have the fuselage together .. It was really a bear getting the tailpipe to fit properly, and to not interfere with the fit of the fuselage. I really thing the pin, and the slot in the part are not in the right places. As you can see, that seam is un acceptable to even the newest modeler! ok, time to go nuclear with the 220 grit, and cut off those antennas better, but now we need a healthy dose of putty until next time... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swbailey Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Looking good! It appears that kit still has the same fit issues from when I first built it in the early 1980s as a Monogram release... As I understand, it has its origins with a set of molds made by Aurora in the early 1970s. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted July 20, 2016 Author Share Posted July 20, 2016 Looking good! It appears that kit still has the same fit issues from when I first built it in the early 1980s as a Monogram release... As I understand, it has its origins with a set of molds made by Aurora in the early 1970s. Yes, according to legend, and two books I have about monogram, this was one of a few kits Monogram found suitable to release after the acquisition of Aurora. It is about what I expect from a 1970s kit. Gaps can not stand up to 3M acryl blue and 220 grit sand paper. I have beaten down the seams wince the last post, stay tuned for an update tomorrow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spectre711 Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Back in my first round of modeling I would melt sprue in a jar with liquid cement and use it to fill/glue the seams. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 Quick update ... I have attached the wings The fit of the wings to the fuselage was pretty vague, lots of play so it was a bit of a challenge to get the anhedral just right. I found the little Testors bottle were just right to hold the wings in the right place while the cement sets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 The wings are set, and I filled and sanded the gaps on the top, but I just realized I forgot to photograph the process. ooops any way, the bottom was even worse I was kinda tempted to leave it, since this is kind of a fun build, but I just could not do it. This is a tight spot, so to avoid a putty mess, I masked off the areas I did not want putty on, and applied putty removing the tape shows a manageable amount of putty to sand Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 That is a lot of putty! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted July 30, 2016 Author Share Posted July 30, 2016 That is a lot of putty! That is nothing compared to one of my longer running projects .. The Anigrand 1/72 C-133 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted August 5, 2016 Author Share Posted August 5, 2016 After our last episode, I found the seam along the top of the fuselage popped, so I used thin CA to both re-bond the seam, and fill in the seam and after sanding, and subsequent finish sanding, it looks perfect the bottom is done as well. The model has been washed, and is drying now. next up, installation of the elevons Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted August 12, 2016 Author Share Posted August 12, 2016 As with my F-4 build, this model has been primered. an examination of the model reveals all my putty and sanding was successful, bit one issue has popped up, the canopy is misaligned. I am unsure whether to mess with it or just pose the canopy open. that is all for now, see ya next time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grandboof Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Nice work looking good Martin H Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brutus Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Looks a bit tedious on this Revell kit but you seem to be doing a good job on it Kurt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted August 29, 2016 Author Share Posted August 29, 2016 and we have paint The entire airframe has been painted testors classic white. As I am prone to do, I probably went a bit heavy on the paint and it is still drying after over a week, I can touch it and hold the model but after many years of experience with MM gloss enamels I sure would not want to mask or sand it yet. so if this paint ever dries, it will be on to the blue and red. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted October 18, 2016 Author Share Posted October 18, 2016 I was scratching my head on how to mask the wings. This is a 70s or 80s decal sheet, not a modern Caracal or Furball sheet, so the wing stripes are not included. There is a tiny pic on the decal instructions, so I figured I could scan the image and increase the size The top paper is the enlarged version, the bottom sheet is a scan and print of the decal instruction sheet, and to the right, the enlarged version laid over the wing. If there is interest I can explain how I did it. next task .... MASKING! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grandboof Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Will be watching this Good luck with the masking Martin H Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 mostly done with the masking, I need to do the "coarse" masking now to cover areas to remain white. I used tamiya striping tape, which is white so it is hard to see in these pictures. What an ordeal... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 I have not forgotten this one, I am pushing to get the Phantom done, then this one will get more attention. I get a head ache looking at this one with all the masking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 Masking contines I have all the lines masked with fine lining tape. For the blue on the wings, i finished the "coarse" masking with this orange masking tape, which is very similar to 3m Green masking tape. To avoid lifting the other fine masking tape for the red, i put glossy catalog pages under the orange tape so the orange tape does not stick to the fine line tape That is as far as I got because my cat was pestering me, he sits and meows, then swats my elbows until I play with him Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grandboof Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Pets can be very helpful Nice crisp white finish Looking good Martin H Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kurt H. Posted December 17, 2016 Author Share Posted December 17, 2016 (edited) This one will not make it, but I will finish it eventually. I did phinish one build though. Edited December 17, 2016 by Kurt H. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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