SmashedGlass Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Back again after yet another extended hiatus (the day job, it makes me weary and want to get beery when I gets home)...... Ye olde Matchbox F3D-2 Skyknight is under way! To be finished in the classic all-black colors of VMF(N)-513 from the Korean War. The cockpit has been finished with the assistance of the Airwaves set, some scratch seats, and a few other tweaks. All that's lacking is the coaming with the gunsight, to be added later. The Airwaves set (and IMHO, most of the rest of their...stuff) is somewhat inaccurate compared to the real thing in both fitment and details, and thoroughly outclassed by the likes of just about any other modern p/e producer. But I had it on hand so I used it. As it's basically a literal blackhole of a pit, even with the use of the Falcon vac canopy not much detail will be visible anyhow. And let me tell you....trying to make an all-black cockpit *POP* is a chore, a skill I need to work on. Tried various techniques while trying to not to go too overboard; I may go in and add some pigment powder for dirt simulation before closing it up. Not my best effort, I'm afraid.... Hopefully another update in a week or so, mates. Cheers (for beers!!). *PS, I've switched to Flickr for pic hosting, going to see how it works out. Photobucket has apparently turned to mush. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Very nice cockpit! I used to have this kit, but it's unfortunately long gone. I am tempted to snag one of the Sword kits. Good luck on your build! Regards, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 The best way to get an all-black cockpit to 'pop' is to paint it dark grey, with black shadows and detail colours in certain places. Meanwhile, that's an auspicious start, and a definite improvement over what the kit offered. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashedGlass Posted November 18, 2016 Author Share Posted November 18, 2016 28 minutes ago, Learstang said: Very nice cockpit! I used to have this kit, but it's unfortunately long gone. I am tempted to snag one of the Sword kits. Good luck on your build! Regards, Jason Yes, the Sword kits are quite an advancement on this kit, though it does surprisingly stand up pretty well on it's own. I'll be getting one too, to do a Vietnam-era EF-10B...Possibly another to do a Navy F3D-2T2 also. 30 minutes ago, Jessica said: The best way to get an all-black cockpit to 'pop' is to paint it dark grey, with black shadows and detail colours in certain places. Meanwhile, that's an auspicious start, and a definite improvement over what the kit offered. Exactly what I did, Jessica I based it in black Vallejo primer, then carefully (or as carefully as my deceptively fat fingers could allow) highlighted up with Vallejo NATO black and I think Dark Sea Green. Went as far as I dared without completely altering it from looking like a black to a true grey. I have their new 'Tyre Black' in my next paint order to test out for future projects. But it's still, all in all, just a black void of doom even in 1:1 scale so I guess my result isn't too terrible. Oh, guess I should've remarked that, as usual, I also used the excellent Mike Grant instrument decals on the panel. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old thumper Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Good to see a nice bit of Matchbox being built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashedGlass Posted November 18, 2016 Author Share Posted November 18, 2016 (edited) The Skyknight is a far sight better of a tooling than that MB F-5A I had a go at earlier.... And binned. Indeed. Edited November 18, 2016 by SmashedGlass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Good start! I have this kit in my stash and am keen to see what you make of it. Martian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crossofiron1971 Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Looking good, making good of an old kit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britman Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Don't beat yourself up thats a grand job. Remember a coal bunker is a dark place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashedGlass Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Won't be getting anything done on the Whale this weekend.... I am replacing the transaxle in my car due to a stripped synchro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Good luck. I bet its black under there too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashedGlass Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 (edited) Nah, Pete, I keep my cars clean Transaxle out, new in, and working like a charm inside of five hours, with trusty shop-kitty as my only assistant (she's pretty useless when it comes to mechanicing though. Lack of opposable thumbs and all...). Though it does irk a little bit to go into your place of employment on ones day off in order to repair their own vehicle! And faithful shop kitty Edited November 20, 2016 by SmashedGlass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmashedGlass Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 Woo, been a long time since an update! Sorta lost the mojo for a while between work, life, and general lack of enthusiasm. I will start off with the sad announcement that Shop Kat passed away a few months ago. We came into work one morning mid-week and found her eternally sleeping under one of the customer cars on the lot She was at best estimate 18 years old by that time so I guess you could say she lived a good long life. We'll miss her at the shop. But, onto work.... Got the Falcon canopy on and faired in after a bit of a fight, I seem to have trimmed a little too much off the front edge, and at the wrong angle to boot. Sorted with two-part epoxy and Tamiya putty. Still have to put some more work in polishing it out and then some Klear. You'll also notice that I got some bleed under with the epoxy at the front. Oh well, I'll have to live with it and just learn from the experience (i.e.: "be more careful next time, doofus!"). I then began work on some sort of representation of the engine faces, as MB give you nothing other than a flat plate with a nubbin to represent the bullet. I was going to go whole hog and put compressor blades in, but after a few practice runs gave up and simply constructed a facsimile of the six vanes that are ahead of the blades. And then the fettling, fairing, and filling fiasco began....Though this is a fine kit by MB standards, I could not live with the trenches that represented things like the airbrakes, or the nose cone separation line. And the fit of the intakes and exhausts to the rest of the parts was atrocious. Had to employ loads of stretched sprue slathered with Tamiya extra thin, cyano glues, putty, and some finishing with brushed on Tamy primer (from the jar). In progress: After: The exhaust sections also required a rather large bit of thinning out to look acceptable, as you can see with the comparison of the original parts put together That will be finished off with some brass tube once the fuselage is completed. Lastly, whilst waiting for putties to dry one night, I gave a new scribing tool I picked up a go. This is a 'modelling chisel' marketed by Madworks in Asia. It's much like the old 'back edge of an Xacto blade with the tip filed' in form, but of tungsten. Works pretty well for me and produces quite nice, square section lines, but I may try some other tools on the market eventually. I highlighted the lines with an alcohol marker, don't mind the vacation spots--the ink got pulled out while I was wiping the excess off. That's about it for now, I'll try to post some more next weekend. I've promised myself that I'll spend more time in the shop!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David H Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I like it. One thing you can say to Matchbox' credit is, despite the famously deep panels lines, very often they did a good job nailing the basic shapes. -d- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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