The Nuclear Option - Iowa ANG late '60s - FINISHED

[Chrisj2003]

@Peter B I’ve always been wary of acrylics faster drying for larger surfaces when brushed. Next kit in the schedule I’ve not got paint for is a Cranberry PR9. Rather large surfaces even in 1/72; do you think acrylics would work? Or save them for a fighter? There’s a F-16D Sufa sometime after that, so much smaller areas. 
 

Chris

[PeterB]

Hi Chris,

 

I guess it depends on the paint. I use Mr Hobby thinner/retarder sometimes to thin the Mr Hobby and Tamiya paint down, and I often thin Humbrol as well with their own brand thinner. However I find the Xtracrylic gloss paints tend to be quite thin anyway, and the ADC Gray brushed on pretty well.  I use a thin flat brush - in the case of my Convair Deltas it was 1.5cm wide, though sometimes I use a slightly smaller one if I can't get in with the big one. The trick seems to be to only load the tip of the brush so you don't swamp the kit, and work the paint out so it is a thin coat - that's why it took 4 coats to cover in this case. Depends of course on the colour - white and light gray cover less well than say RLM70/71. With some paint it seems to start dragging after a while which I guess means it is drying on the brush, so I stop and rinse the brush in water before starting again.

 

Is your PR9 going to be camo or overall Hemp like the one in my stash? Camo can be a little harder as you need smaller brushes to get in unless of course you mask the pattern out - I rarely bother. The flat brush/thin coat technique seems to limit the sort of built up ridge you sometimes get at the border between the colours. If it is the Hemp scheme then you should be fine.

 

Cheers

 

Pete

Edited December 19, 2020 by PeterB

[Chrisj2003]

Pete, currently being boring and intending to do hemp. May try acrylics. Using wide flat brushes with the enamels. Thanks for the advice.

 

Chris

[PeterB]

No problem Chris,

 

What make of Hemp were you intending to use as a matter of interest as there seems to be quite a variation on colour depending on manufacturer, or so the illustrations suggest, perhaps incorrectly. I forget which make it is but one looks almost green! I have yet to try mine - I know I have at least one tin of enamel, possible two and I am pretty sure I have some acrylic as well but I need to see if I can find it before the "Unarmed" GB starts. I know at one stage some planes were painted with a rather brown version of Hemp, resulting in at least one Nimrod carrying the "Elsan Airways" logo until the authorities had it removed!

 

Later, found some Mr Colour Hemp though it looks a bit light in the bottle - may be ok on the kit.

 

Pete

Edited December 19, 2020 by PeterB

[Chrisj2003]

12 hours ago, PeterB said:

What make of Hemp

 

Pete, not got that far. Liking the Xtracolour I have been using on this F-89. So probably would have gone with that, or try the Xtracrylics. Unless that’s the greenish brand. 

 

Chris

[PeterB]

Hi Chris,

 

The "green" one I saw is the illustration for Mr Colour Hemp on the e-models web site, but I have a bottle and it is fine - actually the same colour as my Xtracolour enamel Hemp, so it must just be the old problem of printing/screening colours in catalogues etc - sometimes the advertised colour is nothing like what is in the bottle or tin. I expect the Xtracrylic Hemp will be similar to their enamel version. Given the recent announcements I expect we will be limited to mail order for paint etc for several months unfortunately.

 

Pete

[Chrisj2003]

Nose, windscreen and tip tanks on; short tabs on tip tanks so one at a time and taped in line. Loving the detail on the tanks. Anti-glare to paint before decals (and leading edge of fin).  In absence of colour photos going for leather brown on dummy Genie missiles. Normal holiday of seeing people severely curtailed by pandemic restrictions here, so should be done this year; weather may hold up varnishing (snowing here earlier). 

 

All comments and advice welcome.

 

Happy Christmas everyone.

 

Chris

[Chrisj2003]

Long wait between coats of brushed enamel. Once dry this may be black painting done (joins to tip tanks; nose cone and the anti-glare panel). May or may not need touch-up to ADC gray.

 

Chris

[Chrisj2003]

Black paint sharp enough for me; so on with the decals. Why was it thought to be a good idea to separately print the "no step" markings on the 8 blow out doors, when they are tiny and so close? 

 

Slow work; I'm calling it a day, and I have been at it nearly all the daylight here, at best 30% through. Absorbing. (Not finished in 2020.)

