arfa1983 Posted March 20, 2022 Author Share Posted March 20, 2022 (edited) Ok primer said my sanding job wasn't good enough! Resand and Reprime. Nope, try again! I think this is now good enough. It will have to be. There was actually another prime and resand between these two so this'll do ! This week I'll get everything else stick together and try get whole thing primed and maybe painted next weekend. I actually only have 1 month left to finish this if it's gonna make the gallery! Edited March 20, 2022 by arfa1983 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 23, 2022 Share Posted March 23, 2022 Groundhog Day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 (edited) Well I finally primed the whole airframe today after filling a lot of gaps. I think I'll leave this as it is. There are a few seams and spots which could be improved but for sure it's good enough for my display shelf! There's still a lot of work to do, I'm going to have to attach the front canopy now and fill that a little too by the look of it. Then get the refuelling probe on. There's a big PE strip on top of the nose cone, but I think it will look worse if I put it on. I can't really see it on any reference photos. Both my airbrush and compressor are on the way out, so I am not sure if I will finish before I get new ones on my trip back to Australia in April, which means I'll miss the deadline but let's see. It seems to be OK with the paint thinned to 80:20 and the front fitting of the airbrush removed. Edit... A few hours later... My present day self thanks my past life self for buying these masks... Edited March 27, 2022 by arfa1983 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 27, 2022 Author Share Posted March 27, 2022 One ladder enough for tonight! I also got the canopy painted black (from outside) and the front canopy glued on. There may be a tiny step on the right (starboard?) side, but we'll assess that with a bit more primer. It also won't be too visible with the black antiglare panel around there. I used putty to glue the refuel probe on then tidied the edges up with nail polish remover. That's enough for tonight! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasper dog Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Looks good primed! Nice work with the pe steps too. Darryl 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 28, 2022 Author Share Posted March 28, 2022 Well once the sun came up and the vodka tonics had worn off it was clear the step on this side was not going to be acceptable. So a little more putty! Overall, other than the nose, there’s not a lot of putty on this model. It’s just in a lot of places! I think I will have paint on this by the end of today! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Great work with the putty, it's a skill I've never got competent at, never mind mastered! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 28, 2022 Author Share Posted March 28, 2022 8 minutes ago, Jasonb13 said: Great work with the putty, it's a skill I've never got competent at, never mind mastered! The secret, other than patience, is cotton buds (Q-tips) and nail polish remover (acetone based). It will smooth the putty and remove any excess without damaging the plastic at all. (Just don’t use too generously on clear parts… see my Mig-21 build how I know!) 🤦♂️ (You need to use Tamiya or Mr Hobby type laquer based putties for this to work) I had seriously no luck at all with putty in the past before doing this. Of course I learned this tip here on the GB forums! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewy Posted March 28, 2022 Share Posted March 28, 2022 Thats a good nose job arthur, those steps are a pain to do i know , but they look really good, your getting there👍, maybe do a tamiya kit after this for some stress relief😋 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 Nice work so far Arfa! On 3/28/2022 at 3:01 PM, Jasonb13 said: Great work with the putty, it's a skill I've never got competent at, never mind mastered! I've found Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty works well, in a similar method to Arfa's suggestion above. This one's water based, so a cotton bud and some water is all you need to clean it up after it's set. Handy if the other residents object to lacquer fumes James 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 (edited) On 3/28/2022 at 11:17 AM, arfa1983 said: think I will have paint on this by the end of today Well this was definitely too ambitious. But I did get everything on the airframe installed and tidied up and primed on main airframe and bombs and drop tanks and pylons. I have also assembled the landing gear bay doors and started on the MERs. Unfortunately I used Red sharpie pen to keep track of left and right during assembly and it just keeps floating to the top of the primer would you believe! I'll probably have to give a spot spray with acrylic grey which won't dissolve it. I also have some confusion with the Rockeyes and MERs. The holes on the Rockeyes don't match the pins on the MERs, so if I use one front hole and one rear hole then drill the corresponding hole at position of the other pin I get this. Do you think it looks correct? If I use only front or only the back holes and drill another accordingly, then there is no gap between the front and back bombs. They literally just touch each other. Any pointers would be appreciated! Edited March 30, 2022 by arfa1983 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 I think you will have to completey remove those Shapie letters. They tend to bleed though anyway. I usually mark the surface that gets in contact with the wing (scribing a small L or R). That way my mark will disappear once I have assembled the model. Jens 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 14 minutes ago, Jens said: I think you will have to completey remove those Shapie letters. They tend to bleed though anyway. I usually mark the surface that gets in contact with the wing (scribing a small L or R). That way my mark will disappear once I have assembled the model. Jens +1. i’ve had sharpies bleed through coats and coats of paint. