R Palimaka Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 A couple more: Derek B, Uncarina, Starfighter and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparzanza Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Two 1/24 Airfix Mustangs so close to the finishline on this site! I like it. R Palimaka and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamj Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Really wonderful job on a very challenging kit...nicely done R Palimaka and Martinnfb 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 11 hours ago, Sparzanza said: Two 1/24 Airfix Mustangs so close to the finishline on this site! I like it. I like it too! Kinda cool they're both Canadian subjects. I've been busy the last two months with a couple of big related projects. They're mostly finished so I can concentrate on getting this over the finish line...although I'm not challenging you to a race, lol! 10 hours ago, williamj said: Really wonderful job on a very challenging kit...nicely done Thank you William! I appreciate that very much coming from you. It's not an easy kit, but I've enjoyed every minute. Loving the subject aircraft helps. Richard Martinnfb and williamj 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted April 8, 2021 Author Share Posted April 8, 2021 OK, four and a half years should have been long enough to finish this. This wont be a very exciting update, sorry, but it makes me feel like I'm near the end. We are now in a stay-at-home posture in Ontario, and so I'll be working from home for the next 28 days. I'd like to finish it this weekend, and have been slowly attending to all the fiddly bits to attach once the weathering and final coats are applied. First, all the lights that will go on once things are cured and dry. The navigation lights were a case of "whittling down a tree to make toothpicks." I used two suitably coloured toothbrushes and tried to stretch them like sprue. The plastic in them is very different and once heated they wanted to snap back like rubber. I had to hold them until they cooled, and then they were rock hard. Then it was carving and polishing and a coat of Tamiya clear red and green. The tail light was just a piece of clear sprue polished and coated with Future, and this'll be cut off and attached. The underwing signal lights were tiny discs of clear vacuform sheets stamped out with a leather punch ( I'm too cheap to buy a punch and die set ). They were again painted with Tamiya clear colours and dropped in to the kit holes, which were backed with white plastic card. The bezel surrounding each light was from a Eduard photo-etch set. The light positions on the kit are actually too small and close together on the wing, but not by much though. I decided to leave them as is. And no one will know...except anyone reading this. Finally the landing light. I got a little obsessive and rebuilt the kit light with a lens, the power cable, a small roller on the bottom and the forks that extend into the wheel well. Sorry, the photo is not very clear. Derek B, LSP_Kevin, MikeMaben and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted April 8, 2021 Author Share Posted April 8, 2021 The most frustrating part of the whole build was the sliding portion of the canopy. I've rebuilt it several times now. I wanted to eliminate the step at the bottom of the kit clear part, which fit into the skirt around the bottom. The front frame on the kit part also didn't sit properly against the opening of the bubble, leaving small gaps on the side and top. I sanded the entire step off the bubble, which required adding a strip on the inside of the skirt to hold it. Once I was happy with that the bubble had to be polished and dipped in Future. Once the bubble was attached I had to build the framing at the front, once again out of plastic card shaped to the opening. The rivet pattern was redone using a riveting tool. It's not perfect, but it's better. I wish there was a replacement aftermarket canopy available... Reskinned: Primed and rivets applied...one more light sanding to level things out. Better, good enough...don't want to jinx things by doing anything else. Also had to create a set of rails to replace the "working" versions in the kit. Evergreen "I" beams sanded and drilled. Anthony in NZ, LSP_Ray, Landrotten Highlander and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted April 8, 2021 Author Share Posted April 8, 2021 The next updates should be more interesting, sorry. I just thought if I posted the little I've done in the last few days it will pressure me to finish. A little bit of light weathering, final coats and then all the dangly bits attached. I think once I got the canopy finished and close to what I had in mind, it removed the one barrier that was making me hesitate. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokey Pete Posted April 8, 2021 Share Posted April 8, 2021 An absolute stunner. Bravo R Palimaka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Looking quite nice Richard R Palimaka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) After 4 1/2 years, the end is in sight. No, really this time. It's on its feet, with most of the dangly bits on. The last major task is the antenna wire from the back of the armour plate to the vertical stabilizer, and creating a pulley for the wire to go through the bubble canopy. Hopefully that won't cause many issues, the sliding canopy was a big pain to get right. The final tasks are a couple more antennas, battery drain tube, paint touch-ups and some very minor additional touches of weathering. For weathering i used water-soluble graphite pencils that I found in the local art store. They come in the usual grades of hardness, and are meant to be wetted for interesting effects on paper. I used them to emphasize the panel lines and create a bit of weathering. I wet the point of the pencil and drew it down the panel line, and then pulled the graphite in the direction of the airflow. The beauty is you can simply wipe it off if you're not happy with the result and try again. Once I got the hang of it I used it to outline access hatches/panels and individual rivets to make them pop a little. If you try it, one thing to remember is that although they dry to a pleasing dark grey, which worked beautifully on a NMF finish, it darkens considerably when you hit it with a clear coat. I learned the hard way. It forced me to change my mind about a very clean finish. I opted instead for a little bit of staining and dirt, as if it was operating from a busy summer camp for the Auxiliary Squadrons. A hint of dirt on the wing roots, and exhaust and oil stains from air-to-air combat practice . The exhaust stains were another lesson for an airbrush rookie. My first attempt was with thinned flat black, but that was much too dark. With a bit of work I was able to wipe it off, but I didn't want to repeat the panic of that exercise! Then I mixed my own version of smoke from dark grey and brown thinned considerably. That worked better, but I learned that the perfect amount of airbrushed exhaust staining was two passes BEFORE you thought it looked good. Still though, I'm happy enough. In different light it will appear anything from almost black to thin and grey. I'm not touching it again... Edited June 17, 2021 by R Palimaka Anthony in NZ, Chris Wimmer, Martinnfb and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 rafju, zerosystem, dodgem37 and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Palimaka Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 Finally, some overall "almost finished" shots. Sorry for the backgrounds, I was experimenting with lighting/settings in different locations with my camera instead of my phone...trying to get artistic. Anthony in NZ, Greg W, Rocat and 19 others 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony in NZ Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 That is absolutely superb! You have really taken the 'toy-like' look out of this kit and really refined her. Just beautiful! Still makes me want to do one to go with my 24th Mossie project.... R Palimaka and Chris Wimmer 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 Fantastic result, Richard! Kev R Palimaka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 It looks fantastic! You should be really proud of yourself for taking on that kit, and producing such a fine replica at the end of it. Matt R Palimaka 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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