 

Pleased that as advertised there's no slivering when decalling straight on to Xtracolour; that's one job saved on this build.

 

Chris

[Col.]

A nice start to the decaling to set you up for the first finish of 2021

[Chrisj2003]

Typically (for me) slow work: decalling 3 sessions, still 15% to do, and today stopped for remedial painting. If painting is ok can finish decalling then need a dry and still day for outside varnishing.

 

Not sure about panel lines and weathering; photos show these ANG planes very clean.

 

Chris

[Col.]

You're making good progress Chris and this one is looking fine. Seems many post-war air forces had the manpower and time to lavish on keeping their equipment clean and tidy so these machines never got dirty.

[jean]

Hi Chris,

 

this looks real good. Great show!

I am very impressed with your painting of the wheel tires! With this kit, that has been my biggest headache, and possibly the main reason I put everything back in the box! Did you use masks?

 

Well done.

JR

[Chrisj2003]

2 hours ago, jean said:

! Did you use masks?

JR, no freehand with a fairly large synthetic bristle brush.  Not aware of any masks for this kit. 
 

Chris

[Chrisj2003]

Ok, so dry and above zero degrees so got outside with spray varnish; decals looking good. (The blurry marks on the wings are no step markings.) Will leave to dry for a day then a wash to bring out panel lines; wait and see on the underside before doing top. Hopefully jet exhaust will go in ok where stick is. 🥴

 

Chris

 

[Alex Gordon]

That's looking rather tidy old fruit  .

[Chrisj2003]

Bit of panel definition by Flory grime wash; slightly OTT on tail (but I have found one photo of a dirty ANG F-89).  Apart from the tail I think its about right for a generally clean ANG F-89; but welcome comments.

 

Have to wait for another dry day to seal this in.

 

Chris

[Col.]

That looks effective Chris and adds a nice level of extra interest to the overall appearance of your model

[Chrisj2003]

On 10/01/2021 at 17:16, Chrisj2003 said:

Hopefully jet exhaust will go in ok where stick is. 🥴

It/they didnt; at dry fit last year I got the exhausts in after fuselage was taped together. They didnt fit once glued. I had to file a lot of material off the mating surfaces so I could push then in, and one dropped into the rear fuselage and proved to be a surprisingly good fit for the inside of the tail and when I did get them in place I opened up the double under fuselage seams, not much, but enough to show. So last couple of weeks have included remedial work, slowed by waiting for enamel and varnish to dry. Going in right direction tonight; main u/c on; leaving to set square before fiddly front wheel gear. Only 8 bits to add now; will be some painting. Then will need natural light.

[Col.]

Oops Glad to hear you recovered it and are progressing forward.

[Chrisj2003]

Declaring this done. Its a very nice kit, the only problems were:

• Fit of one intake needed some filler;
• Tail fin needs some filler; slot far too big; and 
• this week's problem the rear seater's blast screen is too wide to fit inside the canopy (see close up) so canopy is open

The Academy decals went down well, but there a lot of them, the nose decals may be slight;y over scale; I struggled getting the to line up with photos.  Leaves me with a problem, I have 3 Hobbycraft boxings (C and H), the decals are poor and the multitude of safety and stencil markings arent there and the only AM decals in print are for J models.

 

This is OOB apart from the arester hook which I made too big (trimmed this week) and the canopy collision beacon. It would have been a quicker build if I had followed instructions more, fitted exhausts before closing up fuselage and fitted tip tanks before painting. My model would have been improved by more precision with the white canopy sealant. More photos to follow in gallery.

 

This was an interceptor, not a dogfighter, a big subsonic things with 2 nuclear missiles, similar size to the RB-57E I did for the Vietnam GB.

 

All advice and comments welcome. Thanks for all the support.

 

Chris

[Col.]

You've created a great result from this kit despite its issues Chris, well done   Seeing it beside the B-57 helps to show just how big these machines really were!

[Chrisj2003]

Thanks very much Col; I liked the kit, particularly this Academy boxing with good decals. I will build the other 3 Hobbycraft boxings I have if I can source decals (earlier versions wouldn't have the 2 scratch built bits). I do like the look and sit of the F-89 and I'd like to do more of the various colourful options. The only thing I couldn't solve was the too wide blast screen (so all the later ones have to be posed canopy open). 😀

 

See if the F-5E turns out as well.

 

Chris