Fairey Barracuda -- Special Hobby 1/72

[Brandy]

The paint looks great, you've got some nice variation there to break it up.

 

Ian

[billn53]

As promised, here are pics after cleaning up the Flory wash. I tried to leave a bit more of the Flory in place than a full cleanup would have done, as my intent is for this to be a heavily weathered aircraft.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Flory wash is just my first step in the weathering process, stay tuned for more.

 

Also, I finally added these items which help to give the Barracuda it's ugly duckling appeal. I had held off on installing these because they get in the way of just about everything involved in painting, and are asking to be broken off. Unfortunately, there's no good time to add these so I'll cross my fingers and hope they survive till the end. At least, I don't have to worry about adding the radar aerials on this particular aircraft!

 

 

 

 

[billn53]

I've procrastinated long enough wisely waited until now to tackle the canopy issue. As you recall, I put a nasty crack in the kit canopy and it's now unusable (according to my standards, which are pretty low when it comes to canopy cracks). I have a nicely clear Falcon vacuform canopy, but it's made for the Frog kit and getting it to fit the SH fuselage will be difficult. 

 

Here's my plan, which I've already put into action. First, using the kit canopy as a master, I vacuformed a new canopy which (hopefully) should fit better than the Falcon one:

 

 

The framing isn't as distinct on my copy, but I'll be using an aftermarket canopy mask so that should help.

 

The stress of separating the vacuform from the kit canopy caused its crack to propagate -- the crack now extends nearly half the length of the canopy. (As a last resort, just in case all else fails, I've e-mailed Special Hobby asking for a replacement canopy. We'll see how that turns out.)

 

 

 

My homegrown vacuform fits pretty well. The only problem area is at the shoulder over the forward wing. No surprise about that -- the original has the same problem.

 

 

But I have a masterful strategy for getting around that (puffing up my chest with pride)! Here it is:

 

 

 

(Now I wish I'd put more effort into detailing the instrument panel)

 

For the forward windscreen, I could use my vacuform piece, but it's pretty flimsy, doesn't fit perfectly, and the framing edge looks a bit too thin. Alternatively, I can use the kit windscreen (which I've carefully cut out). Here is how they compare (vacuform on the left):

 

   

 

Which do you think works better?

 

Lastly, I have a couple of questions and am looking for advice. They are:

 

1. What is a good adhesive for gluing vacuform canopies in place? It should be clear, but strong.

 

2. Should I mask and paint the canopy framing before gluing in place, or afterward? My concern with the latter is the heightened possibility of pulling the canopy free when working on it.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

 

[stevehnz]

This stuff.

Ad·www.ebay.com.au/
GS Crystal Hypo Cement on eBay | Seriously, We Have Everything

Hopefully the link will work but a google search for the title after the eBay address will give you somewhere convenient for you to buy it, I like it because it sticks to a painted surface, I recently used it to stick some U/C doors on where both surfaces were painted. It has its own needle applicator & sealed with the needle stopper has a good shelf life.

Steve.

[CedB]

Nice work on the canopy Bill  

For what it's worth here's my advice…

 

You could use 'something else' for the canopy framing like strips of painted decal or (my favourite) Filmoplast book repair tape. That would save a lot of pain on masking.

 

Canopy glue? Various options as well as Steve's Crystal Hypo; perdu recommended 'Formula 560 canopy glue' (my favourite at the moment) and I've also used Gator's Grip - both clean up with water and dry clear. TheBaron has also used, I think, clear Araldite - gives you some trimming after curing and also fills any big gaps.

 

HTH  

[Grey Beema]

I think I would go with @CedB'S suggestion and use trimmed painted decalsheet or trimmed painted tape.  Remember to undercoat with interior green before lashing the Camouflage colour over the top.  

[825]

I would mask before fitting as there's loads of panels and there's not just the risk of dislodging the canopy but also the continual handling of the airframe the risk of knocking something else off. It will also protect the canopy when  (if) you have to sand and trim to get it to fit. 

