PJ Productions 1/72 F-84F Thunderstreak -- Re-issued!!

[TheRealMrEd]

Thanks Stuart,

 

Wet or dry sanding is very true!  In my case however, I have a 13 gallon wastepaper basket at my desk.  When I start sawing casting blocks or the small-parts sanding, I just empty the can, put in a new plastic trash bag, and do the cutting and sanding over the wastebasket, which is about a meter lower than my nose.  (Ask me how many small parts I dug for in the trash, before learning to start with a new, empty bag!)  I use sanding sticks, emery boards and the like.  For me the wet sanding starts after assembly of the fuselage, possibly wings, etc. where fillers come into play.  I rarely kick up enough dust to cause a problem, and if I do, I just use the half-mask described above, as it has a particulates filter ahead of the organics filter.  (I also use this mask when sanding woodworking projects...)

 

So, to recap, I do light sanding over the wastebasket, with or without the mask, and usually the wet sanding (usually only at the pre-paint prep stage) is done over the sink, water running, and with a fine mesh strainer placed into the sink drain, just in case something breaks off.

 

The wet sanding method is certainly the safest, but sometimes I am in a hurry and don't want to take the time to dry the parts.  Speaking of drying the parts, the room where I do the wet sanding and store my decals and model kits was once a darkroom used by the former owner of the house.  When he left, he left a great little dehumidifier, which keeps the moisture under control for spray painting, as well as being a great place to dry resin parts, with a towel laid in front of the dehumidifier and the parts laid upon that.

 

I have come a long way since my days of modeling in an outside storage closet on one end of the deck of a rental apartment!

 

Ed

[Nikolay Polyakov]

Excellent article and interesting start, Ed! 👍 I’ll take a seat! 🍿

 

17 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

If i build one it would have to be an Illinois A.N.G. Jet.

Excellent choice! 😉

[Terry1954]

4 hours ago, Courageous said:

If only it was so simple Martin. I have very little that I don't want to build in my numerous stashes but I still add to them...mental.

 

Stuart

Snap!

 

Terry

[TheRealMrEd]

Well, back again...

 

After trying a couple of ideas to paint the instrument panel, I finally decided to go the Mike Grant cockpit decal route.  It ended up looking like this:

 

 

Above right, when I glued the I..P. assembly to the cockpit floor, I didn't make certain that the IP assembly was flush with the front edge of the cockpit floor piece.  I had to pry it apart after using a little de-bonder and some prying.  This roughed up the surface, so due to my own ham-handedness, the is a rather prominent gap at the front of the IP.  Fortunately, a little fitting of the canopy shows that this won't be seen, so no problem.

 

Next, with the cockpit glued into place (I left the gun-sight glass, control stick and seat until later!), the fuselage halves were glued together with CA.  Here I tried my first use of a Glue Looper tool, and I have to say while it worked pretty well, some practice will be necessary!

 

Also, the long vertical stabilizer was glued into place.  (Some discrepancy here, as the kit instructions say that the short tail was used only on the -45RE and 40GK variants, while other sources seem to say the the short tail was used UP TO the -45RE.  In any event, a picture of a sister ship to the one I am building shows the long tail, so that's where I'm going).  Last, the drag chute compartment was glued to the underside rear end, which resulted in a small gap needing to be filled (arrow):

 

 

Next, I started on the canopy.  The time-honored method of separating the vacuform canopy from its sheet is to first score the correct panel lines several times, and the snap the part free from the sheet.  In this case, some of the lines are not distinctly molded,  so some trimming was needed by razor saw and razor blade.  (Cuticle scissors are another possible candidate):

 

 

Because of this (or perhaps my own error), the fit at the rear of the canopy leaves a gap.  I should have cut the rear end overlong and sanded it to final shape, but I got cocky and didn't.  You can see the result!

 

However, the rest of the canopy fits quite nicely, and if need be, I can fill this gap and still use this canopy in it's closed form.  I will, however, take the second canopy (thank you PJ Productions!), and attempt to model the aircraft with the canopy open, and use this canopy as my fall-back.

 

I only wish the kit makers would figure out that on this type of aircraft (with windows in the turtle-deck), the drill should be to cast or form the turtle-deck part from clear material and let us modeler just mask the windows!!

 

Well, I will experiment with the other canopy, as I like to attach the fixed parts before painting the aircraft.  We will see how everything turn out in the end...

 

Later,

 

Ed

[RidgeRunner]

Nice progress, Ed. :). The beautiful lines of the F-84F are emerging and plain to see in your shot of the fuselage built up. I opted for just one of these kits and she is on her way from Belgium right now :). I will just have to sit on my hands for quite a while, though, before starting her. I might run a dual RF- and F- build with my Sword and PJP. One day! Keep up the good work.

 

Martin

 

Edited October 7, 2019 by RidgeRunner

[TheRealMrEd]

Thanks Martin, good luck with yours!

