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1/48 Hasegawa F-104C


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Popped home at lunch to let the dog out and took a few snaps, thought I'd be the first but was beaten to it!!

Anyway this kit:

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And the sprues

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I'll be using the kit decals, it'll be the option with the red tail with white cross

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BUT of course they're Hasegawa decals, so the whites cream and they're and inch thick!! Ive read decal solutions and high shine Alcad finishes dont mix, so Ive got a plan....

Just a couple of bits of AM

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It'll be on the ground, despite the pilot, might add another figure or something for a dio.

Probably won't start for a few weeks, got to clear the bench.

Looking forward to this one!

Phil

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Another very nice scheme,lookinf forward to see it !

That aircraft was the mount of Col. George Laven Jr. when he was commander of 479 TFW.

Laven was a P-38 ace and his Lightnings were named Itsy Bitsy. He continued in the USAF postwar and after he reached command of a Wing always had very colourful aircrafts. From what I read about him he was a character as colourful as his aircrafts !

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Well after a disaster with my Dragonfly for CAS GB I thought I'd start this to cheer me up!

That it has done!

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Had to stop myself to take some quick pics as I was racing along!

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I would also have one of 2 halves closed up, but The pilot is too tight a fit to risk putting him in afterwards so I'd had to change tact and paint him, I like to save that as a treat for after I've made good progress!

I'll update with a pic of him later as the light wasn't too good by time I'd finished him.

I've also done some less glamorous jobs, filling injection pin marks, which are annoyingly on the seperate flaps and slats!

I was seriously considering posing the jet just on rotation, as per box art, but I realised the pilot is posed with his arm resting on the cockpit edge, so short of surgery that's not really practical!

Progress may be limited this week due to other commitments.

Phil

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Nice work Phil, certainly off to a flying start, hink I'm going to enjoy watching your progress over the various aspects of this one.

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Thanks!

It was relatively easy really, white primer and base coat of Vallejo US dark green, both airbrushed, then a wash of Vallejo US dark green, darkened with black. Once that had fully dried, dry brushed with successively lighter mixes of US dark green and olive green. All the other bits just picked out with Vallejo acrylics.

Phil

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Thanks Gents,

I've done a few more bits, not really worthy of a picture.

Now I'm trying to decide which direction to take with NMF, Either Alclad Aluminium or slightly more challenging going with Polished Aluminium. I assume this jet would have been pretty well kept so I'm thinking polished, but that leaves me the issue of the decals. I haven't found replacements and the kit ones are the usual Hasegawa fair of inch thick and cream in place of white!

For most of them that's not an issue, as I can either mask and paint instead (for tail and airbrakes) but for forward fuselage I have the issue I can use decal solutions, due to high shine finish! I'm thinking about trying masks for first time, anyone got a better suggestion?

Phil

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Personally I wouldn't be able to mask the complicated pattern, I'd first try the decals you'll not use on some plastic kit wreck and see how they go. For the thicker japanese decals it might be worth trying the gunze decal solution, that is stronger than the microscale system.

If yu want to try masking, I'd suggest using a copier and copy the decal sheet on one (or more...) sheet of adhesive paper. It's the easier way to get the right artwork for masking

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Personally I wouldn't be able to mask the complicated pattern, I'd first try the decals you'll not use on some plastic kit wreck and see how they go. For the thicker japanese decals it might be worth trying the gunze decal solution, that is stronger than the microscale system.

If yu want to try masking, I'd suggest using a copier and copy the decal sheet on one (or more...) sheet of adhesive paper. It's the easier way to get the right artwork for masking

Thanks Giorgio, I was actually going to get some custom masks made, or try and find some for USAF and national insignia. I have some Mr Softener but the issue is I can't use it on the high shine Alclad. having said that I can't seem to get a decent finish with it anyway! Been testing it on a scrap old kit and it just goes dull, that was over Alclad gloss black primer so tonight I'll try aqua gloss over the standard black.

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Well still having issues with high shine finish but I'm determined to crack it!

In the mean time the main constructions done, and primed in black plus gear bays in Alclad dark aluminium

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The wings are also painted and glossed ready for decals, once I find some stars and bars that aren't cream!

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