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Red star hormones


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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/28/2021 at 1:26 PM, Lord Riot said:

Brilliant interior! Shame to close it up and hide it away. Fantastic detailing there. It’s the need for something like this that puts me off doing helicopters and transports! 

 

Thank you @Lord Riot I think I could have gotten away with closing all doors and hatches but I guess I had a Jeanne d'Arc moment 🤭

 

On 12/28/2021 at 6:24 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

48th standard interior shrunk down to 72nd. Rather impressive. 

I have one of these kits. After a look at the parts, I decided to use it for spares in a Sci Fi build!

 

Thanks @Pete in Lincs To be fair it's not a bad kit. Sure it has some... hmm issues but will still give you a faithful representation of a unique subject. I think it deserves a second chance. Or a third... 🙂

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On 12/28/2021 at 10:08 PM, Shorty84 said:

Oh my, that's some incredible interior detailing you put into this old kit. Massively impressive :worthy:

 

Cheers

Markus

 

Thank you @Shorty84 Knowing it will not be visible was a liberating thought 😉

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Good evening all,

 

I think I now have enough material for another update. This build needs to pick up pace as I want to take part in the glorious Matchbox group build (and I don't think I can manage two kits at the same time any more). Anyway...

 

With the initial application of sprugoo now cured (takes 2 days) the sand-fill-sand saga is well underway. But in between applications I had the time to work with the outside details and small bits starting with the floats:

IMG20211018211711

 

Using videos found on youtube as reference and a couple of photos, I added the spherical pressure bottles and some pipping:

IMG20211021232053

 

and the lot was sent to the paint booth to wait...

IMG20211021231924

 

Then the two main rotor heads/hubs had their mould lines scraped and led wire was added for the lubrication oil lines:

IMG20211215225437

 

Then the external fuel tanks and wheel halves that were glued together in an much earlier and more innocent phase of the build:

IMG20210813231727

 

...had the mould lines and joints scraped/filed/sanded out. I used the kit fuselage as a jig to assemble the landing gear parts together (3 parts on each side) but I decided not to glue it to the fuselage for now. I think it will be easier to paint and weather the whole thing without the landing gear in place. Remains to be seen if I made the right decision...

IMG20211224194731

 

Then some more led wire was used...

IMG20211224230007

 

With the main seam now more or less under control, the horizontal stabilisers were assembled in place and checked for symmetry:

IMG20211225225505

 

After some more (careful) sprugoo-ing and sanding, the vertical stabilisers were assembled and checked for symmetry (and you can also see the end result of all that sanding):

IMG20220101184529

 

After more sanding etc, the kit was cleaned using IPA...

IMG20220102130327

 

It's gloves on from now on. Then the windows were masked (using pre-cut masks) and a rack was added next to the escape hatch made of soldering wire.

IMG20220102180701

 

On the other side, the hoist cable guard provided by the kit was added and more masking was applied...

IMG20220102204756

 

I also added the fin-like fairing for the IFF just in front of the windshield. The original provided by the kit on the fuselage half was... obliterated during the sanding stage. Then I made the IFF antennae from flattened 0,2mm led wire. 3 for the nose and 3 for the tail end fairing. A tad too big for the scale, I know but that was the smallest I could handle. Handling the kit was made easier with cocktail sticks and coffee stirrers.

IMG20220103163453

 

The kit's pitot tubes and styrene wire antenna masts were also added (the kit had them but one of them was broken while cutting them off their sprue). Also some PE handles were added on the forwarded fuselage and on the escape hatch...

IMG20220103163517

 

Then everything was sent to the paint booth for a coat or two of primer:

IMG20220103203543 IMG20220103203548

 

You can see other small bits in the family picture such as the forward landing gear, the main rotors' pitch links and a Ta152 prop 🤔

 

Although I have so far used Vallejo's mat black primer with good results, for some reason I used the gloss flavour this time. And it almost killed the project! 😤 That thing was impossible to spray! It started to dry inside the nozzle to a tar-like substance almost immediately! I didn't know what was happening so I fiddled with the air pressure with no results, did a full clean mid-painting only to have the same thing happening again 2-3 minutes into the spraying session. I then did another complete clean and replaced my 0.2 nozzle with a 0.4. Again everything was clogged within minutes! I decided to stop fearing I would make an irreversible damage to the model. Next day, when the primer had cured and I had calmed down, I sanded down the joints where I found problems and any blemishes I could find on the otherwise surprisingly smooth surface...

IMG20220104215905

 

The small bits were in a better state. Still I don't think I'll be using this stuff again.

IMG20220104215911

 

After the new round of sanding was over, I sprayed a thin layer of matt black primer which went on without problems.

IMG20220105215502 IMG20220105215440 IMG20220105215435 IMG20220104215919

 

And that's about it for now. It was a close call but we are back on track. If all goes well I should have another update in a couple of days. 

