Airfix Buccaneer S. Mk. 2

[Lord Riot]

Unbelievable paintwork, it’s absolutely immaculate. I wish mine came out like this!

[Adam Poultney]

Wow! Can't wait to see this finished

[PattheCat]

One of the nicest Bucs I ever saw.

Congrats.

[Serkan Sen]

This build is one of the best work in progress report I have seen ever. The aircraft looks awesome especially after the panel wash. The panel wash is my weak point especially wiping excessive wash off with turpentine.  I have ruined many builds during panel wash process. I tried oil, acrylic,  enamel and vallejo washes and all of them ended with disaster. Now I  am using only the aqua (water) colors which can be completely removed any time under the tap water...

Maybe I should give up to use Future/Pledge for gloss coat...

Serkan

 

[Andrew]

On 3/20/2021 at 10:16 AM, David H said:

A finished model is only as good as its least-well-rendered-detail, IMHO.

Good observation! I agree and work hard to 'equalise' the rendering of detail on my models, or at least minimise the obviousness of my poorly handled details! Lovely progress by the way...

[pat d]

I think it looks splendid!

[David H]

Update from the Admiralty...

 

The main landing gear struts have been installed and are setting up. Tyre-brake assemblies not installed yet.

 

After a few harrowing moments, i managed to snap the nose wheel into place onto the fork axles. I trimmed down the axle ends that come out of the fork a bit, and fortunately the Airfix plastic had enough spring in it to bend, and not snap.

 

Scratched some paint off the sidewalls of the tyre, so there's a bit of repair work in progress.

 

I will post some pics, once i get her properly on her feet.

 

-d-

Edited May 2, 2021 by David H

[David H]

Right Then. She's on her feet.

 

A selection of low-angle shots so you can decide for yourself how much of an improvement aftermarket wheels are.

 

A reminder: Eduard BRASSIN wheels and brakes. I made axles from brass rod.

Rocket pods are still something of a work-in-progress, as is the canopy, so they're just placed here for photography purposes.

Airbrakes installed, again using the MiG acrylic glue. Fortunately, i guessed right and there is sufficient weight in the nose. Painting up the components separately and then assembling them was a bit fiddly, but actually installing the brakes on the model was not. I drilled out the weight reduction holes on the flat portions but that was it.

 

i did what i could to make the airbrakes look appropriately grimy compared to the rest of the model, but since i'm terrible at weathering i decided to stop early before i made a mess of things.

What was intended as a "slam build" is now 7 months in the making. Oh well. i never said i was fast.

So, next come the bombs, seats, blade antennae, IFR probe and pitot boom. In other words, the fiddly bits that are even more fiddly than the fiddly bits seen here.

 

As always, keep your knots up and your powder dry.

 

D-Smack

[mark.au]

Love it! You’ve done a cracking job 

[Navy Bird]

Brilliant!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[CJP]

Just fabulous!

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Absolutely gorgeous work!

[Dstream]

Sharp, awesome model! The pictures taken at low level look super.

Beside the good job you did on this, I always find intriguing and in a sense also beautiful the curvy lines of this jet. I also need one on my shelf.

Best regards,

Dan.

[PattheCat]

Just perfect!

I could immediately and readily visualize it on a carrier's deck.

[pat d]

Simply, 👍

Your even sheen across the upper color is impressive, along with the crisp color demarcations and I think that undersurface wash strikes just the right balance.

Edited May 16, 2021 by pat d

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

David I have only just managed to put 2 and 2 together and realised we've been Facebook friends for some time. I just hadn't worked out it was you here!

 

Lovely work on the Buccaneer. I'd followed it more on your FB posts until now of course!

[David H]

4 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

David I have only just managed to put 2 and 2 together and realised we've been Facebook friends for some time. I just hadn't worked out it was you here!

 

Lovely work on the Buccaneer. I'd followed it more on your FB posts until now of course!

Cool beans, Jamie.

 

Yes, unfortunately it IS me, LOL.

 

I've resided here on Britmodeller for quite a while, but i was an entrant into the Buccaneer group build over on FB only since last November.

[David H]

13 hours ago, PattheCat said:

Just perfect!

I could immediately and readily visualize it on a carrier's deck.

Thanks Pat!

 

I'm actually planning to depict it on land....i've been looking at Nooy's miniature bases over on Hannants...

 

I'm also fabricating some 72nd scale ESSEX class wooden carrier decks to serve as display bases. US Carrier decks i'm familiar with, but i'm nowhere near as knowlegeable when it comes to the British Steel decks. I know they're flat, steel, and probably grey...and that's about all.

