Evil_Toast_RSA

Some very good info here, thanks everyone! Now to see what I can get from my limited options, luckily the SKA24 is still currently available, but need to move quickly on it.

Got this kit today: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tarangus-ta4808-saab-ajsf-sh37-viggen--1150098 Want to do the SH37 (the one with the original (??) Viggen nose, not the box art one). But no weapons included in the kit. What pointy death sticks did these guys carry normally, if anything? Hopefully Meastro or Reskit offer something, so suggestions would be appreciated too! Thanks

And the top done. Another tip to not be dumb like me, mask the intakes when their still little, tiny sub-assemblies you can move around easy. Doing this took me a couple nights of trying to get a 3rd hand to grow somewhere using willpower and bad language. Still not correct as per the pics of the museum plane, but I stopped caring after the 4th evening and just did what I could. Decided to not mess around and used a basecoat of Tamiya XF-51 Khaki Drab. Mottled XF-55 Deck Tan and XF-21 Sky over it. Took the above pic after I started in sheer exuberance. Bought myself a Sotar 20/20 and was dying to get started using it and learn all it's little quirks. Used Mr Color C336 Hemp. Going to give that overnight to cure and see if I need another thin glaze coat to tone down the wings etc tomorrow night. Then it's the metal sections of the flaps, wing recesses for said flaps, undercarriage doors and speed brakes inner side. Masked the wings already so it's just an evening of masking ahead. Might need to do the fuselage bays again, my damp paper towel I shoved in there fell out/off after a bit so some of the pistons got hit by fuselage colour. Love finding little pokey shops. Sometimes there's a really great kit gathering dust on the shelves hidden at the back!

Mind if I tag along for this? Managed to snag one last year and it's been looking at me from the stash since then. Wonder why Tamiya hasn't reissued this kit since about 2000? Was it really such a bad seller?

To answer the questions. Those aren't code letters, but manufacturer designations for their paints. Tamiya uses X (gloss/semi) and XF (flat/matt) for their "Acrylic" and Enamel paints. Their Lacquer paints use the LP designation, and their spray cans have their own (AS/PS/others probably?). Don't use cans at all personally. So X-1 is Gloss Black etc. GSI Creos uses their own system, but the paints with the C are lacquer based, and H is like the Tamiya Acrylic range, don't have them here either. In my post C336 is what they sell as their version of Hemp. They have other ranges as well with their own letter designations but for now lets leave this here. They make Mr Levelling Thinners (MLT) which is probably as close as humanity is going to get to unicorn tears, this stuff thins so many different paint brands and gives a smooth finish every time, which makes it very popular to airbrush with. Of course whether or not you can actually get these products in your home market is a different story. Trying to remember where that country is that doesn't sell Tamiya Enamel paints for some or other regulatory reason springs to mind. There are apps you can get, which can be handy if your trying to get equivalents in other paint lines for example. Very handy for me, I live on the wrong side of the equator and I have access to a limited selection of brands compared to the guys on the right side of the equator. As much as I would love to use MRP paints for example, getting them here is quite frankly cost prohibitive to buy and send from the US/EU. (Case in point, a very helpful gentleman from Scotland offered to send me some replacement ailerons for this build, but seeing as our national postal service is essentially defunct at this point, using a courier to send those parts to me I worked out at being about the same cost as buying a new Victor there in blighty, and I unfortunately fall into the not Bruce Wayne class of people. So as much as I appreciated it, had to pass.) Then there's thining ratios, so 1 part paint to 15 parts thinners (1:15) gives you a very translucent paint layer, it acts like a glaze, so you get to subtly alter the layer underneath without drowning it out. More paint gives you a more opaque layer. How this factors into the mottling I did. This is my own version/experiment on the Black Basing technique. Traditionally you use a black basecoat (Mr Surfacer Black 1500, probably a close second to MLT in utility as far as I'm concerned :D!) and very thinned white mottled/marbled over it. This gives you a very stark difference, not what I was wanting, so used Dark Sea Grey instead as a base. When you put your intended paint layer over it, it breaks up the homogeneity of the overall surface, essentially creating some visual difference of dark and light patches to break up the uniformity of the layer to draw the outside observer in and not bore him with a vast expanse of the same colour. How subtle or stark you want this can be controlled by how you thin your paint. It's also the start of the weathering process for me, if I wanted to go all in on this later I would probably have used some dark-ish browns in some areas instead of white for example, like where their might be staining or recesses etc. I'm almost sure my Valiant is going to be next, and been wondering on how to break up that all over white scheme but also to try maintain a very clean looking plane. Got an idea I saw somewhere I'm pondering stealing for that build. Will see how it goes in a few months. And as @Billos said, paint is a black hole. One companies RLM XX can be vastly different to another, and your left with wondering which one is the closest match. Or not. How deep you want to go down is up to you. I'm ultimately happy with as close as possible based on what I can get my hands on. I'm rambling now so will stop it here.

