Go big or go home: Revell 1:32 Mirage III

[Rabbit Leader]

On 3/27/2023 at 6:48 AM, Tentacles said:

there's a chance this one's going to be closer to 1/72 size by the time I'm done with it.

Now that’s funny, however having wasted two weeks of hell trying to build a Kinetic 1/48 Mirage III a few years ago, I can see many painful similarities. I don’t know what it is about Mirage kits, they seem to be my Achilles heal. Hopefully the new Special Hobby 1/72 range may get me over the hurdle. You’re at a good stage with this kit however, so hopefully the finishing line with happen sooner than you think! 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[Tentacles]

Thanks Dave. It's been another busy week, but I got to do a little more sanding, scribing and putty-slapping last night. I'll post a proper update later.

Cheers from another Dave

[The Spadgent]

Looking gooood. Seems you had fun putting that lot together. 😀 Are you adding the UC afterward like myself? Or have Revell changed the point where you add the legs to the kit? I found it mad that Italeri wanted you to add the uc when you built the wing.  Ooh and tell me you added a bunch of weight to that thar nose cone?
 

🏋️‍🏋️‍🏋️‍

 

 Johnny

[Tentacles]

Thanks for the kind words, Johnny.

 

3 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

Are you adding the UC afterward

Yep, in bold defiance of the daft sequence in the instructions. This will likely mean trimming off one of the lugs that's supposed to fit between the two halves of the gear bay - but I hope I can overcome this issue through my usual blend of swearing, prayer, and glue applied with a broom.

 

3 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

tell me you added a bunch of weight to that thar nose cone?

 

No! 'Cause there's already loads under & around  the cockpit - the recommended 30g, plus whatever else fitted. I hope it was enough extra to compensate for moving the COG slightly backwards, a point that has only just occurred to me... 🤔

 

Unexciting update follows:

 

 

Here we are. The filler is sanded back, and I'm calling this stage done - but we'll see how it looks under a coat of primer. Those gaps, I am not great at aligning things... Since I took this photo, I've filled in a few pits in the filler with tippex that I allowed to mostly dry and then smoothed over with a cotton bud dipped in a little acetone. Seems to have worked out ok. That join at bottom right has had 2 or 3 rounds of this, and will probably get another one before I go to bed. I should've used more filler here probably, but I wanted to crack on. Filling and sanding is relatively boring, and I've got better things to do on a Saturday night, like, um... Anyway, the Bigger panel lines have now been scribed back in. I was going to replace the missing riveting detail - but then I realised I would either end up rushing it, which would make it look rubbish; or that it would take a whole day and leave me with a nervous tic like Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the Pink Panther Movies.

 

Instead, I think I'll kick back with a pint for a few minutes.

Thanks for looking. Tomorrow: putting things on top of other things!

 

[Wings unlevel]

7 minutes ago, Tentacles said:

I think I'll kick back with a pint for a few minutes.

Well earned, by the looks of things! 

[The Spadgent]

Dang! Yes I forgot you’d added the fishing weights. 🤩💪

They should do the trick. Enjoy the beer dear boy. 🙌

 

 Johnny

[Tentacles]

I had a late night last night. Whilst supping my pint, I thought I'd just do a quick experimental dry fit, and the next thing I know it's an hour later, and I was smearing PPP around the tailfin:

Forgot to take photos at the time (it was late!), so this pic is from this evening, when I'd already added the elevons/wibbly wobbly bits to the back of the wing.

That big pitot on the fin is sharp and keeps catching on everything. I'll have to be careful not to snap it off.

 

I've also assembled the very end of the fuselage. This is going to need some putty & sanding. And it presents me with an interesting problem:

 

 

The huge engine is drooping inside the fuselage, and fouls the bit that goes around the end of the jet pipe (is there a formal name for this?). I'm not sure how to fix this beyond copious clamping, finger-crossing and hoping nobody looks too closely. The actual end of the jet pipe isn't fitted yet - it needs some paint touch-ups. This should be a nice little job suitable for a short weeknight session.

Mental note to self - get the jet pipe finished before glueing anything else on at this end.

 

That'll have to be all for now, as it seems I'm not allowed to write anymore.

 

 

 

 

[Wings unlevel]

1 hour ago, Tentacles said:

finger-crossing and hoping nobody looks too closely

Two of my favourite techniques!

