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1/48 Hasegawa F-18C 30th Anniversary


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Thank you Loki & Jesse. Loki, your suggestion of varying the ceramic petal colors was great! I tried to do this by masking the petals randomly and using four tones: Buff, Buff+Smoke, Radome Tan, Radome Tan+White. I still need to wash the petals to bring out the details and apply dark pastels deep around the petals to simulate charring. Probably overdid the number of colors, but hopefully everything will be toned down after the wash, flat coat and pastels.

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I also painted the seat:

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Finally masked the windshield and the cockpit. Took lots of trial and error to get to this point.

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To prepare for the white color, I decided to give silver undercoat a try. First, I am using Surfacer 1200 thinned with Mr. Color Levelling Thinner. Once dry, I gently rub the surface with an eye glass cleaning cloth to smooth out any rough spots. Next, I applied MM enamel chrome silver. My hope is that this silver undercoat will help with the white paint, and add some depth at the same time. I have Tamiya white primer in the bottle (similar to surfacer), but decided to take this route. If this works well for these horz. stabs, I will use this in the rest of the body.

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I attached the windshield using Tamiya liquid cement. I then filled the gaps with Klear using a brush, and wiped the excess off with a q-tip dipped in water. After it dried, I sanded down the edges to blend them to the fuselage using a small 400 sandpaper rolled up in a pair of tweezers. There were some scuff marks I could not avoid. So, using a q-tip, I scrubed the outer surface with Tamiya compound. This, inevitably removed the future layer at the top. So at the end, I hand brushed future over the windshield and the seam to blend everything together. I think brushed future levels nicely, so is a reasonable alternative to a future bath in these situations.

Looking really sharp! One suggestion for the future is to avoid Future completely (pun intended)! :rolleyes:

With the Tamiya coarse followed by fine polishing compounds, I find I don't need it at all- and then you don't have to worry about removing Future later when fixing touch-ups. Still, your windscreen came out looking really nice with your efforts. :thumbsup:

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Hey Burak, doing well so far. I'm not so sure about the range of colours in the exhaust. I think it would have been better to keep it minimal. One or two petals new and that's all.

Otherwise, looking good.

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Thank you Loki, yes, I think only a few would have been more realistic, but I am hoping the contrast will be subdued a little bit after the wash. Thank you for the great idea though. I am all ears if you have others, it just excites me.

With the Tamiya coarse followed by fine polishing compounds, I find I don't need it at all- and then you don't have to worry about removing Future later when fixing touch-ups. Still, your windscreen came out looking really nice with your efforts. :thumbsup:/>

Thank you Chuck, I was reading your F-4E build, and particularly how you did the windscreen and the canopies. I don't have Tamiya fine compound, but I am intrigued by the idea of bypassing future especially on the windscreen. Do you think all I need is Tamiya fine compound to get the final polish, or do you apply a finer polish afterward? I heard people using things like Novus to get a hi-shine. What I can tell for sure is that Tamiya coarse compound is certainly not enough, as the plastic remains somewhat cloudy after that.

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Thank you Chuck, I was reading your F-4E build, and particularly how you did the windscreen and the canopies. I don't have Tamiya fine compound, but I am intrigued by the idea of bypassing future especially on the windscreen. Do you think all I need is Tamiya fine compound to get the final polish, or do you apply a finer polish afterward? I heard people using things like Novus to get a hi-shine. What I can tell for sure is that Tamiya coarse compound is certainly not enough, as the plastic remains somewhat cloudy after that.

Yes, you NEED the Fine compound as well. I have a brief summary of it here in my P-51D build (scroll down to Post #486):

http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=250499&st=480

I also use a plastic polish called "Plexus" that is used primarily for real aircraft and motorcycle visors. It is a final step to really bring out the shine of clear plastic. I think it probably fills tiny scratches, which is how it works, but don't quote me on that because I don't really know. All I do know is that it works, so I spray it on a soft cloth or Q-tip and then wipe it on the canopy parts, let dry for a minute, then wipe it off. Here's what it looks like, although can buy it many other places on the 'net...

