Chrisj2003 Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 (edited) My entry, the most modern subject in my stash, a MQ-9 Predator. Going OOB with the Texas ANG example because as prints show there are a lot of web images of this one, including with live munitions. Hoping that with no pit I can finish this during this GB and a F-4 in Classic Japan GB at roughly the same time. Chris Edited May 3 by Chrisj2003 edit 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 Great choice Chris not often we see this type of aircraft in a GB let alone in RFI. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 24 Share Posted February 24 Interesting subject choice Chris and that's not something easily said about modern grey aircraft 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted February 26 Author Share Posted February 26 Unusually I started on the first day of a GB. Main wheel wells glued into underside. Nose weight added; Kinetic instructions just says "g"; so I checked on Scalemates and Italeri say 20g for a re-box of this, so I weighed out 20g of "liquid steel" and superglued it to top and bottom and then dry fitted and couldn't get top and bottom together so I painted one side and prised the offending steel out. Still got nearly half the liquid steel unused but it feels like a good nose weight; just go with what I've got? 2x GBU12 assembled; 4 parts each that's more assembly than on the airframe so far. (and the wings are solid one part each side.) GBU12 and Hellfire painted with Tamiya acrylics; active Paveways seem to have some variation in colour; I've seen some where the bomb body is light grey, others where the clever bit is multi-coloured, but I have gone for olive green bombs with light grey fins etc. They need varnishing then decals. The Texas ANG example is a lot more colourful than the NY ANG, RAF, AAE, AMI, RNAF, EdlA and RAAF examples included in the decal sheet (there is every UK serial included), and it is armed; some of the other air arms I think aren't arming them. Chris 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 At least you don't have to account for space taken up by the cockpit when pouring weight into the nose of this one Chris. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 What a different span to length ratio this is (F-5E from 2 years ago for comparison). Wings and fuselage assembled; large sprue gates, so some trimming to do. No more weight added, but there is a piece on the very front to add, so if balance is wrong I can get more poured in. Chris 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 1 Share Posted March 1 This is a significantly larger subject than I realised. Nice illustration of its size Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 5 Author Share Posted March 5 Rear all assembled and the distinctive look of these drones is there. A bit of filler needed, particularly around the nacelle. Not surprisingly there are a fair few probes and antennae on this, I think most can be left until after painting, but once the tail planes have set I'll get the front probe on because its moulded integral to a large plate which needs fairing in. And I have not broken it yet but there is only one anti static wick on one wing. Chris 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Pulfrew Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Good choice. I did one of these a few years ago and builds into a good replica. Unfortunately I didn't add enough lead, so it sits on a knife edge most of the time!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 11 Author Share Posted March 11 Plate with nose probe on faired in, and first coat of light compass ghost gray (Hu127) on. Undercarriage progressing also. Enough nose weight in that it is comfortably not a tail sitter. Chris 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 15 Author Share Posted March 15 Carrying on with this now very topical subject. That's 2 coats of gray top, bottom, and sensor pod(?), and prop and spinner, the chrome suggested by others is out of stock so just normal enamel silver. U/c bays, formation lights, etc next. Chris 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 This machine certainly found its way into the news headlines yesterday. Hopefully the prop is alright in your kit Chris. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 Not bent this one's prop.... yet. That's u/c bays, formation lights and some touch up done; once dry will gloss coat. So did some of the decals on the bombs and missiles. Chris 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Nice progress again Chris. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 25 Author Share Posted March 25 Still varnishing main body. And making slow progress with decaling Hellfires; really tiny bits of yellow stripe, but I couldn't mask things this tiny, each Hellfire is ~22mm long. Chris 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 Tidy decal work Chris. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 27 Author Share Posted March 27 A start of the reasonably size decals. Low-viz national markings and high-viz unit markings. Chris 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 28 Author Share Posted March 28 And that's the underside decals done. Chris 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted March 31 Share Posted March 31 Is there much decals remaining to apply now Chris? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted March 31 Author Share Posted March 31 @Col. a lot of small white and red circles on the top. Presume some are fuel covers and the others are covers to aerials. And still ongoing yellow stripes on the hellfires. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted April 3 Author Share Posted April 3 Away for the weekend. Back to do the red and (less obvious) white circles and national insignia decals. Will need some Micro Sol to settle down over the moulded bumps. Chris 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted April 16 Author Share Posted April 16 Made very little progress last weekend when the family were over en-masse, and then struck low with Covid; wasn't too bad as last jab was late last year; something to be said for being older, the NHS keep looking after us. But as top photo shows even though I use separate brushes for varnishing I got some blue in the varnish, fortunately top of the fin with no decals. So I varnished the other side, with decals, for protection, sanded down, repainted and just re-varnished as bottom picture; so that's recovered. In meantime on assembling stores on pylons and varnishing them. Chris 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 Glad you weren't hit too badly with the COVID and also able to save that blue tint from becoming a disaster 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisj2003 Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 Legs on, and standing on them; oddly the legs are flexible. I'll let them set and then all put all the stores and bits on. Chris 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 Those do look to be rather spindly legs so hopefully they won't give you any problems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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