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G-FIRE keeps looking at me from the unit - makes me smile!

 

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Not much progress on the F-104 but the cockpit has some base greys and I put in the instrument decals.  Once they are dry I will paint some buts & give the scratch stuff a bit of a wash over

 

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Once the cockpit is sorted I can seal up the body.  The tail is a separate unit but it’s tempting to join it to the fuselage halves & join the body as two halves.  Not many more stages on the build instructions really!  Got to love ESCI keeping it simple

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Finished off the cockpit interior painting & painted the seat

 

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Still needs the fuselage halves joining, and will get a gun sight on top of the instrument panel top.

I am still toying with the idea of cutting the canopy to pose it open.  Always a scary idea

 

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Thought I should check the centre of gravity before joining the fuselage.  Seems ok, although I could still put a little in the nose cone

 

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Took the risky action of cutting the canopy in to three parts.  Always risky on an older kit with a thin and brittle canopy.  It went ok though.

 

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I might have to add an end frame to either end of the opening section as about 2mm has been lost by cutting and sanding it straight.  Should be worth it though

 

Got on with joining the fuselage halves and added the nose.  Tail is still taped on though.  Test fit of the intakes too

 

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And with some other bits test fitted, she is starting to look good

 

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I am still not convinced by the recesses at the top of the nose ahead of the windscreen.  I think I might fill them in.  Possibly an early version hangover that seemed to be gone on the G models

 

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Not been rushing this one along, just doing bits as & when.  Lots of green stuff filler to tidy things up

 

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There are two recessed squares ahead of the front windscreen which I think I have seen on earlier models but I can’t see it on G models.  So out with the filler there and on the circles on top of the tail.  Can’t see any on here

 

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The exhaust fit is a bit hit & miss inside the tail.  So I thought I would add a length of plastic tube to the fuselage bulkhead

 

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I am not sure it will slot in if I seal up the tail, so I have not glued the lower seam yet, just the rudder area.  There is also a nasty join in the two sections ahead of the exhaust.  A blanking piece of plasticard should hopefully sort that

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Now I did wonder if this would happen.  I put a thin plasticard sim in the bottom of the fuselage below the exhaust.  I can now slot in the exhaust & tube after I have painted it all.  So all is good.  Tail all glued on.  Just a quick COG test...

 

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Ok the new tail tube now makes her tail sit.  It’s marginal when the resin seat is in & canopies on, but I think I will put some weight in ahead of the instrument panel just to be sure

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Not much to update just lately.  Work is getting busy & the weather means I have been starting garden jobs, including building a new fence section & gate.  But I am getting to the Starfighter when I can.  Bit of painting inside the intakes and the exhaust.  I drilled a hole ahead of the instrument panel to drop in some nose weight.  I found some old curtain hem lead that is nice & small & easy to push in through the hole

 

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The front panel section will cover the hole anyway.  Not much weight needed really.  Just guessing how much the air brakes add to the back and where the wing tanks will sit - maybe some tank nose weight too.

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And inserting the string of curtain weight

 

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Seems to have done the job.  And the intakes are on.  I left out the inserts & painted them black.  The plan is to put them in later once the main painting is done.

 

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More filling needed but most of the main bits are coming together

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With the intakes attached I put some filler on this morning.  I also test fitted the intake cones and they fit in nicely meaning I can paint the rest & slot then in at the end

 

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So sanded it back and put on a quick grey primer

 

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The wings & tail are still just pushed in.  The right wing fit was not great until I fitted a shim under the tab & now it’s nice & snug.  I am very tempted to paint the wings & tail off the airframe as they fit in well.  Or the underside at least.

Definitely need another round of filler before anything else though

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I do like the gun bay - it needs some more detail around the gun though.  I think I might paint it & the fit the door.  It might get reopened once the paint is done, or it might just stay closed.  New coat of filler on today

 

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The majority of the main wheel well will be hidden under the front doors, but the back will be visible.  Detail is a little, er, sparse?  Some pipes & bits would make it look better 

 

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Sanded back the filler and touched up the primer.  Intakes noe have a black cone & grey either side as per the Dutch ones

 

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 I started on the main undercarriage adding some extra details.  There was a bar missing from the kit parts connecting the axels to the front of the main struts. And I had a go at adding brake cables

 

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Then the wheel bay got some wiring added.  Well a bit of a cocktail stick & telephone wire with & without casing

 

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the front of the bay is almost closed & covered by the front half of the bay doors.  There is a retraction strut ahead of the main undercarriage legs that attaches to the two little pins on the central bar.  But the strut also means the front bay doors stay slightly open.  But you can’t see inside so no need from detail as far as I am concerned

 

So with all the bits together I think it will do

 

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Need to get some paint inside the wheel wells, air brakes and gun, then preshade and I can start painting

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Bit more pipework in the gun bay.  The bay will be white while the wheel wells will be aluminium as will the airbrakes

 

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I need to add some Dutch specific bumps behind the nose cone thenthink about paint

 

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I am still amazed by the number of decal options with this kit

 

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A bit  like my fleet of F-16s it kind of make me want a few F-104s.  The plan was always for a German one from the Kinetic kit, but Luftwaffe or Marine?  The German decals on this one are too early.  But Belgian, Italian, Canadian.  So many to choose from

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Thanks to the help of a few guys on here ( @Rob de Bie, @Andrew and others) I have a much better idea of KLu Starfighter ECM antenna.  
 

