jrallman Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 Hi all, finally got a little progress done on this bird. I have some assembly on the airframe as well, but here are some pics of the front office. Used some color to make it look sufficiently busy, if not exactly accurate. I think it turned out fairly well. I put down some MM aluminum metalizer first, then black MM enamel over it. Then, with a paper towel corner slightly dampened with sprits, i wiped off the black from the high points, exposing the aluminum underneath. Some of the spirits took off some black between the buttons and switches so i used a wash of thined tamiya smoke. the screens are done with tamiya clears and the rest of the colors with MM enamels. comments welcome. thanks all and hopefully more progress to come shortly. I will take pics of the jet intake blades soon because i think they turned out rather nice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 Hi again. Little update on the build. have the cockpit and IP installed in the fuse and the fuse joined and sanded. Here are some shots of the installed cocpit. Also, I included a shot of the intakes, since I think they turned out well, especially for my first go at them. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 nice job on the intakes. they turned out weird on mine. One is just a smidgen lower than the other Cockpit looks great too. you may want a bit of a sludge wash on the tops of the ejection seats to tone the area down a bit. have fun with the nose cone. I had a hell of a time with that piece Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Nice job Jay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karl Sander Posted October 18, 2005 Share Posted October 18, 2005 Nice work! At first, I thought the instrument panel might have been overdone and TOO busy, but the more I think about it, the more I think it will work out. There's a certain degree of "showmanship" in modelling, and often times you need to almost overstate certain details to make them stand out the way you want in a finished build. In other words, nice work! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted October 18, 2005 Author Share Posted October 18, 2005 thanks guys. i had thought the IP might have been a bit overdone too, but i just put the front part of the canopy on, and i think it will be hidden enough that it should look ok. as for a wash, i plan on adding a wash to the tops of the seats as well as the area behind the seats, with all the plumbing, to make it a bit more used looking. i also just attached the nose cone and by you werent kidding that it needs some major work! I think it is worse too on mine since mine is a TRAM, and the nose is in two pieces, with the TRAM piece being added to an opening on the nose. well, of course that piece didnt have the best fit, so in filling and sanding to get that to fit, i sanded the curve of the bottom sides of the nose a little flat, so they dont match up with the curve on the fuse. any thoughts on the best way to fill and smooth this area without obliterating all the detail around the seam on the fuse? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted October 19, 2005 Share Posted October 19, 2005 good question. Since fujimi panel lines are so light, even minimal sanding can destroy them, and rescribing in an area that curvy is just asking for trouble. Here's what I did. 1st, mask off all the panel lines in the area. 2. I used squadron's green putty in copious amounts to profile the parts of the nose that didn't match up. 3. carfully sand the area down and buff with a polishing stick, trying to avoid the masking tape 4. rinse and repeat if you get shrinkage. 5. remove tape I was lucky enough that the nose on mine was black, so some of the imperfections are not too visable. The nose on that kit is a real bear. And really for a 23 dollar model some of it is sub-par Here are a few more bits you should be aware of The leading edge slats, if you want to build them closed, need some extra work to fit. The landing gear doors are a pain in the butt to attach the position for some of the small stub areals under the fuselage (at least in the A version) have very vague positioning in the instructions The outer pylons dont fit well. I shaved off the locating pins and had to profile their tops to the wing if you plan on putting the iron bombs on the side positions of the long rack, then drill some locating holes in them. and leave off the front inners or the gear doors wont fit Fit of the drop tanks is abysmal minor problems really, but it makes me wish I would have gone with Italiery, seems you get the same fit problems, but for less money BTW, your cockpit is looking awsome! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted October 20, 2005 Author Share Posted October 20, 2005 RKic, thanks for the tips! good to know before i get too into it! I like the idea of masking off the detail before filling and sanding. maybe ill even try using a more durable tape in case my sanding wanders, as it tends to do! i was just about to start filling and sanding the nose when i realized i completely forgot to add balast. so i had to remove the nose, add balast, and once that dries, i will re-attach and try the tape, fill, sand method. I was planning on closing the slats since, if the slats are down, the flaps should be too and i do not intend to tackle that scratch build project on my first jet. Most of the problems with the ordinance I hope to avoid by using Hasegawa's armament sets. And I don't mind the fit so much since I picked mine up for $11. Thanks again! