Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[wm cheng]

@electric indigo Hey do you mask the inside of the canopy as well or do you just let the outside color show through inside frames? (my laziness might be showing through :P) Usually the inside of the canopy frames are black and the outside is the camo colour right?  Luckily a lot of US aircraft is black on the inside and black on the outside.

[derex3592]

1 hour ago, electric indigo said:

Recently, I unearthed a tool from the ink & paper period of technical drawing and found it very helpful for creating circle sections from masking tape. That came in handy for the Fitter canopy:

 

This is very cool!  I need to track down something like that. One of my many achilees heels is not being able to cut half circles or circles out for masking!

[Chronocidal]

3 hours ago, wm cheng said:

@electric indigo Hey do you mask the inside of the canopy as well or do you just let the outside color show through inside frames? (my laziness might be showing through :P) Usually the inside of the canopy frames are black and the outside is the camo colour right?  Luckily a lot of US aircraft is black on the inside and black on the outside.

It's kind of a shortcut, but spraying/brushing the canopy frame's inside color over the canopy before spraying the exterior color is probably passable if you're building something with the canopy closed.  Leaving the cockpit open, I'd probably want to paint the inside frame, though.

[slide]

5 hours ago, wm cheng said:

@electric indigo Hey do you mask the inside of the canopy as well or do you just let the outside color show through inside frames? (my laziness might be showing through :P) Usually the inside of the canopy frames are black and the outside is the camo colour right?  Luckily a lot of US aircraft is black on the inside and black on the outside.

2 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

It's kind of a shortcut, but spraying/brushing the canopy frame's inside color over the canopy before spraying the exterior color is probably passable if you're building something with the canopy closed.  Leaving the cockpit open, I'd probably want to paint the inside frame, though.

If I'm doing an open canopy I'll paint both the inside and outside.

anything bigger than 1/72 I'll paint both sides, I find it too noticeable at bigger scales.

 

Closed canopy I'll use the "interior colour under the exterior colour" all on the outside trick.

At 1/72 scale though, I'll sand the canopy frame down a little so as not to thicken it out-of-scale with multiple layers of paint.

[pengbuzz]

7 hours ago, wm cheng said:

@electric indigo Hey do you mask the inside of the canopy as well or do you just let the outside color show through inside frames? (my laziness might be showing through :P) Usually the inside of the canopy frames are black and the outside is the camo colour right?  Luckily a lot of US aircraft is black on the inside and black on the outside.

I usually just paint some masking tape, cut it into strips and attach with Aileen's tacky glue.

[MechTech]

Thanks anyhow Pengbuzz! That's cool Electric Indigo. As far as canopies go, I don't mess around with painting them. I paint decal paper and apply it. The other option is I use trimmed metal foil to make frames that are natural and on clean, smoothed canopies. - MT

[derex3592]

This is my reward to myself for when I finish up all 7 Enterprises. Something that fits together properly... 

[big F]

6 hours ago, MechTech said:

Thanks anyhow Pengbuzz! That's cool Electric Indigo. As far as canopies go, I don't mess around with painting them. I paint decal paper and apply it. The other option is I use trimmed metal foil to make frames that are natural and on clean, smoothed canopies. - MT

Thats a really handy thing to know, what paint do you apply to decal paper. 

I’m guessing anything that’ll stick should work.  I was thinking of an application where I may try it. Clear paper and translucent blue and smoke.

[MechTech]

That's cool Derex! "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz-Lightyear to the Rescue!" I didn't even know that was a kit!

Big F, depending on how you're going to use it, clear decal sheet with your "interior" color first then your primer and top coat colors so the thickness and shades match your paint (paint the paper when you paint your model coats). White decal paper where white for the interior is OK and works too. Micro Sol clear coat for decals over the top of that to ensure it doesn't chip, will help. Use a SHARP knife to cut your stripes and panels! A dull one will chip or rip the paper. My favorite medium is metal foil. Pre-cut strips can even be embossed with rivet detail. The foil can be polished to a high, glossy shine too. The foil can be carefully painted too and or chipped to weather it. The "NASPLANE" racing Shinden fighter plane I did used a lot of polished foil and a metal spinner to "cheat" making high-gloss metal finished parts of the plane without having to mess with laquers and special paint techniques. - MT

[big F]

3 hours ago, MechTech said:

That's cool Derex! "Buzz-Buzz-Buzz-Lightyear to the Rescue!" I didn't even know that was a kit!

Big F, depending on how you're going to use it, clear decal sheet with your "interior" color first then your primer and top coat colors so the thickness and shades match your paint (paint the paper when you paint your model coats). White decal paper where white for the interior is OK and works too. Micro Sol clear coat for decals over the top of that to ensure it doesn't chip, will help. Use a SHARP knife to cut your stripes and panels! A dull one will chip or rip the paper. My favorite medium is metal foil. Pre-cut strips can even be embossed with rivet detail. The foil can be polished to a high, glossy shine too. The foil can be carefully painted too and or chipped to weather it. The "NASPLANE" racing Shinden fighter plane I did used a lot of polished foil and a metal spinner to "cheat" making high-gloss metal finished parts of the plane without having to mess with laquers and special paint techniques. - MT

Thanks for the info, I will have to give that a go at some point.