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/71/988/28962/ITEM/Plexus-Spray-Cleaner.aspx

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Thank you Vini & Chuck. In my next build, I hope to give this futureless canopy a try, thank you Chuck for the references and info.

I did a small experiment with the white color. In the picture below, after a MM Chrome Silver base, I applied Tamiya X-2 (Left) and Gunze aqueous H-1 (Right). I tried to catch the light to show the reflection in both cases. I have to say, I like Gunze much better. Unfortunately, this difference is not too discernible from the picture, but there is more depth and smoothness to Gunze. I will apply at least one more coat because it is currently not a true white yet:

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Finally, I started priming the main body. Surfacer 1200 thinned with Mr. Color levelling thinner. I tried to apply a thin coat rather than to build a solid layer of primer.

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Then, MM chrome silver as the undercoat. It is surprising how much detail (good and bad - really bad) this reveals all of a sudden:

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My next goal will be to lay down the first layer of white similar to the the horizontal stabs, assess the situation, and hopefully build more layers. Painting is the most fun part for me so I sacrifice a lot of the previous steps unfortunately. I wish I had the knowledge, skill, and drive to do the kinds of detailing I see many of you do in your wip posts. Even if I can't do it myself, I love to follow those detailed builds for inspiration.

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Thank you Mike. To make sure that enamel silver is completely sealed off, I applied two coats of future thinned with ammonia windex:

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I darkened the gear wells with very thinned gloss black to have a tonal difference in the final white color:

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... And started painting the white color. It took me two sessions (each about 30 mins, 1 day apart) to come to this point. As you can see, there is just so many more coats I need to apply to fully develop the white. Gloss white takes ages to establish. There is always the temptation to go overboard during airbrushing, but lucklily I have resisted that urge thus far. I expect at least 3 more coats before it is anywhere acceptable.

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If things don't work out, I may airbrush a coat of Tamiya white primer. That will undo pretty much all the silver undercoat and remove any visual depth, but I will have to see after a few more coats of white. Definitely challenges my patience. Thanks for looking.

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everybody. Right after my last post, I ran into a major problem and had to scrap the whole thing! I was sanding down the flaps after a few coats of paint, and I irreparably broke off the flap hinges. In a moment of frustration I twisted and destroyed the model :) After taking some time off, and embarking on a compulsive shopping buying spree (1/72 Hasegawa F-14D, aftermarket decals, 1/72 Meng F-102, and another 1/48 F-18C), I decided to give this another shot!

So, bought the exact same model and started to put it together. This time, no resin cockpit parts, so the sidewalls will be bare. Used iridescent film for the displays.

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The major construction is underway. You can see how much work needs to be done to clean up the seams and rescribing. I added to AoA probes made of needle tips.

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Since the cockpit sidewalls will be bare, I decided to have the pilot. The pilot helmet I am using is the one from the kit, but is the old type:

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Do you know where I can obtain a proper pilot/pilot helmet for this model? I was looking at my Tamiya F-16CJ leftovers, and this is what it has:

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Here is a picture of this aircraft with the pilot:

http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=908492

Does the Hasegawa F-18E/F models have the newer helmet type appropriate for this model? If the JHMCS of the F-16 is at least "possible" to use, I can to use that, but not sure if the F-18Cs are capable of this type of system. I will appreciate any help.

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For what it's worth, I have used another brand of plastic polish called Novus--I use the medium and fine polish, and have sworn off of Future on canopies for all the reasons Chuck mentions. The results are very clear and shiny, and if it gets dirty, dusty, etc you just need to apply a tiny amount of the fine polish to a q-tip and re-shine.

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Thank you guys.

Request for pilot help: As I mentioned above, I plan to have the pilot seated in the cockpit, but the current helmet type is wrong. Can anybody help me with this? In particular, I wanted to see if anybody could send me the pilot head that comes with the 1/48 Hasegawa F-18E/F models:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10043410z/70/1

The part I am looking for is R41, the non-JHMCS type (marked as current type on the instructions). I only need the helmet, and not the body/arms. If anybody has this and can send it to me, I will greatly appreciate it. I can cover shipping and a reasonable compensation for the part. PA is where I live. If you can help, can you please PM me?

Thank you very much!

