Decals on


Getting started with the rigging

That glob of glue is going to be fun to repair.

I'm pretty happy with this Connie now that its done. there are actually a few minor touches needed before I can take gallery pics, prop tips, and a few minor touch ups, but I couldnt resist taking pictures.





a favorite view...


and for reference

On Kwajalein in Navy days, probobly late 1950s.

Jessie and Jonathan, those are some beauty queens. Really good modeling going on here, everyone!
Jonathan, I'm also watching your "My Hometown" Kwajalein coming along with great interest. Are you going to piece together that frail rolling staircase?
Keep it coming.
-Sean H.

yes indeed, but mercifully, there is a PE kit, so I dont need to scratch build it. I bought one last fall from Martola.

havent openned the package yet...

Jonathan-- Never try to resist taking pictures!!

Nice Biplane Jess!! Love those cards.

Here is my chief complainer and coffee consumption animal... Err i mean "pilot"

I finished a hanger queen. images in gallery.



feels good.

There are others, of course.

@ Jonathan: A real beauty! Nice!

Some update of my 1:48 Revell (Hasegawa) RAF F-4M:

The weaponry is ready: 4 x AIM-7E, 4 x AIM-9D, 1 x SUU-20 gun pod and 2 x fuel tanks. The Sidewinders are from the spare parts box. I always wanted to build a fully armed British Phantom...



Also all other snall parts are already painted and weathered, ready to be built in (in a model airfarme which is itself far from being finished!). This time I wanted to have every small part ready when also the airframe is done. I think everybody of us knows that: you have finished the fuselage with complete paint job and all, you are ready for adding the final pieces. But a lot of them are still on the sprues, not painted and so on...



A testfit of the resin seats (Trudetail I think...)



A big plane: The F-4 dwarfing a 1:48 Hasegawa Saab Draken



More photos next time!

Thanks for watching!

Regards,

Sebastian

haha yes, you're right! we all know this is the way to prevent a hanger queen, but leave it for last anyway.

Cockpit is closed:


Ready for paint: a milestone is reached!



Regards,

Sebastian

As an older, wiser modeller once told me, "the last 10% takes 90% of the time." He taught me the trick of doing all the weapons and landing gear first.

Your Phantom is looking excellent btw

All the great work here has inpsired me to take up a stalled project of my own, my 13/2 Hasegawa F4B-4, last seen awaiting the upper wing to be attached (and rigging, engine, small details, etc):



I hadn't gotten anything done since April, and I had spent to much time pondering whether or not to attach the flat rigging wires to the wing before or after I permanently attached it, as well as whether or not to put the windscreen/gunsight on first. In the end, once I started playing with it, it turns out it has to be after it is permanently attached since they will not be the proper lengths otherwise.

So, I took the big step of attaching the wings!



Please see My Build Blog for more info/photos of the complete build.

Doug

!

@ Neil:

Yeah, I feel that´s a very good tactic. Let´see for how many projects I can abide by that rule...

@ Doug: That´s a very nice subject you are working on! A rare kit of a rare plane. Looks good!

In the mentime I have painted the characteristic exhaust area. I sprayed silver first. Then I masked several panels and shaded with Gunze smoke.







More pictures tomorrow!

Regards,

Sebastian

Hi Sebastian,

What's that purple masking liquid you're using? It looks like a useful addition to the tool box.

Hi Jessie,

that´s Maskol from Humbrol. I use that for years.
Usually I apply it with a toothpick.

Regards,

Sebastian

!
Now the real paint job starts. My F-4 FGR.2 gets the early grey-green camo with light grey underside.


I have done the pre-shading of the bottom side:


The result after a light spray of Light Aircraft Grey: a subtle weathering effect. For homogenous areas of only one shade of color I really like preshading. On the top side with the grey and green I prefer post-shading. Pictures will follow.



