David66

I don't use metal U/C legs very often but when I do I treat them the same way as plastic legs. I use Alclad Black Primer and Micro-Filler, Alc-309, as a base coat. I then use Revell #07 or Humbrol #21 Gloss black followed by Alclad Chrome, Alc-107 or Airframe Aluminium, Alc-119, for the oleo section, when this is dry, I give them a quick coat of Klear (Future) to seal them, mask the oleo section with Tamiya tape and airbrush the appropriate colour onto the rest of the legs. A little touch of tamiya X-19 Smoke usually gives them a nice 'oily' / weathered look. To prep them for painting, I use a very sharp scalpel blade to remove the mould seams followed by a quick polish with flexi-files. To correct any surface pitting / flaws,I sometimes use cyanoacrylate followed by a quick polish with the aforementioned flexi files, etc. However, I try to avoid this as the C.A can be a bugger to sand and polish, especially on white metal and/or when in a confined space. Hope this helps somewhat, cheers, David.

This is my Luftwaffe Phantom in the Norm 72 scheme.
I used the Revell kit and enhanced it with some left over parts from a Tamiya F-4, mainly the cockpit and tail fin cap.
I also used a set of seemless resin intakes as the kit featured no intake trunking at all.
The set is meant for the Tamiya kit so I needed to adapt the kit and resin to get a good fit.
The Decals are from AirDoc, a set for the national and squadron markings and a set for the stencils, and there were a lot of those to apply!
As the kits nose undercarriage leg is too small I got a SAC set to replace it, but the set turned out to be a white metal copy of the kit parts, so I scratch built the nose leg.
I used Xtracolor enamels for the camouflage.
 
 
 

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Thanks for looking

Here are some WIP shots:
 
Fitting the resin intakes:
 

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Some "modification" of the kit parts was required:
 

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My scratch built nose wheel leg, alongside the kit part:
 

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The modified Tamiya tail fin cap compared to the revel part:
 

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And here she is alongside a friend
 

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Thanks for all the comments and compliments!
 
I've been asked where I keep my collection of 32nd scale F-4s,(I've four of them).
 
Here they all are:
 

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They're kept cosy by a 32nd Tornado at one end, and a 24th Hurricane at the other.

LSP:
 
To go along with the recent decal announcements here's another!  We are in the process of scaling up our Victory Productions 1/48 F-104 "USAF & NASA Starfighters" sheet to 1/32.  Due to size constraints we're looking at (most likely) 3 individual sheets.  These will allow you to build just about any American F-104 from NASA, to USAF, to drones, to even one of the US Navy birds at China Lake (how's that, eh? "Navy" on an F-104?) We've been in touch with a gentleman who was an aircraft mechanic with the 479th and later with Lockheed and the German transition birds in Arizona.  He has a plethora of color pics that will only enhance what should be a bumper sheet. In particular the "yellow" birds from the 436th TFS of the 479th.  This is a boon as pics of these birds are few and far between. Looking to time it with the release of Italeri's F-104A/C. Once the layout is complete we'll post of few pics,
 
Bob

The metal needs to be as clean as possible, a glass fibre tool is perfect for this, although do the work outside as the broken fibres are very irritating. You are aiming to get rid of any oxidation, release powder or even mould residue, as well as any surface roughness from the castings. depending on the hardness of the metal, you might need some fine files, or perhaps steel wool, to get a good finish. Any oleo sections can then be polished and masked. If the metal isn't 'white' you might need to paint it with Alclad or similar. Then, ideally, you need a real etching primer, not just a paint coloured to look like etch primer! Here in the UK, Halfords, the auto parts chain, sell several such paints designed for real auto work, but I haven't checked their current range recently. Otherwise, provided your clean up with the glass fibre brush should provide enough physical 'key' for a conventional model primer paint to stick well. I have used Vallejos recent primers and they stick pretty well, provided the item is spotlessly clean, especially of any greasy fingerprints. A slosh with isopropanol just prior to painting, works well as a degreaser. then, you can usually bake metal parts, even elevating the drying temperature by 20 or 30 degrees, will help harden the paint really well, something that is difficult to do with plastic parts!
 
I will try and dig up some etch primer products shortly.
 
