***FINISHED*** 1/72nd Academy F-35A - ROKAF (was: nationality TBD)

[Hook]

As you can see in my 1/72nd Academy Dutch F-35A Anniversary bird topic, I'll have two of the Academy A kits to play with. 

 

First I planned to do a Dutch line bird, but since the late 2024 RoG kit  will feature a brake chute housing, I'll use that kit for that. So, I will use one of the other kit decal options for the second Academy kit.

 

At the moment I am leaning towards a ROKAF bird, since most other nations seem represented already but I haven't spotted a South Korean build (yet). 

 

Open for suggestions!  

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

[Wings unlevel]

Nice Andre, I think a RoKAF bird is a great choice.

[Hook]

On 8/7/2024 at 3:13 PM, Wings unlevel said:

Nice Andre, I think a RoKAF bird is a great choice.

And one did not make an apppearance in this GB so far, methinks. Diversity and inclusivity right there, folks! 

 

I managed a quick airbruish sitting this morning, the disadvantage of building basically two identical kits in an identical paint scheme is that there would be a lot of unnecessary photographic overlap. Basically it looks the same as in my KLu thread.   

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

 

Edited August 10 by Hook

[Hook]

Another backyard session this morning!: 

 

 

Lots and lots of bits: 

 

 

Some RAL9002 Grauweiss for the inner nozzle ceramics - pure White is too stark IMNSHO - with some metallic pigments rubbed in the black outside for that lovely metallic sheen: 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Wings unlevel]

22 hours ago, Hook said:

Some RAL9002 Grauweiss for the inner nozzle ceramics - pure White is too stark IMNSHO - with some metallic pigments rubbed in the black outside for that lovely metallic sheen: 

Very effective I reckon.

[Hook]

On 8/12/2024 at 1:19 PM, Wings unlevel said:

Very effective I reckon.

Thanks! This weekend I applied the cockpit decals and sealed them in with some VMS satin top coat.

 

 

I sprayed a second layer of white on the relevant bits, only to follow up dirtying it up all over again with some PLW... we modelers are idiots, aren't we?   

 

 

(See? I AM working on two of them!, not just recycling the pictures of two identical airframes! It's my story and I'm sticking to it, Your Honour.)

 

Bay added to the lower fuselage - fit is pretty good:

 

 

And this is how it looks when viewed from the other side. I wanted a bit of a wash to pop out the details, but nothing too severe as I imagine these birds are still quite new and well maintained. I also applied a bit of wash to the grill in the aft port side of the cockpit to make the detail stand out, but again, nothing too heavy. 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

Edited August 18 by Hook

[Wings unlevel]

14 hours ago, Hook said:

See? I AM working on two of them!, not just recycling the pictures of two identical airframes! It's my story and I'm sticking to it, Your Honour.)

🤣

 

14 hours ago, Hook said:

I imagine these birds are still quite new and well maintained

You’d think so, especially as unlike wheel wells the bays weapons bays would be far less exposed to the elements. 
 

Great progress here too. The cockpit looks on point. 👍

[Hook]

6 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

You’d think so, especially as unlike wheel wells the bays weapons bays would be far less exposed to the elements. 

That'd be my reasoning as well. It's more a matter of suggesting shadows, with just a bit of grime. 

6 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Great progress here too. The cockpit looks on point. 👍

Thanks! The Academy cockpit decals did need a bit of Tamiya Mark Fit Super Strong persuasion, but settled down in the end. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Hook]

Some mild progress due to work and weather (the two W's!). 

 

Intakes and cockpit tub added: 

 

 

Family portrait - the ROKAF one on the left's fuselage parts have not been glued together yet, just one on top of the other: 

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Wings unlevel]

Nice! Di you think there are efficiencies building the two side by side?

[Hook]

On 8/26/2024 at 10:38 AM, Wings unlevel said:

Nice! Di you think there are efficiencies building the two side by side?

 

 

IMHO it does save some time, since it takes just about much time to prepare for airbrushing and cleaning the thing afterwards if I am spraying one kit, or more. I can also apply the lessons learned directly to kit #2 (if I were capable of learning, obviously  ). 

 

The disadvantage is that updates of these two builds do tend to be exceedingly similar. Just like on my Dutch one, I applied and smoothed down some Vallejo white putty on the cines where I had some gappage, followed by decalling the inside of the canopy: 

 

 

Placed without glue yet (because that would rather be a hindrance fitting the ejection seats!) on the rest of the kit to check the fit: 

 

 

And here they are together - rumours of me posting photographs of a single build in two threads just to brag about my production line are slightly exaggerated!

 

From this angle (since the KLu one has closed weapon bays) you can tell them apart by the peacetime operations radar reflectors in front of the vertical tails on the Dutch one on the left: 

 

 

Me and you, and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So stealthy togetheeeeerrrrrrrrrr...

 

 

Next steps - applying a mixture of Smoke, Transparant Yellow and gloss varnish on the insides of the canopies, thereby sealing the decals, followed by touching up the Dark Gull Gray on the radome, fuselage sides and tails, followed by, you guessed it, more masking tape!

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2 by Hook

[Wings unlevel]

3 hours ago, Hook said:

And here they are together - rumours of me posting photographs of a single build in two threads just to brag about my production line are slightly exaggerated!

