Collin Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 Tamiya 1/48. OOB, but out of a few boxes since I have to use parts from the D kit to make a late A. This will be Salty Dog 202 in the end. OOB cockpit, Milliput seatbelts. URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/tatuskocs/media/DSCN8726.jpg.html][/URL] 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted October 28, 2019 Author Share Posted October 28, 2019 Mistake on my part....the top portion of the RIO's panel is upside down. Corrected already 🙄 Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) Photobucket is done with me. On to Imgur. My Tomcat progress, hope to get some more done over the week or so of holidays and slow down at work. Rapid black based then the standard late 80's/early 90's TPS grey scheme on this NAWC Strike Test F-14A (202). I thinly coat the black base with the primary grey, then go "up and down" one grey scale for some slight weathering and paint maintenance work. Cheers Collin Edited December 23, 2019 by Collin 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 (edited) Incredible painting, possibly the most realistic I've seen. Where did you get those serviette/snowflake pattern template things? How did you get the weathering looking more squared off and following the panel lines after the mottled 'German tank' look in the first three shots? Edited December 23, 2019 by Lord Riot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 2 hours ago, Lord Riot said: Where did you get those serviette/snowflake pattern template things? How did you get the weathering looking more squared off and following the panel lines after the mottled 'German tank' look in the first three shots? I bought a package of Iwata-Medea Artool Freehand Airbrush Templates (Texture Fx Mini Series). You can see the two pieces I used to spray the random white molting on the dark grey Mr. Surfacer mixed primer (see first photos).. Took me about 10 minutes total for the entire aircraft. I built a Kinetic 1/48 EA-6B a few months back...that molting (done without the templates) took a day or two. 1. I shoot the base color very thinly over the molted surface just to let it show through. 2. Then I use a slightly darker grey to hit some panel line areas just to break it up a little more. If you see the deeper/darker color on the top and bottom, that's coat #2. 3. I then use an slightly off grey (darker) paint, thinned to the extreme, to faintly paint some of the darker weathered areas. 4. After that I use a lighter grey, again thinned to the max, and use one of my .2mm airbrushes to shoot "touch up" paint marks. I try to get the paint thinned to the point where I can follow panel lines or shoot individual rivets or fasteners. It's thinned to a point where you can basically paint with a pencil line and draw square areas (like I used to see my aircraft maintainers do in the hangar bay on real aircraft). 5. I then thin down the base color I am working (either the bottom or top grey for this particular Tomcat) and with this ultra thin base paint mixture....lightly over spray the entire aircraft...just to tone down things a touch....but just a touch (or as Bob Ross used to say...."two hairs and a whisper"). 6. I then take a highly diluted light-colored grey mix used earlier and apply some "touch up" areas once again. Only a few. Guy in my model club (who is one of the best in the country, "stay in your lane Bro") sold me his method of thinning my paint....then thinning it even more. It works, the results you see are just highly thinned paints shot from ordinary airbrushes...just spread out over a week. In my opinion, keeping it random is a key as well. No Navy plane ever weathered (or was touched up) over each panel line or rivet (no "zebra" effect). Plus the fact I am learning in this hobby that you can't recreate something perfectly...just come as close as possible. I aim for that while glancing at my reference photos. Cheers Collin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex SZ1996 Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 its not even finished, but i already like the weathering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Lachowicz Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Good work. Consequently, step by step, without chaotic airbrush spraying. Is it possible to see original plane photo? I can't see photos in first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 The first photos (the ones you can't see due to Photobucket's latest screw up) were of the cockpit. Sorry Sebastian, my misfortune is that I don't have any pictures just before I started painting...so you can picture in your mind a plain plastic Tamiya F-14A, that's about it. I masked up the wheel wells, and masked up the finished TF30 exhausts...and sprayed a thin dark grey base layer of Mr. Surfacer1500 (black and white mixed). After that I started with the white marble coating you see in the photos. Cheers Collin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennet Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 Hey Collin, nice looking F-14A especially with the eye-catching NAWC scheme. Your airbrushing work us second to none! You wrote that you used parts (NACA vents?) from the D kit to make a late A... does this mean that you can no longer build the D-version from the remaining parts? Cheers, Bennet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted December 24, 2019 Author Share Posted December 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Bennet said: You wrote that you used parts (NACA vents?) from the D kit to make a late A... does this mean that you can no longer build the D-version from the remaining parts? Cheers, Bennet I purchased the separate D sprue trees from Tamiya USA that enabled me to steal the NACA vent panel and vertical tails (with the reinforcement plates) to update my Alpha. Great service. I bought another D recently for myself for my current work office (this NAWC build is going in the display case at Pax River [my old office] with my other test aircraft). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennet Posted December 24, 2019 Share Posted December 24, 2019 great idea... thanks Collin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted December 30, 2019 Author Share Posted December 30, 2019 Gloss coat and decals complete (except the slime lights....doing that tonight). It's funny how the gloss coat completely changes the look of a TPS painted aircraft (or really any model aircraft). The standard idea is that gloss coat darkens paint while flat coat lightens it. After the slime lights tonight, a panel line wash of various grey shades will be put on. Then a semi-matt acrylic barrier will go do in prep for some light oil weathering. After that is all complete....flat coat. The Tomcat will look a lot different then. I saw this same effect on my 1/48 Prowler build. Cheers Collin 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted January 1, 2020 Author Share Posted January 1, 2020 AK panel line wash (deep dark grey) over a base of Future, then a shot of MM acrylic semi-gloss to seal that in. Next step will be some oil weathering...then all the small bits that seem to take forever. Cheers and HNY Collin 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collin Posted January 3, 2020 Author Share Posted January 3, 2020 General grime of oils (dark brown and Starship Filth) applied, then a acrylic flat coat (this weathering technique is still new to me). Removed the engine exhaust masking, canopy masking removal will be next. These aircraft didn't get as messy as carrier based aircraft, but there was no way to keep a Grumman product that clean even shore based. Now comes the fun part....all the bits and pieces (gear, pylons, weapons, antennas, detail painting and such). This part always seems to take forever. Cheers Collin 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnobiz Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Absolutely beautiful, looking forward to seeing it finished! 🤗 Thanks for sharing, Arnaud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Amazing paintwork and weathering Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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