The fun stuff has gotten underway! Starting underneath per usual. Basecoated with XF-54 DSG, mottled with XF-2 White thinned to within an inch of its life. Then onto Mr Color C332 LAG, thinned to about 1:6 with MLT. Finally a very thin coat of C332 and a touch C62 Flat White to lighten it up, at about 1:15 roughly. Lighting and camera aren't up to it, but the previous work is still doing it's job. Going to check it out tomorrow, and then the exciting masking work to put the Hemp on. Probably going with C336 this time, want to see how it compares to the Vallejo stuff. As for basecoat, thinking a Brown (XF-10/68)+ Pale Green (XF-71) mix to get something sharky to use. Maybe just plain XF-72 or XF-65. Will play around on my patented paint practice board/old ice cream tub lid and see how my inspiration goes.

Unfortunately I like living dangerously! In all seriousness though, when I do that the paint work never looks like it matches up to the the rest of the fuselage, so they stick out looking a bit to neat or a subtly different shade (unless their silver, but eh, not a big fan of using PVA glue during assembly, too many popped off canopies in my life), or my favourite, not a great fit and I have to come back at the end and fill tiny gaps/holes and try get that to match up the rest of the plane after weathering has concluded (the outer fueling probe/drouge pods are going to need this, but it's easier to add them at the end with the paint demarcation needed. VA acrylic putty for the win here!). Hope this makes sense? The pitot tubes are the Master brass ones, and until I get to clearing the table and only having paint stuff on it, it occasionally bumps against things, but it bends back to shape rather well. Not that I want to do that too much of course. Also, it's the same one every time 🤷‍♀️, would be nice if they learnt team work before the end of this adventure! For anyone interested, the plastic is actually rather "springy", so it should survive quite nicely if you use the kit pitots. The airbrake jacks have gone through a lot, the one that broke off somehow got trapped between the lower fuselage halves when I put the fuselage together, after numerous dry fit/practice runs to prevent this very situation. Even then it was fine for ages, and broke when the nearly complete model slipped out my hands weeks later and landed on my lap at just the right angle. But it broke perfectly, I have a peg/hole on the pieces, so gluing it back on will be a breeze without having to pin anything. [EDIT] - and in other news, my Victor B.2 mitt Blue Steel arrived today, so only need a Vulcan now!

Proof of life picture! Remember when I said I should be at the priming stage just after Easter last month? Yea, lol. Finally got round to it tonight. Giving it a day to gas off before I go and do the final check to fix the areas that need more TLC. Right now around the intakes and spine are jumping out at me. Wing roots underneath look mostly okay, but will give it a proper look tomorrow and take it from there. Those pitot tube's are driving me nuts...

I've been working on the assumption my kit was made on a pay day Friday afternoon. When I get round to doing the B.2, pretty sure I'll only have the standard problems. Hopefully. All this sanding and filing is tedious and not my idea of entertainment. On the plus side, I've managed to finally start to watch/listen to a show from 20 years ago whilst doing this in the evenings, so there's that educational gap closed. Doing the Hemp/LAG scheme for this one. My plan is to do all the V Bombers in the different schemes they used. Valiant will be the AF White from the nuclear test program, Victor part deux will be camo uppers and white belly, Vulcan in the wrap around camo, which is the only way I can imagine it for some reason. (Maybe the Black Buck DG belly, will see when the time comes, is also possible.) Thanks for the compliment, but I still think the pilots seats look terrible!

It's taken a bit longer, but nearly at the priming phase. Gaps by the clear wing extensions, ailerons, top panel filled with plasticard, sprue goo and some CA + baby powder as needed. Step built up with plasticard by top wing and intake area and sanded flush-ish. Lower wing inserts in, some creative trimming in a few spots underneath needed. But had a huge gap on the right wing root, and a smaller one on the left. Also had to build up the right aileron (warped one I thought could be used) to eliminate the step. Some scribing still to happen around the oil coolers (?) and exhaust fairings. Some Milliput used to fill the gaps where the inner and outer wing sections joined. Wing root work. Gap was about 1.5mm wide, so a floor of 1mm square plastic rod was glued in, and Milliput to fill the canyon. Had to build up the fuselage side with some Mr Surfacer to get it as flush as possible. Other side was not that bad, some Milliput to fill the seam was all I needed. Priming will show how well this went. So, scribing to follow, the little lumps and bumps added, canopy bits, carrots and fuel tank/s glued on and then off to the priming stage to see what scratches and other related evidence of my tender embrace need to be looked at. It's slowly getting to the fun part!