The gun bay has had a quick quash over but I am sure would always have been kept pretty clean

 

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Compared to the real thing

 

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Given that I may well not open this up anyway I think it will do.

 

The wheel wells have gone aluminium with a wash too, as has the jet pipe

 

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And some lumps have appeared on the nose, with one for the back end to follow

 

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I also dropped the flaps a bit, just for a little variety.  She is coming along.  Maybe some paint by the weekend?  Then I need to get back to the canopy.  I need to introduce a new frame in front of and behind the opening section.  By cutting it the canopy lost about 2-3mm, so a flat plasticard section will build it up again.  Trouble is a white piece of card will show through the glazing, so got to think about this.  May even use thin card pre coloured.
 

 

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Found a spare scoop that roughly matches the size & shape of the KLu rear ECM part.  Fixed in place an a quick spray over.   I also carved a rudimentary naca style duct behind the cockpit, also part of the ECM suite.

 

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Pretty sure she is ready for preshade & paint after this fit out.

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Got a new toy today

 

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it was advertised as started & box battered, but it looks like the owner has merged a couple of kits in the box.  Not enough bits for two but a lot more than one!

 

She is a sizeable beast

 

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Now I know there are issues with the shape & more.  There has been a running thread on here improving one & basically reprinting new parts.  But I will go more out of the box.  I had fully intended to get a new Revell one due out later this year, but that will probably be more than twice what I paid for this.

 

Meanwhile the Starfighter underside got a preshade and now has paint on it

 

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The underside has been painted and she has a white nose.  The underside is now taped over and the top has been preshaded.  So about ready for some top side paint.  May not happen for a couple of days but getting closer.

 

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Great to have an occupant for your SR-71 hangar! It does look to be a sizeable beast. Really wish I'd seen one fly. I've only ever seen the one at Duxford. Still impressive though.

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8 hours ago, danbuoy said:

Great to have an occupant for your SR-71 hangar! It does look to be a sizeable beast. Really wish I'd seen one fly. I've only ever seen the one at Duxford. Still impressive though.

 

I am lucky enough to have seen the flying displays at Mildenhall back in the early 80s.  I must get the hangar out & check it fits!  I made it to scale so it should.  That’s not always the way it goes though!

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Painted the square on the spine behind the cockpit and sketched on the camo lines to help with the painting.  Still not sure if I should go darker grey (Humbrol 27) or mid grey (Humbrol 165). I did the Luftwaffe jets with 165 but the RAF ones with 27

 

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this is 165

 

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and this is 27

 

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The Luftwaffe grey especially seems to ‘chalk’ quite badly & a lot of reference photos are of museum airframes that are now quite pale.  Not so sure on the KLu grey - I think it’s 27

 

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Test of the Blackbird in the barn - it fits!

 

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Now as well as building the Blackbird I need to build the back half of the barn too!  I ordered a couple of resin seats for her as the seats look a bit basic 

 

Must get the paint on the Starfighter soon

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Some paint going on the Starfighter today at last

 

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Went with the darker grey 27 so will see how that looks before taking off the tape on the underside - just in case I change my mind!

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Main paint done & the masking tape is off.  She is starting to look the part

 

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And with a few more bits on.  The undercarriage needs painting & fitting, as do the airbrakes.  The nose anti glare panel needs painting.  The canopy is a bit short as I cut it, so I plan to add a card shim on either end of the open section.  Not far from decals though

 

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Masked up the nose for the anti glare strip & painted the gear aluminium

 

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Now for the moment of truth - any bleed under on to the white?

 

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Got away with it.  Painting the airbrakes now too.  Wheels need painting & fitting then the undercarriage can go on.

 

Meanwhile I got some new seats for the Blackbird today.  I am not a big sucker for resin but I plan to pose the canopies open so the seat will be visible.  Kit seats vs Paula resin (I didn’t paint the kits seats, they arrived with the kit that way)

 

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Wheels are painted and fitted.  The airbrakes are painted too, so on to undercarriage doors & remaining undercarriage links and airbrake actuators.  Got to get on to the canopy too.  
 

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Having a look tonight at the canopy.  I have added card spacers to the end of the centre canopy part.  These have been glued in place with uhu so it dries clear.  The excess will then be trimmed off when it’s set.  There is still a little play between the parts so if the centre section goes well I may add a spacer to the front & back parts too.  You can see the new gun sight too, and the temporary fit air brakes

 

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Underneath the remaining undercarriage parts & doors are on, the arrester hook is on and the nose sensors have had a coat of black

 

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She is coming together now

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Got the edge strips on the canopy.  It’s a mess trying to add to a canopy.  Don’t want to use poly cement as the glazing never seems to properly join to plasticard.  The card / uhu combo hasn’t been great, superglue is a big risk with fogging.  But it’s done & the inside black is on.  I will start on the canopy paint at the weekend.  Tip tanks are together too.

 

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Trying to think if there is anything else needed before the decals go on.  I do plan to tone it down with some pastels once the matt garish coat has gone on

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