IdolM@ster F-117A Yukiho Hagaiwara

[georgeusa]

I would like to present my version of the IdolM@ster F-117A belonging to Yukiho Hagiwara. IdolM@ster started as a simulation and rhythm video game from Bandai. Essentially, a record producer gathers a group of rising pop stars and you would follow them as they rose to fame. When it went to an anime series, the pop idols were put inside different “mecha” jets and did battle. Since the anime series, the “mecha” jets have worked their way into the Air Combat games and some other computer games. Since the French Group Build will not recognize a Mirage from the IdolM@ster Air Force, I thought an IdolM@ster build might be better accepted here. I am trying to get out of my modeling funk with this aircraft and a P-38 in that group build. I have been woefully inadequate in both building kits, not even bought any (Now I know there is something seriously wrong), and haven’t been participating on this fine forum for about 3 months. These two builds will, I hope, keep me on track and back in the game.

The kit is from Hasegawa and is 1/48. However, after I opened up the box and began looking at the sprues, this was on the inside of the bottom fuselage halve.

Apparently, this is a Revell-Monogram tool from 2005 that Hasegawa has chosen to rebox for its IdolM@ster series of planes.

And since there is very little time left in this group build, I need to get cracking. First the box art and sprues.

Then the decals for the scheme I will be doing. Two very large sheets with a little over 100 decals

The cockpit is the place to start as it is built up and then put inside of the top fuselage halve. For this kit, rather than a right and left fuselage half, there is a top and bottom. It is a basic cockpit with just 4 parts.

The detail on the parts is adequate.

Since I am more after the decal and paint scheme and most of the cockpit will be hidden from view, it should be adequate. I put it together and did some painting and it doesn’t look too bad.

Prior to putting the fuselage parts together, the cockpit is inserted in the top half and some sort of maybe FLIR thing is put in just ahead of the cockpit.

The bottom half receives its own FLIR and the nose wheel well.

The wings are put together.

And then one of the wings is redone as I was a bit sloppy in my alignment and needed to open it back up and reglue it. The tail planes are also glued together.

The rudders are designed to be moveable. Right now, I will let that feature go, but if it causes some stability problems they will probably be glued in place.

The wings have to be installed in the bottom half of the fuselage prior to the top half being put on. I started with the port wing.

Then both the starboard wing was attached and the top fuselage half was put on.

It is going to be a big boy for a 1/48 plane. I have put the P-38 I am building for that group build next to it.

The P-38 wasn’t a small craft on its own, but it is dwarfed by the 117.

There are seams to be filled at along the fuselage join. The nose section was really warped and fit poorly.

I guess I could leave it and then say the plane speaks to the pilot and that is its mouth, but that would just be wrong. All the seams are fixed and the base paint is put on. I went with a deeper blue than the kit plastic as some of the anime shows an aqua color and some of the anime shows a dusty blue. Since the kit scheme is a bit showy and off the wall and is supposed to be feminine looking I went with the aqua color.

Once the base paint dried, I painted the intake screens metallic and then weathered with a dark wash. Now, the decal scheme would have the intake screens covered with black decals. I will try my version first to see how it looks. If it turns out piggy, then I will use the kit decals. Now, the fun part of the build; the decals. Here are the top side decal instructions.

Did I mention the entire instructions are in Japanese? Having built a couple of these already, I know the decals go on in layers. (Did you notice all of the decal numbers that have to go on?) There are some exclamation points on the scheme and some numbers are in red versus the rest in black. There are some instructions that roughly translated, I believe is: “Foolish American, put these on first!” So, the base decals are started. First up, the long swoopy wing stripes. And I run into my first problem. I am a creature of habit and there is a particular plastic tub I use to soak my decals. My problem, it is way too small for these decals.

I rummage through all of the plastic ware and find a suitably large bowl. The port swoopy decal goes on along with a single swoop along the backbone of the plane from the canopy to the exhaust.

And in doing so, I break off a piece of the inner swoop and then carefully reattach it.

Next, the starboard swoop. And, this time rather than breaking off a whole line, I just break off a piece.

I put that back together

After I get both top single swoops that go along the fuselage spine aligned, I cut the pieces that attach to the canopy as I plan to have it in the open position.

And here it is with the initial bottom layer decals

Now, having done these kits before, the decals being so large and thick, have to be persuaded to go into place and behave as initially, they look like this

I know I will be using about ¾ of a bottle of Micro Sol on this kit if it is like its brethren. Now, I have to beat the decals into the surface of the kit. So while I torture them into place (or me, don’t know which!) I will stop here. As always, all comments are welcome.

[Dazzio]

Very nice GeorgeUSA, like you I was contemplating an IdolM@ster plane for the French fancy GB. Gave up when the only part that's French, would be the plane. I've also got this kit in 1/72 form, altho strangely, my colour call outs are grey not blue... Good luck with those decals, I know from the F-14 that they are sweethearts!

Look forward to more

Kind Regards,

Dazz

Edited June 8, 2015 by Dazzio

[Max Headroom]

George. A cracking build as per usual from you.

You must like the smell of Microsol! Why else would you build something that has 4,736 decals per model?

Trevor

[Pete in Lincs]

George!

Welcome back.

I thought you'd been washed away

in those horrendous Texas floods.

And more decals too?

Not only are things bigger in Texas,

There are more of them!

[georgeusa]

Late to the party update. Well, life go in the way and I wasn’t able to complete this kit until after the end of the group build. I was close, but no cigar. What I had left was the rest of the decals and then all the hangy down parts. So, here goes. The base decals had been done. What needed to be done is coerce them to conform to the kit surface detail. With judicious applications of Micro Sol (love this stuff) the kit decals really snuggled into place.

With the base decals in place and tucked into the seams, crevices and contours of the kit, the overlay of the rest of the decals begin. I initially started with a white border overlay on the port side.

However, once in place, I realized the next layer is the snowflakes and not the white borders. So, I left the initial white border in place and then proceeded to place all of the top side snowflakes down next.

The snowflakes have not exactly fallen sweetly onto the surface of the kit and some applications of Micro Sol are in order now.

Next up the white border sections were put in place on the port side.

Then the tail fins were done both inner and outer fin.

Then the rest of the top side decals were put in place.

This last layer also had some issues with conforming

But with my trusty companion Micro Sol, all turned out well and everything snuggled into place.

Now to flip it over and begin again. The initial swoopy pieces were laid down first.

Then came the snowflakes

These did not behave as well as the top side snowflakes and really had to be beaten into submission. Of course, I messed up and tried to lay down a white border first, but came to my senses, set it aside and very quickly completed the snowflakes.

The wheel covers had to be done separately and they had their own set of layered decals.

The rest of the bottom decals were added

Now the only thing left is the hangy down parts

The wheels and covers were to go down next, but my ham handedness broke off one of the tail fins.

The wheels fell into place positively and neatly and the covers were no problem either.

Although I did manage to knock off the other tail plane in the process. So much for the working features lasting

The canopy was then glued in place, a protective coat of clear finish was sprayed and this puppy is finished, albeit a bit late.

More finished pictures will be in the regular RFI section. I know this is not at the level of the great entries into this section, but it was fun to do and it is helping me get my modeling mojo back. As always, all comments are welcome.