alaninaustria Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Damn Eric, she is a winner! Beautiful work so far mate!! Cheers Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 Thanks guys. A small set back....... I discovered a crack in the canopy! Now, I will usually get in and fix these things up but this one has me beat. It has happened sometime after I almost finished it, possibly a stress fracture of some sort. I will be writing this one off and trying to source a new canopy. A good mate of mine has already agreed to letting me borrow his one so that I can get this model finished whilst I find a new one. I have had contact with Luckymodel who are assisting at this stage. Even if I have to buy a new Hornet and throw the rest in the bin to get a new canopy, then so be it. I received the new Eduard Brassin GBU-12's today (don't you just love it when Hannants knocks on the door?) and immediately slipped into getting them together. They are VERY nice. The weapons starting to take shape. Uilleann, DesTROYer, F`s are my favs and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 An aspect of the build that I wasn't happy with was the black non slip surface beneath the cockpit. The Southern Sky decals just didn't look right. The ladder stenciling was too light, and the general shape of the decal was way off my reference pics. I got out the packing tape and ripped the decal from the model. I tried the Trumpeter decal, but it was a weird shade of grey so that came off as well. I then masked the black area and sprayed it (like I should have done in the first place!) Before: After: I cut up some lengths of grey decal and made the cross hatch symbol and arrow from scratch. From the same decal sheet I made the `ladder' lettering (from some `danger propeller' stencils') Some weathering applied to blend everything in a bit. Starfighter, F`s are my favs, DesTROYer and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted July 14, 2016 Author Share Posted July 14, 2016 I have dry fitted the loadout once again. I will tone down the stencils under the fuel tanks once I have a clear coat over the top of them. I also added the black marks either side of the grey stencils, which will also cop the same treatment. There is still so much work to go! blackbetty, Uilleann, DesTROYer and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 Looks great, Eric! mpk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted July 15, 2016 Share Posted July 15, 2016 What a nice-looking model. Those bombs are the BOMB! Love that texture. Sincerely, Mark mpk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted October 14, 2016 Author Share Posted October 14, 2016 Even though I have been a little quite with posting stuff on the net lately, doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I have put the Italeri Mirage away for a small break whilst I let some filler cure on it. During the time away from the Mirage, I have been tinkering with various stuff and actually finished the Williams Bro's Sparrowhawk... lovely kit! Once the Sparrowhawk was in the showcase it was time to work out what was next.... keep on going with the Mirage or power on through getting the Super Hornet finished. I have been shifting this thing around for a few months now in its 90% completed state, and it was getting to the stage where it was going to get damaged if I didn't sort it out. Of course, I have headed straight back into the problems that caused me to shelve it in the first place but now it is with the advantage of a fresh set of eyes. So here it is, ready to get back into it and finish it.... no excuses! Whitey, Uilleann and F`s are my favs 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewDoppel Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Wow! the bug is looking great as is the Sparrowhawk. Pity about the Hornet canopy. Hope you find a replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breaker Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Eric, Trumpeter now offer a full spare parts service on their website. You can probably sort a canopy out through them. If they haven't got any listed, contact them on Facebook and they'll sort it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_K2 Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Even though I have been a little quite with posting stuff on the net lately, doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I have put the Italeri Mirage away for a small break whilst I let some filler cure on it. During the time away from the Mirage, I have been tinkering with various stuff and actually finished the Williams Bro's Sparrowhawk... lovely kit! Once the Sparrowhawk was in the showcase it was time to work out what was next.... keep on going with the Mirage or power on through getting the Super Hornet finished. I have been shifting this thing around for a few months now in its 90% completed state, and it was getting to the stage where it was going to get damaged if I didn't sort it out. Of course, I have headed straight back into the problems that caused me to shelve it in the first place but now it is with the advantage of a fresh set of eyes. So here it is, ready to get back into it and finish it.... no excuses! What sort of reference is that, the Reid Air book? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted October 19, 2016 Author Share Posted October 19, 2016 What sort of reference is that, the Reid Air book? It is indeed that book. A most excellent reference for the build. So, whilst going over the model with a fine tooth comb looking for flaws and areas needing touch ups I decided to take the masking off the front windscreen to check for dust build up behind it. After all, the reason why this is now back on the bench is due to the fact that it was getting damaged on my shelf of doom, as well as dusty. Lucky I did, as I was confronted by the most displeasing sight of the clear part with a big crack in it. I have had no luck trying to source new clear parts from Trumpeter and realise that I may never succeed in that area. Lucky for me, my good mate was able to lend me his kit, not only to replace the cracked canopy, but now it has also donated its front windscreen. Of course the deal is that I will supply him with another set of clear parts, when I find them. If that doesn't happen then I will have to buy another kit. Anyway, I have fixed the problem now and have moved on. 2 steps forward and one back, but it's getting close. Anthony in NZ, F`s are my favs and Whitey 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Remarkable work: both on the Hornet and Sparrowhawk. Any ideas or thoughts as to why both the canopy and front windscreen cracked? I know we can rule out miss- handling. Looking good Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 Damn! Sorry to hear about the crack in the forward canopy! Looking forward to more updates Eric! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted November 5, 2016 Author Share Posted November 5, 2016 I was never happy with the small vent on the left LEX. Trumpeter would have you leave it as a gaping hole. It just had to be fixed I found some photo etch mesh, could have been finer, but a 100% improvement on what it looked like before. I then gave the model a coat of flat clear. I custom mixed it using Tamiya Clear, with enough Gunze flat base added such that the model wasn't too flat and at least some light reflected off the curves of the model. I then got stuck into the weathering. I am a `weather according to photos' modeler and will generally only add what is present on the real thing. I set up a small stand so that it made it easier to apply the oil streaking under the rear of the fuselage. Notice the reflection of my ever enthusiastic observer in the computer screen, and my potential next project propping the Super up. Some artist's oil was dabbed in spots and then streaked back along the fuselage firstly with a flat brush loaded with White spirits, followed by shaping the staining with cotton buds, and fingers. I wanted the oil to stain the paintwork, hence the reason why I have applied it over the flat coat rather than the gloss coat. The great thing about the oils is that they can be worked for hours/days after first application meaning that you can tone them down or add to them as you see fit. Some gunsmoke staining around the muzzle, added with thinned Tamiya smoke. also notice that I have applied some shading to the tip of the nose. I have started adding some of the many extra parts to the kit, including the safety switches that I scratchbuilt. Whitey, blackbetty, Uilleann and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Pretty damn cool mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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