Chris Jephcott Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 (edited) Evening, The first time I've ever contributed to a Group Build... so here goes! Today, I'm going to attempt to make a Red Arrows Gnat. The photos are to follow, but I've had a look into the box and think I have enough to go with here! I'm prepared for all sorts of interesting nasty surprises, but we shall see how it develops! In the meantime, while my camera is charging, I have enough time to go and use my airbrush for the last time in a while on another cheapy airfix kit - the Wildcat! Cheers for now, Chris Edited April 6, 2010 by Chris Jephcott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastic Bonsai Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 Today, I'm going to attempt to make a Red Arrows Gnat. ...Chris Good luck Chris. That one seems to be giving the most trouble to builders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 This is the box: And what I have to work with... Let's see what today brings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidelvy Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Well, looks nice and simple. I suspect the paint will be a major problem. You can get away with so much more with camouflage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Meet Pete... I am hopeful that he will keep quiet about the modelling horror shop that is unfolding around him right now! The skin color was made by diluting down a small amount of red with an incredibly large amount of white. All of the other colours seen are blended from the 4 paints provided. Having some fun getting the paint to stick, but this seems to be a regular thing with these kits. I'm debating whether to do an detergent wash, as that's what my old teacher said to me when I started modelling, many moons ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 And she's sealed up, with Pete at the controls! But............. What on earth is this great chasm on the underside???????? It shall be filled with glue and left to dry I think!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Ahhhhhhh. Two coats of paint down. The first one was a pure white underlay, just to see if it would help settle the red down. The second coat is the red, which has morphed into this lovely Magenta colour. On a scale of zero to Mersey Trout, it's pretty Mersey Trout! However, we shall persevere onwards. Next... more red. I wonder how long it will take me to get bored of this!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 It still looks pink to me, and I'm getting truely sludged with painting in gloss acrylics! However, here she is at the moment. Looking more complete by the second! Categorically, this will never win any prizes. It is truly horrific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Black Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Hang in there, Chris - at least it's now a Reddish Arrow rather than the earlier Pink Arrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigReg Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Chris, I haven't posted on my build - the Mustang by the way, but it seems to me the biggest problem everyone is having is the way the paint goes on to bare plastic. My first efforts are the same as yours so i tried washing the model yesterday and hope for better results tonight! Despite all the problesms it does look like a Red Arrow Gnat David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 I think the paint is just the biggest problem full stop!! Watch out for this one... it's gloss and impossible to get a smooth coat with. But it's good fun. And to be honest, it's making me laugh. I keep on thinking that 14 years ago, on this day, I would have been in Geoff Stubbs in Oundle, buying one of these kits and making it at once, in a single sitting. Which is part of why I'm doing this one in a single sitting! All in all, bloody good fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Redetailed a few of the raised panel lines... getting close now!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Black Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 MISS!!! MIIIISSS!!!! HE'S GOT TAMIYA PAINTS MISS!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 haha. I wish... those are even worse to handpaint with!!! I've used the entire pot of Humbrol red though... not much left in there at all! - thankfully, I don't think she'll get anymore red now. Just the undercarriage and waiting to put the decals on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 And it's done. The decals are just drying and then the photos will be aired. Do not expect miracle. It's a great big piece of Brown Trout. Horrible. Evil. Horrific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Crap... and I'm supposed to be doing a reds Hawk later this week too You did your best Chris... I'm sure therapy will remove the trauma from your mind eventually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Has anyone else found that their aircraft look better on a crappy camera? Well, here we go... Mike... the one thing I'd recommend is... just keep your nerves safe - you'll need them by the time you get to your 4th coat of red paint and realise that little odd bits are still grey. And that the paint is so thick that you're losing the surface detail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 And on that note... as it's my birthday, I'm going for a curry - I need to repair my nerves!!! It looks like the Yak might get a look tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 (edited) ..what doesn't kill you etc .....actually those last pics aren't too bad at all..... (now where did I put my glasses ) must get on with mine ..! PS Many happy returns ! Edited April 6, 2010 by FalkeEins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobF Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I reckon that was a pretty good recovery actually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Martian Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Chris, you're a stronger man than I. Got my first layer of that "red" and it put me off, big time !! Congrats on getting something displayable in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastic Bonsai Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Well done Chris. The first finished Gnat. The red looks quite good on my monitor, the trick is to dim it a bit. And a very happy birthday too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted April 6, 2010 Author Share Posted April 6, 2010 Cheers guys - if you dim the monitor, take your glasses off and reduce the screen resolution... However, I'm suitable happy with how it has turned out in the end. It was a hard slog... but that's what 6 hours of non-stop work can do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Nice one Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidelvy Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 I think you can be pleased with that, given that the paints Airfix provide are so bad. Dulux would be easier to work with. By the way, I like your tray. That really takes me back to my childhood when I may have modelled on something identical. Was yours once one of a set of three that went with a folding trolley? If so did the joints become loosened over time necessitating the application of copious quantities of sticky tape in the vanin hope of keeping the whole thing together? Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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