Your rescue on the wing/cement mishap looks flawless Steve.
I'd be hard pressed to detect which side was the spoiled one.
Also, i love the chipping around the noses of the rocket pods; not too much, not too little, and very sympathetic to the scale you're working in.

Hi Keltic

Thanks very much. I can still see some flaws but I know where to look at what to look for. It helped that the original lines were pretty deep so I didn't lose them altogether. I just re-read the post where it happened and it feels like an age ago!

I've been weathering the rocket pods a little more and I'll post some pics soon.

Thanks again for looking in.

Steve

Interlude

My nine year old daughter just completed her first kit - Meng Kids’ Lancaster. If my first attempt at modelling was as good as this then I would have been very proud. Dad helped a bit by marking out the lines of camouflage. I showed her this blog and promised to post a picture, so here’s the finished product:



By the way, this Meng Kids’ kits are greater for children, and a lovely intro to the satisfaction of making a model.

OK, now back to the big stuff :-)

Hide and seek is usually a game played by children. However, it’s game I’ve been playing for the last hour or so. What I was seeking is a missing set of decals. Italeri have given us some cool little labels and stickers for the JL100Rs, but only enough for one. I’m beginning to wonder if this entire kit was designed by a disgruntled employee who thought taking a half-finished product to market would be a great act of revenge. Anyhow, I pirated some items from ordnance I won’t be using and made the best of it. Experts will know the labels and fuel filler cap aren't right but they look the part at least.

Prior to attaching the labels I’d done a little weathering and panel line enhancement with oils. Once the decals have dried I’ll do some more. Close up the rocket pods look quite weathered but beyond the macro setting of the camera it is actually barely noticeable. That’s why I will be going back. It will help to blend in the decals too. The decals themselves were very good and responded nicely to ‘Set and ‘Sol.

By the way, I discovered that applying a fairly thick wash of black oil paint, letting it dry for about 15 minutes and the buffing it off with a dry cotton bud (q-tip) left a stain behind that tints the NMF paint. Its great for controlled subtle weathering. You can just make out some of the effect were the NMF meets the front of the JL100R or the exhaust port. Its hard to see under the strong light I used to take the pictures, but it normal daylight it works a treat.

Here are some shots.





Happy modelling.

Steve,
The JL100Rs with decaling and weathering look fantastic.

Your Mirage IIIc build and Matt Odam's up scaling to 1/32 have been the last reasons I needed to make the switch for WW11 fighters, small multi engine, and even to some degree 1st generation jets.

Joel

Hi Joel

Thanks very much. I like the look too, even if the decals will fail the rivet counter test. I really enjoy using oils on kits, they seem to have a million and one uses and if it all goes wrong they can be removed quickly and easily.

Its ironic that you are thinking of a switch, because my next project will probably be WWII fighter. A Spitfire has been calling to me for ages! I've also been eyeing Hong Kong Models Meteor.

Have a great day.

S

Agreed, excellent work Steve. The weathering sets them off perfectly.

But not decals for two pods???? Someone at Italeri quality control must have been having a seriously bad day with this kit.

Brilliant progress Steve and so glad I have been following your build article as (a) I offloaded my IIIc and (b) you saved me the cost of buying their 'E' as well.

Irrespective, I am sure the end result of your build will be nothing short of spectacular.

Gary

Steve,
My brother built the Meteor, and loved the kit. Of course as Mal says, one can never have enough Spitfires.

Unfortunately, my count has been at just 1, but that's one more then any P-51 or P-47. Now how poor of a showing is that

Joel

Hi guys

Paul, yes it must be true. I thought it was me, hunted high and low but found only one set printed amongst the other decals.

Gary, I'm pleased I saved you the pain of the E model, but its such a shame Italeri didn't give us a decent kit of these great aircraft.

Joel I think Im leaning towards the Spit'. My birthday is September 15th - Battle of Britain day in the UK - so it seems to be calling me. I do like the look of the Meteor as well and a good report helps a lot. Maybe after the Spitfire?

I just did a little more work with oils on the rocket pods. This is where the weathering will stop and a gloss coat will come along to seal it all in.

By the way, both these shots were taken under the same lighting. Its interesting how the black background shifts the colour balance from warm to cold. These photos are exactly as taken. There’s been no manipulation at all.





Thanks for looking in and for all the continual encouragement. I'll keep thinking on the next project while I stay focussed on this one.

Have a great day guys.

S

Steve,
Which Spitfire are you going to be doing? I'm hoping to eventually build both Tamiya kits, but it's down the road some.

As far as the change of WB goes, I'm going to guess that you have your camera set for exposure to full Matrix, so it's basically reading the black card and trying to adjust to Neutral gray. On my cameras for model photography I use spot metering for everything.

Joel

Hi Joel

Thanks for the tips on using my camera. I have to say I take a point and snap approach, and there's lots I could do to improve.

As for the Spitfire, I've ordered Hobby Boss' Vb. It seems to fall somewhere between Revell and Tamiya in terms of price and quality. I've also ordered a few after market items including replacement cannons and masks to create the roundels.

When everything arrives I'll post some shots but I'm determined not to be tempted into starting until the Mirage is finished.

