1/72 Hasegawa VF-0S Step-by-step...

[wm cheng]

I took a little time out to paint the metallic steel parts. Man its been a while, I forgot to prime first - and with this Alcad metallizer stuff, you really need to use their excellent primer. Its wierd especially with metallic paints all the imperfections in the molding of the plastic that comes through. I had to prime over top of the painted surfaces and re-spray the metallic steel colour. However, this finish is so much more satisfying that the Tamiya metallic grey or steel. Just make sure you wear a mask when spraying, this laquer stuff especially with metallic particles suspended in it can't be healthy for ya!

[wm cheng]

The gun achieved a almost mirror like metallic finish without buffing or sealing.

[wm cheng]

Some more metallic parts...

[wm cheng]

I've been look forward to this for weeks. The airbrake, I would suggest thinning the sides by sanding the edges at a 45 degree to make the edges look thinner - more in scale with the sheet metal of the plane. I had thought about thinning the entire brake down since I'd be drilling holes through it so you would catch the edges in every hole and the thick plastic would be a dead giveaway - but I was worried that would serious weaken the plastic. Its six or 1/2 dozen or another... so I chose the safe and easy route and just thinned the outside visible edges. For the truely insane out there, I suppose you could manufacture this item with a thin bent sheet of metal to get the right thickness I'm not there yet.

(yuck! I think I need a manicure )

[wm cheng]

Here I started with a smaller bit first - its important that you don't try and force it, just gently ease the pin-vise bit through. The more holes you drill, the more fragile the piece becomes. I always try to drill directly perpecticular to the hole.

[wm cheng]

Here it is with the holes finished, I used a slightly larger bit to finish them off more as a reamer to finish the sides. I am glad that I did not thin the piece down in the beginning - it would be too fragile. The holes are small enough that the edges showing do not bother me as much. Please take care at the two last corners, as the holes are really close to the end corners of the brake.

[wm cheng]

Here's the back side - you can see the bevel at the rear to make the brake appear thinner - I did the same thing with the VF-1 brake if you choose to display it open.

[wm cheng]

Here it is from the rear - a prime candidate for a photo-etched part later on (are you listening Hasegawa?) That's it for the time being - more sanding on that glue oozed seam - then its painting - yipeee!

[Hurin]

Holy crap! This is all just amazing!

Just curious, however, if the big empty space behind the seat in the cockpit was there because the seat needs space to "tilt back" and get tucked up into the torso while in battroid mode? Not that this kit transforms. . .

Just a theory. I think it looks better with the gak back there anyways.

Hurin

Edited April 16, 2004 by Hurin

[tetsujin]

The metallic parts look great, especially the gunpod!

[Akula]

Holy crap! This is all just amazing!

Just curious, however, if the big empty space behind the seat in the cockpit was there because the seat needs space to "tilt back" and get tucked up into the torso while in battroid mode? Not that this kit transforms. . .

Just a theory. I think it looks better with the gak back there anyways.

Hurin

I always thought so too... though it does look outstanding with the junk there though...

[Grayson72]

Man that Gunpod came out like budda'

What paint and colors did you use on it and the thrusters? Somethin Alkid?

Edited April 17, 2004 by Grayson72

[The_Major]

I have a question, what product or what ever do you use to buff the Metalizer?

[Vince]

I've any question if you don't mind.

I've been using the Model Master line or metalizers for the last ten years or so. However, I only know how to use them according to instruction. The sealer is used on primed, smooth surfaces before applying the metalizer, and I buff them with a cotton ball, Q-tip for tight places.

Results are usually great, only problem is any clear coat on top of it will cover up the metalic look, and turn the color into regular metelic color.

I haven't try Future yet, but does anyone know of a way to protect the metalizer and keep the shine?

Thanks

[Jawjaw]

That metallic paint is amazing! Too bad the gunpod is going to be stuck under the fighter cause it looks oustanding. I look forward to the next update, cheng.

[wm cheng]

Hey Everybody.

