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On 5/16/2022 at 7:15 PM, billn53 said:

The Tamiya Pure White went on with no problems, and looks very nice.  I’m away for my trip now and will get back to work on my return.


So far so good, it’s shaping up really nicely.  Great save on the canopy, there lessons to be learned there.

 

Looking forward to your return!

 

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I remember reading an article about Daryl and his Starfighter back in the late 70's that told of how he engineered a trade with the Air Force for parts he needed to finish his Starfighter in exchange for parts he had acquired that they wanted back. It also mentioned that he "mysteriously" managed to acquire a brand new J-79 engine for his plane.

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I got back from my trip late Friday night (more like early Saturday morning!), and after a long sleep-in yesterday, I proceeded to make masks for my zipper.

 

First, I scanned the kit decals and loaded the jpeg into Paint 3D:

52091653455_95be45e200_c.jpg

 

Then, using the flood tool, I converted the white-yellow-red "swooshes" into masters for the masks:

52091653465_8becd75522_c.jpg 

 

After some cleanup and rearranging in Paint 3D, I imported the jpeg into Silhouette Studio and used the "Trace" tool to define the cuts for the masks:

52091651126_3e3e1b5c57_c.jpg

 

That was Saturday's progress. Today, I sent the file to my Silhouette Cameo 4 to create the masks. Easier said, than done! I had all sorts of problems getting good, clean cuts. Sometimes the blade wouldn't cut completely through my material (Oromask 810), other times it cut too deep (through the vinyl & its backing paper, and into the cutting mat!). After five tries, I at last had enough useable masks to get the job done.

 

Here's my zipper now, all masked up:

52092146380_0d4c52fef8_b.jpg 

 

The masks weren't perfect, and you can see where I used Tamiya tape to fill-in a few gaps.

 

Tomorrow, I'll start putting the red on!

 

 

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Oh yes, this is going to be fun now.  Looking forward to the painting.

 

4 minutes ago, billn53 said:

The masks weren't perfect, and you can see where I used Tamiya tape to fill-in a few gaps.


Quite possibly the decals weren’t perfect in the first place, and the software just carried over the shape.  But you probably knew that, anyway.  I’m loving my Silhouette, it’s changed how I look at potential projects now;far fewer limitations.

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9 minutes ago, mark.au said:

Oh yes, this is going to be fun now.  Looking forward to the painting.


Quite possibly the decals weren’t perfect in the first place, and the software just carried over the shape.


Yes, that appears to be the biggest part of it (plus perhaps a bit of scaling error on my part).
My hat’s off to anyone able to use the kit decals successfully.

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Looking ready for red!

 

Are you going to re-scribe the undercarriage door outlines over the bondo? 

 

I had a "bits on canopy" problem with an F-111 in the GB a few years ago. I rubbed the bottom of the fuselage with my synthetic running shirt (clean!) and tapped the canopy to loosen the bits. It worked like magic (OK, then like physics!).

 

Regards,

Adrian

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11 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

 

Are you going to re-scribe the undercarriage door outlines over the bondo? 

 

I had a "bits on canopy" problem with an F-111 in the GB a few years ago. I rubbed the bottom of the fuselage with my synthetic running shirt (clean!) and tapped the canopy to loosen the bits. It worked like magic (OK, then like physics!).

 


I considered re-scribing the doors, but the plane will stand only a few inches over the base, and the underside will be difficult to see. So, I took the lazy way out.

 

After the canopy masks are off, I’ll take another try with the static electricity trick, this time using your technique. (You can call it magic if you wish… remember, magic is just physics we haven’t discovered yet!)

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Enjoyed reading this post and thread so far. Only just noticed this build. Picked up some useful methods along the way. Like the story behind this 104.

Nice build so far.

 

Rgds,

 

 Rob 

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Red is on, masks are off!

 

52094249914_ba842c5f38_b.jpg 

 

52094249919_a583616eca_b.jpg 

 

A few minor touch-ups needed where the red & white meet, but overall I'm very happy with how the masking turned out. After the paint is good & cured, I'll begin decaling. There's some yellow & orange trim, where the red meets the white, that I'll cut out from the decal sheet (I didn't want to tackle doing masking for those), plus the "Red Baron" logos and other stencils.

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Putting on the orange and yellow flashes, which I cut from the Hasegawa decal sheet. I notice that the colors displayed on my screen are a bit off -- the yellow doesn't actually have a greenish tint (you'll have to take my word for that!)

 

52096179374_d85018dc49_z.jpg 

 

I was most concerned about how the decal (actually, a 3-piece decal) would fit around the compound curve between the rear fuselage and the fin. I needn't have worried, it went on with no issues:

 

52096442455_116cbfd9ec_c.jpg

 

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Decals are on, which means she's nearly done 🙂

 

52095592757_64810e85a9_b.jpg 

 

All that's left is to give her a final clear coat (I'm debating whether to go with high-gloss, like she is now, or tone it down a bit), attach the nose probe & tail planes, add a few other very minor things, and then work on the base.

 

I did indulge myself on one thing: the actual aircraft's inlet cones were well polished, but I went "over the top" and decided to try my new "Mirror" paint that @Mike had recommended. It's pretty pricey stuff, and I got it mainly for detailing landing gear, but since this bird's gear are up, I put it to a different use!

 

52097116230_87ac233b24_z.jpg 

 

 

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9 minutes ago, k5054nz said:

Gorgeous! I was going to ask if you'd be keen to run off another set of masks but it sounds like they caused a bit of trouble!

 

Yes, I had problems getting the masks cut but that's likely due to my inexperience with the Silhouette. I've ordered some more material, which will allow me to get some practice in.

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I was up early this morning and finished the last few items on the Red Baron zipper! Here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure:

 

52098674639_33ccbc7d9b_b.jpg 

 

52098437846_374a2f26b1_b.jpg

 

52098465288_ff4de41294_b.jpg 

 

52097411562_f7cfb6f45f_b.jpg 

 

52097411567_4b4fd2463c_b.jpg

 

52098674589_caabe97381_b.jpg

 

I was worried what I might find when I unmasked the canopy, but all is well there:

52097411457_2310e535d4_z.jpg

 

Exhaust nozzle and afterburner can are kit stock:

52097411532_e3c125fdc7.jpg

 

Hasegawa provides about a half dozen tiny clear lenses for the lights and windows on the fuselage. Instead of trying to install those fiddly things (my carpet monster would have been happy if I had!), I filled the holes with clear UV resin, and used transparent paint for the colors.

52098674499_464fec0853.jpg

 

I still have to build the base and install my Starfighter, but that shouldn't take very long. When I've got that done, I'll post a formal RFI.

 

52098608038_777f95d87d_b.jpg

 

 

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