allthumbs Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Great work Eric! You nailed the colors...looks just like the real deal. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nillus Posted December 9, 2015 Share Posted December 9, 2015 Awesome work Eric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted December 9, 2015 Author Share Posted December 9, 2015 Thanks guys. More updates soon. Nillus, I hope your colleague will like the jet he used to fly! Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 Some more work. I gave the model a coat of Tamiya clear Acrylic in preparation for decaling which I use due to its non aggressive and easy to use nature. I have used kit stencil data which is reasonably accurate for an Aussie A-4, and some of the Hawkeye decals. The Hawkeye stuff has been laser printed on clear deal film, so there is a need to underlay most of the decals with carefully cut white decal paper. Combine this with the fact that the decals are extremely thin and will warp and fold in upon themselves at the slightest touch and you have a pretty big challenge on your hands to get them looking good. I feel that some parts of the Hawkeye decals are approx 5% too big, which is a disappointment but unfortunately, they are the only ones which will produce the scheme that I am after that fill in the parts which I was unable to produce as masks. I am still to produce the pilots names decal that will sit on the port side under the windshield as I have finally found a picture which confirms that there were names painted there. I am just waiting for John to confirm he spelling of the name under his and then will proceed from there. Here is an example. First cut out a white decal triangle. Lay down a red triangle. I felt that the red was too light and wasn't matching the reds that I had already painted on the airframe. Luckily I had 2 sets of Hawkeye decals, so I was able to apply another red triangle for the desired effect. Here are some brass micro tube drains that I have installed into the rear fuselage I cut a small mask from paper and sprayed the cordite residue from the cannon blast deflectors on each side of the fuselage. I have been experimenting with Mig enamel washes to start highlighting panels etc. Some overall views of the model. I spend quite a bit of time looking at the model in this way to get the feel of how the model will present when it is finished. So far I am pretty happy with it. Whitey, Piprm, geedubelyer and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Eric Amazing work and always appreciate the "how to's and why's" Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Looks terrific Eric. I used the Hawkeye decals on my A-4 build and also found them to be temperamental. Looking great though, I like how you've matched the red on the triangle. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nillus Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Eric... I conversed with John last week. His opinion of your skills are in line with mine. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 I spent some time today fitting alot of the parts that have been hanging around this kit such as the leading edge slats and flaps, nose gear and horizontal stabilizers. I also test fitted the loadout. It should be noted that I have a tail sitter at this point in the build, as I didn't add any nose weight. By tail sitter, I mean that if it is pushed down at the tail it wont return to its nose gear by itself. I do however have a devious plan that will sort out the problem whilst only adding the minimum required amount of weight to get it to return to its nose if tipped, therefore keeping the total weight of the model down. I am pretty pleased with how this kit has turned out so far and cant wait to get it into the display cabinet. geedubelyer, Anthony in NZ and Piprm 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitali Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 Looks great Eric and you don't see to many Aussie A-4's built up. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericg Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 Part of the build has been connecting with the pilot of the aircraft. I tracked down John via Facebook and we have had quite a bit of correspondence about his time flying the A-4, in particular 882. I wanted to get his name on the side as per the original, so I set about making it happen. I tried using my inkjet printer and some spare clear decal sheet, only to see failure..... Here it is, and I certainly wasn't happy with it. I am lucky enough to have a good mate with an ALPS printer, so I asked him nicely and a couple of days later I received a very nicely printed sheet of pilots names, thanks Dave! Much better. I am pushing on with this build to hopefully see it finished by the end of the year. Whitey and geedubelyer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Eric Just eating up the build .. Looking brilliant Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Great work Eric. Those alps decals look the biz. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Really great work Eric!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Good work, mate. Nearly there! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Awesome Eric! Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now