The metalizers I use are Alclad - you can get them at most hobby stores, they are laquer based so Mr. Colour thinner or ModelMaster Acryl thinners and solvents work on them. They are great, found them on the Yukikaze model thread, and I will never look back. The great thing is that they do not need a sealer nor buffing - although it does say that buffing will improve the look - I haven't had the need yet. Most metalizers require a sealer, and the sealer often dulls the shine down - which in my opinion kind of goes against the effect you want to achieve with a metalizer. They are pre-thinned to be airbrushed (so its a bit expensive for what you get, those little bottles are around $12cdn - maybe $6-8usd) and must be airbrushed. The gray primer is also pre-thinned and is excellent - they are sprayed at a lower pressure around 12-15psi is recommended on the bottle. With these and all metalizers, the surface preparation is essential. The smoother the underlying surface it is, the more mirror/glass like you finish will be. I would spend extra care in filling or sanding any pieces that are to be metalic, since the sheen will often catch the light at odd angles and exaggerate any flaws in the model. I do prime the parts first with the primer before using the metalizer - te primer tends to to smooth things out a bit. With the polished aluminum or chrome, they even suggest a coat of gloss black after the primer before the metalizer. I've tried it both ways, and you really need the gloss black underneath, I think it acts as a mirror with a backing - the shine achieved is well worth the extra step.

I'm ready to give it the first coat of light white/grey - so wish me luck, I'll post as soon as I can.

[Myersjessee]

man...love the airbrake!!!

[wm cheng]

Here's a shot of those sanding sticks. They came in real handy when trying to sand the filled in injector pin depressions inside the landing gear doors. I'm lazy so I just bought a pack of these - but I suppose anyone can make them, just glue your favourite grade of sandpaper to little wooden sticks.

[wm cheng]

This makes it easier to sand away the holes that were filled in earlier with Mr. Surfacer while still keeping the surrounding details.

[wm cheng]

Here they are after they have been sanded - it will probably take a few coats of white to truely get the grey spots to be white - why don't they make white Mr. Surfacer?

[wm cheng]

A shot of a dry fit assembly - I like the airbrake a lot with the hole drilled out, I think its worth doing even if you are gluing it down fold back. It lets you see into the brake well with some details inside.

[wm cheng]

I thought its about time to drill out the head laser tips, it will add a lot more realism to have the lasers hollowed out.

[wm cheng]

Here's what they look like when they are done. I didn't do it to the nose pilots tube, it was just a bit too small - maybe someone would try it out and let me know, I'm just not that anal yet

[wm cheng]

The two dorsal antennas had their leading edges sanded down at 45 degree angles to reduce their apparent thickness. The square edges just didn't contribute to the aerodynamic look of the aircraft.

[wm cheng]

Again, there are injector pin holes/depressions on the wheels which needs to be filled in with a few coats of Mr. Surfacer (they were deep) and sanded down. Its wierd that there are so many pin depressions in this kit.

I am going to give the bird its first coat of light grey paint today. Its a mix of 50:50 flat white with gloss white with 2-3 drops of sky grey. I'll let you know how it goes.

[David Hingtgen]

I was at the hobby shop today (needed paint for my SR-71) and noticed just how many types and brands of glue there were. So my question for wm_cheng:

What glue(s) do you use? I noticed Micro-weld had the consistency of water (it's rarely in stock, so maybe it sells out quickly). I've always gone for the thicker ones (Testors MM in the black container), as I like a minute or so to VERY precisely position parts, but then of course it takes a while to set and is bad for gear doors etc, as they like to fall over the moment you let go.

[VF-19]

I was at the hobby shop today (needed paint for my SR-71) and noticed just how many types and brands of glue there were. So my question for wm_cheng:

What glue(s) do you use? I noticed Micro-weld had the consistency of water (it's rarely in stock, so maybe it sells out quickly). I've always gone for the thicker ones (Testors MM in the black container), as I like a minute or so to VERY precisely position parts, but then of course it takes a while to set and is bad for gear doors etc, as they like to fall over the moment you let go.

David, try Tamiya's extra thin cement. It's consistency is like water, but it sets up very quickly. Just apply a tiny amount and then attach the part to where you need it to be.

Just one warning. Because there's so little glue holding the pieces together, you may want to follow up with a small extra dab of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, just to re-enfoce it once the original application of glue has dried.

[Terpfen]

Here they are after they have been sanded - it will probably take a few coats of white to truely get the grey spots to be white - why don't they make white Mr. Surfacer?

