Hurricane Mk I - Ian Gleed, 87 Sqdn. 1/72 Airfix ++ FINISHED ++

[CedB]

Thanks John

But please keep your fingers crossed for when I pull the masking off... nice wet coat of VMA DE tonight (with T Tommy):

I almost tore it off just now and then realised it needs to stay on if I'm going to airbrush the DG. More tension! I'll leave that to dry overnight.

[rob85]

Well done on the tail plain and the de looks good enough to eat! Nice Ced... Very nice

Rob

[Cookenbacher]

Looking good Ced!

[CedB]

Thanks Rob and Cookie, very kind

Big post this morning as I've tried two new masking techniques and I'm excited to share, sad man that I am. The first one was Joe's idea of using removable film cut using a 'scaled scheme diagram'. The other was using Panzer Putty for the fuselage as I can't work out how to produce a template across the fuselage from two side views and because this stuff was £17 (details and now on offer here).

Templates

I made notes on steps for this and will post a thread if people can't work it out from Joe's post, but basically it involves scanning / photocopying the scheme at the same size as the model, sticking the film to the paper, cutting it out and sticking it on. Here's the Hurri on the printed template and the mask fitted (after taking off some of the stick on my hand - it's VMA remember!):

Panzer Putty

This stuff is weird!

The MXpression website says "Panzer Putty is a dilatant Silicon Putty. It changes its behaviour depending on the force applied. With low force you can easily shape it. A Panzer Putty ball would bounce like a rubber ball, it will splinter when hit with a hammer and breaks smooth when ripped apart. It is not oily or sticky and does not dry and is therefore an ideal tool to airbrush patterns on your models. And not only once but many times."

The upshot of this is that you can pull the stuff gently to stretch it out, pull it quickly to snap it, push it around for curves and cut it with scissors for a straight edge. Here it is on the model:

You do need to push it on to make it stick (or wrap it around) but it's easy to push into shape and pull it about. For some reason I worried it was going to 'flow off' and rushed to start with, but I soon settled down and made sure the shapes were right just pushing with my fingers. then it was into the spray booth and on with the VMA DG:

Apparently you don't need to worry about the paint on the putty - it absorbs it - what? It certainly seems to be doing something:

Bit worrying for us sci-fi fans that shot. The other pic shows where I wasn't careful enough pushing down the mask but I was using the 'straight down' spray method, so fingers crossed.

Now I need to wait for the paint to dry. Touch dry will be enough. Bit more. It's VMA remember, not a huge reputation for sticking. Do something else. Too soon and you'll be sorry. Right, NOW!:

I'm happy with that. In fact I'm as happy as a happy man in happy land. Bit of micro mesh on a few bits and I'll be ecstatic. Sad... old... man

Not so happy with the primer that got inside of the canopy, I guess through the wheel wells that I didn't mask (another lesson learnt). I shall call this 'weathering' as usual and hope the Klear coat improves it. I may also tidy up the hand-painted frames a bit. Now I've remembered (too late again) that I shouldn't remove the canopy mask until after the matt coat. Anglo-saxon words in use. The putty is back in the tin; will it eat the paint? I shall try not to imagine the 'sci-fi monster slurping noises' and make sure the lid is on, tight.

Now I need to leave the paint to cure, overnight to be safe. Then polish a bit before the Klear coat.

Thanks for looking!

[Biggles87]

That looks like something that might come out of our pool filter when I've left it too long between backwashes.

What film do you use for the masking? I've recently had to buy a new roll of Frisket film as the one I bought about 25 years ago ran out. I like the camouflage' but I don't think I want to use the gloop thanks.

Cheers

John

Edited August 11, 2015 by Biggles87

[DAG058]

Doing a job on this one CedB! As you'll have seen from my thread we are building the same old tooled Hurricane, I'm glad my one is just as unruly with the fitting, pin marks and poorly melded parts as yours! Good fun though isn't it?!

[CedB]

That looks like something that might come out of our pool filter when I've left it too long between backwashes.