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pappy Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) US/NATO bombs typically employ either a 16'" or 30" spacing for the suspension lugs. The 16" typically used for smaller stores and bombs up to 1000lb and 30" for larger stores and bombs >1000lb. The MERs would use 16" spacing, whether the kit manufacturers understand this is another thing as they usually make locating holes and mounting pins for their particular kits, often this does not agree with AM gear. I would suggest using a set of dividers or even making a simple jig using two pins stuck in some plastic strip to correspond with the MER mounting pins and use these to mark the stores for consistency. The lugs should more or less align with the swaybraces in this instance +1 Strip the paint and remove the sharpie ink, easier to do this now before you start to add washes, weapons etc. Pappy Edited March 31, 2022 by Pappy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 4 hours ago, Pappy said: often this does not agree with AM gear. Yeah but these are the kit Rockeyes which are shown in instructions as being mounted on the MERs. I guess I'll fill all the holes () and then figure out the best approximate location amd drill some new ones. I can see on some pictures it seems there is not much gap between front and back bombs, but I can't find good photo directly side on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Very fine nose job! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted April 3, 2022 Author Share Posted April 3, 2022 Well I have been working on this all week in the evenings and got everything assembled and even got the Rockeye holes filled and redrilled so they fit nicely now. With everything pre-assembled, today was painting day. It started off really well. And ended with me very grumpy. (I'm still grumpy) First I primed everything in Mr Surfacer and then preshaded with dark Nazca primer along with some marbling. So far, so good. Then got the light gull grey on and did a big masking job. And got the Insignia white on. Still going strong. I unmasked and it looked good. No bleed through. So then did masking for the tan/radome which is also on the intake lips and leading edges of wings, rudder and stabiliser. Great! Now I'm gonna spray this and then try get last few bits done... No. I managed to get one leading edge done and then the airbrush just stopped spraying paint. Damn it. Cleaned it thoroughly. Ok, try again. Nope. No paint. I think my compressor is not supplying enough air, but it could be the airbrush too. Time for a new set-up. But to buy them here is gonna be $$$. If I wait to go back to Australia though I won't get this done it time. 🙁 I might just go to LHS one evening and rent their airbrush with the spraybooth. Maybe I can try mine out and see if it is the compressor or not. So this is where we are now, instead of being ready for decals, we are here. Not. Happy. But hey, it happens. And I knew it was on the way out I guess, so I did run the gauntlet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 3, 2022 Share Posted April 3, 2022 Drat. Sorry to learn your set-up has failed but at least your LMS offers an option to hire theirs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 Well as I was packing up the air compressor this morning I saw the instructions scrunched in the bottom and noticed a call out on the drawing to air intake. Hmmm I thought, that's how the air gets in. Let's take a look. Well, it was a little sponge completely caked in paint and primer, how it managed to work at all is beyond me. I cut a new sponge and cleaned the cover and plugged it in. Air pressure like I only knew from days of its youth! So I put my airbrush on and ... Still no paint (water in this case)😕 Just air bubbles coming backwards to the cup when I pull the trigger. Airbrush seems to be very clean, but I am going to give it deep soak in simple green today. Any other ideas? Could it be nozzle oring? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 So close! Good luck getting it sorted! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 At least the compressor seems to be ok, hopefully the soak brings the airbrush back as well James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 4, 2022 Share Posted April 4, 2022 At least your compressor is alive again. Hopefully a good clear to clear whatever is troubling your airbrush will see you sorted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted April 4, 2022 Author Share Posted April 4, 2022 Yes! Seems like the deep soak with all parts completely disassembled has done it and I just tested on water and it works again! I will still try and source a new needle and nozzle, then try get a new finer airbrush for details as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted April 5, 2022 Author Share Posted April 5, 2022 (edited) Well the airbrush is still somewhat ill. I think I need to lube the needle up a bit. Not sure what common household substance I can use. Any suggestions? But it works well enough that I will be able to finish this. But I may need to use rattlecan for the final varnish coats. So after much masking I got the black and grey on. And of course I needed the instant gratification of decals. The decals are quite... how to put this politely... They behave OK but the saturation is a little average and then... there's this! Seriously? OHN F KENNEDY! The Rescue arrow also says ESCUE 😐 Well I managed to find a U on another decal sheet which was similar and chop it into a J. I may cut off the top part tomorrow to match height of other letters but now it looks OK. I'm certainly not too much of a stickler for accuracy but no way could I sleep at night know it said OHN. I will try scavenge a few other decals where I can to make the visual appearance for some data and stencils better but more or less I am happy with the main decals. Some nice AM ones would have been nice but I really couldn't find any available which I really liked. Still quite some work to do but on the final stretch now! Edited April 5, 2022 by arfa1983 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
81-er Posted April 6, 2022 Share Posted April 6, 2022 Good save on the decal. I do wonder who was doing the QC on those James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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