Well, you could try Tamiya's white spray primer for those areas. It shouldn't make too much of a difference in terms of color shading, and I believe Tamiya and Gunze paints are chemically compatible.

[Hikuro]

Jesus man, you're making me feel bad since I finally got up and running on my VF-1A....now I feel as if it'll be nothing compared to yours...heh it probably wont be anything compared to yours.

[Grayson72]

Jesus man, you're making me feel bad since I finally got up and running on my VF-1A....now I feel as if it'll be nothing compared to yours...heh it probably wont be anything compared to yours.

Heh, felt the same way but after my first one it turned out pretty darn good. Just take your time and think before you do anything and read up on all the techniques for a good outcome. Of course if you don't have an airbrush you pretty limited on how good it's gonna come out.

[GunnerX]

Here they are after they have been sanded - it will probably take a few coats of white to truely get the grey spots to be white - why don't they make white Mr. Surfacer?

There is surfacer white! But only in bottle or spray at 1000 grit/particles.

[GunnerX]

There's also a base coat...

Edited April 20, 2004 by GunnerX

[Gerwalker]

I was at the hobby shop today (needed paint for my SR-71) and noticed just how many types and brands of glue there were.  So my question for wm_cheng:

What glue(s) do you use?  I noticed Micro-weld had the consistency of water (it's rarely in stock, so maybe it sells out quickly).  I've always gone for the thicker ones (Testors MM in the black container), as I like a minute or so to VERY precisely position parts, but then of course it takes a while to set and is bad for gear doors etc, as they like to fall over the moment you let go.

David, try Tamiya's extra thin cement. It's consistency is like water, but it sets up very quickly. Just apply a tiny amount and then attach the part to where you need it to be.

Just one warning. Because there's so little glue holding the pieces together, you may want to follow up with a small extra dab of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, just to re-enfoce it once the original application of glue has dried.

I use Revell's Contacta Pro for general glueing and pure MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Testors liquid cement contains this stuff and it dries fast) and even xilene (slower that MEK) for capilary action glueing.

[wm cheng]

Hmm, I'm not to sure of the spray can - I have used the Tamiya white primer spray, and it goes on great for large areas, but I find the spray cans lay on too much paint and its too hard to control for fine details and small parts. Good to know though.

I've been itching to try some of the different glues out there. I've just stuck to my old favourites over the years - for anything that requires strength, I use the Testors regular orange tube stuff. Smaller stuff I use the liquid cement - I've used the same bottle of testors for 6 years now, and finally I had to go out to get a new one - they had a sale on Tamiya (which puts in the same price as the testors) and I got that, don't notice a real difference though. Saw a neat glass tube for precise liquid cement placement, but it was too expensive ($25-30cdn) for now. I'd love to try that MicroWeld or MEK stuff - man, I didn't have so many choices in glues in my day - its really weird to be using the same stuff all the time and then suddenly look up and see all this stuff around you - it makes me feel old Can anyone let me know what their experiences are with these other glues - I'd like to know what to try. Like David, I'd like a little bit of time to precisely place a part (5sec) then have it hold the part or set soon (10sec) - prefereably something that doesn't ooze out the sides and can be very thin/vicous that can be precisely placed. Do they "melt" the plastic, or is it a chemical bond? Hey I'll start a chart with what I use:

Name: Type: Play Time: Set Time: Cure Time:

Testors Orange Tube Solvent (Thick) 15-20sec 30-60sec 4-8hrs

Testors Liquid Cemet Solvent (Thin) 5-10sec 20-40sec 2-6hrs

Crazy Glue (regular) CyanoAcrylate 0-5sec 5-10sec 30mins

(-this stuff comes in all flavours, thin to thick, fast and slow, with accelerators)

5min Epoxy Epoxy resin 2mins 5mins 6hrs

Hey can anyone fill in the rest - participation encouraged

Good questions, I'd like to try some new glues next time around.

Sorry, noticed that all my careful spacing to make the chart readable is ignored when I post - oh well - I hope you can make heads or tails out of it

Edited April 20, 2004 by wm cheng

[wm cheng]

Did a dry fit today - I'm pretty happy with the light grey/white colour.