Australian F-111 1/48 build Hobbyboss.

[trickyrich]

I've recently found an awesome trick to fix this.

 

You need some decal softening solution and a needle. It may pay to test out the softening solution on some spare decals first as some solutions can be a bit aggressive!

 

Just lightly gentleman's parts the surface of the decal with the needle then apply the softening solution and leave it for a moment (10-20sec) then gently pat the decal with a damp paper towel. It may take a couple of applications as the solution needs to work its way underneath the decal, but it works perfectly. It doesn't matter if the decal has a clear coat over it or that it may have been on for sometime.

 

I used this method on my Kittyhawk, the kit decals (the stencilling) were really quite thick and silvered as they dried, even after drowning in decal solution. After doing this they almost complete dissappeared.

 

 

[Deano353]

1 hour ago, trickyrich said:

I've recently found an awesome trick to fix this.

 

You need some decal softening solution and a needle. It may pay to test out the softening solution on some spare decals first as some solutions can be a bit aggressive!

 

Just lightly gentleman's parts the surface of the decal with the needle then apply the softening solution and leave it for a moment (10-20sec) then gently pat the decal with a damp paper towel. It may take a couple of applications as the solution needs to work its way underneath the decal, but it works perfectly. It doesn't matter if the decal has a clear coat over it or that it may have been on for sometime.

 

I used this method on my Kittyhawk, the kit decals (the stencilling) were really quite thick and silvered as they dried, even after drowning in decal solution. After doing this they almost complete dissappeared.

 

 

Fantastic man I'll give it a try

[f111guru]

That is it in a nut shell. Couldn't have said it any better as what @trickyrich passed on. Have done that for years except when I put the decals down I put solution down first add the decal and let it set for a few seconds and gently remove the excess. If I think or see that there not setting the way I would like I add a slight bit more and let it set. Doesn't happen over night but took quit a while to get a pattern down.

 

Ron VanDerwarker

[Deano353]

Guys that tip worked perfectly! Thanks again damn wish I'd known that a long time ago.

[Deano353]

Got Flory Models dark dirt wash on this so I dont generally get panel lines done very well so we'll see how this turns out. On the other hand having been up close with harriers and sea kings quite a lot the panel lines aren't always something you can see so if I don't get them this time either it'll still be ok. I'll give the model a satin finish then use pigments to weather it. I have got the harpoon missiles together so they'll get painted and added at the end with the pitot tubes and various parts. I got the base from Ikea in the damaged discount section it's a great place to get bases for models at a cheap price this was £5. Anyway I have to wait now for this to dry then wipe the excess away and see how it looks. 

[f111guru]

Looking great there Deano. Excellent recovery on the silvering in the decals. The weathering would be an awesome touch.

 

Ron VanDerwarker

[Deano353]

Cheers @f111guru I've used a mixture of pigments over the model after the wash to get the detail a bit more visible. The paint has had a matt coat to seal everything in and to give a more realistic finish. Still a bit of silvering so I'll have to keep working at it.

Edited September 30, 2019 by Deano353

[Deano353]

Here's a better picture showing the colour better it's difficult as the light is fading at the moment but otherwise I'm really happy so far. I have also added fans of yellow primer around leading edges as well to simulate chipped paint but I've kept it restrained as it's easy to go overboard on this front in my opinion.  It's currently sitting on a Lazy Susan as it's a much cheaper alternative and larger than a Tamiya turntable for paint.

[Deano353]

As I had to put the Wings back by cutting parts etc the wing is sitting slightly lower than the tailwing which from a few angles isn't obvious but I can live with it. To be honest because of the good fit of the kit I have preserved most details I have never used resin aftermarket parts before however if I were to build another I would get a few corrections for it. I am considering the 1/48 Airfix Buccaneer but that would be a challenge assuming I could get hold of one and the resin cockpit and wheel wells ans decals for the South African air force for something different as I would imagine the Tan model kit probably won't be out for a long time.

[f111guru]

1 hour ago, Deano353 said:

As I had to put the Wings back by cutting parts etc the wing is sitting slightly lower than the tailwing which from a few angles isn't obvious but I can live with it. To be honest because of the good fit of the kit I have preserved most details I have never used resin aftermarket parts before however if I were to build another I would get a few corrections for it. I am considering the 1/48 Airfix Buccaneer but that would be a challenge assuming I could get hold of one and the resin cockpit and wheel wells ans decals for the South African air force for something different as I would imagine the Tan model kit probably won't be out for a long time.

