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Just sprayed the bare metal ares of the tail, including the stabilizers, which are not shown.

I've used Vallejo Metal Color Duraluminium, with a thin random layer of Dark Aluminium on top of it. Weathering will be done later with Tamiya Smoke.

 

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Edited by Lancer512
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After the metal panels were done, I sprayed the radome and the wheel wells.

 

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While cleaning the airbrush, my compressor failed, which is a complete write off. I knew it was going to fail, but not that soon. So I am going to spend a considerable amount of money and get a new one. While waiting for the package to arrive, I can at least apply the decals.

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I finished the first decalling session today. The second session will be the gear doors and slime lights. The stripes around the canopy will be added after everyting else is gloss coated. This is neccesary because of the bad fit of the closed canopy, and as I will display the model with the canopies open, it will be better to do this separate.

 

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Revell did a fantastic job in dividing up the decals to fit each single gear door. However, they forgot the two doors in the center of the bottom fuselage. So I'll have to place the doors in thier recesses and apply the large decal right on top of it. Then I'll have to cut the doors out of the decal with a scalpel knife.

 

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There are only very minor fit issues with the decals. This one is the most annoying, so far. You can see some of the blue between the metal rings and the decal in the center, while on the sides it is overlapping the metal areas. OK... I am talking about 0.1 mm (0.004"), which is about the width of a panel line. Oh, and my new compressor arrived today!

 

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Edited by Lancer512
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I've checked my references and the auxiliary air intake doors should be closed when the engines are running.

So I've fitted the two doors into their recesses and glued them in place. Once dry, they will be primed with Humbrol 14, which I've also done on the complete airframe, and then the metallic paint will be spot repaired. With the doors closed, it will make decalling much easier.

 

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While the doors were drying, I brought my attention to the last few of the smaller parts. All parts in this picture are primes with different primers. The lauch rails are Stynylrez, which I also used on the landing gear. Sidewinders are Mr. Surfacer, and the pylons once agan, with Humbrol 14. The nozzles have been primed in gloss black with Tamiya X1.

 

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The gear doors have been sprayed white on the inside, and metallic blue on the outside. I still need to touch up the blue overspray, and one of the smaller doors had been painted on the wrong sides. Doh!

 

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Edited by Lancer512
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I'm really pushing this build now. It's going to be a close call!

 

The auxiliary air doors have been sprayed blue metallic, ploished with 3200 grit Micromesh, and then the large declas were applied right over them. Had some issues with one of the large decals, as it folded itself under when removing it from the water. I wasn't abe to fold it back over, probably because it was touching both sides with the glue. Dropping it again in water was not a very smart idea, as this made things worse.  But I had an alternate plan and opened up a second kit and used the decal from that kit. I also only used part of the nose gear door decals, as the decals simply would not fit. I will paint the gold in between the pinstripe lines later.

 

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The last decals to go on were the slime lights. Well, almost the last decals. The trimlines around the cockpit are still missing, but I can't do them with the canopy installed.

 

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Now I just have to touch up some very minor cosmetic issues. The gloss coat will go on tomorrow, which will really bring the metallic paint to life! Once the gloss coat is on, I can remove the canopies and start working on the pilots. I then also have to apply the trim decals just below and around the canopy, and paint the canopy frame golden.

 

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And that's the remainder of what I was able to do during the weekend.

The thin blue line on the gear door is partially redrawn by brush. The wheels are not done yet, and the Sidewinders will be painted by "reverse masking" method. The yellow and brown bands around the missiles' bodies will be about 0.75 - 0.5mm (.030 - .020") once done.

There aren't any parts left except for the cockpit.

 

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Edited by Lancer512
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Spent the last 5 hours since I got home from work in the hobby room.

 

Thisis the result after three brushed on coats of Future . I was already able to paint the majority of the badly molded canopy frames. It is more or less a guesswork to get everything symmetrical.

 

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I was working on the pilots and the missiles today.

 

I took two pilots out of the Revell NATO Pilots set, but had to break both necks of the pilots to make them look more down and to the left. I also repositioned the right forearm of the pilot with a hot blade and some liquid styrene. They both look much more realistic now.

 

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I would like to have the WSO have his ellbows resting on the canopy rim. Not sure if I am able to model this, as this will take a rather large amount of time, and the figure has to be seated in the aircraft before attaching the arms. This was the figure that looked like an aardvak, by the way.

 

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Also, the Sidewinders are done. QRA assigned jets normally carried two live Sidewinders, and a loaded M61 cannon.

 

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Edited by Lancer512
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Amazing guys! Yep, some surgery is needed to bring them to look like a pilot and not like a Frankenstein dummy.

Such fiddly work often takes away so much time...but I m sure you will make it!

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Unfortunately, the pilots do not fit into the cockpit. I should have installed them with the seats before I put the windshield and the center canopy frame on. But then, I wouldn't have been able to mask the canopy. So before I am making a major mistake by forcing them into the cockpit, so close before finishing, there won't be any pilots.

Edited by Lancer512
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It's the arms, Hajo. The helmets are interfering with the ejection handles and the arms with the canopy frames in front of the pilots. Believe me, i've tried to get them in there in all possible variations, including heads down first. I wanted to check how you did it on your Phantom, but your pictures went FUBAR, since they were linked to PB. The legs of the figures are already missing from the knees downwards.

 

Anyway, just touched up the white on the landing gear and gear doors before installation and attached the nozzles and external fuel tanks. I am now confident that can get it done by tomorrow!

 

Edit: Hajo, I owe you a beer. I've cut off the legs completely, and they lost part of their left arms, which you can't see anyway because of the canopy framework. Guess what... I'm about to put some Stynylrez primer into my airbrush. Shouldn't take too long.

Edited by Lancer512
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Great you saved it!

 

A look on my F-4F-build would have gotten nothing, since the pilots aren´t visible except on the pictures of the finished model. But I just checked on a different build, and although it´s a Hasegawa Phantom, it may give a rough idea how I did it. However, you solved thr problem yourself... ;)

 

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HAJO

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