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Do you know where I can obtain a proper pilot/pilot helmet for this model? I was looking at my Tamiya F-16CJ leftovers, and this is what it has:

Does the Hasegawa F-18E/F models have the newer helmet type appropriate for this model? If the JHMCS of the F-16 is at least "possible" to use, I can to use that, but not sure if the F-18Cs are capable of this type of system. I will appreciate any help.

You can use the Tamiya Viper pilots' helmets for a Hornet, especially in 1/48. The oxygen masks are different, but will hardly be noticeable in this scale.

Jake

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Thank you everybody for your comments. Jake, Racerman, thank you for the info and offer for the pilot. Here is what my pilot currently looks like, is this ok for this plane?

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I am not too good with pilot painting (can't seem to create the color gradation I see in other builds), any help will be much appreciated.

Here are the new windscreen and canopy. I applied a very light coat of Tamiya smoke from the underside of the windscreen to make it slightly darker.

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New nozzles with color variation across the plates. Base is tamiya buff, with lighter and darker tones for the variation, followed by future > dark wash > flat coat.

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To deal with the disappointment of not finishing my previous attempt of this kit, I bought these two new models! I admit was mostly out of frustration :)/>/> Nonetheless, I am excited about these. The F-102 look really nice in the box. The Tomcat was for me to prepare for the 1/48 Hasegawa F-14 in the stash, but now I think even this 1/72 kit will be a big project!

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Edited by Janissary
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I painted the wheels as follows: Tamiya white primer thinned with lacquer thinner > Tamiya gloss white > Future > dark wash > masking the hubs with parafilm > black for the tires > masking the side of the tires > thinned dark gray for the outer tire surface.

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Landing gears with Tamiya white primer > tamiya gloss white. They need to be washed later:

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Back to full scribing and rivet deepening. It takes sooooo much time. I have recently seen that some of you are now erasing most of the panel lines and rivets for scale accuracy. That was very interesting to me (would help me finish my models much faster). But I cannot imagine not deepening and preparing the panel lines and rivets for consistent washes. However, this my unimaginative thinking, and I am open to be persuaded otherwise. I just fear that a 1/48 jet without these details might look too plain. What do you think? Will the new trend be very under-pronounced panel lines? I am very curious about the outcomes of those builds.

Frequently in between scribing, I inspect the surface and mark retouches to made with blue felt pen. Then fix those, sand it down, and wash the whole thing with an old toothbrush under running water. So far I may have the washed the model this way 7-8 times already. Every time I do this, I blow dry the cockpit and instrument panels with my airbrush at ~40psi to prevent dried water leaving unsightly deposits in the cockpit and screens.

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To rescribe the panel line on the nose I lost to sanding, I used Tamiya tape and the saw/needle combination. Had to do many of these things on the entire model.

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One question before I leave. Do I have to fill the gap that appears below between the wing and the cover that lies over the flaps and ailerons? I tried to find pictures to answer this but could not find anything conclusive. It looks a little strange right now (so I plan to fill it in). Even if that part moves relative to the wing, I am not sure if that wide of a gap exists on the real thing.

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Thanks for checking it out.

Edited by Janissary
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I wouldn't fill the gap between the wing and the seal, but I would try and get it tighter to the wing itself. Looking at pictures, it appears as though the seal hinges on the trailing edge of the wing.

Nice build!

M

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Thank you Matt, right before your message, I ended up filling the gap with Tamiya white putty. I had looked around a little bit more and found this and ran with it:

My link

I think that cover is movable wrt to the wing, but I decided to fill it flush anyway. Here are a few more progress pics.

After all parts were attached, and the details rescribed and sanded down, I went over the entire surface with a piece of steel wool. Water helps a lot with getting a semi-smooth surface (good for priming). Steel wool can be messy so water helps a lot in that respect also. I like this step because it knocks off any remaining burrs over the details. I am starting to think this is a very useful step prior to priming.

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The hud glasses took some effort. Glasses are acetate film from the aires cockpit set. I used future to bring the shine back, and then airbrushed windex over the whole assembly to make it even shinier. Still not glass-looking but ok I guess. I used a small iridescent film over tamiya tape for the lens.

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The final state of the fuselage and the wings before priming:

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