silentsage

At the time this occurred, I was involved efforts to use high-speed cameras attached to aircraft to measure the motion of stores erased from military aircraft. The objective was to confirm that under a wide range of conditions the store would not collide with the aircraft when released. I believe the A-4 is out of position. When these tests are conducted, extreme care is taken to ensure that the stores and aircraft represent exactly the same condition that will be encountered in operations. For example, the stores and aircraft must be exactly the same color, using exactly the same paint, as will be used in service. I think the A-4 is out of position because it is close enough to the test aircraft for its wake to interfere with the store. This may be due to an attempt to give the photographer in the A-4 chance to get good pictures. An other good video is of the bomb bay of a B-1 on a low-altitude (~300 feet) release over a target. The bombs bounce around in the bomb bay like bowling pins during a strike in a bowling alley.The violence is incredible.

Many years ago I worked for McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis on the F-15 AN/APG-63 radar system. Our building overlooked the approach end to one of the runways at Lambert St. Louis airport. We had a test rig where we had a radome sticking out of one of the windows on one of the upper floors of the building, and a complete radar system behind it. We could test the radar by tracking aircraft approaching to land. The radar operated at around 9 GHz, which is about the same frequency as microwave ovens. The sidelobes from the antenna covered the entire side of that building. The joke in the lab was that folks on other floors could never figure out why their coffee never got cold. Also, it seemed that the radar lab had an unusual number of engineers who were going bald (among other things). The F-15 has a weight-on-wheels switch that, when closed, prevents the radar from transmitting, so people on the flight line are protected. The engineers ignored that for convenience.......

Is it OK to use Tamiya lacquer gloss coat over Tamiya acrylic paint? The acrylic gloss coat is OK, but some washes, etc., work better over a lacquer gloss coat. Thanks.

Thanks John!

Thanks very much Chuck, I see now how to di it

I have question for the experts on these forums. After years of not modeling, I'm building a Tamiya 1/32 F-16CJ. This is a superb kit. Can anyone provide some ideas for how to paint the fine raised lines that represent, for example, the electrial cables, hydraulic lines, etc., on the engine? This is a generic question that also applies to resin landing gear bays (e.g., aftermarket parts) and such. I another thread, chuck540z (https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/60892-tamiya-f-15c-kicked-up-a-notch-dec-117-done/page/6/3 ) outlines a method using a barrier coat. The idea is to paint the part (for example) with a lacquer-based paint of the color intended for the electrical cable, or hydraulic line, etc., , followed by a layer of acrylic clear coat, and then the final color in an acrylic paint. When all is dry, you can use a toothpick (or some such device) dipped in acrylic thinner, and use it to gently remove the acrylic coats. Since the base coat is a lacquer paint, it isn't removed by the acrylic thinner, and you end up with the detail in the correct color surrounded by the final coat color. The problem I've encountered is that trace amounts of the acrylic thinner affect areas that are not intended to be removed, and the final results is not the best. I'm curious to know how other paint these details. Any ideas will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I'm about to begin building a Tamiya 1/32 F-16CJ. All of the paint colors in the instructions are Tamiya paints. There are many fine details that need to be painted by brush - they are too small to be airbrushed. How well can Tamiya paints be painted by brush on small areas? I've used Model Master enamels for many years for such applications, but (as we know) they are going aways. Is it feasible to paint the Tamiya colors by brush? Any hints for doing this? Alternately, any suggestions for paints from other manufacturers? Thanks in advance.

Chuck - I've read many of your past build threads, and I'm following this one. I've learned a great deal from the excellent descriptions you provide of how each step of the build is accomplished. Most of all, I've learned some excellent tips on how to do various things. I know that writing these threads is a lot of work. Like many folks, I really appreciate your efforts. Thanks very much!

I'm using some photoetch parts that are intended to cover inlets and outlets on an aircraft. The PE parts contain a dense array of very fine holes corresponding to the actual grids on the aircraft. Does anyone have any clever ideas about how to preserve these holes through the painting process? I suspect that after being covered by the paint layer they will be filled and essentially lost. Thanks in advance for any help.