USAF - F-104G Starfighter

[my favs are F`s]

The cockpit area is finally done. Here is the mix of all tiny parts besides the parts for the ''moving'' of the canopy...

 

 

...that entered into the cockpit... in one way or another. The magnets that keep the canopy close are also glued and painted. 

 

 

Then, I updated the ejection handles of the seat with a yellow/black twiseted wire, which worked pretty fine from the first go. The pilot figure is also painted.

 

 

And everything is in its place and glued. A couple of pics with the canopy closed and open:

 

 

The 3D printed intruments are wicked good.

Edited April 17, 2024 by my favs are F`s

[my favs are F`s]

Any idea what happened with the posting? 🙂 Yesterday, I tried to post it, but it did a server error. Now, I just tried pasting the only the text, then add the pics one by one, and after the second edit - it says:

''This comment can no longer be edited. It may have been moved or deleted, or too much time may have passed since it was posted for it to be edited.'' Well, it is just 7 images and I edited it twice. 🤔 This never happened before... I'm trying to add the rest of the images in this post below: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2024 by my favs are F`s

[ExchefAndy]

Beyond amazing as always! Keep doing what you do 😎👍

Andy

[lgl007]

Absolutely superb so far 👍  Can't wait to see the progress 🙂 

 

-Greg

[BastianD]

Awesome details, looking good.

[my favs are F`s]

NMF adventures... 

I had to fill all panel lines and rivets, cause whatever happens - they are too too big... just out of scale. Then, the first panels on the nose section, almost ready for adding the intakes. The panels are far from ready though... they need a ton of surface prep.:

 

 

 

[my favs are F`s]

The intake parts:

 

 

I had to prep the aluminum surfaces behind them beforehand... This is actually the whole nose section after 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper. I know there are scratches left, but I was afraif of getting to the plastic underneath.

 

 

Then polishing only the area around the intakes, then rivetting, then final polishing with up to 12 000-grit sandpaper. And the intakes are glued.

 

 

 

After geting a better idea what it would like once finished... the verdict is that this would be my one and only NMF model, but I like it enough to continue with the build. The fact that I must leave the decals unprotected just frightens me. Plus, there might be oxidation over time, while the surfaces under the decals will be protected by the carrier film and may not oxidize... It is much more convenient to just use metalizers. ☺️ Well, the NMF effect is unparalleled though. Something different.

 

Edited May 7, 2024 by my favs are F`s

[ALF18]

Don't worry about the decals. I've foiled multiple models. I apply some floor wax (clear coat) with a brush, then apply the decals over the clear coat, and clear coat again on top of the decals. I have had zero oxidation, even after more than 5 or 10 years. Yes, it's a lot of work, but it turns out very nicely. Yours is coming along well.

Here are some of mine, with clear coat over the decals. 104651 Hasegawa 1/48. 104646, Italeri 1/32. Mirage Italeri 1/32.

Edited May 7, 2024 by ALF18
Corrected which model was which.

[my favs are F`s]

Hey ALF, thanks for the pics. How about the ''safety'' of the clear coat? I imagine it behaves the same way as normal paint, which is quite easy to scratch away/peel off/remove... I'm thinking about preparing a trial soon-ish, but I did try with paint directly over the foil in my F-117 (the exaust ducts), and it just scratches away after a few touches. At least it is safe to touch (not touching these areas at all), but here almost the entire model is NMF... there is no way to handle the model without touching the foil. I'll give it a try anyway, with acrylic- and lacquer-based clear coats.

[habu2]

18 hours ago, ALF18 said:

I've foiled multiple models.

ironically, I’ve been foiled by multiple models….  😂

 

.

 

Edited May 8, 2024 by habu2

[ALF18]

On 5/7/2024 at 4:30 PM, my favs are F`s said:

Hey ALF, thanks for the pics. How about the ''safety'' of the clear coat? I imagine it behaves the same way as normal paint, which is quite easy to scratch away/peel off/remove... I'm thinking about preparing a trial soon-ish, but I did try with paint directly over the foil in my F-117 (the exaust ducts), and it just scratches away after a few touches. At least it is safe to touch (not touching these areas at all), but here almost the entire model is NMF... there is no way to handle the model without touching the foil. I'll give it a try anyway, with acrylic- and lacquer-based clear coats.