 

I use Kristal Klear glue which is a PVA and I know that @Scimitar uses commercial PVA. It dries quite quickly and is smooth and clear. Excess can be wiped away with a damp finger or swab. It can also be used as a canopy filler, although it does shrink and can take a couple of applications. One advantage of using a clear PVA or resin is that you can paint it first with the interior colour before exterior and the joint is pretty much invisible in the inside. If you use traditional fillers you can see white (or the original colour) lines inside the canopy. 

[billn53]

Stevehnz, Ced, Grey Beema, & 825:

Excellent suggestions, I think I’ll go with the GS Crystal (I have a tube on the shelf) and try Filmoplast for the framing. Thanks, Ced, for reminding me about Filmoplast. I have a bad habit of buying things I read about on these forums (thus, I’ve just ordered off some Araldite), then forgetting I have them. It may even have been one of your posts where I first heard of Filmoplast. 

So, I’ll paint up some per GB’s guidance and give it a try. 

Bill

 

[CedB]

Thanks Bill - my name's Ced by the way; HTH is a forum abbreviation for Hope This Helps!  

[billn53]

29 minutes ago, CedB said:

Thanks Bill - my name's Ced by the way; HTH is a forum abbreviation for Hope This Helps!  

Sorry, my bad. I corrected it in my previous post. That Filmoplast is interesting stuff: very thin, takes paint nicely, easy to cut narrow strips. But it tends to curl up and stick to itself. It also isn’t very strong so if you pull on it too hard, it tears. But I’m getting the hang of it. 

[CedB]

No worries Bill

You're right about the Filmoplast. I tend to peel mine off the backing and stick it to a glass block for painting and cutting, then peel it off with a sharp blade. It might seem easier to cut strips first but then it's hard to peel the backing off.

[billn53]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

No worries Bill

You're right about the Filmoplast. I tend to peel mine off the backing and stick it to a glass block for painting and cutting, then peel it off with a sharp blade. It might seem easier to cut strips first but then it's hard to peel the backing off.

You’ve described exactly the approach I took, which with a little care and attention worked a-ok. The long canopy section is done, working on the sliding section and windscreen now. 

[billn53]

… And here they are:

 

  

 

(the canopy pieces haven't yet been glued in place)

 

The Filmoplast made this job a lot easier than it would have been had I tried masking the clear areas and then painting the framing. Thanks again, Ced!

 

Next step is to glue down the canopy and attend to any fit issues. But first, a well-earned break.

 

 

[CedB]

You’re welcome Bill - good job!

[billn53]

This morning was spent getting decals on, and in the afternoon I focused on weathering to turn this into a well-used aircraft. Let me show you some beauty shots of the ugly duckling:

 

First, how she looked before any weathering:

 

 

 

And how she looks now:

 

  

 

 

 

The aircraft I'm modeling had a couple of replacement panels, still in their primer coat:

 

   

 

Different shades of gray washes were airbrushed to create the appearance of faded and worn paint:

 

 

 

I used the salt technique on regions of the wing that would be commonly walked on:

 

 

 

A roundel on the right wing had been painted over with dark slate gray at some point. I waited until I was nearly finished with weathering before painting mine, so it is discernable from the more weathered surrounding paint, but not unrealistically "fresh".

 

 

 

This white line is the release for the emergency dinghy, and is provided as a kit decal. Red decal from the spares box simulates the tape holding it to the fuselage:

 

 

 

Moving on to the underside, I used oils to enhance the earlier Flory wash, and airbrushed a light gray wash to unify the wing insignia with the underside weathering. A similar approach was used on the upper surface markings.

 

 

 

The Special Hobby decals are excellent all around. They are very thin and release from their paper backing within seconds of being wetted. Their only drawback is that they immediately stick and want to stay wherever they go down; repositioning them is difficult and risks tearing the decal.

 

Note the generous amount of stenciling provided on the decal sheet. Even the little black dots are decals!:

 

 

 

That's my progress for the weekend. I'm now two weeks into this build and nearing the finish line. Items that still need to be done include:

 

• Add the tail plane struts (kit struts will need to be re-worked as they're too long)
• Install landing gear and arresting hook
• Add exhausts and exhaust stains
• Paint and install propeller
• Add the dive flaps and their actuators
• Add the centerline bomb mount, underwing bomb racks, and depth bombs (purchased separately)
• Unmask the position & landing lights, and paint the three recognition lights under the left wing
• Install pitot tube and antenna mast / aerial lines

 

And then she'll be done and I'll be ready to start my next big project!

