thewildscrotum Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 (edited) Hi guys, I'll be building Tamiya's 1/48 F4U-1A, which is a lovely kit to build. Unforunately the kit's decals don't align with what we are trying to achieve in this GB, so I'll have to source some others! I'm looking forward to trying out all new weathering techniques and trying some new products in this build, as well as it being the first time I've used an airbrush. The coarse sand landing strips, heavy traffic and combat fatigue on the aircraft in 1943 mean that there are some really interesting subjects out there. Tamiya's range of 1/48 planes are always well produced, and this isn't an exception. I laid down a base of Alclad's Gloss Black primer, followed by Aluminium. I let this set, before adding two coats of Vallejo's Chipping Medium. The interior colour is standard GZC, as close as I could match it. I then did a bit of dry-brushing here and there, detailed the instrument dials with a needle and some paint, touched it up with a very fine brush and added some pigment over the top to highlight the instrument bezels. I was considering adding some Kristal Klear to the gauges to add some depth - I'm not sure how it would turn out though? Anyone have any advice? I mixed Vallejo's GZC and Tamiya's XF-4 to reach a nice match for the primer outside the cockpit, however I'm not happy with the oil wash. It wasn't anywhere near thin enough. Still experimenting there! I'll use the same colour to simulate weathering on the wing-root area also, but have been looking for references and advice about how far through the paint would be worn away. If anyone has anything to share, please do! Edited September 19, 2017 by thewildscrotum Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tosouthern66 Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 TWS Welcome to the group build. I have a few of the Tamiya F4u's in my stash. You are right about them being great kits. I had issues with my 1st one, that may have been just my lowzy building. It looks good so far! A lot of the cockpit detailing will be hard to see once its buttoned up and the canopy installed. Can't wait to see how your's comes out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_superbug Posted September 19, 2017 Share Posted September 19, 2017 Welcome to the GB great start, love the paint chipping. Like your's, No 1/72 scale decals exist for my VMF-115 build so, I will be painting the extra details on, but I am looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. Brendon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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