helios16v

@Paul821 go ahead and refresh me for 2020.

Does the nose need to twist a bit on the one side? Could try the boiling water trick to allow you realign the fuselage half. Ended up doing that on one half of the vert stab on the B-58 which was pretty badly warped. Just have to be careful about where you apply pressure. Might be able to use a small sheet of glass or a cutting board to check for alignment/warpage.

Well, I've gone and buggered up one of the serial numbers now too. So I'll be ordering a new kit tonight (readily available through SB for a whopping $20) so I can have those 2 replacement decals. Butchered decal has been removed from the nose and touch up paint is in process. This will push the completion out a couple weeks, but I'll be happier with it in the end.

Not really. It's a bit crooked as well. Figure I've got 3 options... 1. Leave it as is. Pros - No time loss. Cons - Port side has the mini-gun which is peculiar about this kit, so turning the port side away from viewing negates the special part of the kit. 2. Remove the broken decal and paint a patch panel as a "repair". Pros- Minimal time loss. Gets rid of the broken disoriented decal. Cons - Not real keen on the missing decal. 3. Acquire another kit. Pros - Solves all my misgivings of trying to patch something together. Cons - More money and wait time for the kit. I'm not opposed to another kit as it technically comes w/ decals for 5 versions (4 different birds + an additional scheme for 1). I'll have to think on it overnight and check availability.

Finally hit disaster. Well ok, maybe not disaster...but a bit of a shot to the gut. Thin decals are great when they go down right. Well, I got one down that didn't have enough emulsion underneath it to allow for gentle repositioning.....and tore it. Tried to piece it back together the best I could...but it's still pretty hacked. Ah well, we'll just keep pushing on. Such is life. Hopefully I can learn something from it.

Stunner.

Well, I have to confess I've been assisted by a kit that really hasn't thrown me any curve balls. I should have the accent colors and gloss shot today/tonight so it will hopefully be ready for decals tomorrow.

Actually the canopy wasn't bad at all...I was actually shocked. Out of the 5 pieces I had to do minor sanding on 1 edge of 1 piece so it would pop in w/o any pressure on the adjoining pieces. The glue is something I picked up from the local hobby shop. Before this stuff I had always just used Elmer's white glue (original all-purpose, not the new variety school glue). But I didn't have any and didn't feel like making a second stop on the way home as I was at the hobby shop for other stuff anyways. This stuff works pretty well, though it is a bit on the thin side. I'll put it on with a toothpick, then wait a minute of 2 for it to skin over and start getting tacky before I try setting the canopies in place. Out of the bottle it reminds me a lot of a thinned down white glue.

Ended up adding a bit more green into the mix. It was too desert brown for me. It's better now, though the additional paint means a lot of the pre-shading now is very subtle. Honestly though, looking at service pictures, they didn't usually look to bad so it might all be for the better. Oh well, it is what it is.

Might be a little on the drab side, but I'll run with it.

You're here to have fun Pappy. That's all that matters. Finishing in time is just a secondary bonus. Look forward to seeing this. I keep eyeballing KH's Seasprite...but thus far have been able to keep talking myself out of it.

Primed up waiting on color.

Only if you want to go big. These little Special Hobby ones are actually pretty cheap all things considering. I think I got mine on sale for $15-17, and frequently see them going for $22-25. I didn't know what the kit was like at the time...but figured it'd be worth a $15 gamble. Hell, the shocking bit was the 5 piece canopy fit together closed up w/ minimal fuss...even though it was designed to be built open. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. I wonder if they do the Whiskey?.......

The tinted canopy. Also did a light wash & pastels in the cockpit to dirty things up a little bit. Doesn't show in the pic too well though.

I think I'm going with "Pandora's Box". If all goes well, I may have it in paint today. Just sprayed the blue tint on the canopy pieces.