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Hey thanks so much for the step-by-step. This is great!! I am only worried that right now, my landing gear is a bit loose (with no modification). When I push it to roll it, the forward gear pivots back a bit - slightly, I am worried that if I eliminate the seam, then that makes my existing problem worst - especially when the fast packs come out and the bird is always nose down slightly adding to the problem. Is there an alternative solution that will even tighten up the landing gear lock-down and prevent the diagonal seam for splitting? Thanks though. (I will definitely be referring to this thread often)

Thanks for the alcohol clean up tip, I'll try it, but that stuff (Future) seems pretty thick to be airbrushed straight. I'd love to see a photo of that S-37 Demonstrator scheme. The Alclad primer is fantastic (you have to spray at low pressure though 12-15psi) but it comes pre-thinned to airbrush consistency! I've used Tamiya paints almost exclusively and have never had too much problems with the white. I've used the Tamiya Flat White here on this model, and it had to cover some pretty dark colours. I've noticed that the Flat colours had a bit better coverage than the gloss. I would suggest thinning it a bit less than darker colours, like 4:1/3:1 paint:thinner and spraying a raither "dry coat" (higher pressure - farther away like 5-6 inches) so that the paint is almost dry when it hits the model. This helps in two ways, it prevents seepage under your mask, and it covers better when its dry rather than a thin milky liquid. Also, do it in thin layers, and allow to dry in between layers (its should never look like a liquid on the model). OK, I did my in one go, but after a lot of practice and its a small area, if it were bigger, then I would of done it in individual coats. I ran across this excellent article on the web on Tamiya paints: http://www.ecpmod.com/Articles/article2.html

I definitely cut the tape first, then apply it. Don't cut it while on the model - you might go through and cut into the paint - it would chip or flake off if you do. Alclad loves a clean glossy surface - the smoother it is, the better the finish. That is exactly how I tint the canopy - I spray with Tamiya Smoke (its a transparent colour) I let dry then dunk. I dunk several coats to get rid of the pebbly surface the spray on Smoke gives to get back that acrylic shine. Any answers to my questions on airbrushing Future - how to thin and clean the airbrush? What thinners or solvents?

Fantastic work SAM!!! Keep up the great work and keep showing us - good progress. Exactly what types of paints are you using - and what type of clear coat is warping the paint underneath? In addition to the black oil wash, you could also start experimenting on a lighter dry-brush technique to pick up the highlights. Try it out on some piece of crap first - it works out best on flat finish paints though. Looking forward to more!!

Hi all, That diagonal seam along the front nose fuselage splits when I extend the front landing gears on my Roy's VF-1S - it really bugs me. Has someone successfuly opened up the fuselage and filed/sanded down the protruding part from beneath the cockpit and still have the landing gear lock properly in the down position? How about a step by step photos of how to take this baby apart?

Hey I would also like to see how you did it - especially if you have done any in-flight stands - I'd like to see those.

Finally we are all caught up again... I just couldn't resist putting the pod in and zooming it around a bit. Brand new spanking plane!! I think the next steps are to clear-coat this layer, mask the forward nose section for the white markings and yah!! off to the oil washes to pick out the engraved panellng details and a "subtle" post shading.

Here's the underside - I like the forward sensor pod white marking - although hell to mask, at least there were panel lines this time to follow.

Here's the bird with the bandages taken off at the white details stage. I purposely haven't masked the very distinct nose white markings yet. Its late in the afternoon - and I want to devote a whole day to that masking and paint job tomorrow. Its one of the most important parts/marking for this aircraft. Overall I am pleased, however, the two tone grey-green is too muted and the white seems to be so bright and contrasty. I'll tone it down later with a bit of grey, but it will be hard not to tone the whole plane down - the grey-green is already fusing into one colour - I hope that giving it a separate flat finish will restore it back to the shade I had when I first applied the paint.

Here we go with the masking agian...

