dai phan Posted April 2, 2024 Author Share Posted April 2, 2024 (edited) Greetings, The sheet by Eagle Strike has the stencils as well as the hard to paint black nose tip with white trim. I do not see how that piece will wrap around the nose without massive wrinkles. Dai Edited April 2, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bob Beary Posted April 2, 2024 Share Posted April 2, 2024 Hi Dai, Those nose tip decals should not be a problem. When you cut them out from the sheet, if there is a lot of decal clear film between the black triangles, cut most of that out. Leave enough material to keep the 3 triangles together. When you put them, on just keep massaging them into place with a soft brush and/or Q tips. You might have to make very small cuts, but I doubt that. By cutting out the film between the triangles, you are essentially applying 3 triangles. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 2, 2024 Author Share Posted April 2, 2024 11 hours ago, Bob Beary said: Hi Dai, Those nose tip decals should not be a problem. When you cut them out from the sheet, if there is a lot of decal clear film between the black triangles, cut most of that out. Leave enough material to keep the 3 triangles together. When you put them, on just keep massaging them into place with a soft brush and/or Q tips. You might have to make very small cuts, but I doubt that. By cutting out the film between the triangles, you are essentially applying 3 triangles. Bob Hi Bob, I am talking about the tip of the nose black with white trim. I do not think decal will work. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird3a Posted April 3, 2024 Share Posted April 3, 2024 3 hours ago, dai phan said: Hi Bob, I am talking about the tip of the nose black with white trim. I do not think decal will work. Dai do you mean the small radar fiberglass nose piece--super easy to mask and paint Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 3, 2024 Author Share Posted April 3, 2024 9 hours ago, Snowbird3a said: do you mean the small radar fiberglass nose piece--super easy to mask and paint Can you please advise? I found it hard to mask such a tight curve even with flexible tape. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 4, 2024 Author Share Posted April 4, 2024 (edited) Greetings, I found the right side photo of the bird I am building. Why I did not find this while painting? Dai PS: Excellent site for Canadair photos. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/616714/23668 . Dai Edited April 4, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 4, 2024 Author Share Posted April 4, 2024 (edited) Greetings, Started the decaling process. The red trims on the tail decal do not match with the red paint on the nose so I decided to paint them. Dai Edited April 5, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird3a Posted April 5, 2024 Share Posted April 5, 2024 On 4/3/2024 at 6:08 AM, dai phan said: Can you please advise? I found it hard to mask such a tight curve even with flexible tape. Dai I don't use one piece of masking tape, I use several pieces of tape, cut with differing arc radii, using a hole punch or a circle cutter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 8, 2024 Author Share Posted April 8, 2024 (edited) Howdy all, With newly discovered photo, I did some corrections on the camo scheme. Note the tips of the tanks carry dark green camo. Dai Edited April 9, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird3a Posted April 9, 2024 Share Posted April 9, 2024 just an observation; but, your Sabre seems to have an uncharacteristic nose high stance--perhaps adjusting the height of the the nose leg is in order Tony Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 9, 2024 Author Share Posted April 9, 2024 35 minutes ago, Snowbird3a said: just an observation; but, your Sabre seems to have an uncharacteristic nose high stance--perhaps adjusting the height of the the nose leg is in order Tony Yes I think Hasegawa makes the strut too long . Thank you for the keen observation. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 9, 2024 Author Share Posted April 9, 2024 (edited) OK modelers, This evening I noticed 7 hairline cracks at various places on the left fuselage! The left side is what I use from an old EBay kit I bought and the right is a new one is from current online vendor (the USAF F-30 and Blue Impulse F-40) . I notice Hasegawa plastic tends to become very brittle with age and by handing with mild compressive force can cause the plastic to crack. Some parts snapped off in half just by removing from the sprues. I have noticed this from old Hasegawa kits. So I have to fill with thin CA, sand carefully not to cause a depression spot then repaint and re-blend. So if you plan to build this kit, avoid Ebay OOP offerings as the plastic will give you issues. Luckily this happened before the decal application process. Dai Edited April 9, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 9, 2024 Author Share Posted April 9, 2024 12 hours ago, Snowbird3a said: just an observation; but, your Sabre seems to have an uncharacteristic nose high stance--perhaps adjusting the height of the the nose leg is in order Tony It that the kit's fault or something I did? I look at the connection and the strut is fully inserted all the way. Dai Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 12, 2024 Author Share Posted April 12, 2024 (edited) Hello all, Painted the camo on the drop tanks and correct the pattern on the right side of the canopy. The replacement decal has arrived for the final stages of this project. Thank YOU Buckeye for the super service !!! Dai Edited April 12, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 15, 2024 Author Share Posted April 15, 2024 (edited) Greetings, Lots of stencils to apply. Dai Edited April 15, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 