silverburn

Ok, my second ever submission to RFI... Caveats: - No Airbrush; I've been using sprays. It's "ok", slight colour issues aside. And the Montana Gold is very thick - tricky to get an even coat. - I know my glass is rubbish - for some reason I ended up with tons of dust inside! And a cotton bud only seem to make it worse! - This was another test bed, given this is only my 2nd model. It's been a real learning experience! Issues encountered: - Paint is tricky when using only sprays; getting the right colours alone was tricky, but the worst thing was the finish; it could be rough or smooth, and laying soot over rough makes it go mental (see side of engines). I am dreading my next one, which requires "fuzzy" cammo. Hmmm.... - A fair bit of filling and sanding required, and my technique needs work - The dusty glass - The "bogey man" deposited a thumb print in the side decal while the laquer was drying. - I lost 2 of the landing gear door side bars, inside. Better tweezers required, methinks - Still need more practise with weathering; it's getting better, but I still need to work on consistency - its too thick or thin in places - bomb hangers (not in kit btw) + bombs - resin was pretty out of shape; the hangers needed a lot of work on fit and finish. Oh, and fit them last; it's a nightmare trying to do soot around them! :-) Anyway...to the pictures! If you want to see specifics...give me a shout, and I'll fire it on.

Stunning! I've got a long way to go yet to match this level of finish...

Ok, a day off today. so plenty stuff done - Laquer coat on and set* - Decals on * The "bogey man" smudged the one of the main decals on the starboard fuselage while the laquer was drying! gaaaah! - Legs in and set - More Laquer - Small details added (legs for bay covers, aerials etc) - Glass masks removed....and what a mess! The whole inside is covered in dust...ruined...next time I leave the glass until the very end! - Dark washed and cleaned Comes out alright! - Props re-re-painted. White this time! And we're almost home! Quick one of the cockpit, while I've got the glass off: Left to do: - exhaust soot - Prop weathering/dark washing - aerial wire - fit bombs - Cry over my ruined glass and fuselage decal - take pride in what *has* gone well! Next post will be in "Ready for inspection"...but that'll be a few days - waiting on a sooty exhaust pastel thingy ** EDIT ** One last photo before "Ready for inspection"...

Paint! First time at cammo...luckily this German cammo is all straight lines! Warning - the green is lighter that I really wanted, but actually...it's not too bad! Tried a different light/camera setting, so looks a bit better now. Masking round 1: Top coat! Masking round 2: And the final result! and with engines... Dodgy green aside, it's really beginning to look much better. A few tiny bits to touch up, mind you. Laquer coat tomorrow!

Another update: Good news - the paint is here! Bad news - the topside cammo blue is not dark enough! Bad news 2 - It's very "heavy" paint; it doesn't settle that cleanly (see below) But here's the whole schebang; masking for the top coat is going to be fun! School boy error....I didn't close off the wheel bays before spraying! Easy fix though. Engines coming along nicely - the military green is great (though not in this photo!). Just the engine soot and dark wash to do once in-situ, and job done! Oh and they're blue, not white underneath. Camera going beserk again. One minor "lumpy bit" in the topside green on one; mask must have not been tight enough.

Another update: - Bombs wired and test fitted. - Weathers the landing gear bays, and chopped out some of the liner, it was interfering with the leg itself - did the guns Before... After!

I've taken the liberty to prepare the kit pit as a backup, just in case: a) Fisher don't release in time I can't get the Panther kit to fit/work A single will just have to do, if it comes to it... Therefore, the pit has been started:

Another wee update, while I wait for new paint. 1. Prop wear attempted - first go at doing this...looks ok! semi-dry-brush with Revell Aluminium 90(99?). Pity I brushed the black on though...it looks hideous. Wish I'd got some spray for them. And ignore the flash bit on the leading edge of one blade...I did make sure I only weathered the leading edges! 2. Bomb hangers fitted (bit tricky!), and landing legs test-fitted. Looks ok! Not sure how the central hydraulic piston fits though...I know where it's secured in the landing leg itself, but can see no obvious place to attach it to, inside the engine nacelle. 3. Bombs weathered with light Promodeller, but difficult to pick out here. Given the photo's I've seen though, the bomb are VERY weathered (all over), and not consistent with each other - some are even grey instead of black. I'll need to think about how to approach this. I might dry-brush them all over, with a focus on the noses and fins. I also need decals I suspect, but haven't found any detailed pictures of German 500kg bombs - yet. I'll also need super-fine thread for the fins - german 500kg fins are tied together to form a "box".

Excellent news on the molds! Just as well, because the Panther kit is gonna be a pure B*****rd. Check out the fit lines on this. You can drive a bus through the gaps. And that Canopy..yikes. . .