[derex3592]

The "Love Boat" of the Enterprises is ready to ship out! I didn't really care for like the blue "Generations" hue that the decals were geared towards, but if you look at the giant studio model of the saucer section for the crash scene for the movie, it's a pretty darn close match. I'm pretty happy with how John Luck Pikards ship came out! . One more to go! Onto the big E! 

[joscasle]

NIce colection of Enterprise Derex!!!!

[joscasle]

Tamiya 1/48 F-14A almost finish!, still need to work the seats, pilots and wheels (need to fix them in the right angle)

[electric indigo]

Just great! It looks like it came from the pages of a japanese modeling magazine.

[derex3592]

@joscasle Your Tomcat is amazing! Great work! 

[Darth Mingus]

fantastic work on the Tomcat.  Inspirational build.

[joscasle]

5 hours ago, electric indigo said:

Just great! It looks like it came from the pages of a japanese modeling magazine.

 

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

@joscasle Your Tomcat is amazing! Great work! 

 

41 minutes ago, Darth Mingus said:

fantastic work on the Tomcat.  Inspirational build.

Thanks guys!

[MechTech]

Derx - Your Enterprise looks great! Nice n clean! The colors do look awkward, but on TV the colors never really looked like that-it was always dark in the "out in space shots." It may have been colored like that on purpose for lighting. Yeah, that was the "Love Boat" version of Star Trek - even if Kirk got all the women!

Joscale - Electric Indigo is right, it does look like its from a model magazine! Very professionally weathered. - MT

[joscasle]

28 minutes ago, MechTech said:

 

Joscasle - Electric Indigo is right, it does look like its from a model magazine! Very professionally weathered. - MT

Thanks

[wm cheng]

Wow!!! @joscasle simply wonderful.  Perfect amount of weathering.  So inspirational.  I wished Tamiya scaled down that beauty into 1/72 scale.  Might have to bite the bullet someday and get that kit.  You've really brought all the details out!  Thanks for sharing.

[joscasle]

15 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

Wow!!! @joscasle simply wonderful.  Perfect amount of weathering.  So inspirational.  I wished Tamiya scaled down that beauty into 1/72 scale.  Might have to bite the bullet someday and get that kit.  You've really brought all the details out!  Thanks for sharing.

Thanks a lot!! Fine Molds 1/72 F-14A Tomcat is very good, it has the same detail and the same great fit, don't need to wait for Tamiya, really.

[slide]

I must say, that's a pretty Tomcat!

 

3 hours ago, wm cheng said:

Wow!!! @joscasle simply wonderful.  Perfect amount of weathering.  So inspirational.  I wished Tamiya scaled down that beauty into 1/72 scale.  Might have to bite the bullet someday and get that kit.  You've really brought all the details out!  Thanks for sharing.

If you're looking for the Ultimate 1/72 Tomcat kit, GWH/Pit-Road make an F-14A and an F-14D kit that is just spectacular, and you pay for it, but I've never before seen an injection kitmaker try for the spoilers open option:

 

3 hours ago, joscasle said:

Thanks a lot!! Fine Molds 1/72 F-14A Tomcat is very good, it has the same detail and the same great fit, don't need to wait for Tamiya, really.

The FM Tomcat is a great kit as well, particularly for open access panels etc.

 

However I think the Fujimi Tomcats are still the best quality/money ratio if you're going to do a buttoned-up or in-flight build.

Edited April 27, 2020 by slide

[joscasle]

Yep the  GWHis a great kit, have some issues with the wheels and the dorsal spine. Shape wise the FM IMHO is a better kit, but no weapons

The Fujimi still s great kit for the money

[wm cheng]

Thanks!  I have 3-4 Hasegawas (but I think they might be on the back burner after my experience with the F-18F) and I have 2 FineMolds (one boxed and one part of that original magazine subscription).  I'd like to try this GWH, so is this the best 1/72 F-14 (regardless of price) or is the FM still better than this one?  How about the Academy?  I don't mind paying for a well detailed/engineered kit.

[big F]

That GWH F14 is just itching to have etched parts.

[wm cheng]

Yay! Finally a little progress after so much cutting, putty and sanding to correct the fit. Nice to have the Federal Standards chip book to mix paint colours.  I usually go a shade lighter for scale and allows for post shading - however my FS 36375 sample seems to have this weird purplish tint that I didn't reproduce, I made it towards the blue side of things as FS 36320 has a strong blue hue to it that I didn't want it to clash.  I think I'll try that black decal idea for the canopy interior - thanks.

[MechTech]

That F-18 is looking great! I should get one of those books. I already use one at work for Pantone colors and that thing is priceless for matching and creating project theme colors. - MT

[joscasle]

10 hours ago, wm cheng said:

Thanks!  I have 3-4 Hasegawas (but I think they might be on the back burner after my experience with the F-18F) and I have 2 FineMolds (one boxed and one part of that original magazine subscription).  I'd like to try this GWH, so is this the best 1/72 F-14 (regardless of price) or is the FM still better than this one?  How about the Academy?  I don't mind paying for a well detailed/engineered kit.

