Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 Hi This is my second entry. I saw the sensational display at Duxford last weekend.... .... and bought the Revell kit with Syhart decals and woven patch from the enthusiastic and friendly Belgian ground crew. I am still a brush-painter (although I am patiently waiting for my birthday to get my hands on my new airbrush!), and this is going to be the most complex scheme that I have ever attempted. To be honest, I am not even sure how to tackle the demarcations between the light grey, the dark grey and the blue on the upper surfaces that are separated by thin strips of decal. Should I apply the base grey first and then apply the demarcation decals before the next colour? Any suggestions welcome!
RNoAF Aerobatic Team Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 That looks like a great livery. And that was this year's livery? Cool. Good luck with it!
Grant Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 How cool is that - decals and badge from the crew. Interesting scheme to paint. To use the decals I would probably 'paint - decal strip - klear' and repeat as necessary. That way you can mask to the edge of the decal. but realistically it might be easier to - spray on the white and black and put thin strips of masking tape over it where required, then paint in the greys and blues. It won't be exactly the same as the decals, but it will be close and probably easiest. Good Luck Grant
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Posted June 3, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the tips, Grant. I was thinking of going with your first suggestion, as the Klear will protect the the decal and allow careful cleaning if any paint gets under the masking. From what I have read, the kit will probably fall together, but I must confess to being nervous about the painting/decalling stage which will take me completely out of my comfort zone. I guess that is what keeps us interested in the hobby and continues to develop our skills? Edited June 3, 2012 by Alpha Delta 210 Spelling
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 3, 2012 Author Posted June 3, 2012 Hi I am building this concurrently with the Blue Impulse jet. So far, I have painted and decalled the cockpit.... .... and fixed it inside the fuselage front section. Construction may be complete tomorrow and then on to the scary bit!
arnobiz Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Interesting technique here, why do you keep the front fuselage on the sprue while assembling the cockpit? What is the benefit? Thanks, Arnaud
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 Interesting technique here, why do you keep the front fuselage on the sprue while assembling the cockpit? What is the benefit?Thanks, Arnaud Hi Arnaud The only benefit is keeping all the bits together for as long as possible, as I am building the Blue Impulse T-4 at the same time and I don't want to lose anything!
arnobiz Posted June 4, 2012 Posted June 4, 2012 Makes sense. I'm not sure if I would manage to do it without damaging the fuselage where it is linked to the sprue though, but you seem to have done it without any prblem, well done! Arnaud
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 4, 2012 Author Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) Hi all Just a quick update. The fuselage halves (incorporating the wings) are now together. For those of you unfamiliar with F-16 kits, it is split into top and bottom halves, rather than sides. I struggled a bit with the fit on both sides at the rear, and under the cockpit, but I got there in the end with the help of a little Vallejo filler. I also needed quite a lot of filler on the air intake where it joins the fuselage I haven't put any nose weight in yet. I hope that filling the nose cone with lead shot will suffice. As a matter of interest, there is a shocking amount of flash on and in some of the parts. Edited June 4, 2012 by Alpha Delta 210
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Posted June 5, 2012 Hi All She's now standing on her own three feet, primed and with representations of the Smokewinders crafted from the kit's Sidewinders. I found the manufacturer's Website, which was really interesting and useful. Essentially, I removed the front fins from the missiles, and sanded the tubes smooth. The rear fins were also sanded smooth, however they are are not very accurate in shape and size, but I can live with that! I have made a typical hasty mistake by attaching the wrong (larger) engine air intake. I guess that I will just have to live with that, too!
CliffB Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 Rapid progress! It's always nice when the primer goes on and you start to see the shape of the aircraft in all its glory.......particularly when it is an F-16 Cliff
Hardtarget Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 I have these decals and was proposing to do this scheme for this GB so will be looking with interest on your approach to the decals and also the mixing of the white/silver underside.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 5, 2012 Author Posted June 5, 2012 I have these decals and was proposing to do this scheme for this GB so will be looking with interest on your approach to the decals and also the mixing of the white/silver underside. Hi I have just applied a coat of white enamel mixed with silver enamel in an approximate mix as per the Syhart instructions. It looks OK so far! As per Grant's suggestion, I have decided to apply the first grey and then the demarcation decals which I will protect with Klear before masking and applying the next colour and so on. As I said at the top, this is the most complex scheme I have ever done. I usually prefer quick weekend builds! Fingers crossed! I look forward to seeing yours. Which kit do you plan to use?