Excellent advice; I'll give it a go! I might be trying some new spray paint on this ju 88; I'm still not happy with the colours humbrol do, but have found some excellent colours by Montana Gold. I'll let you know how it goes next week.

I see Montana Gold sprays on some model sites...and on paper, these look good: - Acrylic - Matt - 400ml - options for can tops - wide colour range - not too expensive (£6 a tin) Before I go ahead and buy some, has anyone tried these? Any good? Can't be any worse than the overpriced, undersized and limited range humbrol stuff. I'm a sprayer, because as a newbie, I can't spring for an airbrush.

Yep, everything arrived ok, and quick too - thanks btw! Yep, the canopy is massive - far too tall, not just the screen angle. I might be able to shrink it though...but it's a hell of a job, and it'll be very tight on the pit itself by then. And I'll definitely have to store the seats; I might - god forbid - run it without a pit altogether... There's worse news yet...the actual resin fuselage itself is too small (in diameter), and the curvature is different to the revell! It's not small enough though...if it was smaller, I could "wedge" it into the revell fuselage, and fill it out from there. So I'm planning to shim it down so I can do that. I'll upload a pic later. I'm doomed to a whole lot of puttying and filing, I think... Oh, and it's a Panther Conversions, Ollie. I bought it out of Bill's stash!

Only a small update tonight - engines. Still got a weathering on the fronts to do, and the tip colour and the gloss. Then they're ready for fitting. Exhausts are rusted and weathered (much better looking in normal light btw). I lashed on Mig Dark wash...and didn't wash off. Perfect. I'm toying with the idea of soot trails, once they're mounted....tricky without an air brush I suspect!

Hi again all, No sooner had the paint dried on my first ever model, I'm already onto number 3 - and this is the biggie. Number 2 is still in progress. Basically, this one will be a xmas present for my father-in-law. He was the primary fly-by-wire test pilot who flew the customised hunter built for the task. It goes under the number XE531. While he flew lightnings and "vanilla" hunters, this was his favourite "bird" of his career. And this is it: I also have the same picture with him holding my future wife (aged 6!) in it. So...to the building... I won't be needing the landing gear, as this will be hung in his office, in a flying pose. XE531 will be built using: - Revell 1:32 base kit - Panther prods 2 seat conversion I'm starting with the resin kit, because - frankly - it's the scariest part and with good reason: Starting off: Trimmed and fitted the canopy/spine to the main body, trimmed and tidies up the other resin bits and already we've hit a snag - the cockpit is too big! I can get the instruments, seats and bulkhead in without hitting the canopy...but it's tight. Not sure what to do here. Maybe the seats are wrong. Hmmm. Also gonna need proper superglue to keep the two bits together - and some considerable filling afterwards! It's gonna be a loooooong trip, this one.

More pics added - tried to get a bit close this time, so you can see more detail.

Hi all, Well, here is my first ever "Solo" model - and Hunter 1:32 - ready for inspection. Last time I was "exposed" to modelling was 30 years ago, watching my dad. Now it's my turn. I built this as a test-rig for a "proper" build next; I'm building XE531 for my father-in-law's xmas present. He was the original test pilot for the fly-by-wire, and he *loved* XE531. So I figured I'd build it for him, but I needed a practise one first! Especially since XE531 is a 2 seater, and will be a b****r... I've taken on a lot of the techniques people have kindly contributed to this forum, and try to apply them the best I could - and this is the result. Some things have worked better than others - I've even surprised myself with some of the results. And some are pure newbie! List of obvious mistakes: - I didn't Cammo. I was too scared, frankly - I was getting used to the concept of spraying and simple masking! So I - *cough* used the Swedish colours (not in kit), but RAF decals. - Tail decals wrong way round (thanks for the spot guys!) - Front weight in nose too light (I used 3 steel bolts too!) - had to whack some blue-tak in the front wheel bay - No pre-shading - Puttying and filing could be better (where pit joins the body for example) - Some spraying anomalies around tail-fin and engine intakes. - I made a complete dog's dinner of the undercarriage...you name it, I did it wrong. Glue and broken bits everywhere. - My weathering could be (and will be!) improved. I've used MIG dark wash, but I think this is overkill and too tricky for me to clean up. Have got some promodeller for the next one. - Same for dry brushing - I over-aged my pit. - Seat belts were rubbbish - down to my shaky hand, pure and simple Stuff I liked: - The tanks came out way better than I'd ever have expected, for my first attempt, and given I'm practising all the techniques for the first time. Apart from a little too much "bleed" in the dark wash, they were spot on. - I managed to do the glass without getting paint or glue all over it! - It's a good kit, in the main - though I think the join between the wings, fuselage and pit components could be better. It's a bugger to fill too. - Drybrushing is bloody great as a technique for pit dials etc - Painting the inside of the wing lights worked brilliantly - Spraying and masking for the first time, and seeing the results - Seeing the potential in weathering; mine is either too much (the belly), or not enough (the forward fuselage) Anyway...to the pictures!!

