arfa1983 Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 I got this kit from the personal collection of John from Showcase Models in Melbourne. He ordered in the Hobbyboss kit for me specially and when I told him it's shape was ... less than satisfying... he took it back and gave me this out of his personal stash. It came to my attention on this website that John passed away some years back, which I was quite sad to hear about as I used to spend a lot of time at his hobby shop just chatting about models and other stuff too. His shop was by far the best one in Melbourne, as he typically focused on stuff which the other shops weren't carrying. This is the second kit he gave me out of his personal stash (first one was a discontinued F-4S), so I will build this one in his memory. His Showcase Models brand was also releasing kits. I purchased a small Collins class sub from his brand but I never got around to getting the 1/35 Bushmaster which I regret now. Enough! Now the kit (second of the same boxing in this GB, so there will be some direct competition! ) And the famous special scheme which was applied upon returning from the Gulf in 1991. The decals are an age old so I hope they behave. If not, the LHS has a Italeri kit with same markings! Good luck everyone and I look forward to this GB. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Nice personal story with this kit Arthur. Good luck with the project and hopefully the decal sheet is usable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 3 hours ago, arfa1983 said: so there will be some direct competition! No competition from my point of view Arthur, other than the friendly kind. This will be a great tribute to John, who sounds like the kind of model shop owner that we all wish we knew. This is also a great looking and unusual scheme for the A-7 and I have no doubt you will do it justice. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 5 hours ago, arfa1983 said: I got this kit from the personal collection of John from Showcase Models in Melbourne. He ordered in the Hobbyboss kit for me specially and when I told him it's shape was ... less than satisfying... he took it back and gave me this out of his personal stash. It came to my attention on this website that John passed away some years back, which I was quite sad to hear about as I used to spend a lot of time at his hobby shop just chatting about models and other stuff too. His shop was by far the best one in Melbourne, as he typically focused on stuff which the other shops weren't carrying. This is the second kit he gave me out of his personal stash (first one was a discontinued F-4S), so I will build this one in his memory. His Showcase Models brand was also releasing kits. I purchased a small Collins class sub from his brand but I never got around to getting the 1/35 Bushmaster which I regret now. Enough! Now the kit (second of the same boxing in this GB, so there will be some direct competition! ) And the famous special scheme which was applied upon returning from the Gulf in 1991. The decals are an age old so I hope they behave. If not, the LHS has a Italeri kit with same markings! Good luck everyone and I look forward to this GB. If you put a coat or two of some sort of decal fix on them they should be fine. I have dozens of sheets from the 1980’s and never really have any issues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Nice choice Arthur, and nice to see it built as a tribute to John. I loved his shop and would visit whenever I could - always had to plan for extra time spent chatting to John! - I was really saddened by his passing. Melbourne still has a fairly decent model shop in Metro Hobbies but Showcase always had some interesting stuff in stock - I don't think I ever walked away empty-handed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted September 19, 2022 Author Share Posted September 19, 2022 5 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: If you put a coat or two of some sort of decal fix on them they should be fine. I have dozens of sheets from the 1980’s and never really have any issues. Thanks for the tip Dennis. What are the brand names for such products? It's kind of hard for me to get some of the more obscure and specialty things where I am. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, arfa1983 said: Thanks for the tip Dennis. What are the brand names for such products? It's kind of hard for me to get some of the more obscure and specialty things where I am. The one Ive used for the last 30 years and is usually available most places. https://www.amazon.com/Microscale-Industries-Micro-Liquid-Decal/dp/B0006O9K5G/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?adgrpid=55500600949&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0OrBs9Of-gIVofHjBx25swzREAAYASAAEgJl3vD_BwE&hvadid=410015664173&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9021610&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9048897021470909124&hvtargid=kwd-312477044562&hydadcr=26677_10408729&keywords=microscale+liquid+decal+film&qid=1663549127&sr=8-3 Just a quick look brings up a Vallejo version. https://midwestmodelrr.com/vallejo-73-213-decal-fix-17-ml-bottle/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7fnk69Of-gIVKsmUCR1ylQPjEAQYEyABEgIYjfD_BwE As well as a Badger product. https://www.hobbylinc.com/badger-liquid-decal-film-1-oz-painting-mask-tape-16-803 Its entirely possible others exist but this is just a quick 5 minute search. I use the Microscale and basically brush a coat on and let it dry. Sometimes depending on the age I do a second coat. Once dry and ready to use I cut as close to the decal to remove all the excess film not needed. And apply by soaking in water as usual. I then use Nicroscale decal-set and decal-sol. Edited September 19, 2022 by Corsairfoxfouruncle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 Well this GB sure is popular but up until now I have not had much involvement other than drooling over everyone else's builds! But with my F-15 neatly squared away it is time to begin this in earnest. So far just the cockpit and closing the avionics panels, which do look great but I ended up deciding to close them anyway. Hopefully I can get them looking neat enough because they didn't want to close up too easily. I also hacked a hole in the rear end of the intake and poured some white house paint down it. I think this will look good once the build is done. Not too much done but I think after cockpit finished tomorrow it should start to come together pretty quickly. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 Nice progress Arthur, you got a great finish on the intake, I'm going to cheat and build a blank for mine. