dai phan Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 Greetings ... The decals from Canada is finally here so the final phase begins... The panel lines were reworked for better accuracy. Should be wrapped up this weekend. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rocketdrvr Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Looking Good Dai!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 Greetings... So far the Aeromaster decals went on fine without breaking up into pieces and responded well to the Microsol. I will omit some stencils because these are a bit too big and pronounced for scale. Will need to paint the anti glare panel tomorrow as the decal version does not fit well. In doing research I found out there are great variations in the way the stripes are painted onto the tail. Some meet at the leading edge of the vertical fins while others stop short. Had to use my best educated guess on this one... Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rocketdrvr Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 Looking Good! These older kits seem to build up real nicely! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted July 20, 2020 Author Share Posted July 20, 2020 Hello everyone... The painting and decaling is completed. Now final assembly and some weathering will be next. The black rod is for the guns as the kit's offering is way overscale. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) Hello modelers... The plane is almost done so in the mean time before the final photos, I will offer you my opinion on the kit with today's standard considerations. Pros: 1. The best F80 in 1/48. The recent Hobby Boss offering is so way off that cannot be considered as an acceptable replica. It is like you want to build a modern human replica and get the Neanderthal instead! 2. Good engineering. Everything has locating tabs to eliminate guess work. 3. Open engine, gun bay, drop flaps and speed breaks. 4. Good cockpit details and wheel wells. 5. Options for wing tip tanks and pylons. Cons: 1. Raised panel lines. 2. Instrument panel is located too far forward. You need to bring it back as far as you can to get an passable result or shave the inside to get the panel to the correct position. 3. Inaccurate panel line locations and relative positions. 4. Average to poor fit in some areas but can be easily corrected with average skills like me. 5. Fictional windshield area where raised details are not seen on real airplanes. 6. Marginal decal quality. 7. Poorly detailed engine. 8. Multiple injection pin marks/sink marks to clean up. 9. Canopy requires to be glued to the frame. It would have been nicer if this is molded in one piece. Until another 1/48 hits the market, we are without luck on finding after market detail sets and decals. There is a decal company called FCM that makes current decals for T33 and some F80s. However these are later models with the T33 style tanks that are not on the kit or after market items. You can buy the Hobbycraft T33 and use the tanks as an option. Also LF models produces F80 decals and those are the 2 companies that make current decals. if you use the LF offering, make sure you clear coat first to prevent the ink from bleeding. If you plan to build this kit, get the 1977 white box edition for best results. It is claimed the part's quality degrades over repeated use over time. Dai Edited July 21, 2020 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Speed "brakes". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 33 minutes ago, Slartibartfast said: Speed "brakes". Yes ! Thanks . Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 (edited) Happy Sunday everyone... The plane is 95% finished. I am waiting for the masks to arrive so I can repaint the front windshield. I sand the frames off because they are poorly molded. Some more opinions on this kit. 1. Make sure you move the instrument panel as back as you can or shave the inside so the panel is placed closer to the seat. The way it is located the pilot no way in hell can see the instruments. 2. Replace the gun "rods" with thinner ones. 3. Sand off the front winshield frames. They are poorly molded. 4. No need to glue the engine. Frictional fit will do such fine for ease of storage and transportation. Beside, the mounting mechanism is poor and does not hold the engine well. 5. Apply a bead of expoxy to the inside of the top seam to prevent it from separating when fitting the engine. The engine should fit passively. If you force, you will crack the seam unless epoxy is applied. 6. Raised panel lines are in incorrect postions and relative postions. Online 3 views are inaccurate as well. I suggest getting the source from F80 in Action from Squadron Signal book. 7. Thin the flap taps to allow better fitting and neater result. 8. You probaly already know but if you want to build the plane w/o the engine exposed, glue the left and right halves first. 9. Watch out for excessive dihedral. I had to correct mine. The F80 dihedral is very slight with tip tanks installed. For a 1977 kit, the result turns out to be a nice kit with good outline and fit. The online reviews of " horrrible" fit is totally unjust. It is not fair to apply 2020 expections to a 1977 kit. With average skill like mine, the kit should go together well and quickly. Dai Edited February 14, 2021 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rocketdrvr Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 Stellar! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 Very nice, indeed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted July 26, 2020 Author Share Posted July 26, 2020 Thank you all for the nice comments. Next time I will scribe rather then using the wash and masking tape to recreate the lines. Way too much work. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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