Thanks for all the compliments guys - good to know I'm on the right track! @ Notdoneyet - doh! Good spot! I'd figured these were "Great Britain flags" so are reversed on both sides - oh well - lesson learned! These are sealed in now, as I'm starting final construction today. If it does get finished I'll post pics in ready for inspection, with all the notes/errors I've got written down, for use on the next one.

Another update: Weathering underway! MIG Dark wash used, but it's hard work - I tried it on my hunter test rig, and had limited results - it gets in the seams well, but it still stained more than I wanted on the underside. Use of thinner required at some stages! Bit too scary for a newbie... However, I've applied it to the engine cells, and actually...it's ok. Lots of staining round the exhausts which I wanted. But it still needs tidying, so out with the thinners, I recon! I may also need to find a way to "age" the flappy bits too; I might get the dry brush out! I still think MiG is overkill, given it really does stain, and is a bit fiddly to tidy up. I've ordered the promodeller stuff, as it looks "safer and easier" than the MiG stuff. ..And here's the hunter pic:

Ok, more updates. 1. I've started on the green spraying! The colour is actually a much closer green than this (I've used Humbrol Dark Green); I think my energy saving bulb is distorting the colours. I've tried to throw in a picture with normal lighting, but even that is off. However...not sure if you can make it out...but the pre-shade has come up a treat! I'll be Cammo-ing with Humbrol Dark Grass, or something. I can't remember, but it's a lot darker and grey-er than this green. 2. I did an experiment gloss of the engine covers; they've come up surprisingly well, and much of the pre-shade is intact! This is good, because I want the engines to be pretty dirty in the final look. A better representation of the green, but still not correct; it's much better in real light, trust me! 3. Where can I get some good pictures of the 500kg bombs? I've got the black, but want to see if they need decals, and best way to weather them (if I even should) Now...for some side entertainment while all that dries...my HUNTER! Gloss coat is down...transfers are down...and gloss re-applied. It's beginning to look like a plane! (I've taken some licence with the paint though...the green is correct, but I got "psyched out" by the cammo...so I just skipped it!). Also, the flaps are only there because I was glossing. They'll be extended in the final. Holy crap, the decals were tricky for someone with 10 thumbs though...here's another thing - take a look at the"browning" at the edges of the decals below. Is that normal? How can I avoid in the future? And what happens when the decals are slightly off alignment, and you end up with white in them (see 2nd pic above)? I know this is a side-track from my JU 88, but I wanted to show off my first model; it's coming up way better than I expected! (Though you can see my dodgy painting of the nose). Weathering to do next, then sticking on all the bits I'd have broken off by now if I'd fitted them first!

Not to worry - I'll be spraying, using some Humbrol sprays (inc a gloss). Used some on my hunter, and they're ok - no running or weird paint things (bubbles, goose bumps etc). I was really nervous, but it all went ok in the end! Well, apart from spraying my shoe by accident of course, but that's another story. I've got the cammo colours "reasonably" close (and on order, once the posties get their s**t together) for the ju88, but struggling to find a suitable belly colour. I've used the light grey on the hunter and it's "too grey" (photo's later, once it's glossed); I'm looking for more of a light blue - or even off white - which humbrol don't really do in sprays. Tamiya only do PS ones (with a much better range of colours too) - but I understand PS can't be used on plastic models? Is that right? What's the actual difference?

And this afternoon activities... 1. PRESHADE! Complete stab in the dark on this one - didn't even sample on the hunter or it's tanks, so i hope to god this works! Applied straight onto primer - question to the group though - another layer of primer, or straight to colour???? I leave my next step in the groups more experienced hands... 2. Props & bombs first coat and tidied up the tyres

Ok, day two of the photographed part of the build. 1. Putty and sand the gaps post-priming. Before and after sanding. Given the complexity/materials of the fittings around the pit, some gaps are inevitable, I recon. 2. Assemble engine nacelles and props. I used a cunning technique of glueing the prop blades to the hub while resting on a flat surface, the waiting for it dry before glueing on the front. I have decided to do the nacelles separately because a) I recon I need to put the exhausts in post-paint, and the nacelles are a single colour - they're not integrated into the cammo scheme. Does that sound like a cunning plan? Anyone forsee any disadvantages to that approach? 3. Before 2nd round/touch-up of priming... 4. Lacquer being added to legs; reading the forum I found out that I got cloudiness because my sealer/lacquer wasn't 100% dry. That might explain the "bleed" around the lines on my hunter's tanks, see below (which I'm still bloody happy with btw...exceed my expectations by miles!). Any other suggestions to prevent the "bleed"? 5. While we're all waiting for all that lot to dry, here's my kit-supplied seat from Hunter; this really shows up my poor skills, and my too-thick/big brushes. "Wear" is overdone too, but it's my first attempt!

