FGR2 Newbie

[Charliesausage]

Hey guys

I was advised to post my original comments from the New Member area here, as you guys in the Cold War section may be able to help with my impending build?

I've copied and pasted the exact text below, please let me know what you know/can do?

Regards

C

Morning guys

Just thought I'd quickly introduce myself to you all as this is my first time on this website.

I am basically a newbie. I used to model quite a bit as a teenager but the years have galloped on, kids born and work commitments have meant that decades have gone by an I've only built 1 model since then.

Back in the day I build a whole airfield up in my mum & dad's attic, with Christmas tree light for runway lights and polystyrene hangers! I think I had a few Phantoms along with a couple of Bulldogs. Living close to RAF Leuchars at the time I obviously had one vocation in life.

A few years later and I sold my soul and ended up as a fresh faced 19 year old Armourer at RAF Leuchars. And to my sheer delight got a posting onto 228OCU!

Back to today!

I have just bought a Revel/Hasegawa 1/48 FGR2 from Fleabay. Apart from that I have nothing......and I mean nothing!

Over the next few weeks/months I will be asking for lots of advice and hope you guys can help?

As years/techniques/products have moved on, I would appreciate some help in choosing a FEW things!!

Glue

Filler

Paints

Brushes

Airbrushes

Thinners

Cleaners

Tools etc, etc

I'm sorry this is quite a lot to ask of you guys as I am new, but have read many posts and realise that you all seem like a VERY helpful and VERY knowledgable crew!

Oh and one more thing before I get carried away!

I am hoping to create a model from each of the Squadrons I worked on in my 25years working Fast Jets and want to start, as I said, with a Phantom. Does anyone know where to get a good set of 1/48 decals in 228OCU colours?

I will go for now and wait for some great advice

Cheers

Cahrliesausage

[Giorgio N]

First of all, welcome !

Second, I see you will need a lot of things, but for sure you started with the right foot with your choice of kit: the Hasegawa FGR.2 is a very good one !

Starting from the basics...

Glue: any glue specifically made for plastic models. Personally I use Revell's Contacta, others prefer the Humbrol products, others Tamiya's. Avoid glues not made specifically for plastic kits, although superglue and epoxy adhesives have their places.. but better leave these for later.

Some love the liquid glues particularly for smaller parts, personally I use the same Contacta in a dispenser for everything. It's a matter of "taste" really.

Filler: now here there are as many opinions as there are modellers... I'd suggest checking the tools and tips area of this forum and do a search for "filler". Personally I use Italeri's one and milliput for larger gaps or to reconstruct bits. A useful and cheap addition is a typewriter corrector pen, this is good for very small gaps and with some modern kits it's all that's needed.

Paints: again, use only paints specifically designed with modellers in mind. At this point you have to make a choice: enamels or acrylics ? Both have pros and cons and again there are many discussions in this forum on the matter. One point to keep in mind is availability: sometimes the easiest paint to find is not the one others consider ideal. Another important factor is the range a certain paint offers, better have more shades available, even better if these are already matched to the true paint of the aircraft. Humbrol for example has a huge range and is easily available. I like Lifecolors, others hate them.

The choice of paints also depend on how to paint: brush or airbrush ? Some paints are great for one but not the other. My favourite Lifecolors for example are very easy to brush but they need a few tricks to be sprayed. Tamiyas are the opposite, very good to spray but tricky with a brush

One paint that is very important to have: a good primer ! Now not all paints need this, but a primed model allows an easier identification of areas needing work. And some paints don't stick well to bare plastic. A spray primer is best, Tamiya has a good one, others love the Halfords' one, others use games workshop

Brushes: the best you can afford ! Ideally some of small size for details, and a couple larger ones to paint the whole aircraft.

Airbrush: again, there are many different opinions. I'd first ask myself if you want to start airbrushing from day one. Since you've built kits before it might not be a bad idea... again have a look at the airbrushes section here, there are many advices for beginners tools

Thinners: depends on the paint, ideally better use the thinner of the same brand of the paint you use. Some acrylics are thinned with Isopropyl alcohol, some with water.

Cleaners: again, depends on the paint. Never however use anything that could attack the plastic, some solvents are too strong and should be avoided. The sam thinners can be used as cleaners but this can be expensive. Thinners for syntetic enamels are usually ok on the plastic if used sparingly. Alcohol is very good to clean acrylics.

Tools: the basic tools are: a modelling knife, a set of files, a few sheets of sandpaper of different grade, tweezers, adhesive tape. With these tools alone it's possible to build a kit.

