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1/48 ICM MiG-25RBT Foxbat-B Iraqi Air Force


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Hi everyone!

 

Back once again to share my latest creation, the ICM MiG-25RBT.  This kit is really quite nice, the moldings and details are very crisp.  The fitment is quite good unless... well you do what I did and not spend enough time assembling the bulkhead support and intake section.  This caused a chain reaction of fit issues in the rear fueslage.  I am 99% sure that these issues I encountered were my fault.  So if you build this kit, please take  your time in that part of the construction process.

 

I used the Cold War Studios corrected nose section, which is quite nice.  The masks and IP acetate were also very helpful.  Also used the Master Pitot set (which is really awesome!) and Neomega KM-1 seat.  Decals for the Iraqi Air Force were OOB.

 

My goal was to make this beast very worn and tired looking.  So I weathered it quite heavily, so much so I was concerned I had overdone it.  But the more I look at the pics the less concerned I am that I did.  So I am happy with the finish.

 

Kit: 1/48 ICM MiG-25RBT Foxbat-B

Decals: OOB

Aftermarket: Cold War Studios nose section correction, Master Pitot and AOA, and Neomega KM-1 Seat

Paints: Gunze Mr. Surfacer Black 1500 (primer base),  Tamiya Liquid White Primer (for marble coat), MrPaint Traffic Gray (For MiG-31 and MiG-25), and Russian Wheel Green, Gunze Aqueous FS 36118 Gunship Gray, Tamiya Rubber Black, Clear Red, Clear Blue, and Smoke, and Alclad II Gloss Black Primer, Airframe Aluminum, Aluminum, Gold Titanium, and Burnt Iron. Future Gloss coat for decals and Future+Tamiya XF-21 Flat Base 6:1 ratio for final matte coat. Mig Ammo Deep Gray and Deep Brown panel wash.

 

Now on to the pics, I hope you like!

 

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All of the paint work is exceptionally well done...but you absolutely nailed the exhaust section!!!!!!!

 

I would love to hear your general approach to painting to get results like that...i.e. preshading, black basing, post shading washes ?? etc.

 

Bob

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19 hours ago, foxmulder_ms said:

Great painting, bravo. 

 

Thanks Fox, I appreciate the compliment!

 

19 hours ago, Joerg said:

Lovely build and finish!

:thumbsup:

 

Thanks so much Jeorg!

 

19 hours ago, Bob Beary said:

All of the paint work is exceptionally well done...but you absolutely nailed the exhaust section!!!!!!!

 

I would love to hear your general approach to painting to get results like that...i.e. preshading, black basing, post shading washes ?? etc.

 

Bob

 

Thanks Bob!  I have pics from my build progress here:  https://www.scalemates.com/profiles/mate.php?id=16625&p=albums&album=33245

 

Basic rundown on my painting goes like this-

 

1.  Black primer base (Gunze Mr Surfacer 1500 Black)

2.  White marble/doodle coat for "black-base" pre-shade using Tamiya White Liquid primer.  I use this product mostly because I have a TON of it and no longer use it as a primer, so just trying to use it up.  You can use any white, or even a light gray if you wish.  I prefer white because it is easier to control how much I let though the basecoat.  If I use gray it can quickly be covered completely, losing it's effect.  I have gone from being quite deliberate with this stage and taking a long time to doing quick doodles and figure eights as well as heavy and light patches.  This now takes me half the time it used to because I just go and dont think about it.  This actually helps me to be more random, which is the goal.  It is easy to be a little to uniform, which is the opposite of the nature or real weathering.

3.  Base Coat.  I build up color slowly, allowing some of the pre-shading to come through.  More so in some areas, less so in others.  I like to use Mr Paint, Gunze Aqueous, and Tamiya paints as much as possible.

4.  Clear Coat for decals.  I BRUSH paint straight Future on the entire model.  Depending on the glossiness of the paint, I will apply one or two coats.  Then apply decals.  I use future as my decal setting solution as well.