EricP Posted June 6, 2012 Posted June 6, 2012 That's a very nice looking scheme, will be following this with interest too!
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks Eric. I have started to apply paint (pictures to follow.) My family are returning from their short-break, so progress might falter somewhat!
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Posted June 6, 2012 Hi all Well, here are the promised pictures. There are two greys on the topside of the model at the moment (plus the primer!). The underside is a mix of enamel white and silver, as recommended by Syhart. I hope to apply the first demarcation decals this afternoon.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Posted June 7, 2012 Hi All The moral of this sorry instalment is "don't start a complex decal scheme after you have consumed a few glasses of wine......" My family returned from their short break with the in-laws yesterday afternoon and in celebration, we popped a bottle of bubbly. Once the bottle had been finished, my wife disappeared to unpack the case, which I saw as a great opportunity for decalling! I couldn't work out why the demarcartion stripes near the cockpit didn't "fit" as per the Syhart instructions, but despite clear the instructions and my pictures taken at Duxford, I carried on regardless. On lookiing at the model with a clear head this morning, I very quickly realised that the stripes were on the wrong sides! The Klear had pulled them down beautifully into the fine surface detail, so there is no way I can remove them intact. After a couple of expletives and thoughts of throwing the model into the nearest bin, my stingey side cut in! I remembered that I had paid those nice Belgians £20 for the kit, decals and patch and I couldn't bear the thought of throwing that away! My solution (unless anyone has any better ideas) is to use the decal backing paper that I had carefully (and miraculously!) cut around as a template to create the new stripes from black decal film, with the silver painted on. I will sand or scrape away the existing decals and repaint as required. If anyone has any suggestions for lifting the decals PLEASE let me know! So much for a quick build......
General Jumbo Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 (edited) Given that it looks like a simple enough shape, I'd try masking with Tamiya tape and paiting on the stripes. Or just have another couple of bottles of bubbly and then you won't care. Edited June 7, 2012 by General Jumbo
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Posted June 7, 2012 Given that it looks like a simple enough shape, I'd try masking with Tamiya tape and paiting on the stripes. Or just have another couple of bottles of bubbly and then you won't care. Maybe you're right, perhaps I am over-complicating things! I did consider more fizz, but I try not to drink before 11am!!
EricP Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 Since you have the "templates", may I suggest getting solid black and silver decal film and cutting new ones? This will save tedious masking and clean-up.
Hardtarget Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 HiI have just applied a coat of white enamel mixed with silver enamel in an approximate mix as per the Syhart instructions. It looks OK so far! As per Grant's suggestion, I have decided to apply the first grey and then the demarcation decals which I will protect with Klear before masking and applying the next colour and so on. As I said at the top, this is the most complex scheme I have ever done. I usually prefer quick weekend builds! Fingers crossed! I look forward to seeing yours. Which kit do you plan to use? I have the older boxing and more rarer one block 50/52. Picked one up at Dx for £9 to use for this scheme.
Alpha Delta 210 Posted June 7, 2012 Author Posted June 7, 2012 Since you have the "templates", may I suggest getting solid black and silver decal film and cutting new ones? This will save tedious masking and clean-up. Hi Eric Thanks for your suggestion. The lack of masking appealed to me, but after cutting round one of the backing paper templates, I couldn't get the decal film to look right, so I resorted to tedious masking! I did the silver first and I will do the black shortly. I have the older boxing and more rarer one block 50/52. Picked one up at Dx for £9 to use for this scheme. I look forward to seeing it. Hopefully, you will have more luck than me!
Grant Posted June 7, 2012 Posted June 7, 2012 Bummer! But thank you for sharing - it is nice to know I am not the only one (I nearly stuck some exhaust fairings the wrong way round on my WNW SE5. Lickily it was just late and not booze induced) Good luck with the fiddly masking. cheers Grant
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