Took some pictures outside for the gallery. Thanks a lot for the campaign. I had lots of fun participating and learned a lot of new techniques / methods to help me improve my skills.
See you all in future campaigns.

Cheers

Very nice 262

Tom

I love the mottling on your 262, Raj. If I ever branch out into German aircraft I am definately going to have to invest in a set of those PE Masks, the results are fantastic.

Raj, the 262's paint is really outstanding.

Bob

@Dave, beautiful unusual subject.
@Mr K, Hi, nice to see another of your excellent builds.
@Raj, Beautiful paint job on the 262.






Ready for final touch ups and decaling.

1/48 Hobby Boss F-80A as Project Extraversion

I am almost finished with my YP-80 conversion. I just need to finish the wingtip lights and then add the nose guns. I am going to try to make the .50cals out of some telescoping micro tubing.

Paul the panel lines are subtle and really look good, how did you do them?

Bob

Thanks Bob! I used Tamiya Panel Line Accent, custom mixed 2 parts Gray and 1 part Black. I have tried to make my own oil washes many times but never seem to get it right.

I had to rescribe a great number of the original lines as they were wiped out or shallow in many places due to sanding. This kit involved a lot of sanding.

Hi everyone. I realized I forgot to build for this campaigne. Ehehe! Anyways I decided to dare a speed experiment. Let's see if I can menage.

1/48 Hobby Boss F-80A as Project Extraversion

I added the last few touches to my YP-80 conversion, scratching new .50cals out of micro tubing and painting the wingtip lights.


My scratchbuilt barrels made from Albion Alloys vs the kit plastic guns. No contest, and easy to make.

The antenna wire took some time to get the way I wanted it. I anchored it with 0.015" steel wire at the seat and tailfin, added insulators from coiled jeweler's wire, and finished it off by running EZ Line between the insulators. This was the first time I have ever tried drilling through a canopy, but a little tape on the clear plastic kept the bit from skipping or the plastic from splintering.


Antenna wire anchored to the resin armor plate. Not "scale" but I like to add details like insulators that pop out.

After I finished everything I realized I had forgotten to paint the red trim striped on each wingtip. Oh well, I can go back and try to do that with some frisket masks someday if I feel like risking it.

Well without further ado, here is my attempt to turn the Hobby Boss P-80A into the United States' first combat operational jet fighter of WW2 - The YP-80 of Project Extraversion:











I am happy with my result but I would not choose to build this kit again. The only reason I built it is I really wanted a YP-80 in my collection given its place in US aviation history, and I was willing to work with what was available to have one. The list of errors HB made with the kit is extensive; some of them I corrected, others I decided to ignore, and some I could do nothing about even if I had wanted to. It is a decent kit in terms of engineering or fit, but not a accurate model of the real aircraft. Hobby Boss missed a real opportunity here.

Great work Paul !

Thank you, Richard!

Really nice job Paul, how did you blend in the clear nose peice?

Bob

Bob,

I took the original piece and sanded off the raised edge and rivet detail, and mounted my "light" inside. It was boxed with some evergreen card and glued to the fuselage. Once that all set, I trimmed the card down and filled the seams with CA before sanding it yet again. I marked my panel lines I wanted with dymo tape, scribed the new light opening, and repaired the damage I done to other panel lines in the nose. A little Mr. Surfacer 500 smoothed out the join seams, then even more sanding. Once I had everything looking pretty flush and smooth, I took one of those tri-grit flex-i-files to the clear section to remove all of the scratches (it was completely frosted in scratches by now) and then buffed and polished it with Novus. It's actually crystal clear but looks kind of messy because I foolishly used Thin CA to box it with card. I got CA on the inside of the glass and there is no way I knew of to fix that. I was worried clear parts cement would not hold up under all of the sanding and polishing I knew I'd be doing.

The nose light aperature corners should be rounded but I was willing to live with sharp corners. It's not perfect but it at least resembles an -A nose. The kit depicts a -B nose out of the box. One of the many inaccuracies HB could have easily avoided.

Sorry, that was kind of long-winded.

Wow a really cool sHoting star. Ok done as far as this so far. I couldn't work on it for long. A little weathering, antenna and then masks will be removed. And it will be done.

@Paul, magnificent YP-80!!!

Thank you very much Yalým and Gonzalo. I can't beleive you managed to finish a Mig-15 in 2 days! I am looking forward to seeing everyone's finished kits. There have been some great early jets so far.

Wow, just like in the good old days. Buying, building, flying. All just in one or two days!

Oliver

@ Yalým : you really are fast with your Mig 15 build she is looking good, I just hope that I can finish my Vampire by the dead line.

@ Gonzalo: what primer are you using on the F9? I have been using acrylic paint with no primer and this time when I masked for the camo some paint came off when the tape was pulled off.

Bob

I am trying to finish the Vampire by the 1st, but I had a little hiccup with some paint pulling up when the tape was removed:



Bob

Hey slow down guys. It is not finished yet. And unfortunately I am away from home and not sure if I can pull through the last bits. We'll see. Thanks anyways for kind remarks. Well I bought it a while ago with exactly this intention but had other stuff to clear from my desk. My previous build, Spitfire PR.XIX finished in 4 days. It is really better not to think too deeply sometimes.

Gonzalo: Thank you mate, you made me feel better by showing I am not the only one with a paint splattered work area.

VAMPIRE VAMPIRE!!!!

I will be a little late on my build! I have been away in the states for the last week and also have to re-paint the Grey as it is too dark
I should have it done by mid week.

Were you using the Tamiya acrylics in the pics, Bob? Their paints are usually so reliable, that sucks they gave you issues. At least they dry fast so you can touch up the trouble spots.

@ Richard: I hear you pain, but you can do it I have seen many of your past builds.

@ Paul: I agree with you re: Tamiya paint. I use it because of its durability over others and this time I guess I did not prep the plastic good enough. Oh Well! it is finished now all except for the panels which I will give your method a try. 2 parts gray to 1 black, apply to the lines then how long do let it sit before you wipe the access off?

Bob

@Bob. I think I let it sit for maybe 30min before I wiped it down with white spirits and an old tee shirt. Panel Line Accent enamels are awesome, I have yet to try a Tamiya product I didn't like. I see AK Interactive offers even more panel line colors, but I haven't tried their brand yet.