dai phan Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 7 minutes ago, BuNo02100 said: I used that same decal sheet and found the reds too light and almost orange. Not a problem for the hinormarus but the stencils on the wings and fuselage is an issue. Good luck and keep at it. BW What kind of problem are for the stencils? Mine on the wings adapted very well even over the wing lights. The insignias will be painted on using the same paint as on the tail. Logic tells me the same paint was used on the tail and the insignias since the paint was already in the paint shop. It is hard to believe Lifelike did not QC the color before they were printed. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted February 14, 2021 Author Share Posted February 14, 2021 (edited) Greetings, Had to repaint the tail to be more in line of what the photo shows. Waiting for the replacement decal to arrive. Dai Edited February 15, 2021 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BuNo02100 Posted February 15, 2021 Share Posted February 15, 2021 Some of the red stencils for the upperwings was what I was referring to. I used the FineMolds kit decals and they were thicker than LifeLike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted February 20, 2021 Author Share Posted February 20, 2021 (edited) Hello everyone ... Painted the meat balls using Dead Design maskings. Decal application will be next. Dai Edited February 20, 2021 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlienFrogModeller Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Beautiful work! Cheers AFM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted February 28, 2021 Author Share Posted February 28, 2021 (edited) Hello everyone ... Finished decaling the plane. Will wait 48 hours before clear coat. I used the kit and Life Like decals. Although the kit is outstanding, the decals are a huge let down. Took too long to be removed from the backing and are prone to shattering. Life Like decals are thin, excellent but inaccurate in color. Dai Edited February 28, 2021 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlienFrogModeller Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 Looks great! Cheers AFM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 (edited) Howdy everyone... My Claude is now 95% completed (waiting for the replacement arresting hook)... A very nice first time impressive effort from new company. However there are few areas that could be improved upon and here are my takes... PROS: 1. Excellent enginnering. There are keyways that ensure where the parts should go without guessing. 2. Nice surface details. Very fine and precise. 3. Detailed engine and cockpit areas. 4. Excellent fit without the use of filler. 5. The best Claude (early and late) in 1/48 in my opinion. The Fine Molds offering omitted the large clear wing tip lights which is a huge mistake. CONS: 1. Brittle plastic. Small parts tend to snap when being cut from the sprue. A better more resilient plastic material would be a nice welcome. 2. Vague instruction on where the engine is placed in relative to the cowling. Plenty of dry fitings will be needed. 3. Inaccurate rudder in outline. The kit's offering is too round in shape. There are after market correction set. 4. Decals took too long to seperate and prone to shattering. 5. Oversized antenna mast and pitot tube. I made them easily from stretched sprues. 6. Clear wing tip lights have dimples. Some later offerings do not have this issues. For those who fancy early WW2 aircrafts, this offering is a must. However I think asking price is rather steep (going around 65-70 USD) on Ebay. I think it would be cheaper ordering directly from Wingsy. Life Like and Berna decals are absolute must as well the Dead Design hinomaru masks. I do not think any decal setting solutions will allows perfect adaptation of the decals over the wing surface lights. Dai Edited June 9, 2021 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlienFrogModeller Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Beautiful!! Cheers AFM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BuNo02100 Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 I may not be able to put off getting this kit. You did a great job with it and I have spare decals leftover from my Lifelike set I used for the FineMolds kit. BW Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 1 hour ago, BuNo02100 said: I may not be able to put off getting this kit. You did a great job with it and I have spare decals leftover from my Lifelike set I used for the FineMolds kit. BW Great kit but be extra careful with small parts. They tend to snap off in half very easily. Wingsy is very helpful in providing the replacements. You really need the Rexx or Quick Boost exhausts (A MUST) as well as control surfaces correction set if you want absolute accuracy. If you already have the FM kit, go for the Wingsy early Claude with enclosed cockpit. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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