[stevehnz]

Wow Bill, that looks superb, you've set a very high bar for these now, I might just have to duck underneath with mine.

Steve.

[CedB]

Seconded! A beautifully weathered model, great job Bill  

[Andwil]

Fantastic and very believable weathering.

 

AW

[AdrianMF]

Super build and super-er weathering!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[RidgeRunner]

Wonderful, Bill! @billn53

 

While I've read a little about I am intrigued by your salt technique. How does that work?

 

Martin

 

[Brandy]

Very nicely weathered indeed! I'm always a little dubious about weathered aircraft but taking into consideration the conditions this would have served on it looks great, and most importantly, it's all very subtle - you know it's there, but you can't see where it starts or finishes!

 

Ian

[billn53]

5 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

Wonderful, Bill! @billn53

 

While I've read a little about I am intrigued by your salt technique. How does that work?

 

Martin

 

Most simply: After your initial painting, mist water on the surface, sprinkle with salt (your choice on how much and how big the crystals are), and let everything dry. Then, spray a light coat of the base color that has been slightly altered (lighter or darker). When that's dry, remove the salt (brush or wash it off).

 

I've had mixed results with the technique (more failures than successes) and am not a great fan.

 

For the Barracuda, I did a slight variation. I did my initial weathering (Flory plus thin gray wash airbrushed on) and applied a semi-gloss clear coat for decaling. After doing the decals, I applied the salt, followed by more gray-wash weathering (primarily to de-saturate the decals so they wouldn't look so fresh). Only then did I remove the salt. The result had not only a difference in color intensity (due to the additional weathering), but also the salt "shadows" were more glossy. In fact, they were a bit too glossy for my taste, so I did another very light mist of gray wash to tone it down.

 

[billn53]

5 hours ago, limeypilot said:

Very nicely weathered indeed! I'm always a little dubious about weathered aircraft but taking into consideration the conditions this would have served on it looks great, and most importantly, it's all very subtle - you know it's there, but you can't see where it starts or finishes!

 

Ian

I'm with you about overdone weathering, and same goes for panel lines. Some remind me of a woman with heavy makeup... it might look nice, but also unnatural.

[warhawk]

16 hours ago, billn53 said:

Most simply: After your initial painting, mist water on the surface, sprinkle with salt (your choice on how much and how big the crystals are), and let everything dry. Then, spray a light coat of the base color that has been slightly altered (lighter or darker). When that's dry, remove the salt (brush or wash it off).

 

I've had mixed results with the technique (more failures than successes) and am not a great fan.

 

I believe these mixed results were caused by the salt powder (the smallest crystals). They stick to the model like crazy, and are very hard to remove later.

Also, they can produce white / matte patches on model after the final coat...

If You sift them through, and use only the medium and larger ones, You will avoid most problems that cope up with this technique.

 

Regards,

Aleksandar

[billn53]

I'll be leaving on a short-notice business trip today so it will be a few days before my next posting. Let me show you what I've been up to.

 

Tail-plane struts.

 

The ones in the kit are much too long (as TheBaron noted) and must be shortened. I separated mine just below where they attach to the tail-plane:

 

 

 

And trimmed the longer portion to fit. Look how much I had to remove!

 

 

 

And here they are, installed in their proper position:

 

 

 

Bomb Racks:

 

SH thoughtfully gives exact measurements for where the wing bomb racks go:

 

 

 

Which, when measured out, is exactly along these panel lines. Why didn't they just say so? (You can see where I drilled out the wing to accept the "nubs" on the mating surface of the bomb racks).

 

 

 

Here are the bomb racks in place. But, unfortunately their curvature doesn't match that of the wing, so there's a gap at the rear:

 

   

 

I don't have time to deal with that right now, maybe when I get back from my trip?