dswoofie Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 While I was mooching around the local model shop I got looking at some of the Hobbyboss Easy kits. I've never really taken much notice of them before but I was looking for something nice and easy to throw together for a change. Looking in the box I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the moulding, although it is a simple construction there is a nice amount of detail and it is all nicely recessed. With the Thunderbirds scheme as well, I was sold on it... The box contents... Some nicely moulded parts and details... The decal sheet... it looks a little shiny and thick, but I won't really know until I try them. For the princely sum of £3.99 this looks to be an absolute bargain... I have no idea on accuracy or anything like that, but I don't care really! It looks like it should, and should build into a lovely little model! Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Oh if only that was 1:48, be watching this one with interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radish Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I've bought this kit too, and although I've not made it yet, if it's anything like the other HobbyBoss kits I've built, it'll be a belter. Clean it up, treat it with respect and you can't lose!! How much would that decal sheet cost if it was a seperate commercial one? I've only had good experiences with their decals...looking forward to this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 That HB F-84 is on my hit list, I have a Tamiya one all painted in Norwegian camouflage, I just need to find one of the tailplanes to get decalling. Would like to make another in an alternative Norwegian scheme, but need to remember which one to buy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornish Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Looks good woofie, thanks for sharing what the contents of these kits look like. They do some interesting subjects in 1/72 in the "Easy Assembly" range, like the He162, but up to now the "Easy Assembly" label has put me off - I may reconsider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswoofie Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 (edited) OK, not a huge amount of construction to take place, but here's the bulk of it done.... There is a gap to be filled at the wing root, but nothing major. I had a bit of a problem attaching the 2 panels on the front end of the fuselage, just behind the wheelwell. These needed a bit of plastic removed from the back of them to enable them to snuggle down into place properly. Other than that, it's simple. Oh, a bit of tipp-ex into the holes for the pylons for filler as the T-birds didn't have them. Just a bit of tidying up of the joins required too. Karl. Edited February 28, 2008 by dswoofie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 The only thing stopping me rushing-out to buy one of these is that canopy...... I couldn't paint all that framing and retain my sanity ! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswoofie Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 (edited) Yeah, it's definitely one of 'those' canopies! A bit like an old greenhouse... I've just 'dipped' the canopy in the Klear. Karl. Edited February 28, 2008 by dswoofie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radish Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 If you can't cope with the canopy, Ian, go for their F-86 Sabre. There's two versions, the F-40 having the larger span wing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Darn it, looks like I'm going to have to make a trip into Antics this week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MODeller Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Well that is a big suprise considering all the "negative" comments I have heard about these kits! Nice one! Easy way to frame these canopies is to use Xtradecal Silver lining stripes, saves all that masking and looks good too! MODeller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswoofie Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 Just a little update on this, I've spent about 30 mins working on the cockpit and have finished it. Painted up the instrument panels with some drybrushing to highlight the details, and then some random spots of red, green and yellow in there to break it up. Just adds a little detail I think. I also made some seatbelts from a thin strip of masking tape painted in Tamiya desert yellow, and dabbed with silver for the buckles. Nothing special but better than nothing. After doing this I've discovered a let down about the kit, the canopy is not very clear. I've dipped it in Klear and it's made it better, but I don't think it'll come up completely clear. I'll try again and see what happens. In any case, this was never planned as a masterpiece kit!! Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Nice one Karl, got myself the Tamiya 1:48 version. Just posted my progress so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Aotearoa Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 This kit looks like FUN! I did their Hellcat a little whiles back, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I see HB have seperate parts each side of the nose, which may point to an E variant? It looks a lot like the Academy kit, which I'm battling with , except the fit seems to be better on the Hb one. I'll have to keep an eye out for one of these. Looking forward to seeing the finished article Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Looking good Karl... cockpit's a little gem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiSteve Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 You've got a nice little build coming along there karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periklis_sale Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Nice work so far mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hey Karl Like the other guys say, just great work..... btw, shouldn't you be working on a certain race car just now ???? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswoofie Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 That 'certain race car' was drying at the time Ian! Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswoofie Posted March 6, 2008 Author Share Posted March 6, 2008 Right, I decided to do a bit of an experiment on this kit. I was wondering whether by shading certain panels prior to spraying on a silver would results in these panels having a different tonal finish. Initially I sprayed the panels I wanted darker with a black, leaving all of the others unapainted kit grey. It has worked, although I'm not really the best at leaving it alone when I need to! I think I probably put at least one coat too many on there. It certainly has worked, but is difficult to photograph properly. It is a faint tonal difference, but probably not the final result I wanted. I will probably go on and do the tonal differences with different shades of Mithril Silver... Only the wings were done, just to get an idea of it... Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periklis_sale Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Surtenly worked mate! Nice tip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hey Karl.... seemed to work better for you than for me ! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dswoofie Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 OK, small amount of work done on the F-84 today. I've finished off the main painting on it. The panels that I wanted darkened are now done to my liking. It was a real job to photograph them properly as they are only subtle, but I managed to catch them on these shots... I eventually covered up the blackened panels completely with the Mithril silver as I wasn't 100% happy with them. Afterwards I mixed a 60:40 mix of Mithril Silver and Chainmail and masked off the panels again. This gave me the kind of finish I was originally looking for. I'm currently trying to recover the canopy to the best that I can after the 'stoopid' incident with dipping painted canopies in Klear again... fingers crossed on that one! Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Looking good Karl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz greenwood Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Looking good Karl. Are those IR probes on the Tanks mate? Cheers Daz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now