What film do you use for the masking? I've recently had to buy a new roll of Frisket film as the one I bought about 25 years ago ran out. I like the camouflage' but I don't think I want to use the gloop thanks.

Cheers

John

Hi John The film is Mactac removable, some off cuts that a kind friend gave me. I'm not sure where you can get it (sorry) but if Frisket has worked for you before I would get some more of that.

Doing a job on this one CedB! As you'll have seen from my thread we are building the same old tooled Hurricane, I'm glad my one is just as unruly with the fitting, pin marks and poorly melded parts as yours! Good fun though isn't it?!

Thanks DAG - I'm following your thread with interest... great progress and good luck with the pencil!

Sean's building one as well in his Hurricanes multi-build - they're all over the place but not as common, perhaps, as the brave souls doing wing conversions on the new Airfix - beyond my skills I think!

I went to the Avon IPMS show on Sunday and, for some reason, didn't look for meat-wing Hurricane kits - I will now have a decal / transfer sheet with lots left.

[rob85]

It looks like the putty is digesting the paint... Creepy.

Very nice results though Ced that film looks to work a treat... Notes made

Rob

[06/24]

Making the vintage tooling look splendid sir. As for the wing conversion being beyond you, I must beg to differ, I believe you would make an excellent fist of it.

[CedB]

Thanks Rob, weird stuff eh?

Thanks Jon, too kind... tempting me to do a wing conversion eh? Grrnnngghhhh... resist, resist!!

Small update today. Leading edges tidied, prop tips Luquidex penned, landing lights fitted and Klear applied. Here's a shot of the putty too; it's levelled itself out and is munching the paint:

By the way I had a look at the cockpit and the stuff I thought was primer on the inside turned out to be something on the outside, so I cleaned it off. Good.

Transfers on tomorrow?

[sean]

That looks disgusting!! The putty...seriously creepy looking stuff.

The Hurricane on the other hand is looking seriously good, it's not a bad old kit really,

Sean

[Cookenbacher]

That's a good looking Hurricane Ced!

[TEMPESTMK5]

Good morning Ced

Good job

Patrice

[nimrod54]

Ced, just had a read through and caught up with your progress to date. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only modeller who seems to be blunder prone. On my last build (Phantom F-4J) I got everything buttoned up, having used a vac-form canopy for the first time, painted and decals on. Great I thought finished and there on the etch fret were the two control columns , so this is now a none flying version.

This one is turning out really well despite the trials and tribulations, keep going fella almost there now.

[CedB]

That looks disgusting!! The putty...seriously creepy looking stuff.

The Hurricane on the other hand is looking seriously good, it's not a bad old kit really,

Sean

Thanks Sean

That's a good looking Hurricane Ced!

Thanks Cookie

Good morning Ced

Good job

Patrice

Thank you Patrice

Ced, just had a read through and caught up with your progress to date. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only modeller who seems to be blunder prone. On my last build (Phantom F-4J) I got everything buttoned up, having used a vac-form canopy for the first time, painted and decals on. Great I thought finished and there on the etch fret were the two control columns , so this is now a none flying version.

This one is turning out really well despite the trials and tribulations, keep going fella almost there now.

Thanks John - fly by wire, that's the answer!

Transfer on just now, my first time using Xtradecals and I must say they're nice if you're quick. I'd applied Micro Set to the model and trying to move them around does make them crease... take care out there:

Gleed's lovely cat. Note the cleaned up canopy, but I won't be taking too many close ups of that in the future (hand painted, remember?)

Left to do:

Gun covers: They are provided on the kit decals sheet but I'd like to try Stew's Rizla technique. As I'm putting this one on the ceiling as part of a BoB 'dogfight' I want to show the guns fired, so I need to have holes in the covers like this. I may be making a rod for my own back. Actually that would probably be easier

I'll do a bit of weathering and paint the exhausts.

Aerial: EZ line, and I'm going to try to get the blob on the support - wish me luck.