[The Spadgent]

Ahhh I did wonder what Revell would do here and it seems like “nothing” they just missed it out. 😫 The italeri kit has a PE fret that has an edge section that keeps the engine where it needs to be. I guess you could pack underneath with plasticard or similar to prevent ze droop. Apart from that I don’t think that but had any other purpose. Elevons are looking good btw. 🤩

 

 Johnny

[Tentacles]

On 4/3/2023 at 12:18 AM, The Spadgent said:

“nothing”

Yep - and I had to do a whole lot of whittling to even get a decent butt-fit.

On 4/3/2023 at 12:18 AM, The Spadgent said:

I guess you could pack underneath with plasticard or similar

Yeah, though it's a tricky shape to fill, no real room to work in... and also a chance of overdoing it and splitting the whole thing open. ("This is going well, just one more piece for luck...") I've just spent a week sanding and filling and I don't fancy that possibility. So I have formented a cunning plan...

 

Enter the Mk.I washing up sponge (looking very 80's here). The idea is that - following some sensitive and delicate butchering - I can squeeze a chunk of it into place with the big tweezers, and upon release it'll expand. It should then stay in place without glue; and - I hope - exert a sufficient, yet gentle pressure to hold up the jet pipe. I might even spray it black first in order to hide it better.

 

That's the plan, anyway. We shall see.

 

But first - grr!

 

 

The fin is a bit skew-wiff. This is possibly due to localised high winds. Or the result of slight fuselage warping, compounded by fitting the thing at 1am after a couple of beers.

It was probably high wind - I did scarf down all the left over veg curry the other night.

Do I remove it and try to refit? Or just leave it and hope no-one else notices? Ok, agreed - best not tell anyone about it, then.

 

So I'm off to cut myself a slice of sponge - will report back later.

On 4/3/2023 at 12:18 AM, The Spadgent said:

Elevons are looking good

Thanks, at least something's working out on this build 😆

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tentacles]

Looks like it worked!

 

 

[Biggles87]

That’s a great idea with the sponge.

I think I’d leave the fin as it is, a little creative photography and I doubt anyone will notice. ( Except  you’ve pointed it out now! ).

 

John

[Rabbit Leader]

Lots of work going on here and I do say, I think you’re being way too honest within this thread. I’d say most of us have these little niggles and issues with every build - we just keep things to ourselves. Having saying that, it’s nice to get a ‘warts and all’ approach so that others can learn from your experiences. She’s coming along better than you think. 
Cheers.. Dave 

[Wings unlevel]

16 hours ago, Tentacles said:

The fin is a bit skew-wiff.

Squint and you can fix it! 🤣

 

16 hours ago, Tentacles said:

Looks like it worked!

Clever, and a fix for any oil leaks that Atar might spring!

[The Spadgent]

As for the tail. If you’re using Tamiya extra thin you can fix that super easy by putting a few lashes of glue either side then bend the little blighter in tother direction a bit. Use some tape if you must.

aand great sponge plan. What happened to the black paint Mr Rush?*
 

 

* I’m not saying you rushed it’s just Mr Rush, the Mr Man is purple. 💜

 

Top stuff. 🙌

 

 Johnny

[Tentacles]

On 4/5/2023 at 9:38 PM, Biggles87 said:

That’s a great idea with the sponge.

Thanks!

 

On 4/5/2023 at 11:01 PM, Rabbit Leader said:

Lots of work going on here and I do say, I think you’re being way too honest within this thread. I’d say most of us have these little niggles and issues with every build - we just keep things to ourselves. Having saying that, it’s nice to get a ‘warts and all’ approach so that others can learn from your experiences. She’s coming along better than you think. 

Noted, thanks. I'm warts all the way down....

 

On 4/6/2023 at 10:13 PM, The Spadgent said:

What happened to the black paint Mr Rush?

I'm more Mr. Messy. I think it'll be basically invisible unless you really, really go looking for it, likewith a torch and a mirror.

 

Thanks for all the comments. Tail will stay skew-wiff, it's a lovely fit compared to:

This didn't fit at all, and needed a lot of putty to cover up all the stretched sprue I melted into the seam. Seems to have turned out ok after an evening of sanding & scribing. Looks better here than in the flesh.

