Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 Hi all This is my first entry to the GB. I have been saving it ever since a good friend bought it for me in Japan whilst on a "once in a lifetime" spotting trip to some of the JASDF bases. The kit looks quite straightforward, but I have had to order some Gunze paint to mix for the blue on the underside to match the decals on the upper surfaces. The family is away for a few days, so I hope to make some swift progress. With any luck, the paint will arrive on Wednesday.
RNoAF Aerobatic Team Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 Finally the Japs are here;-) Looking forward to follow this.
Antony Robertson Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 Nice choice, my build will be the same but in 1/48 scale Antony
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Posted June 3, 2012 Good luck with the paint mixing!cheers Grant Thanks Grant! I looked at all the conversion charts in an attempt to avoid mixing, but there was no alternative. There does seem to be some doubt over the accuracy of the blue on the decal sheet, but a Google search didn't help as the colour looked completely different in each shotcouch I could be sure, I would ditch the decals and paint all the blue markings.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Posted June 3, 2012 Nice choice, my build will be the same but in 1/48 scaleAntony How uncanny! What is the chance of the 2 hosts doing the same (relatively) unusual subject? How are planning to achieve the blue on the underside, Antony?
Antony Robertson Posted June 3, 2012 Posted June 3, 2012 How uncanny! What is the chance of the 2 hosts doing the same (relatively) unusual subject? How are planning to achieve the blue on the underside, Antony? I'm not going to use the blue decals but am going to paint it all. Vallejo Andrea blue is a pretty good match, so I'll be using that. It's extremely uncanny that we're doing the same kit, but it should be fun copying off of each other! Antony
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Posted June 3, 2012 Hi With the family away, and only a slight distraction in the form of the Jubilee Pageant on TV, I have made a start. The 'pit was glued together, painted and decalled..... .... and then the fuselage was sewn up after some weight was added to the nose. I guess the build phase will be complete tomorrow and then I need to wait for the paint to arrive.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 Hi All A quick progress report. The flying surfaces and intakes are now on. There is quite a lot of movement in the flying surfaces, so you need to check reference pictures for the correct anhedral. The intakes required quite a lot of filler where they join the fuselage, but I am liking the look of this little trainer. I hope to have her in primer today (weather permitting!)
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Posted June 5, 2012 Hi all Well, the weather gods have been kind! She's standing on her legs, with just the fiddly bits to attach, so Halfords Primer, here we come! Primed and hpoing the weather styas for the Halfords Appliance Gloss White. She's not perfect, but built down to my usual mediocre standards!
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Posted June 5, 2012 Hi All From white to grey and then back to white! Here she is after a few coats of Halfords Appliance White. I can see why the airliner guys use this paint, it gives a smooth, glossy finish and dries very quickly. I might start decalling this afternoon, and then progress will halt until my blue paint is delivered. Over to the Belgian F-16!
EricP Posted June 6, 2012 Posted June 6, 2012 That's quick progress! Will be following this build thread with interest ...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Posted June 6, 2012 That's quick progress! Will be following this build thread with interest ... Thanks Eric. I had a bit of a nightmare with some of the large decals last night (pictures to follow.) I am beginning to wish that I had painted the blue markings.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Posted June 6, 2012 Hi All I applied most of the large decals last night. I used my usual method of floating the decals onto some Klear, which when dry pulls the decal into any surface detail. This time, however, I ended up with lots of wrinkles. I wish I had decided to paint the blue....
AndyC Posted June 6, 2012 Posted June 6, 2012 (edited) That's a really pretty scheme isn't it? I use the same method depending on the decals - if they are typical Hasegawa decals, I'm surprised they have wrinkled Edited June 6, 2012 by AndyC
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Posted June 6, 2012 That's a really pretty scheme isn't it? I use the same method depending on the decals - if they are typical Hasegawa decals, I'm surprised they have wrinkled Hi Andy I agree, it is a really pretty scheme. I am also surprised that the decals wrinkled as I have been using Klear as my "setting solution" for years. I will just have to accept that this is another of my "6 foot" models (ok if you view it from 6 feet away!) I plan to take a break from it until my blue paints are delivered.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Posted June 7, 2012 Just received my Gunze H322 & H323 from Model Design Construction. Really fast service and well-packed. This should distract me from the woes of my F-16 (if I can get the mix right!!)
Giorgio N Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 Pity about the decals, the model looks very good though! It's a pretty aircraft in a nice scheme
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 8, 2012 Author Posted June 8, 2012 Hi All I mixed the H322 and H323 as accurately as I could, but the colour was still much darker that the blue on the decals. How I wish I had masked and painted the blue areas! I settled on a mix that looked similar when wet, but after three coats, it is still too dark. However, as the painted areas are on the underside, I can live with it. The blue should extend from the end of the decal under the cockpit and windscreen but I might conveniently forget to do that! I hope to do some more decalling today. I agree with Giorgio it is a pretty aircraft in an attractive scheme.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 10, 2012 Author Posted June 10, 2012 Hi All Just a quick update from the diary of a hapless modeller! All the major decals are in place, (with plenty of minor ones still to go.) I am really unhappy with my paint colour match, and considering it is such a simple design, I wish that I had just masked and painted all the areas of blue. The canopy is resting in place for the photoos.
EricP Posted June 10, 2012 Posted June 10, 2012 Looks good! The different shade of the undersides is not noticeable at all, and you can always explain it away by saying that it's in shade!
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 10, 2012 Author Posted June 10, 2012 Looks good! The different shade of the undersides is not noticeable at all, and you can always explain it away by saying that it's in shade! Thanks, Eric. I like your thinking!
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 24, 2012 Author Posted June 24, 2012 Hi all I lost a bit of interest in this one after the decals wrinkled, but in the spirit of the late Magnus Magnusson, "I've started, so I'll finish"! I present to you the finished model. I am a little embarrassed to show it due to the problem decals and mis-matched paint, but it looks quite pretty if you squint at it from about 6 feet away! The pictures below were taken by my good friend at the team's base in 2008. I am quite gratified that my paint mix looks more accurate than the decals! I have just realised that I haven't fixed the windscreen and canopy. And now, start squinting.... There are a few more in the gallery.
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