 

A brief update:  Have chopped up the second vacuformed canopy, and have done a little better.  In the next photo the rear or turtle-deck part is just setting there, and it fits well enough.  The letters "G" show where each side have to be glued, the top rear part left unglued.  This is because the part marked "XXXX" will have to be removed for the rear canopy support for the opened position, after first dipping the whole shebang into Future or whatever:

 

 

Above right, the rear section has been glued into place with CA using the smallest size Glue Looper, which worked very well; a tiny dot at a time, right where it needed to go!  The arrow above right point to a small plastic shim to fill a gap.  Just barely seen in both photos (arrow in left picture, above) shons where I scored the panel lines gently a few times with a new #11 blade, as this part will have to be removed later on.

 

Next, the canopy to fuselage join area all around has been given a coat of Mr Surfacer 500 to fill any small gaps.  I really hate gaps at the canopy and jets, and try really hard to remove them:

 

 

Above right -- the clear panels have been temporarily masked with pieces of Tamiya Tape, just to protect the glassy areas from sanding scratches.  400 grit wet or dry is used wet to smooth the Mr Surfacer 500, after which more filler will be added, if necessary.

 

Just so happens that the sanding seems to be okay after one pass, so then I traced the score lines a few more times with the #11 blade, and separated the piece of the rear canopy at the top (arrow):

 

 

That's all for now, see you all later...

 

Ed

 

[reini]

Nice job. Clear parts are tricky as there so little room for error. And the unique canopy opening of the F-84 certainly doesn't make things easier.

[RidgeRunner]

On 10/10/2019 at 6:32 AM, reini said:

Nice job. Clear parts are tricky as there so little room for error. And the unique canopy opening of the F-84 certainly doesn't make things easier.

I'm tempted to see if a Sword RF-84F canopy would fit. I have a couple of boxes and,  having just "invested" in a PJ RF, I have a couple of spares

 

M 

Edited October 11, 2019 by RidgeRunner

[RidgeRunner]

On 10/10/2019 at 11:55 AM, RidgeRunner said:

I'm tempted to see if a Sword RF-84F canopy would fit. I have a couple of boxes and,  having just "invested" in a PJ RF, I have a couple of spares

 

M 

Sorry for a little thread creep, Ed, but I just received my PJ RF-84F from the big H. Was I disappointed upon opening the box? Yes! :(. I will admit, though, that I didn't look too much in to the detail. What I did do, though, was match the fuselage to the Sword and barring a couple of millimetres in length they match. So, when I get to opening it up again to start building I hope my disappointment will be ill-founded. Out of interst I matched the Sword to the Warpaint profiles and, barring the couple of millimetres, it matches! So, the question - for the sake of two or mm should I keep the PJ? The Sword kit is very nice and so I'm tempted to show the PJ the door! 

 

Martin

  

Edit: I also should say that as far as I can see the PJ F-84F and the RF-84F have quite different levels of surface detail and refinement. I imagine the RF- is the older kit? 

Edited October 11, 2019 by RidgeRunner

[TheRealMrEd]

Martin,

 

I do believe that the F-84F has been re-tooled, but since I've never seen the original in person, I can't say.  The photos from Rob de Bie earlier lead me to believe it is an entirely different kit, including different material.  I only know that I like it more than the Airfix or Italieri, but there's one more secret ingredient that makes it so for me, one that I'll show, eventually.

 

Ed

 

[RidgeRunner]

5 hours ago, TheRealMrEd said:

but there's one more secret ingredient that makes it so for me, one that I'll show, eventually.

Now I'm intrigued, Ed. :)

[TheRealMrEd]

Hello again.

 

This time,we start with  the wing, which doesn't fit really great.  It's not the worst ever, but not the best either:

 

 

Above right, the top of the wings don't fit much better, possibly the result of the strange "jagged" edge join -- perhaps that's the join on the real aircraft.  I don't have any drawings good enough to say.

 

In any event, some tape top and bottom to protect detail, and a layer of Bondo Spot Primer:

 

which after sanding (above right), starts to clean up a little.  Next a coat of Mr Surfacer 500 as a mild filler:

 

 

Above right, it's looking better!

 

 

Above right, the horizontal stabilizers also are a little wonkie at the front end.  Following the same procedure as with the wings, first a little spot putty:

 

And, above right, a little Mr Surfacer 500, also to be carefully sanded.

 

Well, that's all for now.

 

Later, dudes!

 

Ed

 

[RidgeRunner]

On 10/11/2019 at 6:14 PM, TheRealMrEd said:

Martin,

 

I do believe that the F-84F has been re-tooled, but since I've never seen the original in person, I can't say.  The photos from Rob de Bie earlier lead me to believe it is an entirely different kit, including different material.  I only know that I like it more than the Airfix or Italieri, but there's one more secret ingredient that makes it so for me, one that I'll show, eventually.