Actually, floor wax forms a durable layer that is quite resistant to flaking off. It's a bit like a ceramic sealant on a garage floor after it sets properly. I use Pledge (used to be Future) wax. Super cheap. When I brush it on with a large, soft brush, it self-levels. I take care not to put on a thick coat. I often brush a very thin coat, let it dry for a few hours, then another thin coat. If I put too much on, it will leak down and pool under the model.

For sure, if you paint either acrylic or enamel paint on top of foil, it can flake off easily. I do the painting of colours (like the radome, or other panels) before I apply the foil, then I apply the floor wax on top of everything before applying decals. If the unfoiled panel is a matte colour and has no decals, then I will not brush floor wax onto it.

ALF

[ALF18]

On 5/8/2024 at 9:41 AM, habu2 said:

ironically, I’ve been foiled by multiple models….  😂

 

.

 

Foiler alert! 🙂

True. I have one folder of pics labelled 'metal foil became variegated camo' and the next attempt 'natural metal foil - really'

ALF

[my favs are F`s]

Finally, the fuselage is ready with the basic foiling procedure:

 

 

 

 

 

I bet you can't find the three ''little mistakes'' I did, but I hope they will stay known just by me. 🙂 Next up, foiling of the rudder and the horizontal stabilzer, and on to the overwhelming sanding and polishing adventure. 

 

[11bee]

Nice work.   That pilot figure is amazing.   For the life of me, I just can't paint faces.   You nailed it. 

 

 

[my favs are F`s]

The nose is ready with the surface prep - 4 types/sizes of rivets, and polishing. 🙂 It's looking good already...
 

 

Edited June 10, 2024 by my favs are F`s

[my favs are F`s]

Almost finished with this NMF... So, I glued the wings, and there were two major issues - 1) the wing root joints were at a 90ish-degree angle, and there must be a smooth transition with the fuselage, so I did it with some filler on both sides. 2) there were gaps between the fuselage and the flaps, while on the real pics - there is almost no light that can be seen, which was a realtively easy fix. Here is this area before:

 

 

 

And after the edits:

 

 

 

The ''additional'' alluminum parts are also covered in NMF, but they still need rivets and final polishing.

 

 

 

These are the horiz. stabilizer and its actuator cover, the rudder, and the long airfoil knife underneath the fuselage along the arresting hook. The wingtip tanks are also to be covered with NMF, but maybe I'll add them once the model is done. Cheers for now! :) 🤙

[RichB63]

Extremely realistic NMF you have achieved!

Well done sir!

 

Rich

[my favs are F`s]

It's difficult to believe that the ''rivetting'' is done. I used so many different and new methods to me, that are difficult to describe too. I also finished with the painting of the different colors - mainly white and black, and some dark alluminum/steel/magnesium (and concoction of them) for the discolorated panels. And she's ready for decals.

 

 

[my favs are F`s]

The Piece de la resistance is also ready. 🙂

 

 

 

[Thadeus]

Very nice progress. Love the nozzle weathering.

[my favs are F`s]

And, Da Zipper is ready. 🙂 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I only took pics in in-flight mode and hopefully with the landing gear/canopy open soon (in parked mode.... which kinda looks like a different model). Here is the full gallery so far. Hope you like it, and Thanks for the feedback, tips, bits of advice, etc., a lot! Cheers!

[lgl007]

Holy cow... that's amazing!  Looks so g*damn real!  Congratulations.  Love it!

 

-Greg

[RichB63]

What Greg said! The natural metal look you achieved is astonishing! Your work has a style all its own…and I love it!

Rich

[phantom]

Ohh thats wonderful!

[ALF18]

Fantastic job!

ALF