Happy modelling.

S

Steve,
I'm looking forward to your blog on the Spit. I'm getting to the point now that I've moved into 1/32 scale for WW11 single engine props to start to learn how to use masks rather then decals for the national insignias. I just bought Cutting Edge decals for theF4F-3 and the Yellow Hammer decals for the SBD-3. With shipping the bill was over $50.

With retirement a little more then a year away, I've got to start to look to cut back where I can. Well, that's what my wife keeps on saying to me.

Joel

I forgot to say Steve...

I love your daughters Lancaster! It's so cute.

Hey guys

Paul thanks very much. She was proud too and wants to try the airbrush next. Oh oh, what have I started?

Joel, my answer to your particular problem was to separate. OK, that might not have been the only reason, but I'm lucky to have a bit of time and a bit of money to indulge now. I'm going to try desperately not to start the Spit before I finish the Mirage or I fear I'll never get the IIIc done. Its going to be hard though. I just cant resist a new project. Come to think of it that might have had an influence on my marriage too. :-)

There'll be updates on the Mirage this weekend.

Happy modelling guys.

S

Sometimes in life you have to take a leap of faith. There’s no weighing up of pros and cons. You just have to launch yourself. Having looked at some beautiful artwork and digitally rendered images of the Mirage, I decided to jump. The leap started with masking fluid used to cover some small panels and then masking tape to isolate a large area of the wing. The plan is to change the colour and finish so the final look has a lot of variation. In itself thats not much of a leap I know, but the bit where I really jumped comes next. Here’s how she looked with some of the masking in place.



So, here’s the leap. I sprayed a large section of the wing in mid-grey, and once that was dry I masked a smaller area and sprayed it light grey.



When the masking tape came of here’s how things looked.





There are now two very distinct areas on each wing as you can see. The look is not what you might expect of a natural metal finish, and I deliberately didn't use NMF paints. At this stage they look very bold and painted. This is just the start, and I’m hoping that with gloss coats and weathering the final look will be both convincing and interesting. Once more work is done I’ll remove the masking fluid and expose more panels.

If you want to get an idea of the final effect I’m after, have a look here:

http://forums.3dtotal.com/showthread.php?t=70253

I won’t recreate it fully but this artists work is my inspiration. Its on the cover of a magazine I’ve been using for reference.

Keep your fingers crossed that it all works out.

Happy (and adventurous) modelling guys.

Steve,
You're approach to what most likely is vastly different types of metal and how they were prepared is certainly a most original approach. Now I'm really looking forward to see how all of this turns out.

If I were trying to recreate those wing panels, I would have used three different shades of Aluminum. Since I'm a Alcad2 kind of guy, they have quite a few shades to choose from.

Joel

Hi Joel

I hear what you are saying about Alclad and the alternative approach. I though about metalizers too but decided to be more radical. It might not work out, but I guess I always have the option to spray over the panels. This whole kit has been a journey so I thought I'd throw caution to the wind (as opposed to throwing the kit to the wind, which has been a temptation at times).

By the way, your sheer persistence on the Alclad front is tempting me in that direction for another project one day. Maybe that HK models Meteor? After the Spit of course.

Happy modelling.

S

Steve,
Now that's a great choice. My brother built the HK Meteor Mk 8 last year, and did a really outstanding NMF on it in his usual Museum display standards. I'll have him send me a few pictures and post them just to get your "juices" flowing for a future project. He loved the kit as there were absolutely no surprises, so that should be a major plus.

Joel

Joel, that would be cool. Post them here if you want to. I'd love to see the end result.

By the way I made a little diversion from airbrushing to decal and weather the Sidewinders. There’s nothing special to say about them really. I used Micro Sol and Set to get the deals bedded down and weathered with dark grey oils. All basic stuff - not something its been possible to say very often with this kit.

Steve,
those sidewinders really look great. Nice going. Will post those pictures when Pete sends them to me.

Joel

Thanks Joel. I'm looking forward to seeing the pics. In the meantime goodies are arriving for the Spitfire Vb (sorry Mirage, but yes I have been just a tiny bit unfaithful).

There's a resin propeller, replacement tail flaps and exhausts from Quickboost, plus brass cannons from Master Models and masks for the roundels by P Mask. Luckily the kit isn't here yet or the temptation might just be too, er... tempting.



I have to say it all looks top quality.

Happy modelling

S

Paul the ordinance looks superb particularly the JL100R. It seems a weird idea attaching a fuel tank to the rear of a MATRA rocket launcher, but it works. The weathering on the JL100R is superb.
Like Joel I will be interested how your experiment replicating the various tones of the natural metal turns out.
Keep up the excellent work.
tim

Hi Tim

Thanks very much. Yes I'm sure those rocket pods worked well or it would have been a big problem. There are certainly fun to work with in plastic.

Thanks very much for looking in. I hope there will be more progress early next week.

Watch this space for more.

With best wishes

Steve

Steve,
My brother saw my post about his Meteor and emailed me that I must have it mixed up with another one of his builds. After reading the rest of his email, it seems that I couldn't have been farther from what the build actually was. And that is a major resin conversion. So my apologies for another old age mental brain fade.

Joel