Gimme Shelter Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 you are doing a grand job painting these bearing in mind how small they are. You have made them look very realistic, given that the kit parts start off looking very crude and Christmas cracker toy like to begin with. excellent modelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 I'm enjoying your work - good progress 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Looking very nice indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 11, 2017 Share Posted December 11, 2017 Always like Firefly, which is why it was the first Thunderbirds model I built way back in 2011 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 13, 2017 Author Share Posted December 13, 2017 Tidied up the Firefly a little, extending the red stripe down the skirt, and have finished up the Mole. Unless there's anything I've missed? 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share Posted December 23, 2017 Got a bit of time on this this-morning, so have begun getting some paint down on the bay itself. Pre-shading first, and then assembled and attached the control room. Stickers for the inside, just a quick shot before getting masked. Base coat on. Next up will be picking out some of the details and painting up the support columns and gantries. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blastvader Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Looks great. I really love a diorama 'set'. I've got a couple of the Macross Armoured Hanger sets that I should really stop using as loft insulation and do something with (though space is an issue as they're each about 10" across). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 35 minutes ago, Blastvader said: (though space is an issue as they're each about 10" across) I've got plenty of space in the mancave. (Just saying....) James, the bay is coming along nicely. I always wondered though, who did man the control rooms? Maybe I'm reading too much into this...? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noeyedears Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 plenty of scope for colour and imagination on this, i like it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 29, 2017 Author Share Posted December 29, 2017 After a busy Christmas, and decorating the spare bedroom I've finally got round to getting bit more done on the container dock. I gave the girder columns an undercoat of black, followed by gunmetal, gunmetal pipework and copper areas picked out. Walkways are also now primed. Once they're on, I'll get it all varnished ready for decals, after which I will decide if I want to add some more colours and details before finally weathering it. Santa was very kind this year and has added Thunderbird 3 & Launch Bay as well as the ill-fated (but sexy) Fireflash passenger jet. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 30, 2017 Author Share Posted December 30, 2017 Decals on, and 2nd coat of clear applied and waiting to dry before weathering begins. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 A bit of weathering done. Wasn't sure what to do really, so just added some washes to the pipework and girders. I have left the masking tape on the windows until I can convince myself it's finished. Any C&C/suggestions/alterations/additions would be really greatly appreciated. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 I don't think it needs much more. The vehicles are the main focus anyway. I might be tempted to draw some lines on the floor. Divide it up into sections like a concrete floor is? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockpopandchips Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Now that is looking very nice, its going to look great with TB2 in place. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 (edited) Now that the container bay is ~finished, it's on to what I was looking forward to the most when I started this build. Thunderbird 2. Like many kids, TB2 was always my favourite, and the dream of one day becoming a puppet and getting to fly it was always top of my agenda. Sadly, I'm still a real boy... I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret... I'm not sure if anyone is interested in sprue shots, but just in case, this is what comes in the box. Unsurprisingly, some of the sprues are somewhat familiar, having been included in the container dock set. Thunderbird 4 and decals, plus pod decals. Upper and lower main body of TB2 Cockpit exterior/nose section top view underside view and from the front. Nasty seam running around it. Tail section, rocket/jets, front and rear hull sections The pod sprue, as per the container dock set. Finally, the clear parts for TB2 and TB4 cockpit windows. I'm going to rescribe the panel lines, as they're all raised, and I can see a lot getting removed in the process of joining the two halves, and from removing the seam around the nose section. Trouble is, I don't have any tools for the job, nor have I ever done it before. I'll hit the googles later for some guides, but any advice or tips, or product recommendations (bearing in mind I live on the bottom corner of the world, would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime, I'll work on getting the cockpit painted and sealed up, and make a start on filling the inevitable joins. Cheers James Edited January 2, 2018 by James B missed a close tag 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 coming on nicely - that cutting mat under T2 really brings the size of the kit to life Hangar looks beautiful as does your Mole and Firefly. Looking forward to seeing T3 and the Fireflash completed too. Tracy Island coming alive all over again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 (edited) The two halves of the main fuselage are together, and