plasticWerks_JL Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 (edited) Hey everyone, my entry for the Skyhawk GB is the Italeri release of the OA-4M. I'll be using the kit decals to model N. 154333 of H&MS-12 Outlaws. The only aftermarket will be QuickBoost resin seats for the cockpit, and possibly some scratchbuilt detail along the way. No pics yet, but I'll get started with prepping and rescribing the fuselage pieces and be back with another update soon. Thanks for looking -JL Edited July 2, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 (edited) I finally have some pics to prove I've done some modeling First up is the outside of the fuselage. Rescribing is almost complete, and some touch-ups are needed. I'll fix these issues after gluing the halves together. The inside of the fuselage has been painted. I'll do some dry brushing and an oil wash, mostly just for practice. There's nothing to highlight, and it won't be seen anyway once the cockpit is closed up. The cockpit tub painted and ready for weathering. The Italeri kit as a whole leaves much to be desired, but as you can see, the cockpit is especially boring. It won't matter since this one will be closed up, but they could've at least added some basic raised detail to the consoles! The instrument panels halfway into painting and detailing: On the left is one of the very nice QuickBoost ejection seats I picked up to replace the kit seat (shown on the right). Much improved, even if it will be hidden under the canopy. The rest of the parts. The fuel tanks are glued, but otherwise there is much to be done. More updates coming pretty soon, thanks for looking! Edited July 7, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
falcon20driver Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 Looking good so far Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thadeus Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Very nice! I'm thinking of building the same kit. Can't wait for some more pics :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SERNAK Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 Any progress??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thanks for the interest, everyone! Here's where I'm at with the fuselage as of now: I've been cleaning up the panel lines and and adding some missing panels. I've painted and glued the intakes, and added a thin piece of plastic to where the horizontal stabilizer mounts to the fuselage. It's a bit thick, but it's a cleaner look than my attempt at scribing the odd shape of this piece. Weight has been added to the nose, and I've made some adjustments to where the cockpit sits... ...and I'm working on closing up some very noticeable gaps at the rear of the fuselage. I've painted the QuickBoost seats, and an oil wash and flat coat should finish them nicely. All of the photos I found of the OA-4M show the seat frames black in color, but I decided to leave them grey, hoping the detail will be a bit more easy to see once the canopy is in place. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pollie Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Nice progress! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john53 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Nice detail on the IP, nice wheat penny too!---John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the comments, everyone, it keeps me motivated to finish this up. Comments, tips, info and constructive criticisms are always welcome. So far I've closed up the fuselage and attached the wings. Starting to look like a Scooter now: The finished IPs and cockpit tub; the seats and IPs will be the most noticeable, so the lack of detail doesn't seem to matter much: Finished the QuickBoost seats and they're ready to be installed. The ejection handles in the headrest are provided in resin and not attached to the seat. I'm sure I would've broken them when painting and installing, so I replaced them with thin wire bent to shape: My hope is to finish this build by the end of July; if that doesn't happen, I'll give myself the whole of August to finish before I tackle another project for the GB. Thanks again for following along! -JL Edited July 23, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pollie Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Yeah, that does start to look like a Scooter!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 30, 2015 Author Share Posted July 30, 2015 (edited) The fuselage is complete and base-coated Tamiya Flat Black. I rushed construction a bit more than I should have, but overall I'm happy with the final outcome. The seams don't look too bad, and with heavy weathering any small goofs should be well hidden. Sorry for the crappy pic; more updates coming soon. Edited July 30, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Tweeker Posted July 30, 2015 Share Posted July 30, 2015 Looking great! Well done painting the seats! I could never paint them being so tiny! Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 (edited) Thanks Dave, I appreciate the feedback! Just over 24 hrs later, and I have some more poorly-lit pics. I finished some painting today: This was my first attempt at building up layers of paint over a base coat of black, and I really like the effect, especially for aircraft like these well-worn Marines jets. Next up is obviously detail painting, decals, weathering, and final assembly. Please excuse the poor quality of the pics, and thanks for checking in. More to come soon Edited July 31, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Tweeker Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Looking great! I was thinking of trying the same thing when I do my OA-4. But I'm thinking it may be a bit much for my current build being a standard old navy scheme. I saw someone do an A-4F on another site and he'd started w a black base and it was really something! Here is a link if ya wanna take a gander LINKY Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Thanks again Dave, but the link didn't want to open for me. I'll try again later on, though Some more bench time today allowed me finish up almost all of the detail painting and some weathering. I used lightened base colors to add some variation, and Tamiya Smoke highlighted panel lines. Ready for a coat of Future, and hopefully finishing up within the next week. Just a handful of parts left: More to come soon Edited August 2, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Tweeker Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Looks Great! Almost there now! Here is the web addy for the link just in case. Maybe your popup blocker settings are keeping the link from opening? http://modelerssocialclub.proboards.com/thread/8003/1-48-hasegawa-4f-skyhawk?page=2 Dave Edited August 2, 2015 by Tomcat Tweeker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted August 2, 2015 Author Share Posted August 2, 2015 (edited) Thanks Dave, the link worked, and that's one really impressive build! I didn't make my preshaded spots small enough like in your example, so there's not enough variation in the paint on my build. Next time I'll try to keep that in mind. Overall I'm really excited about the level of finishing I've been able to achieve on this build, definitely my best result so far. All of which I wouldn't have been able to accomplish without the knowledge and inspiration found here on the forums Thanks for following along, another update soon! Edited August 2, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted August 4, 2015 Author Share Posted August 4, 2015 Another update; here's where the Scooter is now: Gloss coat was applied and left to cure for a day, and decals were applied. Not terribly happy with the decal colors, and they were a little thick, but all in all they laid down fine: The only real issue is with the insignia on the top of the wing. After a lot of effort (and a lot of Solvaset), I was able to get it to lay over what I want to call the vortex generators (?), but not without deforming a bit on the outside edge. Certainly could've done a better job: I also painted and attached the tailhook. Was really pleased with the final result: Getting close to finished now, and looking forward to start another build for the GB. More to come soon. -JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Tweeker Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 Looks Great!. And in 72nd too! Well done! Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) A wash with artist's oils is complete, and just about ready for a flat coat and final assembly. In case it's not apparent, I really dig these kind of dirty workhorses There's also a few misc detail pics below. The final update will most likely be early next week, as I'll be away for the Mrs and my anniversary. EDIT: A question for those more familiar with the Skyhawk: I have to replace the nav light on the dorsal hump after final assembly, but I'm wondering where any other lights are on the A-4. If anyone has a diagram, photos, or even just a description of where I need to add nav lights, I'd appreciate the help. Thanks in advance! Let me know what you all think so far, and next stop is the finish line: Edited August 6, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 (edited) Finished this one up today. Overall I'm happy to finally be able to show a finished kit on the site, and I'll be working on my techniques to improve my results. I'll try to update with better pics as soon as I can. Thanks to all who followed along, and feel free to leave your comments below. Edited August 10, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Tweeker Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Dude! She looks great! Well done! Dave Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Joel_W Posted August 12, 2015 Share Posted August 12, 2015 Sorry that I missed following your build. The final results are really quite spectacular especially when one considers that it's a 1/72 scale kit. Your painting technique really helped to add a most realistic color modulation effect. Decals look like they were painted on. Congrats on finishing your build for the Scooer GB. Joel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 (edited) Thanks a lot, fellas, I really appreciate the responses! Edited August 15, 2015 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swbailey Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Super build! The weathering and panel lining is superb; subtle and not overdone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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