1/32 Hasegawa N1K2-J Shiden Kai 343-45

[Dpgsbody55]

Looking really good.  Glad to see you're not hiding the engine away too.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[Thunnus]

Thanks guys! And now we present the salt fading stage of this build.  I imagine there are a number of ways to do this but it essentially uses salt crystals to form a random pattern mask to replicate the staining/wear you might find on an aircraft that's parked outside all of the time.  Based on my own inconsistent results using this method, I claim no expertise and simply offer this as a document to this stage of the build.

 

Salt can only be used as a mask if it stays affixed to the model and we can accomplish that by using water, which dissolves salt.  I like to perform this technique after a flat coat at the end of painting/weathering process for a couple of reasons.  Number one is that subsequent clear coats, both flat and gloss tend to reduce the effect of the salt fading, sometimes to the point of making it disappear completely.  Another is that water covers a flat coat uniformly and doesn't bead like it would on a glossy finish.  Finally, salt residue, which can deposit itself unseen in the little nooks and crannies, can be flared into a white frost when an additional flat coat is applied.

 

I use rock salt that I crush to appropriate grain in a small ceramic dish.  I like to use small salt crystals and try to avoid salt dust.  Too much salt dust simply liquefies in water and can dry in a pool, preventing a random pattern to imparted to the treated surface.

 

 

Using a soft paint brush, I cover the area with a coat of water.  Before the water dries, I sprinkle my salt crystals onto the wetted surface.  Hopefully, the majority of the crystals should stick to the wet surface, otherwise it'll just bounce off.

 

 

I work across the model, wetting the surface and adding salt as I go.  It's mostly random but I try to concentrate the salt a little more along the panel lines.

 

 

We let that dry completely.  I just leave it on my modeling desk for a couple of hours.

 

 

Once this is dry, we can spray paint on it.  I use a highly-thinned light grey or beige color, in this case Tamiya Deck Tan.  It is thinned at a 12:1 thinner:paint ratio.  Spraying it on is the tricky part.  It is very difficult to discern the effect as you are spraying.  I mist the lighter color on in random swipes corresponding to the airflow over the wings and perpendicularly to airflow over the top of the fuselage.  Too little and you get no visible effect.  Too much and you get a chicken pox pattern that is difficult to correct so I tend to err on the side of too light.

 

After the paint is dry, you can remove the salt crystals.  I usually brush off the big salt crystals by hand or with a stiff brush into a trash can.  And then I'll spray down the area with water, letting the water drain OFF the model and then gently wipe off the remainder with a clean cloth.  Hopefully you'll get some realistic wear patterns left behind.  Here is the engine cowling after the salt fading.

 

 

The effect, I think, is pretty effective. In this particular instance, I erred on the light side again and the result is a very subtle and almost imperceptible effect in most places.  There was some inconsistency with my paint application and I had to dial down some of the more obvious streaks using Micromesh.

 

Here is the model in the light box after the salt fading.  I'm going to let this completely dry out before going any further to make sure that no remaining salt frost gremlins remain.

 

[Out2gtcha]

Great work!!

[AlbertD]

What I really like about the salt weathering is that it gives the surfaces texture. It let's the light reflect off it in different ways over the paint. Very nice. It sure looks odd with all those salt crystals all over it though.

[LSP_Kevin]

That looks stupendous, John! I've not really been a fan of salt fading in the past, but you've achieved some really effective results here.

 

Kev

[Troy Molitor]

Wow.  Just WOW.  I agree with AlbertD's comment above.  The amount of salt you put on her and it looks like it's too much.  Once its dry and sprayed and removed but it comes out as just right when we see it again.  

Well done.  Love it John.  

[Thunnus]

Onward we fly... now it's time to start adding all of the external bits and pieces that were painted and weathered previously.  The tail wheel slots in positively via two slot/tab connections on an interior bulkhead within the fuselage.  Since I can't access the glue joint from the outside, this is a good time to bust out the old school Testors tube glue.

 

 

A look at the bottom before fitting the main landing gear.  I may do some minor on the bottom staining and wear.

 

 

The main landing gear legs are glued into their slots, again using tube glue.  I have to make sure that the flat spot on the tires are in the correct orientation so I have to tackle this one component at a time.

 

 

The landing gear actuators are glued into place at this time as they help to ensure that the landing gear legs are at the correct angle.  After I let the glue securing the tail wheel and landing gear legs dry, I glue on the tires minus the wheel hubs.  While the glue has not yet hardened, the tire flat spot is aligned with the ground surface.

 

 

The landing gear covers are glued into place.  We can verify that the wheel flat spots are flat on the ground.

 

 

The wheel hubs are then glued into the correct orientation.

 

 

Next I glued the engine assembly into place using, once again, a big blob of tube glue to ensure a good bond.

 

 

The engine cowling fits more snugly with the engine glued into place, which is a good thing.  I've left it unglued, therefore removable.

 

 

The combat flaps are also a tight friction fit so I'll leave them removable as well.  This will simply the packing procedure as this model gets shipped.  The inner landing gear doors and actuators are glued in as well.

 

 

On its own legs for the first time, the Shiden Kai is fast approaching the finish line.

 

 

[Rockie Yarwood]

Really looking sharp!

[Thunnus]

Thanks Rockie!  Putting the finishing touches on this Shiden Kai build.  The last final bits are added like the boarding step and the tiniest little external doodad on the fuselage bottom...

 

There are clear lights on top of the wing.  Instead of kit clear pieces, I used UV-activated clear epoxy, which is much easier to handle than those rice grain-sized parts.

 

And finally... time for the masks to come off of the canopy!

 

 

Luckily, no drama unfolded and the canopy looks ok with the exception of a few dots of dust on the inside.  First time I hairspray chipped the canopy frames and thought this turned out nicely.

 

Oh yeah... you can see the brass gun barrels in place too!  Tomorrow, I'm going to take photos of the bottom and the add the antenna and aerials.  So the next update will most likely be a link to the finished photos.

[Wackyracer]

Superb AGAIN John. Luv every part of this build. The salt work makes the kit. Just looks so 'right'

 

Aaron

[Kaeone57]

GORGEOUS George!!

Edited November 21, 2020 by Kaeone57

[chuck540z3]

Looking great John!  Nothing like salt weathering to bring out random color tones that look so real.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[AlbertD]

That's some work to be proud of. Everything looks amazing. 

[Thunnus]

Let's call this one a wrap!  Still need to string the aerials but I should be able to get the finished pictures up at RFI later today.  But here's a sneak peak...

 

[Beaconroot]

Simply stunning work! Well done sir!

Jim Root