Deano353

Ok some more photos it's looking good so far. Klear floor polish and more masking tape to get the finish. I estimate 1 month until completion.

I decided to re-spray around the windows as the grey was too light. Also around tge windows the filler was visible from the inside where it had come through which I thought was quite apparent. So I masked just slightly inside the lines of the windows but not too much and tried again and I believe it is significantly better. The back was touched up around the white stripe and I masked off the black aft of the engines. I have to be honest I am really liking this model now. It's been quite a lot of work with sanding especially around the windows but it's really looking the part. One thing I wasn't prepared for was the sheer amount of masking required with this model. Next up will be a clear coat over the model to really give a shine to the paint as these are really glossy in real life. I will be adding the landing gear before doing that so it's resting on its wheels instead of a sponge.

That's an interesting subject. Cold war Soviet aircraft are my favourites as when I was a kid I always wondered what the russian planes looked like as it was always artists impressions or grainy black and white photos at least in my books. I must have a look at getting one of these as well as the bear! Also great build by the way forgot that first!

Thank you! I'm happy with the outcome of the colour.

Awesome man I'll take a look!

The sun came out so I got a few more photos of it the paint really pops in the sunlight. The windows need cleaned and there's some over spray in the cabin etc but that can wait for another day as I'm off for a Guinness.

Well I'm pleased with this so far. I have to touch up the paint here and there. The black around the exhaust needs to be painted and the white stripe across the bottom needs to be fixed I knew this while painting. I did have Vallejo Air orange which looked spot on but no amount of thinning stopped it from cloggingup my airbrush so I mixed Tamiya red and orange together instead as the Vallejo was absolutely horrible to spray I have had this same problem with that paint before I have no idea what the problem is but if anyone can offer advice I'm listening as I don't see anyone else complain about those paints so I assume it's my doing causing the problem. Anyway Here's the progress I am very happy mostly because the windows fit after all the filling and sanding as if this was going to go south it was going to be the windows that caused it. Enjoy the pics and let me know your thoughts. Especially on the paint topic. My girlfriend said my collection is too grey and needs a bit of colour. I think this will certainly brighten it up!

Fantastic Phantom there nothing to say that has not already been said. Out of curiosity did you mix those colours or did you use paint straight from the jar?

That's incredible. As a guy who builds aircraft mostly you ship modelers make some inspiring models. How much of this is paper? Also how strong is it? It looks absolutely solid.

That's awesome! I think you did a great job and I can't fault your efforts. I would say one thing though usually on the ground when stationary the tips of the laser guided bombs droop downwards some more obvious than others. I know a lot of weapons in kits are an after thought for a manufacturer so they may just stick on straight.

That's a great looking fighter! Great job!

Eduard 1/48 Mig 21 weekend editions. Superb fit and detail. I find if it's a Hobbyboss kit usually they go together without fuss. Revells 1/48th Rafale is a solid kit as well. Personally I find the best way is to check reviews on googleof potential kits to buy before getting them. If you like 1/48 Tomcats you also have Hobbyboss which I have myself as the reviews were great and AMK as well which get good reviews and Tamiya as mentioned above. If you want to keep it simple Italeri do a Tomcat with recessed lines at a cheaper price than most 72nd kits so it's perfect if you want to experiment with new techniques.

Very good looking plane and model. Are the wings bigger on this version than the standard version? They look awfully big.

That's just brilliant. I think that is probably the biggest scale model outside of RC planes I have seen.

Fantastic model and finish.

The engine is built now and after seeing the photos of the real thing I'm going to leave the gaps as there are significant spaces between the closed engine covers and the fuselage. The tail fin and stabilizers are also attached and the rest should fall together quite easily now. So far it's been a bit of a slog either due to the fit or detail to add. The end is now in sight so I hope not long until priming and painting. I'll prime it white so the orange is brighter.

Really? Who would have thought that that would have been the accurate part 🤣

Bit of a headache today. The top of the fuselage does not fit at all well, shocking I hear you say! The engines had to be removed and then placed back in after fitting the covers and engines at the same time this meant stripping down all the extra work I had done to the starboard engine and breaking it free before resetting and re-adding all the lead wires I had added previously. However With a bit more filler I think the result will be satisfactory. The engine covers do have a bot of a gap so it's not such a big deal. The rear part of the fuselage behind the engines required filler which I added after taping the plastic off so as not to damage the detail. Detail is something this is missing a lot of. The door handles are missing etc so I'll be adding those as well at some point. At this point I think the worst is behind me. Or I really hope so!here's the engine after rebuilding it. Here is the closed off side thr gap isn't actually that bad it might not need filled after all but when priming is due I will decide.

Super glue fumes will cause fogging for sure. I used to dip the canopy into Klear that somehow prevents any fogging but I haven't done that in a long time. You can also get a product specifically from Humbrol called Clearfix it's for clear parts as they don't fog the canopy but like mentioned above liquid cement works as well. Also if you're getting paint dust it could be you are holding the airbrush too far away from the surface of the model if so the paint can start to dry before it hits the model and you get a sandpaper feel to the surface. Hope that helps. Great looking model by the way.

Absolutely superb!

Fantastic!

You're really getting this together fast! Or I'm a slow builder haha. But the LED engines look really good I have seen the engines lit up befire but not in the way you have done it's very realistic. Is this going to be done as if it's about to take off or in flight?

I have airbrushed over the filler to check how it's looking and I am please with the result so far. I did this as I had to airbrush the ceiling of the cabin and add a few details. The nose has a nice seamless join and the gap between the fuselage halves has disappeared all together. The area aft of the exhaust is bkack but the fit is so tight I decided to spray it now so i can get masking tape around the exhausts and part of the fuselage rather than try to wrap tape around just the exhaust which would have been a nightmare. There is a 2mm or so gap along either side of the join which will be easily taken care of with a bit of filler. I have had to tape the engine bay down which when removed I know is going to take some detail with it. Had I thought about this beforehand I would added detail after. The engines don't sit straight inside so when they were put into position they have came loose so I am letting everything dry for now and will have to add detail and re-glue the engines back down. All in all I'm happy with the progress it's looking better with each update I believe. If anyone is thinking of getting this kit I hope the areas I have pointed out will be of some use where the fit is an issue. The model does require modelling skills as it does not go together like a modern kit. I don't know if it's because it's not your regular subject and not as much effort has been put into it or whether it's just the complex shape. The exhausts are all blanked off so I have removed the blanking plate so to speak off of the exhausts as in this scale it really does look bad unless you're planning on putting fod covers over them. I foresee the winch needing additional detail as well. But this is going to be like my space shuttle where I don't mind the work as it's a unique subject at least to me it is! This is the third helicopterI have made in 10 or more years, although if you can make a plane you can make this. Got a busy weekend coming up so unless I get any updates tomorrow it'll be next week before I'm back at my bench. Thanks Colin so far so good!

That's a very nice Harrier! I've seen lights and even cockpit lights but never a HUD before that's next level detail right there!

Looks good it turned out well.