Kallisti Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 So after the Delek, I felt like going back to something "traditional" and it seems like ages since I built a Thunderbirds model (all the way back to Nov 2016 - omg how could I have lasted so long!) so I decided to dig out the new model from Takara Tomy of the new CGI Thunderbirds series TB 2 and 4 As it says on the box, this is a "Real Kit" !!! It is however designed to be a snap-together kit, but it does have the option of "stickers" or decals and here is the instruction sheet for assembling TB 2 on the reverse... I've also got the Aoshima original series TB 2 and 4 as a kit, so I may dig that one out and build them as companion pieces This should be a fun Christmas build! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I'll sit back, pull out the note paper and watch with anticipation. I have to say I don't mind TB4, but I really don't like the look of TB2 in the newer CGI stuff. Will be an interesting build though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albeback52 Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 . Actually, I do like the look of the "new" T-Birds but , I hated the CGI Fireflash!! Even in 1/144 this should be a big model as the "real" aircraft was 75m long!! Did you get your model in the UK or, have to import from overseas?. My favourite from the otherwise dreadful new series has to be Thunderbird Shadow. I know Takara produces a kit for this too but, I don't know if its available in the UK. Guess I might have to do a bit of digging!! Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 I ordered mine from Hobby Link Japan last year. I'm ambivalent towards the new show to be honest - I'm not offended like many were and I watched it up until midway through this second series but when it came back I couldn't be bothered to watch. Its a kids show and therefore suffers from all the problems that brings. That said, so was the original but I WAS THAT KID when it was first broadcast in the 60s, so it has meanings for me beyond what appears on the screen, so I can ignore the faults most of the time and enjoy watching Thunderbord 2 taking off for the umpteeth time! For a scale comparioson here is the cockpit with a ruler This is the kit body next to an Imai 9" TB2 and finally my 144 Imai Thunderbird 2 wearing the new one as a hat Since these are both supposed to be 1:144 scale, you can see the issues the original had with scale - the original TB2 was supposed to be 250' long and look at the size of those cockpit windows! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 17, 2017 Share Posted December 17, 2017 I'll pull up a recliner* for this one if you don't mind. I thought from the box that it would be bigger than it is. That last picture, is it me or is there/could there be a hint of HALO in the new one? *So long as it doesn't motor off through the wall to a hidden hangar. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 Work has commenced and so I'm here to update the progress. First of all the cockpit which I've painted up and added the decals which give it a nice appearance, although it probably won't be seen Next is the rear wall of the cockpit, painted in Tamiya XF-5 Matt Green which is a more yellow green than the plastic its moulded in as you can see from the above cockpit pic Next, the engine intakes have been painted - these originaally came in dark rusty-red plastic for the intake wall and grey for the intake grille. I've repainted with a brighter red and Mr Color Stainless with a dark wash in the intakes themselves Next is the rear plate that will go in the fuselage at the back of the pod "cut out". This have been painted with Tamiya XF-5 matt greeen and some details picked out with Mr Color Stainless Next are the vector thrust exhausts that slot into the sides of the vehicle and can rotate to provide vertical thrust. These have been again painted in Mr Color Stainless with a dark wash for the intakes themselves. Finally, the main parts of the fuselage have been painted with XF-5 to give a more yellow-green colour than the bluer-green of the moulded plastic as you can see here: The nose has had the window transparency glued in and then masking fluid applied over the windows before painting. The sprue on the right contains the parts that make up theinternal walls of the pod. These will be painted and detailed in the next stage. The main engine exhausts have also been painted and give a wash, but I forgot to take photos of them. I'll do it next time... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 good to see T2 remains Right Hand Drive upfront Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Smeg Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 Kallisti, I’m afraid I’m not seeing any images, just the image names (DSC_9431.JPG etc)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 18 minutes ago, The Chief Smeg said: Kallisti, I’m afraid I’m not seeing any images, just the image names (DSC_9431.JPG etc)... I'm seeing a few, but most aren't playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 19, 2017 Author Share Posted December 19, 2017 Hmm looks like someone managed to inject some malicious JS into my gallery site earlier, but I've raised a ticket with my hosting company and it now appears to have been removed - they probably restored the site from backup and all seems well again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 20, 2017 Share Posted December 20, 2017 Still no pictures for me, I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 21, 2017 Author Share Posted December 21, 2017 Hopefully that is now fixed... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Smeg Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 6 hours ago, Kallisti said: Hopefully that is now fixed... All works for me now - I’m enjoying this build it’s F.A.