 

Ed

 

I'm pleased to report that my PJ F-84F just rolled out on my door mat :). On opening (I was eager) she looks great and not like the RF-!!!!! How can I resist not starting here???????

 

Martin (sitting on my hands  )

 

 

[Terry1954]

3 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

I'm pleased to report that my PJ F-84F just rolled out on my door mat :). On opening (I was eager) she looks great and not like the RF-!!!!! How can I resist not starting here???????

 

I was about to add that I picked up a new tool PJ F-84F a little while back and it is excellent. Glad you like yours!

 

Terry

[RidgeRunner]

Thats great, Terry. @Terry1954 I just wish I wasdnt so impatient!

 

By the way, I gor the Sabre done - in RFI

 

M  

[TheRealMrEd]

Go ahead Martin,

 

Remember -- the Devil made you do it!

 

Ed

[RidgeRunner]

I've got itchey fingers just talking about it  .............. 

 

 

[RidgeRunner]

Oh, and Ed @TheRealMrEd, what is Bondo Spot Putty and why use it?

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, RidgeRunner said:

Oh, and Ed @TheRealMrEd, what is Bondo Spot Putty and why use it?

Bondo is auto body filler for car repairs. Its basically the same filler we use but in gigantic economical amounts. It also can be a bit more flexible as it is designed to flex on vehicle that moves. Ive used it in the past for models, currently I'm not. 
 

Dennis

Edited October 15, 2019 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[TheRealMrEd]

What he said, except it also sticks like crazy, sands to a fine edge, and DOES NOT pinhole.  It is my goto for structural type repairs (that will be sanded, shaped, etc.) while PPP is my go to non-sanding filler, for wing roots. fillets, and the like.

 

It actually differs from the real Bondo type, which requires a catalyst, whereas the Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty is only a single part, and is used for filling defects in --- Bondo!   (I shouldn't have called it a primer, earlier!!)

 

Ed

Edited October 15, 2019 by TheRealMrEd

[dalea]

Mine is on it's way so I'll be using your post for guidance. Looks like I'll be using more filler than I was hoping for. Ho,well.

[TheRealMrEd]

Hello, back again.

 

I've been busy with some fall chores around the house, but I've gotten a bit done.  First off, the PJ kit has two resin inner panels that are to be glued to two nice perforated PE outer panels to form the air brakes.  As is my custom of late, I managed to misplace one of the resin inner parts, and after gnashing of teeth, decided to go ahead and make another.

 

I took an old spare piece of plastic card (from an original Vacu-Former, I might add!), and stuck my one remaining resin part to that card (green below), with two-sided cello tape:

 

 

Shown also are a drill bit and some needle files -- very small -- about 6 inches long.  After drilling holes through the plastic card from the resin part side, I proceeded to use the square and round files to shape the holes:

 

 

When separated, the new part (above right) is reasonably close.  Later the two inner parts were glued to the outer PE parts with CA glue:

 

 

The arrow above points to the two little arms that I mistakenly cut off when removing the part from the PE fret...   As shown on the lower part, the little arms are supposed to STAY on the PE door.  Doh!  I had to glue on new ones from slivers of PE fret.   To make matters REALLY bad, after completing all this, I found the lost part!  ARGHH!!!

 

Anyway, I have accomplished something of value, a little paint on the model.  After masking the various canopy and window parts, I glued the main canopy into place (more or less) with some white glue for easy removal later. Next, a thin layer of Alclad II Black Primer, followed by a thin coat of Alclad II Black Gloss, and an overall coat of Alclad II Polished Aluminum, were added and it looked like this:

 

 

Next, after a lot of searching, there doesn't seem to be a lot of panel color variation on the NM F-84F birds, but I added a little here and there, along with some black, O.D., and a little light grey:

 

 

Also, some Interior Green was added to the wheel wells, along with a little wash:

 

 

Above right, after everything had dried, a single layer of  Alclad II Aqua Gloss water base clear was shot over the entire model, to protect the Alclad finish from decal setting solutions, some of which can affect the paint.  Then, some of the chosen decals were added.  This took a lot of time to this point, because the wing-tips were decal-ed bottom first with Micro-Set, he later with Walther's Solvaset.  When they had conformed properly, the tops were added in the same way.

Oh yes, and because the old decals I used for this model were intended for either the Italieri or Airfix models, almost all the decals had to be trimmed, modified or otherwise massaged to fit the PJ model, as the shapes of the models are all different...  Anyway, there appear to be signs of life stirring!

 

Well, more decals to go, and that will take a while.  Be back when I have something else to report...

 

Ed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[reini]

Looking good! Very nice metal finish

[Courageous]

Looking very nice.

 

Stuart

[opus999]

Looks fantastic!  I love that NMF!