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1/48 Hasegawa F-18C VFA-113


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Here is the start of my new project. This has been on my list for a while now, so finally getting around to it!

 

My inspiration (taken from http://www.seaforces.org/usnair/VFA/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-113.htm)

 

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Hasegawa kit and Fightertowndecals:
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AM and various bits and pieces collected from old kits. The JDAM is 3D printed so we will see how that turns out:
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Edited by Janissary
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18 hours ago, Falconxlvi said:

The canopy tint trick is very cool!  I am definitely going to have to try that.   Nice job refining all the parts too 👍🏻

 

Thank you. I kinda stumbled upon the sharpie as I was trying other approaches with Tamiya clears, nail polish, and chromatic pigments. Sharpie in alcohol, followed by a light misting of the chromatic pigments gave me the best results for sure. 

 

I have never used them but these CSI colors are also looking promising. I would be interested in knowing if anyone has used them for tinting (worried about large flakes):

https://www.ebay.com/p/1771216814

 

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On 10/26/2020 at 12:36 PM, Janissary said:

 

Thank you. I kinda stumbled upon the sharpie as I was trying other approaches with Tamiya clears, nail polish, and chromatic pigments. Sharpie in alcohol, followed by a light misting of the chromatic pigments gave me the best results for sure. 

 

I have never used them but these CSI colors are also looking promising. I would be interested in knowing if anyone has used them for tinting (worried about large flakes):

https://www.ebay.com/p/1771216814

 

Sprayed with an airbrush, or can you paint brush it?

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Here is a little bit more about the canopy. I tried nail polish as well as an acrylic art paint. Both had a chromatic tint to them, but they did not work. Nail polish had large flakes, acrylic paint dulled up the canopy.

 

I came across these pigments on youtube:

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These are chromatic powders. My thinking was that the powder is so fine (which it is) that I could gently rub it in on the canopy, similar to smearing shaved lead pencil dust on paper. 

 

That rubbing did not work. The canopy is too shiny for the pigments to bite into. So, I tried spraying it. I mixed the powder with MLT. The powder stays suspended, but does not dissolve (tried other solvents too, nothing really worked). So I airbrushed the mixture, and it looked like this: 

7PYvoaR.jpg

 

Yes I went overboard there, but the flakes are too visible nonetheless. More importantly, when all is dry, I noticed that the powder actually has not bonded to the surface. A pass of a finger and it comes right off. I dipped the whole thing in future to see if it could be cover-protected. Future simply washed off everything. The powder is so weakly attached to the surface. So I started again. 

 

Gave the alcohol / Sharpie a shot. Airbrushed the mix from the bottom side. Once it is dry, it is solid. That gave me the purplish base tint. It is not chromatic, but works ok I guess. I did not dip that in Future. Then, I applied a very thin layer  of the MLT / powder mix from the bottom to give that hint of chromatic look. No future dip. That was the final result, and here is one more shot of where things currently are:

ofCGpzU.jpg

 

I don't think any of these steps would work well with brush painting. 

Edited by Janissary
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Sure. Now working on light detailing to add visual interest. No where near what I see elsewhere but is good practice as I am just getting my feet wet with it. Now nearing the first coat of primer in the cockpit!

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Edited by Janissary
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Thank you. I plan to add a few more details as I noticed more fun than I thought I would. I am loosely following the ref pics I have. Another part of me is itching to get started with the airbrush though, so there will be a tradeoff at some point. 

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  • 1 month later...

Finally got to the priming stage. I started with a thin coat of Mr. Surfacer, then a coat of Tamiya XF-80. 

 

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I had a few questions about the ordnance. The build will be roughly around the 2014 timeframe. I want all to be training loads. 

 

- With the two GBU-12s, I want one to be all blue (like this one: https://www.asdnews.com/NewsImages/b/39580/39879_O.jpg or this one: https://c1.neweggimages.com/ProductImage/A1S7_1_201711101581030552.jpg). These would never come with thermal protective coating, can you confirm? Also, for the forward control section, would be possible to see both the gray and the green version loaded up?

 

- Are there training GPU-12s that are olive drab in color but might have a blue band? I can't find any examples of this. 

 

- Around that timeframe, would the Navy have all-blue Aim-9L/M or would they only come in LGG with the blue band?

Edited by Janissary
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You know it just never ceases to amaze me how clever and resourceful the human mind can be when it comes to solving a problem. And Janissary's trick with the marker pens and alcohol to get that sheen on the Hornets canopy is a prefect example of what I'm talking about! Bravo Janissary, I tip my hat to you.... well done! Fred K.

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