jonf45 Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 (edited) Needed some more airbrushing practice, so whilst grabbing an Airfix Hawk and a Hasegawa Jaguar i thought id pick up the cheapest model in the shop to have a go on. It turned out to be the Academy F-104. Having just done the hasegawa F-104 i thought maybe it wouldn't be too different........ Ok, lets start with the bad points! The Engine intakes are round instead of pointy, the canopy is way to big (and bizarrely the detail is printed on the inside!!!!) there's no insides to speak of, there's no cockpit details at all, there's no proper ejector seat, the exhaust is very basic, and the pilot looks like being the size of an 11 year old (and there's probably loads more technical issues with it that an expert would rip apart!) However, it went together beautifully, very little sanding or filling and i actually enjoyed making it, and in the end, isn't that what its all about??!!! The airbrushing went quite well, and it was looking nice until i put the decals on with some Humbrol decalfix, then everything went white/silvery managed to restore most of it through some gloss varnish, but sadly had to cover the rest the best i could with weathering, which was a shame as i wanted to do it clean!!!! Had to try and cut back and rebuild the engine intakes, which is why they dont look too good, and arent in line with the break of colours but i couldn't do much about that!!! Finished as Marineflieger's 26+65 using the unused Hasegawa decals Anyway with all that in mid, a few pics: Academy 1.72 F-104G 26+65-2 by Jonathan Francis, on Flickr Academy 1.72 F-104G 26+65-6 by Jonathan Francis, on Flickr Academy 1.72 F-104G 26+65-5 by Jonathan Francis, on Flickr Academy 1.72 F-104G 26+65-4 by Jonathan Francis, on Flickr Academy 1.72 F-104G 26+65-1 by Jonathan Francis, on Flickr Thanks for looking Jon Edited August 1, 2018 by jonf45 27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 (edited) Ok, I linked the pictures from my phone to my 4k TV. Then ruthlessly zoomed in until the pixels screamed. So now your little F104 is 3 feet long in front of me. So now the flaws you mention are clearly obvious. A bit of silvering around the decals but the airbrushing is nicely done. But once you reduce the pictures to a more sensible size it all disappears. You definitely deserve a sticker ⭐ Edited August 1, 2018 by noelh 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyGair Posted August 1, 2018 Share Posted August 1, 2018 Looks Ok to me. I'm not that familiar with the F-104 but the canopy does look strange? Did you gloss coat before decaling, generally decals don't like being put onto a matt finish, the air gets trapped over the rough matt surface and when the decal dries ends up looking 'silvered', that's not to say a gloss coat always works as I've found out plenty of times! Davey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonf45 Posted August 1, 2018 Author Share Posted August 1, 2018 Cheers guys! Seeing that at 3 ft long I think would be a bit much!!! Yeah the canopy looks like it would be better suited to a 2 seat version imo! Was gloss coated with a couple thin layers then decals, seemed ok with ones just using water but ones I used a little decalfix to try and get to cling to grooves etc went very white/silvery. Managed to get them back to decentish level by putting some more gloss on, then used only water to apply the rest and they went ok, hence assuming it was the decalfix?! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcin Wojciechowski Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Very nice work. I am currently working on a Starfighter model from the Academy and have also tweaked the air intake cones. What's in the model is tragic! It looks terrible even for a vintage model. Mine has a new cabin cover, corrected and embossed - the set is terrible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back in the Saddle Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Excellent weathering. You’re definitely getting a sticker! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 Beautiful model, well done . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 You've done a fine job and given you bought it to practice airbrushing with, it served your purpose very well. You can be well pleased with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 The F-104 looks great in that Bundesmarine scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted January 7, 2021 Share Posted January 7, 2021 On 8/1/2018 at 2:37 PM, DaveyGair said: I'm not that familiar with the F-104 but the canopy does look strange? It certainly is :(. Nonetheless, it’s always good to see a Starfighter! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Model Mate Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 you get a sticker, no problem, but Academy don't! I built this kit with my (at the time, little) boy years ago - what a dog! I don't know how you managed it, but yours looks quite like a starfighter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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