Hasegawa J2M3 Raiden Finished 9/5/13

[Daywalker]

Great to see this one again Frank. Who was it that said "I love it when a plan comes together..."? Looks like the fun starts very soon! Cheers, Ralph.

 

Thank you for looking in Ralph! I was just browsing again through your build of this kit yesterday, a stunning model it is!

 

This build is so clean, can't wait to see some paint on her. Unbelievable paintwork on those instruments

 

I appreciate that Mikkel, thank you so much! I must admit to being very proud of that IP. Can't wait to sling some paint at her!

[Thomas Lund]

Looks great - excellent pit. Good to see it restarted. What a cool looking plane - looks like a hot rod

[Daywalker]

Looks great - excellent pit. Good to see it restarted. What a cool looking plane - looks like a hot rod

Thank you Thomas, sure feels good to have her back in the works!

[Daywalker]

Sorry for the delay in progress reports, I have been spending more time building and less time on the boards. I was finally able to get my photo booth set up again, so I quick snapped some photos to show where I am with this one.

 

The upper and lower colors have been sprayed, using a loose mottle over the plastic to give the effect of deteriorating paint as opposed to heavy chipping. I did, however, chip the propeller blades and spinner quite heavily as I thought these would see a lot of abuse during service. Then, I used my last set of Ad Astra masks to paint the hinomarus and tail number. I also masked and sprayed the yellow/orange leading edge panels.

 

 

A clear coat, and we're now ready to start weathering this beast! I really want to get this one (as well as the other two) finished so I can get back to that Tamiya Corsair. What an amazing kit that one is turning out to be!

[Daywalker]

Finished!

 

 

More photos here.

[Thomas Lund]

Lovely work - so nice to see a japanese plane that hasn't been chipped to death. I really really like it

[LSP_Kevin]

Very cool Frank!

 

Kev

[Guest Peterpools]

Frank

Awesome work. Fit and finish is right on the money.

:thumbsup:

[Daywalker]

Thank you fellas, glad you like her!

 

Lovely work - so nice to see a japanese plane that hasn't been chipped to death. I really really like it

 

Thank you Thomas, and I agree! I like to add subtle chipping on my Japanese aircraft, but not too much.

[Thomas Lund]

Thank you Thomas, and I agree! I like to add subtle chipping on my Japanese aircraft, but not too much.

 

Actually it's one of my pet peeves (spelling?). Some ARMY aircraft chipped violently - you can easily find pictures of Ki-43's and 84s that has chipped a lot. But the NAVY aircrafts did not chip a lot due to the treatments to make them more corrosion resistant. I'm sure someone will put up a picture of a Navy plane that was chipped, and sure some did, but try and do a google on the different types and notice the distinct difference in amount of chipping.

 

Now the J2M was a NAVY plane operationg from land bases, so I actually had to do a google just to be sure.

 

I like your chipping a lot - shows wear and tear, but not loosing the paint like I'm loosing my hair :-)

[Daywalker]

Mine too Thomas. I have seen a couple of models where the chipped paint effect was done VERY well, and those few were a joy to behold. Not trying to knock others builds, but the effect seems relatively difficult to pull off effectively. As you said, the IJN aircraft did not USUALLY chip much at all, though I have seen two photos of some which were, in a field at the end of the war and who knows how long they had actually been sitting there before the photo was taken. But, to see IJN aircraft (especially the A6M) chipped is rare.