We never doubted you! 🤣

 

3 hours ago, Hook said:

So stealthy togetheeeeerrrrrrrrrr...

They look pretty happy together too!

 

Best of luck smoking the canopy, always fraught but certainly important.

 

 

[Hook]

On 9/2/2024 at 11:58 PM, Wings unlevel said:

We never doubted you! 🤣

I usually even doubt myself!   

 

On 9/2/2024 at 11:58 PM, Wings unlevel said:

They look pretty happy together too!

Thanks man!

On 9/2/2024 at 11:58 PM, Wings unlevel said:

Best of luck smoking the canopy, always fraught but certainly important.

 

Yes, it was a bit nervewracking. Here are the results so far - I applied a thinned mixture of VMS gloss varnish and Vallejo transparant yellow on the iside: 

 

 

I did get some light pooling of the mixture around the decal stripe. Perhaps a second layer will sort this out... only one way to find out! There's also some more Dark Gull Gray around the tails, nose and fuselage siodes - Academy gives you decals for a number of these areas, but I first want to see if I can use paint. 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Wings unlevel]

Great to see these both entering the paint phase.
 

4 hours ago, Hook said:

There's also some more Dark Gull Gray around the tails, nose and fuselage siodes - Academy gives you decals for a number of these areas, but I first want to see if I can use paint. 

 

I reckon it will definitely be worth the effort. 👍

[Hook]

On 9/8/2024 at 2:40 PM, Wings unlevel said:

Great to see these both entering the paint phase.
 

 

I reckon it will definitely be worth the effort. 👍

I hope so! Today I got some more done - more masking tape: 

 

 

And some Dark Gull Gray on both the canopy sill and around the intakes, which I forgot the previous session (doh!):

 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

[Wings unlevel]

Both are looking really good Andre. I’m looking forward to seeing the main Have Glass paint go on. 👍

[Hook]

On 9/16/2024 at 12:19 AM, Wings unlevel said:

Both are looking really good Andre. I’m looking forward to seeing the main Have Glass paint go on. 👍

So am I, franky.  

 

This is the current state of the pair - yesterday and this morning I finally set myself to masking those pesky shapes around the intakes and fuselage sides that are to remain Dark Gull Gray:

 

 

The ROKAF bird is the one on the right.

 

Masking the DGG bits around the intake / fuselage was a job I was not looking forward to, honestly, but it seems to have worked out. Like I described in my KLu thread, I eyeballed and cut up bits of newspaper, adjusted until I was happy and consequently tracing the resulting bit of newspaper on masking tape. Academy are decent enough to provide alternate parts for open / closed weapon bay doors and the nose wheel cover - these do come in handy for use in masking the white bits. Just press into place! 

 

All ready for a backyard spraying session of FS36170.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Hook]

5 hours ago, Hook said:

All ready for a backyard spraying session of FS36170.

Which resulted in this! - the eagle eyed cognoscenti here will notice I fitted those teeny pitots just behind the radome before spraying:

 

 

I'm not entirely unpleased with todays progress - now to be patient until I can safely remove all that masking tape! 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

[Wings unlevel]

13 hours ago, Hook said:

I eyeballed and cut up bits of newspaper, adjusted until I was happy and consequently tracing the resulting bit of newspaper on masking tape

Clever!

 

7 hours ago, Hook said:

I'm not entirely unpleased with todays progress - now to be patient until I can safely remove all that masking tape! 

Looks beautifully smooth! I’d be very happy with that. 👍

[Hook]

7 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

Clever!

 

Looks beautifully smooth! I’d be very happy with that. 👍

Thanks! Like I mentioned in the other thread, a bit of touchup is required before I can rip off all that tape. 

 

To be continued!

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

[Hook]

 

On 9/23/2024 at 7:31 AM, Hook said:

before I can rip off all that tape.

 

And here we are!:

 

 

 

 

Some small touchups requred, but not too shabby, methinks.

 

Who could resist some quick and saucy decals!: 

 

 

Not me. Obviously. 

 

According to the instructions the ROKAF birds should not have the RAM tape on the upper fuselage. 

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

[Wings unlevel]

6 hours ago, Hook said:

not too shabby, methinks.

Not at all, very unshabby indeed!

 

6 hours ago, Hook said:

Who could resist some quick and saucy decals!:

A very tasty tease of the final

reveal!

 

Both are looking super, Andre! 👍

[Hook]

On 9/26/2024 at 12:02 AM, Wings unlevel said:

Not at all, very unshabby indeed!

 

A very tasty tease of the final

reveal!

 

Both are looking super, Andre! 👍

Thanks! All masking tape now has been removed after the last bits of respray:

 

 

I've begun adding the RAM decals, starting with the starboard wing - there are not as many as on her Dutch sister, but still a lot. Notice the darker shade of the RAM decals on this one as opposed to those of the other kit. There's a South Korean decal on the port wing as well - no going back now!

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

 

[Wings unlevel]

16 hours ago, Hook said:

There's a South Korean decal on the port wing as well - no going back now!

The Korean Peninsula just became a lot safer! 🤣

 

 

[Hook]

19 hours ago, Wings unlevel said:

The Korean Peninsula just became a lot safer! 🤣

 

 

Perhaps I should start some builds for a number of other natonalities then, if that would help...

 

Cheers,

 

Andre