GWH 1/48 scale Lockheed T-33A early ver.

Fozzy · May 14, 2018

Sorry I missed this build so far Joel!.....I just love the "Shooting Star"...and you are making a grand job of building it! :thumbsup:

crackerjazz · May 14, 2018

Very nice work so far on that classic jet, Joel!

Joel_W · May 14, 2018

48 minutes ago, Fozzy said:

Sorry I missed this build so far Joel!.....I just love the "Shooting Star"...and you are making a grand job of building it!

Fozzy,

No problem I can assure you of that. Thanks so much for the thumbs up, it's greatly appreciated.

Joel

Joel_W · May 14, 2018

26 minutes ago, crackerjazz said:

Very nice work so far on that classic jet, Joel!

Crackerjazz,

thanks my friend for your most positive comment. It's also greatly appreciated

Joel

CaptainObvious · May 15, 2018

11 hours ago, Joel_W said:

I've read several times about a final coat of Mr. Leveler or Tamiya Yellow cap that will smooth out the finish perfectly, but I'm really concerned, ok worried, that I'll go to heavy handed and ruin the clear coat. By a flash coat do you mean more like a mist coat?

Hi Joel,

I'm sorry that I missed out your second question.

Misting it on might not be enough to smooth out the finish.

The best way I can explain it is imagine you are putting on the first layer of paint on bare plastic.

You don't want full coverage but you want a thin layer so that successive layers can have sometime to bite on to.

That first coverage was the intensity of the flash coat.

When in doubt, I guess it is always better to go lighter than heavier.

-co

egg2012 · May 15, 2018

1 hour ago, CaptainObvious said:

Hi Joel,

I'm sorry that I missed out your second question.

Misting it on might not be enough to smooth out the finish.

The best way I can explain it is imagine you are putting on the first layer of paint on bare plastic.

You don't want full coverage but you want a thin layer so that successive layers can have sometime to bite on to.

That first coverage was the intensity of the flash coat.

When in doubt, I guess it is always better to go lighter than heavier.

-co

The method sounds tempting .I will try it on my next building.I've had good impression on Mr color leveling .Thank you captain .

As for color hue of X-22 ,I did met several times during my cats building.In my case ,the X-22 diluted by X-20A turned yellowish after be in the container for about thirty mins or so.The products involved are new,I think the reason could be on the container .I use small disposable plastic cups(used for medicine distribution to patients),they are transparent and very thin.

And thanks Joe for your guidance.

Joel_W · May 19, 2018

Well, another week has passed and a little more progress has been made. I sealed the decals in Tamiya X-22 Gloss cut with Mr. Color 400 Self Leveling Thinner 1:1. Just amazing stuff. Then I used a home made enamel base wash of a generic oil Lamp Black thinned with Turpenoid, and gave the entire aircraft a coating of it. After it had dried for 10 min or so, I wiped off 90% of it with a damp cotton cloth making sure that I went very easy over any panel lines and always at a 45 degree or greater angle. this way I stood a better chance of not sucking up the panel line wash.

This accomplished two weathering phases. 1st as I said, all the panel lines received a wash, and since they're so shallow and petite, black worked perfectly. The 2nd weathering phase was to create a slight oxidation look to the paint which was well maintained, but if it flew, it had some wear and tear to it. the result is just enough to knock down the new paint look.

I let this cure for a good 48 hrs., then I applied a Matt clear coat using Testors Dullcoat cut with Mr. Color 400 Self Leveling Thinner but at a 2:3 ratio. I applied a tack coat, then two wet coats, and let it dry for 24 hrs. Then I very lightly rubbed down the surface with a #4000 Micro Mesh pad and plenty of water. The surface is now silky smooth, and the decals look more like the were painted on.

I removed the windscreen masks and the cockpit masks, glued on the wing tip tanks, that will need a touch of adjusting, and then took some pictures.

Gotta say that she's finally starting to really look the part of a Texas 111 FIS ANG T-33A.

Joel

Ichitoe · May 19, 2018

Joel - your build looks fantastic! I’ve always liked the ADC grey aircraft.

Mike

Joel_W · May 19, 2018

5 minutes ago, Ichitoe said:

Joel - your build looks fantastic! I’ve always liked the ADC grey aircraft.

Mike

Mike,

Thanks so much for those most kind words. They're greatly appreciated.

the ADC color really does look pretty close to the posted pictures. I still can't believe that I mixed it myself.

Joel

Fozzy · May 19, 2018

Brilliant job Joel!......fabulous looking aircraft....I though about scratch building one once!...might just do that looking at your build!

