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Brigbeale

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Brigbeale last won the day on March 5 2023

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    Bournemouth
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    Building and re-building 1/72 scale. Classic Mini.

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  1. Things started full of anticipation of everything going as planned - then fate stepped in……… I decided to pay the leading edges of the wings. The old Airfix call-out states silver, which I felt was too bright. I considered Tamiya Metallic Grey but that’s probably too dark so the happy medium which I had was Tamiya Flat Aluminium. I got some tape and de-tacked it as much as I could before it wouldn’t stick thinking it would be good to make off the leading edges. The masking itself was pretty straight forward as was applying the Flat Aluminium in light coats - although I forgot to paint the stabilators and realised half way through cleaning the airbrush. Once I applied the paint to them, the airbrush was cleaned again. Then I started to remove the making. First the tail fins - ok but a small bit of red and some grey came off the inner face of the port fin - no real problem there. The stabilators were next - no issues at all - great. Then I remove the main wing masking. As you might have guessed already, more paint came away with the tape due to that damned primer. It wasn’t just the upper surfaces either So, after a little rant and half a vision of throwing the Tomcat across the room (which, thankfully I didn’t), I calmed down and got the Tamiya Meduim Sea Grey out and touched in the bare plastic with a fine point brush. Once that had dried sufficiently, the top colour coat was also touched in as was the red fin tip. Gingerly, the Tomcat was placed upside down on the bigger of my 3D printed stands and I painted over the grey areas with the Off White. The patch in the middle of the wing needs another coat and maybe a light sand when it’s dry to even it out a bit. Once the Tomcat was again the right way up on the stand, and the paint is drying, it doesn’t look overly bad. It’s noticeable as it’s brush painted as opposed the airbushed surrounding areas but with a very light sand with the highest/finest grit wet/dry, it will hopefully blend in further once the matt varnish goes on. That now gave me an issue to think about. The anti glare panel needs adding, but I daren’t mask the nose section up as it’s probably the first area that the eye gets drawn to. Hmmm. I then remembered that Italeri use decals for the anti glare panel and there is a spare in the box from the extra pair of Tomcats I bought. The issue is that it’s the one that goes right to the point of the nose whereas the one I’m after needs to be shorter and rounded at the front. So, I’ll search the internet for an image and print my own on clear decal paper. The IRIAF Tomcat has that decal already applied, but if if weren’t for the primer issue, I’d cut a mask - it as said earlier, it’s not worth the risk.
  2. I wanted to add some stencilling decals so I borrowed some from another Airfix decal sheet (A05013) which I purchased off eBay. I’ve bought another set to replace them as I plan to do one of the others as a Black Aces Tomcat. I also needed a couple of ‘USS ENTERPRISE’ decals to fit between the glove vanes and wings on each side. I simply photographed the one from the Bounty Hunters version from the original decal sheet and printed a pair on clear decal paper. It occurred to me that I could have done the same with the stencil decals and saved myself a fiver. Oh well - it’s only money. 34 ‘NO STEP’ and 6 ‘NO STEP/PUSH’ decals were applied to the wings and elevators and upper fuselage, while the two walkway decals were applied to the top of the air intakes. 4 x ‘BEWARE OF BLAST’ decals were fitted to the undersides of the exhaust housings. All done using the A05013 instructions on Scalemates as a guide. The decals are glossy in finish but I need to give the Tomcat another coat of gloss varnish anyway as I need to mask the leading edges and wing fold recess off for painting. It’ll also help seal the decals down as well. More primer was removed from the Revell Tomcat so the underside of the main fuselage is pretty much clear. It’s slowly getting there.
  3. The Airfix Tomcat received it original decals this evening. Considering their age, they went on well. It was just the backing paper which went a bit gooey, which meant the decals had a quick swish in clean water once I’d removed them from said backing paper. Only one split but that was my fault as I still had a finger on one end while I pulled the other end from the paper. It went back together once applied with no seam visible. I spent the last 10 minutes or so of my modelling session cleaning more primer from the Revell Tomcat. While putting the Tomcats away, I glanced at the restored F-16 in Thunderbird colours and thought a size comparison was needed. I have a part started Airfix F-15 upstairs in the stash (which was cheap because it is missing the nose cone which will probably need 3D printed replacement). I should get around to it sometime.
