MD11F FEDEX 1:144 EE

[RCI]

i'll not write in detail what i had to correct and shape, cause it would be too much. It really took me a long time come to this step.

Priming!

Before i assembled the engines and masked them. The engine cowlings and the intake rim needed some work, but that was quickly done. Also Mr.Surfacer forgives a lot.

I masked all intakes and exhausts and cut some oversized masks for the cocpit, somthing like 5% larger, to ensure a good fit of the decal later without having any primer inside the window frames.

This is by far not a short process. As you can see the window outlines are still slightly visible (as said before i used revell glue and thats a bad choice).

 

it needs some rework here and there and small issues reveal after priming, usually 2-3 steps of priming should be ok, NOT WITH THIS KIT! it took me a whole 5 times between spraying and correcting.

i will post some final pictures in the next few days.

these are from the first layer:

 

 

 

 

[RCI]

I sanded down the trailing edges to a realistic level, real hard work.

problem was, they were thinned , but the trailing edge was not really sharp and straight anymore. Plus some tiny holes appeard from glueing. Anyway, i m happy now. As usual i used the water based putty to fill the small holes.

 

as you can see the nav lights are also masked, i added the back position light. made it from some clear sprue and polished it.

 

 

[RCI]

one more thing i had to do after priming was the APU intake. Me idiot just forgot it, so some scratch building was necessary.

I did the 2 hinges for the rear Maintenance door and the mess around the intake. took me a few hours but i think it is way better now!

Also i did some new panel lines...

 

 

 

next post will be the final work on the engines. allthough this kit itself annoys me sometimes, i really love the MD11 and i come closer to the real thing every day.

[RCI]

i'm a late night modeller, i think my thread is drowning 🙃

 

today i had some progress on the engines. they were ready for priming, and afterwards i painted them white.

can't say it often enough, MRP is the best paint i have ever had. will probably sell all tamiya stuff haha 🤣

Also i did all the inside, like the resonance panels and masked them.

what was important to me were the vortex generators. They had to be thinned down..

 

 

 

[RCI]

so, this is the base for the fedex titles on the engines.

MRP 004 is a satin color, which is fine cause i will seal the decals with a gloss coat anyway. The white finish is just perfect (which is hard to see on the picture).

Before this i had to do rescribing of the panel lines...

 

 

[RCI]

Since i wanted to finish the engines before attaching them, i started with the decals.

Thanks to Authentic Decals i have some nice details like the Stiffener plates around the cargo door and some stencis. Allthough i must say, there could be more. Some them are not required and others that i need are not included. And to whom it may concern, for their DC10 and MD11 the 3d Cockpit decal is way too small in its dimensions.

I'll use the Liveries Unlimited decals for Fedex. I chose them because i wanted some screen printed stuff, and flying colors is really a pain to work with. So i need to go with the older livery FedEx was flying until 2005. I m ok with that 🙂

 

 

 

[pinky coffeeboat]

How does the MRP white paint look after drying? Some white paints look fine until they dry and then take on a yellowish tone.

Great build, I'm a big fan of the MD-11. I've got a few EE/ MikroMir MD-11 and am a bit stalled on the EE DC-10. Good looking kits but need just a bit more work than most other models to get the fit ok.

 

Jeff

Edited October 25, 2019 by pinky coffeeboat

[RCI]

Hi Jeff, thx for your comment.

The MRP white just looks brilliant after drying. Honestly i didnt expect anything else. These guys seem to make science out of their paints. I asked them about a gloss white and they gave my quite a scientific answer why it does not make any sense haha 🙂

If you read reviews about their paints, you think this is too good to be true. No splattering, no tipdry, great opacity, no orange peal etc. but all of this is correct. I changed my entire painting booth, after i tested one bottle. And the best is: They have Boeing grey 😄

 

I understand a 100% what you mean, i had the same. My MD11 was sitting there for more than half a year, cause the engines really needed much attention and work. But then i got my bottom up and started again and now i simply cant stop, cause i m doing big steps!

The fit can be painful at times, but what can i say - arent we airliners modellers used to this more than any other? 🙂  keep doing your DC10, its worth it for sure!

[RCI]

So, here are the decals! The Print is not a 100% perfect, but i prefer it to laser, so absolutely happy to go with it 🙂

I used these magic fluids on it.. .as per usual you shouldnt look at it while its doing its work 🤣

 

 

 

[RCI]

this step really was a huge one.

the surface of the decal is a bit coarse, and as almost everyone does, i wanted to give it a clear gloss for protection and shine.