For painting, I use a combination of Tamiya, Gunze and Revell acrylics. I do not cling to exact colors, it just has to look right at the end to me

Regards,

Sebastian

Looks like you're making good progress Sebastian!

I had a slight mishap with my entry:



More details in myBuild Blog

Moving my Rafale build over from the Delta Dawn campaign. It almost made it but a busy work week interfered.


Hobby Boss Rafale B 1/72 by mawz_models, on Flickr

Main scheme is down, just need to finish the stencilling, paint the gear and ordnance and hang the fiddly bits.

Doug, a little frustrating to take a few steps back on a decent model build. Chin up! Move ahead. Is that window shade in the photo not supposed to be there?
Adam, you only have the pesky little bits to go, but that's what makes so many of our builds move back to the hangar/shelf, as Neil mentioned above. You've got support here. Excellent work so far. Carry on!
-Sean H.

@ Welcome! Your Rafale looks good so far!
@ Doug: Ouch! I hope your F4 can recover soon from this impact!

I have painted my Phantom in Dark Sea Grey:


I ligthened up in the middle of the panels to give it a "patchy" look.

Best regards,

Sebastian

Small update: the camo is finished!
Starts to look like a RAF Phantom!



A light wash with diluted oil paint will follow.

Regards,

Sebastian

Sebastian, you do great work with that airbrush. I'm almost convinced to pick one up finally! I really like the effects you've accomplished.
-Sean H.

Sebastian, that is great work! I really enjoyed looking at the Phantom. Sean, if you have any questions about airbrushing just ask, I know I would be happy to help. I recommend the Aztek line of airbrushes. They are very easy to use and give good results. Some may want a more "advanced" airbrush, but I am happy with mine and the results it has given me. Just look at my gallery of photos to see some models, all done with the Aztek 4709. Take care one and all, Russell

Getting back to the Hanriot, I turn my attention to the interplane rigging. The technique I'm using makes actual working rigging with representations of the turnbuckles. I have a supply of hypotube that I acquired from a medical device company I worked at back in the late '90s. I cut the tube by filing a weak point into one side then snapping it off with my needlenose pliers. Now comes the stressful part.

Carefully thread a piece of smoke-coloured invisible monofilament thread through the tube and hold it in place with one hand. Picking up the model in another hand, loop the thread through one of your previously positioned wire anchor point loops with yet another hand. Then, thread it back through the little piece of tube that you haven't allowed to slide off the free end of the thread. With another hand, slide the tube up to the anchor point and hold it in place while you pick up a drop of superglue with still another hand and allow it to run up into the tube through capillary action between the threads. Don't let any get onto any other part of the model nor any of the myriad fngers cluttering up the work area. Now repeat that whole process with the other end of the wire, this time making sure to pull everything tight before gluing.

Since the action I've just described requires at least 5 hands and I'm handicapped by having only two, one may easily see the potential for stress.

Once you've stopped shaking, trim off the free ends and tidy everything up. Repeat 7 more times...

I haven't had enough coffee yet to read that description......

Oh dear. I'll try and make it simpler:

Step 1: Make anchor rings by winding thin gauge wire like a twist tie around a small mandrel (I use a piece of piano wire). Cut the wound ends so you have a loop on a short straight stem;

Step 2: Drill holes where you want the rigging lines to anchor and glue in the rings you made in step 1;

Step 3: Cut your tube into 3 mm lengths to make the turnbuckle bodies;

Step 4: Thread your rigging line[1] through the tube, loop it through an anchor ring and back through the tube. Slide the tube up the line until it's right next to the anchor ring. Apply a drop of superglue to the end away from the anchor ring to fix it in place;

Step 5: Repeat step 4 on the other end of the rigging line except before applying the glue, make sure to pull all the slack out of the line. Trim the loose ends off to make it all neat;

Step 6: Admire your freshly applied rigging wire, then do it all over again until all the rigging is in place

[1] I use smoke coloured invisible mending thread, but this technique works with the rigging material of your choice.