Phartycr0c

Thanks everyone for your kind comments. Im now going to appear completely ignorant and ask what is the RAT?

Trumpy 1 32 with rubbish photography!

Excellent build! you should be justifiably pleased!

And said "LO! get that thing off my table now!" The earth shook and the craft knives were mislaid. Paints were confiscated and the meek cried "Forgiveness!" And so it came to pass that the A7 was finally finished. The Almighty looked and saw that it was good. I however didnt!. As you may know I have had some motivational issues with this build mainly because of the presence of a certain Flanker in my stash. Nowt wrong with the kit itself the build fine, As I have said before anyone who undertakes this build should invest in the Zacto conversion it makes a major difference to the overall look of the kit. The Trumpeter offering is a little squashed. Downside? the amount of filling and sanding to achieve a smooth finish in the intake and the canopy construction itself which is different to say the least. Anyhow on with the "show". BTW I know the loadout is too heavy and incorrect but I like the walleye so there! I made a right pigs ear of the underside weathering so no bottom shots! On the 92nd day she rose again to sit at the right hand of the VF 82 F/A 18 C It is Easter after all!

Good Grieff! (get it?) very nice work indeed!

Bin a while since my last update, TBH I ran out of steam with this, I was seriously thinking of consigning it to the "maybe later" pile as I have a big Flanker, F15 1/48 lanc and a tomcat all vying for my attention, anyhow I got the camera out and started messing. I didnt realise exactly how the camera highlights mistakes. Think next time ill use a wide angle lens shot through a soft focus adapter!! Anyhoo! heres what ive got so far, I saw a shot of a VA 82 aircraft with a drop tank containing the marauders flash between the centre two straps so i thounght id have a go at them freehand. Personally I think they are a little small. The gunk on the canopy is Maskol to protect from the final satin coat. Complete the wash on the body and ordinance, fix the gear and equipment cab doors, and sort the canopy and I think im there! Let you know when I finish!

Amazing work. The paintwork is outstanding!

That is one wonderful Bone. I love the conversion, even down to the targetting pod! I have had the pleasure, but having bitten the bullet, at a massive £15.00 off a friend of mine who had it in his stash and was never going to build it. I unfortunatly went at it like a bull at a gate and built it oob. I admittedly rushed mine and built it in 17 days just before going on hols. The kit builds into the original B1b in the three tone camo which is what I went for. It now occupies the top of a bookcase....just I would however recommend the experience to anyone just to say "iv'e done the bone!" would you object to a phot? Oh by the way, of you display it with the wings folded fully back it becomes a tail sitter!

wonderful feline, Outstanding job on the camo. Seriously, roll on the Trumpy 1 32........ if ever!

That is one nice Hind M8 Welcome to the forums and keep up the good work!

Loverly feline Brian, Welcome to the dark side! BTW which version of the Tamiya kit was the original build (im assuming its Tamiya).

Work on the Sluf has been intermittent to say the least but here is a short update. I completed the wing unit (minus the armament) and decalled it seperatly to the fuselage mainly for ease of handling. As I have said other than the Zacto conversion it was oob (can that happen?) and as such I have used the kit decals, I have to say Im extremely pleased with their quality. I applied the decals, following a soaking, by wiping the application area with some neat Klear floorshine which as it dries pulls the decals hard into the contours of the plastic. Be sure to give the area around the decal a good wipe with a peice of damp kitchen roll or suchlike so you dont end up with a dried ring of Klear. Anyhow results below. Oh by the way ive started part washing the beaut. You should be able to see the difference between the washed and unwashed parts. Armament and final construction next.

The accuracy issue with Trumpy kits is surely one of opinion and exactly how far you want to go with representing a particular subject. In my own case, the models I build, I know will never win show prizes however In "Dave world" they are perfect representations of the real thing. It never ceases to amaze me the level of modelling talent out there and I know it is likely I will never aspire to some of the high standards of work, however I dont necessarilly consider myself as simply an assembler but a modeller and as such some alterations to kits are a necessary evil be it removing flash from parts through to the addition of aftermarket bits. I really enjoyed building my Trumpy A10 despite its inaccuracies. What I am trying to say is that I am satified with what I see at the end of a build, some will think its brilliant, some will drive a coach and horses through it only I know the truth. Therefore good or bad won't the Trump Lightning be a good basis for a subject? Im sure the aftermarket crew such as Chris at Zacto and the decal manufacturers will soon be producing stuff following the kits release!