Matt coat, fit prop (I need the hole while spraying), done.

[CedB]

Out with the Rizla... no officer, I'm using them for modelling... grass? Why would I be carrying that? Oh, that sort, no, not for a long long time...

Not surprisingly I don't have any Pheonix precision dull roundel red (although I do have aspirations) so I pulled out the red candidates from my rack. The H19 (a new pot I bought for, er, something or other) is too pink in the pot so I brushed on some of the other two (the one you can't read is H153 enamel):

Just need to wait for that to dry. Not dry yet. Not dry yet. Still not dry. Now I remember why I like Acrylics! Guess I need to leave it. I took the opportunity to paint a part from my next build... can you see what it is yet? Ooh, sorry, probably not PC any more... Still not dry. Do something else.

When I tried out 'Green Stuff' a video said "Don't throw away the spare, make it into 'useful' shapes" so I had. The tip of that would make a good bit... cut it off, put the rest aside... where's it gone? Tiny. Magnifiers on and chase it around with Gator grip on a brush:

Transfers are settling nicely. Do you ever get that feeling that you might be going too far? Just a thought...

[jrlx]

Hi Ced,

I'm sorry I've noticed your build only now. It's difficult to follow so many interesting threads in the BoB GB...

You've done an excellent job up to now. The Hurri is coming together really nicely and you managed to solve the difficulties you found along the way. Filling ejector marks and treating seams is, probably, my worst nightmare in modelling but, as others have said, time spent on them is worth every minute.

Looking forward to seeing your build finished

Cheers

Jaime

[rob85]

Nice work with the transfers Ced, she looks a treat! Also you are doing more scratch building.... This and your Lancaster I would say you have fully succumbed...

No bad thing!

Great stuff

Rob

[CedB]

Thanks Jaime, just in time as this is the last post!

Thanks Rob, I shall still insist I'm building mainly OOB if only to discourage the rivet counters!

Today I've done some weathering using the MiG set. I like this stuff. You just blob it on but then have to be careful not to rub it off when it's too wet, or too dry*. I especially like the effect on the bottom*. Before and after rubbing shots:

You can see the sponge I use, one of Mrs B's cast-offs. It's hard when dry but soaks up excess well.

So, the gun-covers. I painted the gun panels black in the hope that it would give some depth to the holes and then cut out a couple of pieces of the Rizla and trimmed to fit the panel on the model:

I then had lots of fun trying to get the 'ripped' effect. Tried pushing a sewing machine needle (pictured above) through the back and got the holes, but not the rip. So I decided to stick the patches on and then tear them with the needle point once they were in place. I used watered down Gator thin and ended up brushing it over the front as the paper started to roll up. Settled in the end though. I also used some MiG black pigment for the weathering:

Pretty happy with that, except the pigment did its usual 'turn to paint' trick and had to be rubbed. It's also hard to get the tapered effect, even with a tiny brush.

So that's it for Gleed's Hurricane - more pictures in the gallery.

Some unused ones:

Thanks guys, as usual, for all your support, advice and comments!

I'll be finishing the Dambuster and then building the Spitfire from the Experience collection as, er, to be decided!!

* haven't had one for a while so Dbl_E, score 1, fnaar fnaar

[jrlx]

Good job, Ced! I'm glad I found the thread just before it was finished

Regarding pigments, I think the best approach is just to rub them on a matte finish and not using any fixing fluids or varnish. Otherwise they turn into ink.

Cheers

Jaime

[06/24]

Superb, especially the gun ports

[rob85]

Very nice finish Ced, the effect on the gun ports is top notch!

Rob

[sean]

Nice one Ced, she's turned out alright for an old girl. Those last couple of details worked out well.

I can't do gunshot residue either.

Sean

[philp]

Another nice build Ced.

I enjoyed watching it come together even if I didn't kibitz along the way.

[nimrod54]

A great result Ced and I would just like to reiterate the comments made about the gun ports and also say that they look fantastic.