 

-d-

[David H]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:05 AM, Dstream said:

Sharp, awesome model! The pictures taken at low level look super.

Beside the good job you did on this, I always find intriguing and in a sense also beautiful the curvy lines of this jet. I also need one on my shelf.

Best regards,

Dan.

Its a very nice kit. in some ways it reminds me of the Hasegawa F-111 kits. Lots of detail and parts packed into that little thing. Plus it is such a welcome relief after all the Buccaneer kits which came before it.

[PattheCat]

22 hours ago, David H said:

Thanks Pat!

 

I'm actually planning to depict it on land....i've been looking at Nooy's miniature bases over on Hannants...

 

I'm also fabricating some 72nd scale ESSEX class wooden carrier decks to serve as display bases. US Carrier decks i'm familiar with, but i'm nowhere near as knowlegeable when it comes to the British Steel decks. I know they're flat, steel, and probably grey...and that's about all.

 

-d-

 

I found this https://www.coastalkits.co.uk/newstore/carrier-decks/1-72-scale-carrier-decks.html?page=all

[David H]

1 hour ago, PattheCat said:

 

I found this https://www.coastalkits.co.uk/newstore/carrier-decks/1-72-scale-carrier-decks.html?page=all

Thanks Pat, i am checking these out...

 

-d-

[David H]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:05 AM, Dstream said:

Sharp, awesome model! The pictures taken at low level look super.

Beside the good job you did on this, I always find intriguing and in a sense also beautiful the curvy lines of this jet. I also need one on my shelf.

Best regards,

Dan.

If you want a Buccaneer with the least amount of Headache, this is the one to get!

 

-d-

[David H]

On 4/8/2021 at 12:44 PM, Serkan Sen said:

This build is one of the best work in progress report I have seen ever. The aircraft looks awesome especially after the panel wash. The panel wash is my weak point especially wiping excessive wash off with turpentine.  I have ruined many builds during panel wash process. I tried oil, acrylic,  enamel and vallejo washes and all of them ended with disaster. Now I  am using only the aqua (water) colors which can be completely removed any time under the tap water...

Maybe I should give up to use Future/Pledge for gloss coat...

Serkan

 

I used to use Future/Kleer/Pledge for gloss coats, and it still has its uses but i really prefer the MR Color GX series of gloss and semigloss finishes now. They are faster drying. Making the switch from Enamels to Acrylics and Lacquers took a potential failure mode off the table: I no longer have to coat the finish with Future prior to applying an enamel wash.

 

 I don't have to worry about thin spots in places like leading and trailing edges, where the turpentine wash can "Burn Through" the Future and the enamel down to bare plastic.

 

Making washes from enamels and thinning them with turpentine has worked reliably, although i hate the smell of turpentine, and i don't like its sticky, slow drying aspect. Using Turpenoid (odorless turpentine substitute) to remove the wash instead of turpentine results in less stickiness. However i always go over the model with another coat of clear gloss to seal everything up.

 

There are differing schools of thought as to whether its better to apply a panel line wash before, or after decaling. I prefer to do it afterward.

 

-d-

[Navy Bird]

20 hours ago, David H said:

I used to use Future/Kleer/Pledge for gloss coats, and it still has its uses but i really prefer the MR Color GX series of gloss and semigloss finishes now.

 

Totally agree. Mr. Color GX is my first choice for a gloss finish prior to decals. Thinned with Mr. Color Levelling Thinner and it smooths out into a real nice shine. I only use Future now for canopy dipping.   👍

 

Cheers,

Bill

[David H]

2 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 

Totally agree. Mr. Color GX is my first choice for a gloss finish prior to decals. Thinned with Mr. Color Levelling Thinner and it smooths out into a real nice shine. I only use Future now for canopy dipping.   👍

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

My stash of GSI GX clear coats is ever expanding.

 

I started using Malm's concentrated carnuba wax instead of dipping my canopies. The stuff looks like Honey Mustard dressing. you apply it with a wet brush and then wait for it to get hazy and dry flat. Then you polish it with a clean q-tip.

 

Huge time saver and eliminates the problematical step of wicking/ draining away excess Future off the canopy.

 

Now having said that, i still like to mix Future 50-50 with water, and then tint it with Tamiya flat black. I slop this all over my gloss white landing gear struts, gear doors, weapons pylons, etc. You can see it in action on the Buccaneer undercarriage. It also shows up well on my Tomcat builds (yeah all 3 of them LOL).

 

-d-