mark.au

Very nice silvering - the good kind 😉

That turned out really well, James. The paint job, weathering and overall fit and finish really comes together as a striking model. Very nice indeed.

Now who’s being silly? 😂. Very kind, equally untrue! I think this is some of my best work, I’m very happy with how it’s turning out. I think the only thing I do very differently is the paints I use, and more particularly how I use them. Mrs. Higgs, my art teacher in Yr.5 taught that nothing looks the same colour across its width and breadth - I’ve never forgotten that. Very kind words from you all, thank you. Something I’ve never done before, riveted a painted model… I felt the weathering on the wing roots would need some context so I lightly riveted. I kept the pressure low enough not to create burrs while still producing some evidence of its effect. Next, I added some chipping with a yellow and then silver pencil. I wasn’t 100% happy with that, it hoped the next stage of adding some chalks would blend and contextually bring it all together. …and I’m much happier with it now. There’s more to do, some chipping on the leading edges as seen in the reference photo. And, still, the tape around the wingtip nav lights which would have been better done before now. I’m going to do a little work on the fuselage and then fix the wings to it before finishing the weathering and final blending adjustments to make sure the finish is the same across fuselage and wing sections. Cheers.

It's going to be a challenge to do the silver in a tree. 🙂

Thanks, Chris. Where can I find this build??? 🙂 Thank you, that's very kind. As for missing it; well, everyone makes mistakes from time to time 😉

I’m not so good at putty either; I use Vallejo Plastic Putty or CA glue. The seams you had on this I’d slap some CA glue on with a toothpick. A very little at a time, sanding between applications until fixed. The Plastic Putty is good for bigger jobs; apply and wipe away with a wet finger.

Always nice to see an oldie come back for another visit. Thanks for the kind words, @bobster, @georgeusa and @marvinneko. Thanks, David. I think there was a step change when I switched paints to artist acrylics and began mixing my own colours.

Mine too. However, mine look like it whereas this looks like you spent a week on it. With due respect, that is not a mess! The Tamiya P-38 is the best fitting and engineered kit I’ve built - they really do produce exceptional kits. Ohhhh, gotta love a good old fashioned fate-tempting comment like that one! 😊

I have been making steady progress (though nothing is glued in these pics). My reference pic came into some heavy use for the wings, particularly the underside. After applying a selective wash (some dark, some light, depending where it was used) I used my airbrush to add the staining. The photo above shows heavy stains around the ejection shutes and exhausts. There’s also a stain coming from the wing fold as well as some point forward and outboard. I mirrored the port wing to the starboard. Also of note, there’s a tape repair on the star as well as some stain adjacent to it. I used some white decal for the tape and hand painted what appears to be red oxide which underlies it. There’s also some red oxide visible just forward of the insignia. The exhaust staining is quite marked, so I went to town on that. Still to do on the underside is some details in the wheel bay and the final coat. I also need to represent the chipping on leading edge as well as the tape around the wingtip nav lights. On the top I haven’t done much more than a wash. The flap topsides are darker than the rest of the wing. I like the contrast but it might be too much. I’m pondering whether to adjust that… the flaps aren’t glued yet. The fuselage has had its wash, too. I again used different colours depending on where it was applied. I used a light grey wash to pick out the engine panel fasteners which is particularly visible in the reference photo. Then, I added the tape. I made a small error in painting the starboard forward stain too far forward and had to extend the tape a little further than it was on the real one. There’s also tape on the port side was applied to cover all the leaks. The reference photo shows some very dark stains around the lower engine cowling where it meets the opened cowling flaps which I replicated with thinned black paint brushed on. The hair visible on the cowling photo below isn’t in the paint, it’s gone now 🙂 Since the earlier photos up-thread, I reworked the tail because I didn’t like it. This is much better, I think, especially as the reference photo showed the rudder darker than the fin, not the other way around as I previously had it. Finally, some gratuitous dry-fit assembly shots. It’s beginning to look the part. Thanks for following. Cheers.

Looking forward to seeing how you go with the camo; I’ve shied away from these schemes up till now so looking for tips.

A question for the collective: would the airframe stencils have been reapplied after the repaint? I don’t see any in the reference photos (maybe one on the fin) but that’s not conclusive enough. Thoughts?

Have you ever tried salt chipping?

I like living on the edge… 😂 …but not that far out there. Yes, I did a trial fit. A poor choice of words. I should have been more honest and said a first dry assembly so I could make engine noises and start to imagine aerobatics over the bench with it. It’s intuitive if someone else test-pilots the proof of concept first 😊

That’s a spectacular model, James. Great imagination and brilliant execution.

It is, and what repairs might be needed will be very easy to accomplish. It now has its identity. …and I couldn’t resist a first trial assembly. A few stencil decals next and then the weathering detail begins. Cheers.