  4. This primer issue is really beginning to bug me. Still working on the Airfix Tomcat - as I’m almost afraid to even handle the Revell one incase the primer falls off - I discovered that the wing tips are grey front to back which meant airbrushing the ends of the wings up to the edge of the lightly detailed aelerons. Using the thin strip method, I masked the tips and also the demarcation line on the port wing where I had touched it in as the hand painted touch-up was a slightly different shade. Ok in theory but when it came to remove the very de-tacked masking tape a section of the off white came away. I touched it in with off white, but again it’s a lighter shade. I’ve had enough of messing around with this problem of the primer lifting off, so I’m just leaving it and I’ll weather it out later. The upper grey surfaces (which were matt) received a coat of Humbrol Gloss Cote to receive the decals and weathering. The two ventral fins also received their coat of Mr Color Gloss Shine Red as there’s VF-1 decals to be fitted to them. With the nightmare I’m having with the primer issue and the fact the Revell Tomcat has demarcation lines which will need masking off, I decided to try to remove the primer. My initial thought was to use Dettol but that would also get in the cockpit and intakes so I just as quickly dismissed that idea. I have a pot of Mr Color Paint Remover so I gave that a go. Using a cotton bud I did a trial run on the rear centre section underneath (between the engine housings). It took a few seconds to start working but it’s removing the primer very well without damaging the plastic. The downside is it’s going to take a fair while, but it’s got to be better than the alternative. So, I at least have a way forward on the Revell Tomcat. Once the primer is removed,, I might just as well bring the other Revell Tomcat up to the same stage (fitting the forward seat and canopy). I may have a look at the compressor fan issue as well while I’m about it.
  5. The undersides of the Airfix Tomcat were repaired with Tamiya XF-83 Sky Grey for a primer and then overpainted with Mr Color Off White. Not 100% perfect but varnishing and some light weathering should help on that front. Also being underneath, they won’t notice so much. I found out of the red paints I had, Mr Color shine red was the nearest to the red in the Wolfpack decals, so that was airbushed onto the tops of the two fins. I later discovered that the primer I had used wasn’t actually plastic primer - it is acrylic primer - which is probably why it peels off so easily - which it did again in one spot when removed the masking on the fins after I had painted the red on. I just touched the paint in with a paintbrush again.
  6. Also, the other two Tomcats turned up via Royal Mail. They were extremely well packed. The seller obviously thought about their trial by post and took steps to avoid damaging the Tomcats by wrapping the kit box (which had the remaining unused parts from both kits inside) in plastic and then double side taping it to the shipping box to keep it from moving around. The only casualty was a ventral fin off the Revell ‘cat. So an inspection of the Tomcats. The Italeri (Esci original moulding with recessed panel lines) is painted in IRIAF colours and is built with gear down. The wings do sweep, but it’s a two handed affair and there’s a lot of up and down movement on the wings, but they sit level when the wings are forward. Speaking of sitting level, the Tomcat sits level when the wings are forward, but when they’re swept back, it tail sits, so some nose weight needs adding somehow. I’ll sort then when I repaint it. The Revell one is more or less built up to the same stage of the original two that I am building. It needs the pilot seat fixing in and the canopy adding. The AoA probe is broken off so I’ll replace that with a 3D printed item. The seams weren’t taken care of, so they will need sanding and filling. I looked down the air intakes to see if the compressor fans had been painted but - no fans! 🤔 Just plastic with a circle on them. I checked the sprues but they weren’t there and the it occurred to me. They’d been fitted back to front, so I looked in the exhaust holes and bingo! Compressor fans facing backwards. Ok, they’re fitted incorrectly, but can I get the intakes off to get access to them? I don’t know. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to affect the Tomcat as a whole so I might just let them be. Anyway, piccies.