 

As always, thank you all for looking and thanks for leaving a comment! I appreciate it 😊

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Good evening all,

 

here's yet another update on this build. The plan was that I'd be over by now so I could start building my Matchbox kit for the group build but it looks like I still have a long way to go :fraidnot:

 

Anyway, after painting everything black it was time to try my hand at marbling for the first time. It was nothing like you see in the ads, let me tell you. My first attempt was crude at best but I did learn a few things along the way...

IMG20220110211430

 

Not bad from a distance but if take a closer look it looks like graffiti...

 

IMG20220106205406 IMG20220106205419

 

I learned a lot about paint consistency vs air pressure vs distance vs nozzle dia. A .4 nozzle for example might help keeping the pressure low but it didn't produce the desired effect.

 

The blades were a bit better though.

IMG20220110211443

 

The wheels were then painted rubber black (I kid you not!)

IMG20220112194751

 

And then they were masked using the pre cut masks and Maskol...

IMG20220112201359

 

Using thinned down Vallejo air 71.338 in light coats I slowly built up the base colour starting with the blades:

IMG20220113200922

 

Results as seen above half way through were encouraging (One blade is intentionally painted in a slightly different grey Mr. Hobby Aqueous H307 representing a replacement blade to break the monotony). So then I moved to the main dish. When I had enough layers on and before the preshading was gone completely (or at least that's what I think I've done) I did some post shading with a darker grey (Mr. Hobby Aqueous H307) trying to put to good use the things I learned during the... graffiti phase. I think I'm onto something now:

IMG20220119203148 IMG20220119203202

 

And the external fuel tanks look good too I think:

IMG20220119203353

 

Subtle enough but still visible, right?

IMG20220120210055

 

Anyway, I masked the M/R blade leading edges and air intakes using tamiya tape and Microscale Micro Mask in preparation for the next stage...

IMG20220121215305

 

First came the gloss black and then Vallejo Metal color 77.702 Duraluminum in thin coats...

IMG20220123115511 IMG20220123115531

 

The result was very satisfying. Off with the masks on the blades...

IMG20220123123721

 

And then the air intakes... And that's when disaster struck! That 🤬 Micro Mask really became one with the paint an when I removed it it peeled off everything including the 🤬 vallejo primer!!!

IMG20220123122552 IMG20220123122602

 

Oh and I of course broke two of the IFF antennas while trying to unmask the intakes. Not a happy bunny!

 

As I'm trying to calm down I painted the float bags in enamel khaki...

IMG20220122164417 IMG20220122164417

 

And as an exercise in patience I used 0.4mm strips of masking tape to mask the retaining straps to be painted back grey along with the intake and cowling repair job...

IMG20220122192248

 

While again applying thin layers of Vallejo air 71.338 and building up the base colour I'm doing some rotor assembly...

IMG20220123125853

 

This small disaster brought me back by a few days already and dealt a massive blow to my confidence but I think I'll be back on track soon.

 

As always thank you all for looking! 😊

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Sure thing, here goes with some thoughts. Apologies if you know any of this or it's off the mark. No guarantees that this will work for you or anyone else, but it works for me.

 

The 660 gloss which you've used has long been my main choice, used on its own or in several premixes, for almost everything but car bodies. It’s very smooth, pretty tough (certainly enough to sand, buff, mask, and use under HS chipping). Anything from satin to gloss is achievable, but nearer to satin is ideal for most uses other than NMF.

 

I can’t imagine it going well through anything smaller than a 0.3mm (keeping in mind that different brands aren’t always directly comparable) and Vallejo recommends, IIRC, at least 0.3mm. I use an Iwata Eclipse .35mm, but I still thin it slightly (by eye and feel, but I’d say roughly 15%) with Vallejo airbrush thinner. Don’t use anything else: you need the binder component in that thinner. Thinning is important, but be equally careful not to overdo it; just add a drop more primer if it looks/feels wrong with experience.

 

Even yesterday, I accidentally over-thinned it on highly polished plastic and failed to pay attention. Luckily, I caught it quickly with a cotton bud and water/airbrush cleaner. Talking of cleaners, don't let any alcohol or other solvents like lacquer thinner, acetone, etc. hang around in the nooks of your airbrush when you add resin or poly paints/primers. Be careful!

 

Atomisation needs to be really good (like with all similar paints), so spray at properly high pressure (I use just over 30psi, but it will I'm sure be a little different for everyone) using short pull back and working closely. Good spray discipline and a bit of practice is a big help.

 

Looking at your preshade, which you weren't happy with, there a few things which may have contributed to that rough pattern; including too-thick paint, working too far away, too low pressure, perhaps even a worn needle and/or nozzle.

 

Spray a tooth coat followed by two light coats; at this point, if you already have 100% opacity, you sprayed it a bit too thickly. If full opacity is needed (not usually), dry it with air (or wait a while) and add another light coat or two.

 

Remember, a lot of polys can skin over and fail to cure fully if you hose them on. Not the product’s fault; just a characteristic. Where you pulled it up, that’s almost certainly either a spot of very low adhesion (e.g. grease, etc.) or you sprayed it too thickly and skinned it over. I have almost never pulled this up and when I did, I was pretty sure that I'd messed up.

 

Get into a rhythm of cleaning your tip before it clogs; that goes for any water-based paints, but even more so for poly.

