Welcome to the Aluminium Cans or Quicksilver Campaign! This campaign is all about the finish, bare-metal finish, that is.

The campaign will run from 1 February through 1 August, 2018.

If you haven't signed up yet, or want to see the rules, go here.

Please post your initial and in-progress photos as well as campaign discussion in this thread. Please post your finished build photos in the campaign gallery.

The future of this one is so bright, I gotta wear shades!

Michael

By the way, still no ribbon for this one. Any ideas?

Michael

Oh gee, I gotta get one dug out for this one now...

I am planning on this one



Hasegawa 1/48 F-15A "Streak Eagle".

Time-to-Climb record holder it was a modified F-15 stripped of non-essential equipment including paint, so it will show bare metal and unpainted composite materials.

That was easier than I thought. One of my too numerous Hanger Queens is a great candidate. The Emhar 1/72 F-94C Starfire.

Looks like I got started, tried to get the intakes smoothed and started on the cockpit. Then I found a resin cockpit upgrade.

Looks like fun.

Here's part of the reason I'm in this build. I want to see how this ought to be done.

Rescued from the dusty shelves. Matchbox 1/72 F-86A, Airfix 1/72 F-86D, Airfix 1/72 OS2U Kingfisher, Testors 1/48 P-51. One plane waiting on my NMF skills to develop, Airfix 1/72 Vampire T.11.

The F-86D was painted with Testor's Chrome Silver directly on the plastic, no primer. Hey it was 20 years ago, I didn't know better... It took forever to cure and I rubbed much of the paint off of the nose while handling the plane while decaling and final assembly bits.


The F-86A and the P-51D were both done with Floquil (New) Old Silver. Again it think it was straight onto plastic, without primer. It's Old Silver, but it's enamel, not lacquer. I don't have any notes on the OS2U Kingfisher, but I'm guessing it too is the new old silver. Since both new Old Silver and old Old Silver aren't going to be available, I need to find out what else to use and how to use it.

Great!

Ready to join you guys in a coupke of days, after I finish my ADGZ build.

Cheers!
Gabriel

Since you mentioned wearing shades in your first post and this is about aircraft I would suggest sunshades (pilot type) seen from the front with a shiny chrome surface instead of the glass.
/ Robin

Here's my entry:



I'll probably build John Glenn's Mig Mad Marine.

Wow, Pasi, good choiche! Can’t wait to see that Sabre shining

Hi, guys!
Time for me to enter the fray:


The cockpit assembled (styrene parts only). The seat is dry-fit only, since Eduard provides a score of PE for it


I'm a Mengele of the spoons. Tested here, from left to right: primer (Krylon), chrome silver (Testors) and bluish-gray for interior (own mix):


the exterior of cockpit walls painted with silver over black:


The cockpit interior base-coated with bluish-gray, ready for detailing:


I'm really enjoying this build so far (because I didn't start yet the PE episode ).

Cheers!
Gabriel

Cool choice Gabriel, looking forward to see that PE applied.
Though it’s 1/72 it has all you can need to build a great replica.

Cheers
Pedro

Thanks, Pedro! Yes, indeed! It's a very fine kit.

Gabriel

Hi, Guys!
UPDATE

It seems that Eduard kit has to be painted entirely inside and outside No problem for me: It gives me the opportunity to experiment with metallic finishes. Let's pretend this one is "burnt iron", OK?

It will make actually a very nice "auburn" color for a fifties car.

And the interior of the aircraft primed, because it's going to be visible in four places (bluish-gray follows):


Cheers!
Gabriel

Howdy Y'all
Here's my entry. I picked this up at a swap meet last week-DML 1/72 Mig-15. I'll probably finish it as a Russian plane although some decals for a Cuban plane were included.

Take care,
Don "Lakota"

Hi, guys!
Don, that is going to be interesting. I'm doing Eduard's one with Romanian markings. Since long I wanted to try a Dragon aircraft but I never got the chance.

UPDATE
Cockpit parts finished, ready for assembly:


Extra detail brush painted:


Cockpit assembled:



The current state of affairs:



Cheers!
Gabriel

Hi, guys!

UPDATE

The fit of Eduard's kit is rather good; most of the parts fit with "a click", but the fuselage/wings assembly isn't perfect (I've seen it again and again on other's builds!). Not big drama, anyways.





Let's not forget the gouge on the wing's rib (I'm building a Czech built MiG); I also drilled the hole for antenna specifically indicated for Romanian MiG-15:


I still have to install few external details and I'll be ready for priming!

Cheers!
Gabriel

@Gabriel
Very nice build so far
Will follow

Peter, thank you for interest, mate! I'll do my best to keep the updates coming regularly.

UPDATE
Primed the model with gloss black, just to discover intolerable gaps:



... so I went chasing faults:



Primer re-sprayed; still not perfect, but much better. More sanding tonight


Cheers!
Gabriel

Gabriel,
Looking good! Can't wait to see more. I also have a "dual" set of Eduard Mig-15's but decided to use the swap meet "dog" for practice. My swap meet find did not include the cockpit parts. I am thinking of painting the canopy black and getting over it.
Keep up the good work.
Don "Lakota"

Hi, Don! Thank you for interest.
Now hear that: the first time I've seen a MiG 15 from close (in the summer of '88 that was) I climbed on the wing root to peer inside the canopy. Guess what! I couldn't see a thing! The canopy was so yellowed with age that turned from transparent to translucent! Maybe my little true story helps. MiG 15 walk around by Squadron also have loads of pictures with Polish and Czech derelict MiGs that confirm my story. Please check it out.

Cheers!
Gabriel

@Gabriel-I googled Mig-15 pics and I see what you mean. You gave another idea. I might just sand the canopy to the point it's no longer transparent, mask it, and paint the frame NMF. Can't turn out any worse than just painting the canopy black.
Take care,
Don "Lakota"

FWIW, I painted the inside of the canopy on the Airfix A4D-1 black as there wasn't anything in the way of a cockpit. Then I masked the canopy and painted the framing. The tool is representative of the early prototype A4D-1s that had a single piece windscreen.

Hi, Don! Yes, an abandoned MiG-15 will look just about nice, with the "right" weathering. I forgot to mention in the last post: in Hungary there is also a large MiG "cemetery".

Cheers!
Gabriel

Thanks Gabriel & Mark, I have something to think about for the final model. I was going to build it with the landing gear up. I was then going to hang it from the ceiling of my office. This would hopefully give me inspiration to finish my Monogram B-36 and hang from the ceiling also. The point would be to remind me of a friend who was a tail gunner in the B-36. He told me a story of flying off the coast of the Soviet Union, looking up and seeing a Mig-15 right on their tail. He was afraid of moving his guns lest he provoke the Mig-15 and he was mad as hell at the pilot for taking them in so close to the Soviet Union.
So you can see that either option, the black canopy or the sanded canopy would work just fine.
Thank you and take care,
Don "Lakota"