These were in the game...

i chose MRP again.

 

My experience with X22 is not the best. It reacts with certain paints. And it dries quickly, even with tamiya retarder.

LP 9 - even worse, same issues.

Mr.Color GX - only heard good things about it, but never tried it. Maybe next time.

So i went for MRP again... and it was worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2019 by RCI

[RCI]

The clear coat went on like a dream. The only downside is, that it kind of reacted with the purple part of the decal. It shrinked a bit... so i applied more layers and sanded/polished them. Final result is absolutely satisfying!

 

 

[RCI]

i had to rescribe a few things and found out some interesting stuff. Some of the panel lines are completely wrong, they simply do not exist on the real thing. the radom is an example. also on the wings i had to correct, add and delete some panel lines.

on the radom i rescribed the originals in the first place... stupid me ...i researched after that and found out the radom does not have two sections, but only one. also these raised "thingies" were missing. ( i should know what they are called, but i dont haha 😄 )

so, here is the correction and the finished nose. red is wrong and EE, green is new and my correction.

these rain gutters were made with 3d authentic decals ... painful job. 🤮

 

AH! One more thing: the window stiffener plates worked perfectly!!!! i masked them and sprayed thick Mr.Surfacer 500. After drying i sanded all edges with a tamiya sponge. Awesome, way easier and better than i expected.

 

 

 

 

[Graeme H]

You are certainly doing some interesting fixes on this, it's all coming together very nicely

 

[RCI]

4 minutes ago, Graeme H said:

You are certainly doing some interesting fixes on this, it's all coming together very nicely

 

thx Graeme,
🙏

 

i like proper things. If i do, i try to do it right -  even if it means a lot of work.

i learned a lot from all the modellers in this great forum and i still do 🙂

Edited October 25, 2019 by RCI

[stringbag]

This has been a very interesting and informative thread indeed, with some very helpful tips for future MD-11 builders.

I like the look of those MRP paints as well. 

Keep up the good work, and thanks for posting.

 

Chris.

[RCI]

Just now, stringbag said:

This has been a very interesting and informative thread indeed, with some very helpful tips for future MD-11 builders.

I like the look of those MRP paints as well. 

Keep up the good work, and thanks for posting.

 

Chris.

thank you for the kind words 🙂 will keep posting...

i hope to get it finished until the 8th of Nov 😅

[Challenger350Pilot]

Oh. My. Goodness!!!! 😁 This is a great thread on your WIP. Love the MD-11, and have had a desire to tackle the EE kit...this is very inspiring....moreso for your techniques and learning from your very real experiences. I am about to spend a fortune on the MRP paint...absolutely brilliant. And the result is gorgeous. Really do appreciate your work. This is going to be a fantastic build when she’s complete. Are you planning to use any PE parts? Metallic Details makes a great MD-11 PE kit that enhances the landing gear, antennae, and even engine fans. Those raised thingies on the nose...are static dischargers. Nicely done!  

[pinky coffeeboat]

Some great progress on the model. The little details make all the difference. I used the same technique on my DC-10 for the cabin window strip, it works really well. 

Looking forward to more updates especially with a deadline getting closer!!

 

Jeff

[RCI]

9 hours ago, Challenger350Pilot said:

Oh. My. Goodness!!!! 😁 This is a great thread on your WIP. Love the MD-11, and have had a desire to tackle the EE kit...this is very inspiring....moreso for your techniques and learning from your very real experiences. I am about to spend a fortune on the MRP paint...absolutely brilliant. And the result is gorgeous. Really do appreciate your work. This is going to be a fantastic build when she’s complete. Are you planning to use any PE parts? Metallic Details makes a great MD-11 PE kit that enhances the landing gear, antennae, and even engine fans. Those raised thingies on the nose...are static dischargers. Nicely done!  

Thanx very much, comments and critics always appreciated!

I did the same, had some people saying MRP is the best available, so i said lets give it a try and i exchanged my entire paintbooth and also spend a fortune 😄

 

PE parts only for the Pitots. The Metallic Details PE is crap... sorry to say that, but in generell if you see a few products from a company and there are a lot of incorrect designs, i dont use it, even if it appears to be correct on a specific one. The reason is, i dont have time researching EVERYTHING, so at a certain point i rely on the manufacturer that IF i use it, its all right! LIKE AUTHENTIC AIRLINERS - if you build this stuff, you know it is at least 95% of the original.

