Tornado ECR TigerMeet 2014 1:32

[Sanandrea]

Hello Modellers,

 

This is my first post in this forum. I would like to ask some advice regarding my first build a Tornado ECR TigerMeet 2014.

Premise: I am realising now that building a 1:32 is a lot of work and is not suitable for the newbie. It is very likely to give up. But I have not bought this model myself. I received it as a gift from my wife last christmas. I had no idea of the existence of plastic models until December 2017 (shame on me) and now a whole new world is in front of me. I have read a lot of posts from the forum and seen a lot of videos. I enjoyed the Andyc build and now I am following the awesome TSR2 Build. I am doing small steps in becoming a little more proficient in plastic modelling. I also bought the tools scalpel, colours, airbrush, compressor, etc. When I started the build I had no idea literally where to begin. Back in January I had only 3 colours and 2 brushes. I will not show how the cockpit ended painted because it was the first part .

The first advise that I am seeking for is the following: The Revell Tornado ECR main body colour is black gloss as per instructions. But to be honest I do not like it, I might be wrong but it is awful. I am planning at painting it as the first Tigermeet in grey silk matt (Revell email 371). Now I am wondering what will happen with the decals if I change the body colour. I am afraid it will become something more awful. 
 

Second advise is regarding the variable geometry of the wings. Since the model had that feature I wanted to build it as it was intended although many of the build I have seen have simply glued the wings in a fixed position. My problem is that I painted the wings before inserting them into the body since the inner part has a different colour like this. What happened is that when the wings move they friction in the rest of the body and the paint goes away (although they were painted like 3 days before). At this point I have no idea how to deal with that. I am posting a photo of the problem:

 

 

 

You can see in the second photo I tried to cut the upper part of the body in order to create more room. I do not want to  tear the model apart at this moment in order to sand the room for the wing.

 

Any advise is highly appreciated.

Thank you

Edited February 24, 2018 by Sanandrea

[At Sea]

Hi there.

 

That's an ambitious kit to begin with, but so far looks like you have made a good start!

 

There is not much that can be done at this stage to sort out the scratching off of paint as it will be due to a rough surface or tight fit on the wing glove.

I would try and get some very fine wet & dry sand paper into the gap, then work the wings back and forth to try and sand the inside of the wing glove area.

 

Other than that I'm out of ideas.

 

Black Gloss is a big help when it comes to decalling!  It may not be your favourite scheme but it will make life very easy later on as decals go best onto a gloss surface and most modellers gloss coat their model before decalling, then matt the finish down again using lacquers.

 

I use Aerosols a lot, and they make it very easy to get a good finish with some practice.  Halfords Primer is awesome, as is the Satin Black spray paint as a base.  Just shake them really really well for a full 2 mins.  

For more 'aircrafty' aerosol colours check out Humbrol's range here:

 

https://www.humbrol.com/uk-en/shop/spray-paints.html

 

 

If you want to do a different scheme though it's your model.  Another point is alternative 1/32 Tornado decals are available on eBay or from online model shops.  Just be cautious with the very brilliant HaHen decals as these don't have separate carrier film and you must cut each one out very carefully which is a pain for an experienced modeller and could put a new modeller right off!

 

Good luck.

 

http://www.hahen.de/epages/64625185.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64625185/Categories/"Decals Militaer"/"Military 1%3A32"

[At Sea]

Oh!  when it comes to it you'll want these as well.  Makes a big difference to the look of a finished kit if the cockpit framing is rasor sharp.

 

https://www.modelhobbies.co.uk/shop/eduard-tornado-paint-mask-jx013-p-21709.html

[Sanandrea]

Hey, thank you very much for you advice.

I worked this weekend on the wings gloves by cutting and sanding them a little more and repainted the wings again. Unfortunately I do not think it will make a difference (I did not try to move the wings again), I am seriously thinking at glueing the wings at a fixed position. I still have not glued the frontal part, otherwise the moving mechanism is not accessible anymore.

 

 

44 minutes ago, At Sea said:

Black Gloss is a big help when it comes to decalling!  It may not be your favourite scheme but it will make life very easy later on as decals go best onto a gloss surface and most modellers gloss coat their model before decalling, then matt the finish down again using lacquers.

 

I use Aerosols a lot, and they make it very easy to get a good finish with some practice.  Halfords Primer is awesome, as is the Satin Black spray paint as a base.  Just shake them really really well for a full 2 mins.  

For more 'aircrafty' aerosol colours check out Humbrol's range here:

This is a very valuable advice. I have seen too many videos that most modellers apply a transparent gloss coat before applying decals, but I did not understand the reason behind it. I am planning to do the same then.

Will post here updates of the build.

 

Thank you very much again!

Edited February 25, 2018 by Sanandrea

[At Sea]

No problem, happy to help.  Best of luck!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Hello @Sanandrea ... The gloss coat does a couple of things. For paint it gives a barrier to help prevent scratches. It wont stop all but does help. Second a gloss coat alliws the Decals/Transfers to have a smoother surface to adhere to. That will prevent air from trapping underneath the decals, preventing what is called silvering. A clear coat of matt or satin afterwards will give you the effect youre looking for on a military aircraft. For your Subject of a Tigermeet Tornado i say good choice. 

 

Dennis

[Sanandrea]

So, I had some progress this weekend on the project. Spent like 2 hours on the canopy masking, but in the end I am pleased with it, although it would had been easier with wider masking tape (I had only 6mm).

 

 

Then I painted the tail and rear wings with Revell Black Gloss °7.

 

 

My experience with gloss is that it needs so much less thinner. In the first try with the same amount of thinner as the matt ones it was very difficult to lay a layer of paint the effect was horrible, the paint would float on thinner. I cleaned the spots with thinner and started again. Also I was complaining with the white colour as my least favourite to paint, but gloss is even harder. Every dust particle can be seen on the surface and the model has to be super clean before painting. I bought a bottle of surgical spirit (ethanol 90% methanol 5%) to clean the model before painting but still some small particles can be seen. I hope that the decals will mask this small imperfections.

 

The easiest part was painting the nose with Anthracite Black as the effect was quite good with almost no effort.

 

 

Now I am stuck cause need to buy some missing colours to paint the canopy and the rear wheels bays (which I painted with the wrong colour ).

cheers