1/48 CF-104 Starfighter (Kinetic K48127)

[RaceAddict]

Sad to say I won't be finishing this one on time for the GB deadline. Kind of bummed about this... I'd really hoped to be able to have a model completed for this one. 🙄

 

Unfortunately, between losing part of the summer to heat/humidity issues, and then other life stuff getting in the way in early Sept, and again recently it's just not going to happen.

[81-er]

It happens. Better to take your time and get it right than rush to meet a deadline 👍

 

James

[RaceAddict]

Well after my first attempt with AK's Xtreme metals I wasn't too pleased... though I'm fairly sure it came down to me. I don't think I got the primer coat of black down glossy enough so the Polished Aluminium coat that went down afterwards didn't have the right look at all.  So, I went to work on removing it with some lacquer thinner.

 

And that's where it went downhill. Badly. Two things: the thinner seems to have some weird reaction with the paint and while the aluminium comes off easily, it left behind an odd, clear sheen. No idea if this is from the paint/primer, or the plastic. However, it also muddied the details on the plastic. Panel lines are sloppy and soft looking now. I'm not sure if this is the plastic melting, or the weird "clear" filling them in.

 

Kind of out of ideas here, but thankfully this failed experiment was only on the tip tanks, so I guess my 104 will just be a clean wing version now. Hopefully I don't mess up the fuselage, because as I've found out the hard way, stripping isn't easy.

 

[RaceAddict]

Update:

 

Not an awful lot to post here, as has been evident by the past 3+ months of inactivity. Unfortunately I've had basically zero bench time all winter. Last year my wife developed frozen shoulder, or adhesive capsulitis.

 

Frozen shoulder, also called adhesive capsulitis, causes pain and stiffness in the shoulder. Over time, the shoulder becomes very hard to move. After a period of worsening symptoms, frozen shoulder tends to get better, although full recovery may take up to 3 years. Physical therapy, with a focus on shoulder flexibility, is the primary treatment recommendation for frozen shoulder. Frozen shoulder most commonly affects people between the ages of 40 and 60, and occurs in women more often than men. In addition, people with diabetes are at an increased risk for developing frozen shoulder.

 

My wife is all three of those things... between 40 and 60, a woman, and a T1 diabetic. This all adds up to a rough, painful time for her, and obviously a lot less free time for me. Months of pyshiotherapy 2-3 times per week, daily mobility exercises at home, and weekly acupuncture is finally starting to pay off though. She's gained back some degree of movement, but not yet anywhere near normal, nor pain-free. But at least it's progress.

 

So, last night I sat down at the bench, tidied up a bit and got myself oriented again on the -104. I figured "hey, I've got a long weekend coming up with no real plans, so lets' get back down to business here..." I did a little filling and sanding, shot a little paint even, and then when I was cleaning out my Eclipse I dropped it (on the carpet) and broke the threaded part of the needle guide! 🤦‍♂️

 

Part is on order, but no idea if it'll get here before Friday.

[JeroenS]

Sorry to hear about the troubles your wife has been having, hopefully it keeps getting better.