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1/72 Tornado IDS "100,000 Hour" Tornado


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Hi everyone! It is time for me to start my build for the GB by kicking off a new topic. I plan on building Tornado IDS 45+88 from JaBoG-33 that was painted up to commemorate the 100,000 flight hours by the Tornado. If anything, this scheme is colorful! I will be using the Revell Tornado ECR and build it as the IDS version. To help spice things up a bit, I will use the Eduard PE set for the Revell kit along with a Dr Pepper's resin correction nose along with a Master pitot tube. Here's what I am starting with:

 

Tornado%2035%2088%20_005_MJI03192017%20L

 

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As usual for me :rolleyes: , my build will be a bit slow as I have several other projects already underway. However, if I want to make the deadline for this GB, I need to get the work started now!

Have fun modeling

Mike

:cheers:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have now started work on my slow motion build! Nothing much to report as the work starts on the cockpit and there is not much interesting to see at this point. I decided to do a mix of kit decals over the raised decals and some detail painting to highlight other areas of the cockpit. So far I am having mixed results as the decals (Revell 2000 vintage) do not seem to want to snuggle down after a few applications of strong decal setting solution. Hopefully, after some detail painting and a flat coat this will look ok.

 

A few photos I can post is some work I have been doing on the fuselage and wing while my paint is drying on the cockpit. The Tornado that I am working on is a really clean airframe with no pylons seen in this configuration. I plugged al the holes on the bottom of the fuselage and wings with plastic rod and stretched sprue.

 

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I now have these sanded smooth and also the wheel bays added since I shot these photos. With a heavy travel schedule over the next 2 months, progress may creep but I hope to have more time on this project starting in June.

 

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Between paint and decal sessions on my cockpit, I have started to look ahead to other parts of this build. I was not a fan of the way that Revell designed the rear stabilizers with what looks to me to be a dodgy connecting piece which you must add before assembly of the rear fuselage sections. As I wanted to add the stabilizers late in the build to make things easier for sanding the seems, I modified this part of the build to allow adding the stabilizers at the end. I removed the small connecters on stabilizer and added a thin brass rod. I then found a corresponding aluminum tube that will allow the brass rod to have a tight fit. I plan on painting the stabilizers separately and just add them to the fuselage at the end of the build, Here's how my stabilizer mod looks before gluing the rear fuselage together:

 

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Tornado%2035%2088_017_MJI04112017%20Larg

 

Next step, completion of the cockpit!

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

 

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I have been working on the cockpit and I am happy to report that I am now ready to move on to assembling the fuselage. Here's how the cockpit looks before I enclose it inside the front fuselage halves:

 

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I finished the 'pit using kit parts, kit decals, Eduard PE and some detail painting and washes. I am still working on the ejection seats and I plan on adding them at the end. I have an almost 2 week business trip starting next week so I'll resume this build in early May when I get back.

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

Edited by Mike J. Idacavage
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  • 3 weeks later...

I am back for a few days and managed to find my modeling bench. With the cockpit complete, I have the front part of the fuselage assembled. I also added some weight (copper balls) that I epoxied to the front of the cockpit section.

 

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Now its time to start bringing together the major subassemblies (front fuselage, main body, tail, etc.).

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi everyone

I have been quiet for some time but several long business trips got in the way of my modeling this month. I am now back and should have more time to focus on my Tornado. While I am focused on getting the major subassemblies glued together this week so I can  work on filling the usual seems, I looked at the options for the nose cone. One of the biggest complaints about the Revell kit is the poor nose cone. In the kit it is more like an even taper cone than the pinched nose on the real Tornado. I compared the kit nose with an aftermarket one from SBS. Here's the comparison with the kit nose in light gray and the SBS nose molded in black:

 

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The aftermarket nose is a definite improvement in my opinion!

 

My next post should show the bits and pieces coming together to look like a Tornado.

Have fun modeling

Mike

:cheers:

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Now the model is starting to look like a Tornado! Here are photos that show the main fuselage subsections assembled. I had previously sprayed the wings with black Mr Surfacer to see if I had completely filled the pylon holes and had not bothered to spray them in my usual gray primer.

 

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I know I have a few seems that need to be filled not to mention some rescribing of lost panel lines so my next steps will be the usual series of putty/sand/rescribe/prime/repeat..... :rolleyes:

 

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I now have an initial primer coat on the Tornado. Time to find all those missing seams and lost panel lines! I am starting to like the looks of the model at this stage. Here's what it looks like on my bench now:

 

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While this work is going on, I am also finishing up the landing gear and wheels, gun muzzles (from PE), ejection seats, etc.

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

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  • 3 weeks later...

Not much of an update as I have been away for a few weeks. I do have the Tornado fully primed and ready for the final black paint scheme.

 

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dHFsc9n.jpg

 

 

 

Not too exciting but I hope to show more progress soon.

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

Edited by Mike J. Idacavage
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Mike- Looking great!  After seeing what you did with the horizontal stabilizers, I realize that I should have looked here first before I started my Tornado.  Would have saved me some of the headache of breaking them off.

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Crap! It looks like I have been nailed by the Photobucket Grinch! I was just getting ready to post an update and I noticed that my photos are now blocked. In the words of the great Pooh Bear, "Oh, Bother!" I'll look at the other options that are available that are NOT Photobucket.

In the meantime, I was going to post some photos of the Tornado in a gloss black paint job. I have run into a big problem, though.  :crying: My gloss black paint looks rather poor with orange pealing and junk in the paint. After the initial coats, I let it dry well and then resanded to model. After washing and drying, I reshot the gloss black paint (ModelMaster). It was better the second time but still unacceptable. I have used MM gloss black paint before with very good results. Coincidently, someone posted about problems with MM gloss black paint on Hyperscale so this might be a sign of a larger quality problem.

 

After much internal debate, I carefully resanded the model once again. It is now drying after a good wash. My plan now is to touch up using a brush the areas where I had sanded down to the primer. I will then shoot a gloss coat over this and see how it looks.

 

Sorry for the lack of photos this time! I decided it was not worth posting a PB logo.

 

Have fun modeling!

Mike

:cheers:

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Looks good such a black Toni! I can see, still a bit orange peel near the front gear well. But I think you will handle it. What about carefull wet sanding the delicate areas with 6000 - 8000 micromesh and then put a clear gloss coat on?

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21 hours ago, tobiK said:

Looks good such a black Toni! I can see, still a bit orange peel near the front gear well. But I think you will handle it. What about carefull wet sanding the delicate areas with 6000 - 8000 micromesh and then put a clear gloss coat on?

 

Thanks! That is my plan and I tried some careful sanding yesterday. I was not able to remove the orange peal on the underside of the nose, though I did reduce it some. I was afraid of breaking off some of the antennas so I was conservative. I then touched up a few areas where I sanded a bit too much and brush painted them gloss black. My Tornado is now drying happily away on my bench. I will give it a few extra days and perhaps gloss coat it on the weekend. Hope this works!!  :pray:

 I really want to complete this build before the deadline so I am thinking of not waiting until the model is perfect before moving on. I'll be gone over 3 weeks between holiday and business travel before then so my remaining build time is limited this summer.

Have fun modeling

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think I will go ahead and finish this build rather than go back and work some more on my gloss black paint coats. I am still not happy with it but the GB deadline looms close and I am ready to move on to other model projects. Here's how it looks this morning:

 

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I will be heading out to the IPMS Nats convention tomorrow morning so I'll have an almost 2 week break before I can resume this build. This will allow everything to dry nicely while I am gone. Next step when I get back is putting on the decals. It will be nice to have some color on this Tornado!

Have fun modeling

Mike

:cheers:

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