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Flyboy3394

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  1. Flyboy3394
    Update! Got it clear coated, and decaled! Looking pretty good overall. The wingtip stations continually break off, so I recently glued them back on and did a rough paint job over them. Hopefully i can find a way to make the bad paintjob and clean break less noticable on the final product. From here, its just enamel wash, gluing on weapon stations and missiles, and a final dull coat to seal it all up! Anyone have a good suggestion for a mount I could use for this? Its in gear up configuration, so I need it to be in flgiht on my shelf!
  2. Flyboy3394
    Much appreciated! This project has just been setback after setback. things dropping off the ceiling and breaking wings, pylons, etc. I was so fed up that i stopped work for months, and am now motivated to get it done! This was a HUGE step towards that so I am super happy to be moving forward. Still got a few finishing touches to add to the exhaust, but it looks pretty good to me.
  3. Flyboy3394
    Update: Exhaust Added some heat stain coloration today (Alclad Hotmetal red/blue): The reds and blues came out a bit too dark, so I went over it with some Aclad Stainless Steel:
  4. Flyboy3394
    Update: Exhausts are in the painting process! First Coat of Alclad Steel and a little bit of Stainless Steel: I will be clear coating this, and doing a variety of hotmetal shades and colors, mainly red and blue for heat stains.
  5. Flyboy3394
    Update: More decaling done, and I am just about finished as far as i can tell. Under Fuselage fuel tank is all decaled and ready for clear coat: I did a dry fitting of all the wing station tanks and weapon pylons. Very tight fit but all looks good. Bit of a bummer that spraying the clear coat over the black bits made the paint bleed. Wondering if there is an easy fix for this.... Next step: seal up all the decals and prepare for the panel wash. Missiles still need to be decaled, and I have to go back and paint the AMRAAM tips due to some mistakes with clear coat that pooled up on the warhead. Bummer, but oh well, easy to fix.
  6. Flyboy3394
    Thanks! Yeah it does look a lot better. Should have just done it to begin with.
  7. Flyboy3394
    Update: Got the Vertical Stabs Decaled. Though, without a base coat of paint or clear coat, the decals refused to stick. So I got them all on, and sprayed some spray can clear coat. Things have stuck, and I will apply a more refined clear coat after. Lesson learned about trying to put decals down on bare plastic. It just does not work. Gotta have some form of clear coat/base coat underneath. I did get some cracking/lifting on the left side (above orientation) black bit directly next to the cockpit, but was able to fill it in with some MM enamel in gloss black. I will be gloss coating it all tonight to protect the decals and paint I already have down, and to provide a smoother surface for the rest of the decals, as they currently are not wanting to be cooperative. Painted the black bits, and they came out quite well. Need to seal it up with clear coat, as it is just gloss primer. But so far, so good.
  8. Flyboy3394
    Update: Decided to strip the crappy black decals and paint them. I used ALclad black gloss microprimer as it would level better than, and dry faster, than standard MM enamels. Came out nice and smooth, and I think I was able to keep it covered long enough to avoid debris getting imbedded into it too deeply. Meantime anyone have recommendations on a good 1/72 FA18E/F decal sheet? I ruined a few other decals in this process and need to replace them. Will begin decaling Missiles and other bits next.
  9. Flyboy3394
    Well I hate to break it to you, but this kit has some pretty godawful decals. They do not want to be moved off the backing, and rip extremely easily. Pretty bitter about their omission of Cartograph. Seems like a big big miss on their end.
  10. Flyboy3394
    Update: Decaling has begun, and I have found that the provided decals are extremely stiff, unwieldy, and prone to ripping. The large black decals shown below are extremely difficult to place correctly. Makes me wish I had just painted those sections black. These decals are Academy branded, and a far cry from the Cartograph branded decals included with the F15E strike eagle I build late last year. Those were easy to use and very solid. Decals: Will be continuing this tonight and until I finish. Also not going to do salt weathering after all, as I will likely just use washes to mimic weathering after decaling.
  11. Flyboy3394
    Update: Landing Gear bay painted: Aim-9's painted: AMRAAMs also painted and awating clear coat: Clear Coat: First coat did NOT go on smooth, but as I am doing salt weathering, it shouldn't be such a big deal. Got the gun section painted in a custom mix of MM enamel steel, RN Dark grey and burnt metal: Next up will be salt weathering. No clue what I am doing with this, but it seems like if I take my time, I will be fine. Stay Tuned....
  12. Flyboy3394
    Future is the Pledge. Its name has been changed, but most modelers still call it future. I find that the Alclad, if sprayed too thick, will become milky. Have not had this with Future. Instead, it just seems to be very runny when oversprayed.
  13. Flyboy3394
    Update: Got the Canopy painted and curing: Radome done as well: Front gear bay painted as well: Sidewinders are ready for decals (post curing): And got the gear built: I know there is some kind of red striping on the front landing gear, but cannot, for the life of me, find any pictures that show the backside of the gear. Aside from this, I will likely go with some enamel steel to denote the suspension stanchions of the gear, and will do a black panel wash to give depth here, and the gear bays as well. Now I have to let this all sit and cure for a few days. Then, I think I will apply a coat of alclad aqua gloss as my first topcoat. I had better luck with the alclad than using future. Future kept bubbling on me, and I could not get a clean coat. Next: clear coat, then salt weathering?