Erm, what exactly is wrong with 1/32 Jaguars, Lightnings, Prowlers, (although weve not seen them yet) and Phantoms, although IMHO they have been done to death in 1 32, and FLANKERS?mmmmmmm FLANKERS!

to be followed by a nice 1 32 one please!!!!

Thanks folks, Mark, I picked my marker up from my local art shop however they are available in the likes of Staples and other stationary stores. You will nedd the permanent marker for acetate. One thing I am seriously considering is sealing the light with a good dose of Klear floorshine before I apply my final satin coat. I have a feeling the thinners in the enamel paint will make the light run.

Thanks again for your kind comments, and Periklis for your constructive observations. In hindsight I would save up for the Aires cockpit and Zacto seamless intake but I run out of personal celebrations with which to ask for donations to the modelling fund (Yes im a tight bottom!) The kit comes with mouldings for two ejection seats and TBH there is not a lot of difference between them, I think the one plumbed for in the kit is actually a cross between the two used in the A7's and as a result has ended up being pretty no specific. With regards to the Intake seam, you are quite right and seameless intake would be the easiest and neatest solution. I really didnt think it would have been as visible as it is, and that is with copious amounts of PVA and filler shoved as far down as I could. One other thing is that on the 1.1 aircraft the turbine intake fan is visible at the far end, again something I would like to do on the next sluf if I get round to a second one. One other thing is that my sanding kit didnt reach as far into the intake as I would have liked, again something to invest in for the future. By way of a consolation, the seam isnt visible if you look up the tail pipe end so its not all bad! In relation to the cokpit tub, yes you are quire right about the color which I will correct. the reference photos i am using are not as lear as i would have hoped and as a result I used my best guess / trumpeter colouring instructions which are clearly wrong im inclined also to agree with the launchers they are again direct from the kit. It probably a case of me wanting to get stuck into this kit without the in depth research i should have done but i needed a New Year project and this had been staring at me for a couple of months.

Had a few hours to play today so the Gull grey went on together with the (very light) Klear floorshine coat. The rudder is just pushed into place for the mo as im going to reposition it off centre for the final display. also had a go at reproducing the elevator rub plates, not sure though. Wheel sets completed and washed cab unmasked for a bit of further work Wingsets with aelerons and flaps fitted And todays coup, the nav light. I thought i would try something different as the kit light is moulded in grey plastic. I coated the light in chrome silver humbrol 11, and when dry drew on it with a red acetate permanent marker and hey presto What do you think? Cockpit work next with the Zacto stuff then decals and putting wings to body.

OOh good choice!. Ive got an Academy 1 32 viper / falcon to do at some stage. Not a clue what markings I want, the kit provides too much choice!.

Worrying needlessly methinks its a superb result. Keep up the good work

Nice work thus far Mish, keep on going. TBH I have glue spills even in 1/32. My eyes were going haywire when I was doing the wingfolds on my A7. I tried gluing each individual wire with Superglue and a cocktail stick. In the end I just run the glue along the length of the wingfold and sprayed over the top.

Some more sluf stuff! Been a little busy of late and the sluf has fallen a little by the wayside. Anyhow, done the wingfolds When I came to build in the hinges unbeknown to me the sprue had obviously twisted or something dropped on them. They are really fine pieces of plastic and i found that they had snapped right the way accross all 6 tiny little hinges rendering them useless. :shithappens: Anyhow, I gave the problem some thought and replaced the hinges with some wire stripped from a telephone cable and bent to shape. Next came sanding filling sanding filling etc etc until the "gob " of the plane was smooth. Then a layer of white on the relevant bits and bobs. Grey next, back with an update soon. TTFN Oh By the way, Ive modelled the wings with the front slats drooped

Go On you KNOW you want to! It looks nothing like a Jaguar / Prowler / Typhoon / Lightning *delete as applicable This is MY Crusader kit (only joking)

mmmmmm 1 32 Jaguar!

For those that havn,t seen this site before, contains some outstanding Flanker images. http://www.aircraftphoto.ru Check out the gallery section and youll see what I mean. The DVD could be useful as well!