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Top Gun 1986 F-14A (Tamiya 1/48 - in-flight twin build))


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Thanks Underdog!  The F-14's shape never seems to get old, right?  Hi Chappie, thanks, be sure to get the V2 (resized for Tamiya) -- or, I think that's the only one available now.   Hi Andy, yeah, it's hard to get the TF-30 burn marks/staining right.  They seem to all burn differently.  But there always seems to be that goldish tinge.   I've seen that on my stainless steel cooking pans and it's hard to scrub off -- that's probably the reason they don't bother to clean these areas.  They just leave them burned and dirty.

 

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Here's my progress so far.   No gold or brass paint on this one just oils.  I tried the Alclad pale burnt metal but I found it hard to put the burn marks right.  So I just used semi-matte aluminum to simulate the stainless steel feathers and the bigger portion of the nozzle, then stained it with oils -- engine grease, starship filth, ghost grey.  I think it can use a few more layers and a little more dirtying up to get that burned up look, especially on the middle feathers.    

 

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One of the drawbacks of oils is the super slow drying time.  And the first layer melts when I try to add a second one so I have to apply the first layer, then let it dry for a day or two, then seal it before applying the second one, and do the same for the third -- and all that time you're worrying about how it will all turn out in the end.  Right now I'm trying to read up on drying boxes that I've seen on some railroad forums  -- I probably have to construct one.

Edited by crackerjazz
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16 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Thanks Underdog!  The F-14's shape never seems to get old, right?  Hi Chappie, thanks, be sure to get the V2 (resized for Tamiya) -- or, I think that's the only one available now.   Hi Andy, yeah, it's hard to get the TF-30 burn marks/staining right.  They seem to all burn differently.  But there always seems to be that goldish tinge.   I've seen that on my stainless steel cooking pans and it's hard to scrub off -- that's probably the reason they don't bother to clean these areas.  They just leave them burned and dirty.

 

Here's my progress so far.   No gold or brass paint on this one just oils.  I tried the Alclad pale burnt metal but I found it hard to put the burn marks right.  So I just used semi-matte aluminum to simulate the stainless steel feathers and the bigger portion of the nozzle, then stained it with oils -- engine grease, starship filth, ghost grey.  I think it can use a few more layers and a little more dirtying up to get that burned up look, especially on the middle feathers.    

 

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One of the drawbacks of oils is the super slow drying time.  And the first layer melts when I try to add a second one so I have to apply the first layer, then let it dry for a day or two, then seal it before applying the second one, and do the same for the third -- and all that time you're worrying about how it will all turn out in the end.  Right now I'm trying to read up on drying boxes that I've seen on some railroad forums  -- I probably have to construct one.

 

Have you ever tried fast drying alkyd oil paints? They look and act just like regular oils but do dry faster. Unfortunately, though, the blending of oil paint layers is considered one of its strengths and makes it attractive to artists. Alkyds dry in hours instead of days, but care must still be taken when layering thin coats with lots of thinner as it can still activate the previous coat. Maybe an water based acrylic filter would work better. I don't know as I have never tried any. When I have used oils, I have tried to take advantage of the blending characteristics. Doesn't always work because you have to plan ahead and know how the various colors are going to effect each other, and I'm not that good at that yet ("yet", at this hobby nearly all my many years and I'm still learning).

I will say this, despite the problems you have been facing with oils, those exhausts are outstanding

 

P.S. Great photos of an old F-14A with an early boat tail.

 

P.S.S. Have you tried Liquin additive with your oils? Liquin is an alkyd additive that speeds up the drying time of oils. It also tends to make the finish glossy so a flat coat may be needed.

Edited by Mstor
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Those burner pics are fantastic, great reference.  And your approach will be interesting to see, I'll just muddle my way through.☺️

The weather has been against me for the last six weeks, so airbrush time has been extraordinarily limited... 

Andy

 

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Great work so far crackerjazz. Try putting your oils onto a piece of cardboard before you use them, the cardboard will absorb some of the excess oil and they should dry sooner.

 

Steve

"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

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Hi guys, thanks for the comments and suggestions.   Hi Mstor, I did a few trials with alkyd after your post as I found it interesting.   I got some Galkyd, Liquin and Griffin alkyd oil paints.  I found it a bit gummy though so I scrapped the experiment and went back to Abteilung.  : (   After a whole week of testing, this is the best I could come up with.   I tried killing the goldish color with gray oil and I tried to "burn" the middle feathers some more but it wasn't turning out quite right.  Will try to experiment a bit more -- maybe it will look a little better.