Other tools that are useful are clamps (to keep the parts attached while the glue sets), nail buffing pads (to polish the plastic after sanding), a pin-vice with a set of small drill bits (to drill holes). Of course by progressing you'll find other tools that can solve this or that situation.

First and foremost, patience and enthusiasm ! There are moments when I'd like to take the kit I'm working on and throw it off the window or crush it with a fist... then I sit down, relax, think of all the fun I usually have building my kits and start again.

[Charliesausage]

Giorgio

Thank you for you insight and experience.

I knew there would be many 'personal preferences' but just to find out some of the brands used is very helpful.

I think I will jump straight into airbrushing, so after the initial essential tools, that will be next.

I have been watching International Scale Modeller Techniques on YouTube which has given me some ideas also.

I really can't wait to get my Tomb through the post but know that the 6 x Ps apply. Proper Planning Prevents piddle Poor Performance! So I'll just have to Plan, Plan, Plan and take my time.

If there is anything else you think might help, feel free to message me any time.

Thanks again

C

[Nobby57]

Nice one Giorgio!

And I'd like to add after this comment...

"...First and foremost, patience and enthusiasm ! There are moments when I'd like to take the kit I'm working on and throw it off the window or crush it with a fist... then I sit down, relax, think of all the fun I usually have building my kits and start again.

It is all about enjoying our own headspace...relaxing, not picking up a tool in anger and just a lot of head searching/planning/figuring it out type stuff. Intellectual I think some call it! This is where I perceive therapeutics may be attached to plastic modelling...I think it is akin to Zen! (And that wasn't a throw away line either)

Look forward, patiently, to your journey!

[XV571]

Hi Charlie,

Great advice from Giorgio and Nobby. I can only add that you should look out for stuff that could be useful for modelling in all sorts of places. For example cotton buds, nail buffers and sponges from make-up sets, little plastic pots to mix or thin paint, cocktail sticks, blu-tak, wooden coffee stirrers, clothes pegs for small clamps and so on. There's literally 1001 seemingly mundane everyday items that can be adapted for modelling. I'd also suggest a good razor saw and a side cutter to remove parts from sprues to minimise risk of damaging them.

If going for an airbrush, getting a mask is a must. On the subject, talk to some of the vendors on the forum; for example Paul Fitzmaurice of Little-Cars is a very friendly and approachable guy and ready to offer help on choosing a good set-up. He's often at shows around the country and has an amazing selection of tools and materials.

On 228OCU markings, unfortunately your choice is a bit limited. The options I know of are an old Almark sheet A48-2 which has a green/grey jet, an equally old sheet D483 from a company called Maintrack and a sheet that you can download from here: https://sites.google.com/site/rjcaviationart/decalarchive and print on to decal paper. Some of the artwork and colours are a bit suspect but the 288 OCU part looks okay. White will also be a problem unless you print the sheet on white decal sheet and carefully cut around them. White and black serial codes and letters can be found on sheets like this: http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X48045.

Above all, enjoy building your Phantom - it's supposed to be fun!

Jonathan

[Charliesausage]

Thanks Jonathan

I was looking at finger nail polishing sticks, Q Tips and small scissors in Superdrug and wondering what they must be thinking with the state of my badly bitten stumps I have!!! But I will bite the bullet and shop with confidence next time!

As far as 228 decals are concerned, I've looked at those sheets you mentioned and see that if someone has bought these in the past there MAY be a set of 228 ones that they didn't need/want if they chose 43, 56 or even the Auld Enemy 111 ( One Hundred and Eleven Squadron). Obviously I'm quite a way off needing these so am not panicking just yet.

I just want a well built and accurate model to start my collection off.

Has anybody any idea where to get or how to make Pitot Probe covers, intake blanks or Noddy Caps for Winders?

Cheers

C

[Col.]

Had a look through the decal stash but no joy for a 228 bird I'm sorry to say Got some bits for a 43 Sqn machine left over from the old Hasegawa kit if the worst happens and you can't find any other options.

As for the other stuff - sure there was a set of intake blanks available for the Spey-engined Phantom but my rubbish memory fails me who did them. Noddy caps and a few other interesting bits may be available from the Flightpath range as they do a good selection of Brit specific stuff. Think the pitot probe cover, however, is going to be an exercise in scratch building for you.

You thought about cracking open a few less important kits first to get your skills honed before working on your main project?

[Charliesausage]

Col

Thanks for looking for some decals. Like I say I've got a bit of time before committing, but to know what colour scheme would be better to know before going too far. I am really hoping to hold out and do an all grey classic 228 jet. I want it to look like a worker, as that's what I remember working on most. The Blue Tails look good but for me were always a bit of a prima donna. I like the down and dirty lesser known tail letters other than CO!