Honest guv! Used to watch my dad as a 7 yr old kid though - must have remembered some of it! I also remember trying to see if his 1:32 spitfire, 109, harrier and 1:48 lancaster would actually fly, all from my 2nd floor bedroom window...my @rse is still sore today from the hiding I got, 30 years ago...my grasp of physics did improve from then, thankfully. Also, I spent a fair bit of time envying and studying you guys before I got started, which has been a steep learning curve, but certainly rewarding! Now I just need my skill to catch up with the knowledge!

Ok, caveats first... - This is my 2nd model...ever. So yes, there will be huge errors - all construction tips welcome, because I've got the "big one" next - a test-bed Hunter numbered XE531 (1:32 with 2 seat conversion) for my father-in-laws xmas, and it'll need to be damned good! My first one (1:32 Hunter) is in the background of these photo's and is waiting for it's first laquer coat. (Good kit btw - went together really easy...no glue finger prints on it at all! ). - I chose 1:32 because I figured the bigger model will be easier to paint, especially on the details. I'm hardly the most co-ordinated guy in the world. I have huge respect for the guys who have better looking pits in 1:72 than I do in 1:32. - I don't have an airbrush; I'm starting out afterall. I have sprung for sprays though, at the sacrifice of exact colour matches. You'll see a lot of brush strokes... Ok, to the Junkers: Apologies in advance - I was too slow setting up the camera, so we're starting a fair bit in. The pit is done, and the fuselage, wings and tailplanes are on. And I should really have - this wasn't as quick and clean as the Hunter was. Not a brilliant photo, but this is the pit. I made less of a hash than expected; my wife thinks it looks fantastic, but you guys have set a higher standard... The leather works well, though purely by accident - the paint wasn't mixed right (looks better in real too), and I broke a couple of the smallest levers (get a better knife), but the "wear" came out better than expected; I drybrushed (a new technique for me!) with aluminium,and it works well - I had to re-do the main pilot dials in white though, to bring them out more. i also used some poetic licence for colours (see control stick - and its dark red, not flourescent), since I didn't have the proper one! Other snippets: - I had to cut the side pilot control strip, as it wouldn't slide into the pit wall cleanly. - my leather paint was not mixed correctly - wear drybrushing looks great in reflection, but dull viewed directly on (as it is here). - I need a very, VERY small brush for some details. - I used a mask kit for the glass (yes, it's cheating, but I'm too "green" to do it freehand) Shot before I attached more glass and the flaps. If you're wondering why the wings are primed, and everything else isn't...well, I was practising my spray, and also I wanted to see how my fit lines were. As is was, I needed to putty fill (another new technique for me) the engine nacelles where they joined the wing. Priming seems to be a good way of showing this stuff up. Tricky to fill and sand btw... PS - thats not a huge fit gap on the pit wall...I just overpainted - on purpose! Another right-side up. I've already started filling in a big gap where the wing joined the fuselage. And the wing tips. And the bottom fuselage panel isn't an exact fit, so more sanding and filling needed there. And the top panel is rather flexible; another tricky one to fill. Spent an entire afternoon puttying and sanding. Primed with Tamiya spray...shows off the bomb kit (HUGE fit gaps btw). I may have to re-visit. And right side up. I need to revisit that left wing and left aileron fit by the looks of things. Dammit. But this is the advantage of priming - it really shows up gaps you don't think are there in bare plastic. And the side view. Looks like I need to refit that left pit glass - it's misaligned (felt ok when I placed it!) - as well as some small filling work around the pit. While I wait for that to dry, I kicked off the wheels. Weathering attempted on legs, but hasn't works as well planned - I was hoping for a more defined look, but it's very smeary and patchy. I may re-visit, but happy to hear opinions on best techniques. I've got the MIG darkwash btw. oh, and the glue appears to have stripped the paint on the cantilevers??? Anyway, will drybrush the wheels and legs (again) later. On the whole, it's a good kit so far, but a number of alignment issues - I've been careful to match stuff up as closely as possible, but still end up with poor fit lines in places - eg main fuselage is great, as was the top panel, but the bottom panel was wrong curvature and fit. And some of the super-small parts are nearly impossible to get off the cast without breaking or distortion (for a newbie at least). Gotta order some sprays and do plenty puttying & sanding & re-priming before I can move onto the next stage.

I read that somewhere too - wouldn't mind waiting normally (and the Fisher one's been talked about since 2008), but I'm planning to pop this in his xmas stocking this year as a surprise, so lets hope it's in the next month or so! :-)