Joel_W · May 19, 2018

1 hour ago, Fozzy said:

Brilliant job Joel!......fabulous looking aircraft....I though about scratch building one once!...might just do that looking at your build!

Fozzy,

thanks for the compliment, it's much appreciated.

Would love to see you scratch build one in a large scale with tons of detail. But 1st you still have a ways to go to finish the B-17 project.

Joel

Slartibartfast · May 19, 2018

Superb!

caudleryan · May 20, 2018

Beautiful! And the weathering is perfect! Just need an F-101 to go with it.

Joel_W · May 20, 2018

16 hours ago, Slartibartfast said:

Superb!

Startibartfast,

Thanks so much for your really quite positive comment. it's greatly appreciated.

Joel

Joel_W · May 20, 2018

3 hours ago, caudleryan said:

Beautiful! And the weathering is perfect! Just need an F-101 to go with it.

Caudleryan,

Thanks friend for your Thumbs up. It's greatly appreciated.

As for the F101, it might have to wait until some AM company comes up with the proper intakes for the KH F101B, which I'm sure will be coming sooner then later.

Joel

kurnass77 · May 20, 2018

Joel your build look quite exquisite mate!

Gianni

Joel_W · May 21, 2018

17 hours ago, kurnass77 said:

Joel your build look quite exquisite mate!

Gianni

Gianni,

Thanks so much my friend for your most positive comment. it really means a lot when your ARC friends take the time to post.

Joel

Brad-M · May 22, 2018

Looks great Joel. I am building the T-33A as well, but I am using the RoCAF boxing, because I am building mine as an RCAF aircraft and this kit has the NACA vents that we used. I am at the flap stage and I have no idea how I am going to mount them. It appears that there is only the 4 actuating rods to attach the flaps to. Have you looked at them to see how you might attach them to the model? Your scheme looks very cool.

Cheers

Brad

Joel_W · May 22, 2018

2 hours ago, Brad-M said:

Looks great Joel. I am building the T-33A as well, but I am using the RoCAF boxing, because I am building mine as an RCAF aircraft and this kit has the NACA vents that we used. I am at the flap stage and I have no idea how I am going to mount them. It appears that there is only the 4 actuating rods to attach the flaps to. Have you looked at them to see how you might attach them to the model? Your scheme looks very cool.

Cheers

Brad

Brad,

Thanks for the thumbs up. It's greatly appreciated.

I've looked at the flaps several times. Right from the start of the build, I planned on having the flaps in the down position, so I glued the actuating rods in place. I got 3 out of 4 in each upper wing just about perfectly aligned, but of course the one closest to the fuselage is slightly out of alignment. Shouldn't be that hard of an issue to resolve. If you want to have the flaps in the up position, leave those rods off. The trailing edge wraps around as a single mold to the top wing. I never test fitted either flap in the closed position, so I don't really know how well the fit is. But since the overall fit of the kit is excellent, I'm betting that the flaps are close to being perfectly in line.

Joel

Brad-M · May 31, 2018

Thanks for the reply. Did you happen to notice that the nose cone was smaller in size (narrow) compared to the fuselage? I had to sand the step and do a lot of re-scribing. 😞

Brad

Joel_W · May 31, 2018

12 hours ago, Brad-M said:

Thanks for the reply. Did you happen to notice that the nose cone was smaller in size (narrow) compared to the fuselage? I had to sand the step and do a lot of re-scribing. 😞

Brad

Brad,

Yes I did. But like you a little gentle sanding, and all was fine.

Joel

Joel_W · May 31, 2018

Well, it's with mixed feelings that this will be my last update on the T-33A, as it finally has crossed the finish line. Every build I complete, I seem to get some kind of emotional attachment to, since we've spent literally 3 plus months, and countless hours together from the start of our journey to it's completion.

Since my last update the struts, wheels, and inside surfaces of the gear doors and dive brakes were primed with Mig Black primer, then the all received a coat of Alcad #101 flat Aluminum as in real life. The ejection seats are straight from the box, and are little mini kits that go together perfectly. I opted to make my own ejection harnesses out of strips of masking tape. The flaps were glued into place, and the last job was the taxi lights on the front strut. I didn't care much for the how the kit clear parts looked, so two applications of Microscale Krystal Kleer took care of that issue.

I'd like to thank each of you who has been along with me from the start to the finish, as well as all that have stopped by and checked out the build to date. All of you made it more then worth while spending the additional time in creating this build blog.

So without the need for further words, here is the finished T-33A.