  7. I set about repairing the paint on the underside, where the plastic primer had pulled away when the masking was removed, by sanding the edges down with course and fine papers. The areas were given a clean with IPA to remove dust and any contaminants left from sanding. With the small disaster in mind I started masking the upper main wing control surfaces and rudders in readiness for receiving their coat of off white. Using my AK tape cutting board, I cut strips of Tamiya tape approx 1.5mm wide was applied them to the wing surfaces using the raised panel line to set them against - and using the Revell kit for reference. With the wings done, I masked the rudders in the same fashion, but I also masked the fin top at the same time to receive the red paint which is required for this scheme but is not included in the decal sheet. Not wanting to use tape on the paint to block in the rest of the areas incase the paint came away again, I came up with the idea of using paper with Tamiya tape stuck to the edge but overhanging by about 1-1.5mm. I measured 8.5mm from the edge, drew a line and then set the 10mm tape against the line. I worked out that the angle for the top was approx 62.5 degrees so the paper was cut accordingly and the tape was applied. The paper masks fitted exactly, so more paper strips were added to block off the rest of the fuselage. Time ran out of my usual modelling session so I extended it in order to paint the upper control surfaces. Once painted, the masking was cautiously removed and for the most part, the grey paint stayed put. It was just the spot on the port wing and a tiny spot at the base of the starboard fin. I’ll do the underside repairs later today.
  8. The undersides and nose of the Airfix Tomcat received a coat of Mr Color of white. It turned out very well and was put in the cabinet to await the upper surface colour. While searching for a better colour call-out for the wavy demarcation lines (the old Airfix ones are a bit vague), I came across a GWH plan for the same aircraft with better imagery but in colour. I found that the elevators, flaps, ailerons upper surfaces and rudders are all supposed to be white as well, so they will need painting. It also stated on there that the upper surface grey was a different one to the paints I had bought for Tomcat painting, so it was off to the model shop again to get the Mr Color H325 Gray FS26440 which is a creamier grey when compared to the other greys I had. I also bought H327 red FS11136 as it is a slightly darker red to the shine red I have. So, last night I started masking the Tomcat for the wavy demarcation line and also for the white band on the nose - which would also have a yellow/radome coloured tip (I mixed this up using a Yellow/Desert Yellow mix - it seems a little bright, so I’ll repaint it I’m a mor mute colour). I tried thin tape but it wouldn’t give a smooth wavy line - maybe it was just me after the day I had. I decided instead to use white tac spaghetti and my usual cheaper low tac masking tape. Masking the air intakes was a bit of a pain but I finally got there. I applied the FS26440 to the upper surfaces by spotting between the raised panel lines to give more solid patches and then moving the airbrush away to shade the area over. It’s an ok result considering one coat. I don’t like leaving the tape on painted surfaces for extended periods of time so I pulled the masking off. and any other relevant emoji you care to imagine. Despite giving the two Tomcats the usual wipe down with IPA, the plastic primer and off white pulled away with the tape.😫🤬. I didn’t even press the tape down - it was left off the pair more as a shield. It just touched the paint while handling the Tomcat for the top coat. Not just little spots either - which could be just touched in with a brush - oh no - big swathes came off even though I’d further de-tacked the already low tac tape - you might guess what I said as a was not a happy bunny! Thats twice I’ve had this happen with the Simoniz plastic primer. The Halfords one was better at this job IMO, so I’ll go back to that or try the Vallejo primers. The nose was fine though even though it had Tamiya tape over it. Still it’s modelling and these things happen - deep breath - think positive…… I will have to sand the areas to blend them in, re-prime (maybe with a Tamiya XF roughly the same colour as the primer and then, as I have to use more white anyway on the upper control surfaces, repaint the affected areas. My concern is the masking for these areas and whether it will happen again. On the bright side though, the Tomcat is looking good in its early paint scheme. Still waiting for the other two Tomcats to show up though
  9. I mounted both of the current Tomcats onto wires for priming this morning. The other two are currently winging their way to me😜 The Airfix had the wires pushed into the intakes as there’s nowhere in the exhausts to support the weight. The Revell had the wires inserted into the empty engine/exhaust ‘tubes’. Both were then primed with plastic primer and left outside until the primer had lost the shine from the fresh paint. The wings were given a tentative push to make sure the primer hadn’t stuck them while it dried - both sets of wings operate normally.