 

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53 minutes ago, crackerjazz said:

Hi guys, thanks for the comments and suggestions.   Hi Mstor, I did a few trials with alkyd after your post as I found it interesting.   I got some Galkyd, Liquin and Griffin alkyd oil paints.  I found it a bit gummy though so I scrapped the experiment and went back to Abteilung.  : (   After a whole week of testing, this is the best I could come up with.   I tried killing the goldish color with gray oil and I tried to "burn" the middle feathers some more but it wasn't turning out quite right.  Will try to experiment a bit more -- maybe it will look a little better.

 

 

 

Interesting. I know that Liquin can be a bit "gummy" but have always found the consistency of Alkyd oil paints to be the same as regular oils.

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5 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

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I don't believe you need to do any additional work on those burners.

 

Perhaps, the only thing you can do (to "feast" our eyes) is to photograph them outside, using the natural light to show the fine work you have achieved, which is very close to the real thing!.

 

:smiley-transport006:

Edited by SERNAK
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Yeah I'm not sure, Mstor.  It could be the Mona Lisa odorless thinner that I use that couldn't dissolve the alkyd paint too well  : (    A-10 Loader,  Sernak, thanks, guys!  Will try to get some outdoor pics once these are done.  

 

 

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I was really tempted to get those beautiful  PE Eduard ABs but the nozzles come in dissimilar positions -- one open and one closed, which means I'll have to get two sets for just one cat for my purpose.    And I'm trying to save up for other stuff -- so maybe another day.    

 

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Just need to weather the insides of the outer feathers and I'll button these up.   I'm actually trying not to feel burnt out from painting burned-up TF-30 nozzles : )    But I have to do more so I need to soldier on.

Edited by crackerjazz
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Hey, Steve, thanks!  Yeah, just trying my best to give her a little more variation now to make the feathers burn a little more differently. 

 

On 3/19/2020 at 8:27 PM, JohnS said:

 I can almost feel the heat. :thumbsup:

 

Thanks, John, that made my day!  : )   That means my efforts were not in vain  : )

 

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Just trying to experiment a little bit more for the middle feathers of the other Tomcat.  Primer plus sharpie dots plus handbrushed polished brass -- but just a single layer so as not to emphasize the "burning" too much, which the oils should take care of later.

 

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Masked for some Alclad Burnt Iron for the outer feathers.

 

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Then added some oils to weather the somewhat-burned stainless steel middle feathers -- and those totally burned outer feathers.

 

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Ok, I think I've experimented enough   :  (     On to weathering inside the outer feathers and that should really close the chapter on the TF-30s    : )   Oh..actually,  there's still that steel-gray portion on top  :  (   Not yet sure what color I'll be using for it -- and hopefully the masking tape doesn't lift the oil layers -- that will be a real nightmare.

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Thanks Steve!  Hi Janne, those look great!  I tried pastels and Tamiya weathering sets but had a hard time making them stick onto the surface : (     I've yet to learn how to use them properly.  Hey, what color did you use on the heat shield (section D) on top?

 

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16 hours ago, crackerjazz said:

Thanks Steve!  Hi Janne, those look great!  I tried pastels and Tamiya weathering sets but had a hard time making them stick onto the surface : (     I've yet to learn how to use them properly.  Hey, what color did you use on the heat shield (section D) on top?

 

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I think I went with Alclad white aluminium.

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Thanks, Janne! 

 

OK, I think the more I mess with the nozzles the uglier they become, heheh.

 

 

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Trying to get a good view of the nozzles in the movie...

 

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That should be enough work on the nozzles; will move on to other parts of the kit.    An F-14 isn't all nozzles after all : )   

Edited by crackerjazz
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Did some work on the cockpit while I'm cooped up at home.

 

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This will be a challenge to paint but I'll see what I can come up with.

 

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The cable on the utility light (learned that from Tim's Jaguar thread)  : )    wasn't coiled so I got rid of it.  Will be replacing it with some coiled up thin wire. 

 

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Awful.   In James Ingram's words,  I did my best but I guess my best wasn't good enough  : )   My eyes sure don't focus like they used to.  And I think after crossing my eyes they seem to stay that way for a while and everything's blurry around me, haha.  Will apply a layer of Future before the decal gauges go on.

 

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A hint to save your eyes...

Don't worry about getting those black areas perfect....do them ok and the just add a grey wash to make the demarkations between the black panels.

I promise it will look alright 🙂

 

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