David Hingtgen

Here's the main superstructure/#2 barbette/5in gun emplacements (big piece), 3 main turrets, and misc. bits (mainly forward fire control and air defense towers, plus the 40mm emplacements between the funnels). (There's 3 times as many parts painted as shown here--about 1 bottle per cardboard box) But this is the box with most of the big main parts. Tomorrow I'll post pics of dry-fitting, etc so you can see how it'll look all together. ::edit:: Heh heh. I told you I was modelling a BIG ship. Wait until you see the ship all together, and not fore-shortened due to a head-on camera angle. Think I'll put a Yammie on the aft deck for scale...

Ack, first reply didn't work. (I don't think it likes attachments straight from the camera) Anyways: The two-hull BB in Naval Ops is two Yamatos tied together. That'd cost at least 80 bucks. 5L 1943 is one of those paints that takes 2 full days for the color to really appear. (Many blue-greens do this, but this is the first blue-grey I've seen it happen to). It'll be a bit darker, and a good bit blue-er tomorrow night. It actually floats, BTW. (Can't wash the plastic in the sink, too big--had to use the tub--might as well test it out while it's there) VF-11's sometimes go out rowing when you're not watching them...

See the numbers at the bottom of the pic? Those are the colors. Any hobby shop will sell paints that match. (Unless they're some really off colors) ::checks:: Well, actually that IS a really weird scheme. It's not really a desert scheme---too dark. Only one of the colors (30219) is commonly available. If you want to paint one without mixing your own colors, you're going to need to pick another scheme. (NSAWC is Topgun--they have their own unique schemes for training separate from the rest of the military. Plain old USAF, Navy, or IAF schemes would be much more likely to have paints available) That's a scheme pretty much custom developed for the area around Fallon NAS, Nevada. (Which is why its so dark). Not your standard middle-eastern colored pinky-yellow sand.

If a Millia (or Emilia etc) becomes available, I vote for BBi compatability.

Desert what? Testors has added a lot of various desert tan/sand/yellow colors to their lines recently, most anything you could need. (Except desert pink I think, which is actually about the best, most "normal" looking desert color their is) PS--Australia's current version of the chocolate chip camo schem is awesome, way cooler than ours (US). ::Edit:: Camo sheets! All the info diagrams/colors you could ask for: PPS--the coolest desert camo there is, is what Israel uses on their F-16's. http://users.skynet.be/exotic.planes/pictu...or/f16c_iaf.jpg http://users.skynet.be/exotic.planes/pictu...or/f16a_iaf.jpg Here's the USAF's standard generic sand scheme: http://users.skynet.be/exotic.planes/pictu...lor/f16sand.jpg Lots more schemes: http://users.skynet.be/exotic.planes/htm/o...her/schemes.htm

I saw this somewhere too but forgot to post it. (Mari doing the voice) Also, the most recent issue of PSM had a demo of the game on it (non-playable). I just wish Jet was one of the main characters. Who's idea was it to make the redhead a secondary character?!?!? (Yes, I own the Jet figure--can't resist a redhead in black)

Well, after 3 entire bottles of 5L 1943 grey (I have to go back to the hobby shop tomorrow and buy more, and tell the owner to order more--I've used his entire stock up) the majority of my Iowa is in its overall color. My super-el-cheapo $18.44-at-Walmart airbrush did fine. To VF-19: Thanks for the tip about the propellant can--I unscrewed the adaptor about 1.5 turns, and I do think it lowered the pressure coming out. I got much better results than I have before, using the same paint/thinner ratio. All in all, it went better than I hoped. Of course, nothing ever goes perfect, and I'll have to totally strip 2 parts, sand and repaint two more (might strip them anyway, could be easier), go over all the 5-in guns again (despite them getting more coats anyway), and try to remove dust/lint from one entire batch. (No matter how hard you try, some parts will get lint on them RIGHT before you spray). But all in all, it went quite well. For only having 5 parts come out poorly out of probably 40 major and 70 minor parts, that's a great ratio for me. (Hey, for my starship, I had to redo the ENTIRE saucer and shuttle bay after dropping it about 20 secs after painting it) To redo a few parts like this is nothing. Finally---since the lower hull isn't ready yet, I didn't paint my 30.25 inch long piece. That'll be a few days from now, when I do "round two". (Which will be the masts, radar, gun tubs, and anything that needs to be redone from the first round). Then we're on to actually painting the dazzle camoflage pattern. Maybe after I'm done with this and the Tirpitz and The Sullivans, I might do a Yukikaze plane. (I'd paint it black and titanium, it'd just look cool)

1/6 Millia would sell better.

