Regarding the pics on this thread----in the words of the late great Harry Carey---HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Steve

Wow! One word excellent!!!. This ought to be one of the finest plane model here in this site. Can't wait to see more of your pics.

This is amazing. Congratulations on a superb job!

Hi Siggi

Everyone's said it before me.. that looks absolutely stunning! When the kit came out, I dreamed of building it - but was frightened by the price. But seeing work like yours is enough to make me start dreaming again...

Fantastic!

Rowan

Here's an excellent painting technique...a coat of matt-black for a primer, followed by a coat of aluminium buffed with a metal spoon to try and get it looking like real metal, finished with a top coat of IJN dark green. Then soak it in alcohol and rub it all off. Technically known as a disaster, colloquially as a f**k-up. I've ordered some proper metalizer paint from Hannants and shall try again.

Just Outstanding! It is almost a shame to close up the cockpit and engine in the fusalage.
Keep the pictures comming.

Well, the engine cowling can be taken off to expose the engine but it makes the plane look odd. And the canopy slides back. I'm kind of tempted to chop the wings and leave the tail surfaces off, but I guess that's being lazy. I'll see how the metalizer paint goes. I've managed to half rescue the canopy after splashing it whilst getting the paint off the fuselage; it's no longer as pristine as it once was, but then I suppose it shouldn't be.

A couple of pics with the motor in place (not glued yet). Mounting the motor has been a royal pain. There is a mounting ring on the front of the fuselage with four holes in it. The rear of the motor has four pins. Off the airframe these pins and holes matched up perfectly, but with the ring attatched to the airframe one of the pins is now slightly out of line with it's hole. It took me about an hour to discover the problem as it's almost totally impossible to eyeball the pin-hole connection. The solution has been to remove the two upper pins and use only the two lower ones to ensure accurate alignment. Future Zero builders beware. If I ever do this kit again I'll mount the motor on it's bearer before attatching the bearer to the firewall.

Main wings assembled, with mucho fiddly undercarriage doors that actually work when the wheels are lowered/raised. Wheels next then.

wow, that looks great, very nice work

Bender

Things have slowed down a bit while I wait for the metalizer paint to arrive from Hannants. Small bits have been put together and airbrushed (including control-surfaces that consist of plastic and PE parts, a pain in the arsch #:-) ).

The metalizer arrived today from Hannants, so on with the primer.

I should have worn a gasmask, the fumes are mental. I thought I'd been sent a duff bottle coz the amount of actual pigment is minimal. But it worked fine.

Siggi,

The project is coming along nicely .

ubba ubba..ubba........

*cries in corner* #:-)

Cheers guys.

I've just got through a couple of hours struggling with the upper-wing Hinomaru decals and I've scrubbed them off coz they're crap. The bloody things might as well be made from vinyl for all the good the Microsol does. They are actually rather thick. Repeated applications and they still refused to be drawn into the engraved detail (panel-lines & rivets). I'll have to do them by hand with paint. Should be fun.

Good Goooo
That's wonderful stuff. Holy Cow. Wow.

Tin_Can get ready for an On Display or an article or Both - Siggi - please put togethe an article.

So - how delicate is the wiring. I'm envisioning that the wiring is just glued in with CA. At those connection points I'm also seeing a lot of potential for breaking. Can you fill us in on what glue you use or technique (drill pilot holes or not) you use to get that scratch stuff in.

Wonderful.

This is what I mean about 'organic modelling'. Talk about serendipity riding on the back of a carve-up. First the decals had to be hacked off coz they sucked. I managed to airbrush some on using a water-soaked mask. So I start chipping away at the red, to simulate wear. No probs, except it looked a bit 'raw'. So I take a Q-Tip and dampen it with surgical alcohol and rub at the worn areas, which works a treat until I realise I've gone through the Future, the metalizer and into the primer. Which actually looks ok coz it gradiates the exposed metal areas and appears quite authentic. Conclusion, as always...my technique is 70% luck and 30% inspiration. #:-)

Slodder, thanks for the kind words. The wiring...I drill holes unless impossible and CA the wires in place. The only time I don't drill is when the wire has to go into something so tiny that a drill-bit would obliterate it. Then it's a case of CA'ing and trying to avoid knocking the wire. It usually goes ok.

Next disaster...I'm going to try the salt trick. Oh...my...gawd. I have a vision...a Mitsubishi Zero...flying into a wall at approx 70mph. Which would be the speed I can throw one.

woah.........now that is a beautiful meatball!

BRAVO!!

Jeez, I was that close to giving up on this one. Then I got lucky (AGAIN!) and pulled it back. Half the airframe worn, other half to go. Then the washes, followed by pastels. Eee, it's 'ard work is this.

Siggi, everytime I see this thing I get more impressed. Great work!

This would make a great aircraft feature, especially with all the in-progress photos you've taken....hint, hint....

pretty... :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

If I do a feature do I get a medal? "Gimme gimme gimme!...hehehe!" (Muttley).

Here's a new (?) technique for wearing airframes. I say "new" coz I've certainly never seen it anywhere else, and this is the first time I've used this particular variation of it. The old variation was alcohol rub on enamel. This one is spirit rub on acrylic, which is far superior as it is less sticky and dries faster.

I've shown a couple of engine and wing covers for clarity of example.

a) Acrylic Primer.

b) Laquer Metalizer.

c) Future.

d) Hand-painted acrylic 'decals'.

e) Acrylic top-coat.

f) Allow the top-coat to dry for a couple of hours at least. Then take a smooth cloth (a fine-weave hanky as opposed to a kitchen towel) and wet it with white-spirit (or turps). Squeeze out excess fluid and pad it up. Then go at the top-coat. Rub firmly, it'll get quite wet. Move to a slightly drier area of your cloth and rub again, the top-coat will start to wear away very gradually. The Future and metalizer are quite resistant and can take a fair bit of abuse before you'll go through to the primer, but keep an eye on it anyway. Thing is, small areas of grey primer don't look out of place...more like small areas of more heavily oxidised aluminium.

Once finished you'll have a very sticky surface. I handled the airframe with a plastic bag over my hand. No probs were encountered. Allow to dry overnight in a warm room, it'll dry to finger-touch but don't be gripping it firmly because you'll leave fingerprints. Use your own judgement on how long to allow for complete curing before proceeding with more work (more Future, washes etc).

The example here has been taken only to step-f. I intend to apply a wash (probably raw-umber oil) and possibly some pastel powder.

For Japanese a/c a lot of wear is authentic. For ETO a/c some restraint is required.

Great tip.

This method would create a great effect for planes that have multiple basecoats painted on but with varying shades of color because of 'in-the-field' applications.

The cowling has been worn. It's not the best it could have been; I think I airbrushed the black on too thick and left it to dry for too long, hence large stark areas of silver rather than a more subtle gradiation. Never mind, I'll know for the next one. If I can be arsed. #:-)
Things should improve somewhat with a wash and some powder.

Couple of cockpit shots too, for interest.

Awesome. Fun-KEY. That thing must be from the very end of the war, just barely being held together with the proverbial pocket lint and bailing twine. I don't think I'd get in that thing and go flying, but then, I'm not looking to kamikaze anyone.

Keep posting the pics as you come down the home stretch!