My return to model building after 25 years away; an Airfix mk1 Defiant

[dnl42]

Ah yes, the Law of Conservation of Breakage states that at least one part will be broken. It never happens with parts you don't need. It could happen any time from when the box was originally packed until the end of days. My specialty is during construction, but I have a one example of collateral damage in the display cabinet.

[jackroadkill]

Getting somewhere with the decals now:

 

 

Again, the picture isn't great (would you believe me if I said it looked better in real life?!) but it's something.  I've also now removed the surplus decal fixative, which has smartened it up a bit too.  Next job are the aircraft ID number decals and then all the stencils.  I'm not looking forward to the stencils at all.  They look very fiddly indeed.

 

 

[BIG X]

On ‎20‎/‎04‎/‎2020 at 18:25, jackroadkill said:

As seen in this last picture, it looks better from further away...

Great build - I like this comment from your original post though...

 

This applies to all my past efforts - they look really good from a distance of about 1000 yds.

 

The gunner is my favourite - he really looks the part.

 

I do hope your doggy is feeling better - poorly pets are a real worry.

 

Steve

[jackroadkill]

38 minutes ago, BIG X said:

Great build - I like this comment from your original post though...

 

This applies to all my past efforts - they look really good from a distance of about 1000 yds.

 

The gunner is my favourite - he really looks the part.

 

I do hope your doggy is feeling better - poorly pets are a real worry.

 

Steve

Thanks Steve, kind of you to say so.

 

Yes, the dog is better (but not before causing some serious worry in a will-he-make-it-or-not kind of way) and is back to his normal self now; the vets did an amazing job with him despite being in lockdown.

[BIG X]

That's GOOD NEWS - something we need in these times.

[jackroadkill]

Damn it, and it was all going so well...

 

I'm making reasonable progress with the tiny decals and have had to stop because my eyes are aching with the concentration required to get them all on and in the right place and orientation etc.  So much concentration...

 

The bad bit is that somehow I managed to completely scrag one of the identification number decals.  I've tried looking on EBay and can't find another set for this kit - do any of you guys know if Airfix will supply me with a set once the lockdown is over, or have I just got to suck it up?

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

[alhenderson]

If it's the serial number lettering you're after, you can get xtradecal sets with spare lettering for just this occasion.  Cost is about £5, so expensive for one letter, but good things to have lying around for future projects!

 

Loving your work here, do like a defiant.

 

Al

[jackroadkill]

15 minutes ago, alhenderson said:

If it's the serial number lettering you're after, you can get xtradecal sets with spare lettering for just this occasion.  Cost is about £5, so expensive for one letter, but good things to have lying around for future projects!

 

Loving your work here, do like a defiant.

 

Al

Hi Al,

 

Thanks for your tip - I need the L7013 registration number (if that's what it's called?).  I'll see if xtradecal can help with that.

[alhenderson]

4 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

Hi Al,

 

Thanks for your tip - I need the L7013 registration number (if that's what it's called?).  I'll see if xtradecal can help with that.

You buy a sheet with all the letters and numbers on it and then use them individually to make up the serial you need.  Good luck searching the Hannants website, it truly is an abomination!

 

Al.

[jackroadkill]

34 minutes ago, alhenderson said:

Good luck searching the Hannants website, it truly is an abomination!

 

It reminds me of when I first saw the internet in 1996!  Still, it might save my bacon yet.

[alhenderson]

1 minute ago, jackroadkill said:

It reminds me of when i first saw the internet in 1996!  Still, it might save my bacon yet.

Yeah - all its missing is some cheesy music, dancing text and a count of the number of visitors since 1st Jan 1988 🤣  You'll need to know the size of the serials you need, although the sheet might come with a variety..

[jackroadkill]

When it comes to decal detail, how much is too much?!

 

 

Some of these decals are ridiculously small.  Not just small - they're miniscule.  These little things on the tailplane are maybe 1.5 x 1.5mm and I've got loads more decals to do, both on the wings and the underside.  I've been away from this game for a hell of a long time but never imagined that the detail would have improved this much (to the point where I can't see or feel what happening to the decals).   Even decal fixative isn't much help when they're this size - they just float around on the surface tension and wick onto the kitchen towel much more easily than they say in position.

 

 

I suppose my question is this - is it cheating not to apply every decal that comes with the kit, even if that cheating is in the name of preserving one's sanity?  Can I get away without these tiny tiny tiny little details (specifically those little number 9s?

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

[Coors54]

9 minutes ago, jackroadkill said:

I suppose my question is this - is it cheating not to apply every decal that comes with the kit, even if that cheating is in the name of preserving one's sanity?  Can I get away without these tiny tiny tiny little details (specifically those little number 9s?

If anyone (and who would?) asks, just say the aircraft has had a repaint and only the most vital stencils got added, common practice in the real world....

 

Nice return to the hobby by the way.

 

Dave

[alhenderson]

20 minutes ago, jackroadkill said:

When it comes to decal detail, how much is too much?!