I reckon if I ask all the right questions and take my time I SHOULD be ok diving in at the deep end!!! I know it won't be a patch on your guys best efforts, but it's the taking part and like Nobby said enjoying my headspace and peace and quiet!

And tHanks for the link for ancillary bits n bobs. It all make it look so much better!

Cheers

C

[XV571]

Thanks Jonathan

I was looking at finger nail polishing sticks, Q Tips and small scissors in Superdrug and wondering what they must be thinking with the state of my badly bitten stumps I have!!! But I will bite the bullet and shop with confidence next time!

As far as 228 decals are concerned, I've looked at those sheets you mentioned and see that if someone has bought these in the past there MAY be a set of 228 ones that they didn't need/want if they chose 43, 56 or even the Auld Enemy 111 ( One Hundred and Eleven Squadron). Obviously I'm quite a way off needing these so am not panicking just yet.

I just want a well built and accurate model to start my collection off.

Has anybody any idea where to get or how to make Pitot Probe covers, intake blanks or Noddy Caps for Winders?

Cheers

C

Aerobonus (part of the Czech Aires brand) make a set of Noddy caps and RBF tags: http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/QAB480026 , a company called Two Mikes made some Spey intake blanks but they're now out of business for the foreseeable future. They wouldn't be too difficult to make though; some plasticard and some Milliput around the edge would do the job. I'm sure there's a build thread in 'Work In Progress' where this was done. As Col says, the pitot covers will have to be scratch built; I don't think anyone has done these for a Phantom.

[Charliesausage]

Cheers XV

All these little tips will come in handy.

Does anybody have any experience with printing their own decals?

I saw a finished model that a guy printed his own and it looked great! Not sure if there are good and bad decal printing sheets and how good a printer you need?

Any help here would be great!

C

[Giorgio N]

I've printed decals for several of my models and I have to say that it's not something that works immediately from day one, takes patience and tests...

In terms of materials I'd recommend the Experts Choice decal film, both clear and white, and a laser printer. Inkjets work too but they need more care in adjusting all the settings and for this reason I moved to lasers. These used to be too expensive but today some models can be found for good prices.

Again, I suggest looking in the tools and tips section, there have been threads about homeprinted decals before

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/110-decals/

In general, the most important thing to keep in mind is that these have limitations, the most important being that the colours do not cover well because they are meant to be used on a white background. And white can't be printed with standard home printers but requires machines not usually available to most of us. For this reason, many decals must be printed on white paper and then cut, something that in itself is not always easy.

Regarding the decals sheets, the ones I use are very good and easily available and they are specifically made for either laser or inkjet printers (always use the right type on each printer !). In terms of printer, the higher the resolution the better it is, although really you don't need photographic quality apart from a few specific exceptions (for example nose arts). I use a 600X600 dpi Epson laser printer and I'm happy enough.

[Charliesausage]

Cheers Giorgio

Don't suppose you've got an example pic to show how yours turned out?

[Giorgio N]

Cheers Giorgio

Don't suppose you've got an example pic to show how yours turned out?

I had posted some of the first results with the laser printer here:

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234930284-laser-printed-decals-yes-please/?hl=laser

Another few examples: all the fuselage markings (chevrons, bar and cross) and the swastikas are laser printed

The tail codes and the walkway markings on this Zero are laser printed. The background is a light grey and the red is therefore not affected too much.. still, you can see that it was affected somewhat, on white paper it looked lighter than it does on the model. The panel behind the fuselage red insignia is also homeprinted, you can see how even relatively small letters can be printed with no problem.

Almost everything on this Mustang is homemade: the black codes and serials are part inkjet and part laser printed, the blue KY ANG titles on the fuselage are laser, the yellow bolts are yellow decal film cut to shape but the black edges are laser printed... unfortunately they were damaged during the final assembly

All 4 USAAF insignia on this Spitfire are homemade. I initially printed the surround with a thin black line on white paper, cut this and applied. The blue stars and bars were printed later on clear paper and applied on top. The final result is a bit thick but not too bad (the different blues are meant to be there). The wing walkway markings have also been laser printed on clear paper

[Charliesausage]

They look really good. Can't tell that they aren't from the kit! Something to DEFO consider for my build.

Thanks for going to the effort of putting the pics up!

C

[Alex Gordon]

G'day Charlie,

The Almark decals

Hasegawa have an all grey jet on their FGR2 sheet

You are welcome to the appropriate bits off either or both sheets.

[sailorboy61]

XT901 of the Altmark sheet - have images of all grey with the shark mouth too. 56 Squadron.