turbo Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 Looks good John, the post-shading is looking nice and subtle - just right! Thunnus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 What a beauty! Your attention to detail is amazing! What is next after this build John? Cheers Alan Thunnus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 Thanks guys! 20 hours ago, alaninaustria said: What a beauty! Your attention to detail is amazing! What is next after this build John? Cheers Alan Probably a counseling session with my modeling therapist! Just kidding! I still have the G-14 in process and Fw190D-13 on the backburner. After those, I'm wanting start my own Shiden Kai. This one hasn't quite given up its fight against me yet, I'm afraid. It's getting there but it has been a test of patience and will. After the flat coat, I wanted to give the upper surfaces another layer of depth and added some salt fading. This technique can be quite tricky to pull off. First, you coat the surface with a thin layer of water. And then you sprinkle salt of varying grades onto the wet surface. After the water dries completely, you spray a very light coat of color. When you remove the salt after the paint dries, the result should be a random pattern formed by the salt crystals that mimics a surface that has been exposed to the elements. But the line between too subtle and too harsh is difficult to gauge. My first try on the Ta-152H resulted in no visible effect. Too subtle. So I tried one more time. A little more successful but I started to get a little bit of white frost on the finish that I had to beat back by spraying the affected areas with straight lacquer thinner laced with a touch of gloss. We can take a look at the results of the salt fading a little later but I wanted to move on. I flipped the bird on its back and put in the tail landing gear. No issue there although the connection isn't as rock solid as I would've hoped. Next I attempted to install the main landing gear. This step has made me nervous ever since I saw the instructions. The fit was going to be super-tight and the way the attachment is designed, I was afraid that any attempt at a dry-fit would've locked the gear in place for good. So I approached it as a one-shot deal. It's a unusual method of attachment to say the least and involves an insert-and-twist move that is just reeks of potential disaster. Seriously, Z-M? It took me a few attempts to get this to work. I had no choice but to force the legs in and that ended up crack the adjacent wing joints. Not to a catastrophic degree but enough to require some careful repair on both sides of an already highly repaired joint. So a momentary pause while I applied liquid glue and hope that I can get a good bond. If not, I'll have to resort to thin CA glue, which I probably should've used off the bat. The tape is over the worst separation. Good news is that the model is still in one piece. Landrotten Highlander, Troy Molitor, Kais and 11 others 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 No matter what the kit throws at you, you're going to defeat it. I wonder if the metal legs they sell use the same attachment method? Matt Martinnfb and Thunnus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 ' . . . ended up crack(ing) the adjacent wing joints.' That's a sh!t. Sometimes it seems as if there is always something. I'm finishing up a Hartmann White 1 and having to deal with the same thing. Best of luck. Sincerely, Mark Thunnus and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Thunnus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 17, 2020 Author Share Posted June 17, 2020 A bad design choice compounded by a modular wing structure that places multiple glue joints near this high stress area. Some of the joints are visible from both sides, meaning they are on the exterior of the wing surface AND on the visible interior surface of the wheel well. I think I was lucky to have gotten the legs in without more trauma and was able to repair the exterior surfaces to an acceptable level. But I now have cracks in each of wheel wells that I just don't have the room to repair adequately. I'll hide them superficially with paint but if you look, you'll see them. Easily avoided if Z-M took a more practical approach to the landing gear attachment. I'm going to breathe a big sigh of relief when this one crosses the finish line. 15 hours ago, scvrobeson said: No matter what the kit throws at you, you're going to defeat it. I wonder if the metal legs they sell use the same attachment method? Matt I have the metal legs and they look identical to the plastic parts. Martinnfb, Kais, Troy Molitor and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 18, 2020 Author Share Posted June 18, 2020 The cracked joints have been repaired, at least from the outside. This was the worst one. I couldn't do much with the visible crack on the inside of the wheel well except hide it with dark paint and an enamel wash. More visible in person than in photos but it's tucked up in the wells so I'm good with it. Like I said, I was pretty lucky that I didn't cause more damage with the landing gear insertion. During the repair process, I added a lens to the wing gun camera using UV epoxy. Once the repairs were complete, I glued the wheels on using JB Kwik Weld 2-part epoxy. This allows me some time to make sure the flat spots on the tires are correctly oriented on the ground. The actuating rod and landing gear doors were glued into place. The Tank fighter is now standing on its own legs. This marks the beginning of the end of this build. Only a few more things to do before I can finally be free of this. But she is still kicking me in the pants... the boarding ladder is nowhere to be found. I'm thinking it got stuck on a piece of masking tape during the painting process and got inadvertently tossed into the trash can. My first attempt to scratch one failed so I'm gonna have to try again. dodgem37, rafju, Trak-Tor and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaninaustria Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Sorry to hear about the gear mishap. But, she is looking gorgeous!! Such an elegant yet deadly fighter! You’re doing a magnificent job on her! Cheers Alan Martinnfb and Thunnus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 It sure looks fantastic though. Hopefully you can find the ladder for it so you can finish it up. If not, I guess there's always scratch-building. Matt Thunnus and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 That is one nice-looking model, John. Sincerely, Mark Martinnfb and Thunnus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 1 hour ago, alaninaustria said: Sorry to hear about the gear mishap. But, she is looking gorgeous!! Such an elegant yet deadly fighter! You’re doing a magnificent job on her! Cheers Alan Couldn't agree more. Martinnfb and Thunnus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 WOW, man, that is pure awesome sauce! The sit and look of the fighter are spot on IMHO. Thunnus and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Molitor Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 Gorgeous looking Ta-152 John. Seriously, awesome build. Thunnus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 Thanks guys! It's been a struggle but here at the finish line, there isn't much evidence of the battles, which is a good thing. 7 hours ago, scvrobeson said: It sure looks fantastic though. Hopefully you can find the ladder for it so you can finish it up. If not, I guess there's always scratch-building. Matt Or I'll just show it in the stowed position. That's probably how the fighter looked on the ground at most times anyway. The last bits and pieces are being added. The flaps are glued into place. The attachment tabs had to be trimmed to account for the brass part that was used for the upper wings. I chickened out on the brass flaps... I categorized the required folding as humanly impossible. The landing lights were tiny bits of clear plastic that were painted transparent red and blue. Also added at this stage were the delicate aileron/tab actuating arms. Removal of the canopy masks is always a nervous time. Didn't know what to expect, especially the way this model has fought me. Outside of a little bit of overspray that was cleaned up with a wooden toothpick dipped in iso alcohol, the clear parts turned out ok. In my effort to douse some of the frosty white that was starting to creep into the finish, the salt fading effects were greatly reduced. You can just make out remnants of the technique in these photos. You can also see some of the chipping I've added with a silver pencil. The next time I show the entire airframe, I think it will be of the finished model. Kagemusha, Brett M, Rivas and 16 others 18 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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