You are right, Academy just launched a new 1-72 F-14A (Tamiya scale down but acedmy's quality) . I love the Fine Molds Kits, great quality, great detail and great fit (same as Tamiya)

[joscasle]

7 hours ago, wm cheng said:

Yay! Finally a little progress after so much cutting, putty and sanding to correct the fit. Nice to have the Federal Standards chip book to mix paint colours.  I usually go a shade lighter for scale and allows for post shading - however my FS 36375 sample seems to have this weird purplish tint that I didn't reproduce, I made it towards the blue side of things as FS 36320 has a strong blue hue to it that I didn't want it to clash.  I think I'll try that black decal idea for the canopy interior - thanks.

Nice looking Super bug!!! I know it will be great when finish!!!

 

[Focslain]

Was holding off posting this.

So I'm mediocre at best in painting. I try.

This hasagawa kits need some freehanding and I suuuck at freehand.

I did some blocking but this is going to take time as I realize I have to do five of these things.

Just kind of knocked the wind out of my sails. 

[MechTech]

Hi Focslain, you sound frustrated? If that is the case, I would recommend masking tape to help you out. Even free-handing large areas will be aided by masking tape. Yes, it takes longer, but the results will be worth it. If you don't like your paint (once again guessing your tone from written text), that's no problem either. Paint can be stripped safely off models. I think most of us regulars here have done it. Life is definitely not perfect!

Speaking of masking tape, the alternative is using a rattle can after you mask off your areas - assuming you don't have an airbrush? I usually use cans myself due to size of the projects. Five of these? That will be a lot of paint. Sounds like a job for some kind of spray (airbrush or can). - MT

[MechTech]

Hey guys, I'm posting this in case some of you can use the window venting idea. Two years ago someone gave me their spray booth after they built a large custom one into their house (must have been nice). I FINALLY got around to fixing it and making a vent for it. They are so simple you can build one from a cardboard box and a fan! The first issue is that the fan sounds like a turbine starting up - no kidding! Ear protection will have to be worn when using this until I can get a new fan. Fiberglass insulation was added to help deaden the sound and silicone rubber was used on the seams to deaden the rattling from them.

The original styrene outlet was brittle and broken so a new one was made from an in-floor vent boot. There is no where for it to vent outside so I got thin Plexiglas, trimmed it to fit the window frame and used white velcro (it blends nicely into the frame color) to temporarily hold it to the window frame and seal it from bugs. This makes it easily removable. Then I got an exit port and tubing. The port is two-pieced allowing the vent to be pulled off the Plexiglas window. The vent tube is only about a foot long. Most of you guys could do this in your house without getting killed by your wives since the Plexiglas (or Lexan) can be removed.

Then yes, I spray painted the spray booth to cover years of paint that didn't quite make it inside. The inside was left alone except to drop a household A/C filter into it to help catch particles from collecting on the fan that already has a ton of paint on it. A $6.00 LED light sticks to the roof and an old microwave carousel will hold most projects. I haven't airbrushed anything in years, now I can begin again without any issues (except the noise). Hopefully this is of use to you guys. - MT

[Gabe Q]

Awesome setup, @MechTech! Thanks for the info on setting it up!

@Focslain, there is a steep learning curve to spraying w an airbrush or even a rattle can. The results are worth it if you can hang in there with it. 

[DewPoint]

You could probably use that Plexiglas panel to exhaust a portable AC when you are not using the spray booth during the summer. 

[Thom]

On 4/26/2020 at 10:01 PM, joscasle said:

Tamiya 1/48 F-14A almost finish!, still need to work the seats, pilots and wheels (need to fix them in the right angle)

 

Wow, that is a great looking 'cat. Great job! After building the Academy F/A-18F I'm definitely going to get their Tomcat. Eventually.

On 4/28/2020 at 2:57 AM, wm cheng said:

Yay! Finally a little progress after so much cutting, putty and sanding to correct the fit. Nice to have the Federal Standards chip book to mix paint colours.  I usually go a shade lighter for scale and allows for post shading - however my FS 36375 sample seems to have this weird purplish tint that I didn't reproduce, I made it towards the blue side of things as FS 36320 has a strong blue hue to it that I didn't want it to clash.  I think I'll try that black decal idea for the canopy interior - thanks.

Nice progress on the Super B! Making me want to get another one.

21 hours ago, Focslain said:

Was holding off posting this.

So I'm mediocre at best in painting. I try.

This hasagawa kits need some freehanding and I suuuck at freehand.

I did some blocking but this is going to take time as I realize I have to do five of these things.

Just kind of knocked the wind out of my sails. 

I try to avoid freehand at any cost! I couldn't paint a straight line with a ruler. Unless the entire thing is being painted one color, the handy Tamiya masking tape comes out in force.