Lt. Z0mBe

Those are really well done. Thanks for posting them. Kenny

Small update on the Frazi build this morning. I finished the upgraded engines. Here are some shots showing the top and bottom of each as well as the nozzle details. I changed the nozzle details a bit since last week. I just finished cleaning up the Aves on them; I also did the rest of the Avesing on the fuselage and am beginning to clean that up. Then I can begin the fun stuff like scribing and building some BFG's. Kenny

Nice job on your first attempt at uber-masking! You fought two wars there - masking AND using vibrant red in a build. That can be tough. Not bad, Sir. Kenny

It's from Babylon 5. Specifically, it the Narn race's primary fighter. They're one of the good guys who are essentially ethnically cleansed by a coalition of bad guys. They join up with separatists from Earth's military (and others) to fight against the bad guys. I'm altering it a bit to make it a hypothetical "lend-lease" configuration the Earth force guys fighting alongside them might have flown. Think rebel alliance from Star Wars and you get the idea. Kenny

Solvent used to thin it acting on the binders is the most likely explanation. When that happens, funny things occur. This is also the same reason thinned paints will also go all "cottage-cheesy" quicker than non-thinned paints. I hope this helps. Kenny

Little more work on the Frazi for today. Since I am going for an updated version, I decided to change the exhaust nozzles a bit. Here's a progression showing gray kit pieces versus scratchbuilt ones out of styrene: Here are the nearly finished nozzles combined with kit engines. They still need a bit of cleaning up and detailing: Finally the cockpit is in place and the blessed Aves work has begun: Comments and criticisms welcome. Kenny

Small update on the B5 Frazi today. I finally have finished the cockpit. I redid the canopy glazing after I found some much better clear butyrate and ditched the laminated stuff I made. Here's everything all Futured prior to washes and drybrushing: I didn't beat the cockpit up too bad. I wanted it to look converted, not like a T-34 in space. I gave it a Paynes-grayish wash followed by some light gray and yellow drybrushing where appropriate. Our driver just got some light gray drybrushing. I flatcoated with Liquitex Matte thinned in airbrush medium: Finally, here's the frakkin' canopy in place: As always, comments and criticisms welcomed. Kenny

WOW! What scale is that? You know why I (generally) hate small scale aircraft/aerospace fighters? No detail. But, I LOVE that. If all 1/100 and 1/144 kits were like that, I'd build them too. Kenny

No, no, no, that would be stupid. It's for his Fan Racer, of course. Kenny

The Modelling Gods were with him in that build. Strong his future is. Kenny

Lot of work for a little progress. Preshaded the cockpit with MM Schwarzgrau and misted Russian topside gray over it. Added some strip to the outside of the cockpit tub to make it mate with the canopy frame better (canopy's waaaay to wide): Nearly finished my Earthforce pilot. I made the details from masking tape and sealed it all with CA glue. IT's all a bit washed out in the picture. Here's the best I've got: Comments and criticisms welcome. Kenny

Thanks! Tell me about it. I am pretty sure the "real" one could also serve as an above ground atom bomb test bunker. You saw how thick I had to make the glazing just to get them flush with the surface. Grrr... Finished scratchbuilding the cockpit stuff. Keeping the Narn "roots" while making it look a bit more late production or field modified for a human: After the Aves dries I'll give it a bit of touchup sanding and begin painting. The pilot's below. The plastic bead was the perfect shape and I used the holes to allow me to set the sightline so I don't get off-track during construction. I removed the right arm and hands and sculpted a new ones over a copper armature, along with a bit of sprue for a control column (it matches the circle on the right side of the tub). He's still got a way's to go before he looks "Babylon 5-ish": Comments and criticisms welcome as always. Kenny

Finally finished the canopy glazing on the Frazi: Starting on the cockpit: Comments and criticisms welcome. Kenny

I missed these the other day. B's and C's are my favorite ponies. Look forward to seeing them completed.