I have 3 of the Airfix Buc's and do not have any after market parts. As with most I don't use a lot of resin parts but will if the feeling moves me. My early pre F-111 series I'm drawing out the cockpit side walls because I don't like the metal etched. Frames not deep enough.

 

Your finished kit is amazing. Nice quality work.

 

Ron VanDerwarker

[Deano353]

33 minutes ago, f111guru said:

Your finished kit is amazing. Nice quality work.

Thanks man it's not quite done bit almost. Despite the issues the kit isn't half bad.

[Deano353]

I've a picture in better light here, as I said I've a few parts left to add so it's as good as finished but not quite. The silvering is gone for the most part but I'm gonna have to continue to fix these last few parts. I'm using micro set to remedy the situation but if there's other better versions out there let me know. I'm definitely gonna have to make sure the painted surface is smoother next time.

[trickyrich]

she is looking very nice!

 

The only thing I've noticed (no one else would probably), though it's a bit hard to see in the wing roundel. With the wings fully forward the Kangaroo's head should be facing forward with the feet facing the fuselage.

 

I had to check my references and the HB decal instructions to be sure and yes HB got it wrong (no surprises there!!). It's too late now to correct and really unless someone knows they wouldn't notice it. I don't remember this when I built mine as by that stage I'd completely given up in the instructions (and almost on the entire build!).

 

Here's the picture (one of a few) of the old girl loaded up with 48 x 500lb'ds. I don't know why they loaded up poor old 134, she was a Recon bird that would never have been used for bombing missions.

 

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/F-111-A8-134/F_111_A8_134_loaded_with_48_Mk82_500lb_low_drag_bombs_15Nov89_000_144_231

 

Here's a photo of your bird carrying 24 x 500lb'ds   

 

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/F-111-A8-127/F_111_A8_128

 

If you're interested in anything RAAF or RNZAF then this is one of the sites to go to.

 

Plus you may not be aware but your aircraft A8-127 was lost with both crew aboard on 13Sep 1993, she was with 1 Sqn then. We lost a few of them and crew, the day I was posted to 6 Sqn  we lost one of or birds in a low level accident, and with both crew aboard. The largest part they found was the main wheels, and the crew harnesses were still locked together minus the crew.......quite a sobering thought. I wasn't on the recovery team as I only arrived at the squadron that day, but it really affected those who were.

[phildagreek]

That it looking very sharp, nice work!

[f111guru]

1 hour ago, trickyrich said:

she is looking very nice!

 

The only thing I've noticed (no one else would probably), though it's a bit hard to see in the wing roundel. With the wings fully forward the Kangaroo's head should be facing forward with the feet facing the fuselage.

 

I had to check my references and the HB decal instructions to be sure and yes HB got it wrong (no surprises there!!). It's too late now to correct and really unless someone knows they wouldn't notice it. I don't remember this when I built mine as by that stage I'd completely given up in the instructions (and almost on the entire build!).

 

Here's the picture (one of a few) of the old girl loaded up with 48 x 500lb'ds. I don't know why they loaded up poor old 134, she was a Recon bird that would never have been used for bombing missions.

 

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/F-111-A8-134/F_111_A8_134_loaded_with_48_Mk82_500lb_low_drag_bombs_15Nov89_000_144_231

 

Here's a photo of your bird carrying 24 x 500lb'ds   

 

http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/gallery/F-111-A8-127/F_111_A8_128

 

If you're interested in anything RAAF or RNZAF then this is one of the sites to go to.

 

Plus you may not be aware but your aircraft A8-127 was lost with both crew aboard on 13Sep 1993, she was with 1 Sqn then. We lost a few of them and crew, the day I was posted to 6 Sqn  we lost one of or birds in a low level accident, and with both crew aboard. The largest part they found was the main wheels, and the crew harnesses were still locked together minus the crew.......quite a sobering thought. I wasn't on the recovery team as I only arrived at the squadron that day, but it really affected those who were.

Good information to know Rich. Did not dawn on me the direction the RAAF kangaroo goes like that. I would imagine then the Kiwi in the RNZAF emblem is similar. I do have the ADF-Gallery website saved in my favorites and have copied quite a few images for my build reference.

 

I also use these websites: http://www.joebaugher.com/

http://www.ukserials.com/

http://www.rwrwalker.ca/

to find information on certain aircraft. Joe Baughers site also tells where US aircraft ended up, I.E RAAF, RCAF, scrapped etc.

I have also in my grasp a new 6 sqd patch gracefully given to me for helping gather information for the F-111.net website years ago. Another odd thing and there have been many odd things with the F-111 is your retirement of the F-111C was on my birthday 3 Dec 2010. My first active wing and squadron in the USAF was the 405th TFW 523rd TFS and my retirement was the 27th FW 523rd FS.

