Gekko_1

Funny you should mention that Richard, because that is exactly what is going on it at the moment, plus small cameras.

Thanks Geoff, I was actually a little worried posting that as its not technically a model, so wasn't sure how people would take it.

Yes actually, I've been flat-out heavily modifying the AT-ST into an AT-STP (Pathfinder). A lot of fiddley work, and still a little more to do, but here is a little teaser of where things are going.............................. Cheers Richard.

Hi Tony, I've agonised over this for a while now. Bottom line, I think this jet may be in FS. 36495 too like the VF-111 bird. The starboard front main undercarriage door looks like FS. 36375 (from another Tomcat in the TPS scheme) and that patch on the ventral fin looks like fresh FS. 36495 over old and dirty FS. 36495 (which can tend to give it a faded Gull Grey look). Here's a pic of another VF-103 Tomcat in what looks like the same colours, dated 1985. http://www.cloud9photography.us/US-Squadrons-USN/US-Navy-Fighter-Squadrons/VF-103-JOLLY-ROGERS-pictures/i-V5j43bF/A The nose looks like FS. 36375 or faded FS. 36320? I'm tending to wonder if a lot of aviation buffs/journalists have confused FS. 36495 with faded Light Gull Grey? I'm hoping to come across two Tomcats side by side or near each other, one in Light Gull Grey all over and the other in FS. 36495 all over to get a really good comparison, but haven't found one yet. Anyway there's my thoughts, now you can agonise over it too!

I'd love to see the Resistance bomber in 72nd scale!

OK, here's what I've spotted so far..................... The AT-AT's supporting the AT-M6's have a very different look to them! They've been heavily modded! Extra armour plating, new guns, beefed-up legs and sloped head. The AT-ST's also have some modifications, but they are harder to work out. Easy to see is the new front face. Something? is going on at the back too but its too hard to tell for now. All I can hope for at this stage is that Bandai bring out the AT-M6 and modded AT-AT in at least 1/144th scale, preferably 1/72 scale. Cheers Richard.

Hopefully people will like what I'm revealing next. I've delved right into the type of mission these things are involved in on Tatooine, and the types of modifications necessary to carry out such specialised operations in very harsh conditions. against a very cunning enemy.

Actually Geoff I've completely changed my mind on the antenna and am going for something else that looks way better and will, I hope, add that extra bit of 'wow' factor to the build, plus ties in to the short story that will go with it once completed. Stay tuned......................................

If you think the transitional period for F-14's was bad to try and work out, have a look at the early US Marine A-4M Skyhawk schemes! The VF-111 Tomcat turned out very nice indeed!

Stowage added............... Cheers Richard.

More pics of the unattainable (for most of us) Falcon to get sad over................... http://www.gunjap.net/site/?p=326335#more-326335

Thanks, glad I could help! Also happy you didn't give up on it. Well done!

That's the underside and back completed. Cheers Richard.

She's looking very nice Tony! Looking forward to seeing her finnished (and I bet you are too!)

Just a quick note on the Matisse Drying Retarder experiment. I had a practice run with it in a corner area inside the underneath of the turret just to see if I could get a smooth blend from 100% colour to clear. It worked! I was actually surprised at how well it worked, so I tried it on the opposite side just to be sure. In the photo below, the end result is a combination of two layers of this technique with a protective layer of acrylic satin varnish in between. The procedure went like this................. On the first layer I mixed Derwent Water Colour Pencil 38. Ivory Black with 35. Copper Beech to get a very dark brown mix. Then applied that with a very small brush into the corner and left it to dry. (Any overspill onto an area I didn't want was simply cleaned-up with a brush dampened with water) This left a typical Water Colour tide mark, which I expected. The theory was that with the Matisse Drying Retarder I could blend out the tide mark giving me a smooth blend. So, with a very small amount of the Matisse Drying Retarder on a small brush I painted it along the tide mark which softened it. Subsequent small amounts of the Matisse Drying Retarder was then applied and I was able to move the thinned Water Colour medium away from the edge to the point where it was transparent. Happy with the result, I then tried a slightly different approach on the opposite side. This time I sharpened the Ivory Black Water Colour Pencil to an extremely sharp point and ran it gently along the corner. Then I used a small brush dipped in Matisse Drying Retarder and began teasing the colour out from the corner and blending it away until I had no colour. So, from 100% to clear. This too worked better than I could have hoped for. Experiments continue.................................

Here's some very close-up photos of the new Bandai Millennium Falcon.............. http://wivern.exblog.jp/27092610/

Thanks Andy. I was surprised actually just how well they worked. It was an experiment that paid off well. Next I'm going to try them mixed with Atelier Liquefying Medium and Matisse Drying Retarder to see if I can get even more interesting results from them. The pigment is so fine I figured if I could retard the drying time, hence stop tide marks, things could get very interesting! Richard.

Finally some better photos!

I'm experimenting with three methods at the moment. 1. Wetting the pencil on a damp glass pallet (underside of an old Gunze Sangyo bottle of white) then applying it to the model with a fine brush. Then dragging it down (wet) with the same brush with no media on it. 2. Applying the wetted pencil directly on the surface of the model, then moving the water colour paint around with a wet brush. 3. Applying wet water colour media to the model surface then drawing it down with a dry brush. I'm also using non-water colour Prismacolor pencils and managing to streak them a little with a damp brush. By doing this with little pressure on the pencil I'm able to get good effects with them too. Less is more with this method though. Also I'm using acrylic satin varnish (airbrushed) to seal in the layers. Two layers down in these pics. Its all about layers. That's what Mig Jimenez says all the time and he's right! Just like the old master oil painters, the secrets in the layers!

OK, so I managed to get the chipping of the starboard side finished, then moved on to experimenting with water colour pencils for some weathering. Keeping in mind that those excellent enamel based products we have to choose from these days are NO GOOD for these Bandai Star Wars and Gundam kits I'm always looking for kinder/gentler alternatives. I know the photo isn't the best, but its the closest I could get to these rust streaks that I'm pretty damn happy with. I was able to get pretty good control with the water colour pencils and am very happy with the end result. Blast effects were enhanced with black pastel. This port side is getting pretty close to the final look I'm after. If nothing else, at least I hope that this build has shown that quite good effects can be achieved using water based products that won't harm the Bandai plastic. And maybe, just maybe, I've opened some of you up to the possibilities of non-cannon (grey only) Imperial vehicles? Oh and I've re-done the pivot point thingy, only this time I remembered to seal it with semi gloss varnish! Sorry about my photos, I know they're not the greatest. I've got one of those mini photo booth things coming from Asia and I'll be getting some close-up filters for my camera, so hopefully that should improve things in the future. Anyway.......... onward............

Very interesting! Looks like the base colour was indeed the culprit all along. Looking through the book "Tomcat Alley" by David F. Brown, I've noticed several Tomcats of this era that may also be painted Light Grey FS. 36495. The trouble is Light Gull Grey FS. 36440 when faded and extremely matt can be hard to distinguish from Light Grey FS. 36495 unless there happens to be a Light Gull Grey and White painted aircraft in the same colour photo. There is a photo of a VF-41 Tomcat in overall Light Gull Grey with what could only be Light Grey FS. 36495 re-spray patches all over it, and in that photo the subtle differences can be seen. This opens up a on this subject that I won't kick off here, but is interesting to note. Richard.

Looking pretty damn good to me Tony! You must be greatly relieved! So glad you didn't give up on this one. Richard.