Marcel111 Posted August 24, 2020 Share Posted August 24, 2020 Wow, that’s painful but oh so necessary... Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) Here we go. The Tomcat is keeping me busy and I really enjoy painting it although I already know the finished model will not be as good as I'd expect it to be. A heads up for anyone planning to make the same modifications I made - the kit plastic is very hard and brittle and does not like to be squeezed. Cracks are appearing in several places and I am not sure I can hide them properly... but we will see. I have modified the Phoenix pallets by adding some very big O-scale rivets from Micro mark which work nicely to simulate the the big bolts on the real thing. The BRU-32 bomb racks from Quickboost were fitted as well. I know, there should have been gaps in front and behind them in which some wires are visible but I have to admit simply wasn't in the mood to fiddle around with wires. They would be hidden by the GBU-12s anyway. I am pretty sire the Quickboost BRU-32s aren't correct anyway, their front and rear angle seem to be too steep. I am not going to worry about that at this point, though. The pallets were then painted and weathered. Smoke is great to simulate accumulating dirt on hinges. Most of the visible spots made with Smoke will be filled with base colour to simulate old corrosion control tough ups. The pallets are pretty much ready to be fitted to the fuselage. Just a few small details to be painted. More smoke was added to most parts, simply sprayed through a mottling template. This will be sprayed over with base colour again, leaving behind a very subtle yet visible pattern under the paint. Several washes and filters were applied to the control surfaces. I am mostly using warm grey, black, white and blue oil paints to create a busy surface. Touch ups are applied at almost every weathering stage to simulate older and newer ones. Liquid mask applied with a sponge works great to create interesting surfaces. Contrast should have been a bit bigger this time as the result is just barely visible. Edited September 7, 2020 by Starfighter johncrow, Anthony in NZ, allthumbs and 21 others 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fvdm Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 (edited) Great work Ben. I think the contrast made with the liquid mask just looks fantastic. Edited September 7, 2020 by Fvdm Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Great Tomcat weathering tutorial, thanks! Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted September 7, 2020 Share Posted September 7, 2020 Great efforts going on here Ben. Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted September 8, 2020 Share Posted September 8, 2020 The extra detailing on the weapons pallets looks terrific. And the weathering is superb. It's always a joy to see your work on these pages! Rich Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngtiger1 Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Nice work Ben but then again I’m not surprise. Your work is always top notch. I need to get some of your vents on the fuselage for sure. Keep up thy e good work. Mike Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony in NZ Posted September 10, 2020 Share Posted September 10, 2020 Absolutely top shelf modelling, I always derive much pleasure seeing your work! Keep it up Ben...I am fan! Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 (edited) The Tomcat now has received its identity: Applying a coat of Tamiya X-22 diluted with Mr Levelling Thinner has protected the underlying coats of paint so that the carrier film has disappeared completely. I had omitted this step in the past as the MRP paints are glossy enough to avoid silvering, I'll be doing this again from now on. And here are two unforgiving photos of the carbon fibre shrouds in front of the nozzles. Carbon decals are usually extremely brittle and annoying to work with (that's why almost all of my F1 models are stalled...) and the ones I have used were no exception. The infamous "ring" between the shrouds and the nozzles will be covered with bare metal foil once the decals are sealed with clear varnish. Edited September 14, 2020 by Starfighter scvrobeson, A-10LOADER, LSP_Kevin and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 This is remarkable. Until I read your description I thought it had been painted on. What's the yellow dog bone? Did you make a stencil for the carbon fibre? Thank you. Sincerely, Mark Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 The "yellow dog bone" actually is a golden wrench, an award VF-102 got for maintenance excellence. I made a template for the carbon fibre decals indeed. That's when experience in other modelling fields comes in handy. The overall result is pretty good indeed. I have slightly sanded the sealed surface with a #3600 sanding sponge from Micromesh to get a smoother surface finish; I use those sponges on access panels as well in order to break the uniformity of the surface finish. Anthony in NZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted September 15, 2020 Share Posted September 15, 2020 Which carbon decals did you use? I've found Scale Motorsport ones are usually the best in terms of flexibility and strength. Not to mention that you can pretty much melt them to whatever shape you want with Tamiya X-20A, that's how I get them around winglets and crazy shapes. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted September 16, 2020 Author Share Posted September 16, 2020 Dusty model + messy bench + finished shrouds. The ring was covered with self-adhesive aluminum foil, the resulting effect is pretty nice I think. Sadly the fins do not fit as well as they should, especially the RH side one will need some attention. I need to better prepare my sub-assemblies before I start painting! The carbon decals need some attention as well, the front edge is not straight... sigh. Fanes, Squizzy 78, HerculesPA_2 and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony in NZ Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 Well she looks pretty darn awesome from my screen! Love your effects Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbetty Posted September 16, 2020 Share Posted September 16, 2020 wish i could do something close to that nice..... Starfighter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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