 

So every bit of minute information that comes out in this forum is stored for later projects. I always say I learned something new.

 

Great work on the Vark Deano.

 

Ron VanDerwarker

 

[Deano353]

Well the last few parts have been added I will post it later in the completed builds when I have the harpoon attached and base painted, otherwise thanks to everyone who gave information there was so much it helped very much. I did a final bit of paint chipping and the various antennas, lights and pitot tube were added. Personally this is my best effort on a kit. Because it's dark I will post the armed F111 on the completed builds in the coming week. Also to mention the decals for this on the sheet say F111A lol anyway only 2 photos here I will post more as I said but here it Is!

[trickyrich]

well done of a great job on a model that is known to be a bit of a problem! The paint job is especially nice!

 

I look forward to seeing the final photos of her. 

[Deano353]

@trickyrich thanks very much I mixed the colours from what I have and somehow misplaced the two different shades of green so luckily I didn't have to use them again as when I found them I couldn't remember which was which. @f111guru gave a ton of information as well literally every detail I needed along with everyone else, more of a coordinated long distance effort Lol, never really made anything on here with people who know the aircraft personally, I'll definitely post my builds from here on.

Edited October 1, 2019 by Deano353

[trickyrich]

The green look fine, for me the Tan originally looked maybe a bit pale, but the clear coat darkened it up a wee bit and now it looks great.

 

Glad to have helped, I just wished I'd found this thread earlier. 

 

The poor old girl had a bad rap as an aircraft and poorly done on the model front. I of course have a real fondness for her and would have build more if there were some decent models out there, But it's really good to see someone else build one. A few years back I hosted the F-111 STGB on here, was probably the most F-111 builds ever done in one place and we covered all the various types.

[Deano353]

1 minute ago, trickyrich said:

A few years back I hosted the F-111 STGB on here, was probably the most F-111 builds ever done in one place and we covered all the various types.

Well if you decide to do another count me in! I wouldn't mind doing a corrected one.

[Pappy]

11 hours ago, Deano353 said:

Well the last few parts have been added I will post it later in the completed builds when I have the harpoon attached and base painted, otherwise thanks to everyone who gave information there was so much it helped very much. I did a final bit of paint chipping and the various antennas, lights and pitot tube were added. Personally this is my best effort on a kit. Because it's dark I will post the armed F111 on the completed builds in the coming week. Also to mention the decals for this on the sheet say F111A lol anyway only 2 photos here I will post more as I said but here it Is!

Great Job Deano, I am looking forward to more great pics in the RFI gallery.

 

Does the HB kit include the upper anti-collision beacon? It seems to be missing in your pics. It should live in the circular depression  located in the upper left hand corner of the rectangular "no step"panel located between the two upper bleed air ducts (behind the  antenna) and should sit proud of the fuselage when operating. It had three positions; on, rotating and off. The F-111 anti-col would retract to a flush position when turned off but would be extended when turned on and set to rotating (the internals rotated), the top of the anti-col beacon was curved to match the fuselage contours but also included a clear section in the centre so that it could still bee seen when retracted from above if required. I would hope that HB supplied a clear part for this? It is not too late to add this and the beacon would certainly be on and extended if the jet had engines running and was taxiing

 

Also, probably too late for this build but if anyone else is using this build as a reference, the kit stabs have the pointed ECM fairings at the trailing edge which is incorrect for RAAF F-111's. These fairings were primarily seen on the prototype/pre-production YF-111A / F-111Bs. The ends should be truncated and facing outwards

 

Congrats again on building an excellent F-111C,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Pappy

[Deano353]

5 minutes ago, Pappy said:

Does the HB kit include the upper anti-collision beacon? It seems to be missing in your pics. It should live in the circular depression  located in the upper left hand corner of the rectangular "no step"panel located between the tow upper bleed air ducts (behind the  antenna)

It actually is there, it's supplied as a clear part, should it be painted the same colour as the fuselage? I assumed it was a light.

[Pappy]

1 minute ago, Deano353 said:

It actually is there, it's supplied as a clear part, should it be painted the same colour as the fuselage? I assumed it was a light.

G'day Deano,

 

When extended, the sides are exposed and these should be painted clear red (if it is a clear plastic part) or gloss red if solid plastic.

The top of the part should be the same colour as the fuselage except for the centre which should also be clear red,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

[Deano353]

Cheers for that I didn't know this. That'll be an easy enough fix. 

[exdraken]

Take care if the pylons!

Looks they are angled up strangely....