HobbyZoneUSA

More progress on the Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E Tiger II - the USAF and 425th TFTS decals are in the process of being applied. I'm working the markings a few at a time to avoid accidentally touching the markings while they're drying.

So I let this almost-finished F-5E sit on the bench while I contemplated that Tamiya Flat Aluminum finish. After fiddling with the PCM 1/32 Fw 190A-4 a bit, I am back on the F-5E and adding the yellow fuselage and tail bands of the 425th TFTS. I've never used the larger decals from Kitty Hawk before and I am pleasantly surprised! For such large decals, they're strong enough to be manipulated, but thin enough to conform to complex surfaces without any decal setting solution. I haven't seen aftermarket decals conform like these. While the yellow color looked off to me on the decal sheet, it looks just right over the silver (aluminum) paint. Photos soon.

So the basic fuselage is assembled so I can use it to work the wing/fuselage joint once the wings are ready. Wheel wells are installed and next comes the glue...

Here's that same close-up I shared earlier, this time I've put it through Lightroom and let it remove the excess color shift based upon the white of the 11. Now the camo colors do look like RLM greens with what looks like AMT-12 Dark Gray like the background color under the green heart.

The photos I posted and the corresponding photo RBrown posted all appear to be Photoshopped with blue-shifted color correction and (more than) a bit of vibrance added. If we dulled the photos back and dial back the blue, the camo colors could indeed be RLM, or a combo of RLM and captured colors. By the time I do any weathering, it won't matter much anyway...

Now THAT is what washable white is supposed to look like. The underlying camo is already peeking through the winter camo paint. Thank you for that!

This is similar to White 10 included in the kit, but both beg the question - are these painted white (off-white) or did they apply washable white on the upper surfaces? These color profles are misleading as they make it appear that the various markings were applied over the white (or carefully masked during painting), neither of which is typical for field winter camouflage. If this is washable white, then we have an interesting opportunity to show the effects of rain and weather on the white paint where the underlying camouflage will appear.

I know from my own experience that the moment I 'guess' on the upper wing camouflage pattern, someone will unearth a new photo documenting just how wrong my guess was...

Absolutely. The farther you are from the supply lines, the more you improvise with what you have on hand. Even though the USAAF was supposedly close to the supply lines in the UK, there are still documented instances (especially in the days after D-Day) when crews used RAF paints that were 'close enough for government work'.

When I was writing up the A-4 kit on Cybermodeler, I started searching online for better references on the paint schemes as I'm sure you've noted, they only provide the left side color profile (also off the internet) in the instructions and nothing else. I also found the photo above, also shared by RBrown, but I didn't retain it because I was looking for some proof that the wings were not the standard RLM pattern (which they are not). This squadron of JG 54 was doing with their Fw 190s what Gabreski's 56 FG would later do with the colors of their P-47Ds - ignore the published standards.

I'm planning to do one of the JG 54 schemes. There are two that are an odd mix of greens, browns, etc., that appear on the upper surfaces with RLM 76 on the undersides and the yellow ID panels. The instructions are of no help with these schemes, but these photos show the ad-hoc pattern and that pattern carries out onto the upper surfaces of the wings.

So Kitlinx sent over the new Pacific Coast Models 1/32 Fw 190A-4 kit, which is really their Fw 190A-1/2/3 kit with three resin parts to convert it to the A-4. Two of those parts replace the side vents with louvered vents and I had to see if it was as much of a challenge to convert as it appeared. The kit plastic is really hard, so you'll need a good razor saw to cut through the panel lines and I had the Alec Pro-25 which is thinner than the standard hobby razor blade saws. I cut around the panel lines of the original vent area, then filed on the opening and the resin parts to obtain a good fit. Once it looked right, I used cyano to glue the new vents into place right away as the nose would be structurally weak if left open. The fit was not the greatest, but switching frequently between filing and dry-fitting did the job.

Note: If we are low/out of stock for one or more items you are looking for, we usually have one or two shipments coming from the HobbyZone factory per week. The last two weeks have been especially busy for us, and we now have four shipments scheduled to arrive by Friday. Each shipment is typically over 150 pounds of the HobbyZone wood modules, so our UPS folks are not going to be too impressed with us this week. We will update stock levels each day on the site, so you can find what you need. Another option is to send us a list of items you're looking for along with your shipping address. We'll send you a PayPal invoice along with an anticipated shipping date for your order and you'll be at the front of the queue when our resupply orders arrive. Thank you for your business! New in the store: From ResKit, we have 1/48 resin wheels for the Rafale M, F-105 Thunderchief (two versions), F-86 Sabre and MiG-15 Fagot (two versions)

This was our second Wonderfest, and we've signed up for next year as well. This year, the special guest was Sybil Danning, the Queen of the B-movies, and she popped into a reception we attended Saturday night. She and her husband were supposed to be there only 30 minutes but hung out with us for 3 hours instead. She's even more beautiful in person!

Back to work on the Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E after a weekend at Wonderfest. The aircraft is ready for decals!

So the plan was to do this kit in the SEA camouflage, but MRP shows the underlying colors, especially the lighter ones. FS 36622 just doesn't look right over black using MRP (note to self, use the gray primer for that next time) so I opted for the aluminum lacquer scheme that came out of the Northrop factory instead. Here we are in the early stages...

Primer is on the Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E Tiger II kit. Since I'm not using the centerline tank in this build, I shot one half of the tank with the One Shot acrylic primer and then both halves with MRP. The MRP doesn't react to the primer nor does it seem to react to bare plastic.

For those who've been asking me where to get the Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E Tiger II (and other releases), Kitlinx.com is the new importer (bought out Pacific Coast Models) and they are in stock now!

For those who've been asking me where to get the Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E Tiger II (and other releases), Kitlinx.com is the new importer (bought out Pacific Coast Models) and they are in stock now!

Thanks Fred, I've reversed them and don't believe I did that. More coffee please...

More progress with the Kitty Hawk 1/32 F-5E Tiger II. I opted to install the main gear, pylons, and stabilators before primer, so that step is next.

Thank you. No surgery was required. The ECS vent is a shallow detail that actually opens up into the inside of the canopy (which I found out when I filled the recess on the exterior with 3M acrylic putty - it oozed out into the inside). I taped over the canopy clear area and wet-sanded the ECS vent to remove the molded-on frame and smooth out the putty. No problems. I'll be putting One Shot Black primer on the airframe tomorrow, and then starting the camo using MRP. I'm ready to get this one done!

While installing the flaps and ailerons onto the wings, I noticed that the ailerons are both deflected down while the flaps are set at full-up. While you see a few that might sag when parked, I didn't see many on the line at Nellis that way. I reworked the hinges and have them neutral. The canopy and windscreen are dry-fitted and I'll be removing the excess putty off the ECS vent on the canopy frame next.

One more backdate in progress, removing the ECS vent from the port side of the canopy. Photos soon.

Sorry for the delayed response Ray, but we're slowly getting them up there now. The first batch of GreenStrawberry items are online (priority was given to the LSP scales), and the first Foxbot decals are up as well. The digital Frogfoot in 1/32 is available with and without paint masks to replicate the digital paint scheme. We'll have the 1/32 digital Flankers up shortly. The Brengun kits are up now and their diorama accessories will be up shortly. The Begemot 1/32 USSR insignia should be here in the next week or so, and while we have new ResKit wheels inbound, I've poked that bear about how they really need to release many of their wheel sets in 1/32 scale.