Vulcanicity Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) Odd that the Gomix kit advertises an FAW.4 and FAW.9 if it is simply a rehash of the ZTS Plastyk FAW.7/FAW.9: FAW.7 cannot simply be re-packaged as FAW.4 as the rear fuselages are again different. Could it be a new mould? Or a re-hash of existing parts with recessed panel lines added in? Unfortunately I can't afford to buy it and find out! Parts count is apparently 50, and a brief back-of the envelope count gives the FROG kit parts count at 50-51... Anyway, here's a brief update from the FROG kit. It's been slow, tedious going, but I just have to remember that since November it's gone from this: To this: Edited March 5, 2012 by Vulcanicity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 That's a really great effort - & well worth it to ressurect a good old British classic! I have an old Frog DH110 in a similar state that I just couldn't bear to chuck out, I really must spend some time on it! Keef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-32 Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 It's coming together really well, very impressive stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amen Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 U r very patient building this kit.One day i will follow your steps making airfix kit looking smthing yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 (edited) I would have never expected such rework with such success!!! I remember times, when considered Javelin as extremly ugly piece of metal, until I saw F-22, F-35, F-117. After some years of hidding old FROG in my stash, I hold it as kind of hallow. I love it's shapes. Reminds me the era, when planes were constructed by real living people. Edited March 8, 2012 by Severus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 It's hard to belive its from the same collection of bit! You've really done well with this mate, and I can't wait to see the paint on her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pukemire Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Excellent work, looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 Thats an unbelievable transformation! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angels49 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Superb!!!....a great rendition of a cold war icon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Looking great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 Thank you Keef, F-32, Amen, Severus, Nobby, Pukemire, Martin, Angels49 and Jimbuna. Your praise and encouragment is very much appreciated! It's been another long gap, revision for an Oxford degree keeps getting in the way of building Javelins, as did the Airfix Gnat. However, we should be back on track now (exams notwithstanding)! I've decided to finish the Frog Kit as much as possible before continuing with the Airfix. So: here's you can see what's left of the cockpit. The kit came to me with no ejector seats, pilots or any other cockpit fittings. I'm not going to go to town on this one like the Airfix. Remember the Frog kit is going on the ceiling! Still, it needs some features to see through the canopy. I started with a rudimentary representation of the radar operator's shelf and equipment, from platsicard and spares box bits. A matching pair of ejection seats came to me via Britmodeller RossM (Cheers!). I believe they're from the Matchbox Lightning T5, and although pretty rudimentary, they're fine for this purpose. All I did was to modify the headrest slightly and add a small box on the side of the headrest, together with firing pull handles. I've not painted any pilots for years, so these chaps (from the Airfix Buccaneer) were a bit tricky! Still, I think they look OK. Flying suits are based on video footage of Javelin operations, and pictures of Hawker Hunter pilots from the early 1950s. With the interior suitably painted and assembled, the pilots look ready to go! The cockpit overall is much more rudimentary than that I've planned for the Airfix kit, but it really won't be that visible through the elderly and rather blurry canopy, especially with the aircraft suspended. The overall aim was for something presentable, and I'm pleased with the result in this light. I'm ready for the upper surface paint (note the pencil demarcations and scribbles all over!) Paint will be Humbrol acryllics, well-thinned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 Looking very nice Phil, the pilots look great, but why Airfix moulded them without their masks on defeats me! And I'm sure we can accept your excuse for the loooong wait between posts!! I think I can remember revising for my degree - but it was 35 years ago so I'm not really sure...!! Good luck with yours!! keef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted April 19, 2012 Author Share Posted April 19, 2012 Cheers Keef! I came back to college today and wasn't going to bring the Frog kit with me, but it was so near finishing I thought I had to! The advantage of using acryllics is that once can paint a whole aircraft in a day with only a few minutes between coats, so by close of play on Wednesday the kit looked like this (sorry for the poor photo, the colours are much better in real life!!) The Frog kit is going to be an FAW.1, so I haven't added belly tanks, pylons or wingtip vortex generators. Not only were many of these parts missing from the kit when it arrived, I thought it would make a nice contrast with the Airfix FAW.9, which I'm going to finish fully armed with four Firestreaks. I chose one of the first aircraft to enter service with 46 Squadron in 1956, partly because the unit markings weren't too tough to paint, but mostly because I had some good shots courtesy of the RAF Museum website: Before painting the camouflage I painted an area of the fin white and masked it off, leaving the background for the unit flash. Here by careful masking a guide for the fin flashes is created. That's all until next time, as the squadron flashes are still a work in progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Looking very nice Phil! I went over to almost exclusively using acrylics a few years back, but as I can't brush paint to save my life I have to use an airbrush - even so I don't think I could ever have got something painted that quickly & keep it looking that good. I'd have fingerprints, dust, bits of masking tape - all sorts stuck in the paint if I tried to work at more than my usual snails pace! As it is I was forever battling with the way acrylics clog the airbrush, so I'm fortunate in that I recently got a spraybooth & have started going back to using the much smellier but much easier to spray enamels! They do take forever to dry though... I really am impressed at what a good paintjob you got so quickly! Keef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Before painting the camouflage I painted an area of the fin white and masked it off, leaving the background for the unit flash. Here by careful masking a guide for the fin flashes is created. That's all until next time, as the squadron flashes are still a work in progress. Interesting how different people take different approaches. When I built my FAW1 for that squadron I made the fin flash from decal cut to shape. I hate masking!!! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 (edited) Duplicate post - deleted David Edited April 19, 2012 by David Womby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) Theres some nice work going on here! The only trouble is, is that it has forced me to go on Evilbay any buy a Frog Javelin! and its all your fault! Martin Edited April 20, 2012 by martin hale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Having seen your work on the TSR-2 Martin, I'm sure you won't have any problems at all in turning out something special with it! Thanks Keef. I find that the key to getting a good brush finish with acryllics is to use several well-thinned coats over primer. Thinning Humbrol or Revell Aqua acryllics with water works fine, and in a warm room they only take about ten minutes to be dry enough to take another coat. Getting bits in the finish is a problem, especially with varnishing. I try and use new pots of paint, carefully clean my brushes and change the water frequently, but it's still an issue. One day, when I can get my own house with a nice properly ventilated modelling room, I'll get an airbrush! David, you definitely had the right idea with the squadron flashes. There was quite a bit of bleed-through on the second one which is going to be quite difficult to paint over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afv_rob Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 This is some seriously impressive work! Considering with what you start out with, the end result is look excellent so far, bravo sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Looking great. Looking great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Thanks again for all the encouragement! Decalling: There was no way I could salvage the decals on the Frog kit when it came to me. So at Telford last year I came upon an Xtradecal "history of 23 squadron RAF" sheet with a Javelin FAW9 on it. I don't particularly like this (rather dull) scheme, but I bought it for its full set of well-printed roundels and huge Javelin fin flash. So I had the national markings at least for the second model. I actually decided to swap the national markings (use the Airfix ones on the Frog kit and the Xtradecal ones on the Airfix) because the Xtradecal sheet was much brighter and better-printed, and I wanted to save it for the "showpiece" Airfix model (which will obviously also have all the stencils etc from its own decal sheet). This was a very good decision. The Airfix decals are thick, and the glue has turned opaque, flaky and white. Upon putting them in the water, I had an effect a bit like one of those Christmas snow globes as the glue disintegrated off the backing paper surrounding the decals! The white glue still sticks strongly to the decals themselves though, and I suspect all the stencils for the Airfix kit will be useless as the glue shows through the carrier film. Apart from the national markings, the Frog kit recieved smaller markings from the spares box, including ejection seat triangles and code letters. The black walkway lines are drawn with a Sharpie permanent pen... You can also see the results of my attempts to mask and paint the 46 Squadron flashes. After a fair bit of cleaning up, they look OK, I think. Still got the underside to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Huge respect. This worked nicely didn't it I remember the Javelin I converted the Froggy into had a slanty angled radome, wish I could remember which one that was. Might have been a FAW7, shame about having "old bloke's memory" never can remember important things Those angled radomes seemed to litter the countryside near airfields The TA/ATC/ Cadet force headquarters building in Worcester used to have a pair of them perched outside the gate at the odd angle induced by the slant on the radome bottom and I remember seeing them occasionally outside petrol stations out in the sticks. They used to get about a bit, them old fibreglass thingys I love the tail flash, great masking work. Overall a worthy restoration thanks for sharing it with us. Is it hanging up yet? We need to see her up in her element. EDIT oops I see you still have the undersides to finish sorry, looks great so far Edited April 21, 2012 by perdu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Womby Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Thanks again for all the encouragement!> > Still got the underside to do! That looks great. The squadron fin emblem worked out well! I like the idea if using a pen to do the walkway lines. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Looking good so far. Your patience will be rewarded with two fine models. I built the Frog model when it first came out. Even then when I was a modelling tyro, I thought that blanking plate to cancel the see through effect would have been nice. MANY years later I have a half built ZTS Plastyk clone of the Frog original. It is a new mould with (crude) engraved panel lines, and with an option to make either a FAW.7 or 9. This is where I am at (it stalled several years ago) It retains the see through look and the unboxed main undercarriage bay which also has the fuselage to wing joint running throught it. I 'fixed' the intake problem by chopping up drop tanks from the 1/72 Revell/Tsukuda MiG 25. Trevor Edited April 21, 2012 by Max Headroom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbuna Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Coming along nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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