Jabba Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 A lot of effort to make this one. It is looking good though. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 Love how this is looking. And I hate how it's been molded! Very little drives me more mad than a bad fitting kit. Surely, after making the kit look accurate, the most important job of the manufacturer is to make the kit go together well, you know? Just fit and ease of building, they should be primary aims! But well done on sticking it out and doing a great job to boot! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 14 hours ago, Jabba said: A lot of effort to make this one. It is looking good though. 11 hours ago, Jasonb13 said: Love how this is looking. And I hate how it's been molded! Very little drives me more mad than a bad fitting kit. Surely, after making the kit look accurate, the most important job of the manufacturer is to make the kit go together well, you know? Just fit and ease of building, they should be primary aims! But well done on sticking it out and doing a great job to boot! Thanks very much to you both 👍 I've just been finishing off my little Cobra for the Sharkmouths GB and I'll get cracking on this again soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 (edited) Unbelievable work so far Alan, the painting of the bays in particular is as good as I've seen yet, really very impressive (well it all is!). I like the canopy a lot and I think I've seen the same canopy tinting vid btw. Slight diversion but maybe interesting, I've tried a few metallic paints here in the Tamiya clear mix, where I've found skimming off a small amount of the pure metallic particles from Alclad's Copper and/or Gold (depending on the tint colour) mixed in with clear yellow/smoke/orange mix etc..can give some really cool results as the metallic grain is very fine, give it a test if your interested in the F-16/F-22 type tint! Naturally there is always some slight grain because of the scale we are working in but it can look very good. Anyways a serious model in progress here! David Edited June 26, 2019 by mirageiv 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted June 27, 2019 Author Share Posted June 27, 2019 5 hours ago, mirageiv said: I've tried a few metallic paints here in the Tamiya clear mix, where I've found skimming off a small amount of the pure metallic particles from Alclad's Copper and/or Gold (depending on the tint colour) mixed in with clear yellow/smoke/orange mix etc..can give some really cool results as the metallic grain is very fine, give it a test if your interested in the F-16/F-22 type tint! Naturally there is always some slight grain because of the scale we are working in but it can look very good. Hi David and thanks very much! This is a great tip - I will definitely give this a go, thank you again! Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted June 30, 2019 Author Share Posted June 30, 2019 There will be another brief interlude while I wait for some paint masks from the US. Having seen the fiddly job involved I decided to splash the cash...🙄 Hope it will save me a lot of time and swearing and encourage me to finish the job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FortyEighter Posted July 10, 2019 Share Posted July 10, 2019 Hi Alan, I've just caught up on this thread - wow! The level of detail that you've got through careful painting of the resin bays and detailing the others is very impressive. Congratulations too on a very informative explanation of the fit issues that you encountered and how you overcame them. Looking forward to seeing the level of paint finish that you achieve on this model. Regards Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 On 7/10/2019 at 6:10 AM, FortyEighter said: Hi Alan, I've just caught up on this thread - wow! The level of detail that you've got through careful painting of the resin bays and detailing the others is very impressive. Congratulations too on a very informative explanation of the fit issues that you encountered and how you overcame them. Looking forward to seeing the level of paint finish that you achieve on this model. Regards Mike Thank you very much Mike! Glad to be of help as well as of interest 👍 This weekend was all about prepping for paint. I used vinyl masks for the fan and aux intake Went back to trusty old Tamiya tape for the weapon bays and sponge cutouts for the wheelwells. The painting plan goes like this: Wash the whole model and prime with Mr Surfacer Black 1500 Micromesh the primer coat down to 8000 grit Prime again with Alclad Honey Primer Undercoat the entire jet with Alclad polished Aluminium (idea totally stolen from @SaminCam who's doing a superb job with the Hasegawa 1/72 kit of this aircraft) Top coat of Colourcoats FS36170 Camouflage Gray enamel Mask and paint the RAM tape and compartment edges some lighter colour (haven't decided which yet) Hopefully this will result in a dark grey with a slight metallic sheen. Let's see how it goes! Alan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 The first three steps went relatively smoothly... Then the Alclad didn't go on particularly well - I think it's an old bottle of mine that hasn't been used since my mega B-29 build back in 2015 Went on a bit blotchy but it'll do as an undercoat. I sprayed the enamel on and it came out pretty well - here's a sneak peek until it dries and I can get some better photos. More soon! All the best, Alan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaminCam Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 (edited) Looking great so far Alan, can't wait for the big reveal. The alclad looks pretty good from here, if it gives a bit of variation in tone as an undercoat you can claim you meant it all along! Good shout on the masks, it was brutal doing it by hand! Mine's nearly finished (should have had it in this gb...) with canopy tinting one of the few jobs left to do - never done this before so will be following your recipe! Edited July 22, 2019 by SaminCam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 23, 2019 Author Share Posted July 23, 2019 (edited) On 7/22/2019 at 11:11 PM, SaminCam said: Looking great so far Alan, can't wait for the big reveal. The alclad looks pretty good from here, if it gives a bit of variation in tone as an undercoat you can claim you meant it all along! Good shout on the masks, it was brutal doing it by hand! Mine's nearly finished (should have had it in this gb...) with canopy tinting one of the few jobs left to do - never done this before so will be following your recipe! Thanks a lot, Sam. That was a good brainwave for the finish so thanks very much for sharing it. Re the canopy...it works out fine if you go in very light coats and stop before you think it's enough 😉👍 This paint takes a while to dry so the next update will be a couple of days away! Still plenty of time for the deadline...