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted October 20, 2005 Share Posted October 20, 2005 forgot the ballast? Funny that. I did the same thing...only to remember AFTER I threw on all the putty etc. ;) good thing I didnt have the bottom fuselage on, I ended up chucking in a bunch of lead weight under and around the cockpit. Mine is a very heavy A6 as for the slats. The answer may be to put some kind of support under the slat near the lateral (outer) edge of the wing. Thats where they sink down and look bad. Just a piece of card stock may do the trick. Try it, i was too impatient to dry-fit mine so I have to live with it now. Well, good luck with yours. Hope the hasey weapons set makes it look cool. But judging by your cockpit its going to be a sweet little bird Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted October 20, 2005 Author Share Posted October 20, 2005 i had already put the bottom fuse pieces in and filled and sanded as needed along those seams, so i wasnt about to try and rip those pieces out, so off with its nose! thanks for the compliment, i hope it turns out well too. im enjoying doing a jet. its a different kind of build so far. ill try the card stock on the slats, the wings are next after i get the nose on. the decal sheet i am using calls for a loadout that couldnt be done with kit pieces, so i either had to use the kit load or get the hase set. i figured the decal sheet is probably accurate for that marking and time period so i picked up the hase set. looks really nice! but that is a ways down the road! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Finally have some progress to post. The nose is finally on and smothed into the fuse. The wings and tail are on as well, still doing a little filling and sanding on the wings. cockpit got a light wash and a little toned down, and yes, i drilled out all of the little expendables holes. Thanks for looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karl Sander Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 very impressive! I tried drilling out the expendables in 1/48 and decided it was too hard, so I'm really impressed you pulled it off in 1/72! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 Awesome!! Great job! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 thanks guys. im close to being ready for paint. I have a question about that too. I am doing the desert camo scheme, something a little different than all that gray. What I'd like to know is if the camo is hard edge or soft? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karl Sander Posted November 2, 2005 Share Posted November 2, 2005 thanks guys. im close to being ready for paint. I have a question about that too. I am doing the desert camo scheme, something a little different than all that gray. What I'd like to know is if the camo is hard edge or soft? Thanks. I've never actually seen that on an Intruder, so unfortunately I can't help... but I look forward to seeing it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted November 3, 2005 Author Share Posted November 3, 2005 me too, i think the camo scheme is a nice break from the typical grays. i think i may go with a tight freehand airbrush to make the edges soft but tight. i think i may have to do a few test shots to see if i like it before i do the whole thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karl Sander Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 me too, i think the camo scheme is a nice break from the typical grays. i think i may go with a tight freehand airbrush to make the edges soft but tight. i think i may have to do a few test shots to see if i like it before i do the whole thing. is this based on a "real world" thing you've seen pictures of, or a more or less "what if" idea that you had? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 There was a tan and grey camo'd Intruder in Desert Storm from VA-35. Don't forget there are no ficticiuos paint schemes allowed in the GB, and your Intruder must reprsent a real world bird. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andy Mullen Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 (edited) Is this the one you mean? Havent found any pics on the net showing this though Edited August 7, 2008 by Andy Mullen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VFA-103guy Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 That be the one Andy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderGrunt Posted November 3, 2005 Share Posted November 3, 2005 Hey guys just to add a little somthin I think VA-75 sunday punchers had a simalr tan scheme and a couple corsair squadrons had a tan jet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jrallman Posted November 4, 2005 Author Share Posted November 4, 2005 yeah, thats the camo scheme. i havent seen any pics either, but just read that the "roadrunners" used this scheme during desert storm. I'm assuming that means it isn't fictional? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Karl Sander Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 yeah, thats the camo scheme. i havent seen any pics either, but just read that the "roadrunners" used this scheme during desert storm. I'm assuming that means it isn't fictional? You're right Jay - I had completely forgotten about it. Back to your request for help, again i haven't seen it, but I'd say smart money would be a soft-egde yet tight look, like you were talking about. Every other Navy "oddball" camo scheme that I've seen - except for a couple splinter ones here at NSAWC - have had that look. Tight, but soft-edged. Looking forward to seeing it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Benner Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 (edited) Hey guys just to add a little somthin I think VA-75 sunday punchers had a simalr tan scheme and a couple corsair squadrons had a tan jet. I don't remember seeing any VA-75 pics in desert camo., a good number of them are shown on jakub's desert storm site and those are all grey. I really like this A-6E from ther other intruder squadron that was aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. http://212.158.133.3/pictures/nose-arts/a-6/155620_1.jpg ... and here's a pic of the VA-36 jet http://212.158.133.3/pictures/nose-arts/a-6/161667_1.jpg VA-72 (one of the 2 A-7 squadrons) had aircraft 400 done in a desert scheme, but that wasn't done until after the war. Edited November 4, 2005 by Benner Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Diego Posted November 4, 2005 Share Posted November 4, 2005 Hi folks, A good picture of the Desert Intruder can be found in the Monogram's "US Navy and USMC color guide" Vol 4, I guess ( the last one, coveing the period between 1956 and 1993 ). Some other pictures of camoed A-6E from Desert Storm can be found in the volume of IAPR covering the A-6. I am now at the office, but can check the exact volume N° when at home. Some other shots were also published in the French Air Fan around 1993. Our decal sheet was based on all these references. Cheers Diego HDL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.