  10. I have been making the Aim-54 Phoenix missiles and the outer fuselage pylons for them. The Airfix ones were previously built on Thursday and had Mr Surfacer on the seams which was sanded back tonight. One had to be re-cemented as it peeled apart at the nose end for some reason. The Revell ones went together tonight with no issues at all - just seams lines to clean and some fine gaps to fill. The pylons were assembled as well. I’m not sure if it’s easier to fit them to the Tomcats and fight to mask around them or leave them off until the painting is done. I’ll probably do the latter. I bought an amazing tool as well. I’d been looking at roundel masks for RAF WW2 and post war/present but the cost stacked up if I bought all of them (which probably could be used more than once but the listing didn’t say). I was watching someone building a Tomcat on YouTube and this tool was used to make the wheel masks. Paused the video to get the tool name - DSPIAE Integral Stepless Curcular Cutter. I have the compass style one but it doesn’t do the circles small enough for what I need. This tool can cut circles from 1 to approx 50mm (IIRC). A quick Google search and I found them going for about £50 but the Scale Model Shop was selling them for £20, so I ordered one. it arrived and I gave it a go - it’s absolutely brilliant. The 10mm hole was cut perfectly round and clean so either the circle can be used to mask round windows, wheels etc or the outer can be used to mask for painting coloured circles. I did two more holes - one 2.8mm and one 5(ish)mm. They were cut cleanly as well. The tool is easily adjusted and has concentric circles on the transparent centre to help line the tool up. For £20, it’s an absolute essential for my toolbox and I’m very happy that I’ve bought it.
  11. My son had an accident at work yesterday trapping his finger and practically tearing his fingernail off, which meant me collecting him and taking him to hospital. They re-dressed it and told him there’s no lasting damage, other than having to wait for his nail to grow back and the usual ibuprofen/paracetamol medication for pain. That in turn, meant I had to wait until evening to go and collect his car from the works car park, which meant no modelling last night. The main thing is my son is as ok as he can be health wise. But, previously, I’d been filling divots and gaps in preparation for painting. The canopies were further masked and flat black paint was airbrushed on. SWMBO asked me previously what Easter egg I wanted. I said I didn’t want one as I need to keep the fat intake lower than I had previously. I didn’t like the reading on the scales the last time I stepped on them. At the very moment she asked me, I was on eBay and came across another pair of Tomcats for sale. Giving her my best pleading look, I ‘negotiated’ these instead of an egg. One is an Italeri painted up in Iranian colours (getting a repaint in US colours) which apparently tail-sits when the wings are swept back. The other is another Revell partially built but in primer. They also come with their boxes, sprues, decals and instructions, so I put a bid on them. This morning I won them with the only bid of £20 with free postage. I’m well happy with that! So now it’s 4 Tomcats on the go once they turn up. I can do the fiddly bits while I’m waiting.
  12. She already knows The F/A-18D nearly made it through the door un-noticed, but the delivery man had to go and say something! SWMBO heard and wasn’t impressed😖
  13. On the face of it, not much has happened tonight. Earlier on today, I used a fine pointed sharpie to mark the black on the yellow ejection handles. They turned out quite well so I’m happy with that. The seats themselves were superglued into position this evening. The cockpit coamings were repainted with NATO black to take the harshness off. The rest of the time was spent masking the outlines of the opening part of the canopy (they will be filled in later with either tape and/or masking solution). They were then tacked into position with dabs of Clearfix once I’d fitted the clear part to the Airfix Tomcat (the Revell kit doesn’t have this part but there’s a spare in the Airfix box as there was also two main canopy parts - but only one windscreen part). The windscreen parts were bit fully masked using tape. They were both fully fitted into position with more Clearfix. They’re both drying now. I did reshape the antenna on the Airfix starboard fin and I used a refreshed mix of sprue goo to fill the fin to fuselage joint as well. The Revell Tomcat should get way with just a smear of Vallejo plastic putty.