Tim

Hi everybody,
 
Sorry if i do not often post...my english is bad 
 
But i shall want to show you my current build,a F-14A Tomcat from Tamiya, i started with this kit :
 

 
I try to make this plane :
 

 
For that,i need a "Superscale" decals sheet for the marking, a "CAM" decals sheet for the data in high visibility and many other accessory...
 


 
My objective is to represent the Tomcat on a catapult....the challenge for me...
 

 
 
 
 

Black for me too....
 

 
Tim

Octarin.
 
Can't see it? Then you are no sorcerer
- dutik

Bats.
 
Decapitated bats.

Barbie pink
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
...that should keep a few minds busy for a while now...

My favourite colour is apple.
 

Poiple. Yeah. Both types, the kind that has more red in it and they type that has more blue in it.
But none of dis washed out poiple like lavender or a light mauve. Gimmee da full strength colors.
Stephen

Hi Folks!
Anyone wish to take a short ride aboard a Typhoon jet?
Yes? Well, hang on as the jet takes to clawing low level through the Welsh Valleys and the Lake District of the U.K at breath taking speeds. The jet is based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
If this doesn't inspire you to go make a model of it then nothing will!
Have fun.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjvgC1cKQGA&feature=youtu.be

I've just had a look at the Big H's future releases, and stuck in the middle of the Italeri's listing is a 32nd F-104C , no other details , but a USAF C is on the way , Lets give one and a half cheers..!

When???

Thanks, D and David,
 
I glued the pieces inside the wing, but left the outer portion unglued. The only fit issues I had were the brass MG barrels I'd "borrowed" from my P-47D Bubble Top build stuck through and obstructed the channel for the wing supports. Some furious filing remedied that.
 
Somebody say "amen."
 
Tamiya has clearly been feeling the "heat" of Z-M and the interior detailing that's hidden once you build the thing is a pity, but a pleasure to see anyway. If Tamiya isn't going to release the bubble top version soon, I'm def going to build another one so I can fold the wings.
 
 
 
They are ****ing fantastic. The masks for the clear parts are also good (Tamiya's have to be cut out (don't get that at all), but their fit was not perfect. I got the pre-release Barracuda details, and the instructions didn't 100% match the decals on the sheet, so hopefully BS has remedied both since then.
 
I also used Radu's upgraded intake screens and one of his seat belts. Always a good idea to get whatever Radu releases.

It didn't happen often, but there's a picture in the Modellers Data file (Page 38, chapter 3) of an F4U-1A on Majuro Airfield with it's wings folded. The a/c number on the undercarriage doors is 163. I'm fairly certain it's not a NZAF aircraft and it appears to be ready for ops as it has a bomb on the centre line pylon. Hope this helps. At the end of the day, it's your model and if you want to fold the wings then go for it.

Hi Bill, if you glue them in place, you'll have a bugger of a time getting the folding outer panels to fit the stub wings (Guess how I know this, lol). I glued mine firmly inside the outer panels and had to do some serious scraping and filing to get the outer panels to fit over the supports. I was also left with a very slight step between the inner and outer panels. The moral of the story is:- Read the instructions. If you follow Tamiys instruction sheet, you wont go wrong. This is possibly the best kit I've ever had the pleasure of building. Regarding the blast tubes/M.G barrels, I just glued some plastic tube inside the wings and used a round, rat-tail, file to smooth everything out. Only did it on the off chance that I don't replicate the commonly seen, taped over M.G openings. The only A.M I used was the Barracuda wheels, engine upgrades and cockpit stencils. Hope this helps, David.

Sorry to hear that David - you'll be missed!
 
Iain

Congratulations to Kittyhawk Models for a great looking 1/48 scale Sepecat Jaguar, here's the link to the first test shot buildup of their model.
 
 
http://www.hyperscale.com/2012/reviews/kits/kittyhawkpreview_1.htm
 
If only we could get someone to take the plunge and do it in 1/32 scale!!??
I've asked it many times, why oh why has nobody done this in our scale yet in an IM plastic kit?
This is a really popular subject with many modelers around the world, it's an international aircraft that has served in many airforces and deserves to be on the 'must do' list of kits.
If you agree with me that this should be a priority subject for manufacturers, please support this thread with your encouraging comments for prospective viewers within the industry.
I'd like to do several of them before I go to the great modeling room in the sky!
Roy. (Huge Jag fan!)