😎 Edited July 25, 2019 by Alan P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 Well it's been a long slog but we're finally on the home straight with this challenging build! Really pleased with the base paintjob, particularly the way it changes under different lighting just like the real thing. Also finished the display stand which also came out nicely. Next I must sing the praises of DN Models masks for this kit. (Link HERE) Absolutely brilliant, comprehensive mask set for the aircraft. I honestly wouldn't have finished this project in time without them. Not cheap, but fantastic value and although the masking job still took about four hours it was far easier and more effective using the mask set. 100% recommended for your F-35, I was so impressed I immediately ordered the 1/32 set for the Italeri F-35A! Find out how that all went in the next post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 I brushed a coat of Klear over the Colourcoats enamel after leaving to dry for over 24 hours, so I can use MRP lacquer for the RAM panels and taped areas. The MRP version of FS36170 is a shade lighter so it should work well. I started with the tails: The masks only lifted only one spot of the undercoat (thin section at the leading edge of the right hand fin in the picture) but this will be hidden under a decal anyway. Under different lighting conditions it changes the contrast and reflection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 Four hours masking and ten minutes painting later... Also, like the real aircraft, it gives some good effects under different lighting: I don't think I could get this to look any more accurate, so that's it for the painting [huge sigh of relief]. I guess that means we're ready for decals! Alan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 Unfortunately the kit decals were very hard to work with. Absurdly thin, fragile and prone to crumple, fold and break at the slightest touch. One final nail in the coffin of this kit as far as enjoyment goes. A modeller shouldn't be finishing off their build at the decal stage with their heart in their mouth for every single application! I managed to salvage most of what I needed, but there's one very irritating choice I had to make which for me spoils the overall finish - due to attrition I was left with two asymmetric decals either side of the fan intake (even though most people wouldn't notice unless they were really looking for faults. 😠) Add to your KH F-35B shopping list: aftermarket decals and stencils. Now for the big reveal..! The special airshow scheme for the first RN display aircraft: Although this is conjecture on my part, I had to work within the realms of realistic probability. I opted for colour only on the fin. It's based on the Phoenix Five display scheme on 809's Buccaneer based at RNAS Yeovilton with an added Lightning flash on the inside fins. These decals are off the Model Alliance RN Display Teams sheet in 1/48. I toyed with adding hi-viz roundels as well, but realistically that would be unlikely given the joint nature of the Lightning Force. That said, I dispensed with the irritating low-viz fin flash - I can't remember seeing any RN fast jets with RAF-style fin flashes in any case. [That's my story and I'm sticking to it!] Here's how it looks at close of play (it was 39C in my shed, time to stop!) Just the finishing touches to go - this should be finished before the GB deadline [phew!] The next shots will probably be the Gallery ones Thanks for following the build and for all the words of wisdom, sympathy and encouragement so far! Alan 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helios16v Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 Finish turned out exquisite. Kinda makes me want to go hunting for a C. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 Nice work Alan. That looks great! I love the sheen you have achieved there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 1 hour ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: Nice work Alan. That looks great! I love the sheen you have achieved there. Well I love the paint that made it possible! Only Colourcoats produces such an exact match for Camouflage Gray 36170. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 25, 2019 Author Share Posted July 25, 2019 2 hours ago, helios16v said: Finish turned out exquisite. Kinda makes me want to go hunting for a C. Thanks Chris. I think Kitty Hawk is the only game in town, but hopefully the C is a less challenging kit than this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 3 hours ago, Alan P said: Well I love the paint that made it possible! Only Colourcoats produces such an exact match for Camouflage Gray 36170. 👍 It's quite a subtle colour. At first I thought "We have over 100 greys already, surely we have one that is a close match" but no. It is a strange brownish grey that is distinctly different from the majority of military service greys which tend to be bluish or greenish. Hence it was another unique colour that served little purpose other than for this type within the modelling world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 I'm very pleased to say it's finally finished! It was a bit of a slog, not made easier by my creative choice to display it in the hover like this, but I'm glad I stuck with it as I think it's the best aircraft model I've ever made. Thanks very much Patrice @TEMPESTMK5 for hosting, and all those who contributed their wisdom and encouragement. See you in the Gallery! All the best, Alan 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 I'd like this twice if I could Alan! Stunning build, I love it. Excellent scheme, masking and paint job. The weapons bays are ridiculous (in a good way!). it's weird seeing nearly the whole underside of the aircraft open! Well done, you should be rightly proud of this. Nothing like finishing a model and thinking 'that's probably the best I've made', I had the same feeling with my F-117a. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted July 27, 2019 Author Share Posted July 27, 2019 4 minutes ago, Jasonb13 said: I'd like this twice if I could Alan! Stunning build, I love it. Excellent scheme, masking and paint job. The weapons bays are ridiculous (in a good way!). it's weird seeing nearly the whole underside of the aircraft open! Well done, you should be rightly proud of this. Nothing like finishing a model and thinking 'that's probably the best I've made', I had the same feeling with my F-117a. Thanks so much Jason. This has been a good GB for us both in that case 👍 Cheers, Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 Absolutely superb. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradley Posted July 27, 2019 Share Posted July 27, 2019 Wow, that's REALLY nice, Alan - well done! One small thing - no Union Flag inside the liftjet door? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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