 

 

Some of these decals are ridiculously small.  Not just small - they're miniscule.  These little things on the tailplane are maybe 1.5 x 1.5mm and I've got loads more decals to do, both on the wings and the underside.  I've been away from this game for a hell of a long time but never imagined that the detail would have improved this much (to the point where I can't see or feel what happening to the decals).   Even decal fixative isn't much help when they're this size - they just float around on the surface tension and wick onto the kitchen towel much more easily than they say in position.

 

 

I suppose my question is this - is it cheating not to apply every decal that comes with the kit, even if that cheating is in the name of preserving one's sanity?  Can I get away without these tiny tiny tiny little details (specifically those little number 9s?

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

In the interests of one's sanity it is most certainly not cheating to not apply every single, tiny decal.  I missed off a fair few with my Phantom and the end result is no poorer for it.  It's a hobby, there are no rules - apart from enjoy yourself! 🙂

 

Al.

[jackroadkill]

Thanks chaps - the cheques will be in the post first thing tomorrow!

[Marklo]

I think this is one of my pet hates. Let me get my soapbox out.

 
I find a lot of modellers model what they know is there, rather than what you can see and they’re not the same thing. To me what goes on should be whatever you can see standing at a scale distance from the real thing. So a lot of very fine detail like rivets or stencils are faint or actually invisible if you were standing at a distance to make the object equivalent to a 1/72 representation.  You’re definitely going to see national insignia and even things like the octane markings on Luftwaffe aircraft but a lot of the ‘step here’ markings which might only be a couple of inches in real life will be indistinguishable.

It’s a variation of the small/far away sketch from Father Ted.

 

My two cents.

[AliGauld]

3 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

I suppose my question is this - is it cheating not to apply every decal that comes with the kit, even if that cheating is in the name of preserving one's sanity? 

Hi There,

I feel your pain with this. I'e just finished the same kit and whilst I put all of the things on one of those tailplane jobbies flew off into the ether when I sneezed.

My story being that it got painted over after some damage.

 

The point of all this being. It's your kit and you do what ever makes you happy with the finished result.

You can barely see those tiny ones from more than 2 feet away anyway.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[ProfSparks]

On 5/10/2020 at 6:25 PM, jackroadkill said:

Damn it, and it was all going so well...

 

I'm making reasonable progress with the tiny decals and have had to stop because my eyes are aching with the concentration required to get them all on and in the right place and orientation etc.  So much concentration...

 

The bad bit is that somehow I managed to completely scrag one of the identification number decals.  I've tried looking on EBay and can't find another set for this kit - do any of you guys know if Airfix will supply me with a set once the lockdown is over, or have I just got to suck it up?

 

Thanks,

 

JRK

Hey, I've a couple spare sets from my trio, PM me your address

 

 

Cheers

Steve

[jackroadkill]

2 hours ago, ProfSparks said:

Hey, I've a couple spare sets from my trio, PM me your address

 

 

Cheers

Steve

Hi Steve, that's very kind of you!  PM incoming, and a favour owed.

[jackroadkill]

Did some more today, in between working.

 

Got the airscrew on (this feels like a milestone, for some reason) and it even turns, so I'm doing better than the last time I attempted this!  I also carefully tried some weathering.  It's not perfect but I think when I get the washes on it'll settle a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

Seeing these pictures I think that maybe the turret weathering needs toning down a bit.

[jackroadkill]

 

I think I'm going to call this one finished.

 

I'd better do an RFI...

[billn53]

Nicely done! What will your next build be?

[jackroadkill]

40 minutes ago, billn53 said:

Nicely done! What will your next build be?

Thanks Bill, very kind of you.

 

I've just started a 1/48 Bf109E build (there's a WIP thread if you want to have a look).

 

Cheers,

 

JRK

[The Spadgent]

Welcome back to the hobby. I did the same a few years ago, I hadn’t built anything since I was a kid then all of a sudden this happened. ✊🤩🤪

lovely work on the defiant. I’m still yet to build mine. There’s so much to learn and the guys at BM are really helpful as I can see you have found out. I’ll seek out your other builds. It was Great to watch this come together. By the way nowt wrong with The iPhone Camera. It’s all I have. 🤣

 

Hopefully the next one isn’t quite finished.

 

all the best.

 

Johnny. 🙌

[jackroadkill]

14 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

Welcome back to the hobby. I did the same a few years ago, I hadn’t built anything since I was a kid then all of a sudden this happened. ✊🤩🤪

lovely work on the defiant. I’m still yet to build mine. There’s so much to learn and the guys at BM are really helpful as I can see you have found out. I’ll seek out your other builds. It was Great to watch this come together. By the way nowt wrong with The iPhone Camera. It’s all I have. 🤣

 

Hopefully the next one isn’t quite finished.

 

all the best.

 

Johnny. 🙌

Thanks Johnny, yes, I've really enjoyed learning new things, especially from a group of people who are so keen to help and to share their knowledge.  Hopefully at some point in the future I'll be able to do the same.