5.   After decals have been applied, I wait one day and apply the wash.  I really like using the MIG Ammo washes.  I prefer Deep Gray for most gray aircraft and Deep Brown for other colors, such as tans, browns, and greens.  I apply this rather haphazardly and liberally along all panel lines and rivets.  I don't try to get cute with precision pin washes or try to be neat.  Once again randomness is your friend here.  I let this dry for about 30 mins to an hour.  I like it to be juuust a little wet still so that I can get nice streaking and staining effects.  The Deep Gray is great for gray aircraft because it has a little brown cast to it, giving it a nice dirty look when applied.  If my clear coat was just right it will mostly come up with just a lint free rag or Q-tips without the need to add Odorless Turpentine or any other solvent.  I wipe from front to rear of the plane, to give it the effect of motion and streaks from airflow.

6.  Next up I use Tamiya Smoke.  I like to randomly fill panels, out line some panels, outline some panel lines, create shadows and other stains, and then randomly spray darker areas.  I can effectively control how dark these areas are by how many coats or how heavy I apply the Smoke.

7.  Next I use Tamiya Rubber Black (heavily thinned), to give even more depth, dirt, and grime in random areas and to give more "pop" to areas that would be grimier than others.  This also has a different dark hue than both the smoke and the washes, giving a nice contrast not only in color depth, but also in color hue.

8.  Finally, I apply the flat coat.  I make my flat coat using future and Tamiya Flat Base X-21.  Ratio of about 6 parts Future to 1 part X-21.  Don't go too much more X-21 than that as it will "frost" if you are not careful.  I spray this one, and can control how flat I want the finished coat is by how much I apply.  That's it!

 

For the metalwork (other than the nozzles on this, which was a different process), my workflow usually goes like this:

 

1.  Alclad Gloss Black Primer is applied after masking off the other areas.  I usually do my metalwork after the rest is already painted.  Just a personal preference.

2.  Next I spray Alclad Airframe Aluminum.  I really like this stuff.  I can control how shiny it is by how much I apply.  It is also easy to modulate the paint with this to get tonal variation to create wear areas.    It also sprays much nicer than the other Alclads because the metallic pigments are much smaller than the others.  That is why it can get such a high shine.

3.  Next I spray Gold Titanium or Pale Burnt Metal along the panel lines to simulate heat stress.  This will only slightly show through later, but gives a really nice effect.

4.  Next up I sprayed Burnt Iron on the darker panels of the exhaust section, based on what I saw in pictures. 

5.  On this build, I next sprayed my Flat Coat mix over the entire metal area.  I usually do not do this, but pictures I have seen seem to show these areas a really flat.  This really made the shiny areas that I had left shiny towards the forward fuselage look faded and worn, which was a great result I had not expected.  Happy Accident, I say!

 

For the most part, that's it.  If you have any specific questions, fire away!  I will answer as best I can.

 

17 hours ago, rom said:

great work!

as Bob, I would like to read more about weathering process :)

 

Thanks rom!  I have been watching your progress on your Iraqi Foxbat as well, so I am honored to know you would like to know about my process.  Your work is quite amazing!

 

17 hours ago, Stinger16 said:

Stunning build Mike. Well done buddy

 

Thanks Jeff, I always appreciate you feedback my friend!

 

17 hours ago, Stephen said:

A superb build.

 

Thanks Stephen!

 

12 hours ago, FAR148 said:

That..... Is.... Beautiful! :woot.gif:

 

Thanks bud, I really appreciate the kind words!!!

 

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Can't really elaborate on all these comments! Beautiful build. Saw the real thing at the AF Museum a few years ago. Your build is right on the mark. Congratulations on an outstanding model. But the exhausts blow me away...

 

DET1460

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Incredibly realistic work! One of the best models I've seen recently.

 

I really do love the finish, especially on the exhausts, although picking up only one area doesn't do justice for this great model.

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On 4/5/2017 at 1:03 PM, Bob Beary said:

That Sir was an absolute treatise on how to finish a model!!! GREAT STUFF!!

 

Thank you for that.