Okay. Some more stuff done. All wheels painted and washed. Need to maybe neaten them up before final matt coat. Main gear done and mounted, with a little epoxy to lend moral support. Realised I missed something and can't add those bits in. Oops. And where I stand on the underbelly. - bomb bay door is right on length, but slightly too wide. And based on dry fitting the two inner wing panels and the big gap on one side, think the fuselage actually had some shrinkage or some deformation. Pulled too early from the mold? Anyway, building those bay steps up with plastic strips & sprue goo. Sanding to follow. - built up the front of the bomb bay to elimate that step. Still some work needed I think But doesnt look nearly as bad as i imagined. - got 1 aileron reasonably straight. Had to perform surgery on the other, K.2 wingtips cut off and straight aileron used from the B.2 sprue. Slight step here too, and some shims needed here and there. It's beginning to almost look like an aircraft of some sort. Those wing sections are going to be a bugger though. An awkward gap to fill and I think some sanding of the plastic guides by the exhaust pipes inside to get something of a good fit. Will see soon I think. Hopefully by the end of this Easter weekend I might be eying up the priming stage of this adventure. On a related note. Managed to get a Victor mitt Blue Steel kit from someone for less than half of RRP here. Should have it payed and in my hands end May. Now all i need is a Vulcan, and have plans afoot on getting one possibly next month too. Just like my Tupovlev collection last year, went from having 1 to all 4 I want in record speed. Huh. Now if only I can get my Century Series to do the same. Can't get a Dagger, Dart or Voodoo for love or money here. -

Dumb question. I have Trumpeter's 1/32 SBD 1/2 giving me the "take to your table and build me like I've never been built before" look from my stash. 1 small problem. It has vinyl main wheels. I hate vinyl tyres with the burning passion of a thousand suns. There were some resin wheels made for it a few decades back, and getting hold of them now will require me to be insanely lucky (it's usually my first search on Kingkit for a few months now, but so far nothing). So. Does anyone know of either a 3D file I could buy from somewhere and get a friend to print me a set, or is there an existing resin wheel set for another aircraft that I could use the existing kit hubs in the resin tyre part and not spend ages trying to fill gaps or get them to fit that some other ingenious modeler has tried and succeeded with? Like Reskits TBM-3 wheel set as an example. Thanks.

Minor update. Fuselage seams sorted and upper wing attached. Getting wheel wells and gear ready to paint. Going to assemble it all now, think it will save my sanity later and want to make sure the struts are firmly secure whilst I have full access. No pics because it a bit boring to be honest. But I did do the brake lines (badly) though! Trash picture is trash....

Okay, been futzing with this section the last few day. My bay door is a really snug fit (almost snap fit actually) and no length problems. The fuselage/front gear joint oopsie is causing a step, but building up the cover with some plasticard to eliminate it, but that's my bad.

1st major milestone. It's refreshing to have so much space for nose weight. Usually it's a case of being creative. Just hope the nose gear doesn't break! And voila, together and waiting for the glue to dry, and some filling to follow. Unfortunately my suspicions about the nose gear bay not being assembled correctly appear to be confirmed. But not a huge train smash, some plasticard (and if my dry fitting of the bomb bay cover are to be believed) less brute force than I thought. Wings are ready to go on once the fuselage is sorted out.

Not gotten there yet, will let you know!

@mike_hore sure, go for it, hope you like disappointment though! It's been a typical new Airfix kit so far, but I keep getting the feeling this one was late into the production run, some minor flash here and there, some pronounced seam lines in places, fading panel lines on 1 fuselage side and the warped sprue (luckily the bomb bay cover looks fine, un-warping that would be somewhat annoying...).