But as I said--if there was any color even close to what I need in a spray, I'd use it. I got acceptable results last time, but that was the first time out of several attempts. I'm looking for advice so that I can consistently replicate what I got a week ago, rather than trial and error every time (wasting much paint and thinner).

Airbrush: super el-cheapo Testors. (Hey, I plan to airbrush like 3 kits in the next 3 years--I'm not spending much---90% of what I need I can get in a spray, this is ONLY for those colors I cannot buy in a spray) Yes, I plan to do it from a can of propellent. (Hey, I've got several by this point) I know I know, everybody on this forum would say get a real airbrush and a compressor. But I'm not going to spend that kind of money for the few models I do. If anybody made a spray-can color even close to what I need, I'd use it. Paint: Model Master Acrylic Marine. So assume I'll have little control over the PSI, as it's pretty much on/off with these. (And rather high AFAIK). But I am used to this, for it's all I've ever done with airbrushing. Paint flow/thinning is about the only variable. Anyways, my main problem lately has been the paint clogging/clumping, as right at the nozzle. It sometimes doesn't even get to the air stream it seems. Will sometimes leave "clumps" of semi-dry paint deposited onto the surface. The only reference I can find (and it matches my symptoms exactly) in a Fine Scale Modeler indicates I should thin the paint even more. --but I'm already thinning it more than recommended. (3:1 paint/thinner)

Ok, *TURBOFAN* intakes are clean. Even 30-year old F-14's I've stuck my head up in are smooth and shiny.

Lightning 06---yeah, that's the one thing it can do well---a stealthy faster Harrier. (I think it'd be a much better Sea Harrier replacement than Harrier II replacement, but that's a whole 'nother thread) Nied--pretty sure it's still 339.

Impulse crystals are the brightest part of the entire ship (left), followed by the warp field generators:

It's actually much brighter than this, BTW.

Lit!

Unlit

Lit

Well, nowadays they make brass templates for the aztec pattern, too. Covers the whole kit--just spray the whole kit white, then apply the templats, and spray your "not white" and you're done. (The trick is getting them all lined up--it's like 16 segments for the saucer). And the Excelsior kit is small/bad enough it's usually not worth it. I've only seen two lit-up aztec-ed Excelsiors ever. (Both were Modified Ent-B styles however, like mine) Unlit:

I see the point for the "first day" thing, but I mean--F-117, plus B-2, plus the almost-sorta-stealthy B-1B should be more than enough. We've got a lot more stealthy stuff now than for '91. (When B-1B's were still pretty much nuke-only, and B-2's not in service). And, with plenty of F-15C's, that opens up the F/A (blech) -22 to stuff JDAMS in its belly for the first day and act like an F-117 (though less stealthy). J A Dare---the F-16XL was in direct competition to the F-15E. And the F-15E was even cheaper than the XL, since there's very little to change between an F-15D and E. Thus F-15E was chosen. (I do believe the 15E was superior in most aspects, though I bet XL won on range--I'd have to look it all up though)

Ok, if all goes well, I plan to airbrush the majority of my USS Iowa kit tomorrow/this week. I have a grand total of about 1 hour of airbrushing experience. Now, this is a 1/350 battleship, which means I have pieces from 4 to 30 inches long. (Most 1-3 inches though, only a half-dozen surpass 6 inches ). Now, I've got it primered with a nice light grey, so I should definitely be able to get one-coat coverage. (Since it ALMOST did it with a much darker background when I was doing some testing on the undersides). Anyways, unlike most "fine spray/dot/camoflage/weathering" uses for airbrushes, I'm using it to cover BIG areas with a nice even coat. Any hints/suggestions for thinning, air pressure, etc? I just want to cover several square feet (it's big, I can sit Yammies on the aft deck) with a single color. (And then repeat the process late for all the decks with a different color).