 

Bob

 

Thanks!  And you are welcome.  I never mind sharing my techniques with other because I learned from many people that were willing to share theirs as I got into this hobby a couple of years ago.  So it is my turn to give back as I learn and experiment.

 

On 4/5/2017 at 4:13 PM, rom said:

thank you for those explanations !

I commented on scalemates too :)

 

Thanks Rom, I appreciate that.  Your work is just fantastic!

 

On 4/6/2017 at 8:55 AM, The Madhatter said:

very cool - and nice metal work. Its one area I need to practice more of.

 

Thanks man!  Metalwork is really fun for me to do, because I feel it is the area of finishing that gives me the most artistic license, I can really get creative and try new stuff out.

 

On 4/6/2017 at 0:45 PM, dsahling said:

Very nicely done, I thought the weathering was nice and subtle.  Capturing the weathering these MiG-25s get can be tricky but you really nailed it.  Solid work on the conversion.

 

Thanks, it is my first MiG, so I had a lot to learn with this one.  I appreciate the kind words!

 

On 4/6/2017 at 8:55 PM, DET1460 said:

Can't really elaborate on all these comments! Beautiful build. Saw the real thing at the AF Museum a few years ago. Your build is right on the mark. Congratulations on an outstanding model. But the exhausts blow me away...

 

DET1460

 

Thanks DET!  I live 3 hours away from the AF Museum (NE Ohio) and have not been to the museum in many years... I REALLY need to go.  Thanks again for the really nice compliments and taking the time to comment.

 

On 4/7/2017 at 6:34 AM, LoganTLR said:

Hi

 

Nice to see this.  I have one in the stash along with the nose.  The new nose looks like a drop fit but I am just wondering if there are any issues.

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

 

Thanks Tom.  The nose fits pretty well, but I did have to do some trimming to match mating surfaces, so it is not quite drop in.  But it is not difficult either.  It is well worth the money, especially since it is not terribly expensive.

 

16 hours ago, janman said:

Incredibly realistic work! One of the best models I've seen recently.

 

I really do love the finish, especially on the exhausts, although picking up only one area doesn't do justice for this great model.

 

Thanks janman!!!  That compliment really made my day, I feel very proud to know my work can elicit that kind of response.  So thank you for taking the time to comment and share those kind words for my work.

 

14 hours ago, Sebastijan said:

Top job, mate!

 

Thanks so much for the kind words Sebastijan!  That means a lot coming from you, I really respect and admire your work.

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Brilliant! 

 

And thank you for the concise explanation of your painting process. I really need to give these alclad paints a whirl. I'm just reluctant to use lacquers in my AB, as I imagine cleaning up is a real process. 

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Mate,this is without doubt you best build,and also one,if not the one, of the more beautiful MiG-25 I ever seen.

The weathering,the metal areas,ecc... all combining to create a winner piece of modelling!

You will be pride my friend!

Chapeau.....

 

 

Gianni

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On 4/9/2017 at 0:59 PM, RKic said:

Brilliant! 

 

And thank you for the concise explanation of your painting process. I really need to give these alclad paints a whirl. I'm just reluctant to use lacquers in my AB, as I imagine cleaning up is a real process. 

 

Thanks RK!  I really like working with Alclads, but they can be a bit fragile.  That is the one drawback I have seen.  As far as cleanup, I just use Hardware Store Lacquer Thinner and it cleans up real nice just with a couple of flushes.

 

On 4/9/2017 at 1:24 PM, kurnass77 said:

Mate,this is without doubt you best build,and also one,if not the one, of the more beautiful MiG-25 I ever seen.

The weathering,the metal areas,ecc... all combining to create a winner piece of modelling!

You will be pride my friend!

Chapeau.....

 

 

Gianni

 

Thanks Gianna for the truly kind words and wonderful compliment.  It really makes me happy to see that. 

 

On 4/9/2017 at 4:51 PM, Wolf_el_Real said:

Amazing build, a real pleasure to look your job, thumbs up!

 

Thanks Wolf, I appreciate that.

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