Let me tell you about getting replacement parts here. End last year a guy wanted my [INSERT central European model company who uses silly side opening boxes and also makes a Shackleton AEW.2 that also came out recently but can't be named probably HERE] 1/72 Shackleton AEW.2 I bought 2nd hand but box still sealed when delivered. Cool, was in a trimming mood, so agreed. Fortunately I checked the sprues before payment was concluded. The entire forward fuselage, bomb bay and radar dome sprues were missing. No problem, sent them a mail. To date no reply has been received. The guy buying it mailed them too, got told that the kit was not in production currently so he should probably go eat a barrel of Richard's instead. Oh well, crap happens i guess. Fast forward a month. The guy I bought it from, who emigrated to the UK early last year, was still selling his stash via the wife locally. Contacted him, asked if he could ask the missus to check and see if the sprues somehow ended up in his stash still in JHB somehow. No joy. He mailed the above company and got the replacement sprues the following day from the UK agent, gratis, delivered to his work in Grimsby. He included it in a parcel he sent the wife and got it end Jan. Not selling the kit now, I'm going to spite build it. Seriously unhappy with this story. I have a similar problem with SH too. Added to the fact items can't be mailed to the bum end of Africa, long story, but have to be couriered, means I'm going to pay through my nose for it, probably the price of a new Victor. I've heard Airfix is actually very good with this replacement service too, but sadly it's going to stay the way it is. I might try get the parts straight somehow but plastic parts never seem to work out for me when I try.

@Adam Poultney this is what it looks like, looks warped 🤷‍♂️. Sprue L looks like it too. Rest of the sprues look nice and straight. Went with this option, so I'm guessing I've been a naughty boy and built a B.2 wing.

Another minor update, some AM stuff ended up in my grubby paws. Must not bend those pitot tube's 🫣.

Weekly update. Got the intakes as smooth as I'm willing to make them. For anyone out there who does this, don't be me. Be smart and only insert H50 & 51, then fill and sand, then put in the rest of the splitter plates. Primed with Mr Surfacer 1500 white and a mix of 50/50 XF-2 & X-22 and literally a tiny dash of XF-55 Deck Tan to get it bit off white. Might go over with a very, very thin layer of Gloss White, will see how I feel. Got the airbrake assembly painted up and some oils for stains etc. Plain old ALCLAD aluminum and Paynes Grey. Fans were Super Metallic II SM204 Stainless. No pic but the exhausts are done, used Tamiya LP-20 Light Gunmetal on those. Fuselage should now be ready to close up this week, milestone! Been futzing with other bits, sanding and stuff to follow. Gear legs done and filled, had some serious steps assembling them. I'm thinking this kit was late in production with the mold lines being rather pronounced on some parts, and warpage of a sprue below. Now for a headscratcher. By following step 78&80 a&b, the parts didn't match. A rather large missing section and no insert to be placed in later. Also parts L23 & L27 were warped, and my luck straightening them has never been great. So used the clear parts N1&2 with flap parts D1&2. So guessing I'm expecting a sternly worded letter from someone soon. Thanks, but those 2 pilot seats look like bottom, next time I'm shaving off the molded belts and getting a PE or homemade replacement for them! On a related note, my Airfix Valiant will be collected tomorrow. Might make this a really long V-Bomber thread 🤔...

After nearly a decade of not playing, got myself a Keeper of Browser History Secrets. Was always a follower of Tzeentch, but picking this guy up for about 25% of RRP, I couldn't pass it up.

Small update. Cockpit and nose wheel bay done. Good thing you won't see much, those seats look rougher than a badgers bum. Still futzing with stuff in the background, mostly small sub assemblies. Going to tackle the intakes and exhausts this week, and the air brake assembly will probably get painted same time.

@Navy Bird Shall one assume that the magazine on the table is the popular British mag "Exotic Tea's, Digestives and Cricketers of the World Monthly"? Cough. As for the landing gear. See what I mean? I've seen the main line splitting into 4 on the main spar, then a few with the leads unplugged and dangling to the side. Would like to have a better idea of slack etc. @canberra kid ninja'd by a few seconds, yes, that diagram helps loads. Thanks!

To add to the above, the rear lower fuselage has panel line fading visible. Sigh. Anyway, got some Eduard wheels and a Master pitot tube set winging it's way to me, hopefully it will arrive mid/late next month. Onto some clarification. - the cockpit is the usual black so ubiquitous in Cold War era RAF aircraft? (The main cockpit floor part isn't called out in the instructions.) But they call for Humbrol 78 on the rear instrument station below the (wooden??) table part (and assuming it carries on above with the instruments in black) and the 4 seats in the rear etc. This is the Humbrol version of the WW2 RAF cockpit colour correct? - Busy with the main landing gear, filling some big gaps (probably my lack of prep). But can't find a decent pic of brake lines etc on a real craft, can someone let me know if they have a pic/diagram of the brake lines or were they hidden within the leg assembly somehow? Thanks!