perdu

Not glued I hope, Si I detect empty 'pit' syndrome

Spoiling my imperfect perceptions. Thanks Ian

Gotcha

A bit more done, Aircraft ID numbers, ejection seat warnings, first aid cubby hole transfers in keeping with my policy of not dashing pell-mell into it. I need to find tip tank decals now after spending nearly two hours this morning stealing modelling time searching my decal reserve collection and finding none except the fuel fill marks on decal sheets for The Mighty Wokka so a session on Paint Shop Pro beckons to draw first a hole above the legend AVTUR, letters to be white and the square they sit upon black. Best look at the ones Steve @Fritagput on his'n. I found some markings on the web which gave me a decent basis to work with on this build but there was no suitable tank decal to work with. So real graphics to play at later. But first there's to be a race, in a hot, hot country...

But maybe should have huh? Capisce?

A little more G, additionally we have the aircraft codes, ejection seat triangles and the first aid cubby hole marked out. Unusually this opening panel (with ever so dirty top hinges) wasn't marked on the fuselage but this seems to be the right place. After I finish I will trim the sloppy masking areas, some will get paint others slivers of decal sheet colour. Some of which are sitting at the back of screen awaiting trimming for the Harrier GR5 I am doing in another place. Now I have to scare up a couple of tip tank decals proudkly proclaiming AVTUR and with holes for the filler caps left open. I spent/wasted/utilised all of my first two hours of modelling time today hoping to find such decals in my spare decals file. Nada! So later I will draw up such in Paint Shop Pro and get a few printed off. When I begin tidying up after the decalling is done I will gently hide all the lightened whitened strips leaking out from behind the home printed decals, only then will I be happy. You?

Only the underneath s G, sorry. But the uppers may get a brush job next, I'm not convinced with faded edges, I recall most camo in the times I'm thinking of were hard edges. How better to show that?

(Usually sun assemblies and such)?????

Okay and in keeping with my new policy of doing less for Johnny's requirements, not! I did a little more decalco-maniacal laughing and a few more stickers. Do a few then Daco Strong, let it dry do a few more. As I am using home brewed images on clear decal paper and light colour over a darker colour will vanish in the haze, I have slipped a piece of white decal underneath the yellow rescue markings, both sides. Which was what I did with the white outline to the fuselage roundel. White circles cut out of white Microscale decal sheet and popped on to the tail end, all smartish like. Invaluable for cutting fine size circles, the DISPAE* cutter was well worth my investment *no, I think it's a trade/business name. Go figure. Mind you being such a cheapskate there is an even better version which has its own location scale included which I sometimes regret not getting instead. I think @CedB and young @Tomoshenko could explain how they measure up... Or was it @Ex-FAAWAFUwho bought it at Telford a couple of years ago, fading memories strike again. I think I need to provide black refuelling data and protective panels for the wing tip tank fillers, time to find a decent shot of the tank from above.

Just realised I can do a minor update (Don't tell Johnny) The Hunters are still becoming improved A few dollops of filler etched out from the in-between the wing changes of shape and brush-painted with Hataka blue LAG Seems better, nicely brushing paint, if extremely MATT in effect. The matt finish soaks up minor blemishes and makes finding and eliminating said blemishes more difficult. But hey ho. I think I can refine the top side paints for both schemes

Oh dear Johnny, now I feel I am depriving you of clinical acccuracy, skill and achievements with my have at 'em approach. OK noted I will wind my neck in and slow down. (Mind you how am I to get rid of all those as yet unstarted models in the cupbpoards and boxes scattered around... It's a worry.) Adrian why not, there is even that American version awaiting skill and application of determinationHumbrol filler putty.

look stickers And rest until tomorrow after the Daco Strong does its work before doing some more

Ask Ced, he knows about these things

Ri-i-i-ight then, whilst the Lightning wing and the Sea Vixen fuselage recover from my massive onslaught work is still happening here, the GR5 is near enough ready for decalcomaniacery Alclad Aqua Gloss applied and drying, some of the million and a quarter stickers can go on after a few random wiggy lines get straightened. Hataka Brushable (Blue Stripe) is OK for brushing Laters

As soon as one coat of any colour is done it gets blasted with either Tamiya S-79 for gloss or TS-80 for matt or as in this next picture with Alcad2 Aqua Gloss. I have just painted the tip tanks (by brush!) and just looking at them the paint 'marks up' so I tried the Aqua Gloss which has done the trick I think. Matt Black next, probably the Vallejo version ( I dont have the Browning version, oh sorry I'll just get on with painting the models) I might not even look for a scale black-alike but head straight in for a straight Black.

I used my Expo minidremel on the first, discarded model but when it got shallow enough to please OCD Joe here it melted its way up to the surface and caused disquiet. Not another time thanks. Done enough there so I can apply a few lessons the chisels taught me and get the other wing to a similar state quicker.

There's always someone watching the works from the window into the toolroom, has to be really. I try to keep them appeased Dave, haven't had the visit yet, because why would they if I am driven to this? 0.0204" to be exact, near enough for me. With the wheel out of there the hole looks scale enough so I am calling it time for the next wing, with lessons from wing #1 learned and applied. See you tomorrow.

Forty thou so far Very hard plastic doesn't like letting go. I'm going to need to remove another twenty thou to get the recess looking deep enough but I'm not expecting to get a true scale recess. Then I go to the next wing.

Easy target Giorgio, you know he has a nurgent need to produce a Nurricane for 28 sqn...

I just knowed you would have to take out gurt flaming chunks of a non-existent bulkhead Ian. Nice duck boards underfoot too, at least the crew wont be getting duckboard ravaged shoes as I used to when working in the tool room. (duckboards alongside machine tools to allow swarf a safe refuge from the evening sweep round) I dont think that looks like a bog, more like a Parker Knoll type armchair waiting for the armrests.

A rationale: you do not need the part numbers once the model is done, do you? You will find the space saved more useful than lengths of unidentified plastic which you will remember came of the Tilson Butterfingers mark three you made in 2002. And yes I really need to start doing this myself, do I need five sprue sets from old Frog Typhoons? Boxes of Catalina runner which I saved because they are the thickest of polygons I can remember seeing in a kit? NO

Snip the pieces off the runners and save in a small box, save SOME straighter runs off the runners to use for stretching and plant the rest in re-cycling. Saves space. Reminds me I ought to do the same instead of having unwieldy lengths of useless polystyrene hanging around.

Loving that Si, proper job.

That might be basically what I did with my Black Cat Catalina. I painted the Blues and White scheme, added decals and then painted the black all-over finish. Then destroyed the top coat to let the decals show through Some of the paint was salt weathered too before the black coat Quite happy with the effect after

Might not be the first or onliest time neither.