19, 2024 Author Share Posted April 19, 2024 (edited) Hello everyone, The decal application is completed and tomorrow will be clear coated. If you plan to add slats to make a foreign Sabre, I strongly advise you to use the Academy instead of the Hasegawa kit. The gun bays are there already so you do not have to fight with the resin bays to make them fit with the kit's cockpit tub. The biggest thing is the quality of the plastic. Old Hasegawa Sabre kits tend to have hairline cracks just from handling. I had to fill, sand and repaint from 7 cracks throughout the fuselage that appeared AFTER the whole plane was painted. The plastic tends to become very brittle as it ages. The KASL slats/flaps are designed with the Hasegawa kit but since the Academy kit is nearly identical, I see no issues here. Dai Edited April 20, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 20, 2024 Author Share Posted April 20, 2024 (edited) Hi all, The Luftwaffe Sabre JG 71 is among the most colorful birds of the foreign exports. Getting accurate camo pattern for your project is quite challenging as there are wide variations of the interpretations pending on the painters. Your mercy is at what photos you can find. The Eagle Strike decals give you a nice compliment of stencils. However note the Hasegawa F-40 is NOT the MK 6 so the panel lines are not correct throwing you a curved ball when appliying stencils decals. Dai Edited April 20, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 21, 2024 Author Share Posted April 21, 2024 (edited) Hi all, The clear coat was applied. To my dismay, more cracks start to appear on the fuselage. The plastic is getting old and starts to deteriorate. Buy Academy kit ! Dai Edited April 21, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 21, 2024 Author Share Posted April 21, 2024 (edited) Hi all, All the stencils supplied by Eagle Strike and others are not quite correct as they are printed in black rather than white and black. The letterings when applied over black background should have white letterings so the crews can read them. Something to consider if you are in absolute accuracy. Dai Edited April 21, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 21, 2024 Author Share Posted April 21, 2024 (edited) Hi all, Another consideration is the correct placement of the red fuselage band. Decal companies tend to get the decal placement incorrect so this is a good example on where it should be placed. Dai Edited April 21, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 22, 2024 Author Share Posted April 22, 2024 (edited) Hello modelers, This project is coming to a close. I still have to install the pitot tube and the ammo door. Hasegawa calls for the clear mirror part to be installed on the canopy but it is not included on any of the kits? The white metal pitot tube supplied by Hasegawa Mk 6 version is so poorly detailed and cannot be used. I use the standard F-30 tube. The tanks are glued via white glue in case I need to reposition them. Verlinden provides the ammo bay but no ammo casings. Will look into other resin kits to see if I can use them instead. The decals by Eagle Strike is much thicker than what I used to see from them. As such when doing a wash be extremely careful that you do not trap the wash at the clear carrier film. I hope someday we will see dry transfer technology that will virtually wipes out carrier film with good predictable result. Will do my usual Pros and Cons once the final photos are posted. Thank you all for the help on this long project. Foreign export Sabres are not simply the standard Sabres in different markings. They are different birds in surface details. Dai Edited April 24, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted April 22, 2024 Share Posted April 22, 2024 Wonderful build! Stunning 🙂 Thanks for sharing the whole process... really enjoyed it! -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 22, 2024 Author Share Posted April 22, 2024 (edited) 37 minutes ago, lgl007 said: Wonderful build! Stunning 🙂 Thanks for sharing the whole process... really enjoyed it! -Greg Thank you so very much. This so far has been the most time consuming project as there are many resin add ons (Verlinden gun bay/ammunition bay, KASL slats and flaps, Aires seat and AMS sugar scoops) and modifications of the airframe and wings. Learned quite a bit on export Sabres. Dai Edited April 22, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 23, 2024 Author Share Posted April 23, 2024 (edited) Greetings, Some close up photos to indicate what were added to the kit and its conversion done to the F-40 to make a MK 6 to my best ability... The left side sports the vintage Verlinden gun bay and ammunition bay. The ammunition belts come from Legend set as the Verlinden's is too wide and less detailed. Oddly the ammunition bay does not have the ammo casings. The vertical strings are easily made from painted stretched sprues. The deck behind the seat (with the orange light) is also from Verlinden that is more detailed than the kit's. The base is the PE from Eduard cockpit set. A must as this area is bare on the kit. The seat is from Aires. The slats are from KSL and beautifully casted. They are casted but very detailed like 3D printed. You can also see the fuselage vents. These are not simply rectangular square holes but have the angled ramps. You can see on my earlier thread how it was done under my limited skill. This is a very distintive feature of the MK 6 and cannot be omitted. Dai Edited April 23, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dai phan Posted April 23, 2024 Author Share Posted April 23, 2024 (edited) The flaps are beautifully done like 3D quality. Dai Edited April 23, 2024 by dai phan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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