  14. Flyboy3394
    Thanks Gents. It is much appreciated. Curious on your opinions about salt weathering on this. I want it to be a very dirty bird. Never done the salt technique before, so i am curious what you all think.
  15. Flyboy3394
    Update: Cockpit is masked and ready for its semi gloss black: I also did some postshading but it did not go as smoothly as I had hoped: The top came out real crappy, and I ended up going over the lines with another coast of Dark Ghost Grey: The bottom postshading looks far better, and will remain: I also painted the landing gear bay doors: Next steps: Paint canopy and nose (in tan). Then after curing, give a coat of clear coat to prepare for decals and weathering. Also considering the salt weathering techique, but not sold on it 100% yet.
  16. Flyboy3394
    They are pretty good yeah. Fit is excellent, and detail is phenomenal. They are "snap fit" and i know that is a turn off for some hardcore modelers, but at the pricepoint, and for the detail, its an excellent kit. Highly recommend any of the new tool Academy 1:72 birds.
  17. Flyboy3394
    Decided to go for a 1/72 FA-18F SuperBug for my next build. Always been a fan of Naval aviation, and have really been enjoying the Academy new tool 1/72 kits as well. I know they're snap-fit (sort of), but the detailing is superb and the size is perfect for my shelf. I am going for a Fleet Interception/ Air to Air specific loadout. Payload will be 6-7 AIM-120s and 2 wingtip AIM-9Xs. I am using 2 resin dual LAU 115/127 launchers from Attack Squadron, and 2 single LAU 115 launchers on each side. An additional AIM-120 is possible for mounting to the lower airframe right next to the landing gear. Will likely forego this, but it is possible. Part 1: The build. Began with the cockpit and airframe: Intakes installed: Cockpit: Dark Gull Grey. Part 2: Final build and weapons. Had issues with the nose fit, so putty was a must. and after: Good fix, and looks solid to boot! Weapons and launchers: Weapons are from 3 different sources: 1/72 f15e eagle, Hasegawa Weapons V pack and this kit. I decided to use 2 dual resin LAU lanchers for the AIM-120s, to bring the real Air to Air/fleet interception mission to life. I think these came out quite well, and will bring the total possible number of AAMs on the bird up to 8-9 depending on if I go for 6 or 7 AIM-120s with the 2 wingtip AIM-9X's. Final pre-paint assembly: Part 3: Priming and paint. Primer is Alclad grey primer and microfiller: Paint: Bottom: Light Ghost Grey MM enamel. Top: Dark Ghost Grey MM enamel: Bottom: Impossible to note difference between primer and paint. Top: I purposefully did the top with some thick blotches of the dark ghost to give me a head start on weathering. The blotches are to simulate salt air eroding the paint unevenly. Next update will be post shading and further weathering (maybe salt crystals on topside). I will also try to finish weapons, and paint the LG bays, gear, and doors. Stay Tuned....
  18. Flyboy3394
    Some better pics:
  19. Flyboy3394
    Yeah, amen to that. easy tie for #1 game in the series with #5. I learned a lot from this one, so eventually, when I do another, I will do Yellow 4, so they can sit together in (video game) eternity.
  20. Flyboy3394
    Couldn't agree more. Something about only using a picture really makes the mind wander and fill in the rest of the story in ones head. Really amazing story, I nearly cried at the end when they buried Yellow 13's handkerchief.
  21. Flyboy3394
    I know, its very punny. Gotta wonder what mommy was thinking when she named Seymour.
  22. Flyboy3394
    October 24: Back at it again. Fixed up the broken bits, but was left with some ugly remnants of my puttying efforts. But I am finally on to the masking and spraying for the camo: Drumroll: Then of course, there were more issues: The sticky, not model friendly masks left a lot of residue. But, thanks to some wonderful folks over on ARC forums, I used goo gone on a Q-tip to wipe it away without lifting paint! I painted the vertical stabs as well, and will post those next. Next steps: NMF exhausts, gluing weapons pylons on, finishing missile paints, and then top coat in preparation for decals! I hope to have this guy done by Christmas at the latest.
  23. Flyboy3394
    Sept 14: Those wingtips are not looking good. I realized I needed to prime those areas with white before putting the yellow down. Now to deal with that paint bleed: But first: the night before I was going to lay my stencils down and begin the camo scheme, something dropped from the rafters of my garage and smashed the wing up and snapped the right side sensor pod on the wingtip. This set me back and I stopped work for over a month.
  24. Flyboy3394
    This is my build log for my 1/72 Zvezda SU-33 Flanker D. I decided to make this into Yellow 13 from Ace Combat 4. In the game, Yellow 13 flies an SU-37, but on a surface level, they appear the same. Here is the paint scheme I am using: Aug 19: Most of the body is built, cockpit is in and Exhaust nozzles are painted and weathered (somewhat). Aug 21: Wings are on (for now), base coat (Dark Ghost Grey) is down and the Radome is painted (Insignia semi-gloss white). Missiles are painted in semi gloss white base coat too. Sept 6: Took a bit of a break on this while working on my 1/72 F-15E. Back at it now. Laid down the underside puke yellow. Far and away my least favorite part of this paint scheme, but part of it nonetheless. Sept 9: Paint bleed! Lots of screw-ups at this point. Major setbacks in the build progress.
  25. Flyboy3394
    I used Alclad Stainless Steel over Alclads gloss black primer. Comes out extremely reflective (if done right), but then with at least two rounds of topcoat, it dulls to a realistic sheen with ease.
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