Started on the dangly bits, which went together without drama. Revell generously give you plenty of weapons, but I plan to add just the big fuel tanks, as on the box art.

 

 

Masking canopies in 1/72 can feel like a punishment. Masking my first canopy in 1/32 was a pleasure.

 

 

Looks like we're about ready for primer. As soon as she's had a gentle scrub with an old toothbrush and some Fairy liquid.

 

 

 

 

[The Spadgent]

Nice work! Looking forward to paint. 🙌

[Tentacles]

Right, primer. This took longer than I expected.

I used to prime with Tamiya rattle cans, but they're expensive and get used up so fast. And they offer no control, and so have to be used outside. Which ain't great if you mainly model in the evenings. So I'm using the little bottles of Tamiya surface primer, mixed 40/60 with Tamiya lacquer thinners, through my 0.3mm airbrush (also Tamiya! It's all working together nicely so far). And this is a BIG kit, so it's taking a while. The coverage below took me a whole evening, what with mixing up 2-3 cupfuls of primer mix, and setting up the portable spray booth & extractor fan.

(I don't usually bother if it's just a wee squirt of acrylic, but lacquers are more toxic, and will get everywhere if you give them a chance. I always, always wear a "Breaking Bad" style respirator though).

Oh, and clean-up can take a while.

 

The

 

So I'm priming in sections, and fixing things as I go. The rear fuselage needed refilling and rescribing, and there's plenty of trapped dust that needs a gentle sanding. Sometimes I think this house is made of dust.

 

This was taken before sanding. I forget to take any "after" pics, but I did take a pic of my favourite scribing tool:

Does anyone know what this is?? It just seemed to turn up in the family toolbox one day. I think it might be a thing for cutting ceramic tiles, as it may have been left behind by the guy who tiled our bathroom a few years ago. It works really well for putting a line on plastic or filler.

 

I've since primed the underside and the fuel tanks. I predict another session of remedial sanding & priming, and then maybe a gloss black-base before I go for the NMF.

 

What paints to use for this? I have various Humbrol enamel metallics, but these are horrid to spray. I might be able to pop into my preferred model shop when I'm in town during the week, so maybe I can buy some better paints. Probably Tamiya, as they're a known quantity, although I note that the cool kids seem to be using Gunze these days. Hmm.

[John Laidlaw]

There's some lovely work going on here!

 

With regard to metallics, consider Gunze Super Metallics. I am neither cool, nor a kid, but have found them easy to spray, very fine-grained, and as hard as nails when cured. You can also tint them with Gunze lacquers or Tamiya acrylics.

[The Spadgent]

I can recommend the Vallejo metal colour range. Really good.

 

 Johnny

 

ps. I didn’t know there was a group build going on. Here’s me just building a mirage out in the wild. 🤣

[Tentacles]

10 minutes ago, John Laidlaw said:

There's some lovely work going on here!

Thank you!

 

10 minutes ago, John Laidlaw said:

With regard to metallics, consider Gunze Super Metallics. I am neither cool, nor a kid, but have found them easy to spray, very fine-grained, and as hard as nails when cured. You can also tint them with Gunze lacquers or Tamiya acrylics.

If you are posting here, you are automatically cool! 😎 I've been tempted to try out Gunze, since I read this post:

Would I need to buy Gunze thinners as well?

[Tentacles]

1 minute ago, The Spadgent said:

I can recommend the Vallejo metal colour range. Really good.

Cheers, I'd have to order those online, but certainly an option if I don't physically get to the shop on Wednesday.

[John Laidlaw]

1 hour ago, Tentacles said:

Would I need to buy Gunze thinners as well?

I recommend the thinners, but in a pinch you can use any cellulose/lacquer thinners. Just be careful as the generic brands tend to be a lot hotter, therefore giving more of a matt finish as they cure quicker. It depends what your intended finish is.

 

2 hours ago, Tentacles said:

If you are posting here, you are automatically cool! 😎

😁

[Biggles87]

Don’t want to spoil you for choice but I’m a big fan of AK Interactive Xtreme Metal, sprays well and doesn't come off on your hands.

 

John

[Tentacles]

1 hour ago, Biggles87 said:

I’m a big fan of AK Interactive Xtreme Metal

Thanks John - that's another brand I'd have to mail order, but will bear it in mind, have heard good things about it.