PE-wise i think i will ask Authentic airliners for the pitots, all the Landing Gear stuff will be scratch build, i just dont know at what detail i am doing it. But i think i will include hydraulic lins on the strut etc.

 

I should have known haha... but honestly Airbus does not tell these things in a Typerating and i always thought the dischargers are only outboard of any surface and not on the body. so thx for that 🙂

 

 

4 hours ago, pinky coffeeboat said:

Some great progress on the model. The little details make all the difference. I used the same technique on my DC-10 for the cabin window strip, it works really well. 

Looking forward to more updates especially with a deadline getting closer!!

 

Jeff

thanx Jeff, yes, i think you are right. It is the combination between details and doing the details right! i have seen many models where people attempted scratch built details and failed (in my point of view) , like things are overdone or they didn't respect the correct geometry of parts... especially with cockpits.

the reason why i did that RCI thing was, that i was absolutely not happy with whats on the market if you want to build clear cockpits. And tell me what you want, but i think real cockpits are better then 3D stuff.

in the end i m sure there are people saying the way i built it is not correct here and there... so its all a matter of taste and the way you see it. Every modeller has his focus on different things and so do i.

Here are two pictures from my favorites...(THEY WERE MADE EARLIER IN THE BUILD)

 

 

best regards and happy modelling

Sini

 

 

Edited October 26, 2019 by RCI

[Challenger350Pilot]

20 hours ago, RCI said:

AH! One more thing: the window stiffener plates worked perfectly!!!! i masked them and sprayed thick Mr.Surfacer 500. After drying i sanded all edges with a tamiya sponge. Awesome, way easier and better than i expected.

Would you go into a little more detail about the window stiffeners? I have built the Authentic Airliners MD-11, but not the EE...would really like a tutorial on applying the stiffeners from start to finish. What was used? How did you spray the Mr. Surfacer? Thanks so much....really amazing. 

[RCI]

1 hour ago, Challenger350Pilot said:

Would you go into a little more detail about the window stiffeners? I have built the Authentic Airliners MD-11, but not the EE...would really like a tutorial on applying the stiffeners from start to finish. What was used? How did you spray the Mr. Surfacer? Thanks so much....really amazing. 

Here you go...

Problem is, on the EE MD11 these stiffener plates are panel lines, which is in any possible way wrong.

 

1. fill all panel lines / use CA glue or similar

2. after sanding, mask the stiffener plates. There are tons of photos showing how the spacing is. USE DYMO TAPE for horizontal maskings! this stuff is very stiff and doesnt bent, so you make sure your stiffener plates are in line with the fuselage and do not look like slalom/curves 🤪 mask the rest around it, so you dont waste the rest of your model.

3. use Mr.Surfacer 500 (NOT 100 or 1200). Mix it with Mr.Thinner thicker than usual - i would say 50/50.

4. apply with your airbrush heavy coats, kind if flooding, not too much but enough that it looks like a glossy mirror for the first seconds. give it more layers than usual. if you think it is enough, give it another few layers. try to distribute it evenly on the fuselage, otherwise some will be thicker and some thinner.

5. peal of the masks as soon as you finished spraying to minimize messy edges, which you normally would always have with heavy coats if you let it dry too long with masks on.

6. use some 1000 grid sandpaper or sponge, i would always recommend a sponge, cause it conforms with the fuselage tube and you do not sand of unevenly the stiffener. Do it again with a 2000 grid sponge. i suggest tamiya.

 

taadaa, finished.

 

13 hours ago, pinky coffeeboat said:

Jeff

any further ideas or tips?

[Challenger350Pilot]

Perfect! Thanks!!

 

[RCI]

Aaaarrrrrghhh , i get old! forgot to do a few things... Cargo door is now to be done. there after i will do the body lights. there are 3 on each side, and i dont like decals of this stuff. So, i will add real lenses! Pictures to follow...

 

 

[RCI]

Drilled the holes... 1,5mm is just perfect for the lenses. Then i set the lenses in and fill it with CA glue. Then sand it and polish it. done.

i did this on a 737-300 in the flaptrack with 1mm lenses. Works fine.

On the 11 there is still something to do, i guess i will polish them and then mask them.

Pics of the finished thing will follow 🙂

 

 

[stringbag]

That's a neat solution to the lights.  Hope you don't mind if I file that away for future reference Sini.

 

Chris.