You read my mind. It's a staple at my bench. I smooth it with my silicone sculpting tools moistened with water or saliva. TER-OR taught me a trick with any of those PVA glues. Use them straight (or thinned just a hair) and they're transparent as usual. Add a bit of Winsor & Newton ink to it, and you have gray (or whatever color) caulk for those times when that canopy gap has snuck up on you at the end of your build and you can't do any repair/filling/sanding work. Kenny

Ahh, hot rod Navy A/C/ Man's planes to be sure. Very nice. A bit more work on the Alliance Frazi build: Finished cleaning up the canopy plug. It took a long time. But, after several hours with the diamond rifflers and knives, it looks like it was made this way: Began making the pieces of glazing for the canopy. I made templates for each opening and then cut three pieces for each to laminate. For the toughest openings - the front ones - I also place clear sheet backing on there to makes things easier when I start laying the pieces in: Finally I made all of the panes. I thoroughly cleaned each pane with Windex. Then I laminated them using Future to bond them together. The process is simple: Apply a clamp to the laminate to press the pieces together while keeping the clamp jaw from touching the outside edges of the panes. Then apply Future to those outside edges and capillary action sucks it between them. This does three things: 1.) Bonds them together but not permanently if I need to fix them, 2.) Corrects minor surface flaws, and 3.) Seals the laminate edges to prevent capillary action from sucking paint in later. Comments and criticisms welcome. Kenny

Thanks for the kind words and tip! I changed the URL's. Kenny

Starting on Narn Frazi fighter after my SV-51. I needed something fun after that disaster. The is a hypothetical piece. I figured maybe Sheridan and company had to beg, steal and borrow equipment from all of their allies, as they couldn't have Whitestars, Thunderbolts and Starfuries everywhere. I am going to tweak it just a bit. Experimented with trying to make my own canopy - none supplied and it's already a bit larger thatn the cockpit tub, making vacuforming not an option. But, the expermiment failed. Some of the attempts: I then just decided to use the supplied plug. I started Dremeling away the innards with coarse- and then fine-grit diamond bits. Diamond riffler files will complete this: Gave the cockpit tub a similar treatment. It will need a cockpit scratchbuilt: Buried a tube for an armature deep in the aft end of the piece: Want the vertical stabilizers (I guess that's their job) to be more geometric. The delineation is a bit soft on the kit. I added a bit of styrene with some Aves to come: More to come. Comments and criticisms welcome, as always. Kenny

Did I just see Giant-Rat-on-Valkyrie-Sex on that site? Kenny

I can't believe I forgot to pay this build a compliment Dob! Up to your usual awesome standards, Sir. Kenny

Nice work! Love the scheme. I've been meaning to pick up one of those. The decal's barely noticeable. I wouldn't have seen it had you not mentioned it. Kenny

Little update on the SV-51I variant. Just some quick images from the bench. Decaling complete. Sealing them now and then onto postshading them, weathering, etc... Comments and criticism welcome. Kenny

Thanks for the feedback! Do you think it's because the tan areas are faded too much to white or because the other areas aren't faded enough? It's supposed to look like a certain RL air force's A/C (you'll see later - not letting the cat out of the bag yet ) that are typically faded to hell by the desert. Thoughts? Kenny

Took a break from the Rattler and am cranking out one of these: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Z0mBe/SV-51I/ http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Z0mBe/SV-51I/?action=view&current=111_3622.jpg http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v161/Z0mBe/SV-51I/?action=view&current=111_3621.jpg Note the masking mismatch on the panels behind the cockpit. I fixed that AFTER posting last night. Funny how things are apparent after seeing the photo. I "corrected" it I guess you'd say. All of the subassemblies had huge gaps between them and the fuselage. It didn't make sense compared to other transformation points and joints on the model and on the "real" thing. Plus, I can't imagine a Cessna could fly with 12-inch gaps all over the place, much less an uber-fighter. Bottom is decaled and I am working on decaling the top. Next comes a post shade on the decals, sealing of them and then washes and a little weathering. Comments and criticisms welcome. Kenny

Yes! That would be uber-cool. Kenny