Last pic for now, will post shots of it all lit up later. (.8 amps to light it up, BTW) (might move to a new thread, this is getting OT) (it's REALLY hard to photograph at night lit up---comes out very dark no matter what--trust me, the thing is blazing bright at night, can light up the room--it's not just your standard bulbs, it's flourescent bright---it's actually the same tech used by the Air Force for those bright glowing position light strips on the wingtips and tail) (yes, the underside of the pylon joints are ugly with visible seams---they're not designed to have wires run through them, nor do they fit at all well in the first place--so they are as they are (and most people don't look at the bottom of the pylons anyway)--it's the one place I simply couldn't fill the seams without really messing up detail/wiring)

Only shot I have of the grey (and the ship is dark when not lit up--the warp engines are hand-polished inside and out with buffed transparent blue paint, BTW, they look amazing when the sun hits it--like sapphires) (impulse engines are not buffed, they're too inset to catch the light)

Gerwalker--very nice battroid. As for bare finger--not totally bare, covered in microset. Info about my USS Lakota: Ertl kit of course, which is basically an Excelsior with aftermarket parts. (They DON'T fit well, I used 1/8" styrene to fill gaps, not .020 or something). Clear resin replacement planetary sensor dome (clear lights on saucer bottom), replacement impulse crystals (light blue), replacement bussard ramscoops (deep blue), replacement torpedo tubes and launcer, fore and aft, replacement deflector dish (deep blue). Carved out the trench in the deflector dish (missing from the kit), and carved out all the opaque parts to replace the pieces mentioned about. Resin parts here: http://www.federationmodels.com/products/d...dlm/default.htm (quite a ways down for Ent-B parts) Most importantly, I lit it up. There's dozens of wires in the thing, but only 1 resistor. Lit via lightsheet, which is the ACTUAL WARP ENGINE GLOW stuff used for Excelsior class ships on DS9. It's the perfect color, amazing stuff. It's paper thin, but glows as bright as flourescent bulbs, is naturally light blue, doesn't heat up. And easy to wire. Warp engines, ramscoops, and deflector dish have this. Impulse engines and saucer use micro-bulbs, crystals have full-size bulbs run at lower power. (Was going to use LED's, but it was easier to just use bulbs at low power due to how the saucer is wired). I really wished I'd take some pics of the wiring before I sealed it up, the thing is PACKED with electronics. (I had to sand the interior of the warp engines to stuff the wires in---24 vs 26 gauge wire made the difference-it's THAT packed in there). If something truly horrific ever happens to the model, there are quick disconnects from the saucer just above the deflector, and forward of the nacelle mount above the shuttlebay. Anyways---decals are from http://www.thomasmodels.com/. VERY complete, as I said, I didn't paint any blue or grey. (Except for 2 stripes on the pylons). You can order any ship there is (Ent-B and Lakota being the most popular for the Modified Excelsior clas) Windows are decals, (only about 4 per side, I wasn't to cut the clear from hundreds of black dots). THAT was a lot of work to get what is basically a big clear decal with black specs to lay down over the grid pattern of the hull painted flat white. Saucer windows generally in groups of 6. Here's the decals:

Want weathering? 1. Don't weather inside the intakes themselves. Even old planes have clean shiny intakes. (Because its very important that they do). 2. DIRTY VENTRAL FINS. F-14's usually have horrendously dirty ventral fins, right where they join the fuselage. 3. Do each rivet individually. (This is an F/A-18C, left side, right above the stab).

Landing gear generally retract at "straight" angles--i.e. straight forward/back or straight left/right. Rarely do they swing at an angle. Anyways, here's how it *should* work, based on real-life planes: Gear doors open fully, and the gear retracts back WHILE the wheel rotates 90 degrees to lie flat. It's simultaneous, not a two-step process. When the gear is half-way retracted, the wheel should be half-way turned. Wheels rotate at the oleo strut. (The shiny chrome one, just a bit above the wheel itself). It's not JUST the wheel, nor the whole thing--more like the lower third or so of the gear. If you get REALLY technical, I would guess that the rotation is actually inside the oleo strut, so the visible of the exterior portion of the oleo itself wouldn't appear to move. VF-1's have very very simple main gear struts. Simply move forward and back 90 degress. Not a whole bunch of retraction stuts, door struts, drag struts, scissor linkages, etc. Just the one main strut and that's about it. (Very similar to a YF-23's gear actually, which is basically a slimmed-down straightened-out F-18 gear). If you want a real-life example to follow, check out an F-16's nose-gear. It's a single-wheel gear that rotates 90 degrees as it retracts backwards. That's what you need, isn't it? PS--for detail, I've got lots of F-18 gear well pics, even an A-10's nose gear well. And of course, F-14 pics.