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 So a bit more progress on this but then yesterday I noticed two indentations on the nose. I thought, that's funny I didn't notice them before but must be a moulding defect, as there is a lot of flash on the kit too. So I thought to myself I'll get some putty onto it later no bother. Then after finishing cockpit and getting the fuselage together... What the.... Then I realised. I was too lazy to mix up some epoxy to stick the sinkers in to make it front heavy so I just squirted some Tamiya putty out of the tube in a few choice spots and stuck the sinkers into that. Worked a treat... or so I thought. Anyway, my so called shortcut has now saved me zero time and I will now need to ironically fix it from the outside with the same filler that caused the issue. Still, the damage could have been far worse or on more difficult to repair spots. So anyway this is where it stands now. Only the top parts of the wings are glued together, but it's coming together quickly now. A LOT of dry fitting and fettling required on this one, but it is a nice kit to build. For some reason I do love Hasegawa kits. I think it's from my youth, they were always the "holy grail" kits.(or at least the priciest ones!) 8 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 52 minutes ago, arfa1983 said: What the.... Two steps forward, one step back...you'll sort it. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 4 hours ago, arfa1983 said: So a bit more progress on this but then yesterday I noticed two indentations on the nose. I thought, that's funny I didn't notice them before but must be a moulding defect, as there is a lot of flash on the kit too. So I thought to myself I'll get some putty onto it later no bother. Then after finishing cockpit and getting the fuselage together... What the.... Then I realised. I was too lazy to mix up some epoxy to stick the sinkers in to make it front heavy so I just squirted some Tamiya putty out of the tube in a few choice spots and stuck the sinkers into that. Worked a treat... or so I thought. Anyway, my so called shortcut has now saved me zero time and I will now need to ironically fix it from the outside with the same filler that caused the issue. Still, the damage could have been far worse or on more difficult to repair spots. So anyway this is where it stands now. Only the top parts of the wings are glued together, but it's coming together quickly now. A LOT of dry fitting and fettling required on this one, but it is a nice kit to build. For some reason I do love Hasegawa kits. I think it's from my youth, they were always the "holy grail" kits.(or at least the priciest ones!) Yeah I did something similar to my Fujimi A-7D. I used a bit too much glue to set the weights and i had some dimples on the lower fuselage behind the nose gear bay. I wound up having to do a few layers of fill to smooth the minor crater’s over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 Yip, been there, done that. Learned that lesson the hard way on another Hasegawa kit coincidently. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 19, 2022 Author Share Posted October 19, 2022 (edited) Hopefully other people can learn from my mistakes. Edited October 19, 2022 by arfa1983 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 19, 2022 Share Posted October 19, 2022 9 hours ago, arfa1983 said: Hopefully other people can learn from my mistakes. If it is still soft, it needs more air to help it cure. If yes drill a hole in the center of the depression. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 20, 2022 Author Share Posted October 20, 2022 6 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: If it is still soft, it needs more air to help it cure. If yes drill a hole in the center of the depression. Yes you are right Dennis! I will do so, however I don't want to inadvertently break off the sinkers inside so I may make a larger hole on the flat area where the wings go? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 19 minutes ago, arfa1983 said: Yes you are right Dennis! I will do so, however I don't want to inadvertently break off the sinkers inside so I may make a larger hole on the flat area where the wings go? Yes anywhere you can get air in to help cure the glue or it will stay soft for quite a while. In the wing tray is ideal as it will be hidden. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted October 20, 2022 Share Posted October 20, 2022 Feel your pain on those melted parts, I did it on a Boeing 747 several years ago that started to deform after I'd painted and decalled it. Looking great apart from that though 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 22, 2022 Author Share Posted October 22, 2022 Breather holes added. Seemed to do the trick and the plastic hardened over night. Now waiting for the putty to cure so I can sand and finish main pre priming assembly. I'm working on the wings now and it seems the design team have said for every section, "why do that in one peice when we can do it in four!" It may be an exaggeration but only slightly. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 22, 2022 Author Share Posted October 22, 2022 Wings on but a bit of filler and sanding is going to be required. I doubt I'll get primer on tomorrow but let's see! The kit is a little challenging to build, certainly I think we are due for a new tool A-7! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 She's taking shape nicely Arthur, even if she is putting up a fight. A new and accurate 1/48 A-7 would be nice but I can't see anyone stepping forward to do one soon unfortunately. 🇺🇦 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 3 hours ago, modelling minion said: She's taking shape nicely Arthur, even if she is putting up a fight. A new and accurate 1/48 A-7 would be nice but I can't see anyone stepping forward to do one soon unfortunately. 🇺🇦 Not since Hobbyboss has their entire line of model's. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfa1983 Posted October 23, 2022 Author Share Posted October 23, 2022 4 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Not since Hobbyboss has their entire line of model's. But it barely even looks like an A-7! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 2 hours ago, arfa1983 said: But it barely even looks like an A-7! True but no one will drop the $£€ to do a new series for awhile. They will decide that Hobbyboss and Hasegawa have control of the market. Its doubly bad because Hobbyboss covers both major scales. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 Live in hope gents. Kinetic have popped out a new F-16 regardless of all the others already on model shop shelves so perhaps a decent A-7 isn't too far away 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now