  14. Right then a bit of a catch-up. I bought some Humbrol filler for the seam lines on the Airfix Tomcat. I was unaware it was grey in colour which worked in my favour as it was more easily visible against the white plastic. It didn’t take long to go off so sanding commenced leaving smooth seams. I was going to fill the exhaust areas but I wanted them white for what I had planned - fitting a couple of home made decals of a picture of the exhaust. I also bought some Ammo Dark Wash for the wheel wells - I feel it’s a little too dark, so I might clean it off a bit and get a lighter shade - maybe Starship Filth to lighten it up a bit. Anyway, they were masked off using a mix of white tac, tape and dampened tissue. Both Tomcats had their tail fin/rudder assemblies fitted. The Airfix ones need some filler around the base to blend them in - the Revell one does as well but not so much. Also, the starboard fin needs the antenna? at the top rear sand in gas it looks a lot more bulky than the Revell version. The Revell Tomcat was trialled for balance using short cocktail sticks in the undercarriage mounting holes. The test was a little inconclusive as at first, it sat on its tail when I placed the two elevators between the tail fins. A second test had it sitting on all three sticks. I erred in the side of caution and added approx 3 grams of lead weight and enough white-tac to hold it in position, to keep the nose down. once that was done, the cannon panel was added to complete the nose section. I also built up the four ejection seats. The two Airfix ones needed the bases cut down to allow them to sit under the canopies. The home made decals were fitted to the represent the Airfix exhausts. They’re approaching painting time, so they will need the cockpits finishing and the canopies temporarily fitted to keep the paint out of the cockpits. So with that in mind, tonight I painted the cockpit surrounds and coamings Tamiya flat black. I thinks it’s al little too stark so I’ll repaint them with NATO black instead. Then, I painted up the four seats using an image off the internet. They look pretty good although I still need to do the black stripes on the ejection handles. I could do that once they’ve been fitted to the cockpit tubs. The Airfix exhaust tail sections were fitted. Once dried, I can use some sponge to fill them in to keep paint off the decals inside. They’re not quite as realistic as I’d hoped but they’re better than just painting the insides black. I also bought a bargain off EBay. A Hasegawa F/A-18D Hornet for about £3 + postage. It’s part started and a couple of tiny parts missing. The main issue is no decals - so I need to source a set from somewhere. It will make a double build of Hornets - the other being another Hasegawa kit, but an F/A-18A instead depicting the three initial trials Hornets which I bought a fair while ago. I plan to convert it to a carrier based one instead.
  15. The nose section of the Revell Tomcat had the joint fettled on both mating areas, but nothing definite was keeping them from seating properly. a good dose of TET and pressure seemed to do the trick, but the resulting panel gap was still larger than I would have liked. The tail section was also added, the fit was better on the top, but the underside had a gap as well which would need filling. The air intakes were both added. The fit was ok but again filler was needed on the inside where they met the fuselage. The two glove vanes protruded on their top edge, so they were sanded back. More sanding was done on the rear fuselage behind the wings where the top and bottom halves met. I broke out the Vallejo plastic putty and went around the seams filling what gaps I could see. It’s surprising how much better they look once filled. The nose to fuselage joint doesn’t look too bad now it’s filled. The tail fin/rudder assemblies were dry fitted. They cannot be fitted in the wrong positions (although I bet someone can manage it) as they have different sized tabs. The fit isn’t great so a little work will be needed on them as well. I’ve decided to fit 4 Aim-54 Phoenix missiles to the fuselage so the 4 pylons were fitted. The instructions only give guidance for the two front ones. The other two are both numbered the same so it’s just a case of getting them the right way round (curved end to the front). The advantage of fitting the pylons is they partly cover up the nose to fuselage joint I also fitted the Phoenix pylons to the Airfix Tomcat fusealge as well. They look quite plain when compared to the Revell ones but once the missiles are fitted, they’re pretty much covered up.
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