Hi all

Well as Rowan I tend to start one project after the other .. this time I want to finish it .... o.k. that's the plan.



It shall be OOB except for the decals. I want to do an Ethiopian machine from the Ogaden War between Somalia and Ethiopia in the late 1970ies. I got the color plan and I will hopefully get some national insignia from another modelgeek over at HS.

For those who want to have a look: here is my First Look (German). As the kit is really modular I could start with everything but the cockpit ... which I did. But to keep the standard way of doing things I post the cockpit picture first:



Maybe I can do some stuff tomorrow so that I can close the front fuselage and stick it all together. Overall fit is very good but a bit of clean-up is required. I also used a smear of filler here and there.

all the best

Steffen

Hi Steffen

Neat! I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes together. The detail painting on the instruments and consoles looks really effective.

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

Well it is just paint wash and drybrushing. I added a few color spots (totally wrong for sure) but I will close the canopy and it is just some eyecatcher for the mad people that really try to look inside.

When I am done with the pit it pretty much is already all together ... everything backwards from the front fuselage is done. Pretty easy no major problems. Sadly no bend mark on the PE, the first one was perfect on the first try but I needed a few more for the other side.

Here is the pit so far... BTW I do not think nose weight will be necessary.





as always comments welcome, but keep the above mentioned in mind ....

all the best

Steffen

Good to see you back in business Steffen but we have to make a case study first: is Rowan a good role model?



(just kidding)

Well, Michal

just to show that I am not kidding:



of course there is still a lot of fine tuning neceessary...

all the best

Steffen

Hi Steffen
What are the rear undercarriage bays like, as they looked very shallow in the early publicity shots. Cockpit looks great.
tim

Hi Tim

I think the u/c bays are a bit shallow. But I will close these up and I do not think you can do anything at the wings because you just cannot reach scale thickness. i will take a comparison shot with my CA F-5B tomorrow.

All in all I really (really!) like this kit and I will probably buy another one which will be treated with a bit of AM stuff when it comes out. I want to keep this as sleek as possible except for a realistic weapons load (still have to find out how the Ethipian F-5Es were equipped in combat)

all the best

Steffen

Hi Steffen

Looking good! Some people were critical of overdone rivets when the News pics were released - how does the surface finish seem now you've got the actual kit?

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan



This rivet thing is a matter of personal taste. I won't judge that ... as I wrote: I do like the kit.

all the best

Steffen

Hi again

It's really tempting! I think I can allow myself to buy one more kit this month as my birthday present to me. It'll either be the F-5E or something crazy and exotic! (Knowing me, exotic will win... )

All the best

Rowan

Good progress Steffen, pleasure to watch.

Thanks Michal!

as promised yesterday, here is a comparison shot between the Classic Airframes F-5B and the AFV Club F-5E. the wheel wells are equally deep (or shallow)....



all the best

Steffen

Hi again Steffen

Wow! That really does show off the differences in the airframe between the versions! I like the "Coke-bottle" fuselage on the 'B. They'll look great side-by-side. What scheme are you building the Classic Airframes kit in?

All the best

Rowan

Hi Rowan

Well .... errr ... the CA kit is in this shape since a few years (5 or 6 I would say) It was originally intended to be displayed at the Luftwaffenmuseum in Berlin Gatow. To my shame I must admit that I just could not cope with the horrible fit of the windscreen. ... maybe I find some courage one day, then it will get Turkish markings ....

greets

Steffen

Hi Steffen

Is a replacement windscreen available? It looks so far advanced, it'd be a shame not to finish it - especially as you've kept it safe for so long (unlike all my old half-finished kits that went in the bin last summer). Hopefully the new F-5 will be a totally smooth build and re-inspire you to complete its stablemate.

All the best

Rowan

Hi all

just some progress shots. I closed pretty much all options but I am still puzzling with the weapons load. I will probably need to get a Hasegawa set for two more AIM-9B with rails.. these could be attached after the painting but I will have to mount the pylons now ...





As for the F-5B ... the wind screen is still o.k. it is just the large gap between this part and the fuselage that I will have to bridge somehow and did not find the courage yet as there is a lot potential desaster involved (if you know what I mean)

all the best

Steffen

Hi all

just to show that I am still at this project I did a pic after todays painting session.

The canopy parts are masked with Tamiya tape and painted grey (also loosely spread some of the paint across the airframe). I airbrushed the rear with different metal shades and the nose with black. I forgot to mask the clear parts on the side of the fuselage and cleaned them with thinner -- thus there are some strange effects, that might look like dents.
Furthermore I mounted the outer wing pylons and filled the holes for the inner ones. I ordered a Hasegawa weapon set from HLJ for two more Sidewinders (the kit only has two, but a nice ACMI pod for my Harrier )



all the best

Steffen

Hi all

so now the first colour is on. I used Xtracrylix for FS 16622. As I am not used to this paint I rather let it dry overnight before I mask it to apply the topside colours (it feels already dry)



comments welcome.

all the best

Steffen

Hi again

after some masking I applied the 2nd colour (Lifecolor FS 30400). Seems I will have to touch up the underside as I already lifted some paint with the Tamiya tape .. maybe just a fingerprint (I hope so and not that it is the paint sticking so badly)



all the best

Steffen

Here is the rough layout of the camo .. still need to clean up a few things and everything will come together with the weathering...



Did not get the decals yet, but I have a bunch of stencils to add so thats not a problem at the moment

all the best

Steffen

Great work! I'm inspired to tackle one of the F-5's in the stash.

Hi Steffen

Neat! I always love that moment when the camo starts to come together and the character of the model begins to shine out.

All the best

Rowan

Thank you Mark and Rowan!

Well for me the paintjob is not what I like most. But it all together is the hobby. Reading reviews (inet and mags), buying, fondling the kit parts, flying combat missions with the half assembled kit, cockpits, paintjob, decals... finishing. A project is closed for me when I put it in the display cabinet (I have one for WIP too )

So for now I just see all the work that I still have to put into this project. I am not happy with the green camo at the nose (it is very close to my drawings but does not fit the photos .. have to change that...

all the best

Steffen

Hi Steffen
Your build is looking fantastic. Such a neat looking aircraft and thanks for the comparison photo. My buy me now part of the brain is starting to twitch.
tim

Hi Tim

Well, I can nothing for your desires so do not blame me Thank you for your kind comment.

I adjusted the paintjob according to the photos I have sadly all show the aircraft only from the lhs. (first pic for comparison repeated)





Originally I wanted to spay Klear today, but i will wait at least until the evening.

all the best

Steffen
P.S. I just got the decals that Paul Hayes kindly provided after my inquiry over at HS Jet Age. Thanks again mate!!