Here's the mess at the back - with all these little colours and the white tips, I thought that leaving the white till the end is the best solution - but you get a masking nightmare!! If any of you can think up a better order of things to paint or mask in, I'd love to know about it!! Well here goes...

I think Bandai must own stock in masking tape - here's my wounded bird - all taped up for the white details layer - which again really should have been decals. Maybe a version 1.5 of this kit is forthcoming

Another really intricate shade to mask that really should have been a decal. You can see I usually build up these shapes with many pieces of tape instead of trying to cut the shape out of a few larger pieces. As long as you spray a thin "dry" coat of paint, there should be minimal seepage. Always try to spray with the tape - avoid spraying "into" the edge of the tape.

Here's a shot of the underside with the engines done (before any washes though - can't wait)

One of my favourite front views.

Shot from above! You can see some paint that has been scrapped off at the wing-root hinge points. I don't know what to do here. The fit is so perfect that it keeps the tension on the wings from flopping down when you rotate it. However, it also tends to scrap the paint a bit when you rotate the wings up. I might try to paint it out again - very thin airbrush layer and then clear-coat the hell out of it with many layers - I don't know yet.

I am airbrushing flat black in a fine spray width here to trace around the tailcone details to make it look kind of burnt (the right side is done - the left hasn't been touched yet). These deep crevasses will be great later when I do a black oil wash to further pick out the individual afterburning leafs.

Here's the shot of the top surface with the engines in the steel colour instead of just plain dark green. OK, so what do think? Is it "blasphemy" to go against anime, or maybe this scheme is valid too? The lighter grey-green blending into the darker grey-green still bugs me!

Especially when you take a step back. The metallic shine is second to none - and still holds up quite well under a clear-coat layer of semi-gloss. However, you still need to make sure the sub-surface is perfect - after seeing the results, its easier to spend that little bit of extra time sanding to get a perfect surface (oh well - now I regret that I didn't spend enough time sanding - next time). They sometimes suggest a layer of future acrylic floor polish before you spray this metalizer stuff on. And when you see the smooth spots that the paint hits, it really shines!! Ok, I know some of you guys use the Future on the rest of the model, not just the canopy. My question to you is, how do you thin it down for the airbrush, and secondly, what thinner/solvents do you use to clean out your airbrush afterwards?

Boy is this stuff great!! However, it really exposes and accentuates any flaws.

I've decided to deviate a little more from the estasblished colour scheme of the Mave. I've noticed that the Platz resin model on display at the Wonderfest had a metallic engine grey/steel on the top of the aircraft as well. So I thought I would follow suit, any chance to show off the Alclad more. I am using the Alclad Steel colour for these areas.

Here's the masking for the metallic steel colour. I am loving this Alclad stuff. I have found that if I left those little four fins around the engine area, it will make painting this area easier.

Here you can see how the lighter grey-green has blended with the background darker grey-green Damn! I couldn't tell untill after the gloss/semi-gloss coat was applied - I guess the original colour made such a contrast because of the finish. The glossier something is, it does tend to be darker, and the flatter/matte something is, it tends to be lighter - must remember this in the future.

This shows that patch underneath the nose. The molded vertical fin is a bit thick - I could of chopped it off and made another one from a thinner styrene - or I took the lazy man's approach and carefully shaved with an exacto knife the leading edges to look thinner at the edges.

Here;s a close up of the light grey panels with all the little corners and intricate shapes. I really think there should have been a decal made for this. Boy it really tells you how spoiled we are from Hasegawa kits I finally remembered to drill out the cannon port. Its the same process as with the other Yukikaze kit or the Valkyrie intake verniers, I use a small pin vise with a small bit, then work my way up to a bit that is the appropriate size. This gun port is a bit tricker since its show shallow - you want a hole that is almost parallel with the surface of the fuselage - in the end it gives an oblong eliptical shape. I did this by drill down a bit - which creates a cavity for the larger drill bit to sit in, then slowly work my way to a horizontal position with the drill bit. This way, there is less likelyhood of the drill bit slipping and scratching across your fuselage when its in the horizontal position.