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 21, 2017 Share Posted December 21, 2017 The green you've gone with looks spot on, I'm looking forward to it coming together to see it as one piece. I was thinking I'd have to mix something up when I eventually get to my original one. Did you base your colour choice on information you'd got elsewhere, or just from eye? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 This is my 3rd TB2 model and on earlier builds I played witht he colour a bit but in the end found that pure Tamiya XF-5 gave a green I was happy with. There is huge debate abotu exactly what colour TB2 was, but frankly there was not ONE single colur as there were multiple studio models of various scales, all of which were different in colour, shape, detail and finish, so in the end it comes down to what YOU think the colour should be. On the Gerry Anderson FB page one of the common question asked is "what colour was TB2" and it ALWAYS sparks arguments My Previous TB2 builds for reference: 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share Posted December 23, 2017 So having removed the annoying website hack that was blocking the images loading last week (bloody hackers!) and having recovered from some excessive Christmas dinner celebrations, the main bits of assembly for TB2 have happened As you can see the wings are sort of desinged to fold up, but I've glued them open as this ISN'T A TOY!!! I've also masked up the various previously painted bits as I will need to respray the green - you can also see the filler in the pod bay side. More of that here I've used Mr Surfacer 500 but I'm not sure its up to this job. Will sand it down and see how it goes, but it might need some more serious filler, just like a couple of spots on the rear did: Funnily enough, the big horizontal gap is part of the design, so I', not going to attempt to fill that!. The panel lines/trenches that are moulded into the kit do a very good job of hiding most of the joints - the one down the sides is not the joint, but moulded into the plastic. The actual joint is underneath as the lower fuselage slots into the upper with the sides extending to the bottom. Its quite clever and obvious as its a snap-together kit. I'll have a go at some sanding today and will post progress later... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 27, 2017 Author Share Posted December 27, 2017 After the Christmas hiatus, here is an update of what went on. First off there was the filling of the seams. After the first round with Mr Surfacer 500 , I then resorted to putty Which in the end did the job much better. in the meantime, attention switched to the module as the old pods are now called in the modern TaG, it will however for me always be a pod! The panels that make up the interior have very good detail moulded into them and once you attached the 6 reddish arm thingys, it all looks rather spiffing - when painted of course! These photos were taken before washes were applied to highlight the moulded detail - this is just basic painting and decaling. The centre section is the launch rail for TB4 and slides out and down when the door is attached Finally the outer shell of the pod has been painted but I'm aiming to paint metallic panels into the insets in the sides before it goes on. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 28, 2017 Author Share Posted December 28, 2017 Decals have started being applied to the main fuselage of TB2, there are lots of them! Photos later... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 29, 2017 Author Share Posted December 29, 2017 As promised here are the photos of the decals in place - this is after I've give it another coat of Klear There are over 50 decals on the main fuselage! Here is the underside which hasn't had its second coat of Klear yet Next will be completing the assembly of the pod and applying the outer decals for that as well. TB 4 will be built after that... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted December 29, 2017 Share Posted December 29, 2017 You're doing such a beautiful job of making this kit really special, that it's almost growing on me. That is indeed a lot of decals, but they're really bringing the model alive, and breaking up all the large areas of green. It's clearly a really nicely designed model when you get to see it like this, rather than just in the show (if you get my meaning). I can honestly say I don't hate the look of this 'new' TB2 design anymore, I just don't like it as much as the old one! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 29, 2017 Author Share Posted December 29, 2017 I'm in agreement with you, the 'real' TB2 is a work of art with its sweeping curves. The new TB2 looks much more functional, but I like the way its been made to look tougher. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted December 29, 2017 Author Share Posted December 29, 2017 The pod's paint job was finally done to my satisfaction = the masking and spraying of the silver insets didn't go well the first time so had to be redone. Here it is assembled and ready for Klear The door pivots and closes nicely and the detail inside is good as you've seen from previous photos Thinking about it now, I probably should have lit the inside as its not easy to see into - even more difficult to photograph well! It got its Klear coat this evening and will have its decals added tomorrow. I'm going to begin on TB 4 this evening... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricLightAndy Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 Looking fantastic, I always enjoy your builds 😀 Andy. (Avoided the obvious 'looking F.A.B...' woops, did it anyway) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 I'd go so far as to say Podtastic, Mate! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 looking good - Thunderbird 2 had it's "Pod's" years before they were invented for any coffee machine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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