my goodness are there some gaps. A lot of filler and sanding later and we have the below. Needs some more filler and some more sanding, and then finishing off with a finer grade sandpaper along the seams. While the filler dried I also made a start on the cockpit and just after taking these pics had a go with my new Tamiya scribing tool. Things have not gone well, as I wasn't able to source any dymo plastic tape locally. They seem to have moved more into thermal printing tape instead, which is frustrating. I tried stacking masking tape, but it was just too soft and frayed at the edges. Please do chip in with your thoughts, suggestions, tips and advice, as well as anything else relevant you like. I'm still very much a newbie, and have gained a lot of knowledge from build threads like this. My hope is that in the future, someone will come across this and find it a good source for building these kits. However, I have very little useful advice to give, and so that's where the rest of you come in (Plus selfishly, it'll help me! ) Edited January 3, 2018 by James B 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 SUPERB. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 9 hours ago, HOUSTON said: SUPERB. Thanks @HOUSTON, but a long way from done yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Nice. The seam around the nose, got a 6 inch steel ruler? Use one edge of that, as if you're peeling spuds. The panel lines, use a straight piece of plastic card as a guide. On some plastic, if you sand away the raised lines you will see a faint line in the plastic where it used to be. Could be worth a try. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted January 3, 2018 Author Share Posted January 3, 2018 2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Nice. The seam around the nose, got a 6 inch steel ruler? Use one edge of that, as if you're peeling spuds. The panel lines, use a straight piece of plastic card as a guide. On some plastic, if you sand away the raised lines you will see a faint line in the plastic where it used to be. Could be worth a try. Thanks for the really great advice @Pete in Lincs. I haven't heard of using a steel ruler in that way to clean up mould lines and I'll certainly give it a go on a future build (I've already sanded the seam back now). The one thing I'm enjoying about this hobby is experimenting with new techniques and products, so I'm actually excited to give this a go! I usually scrape with a modelling knife in much the same way, but have recently started using fine grit sand paper instead for larger areas. I think there's definitely a place for both ways of doing it, depending on the underlying surface detail. The knife way works great on small detailed areas as there's a bit more control and ability to get into little recesses. Sand paper seems to be best suited to large flat areas as the risk of losing detail is quite high. It's also difficult to get into corners. Your steel ruler technique will be really interesting for me to see where it fits in all this. What makes the ruler a better device than a knife? Is it just that because there's little risk of slipping and damaging the model or yourself, you can press a bit harder and go a bit quicker? As for the plastic card, it's not something I've ever used. I don't have any lying around to give it a go. With the panel lines running across curves, would the plastic card bend around them easily? How malleable is it? Would you suggest using double sided tape or something similar to help hold it in place? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 You had to go and make me buy the TB3 kit with the Launch Bay didn't you? It arrived today from Japan, I'm astonished at how fast it got here since I ordered it last Friday! Slipped past HMRC as well so no ransom demand! from the Post Office! 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Kallisti said: You had to go and make me buy the TB3 kit with the Launch Bay didn't you? It arrived today from Japan, I'm astonished at how fast it got here since I ordered it last Friday! Slipped past HMRC as well so no ransom demand! from the Post Office! Excellent, on all accounts! I order a fair bit of stuff from Japan and it usually arrives (in NZ) faster than items I order locally. I ordered something on a Wednesday evening a year or so ago, only for it to arrive on the following Friday morning, less than 48 hours after I ordered it! I couldn't believe it, so I triple checked the tracking info, and the postage labels, and sure enough Japan straight to Christchurch, skipping the usual delays in Auckland. I can't wait to see your TB3 launch bay come together. I might accidentally build Fireflash after this one is finished, and if you still haven't started, I'll have to accidentally take my time finishing Fireflash! That way I'll be able to steal all your excellent ideas, and techniques! *Cue evil laugh* 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 In that case you should check out my Fireflash build from a couple years ago 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 The steel rule technique is an old trick we used to use when trimming aluminium panels for aircraft repair. It gives a similar result as using the back of a knife blade (Stanley knife (box cutter) or scalpel) but it is safer because there isn't a cutting edge to slice your fingers. Plastic card. If you can't get sheets of the real stuff then look around and check out food packaging for instance. It's surprising what you can find if you look at things from a different angle. The thicker the stuff is, the less flexible it is. Yes, double sided tape should do the trick. Light cuts at first, experiment on scrap first though! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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