 

When you’re done let it cure for anything from 12 to 48 hours depending on what you'll be doing next. If you need to buff out problems, you can (despite what the naysayers claim!) but it needs to be properly sprayed, properly cured, and treated with soft sponges suitable for working on paint, such as Infini, Tamiya, or MicroMesh soft pads. These materials will also be what you want to spot-repair around the damaged area before respraying it and using the finest sponge grits to blend old with new.

 

Best of luck.

Edited by Ade H
added tip
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Many thanks  @Ade H! Really appreciate it, taking the time to write this and sharing your experience.

 

Yes, I agree with most of what you say but I won't be giving the Vallejo gloss black primer another chance. I have tried a few different primers so far and it's the only one you can actually peel it off the model like it's Maskol or something. Seriously not impressed.

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Good evening all,

 

I have managed to gather enough material for a mini update.

 

After recovering from the first shock of that paint damage (see previous episode) I masked around the affected areas and proceeded to spray light coats of the base coat. This time the masking of the of the air intakes was done with thin strips of masking tape and Maskol. When I thought that was enough I re-sprayed some of the post-shading.

IMG20220131204351

 

Then I completed the assembly of the rotors seen here doing a Chinook impersonation...

IMG20220131204158

 

In between steps I applied a light paint/filter (Citadel Sepia) on the inside of the engine exhausts...

IMG20220126213918

 

With that done it was time for an overall gloss varnish application which also came in light to moderate coats. When everything was shiny enough it was time for the decals. All 7 of them!

IMG20220202204737

 

I wanted to use the ones that came with the kit but I then noticed there was a small defect with the blue on one of the flags so I got an after market set to replace them. Before applying them I got rid of the excess carrier film where possible...

IMG20220202205751

 

The operation was completed without problems using Micro Set and Sol.

IMG20220203210000 IMG20220202214706

 

I cut one of the flags by tracing the scalpel along the panel line and re-applied Micro Sol. 

 

Next comes more gloss varnish in preparation for the weathering stage.

 

As always, thank you all for looking! 😊

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  • 1 year later...

Hello everyone, look what the cat brought home!

 

Please excuse my involuntary absence; I have been away from this forum and from the hobby for months. I will spare you the details but it wasn't pleasant. Since the last post I also moved house which meant I had to pack my little shop of horrors and then had to squeeze everything in the new (smaller) place, But with the worse now hopefully behind me I started building again. And here I am again if you would still have me.

 

All my other previous builds were lost in the move. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened a box and found the model and parts in it, intact!

 

IMG20230310204617

 

So enough talking, on with the build!

 

The model was in a glossy state last time I worked on it. The next step was to play a little bit with oils. Please note this is the first time I used them 'for real' so I didn't quite know what to expect. After making a right mess I reached a point where I thought it looked kinda OK...

 

IMG20230311200753

 

IMG20230311200837

 

IMG20230311200659

 

IMG20230311200719

 

 

Then everything was given a coat of VMS Satin...

IMG20230318161500

 

Then at long last, it was time for final assembly. First up the main rotors, made of 17 pieces. Fit was good as long as you dried fitted everything before you committed to glue:

IMG20230318210134

 

Then all masking was removed from windows, doors etc.

IMG20230319190731

 

The masks left some glue residue on the transparent parts but nothing too serious. When I tried to clean it however it did become serious. Do not use IPA dampened cotton buds if your transparent parts were dipped in Clear/Future! Anyway, I cleaned the residue and re-applied the Future coat.

 

Next the doors were placed on the model and the landing gear followed. This was the most tricky part of the whole build but fortunately the pre-assembly (see older post) was correct and I didn't had too much of a problem putting it back on.

IMG20230326201711

 

Last but not least, the emergency floatation 'shoes'. Belly rub anyone?

IMG20230326203011

 

At this point I could have put the main rotors in place and call it done. But everyone knows I'm a sucker for self punishment... So here's how to spend many a weekday's afternoon working on a practically finished model risking to ruin everything with a wrong move. First you will need 0.15mm copper wire...

IMG20230404211852

 

...and a 0.3mm drill bit...

IMG20230404212047

 

Then 0.5mm/0.3mm metal tubing. Extra points if you have to cut it yourself and it is made of stainless steel or other equally hard metal... I found out about other sources afterwards.

IMG20230404211918

 

EZ Line (fine) worked like a charm as long as you held your breath. The same cannot be said for AMMO rigging 0.01mm which for me it was unworkable. The original Uschi superfine is better but still I prefer EZ. And breathing is overrated anyways.

IMG20230404220607

 

Tighten the line from the other end and repeat on the other side. Funny how you can get it right first time and then need 5 attempts for the second...

IMG20230405205544 IMG20230405205617

 

And with this the build is over. Complete. Next post will be in the Ready For Inspection section.

 

Thank you all for looking and thank you for leaving a comment.

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4 hours ago, Bobby No Mac said:

Cracking work there for 1/72. The old kit has scrubbed up very nicely :like:

 

Thank you. You know, ancient kits need love too 😊

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