Jaro Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Magnificent. Can't wait to see her on the landing gear! The final gallery should be a feast! chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Great show, Chuck. Looks marvelous. Sincerely, Mark chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemi Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Looks outstanding. Good call on the Alclad over metal foil. The rivets look amazing and add a huge amount to the surface detail. chuck540z3 and scvrobeson 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcel111 Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Such pristine and just perfect work... nothing more to say! Marcel chuck540z3 and Derek B 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael931080 Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Looking spectacular Chuck! Can hardly wait to see the finished 104! chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine104 Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Just superb Chuck! The rivets are an undoubted success in my book, particularly in how they change appearance upon angle and lighting. How delicate did you go with the application of Microsol on the Alclad/X-22 surface? It looks like the clear barrier did the job perfectly. I'm going to do my Alclad job like this so any info on that is very helpful. Anyhow, what decal film?! I look forward to what magic you will work with these metallic washes . David chuck540z3 and Derek B 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) Thanks Guys! Since so much could have gone wrong if the X-22 didn't seal the Alclad, I am very happy with the results- and also very relieved! 1 hour ago, Marine104 said: Just superb Chuck! The rivets are an undoubted success in my book, particularly in how they change appearance upon angle and lighting. How delicate did you go with the application of Microsol on the Alclad/X-22 surface? It looks like the clear barrier did the job perfectly. I'm going to do my Alclad job like this so any info on that is very helpful. Anyhow, what decal film?! I look forward to what magic you will work with these metallic washes . David Thanks David! It's really too bad everyone can't see the rivets in person, because close up to my eyes, I can hardly tell the rivets are raised at all. They are, of course, which makes them visible at all and I don't think you could create recessed rivet marks that would be as tightly spaced and as small without paint filling them in. If you want real small, the super tiny HGW 481011 set I used on the dorsal panels as an experiment show up much better than I expected. Since the kit and some of the other decals were so good, I didn't apply any Microsol to most of them and when I did, it was only to specific areas where I wanted the decal to settle down a bit more, like over panel lines and fastener detail. I added a thin bead of it and never let it pool, like I might normally do on a regularly painted surface. The key is to get the Microsol over the decal and try to avoid the paint. Another tip: When you are happy with the decals and there is nothing lifting or needing repairs, shoot a spot coat of X-22 over all of them. I've found that over time, some decals might start to lift as they dry out, so sealing them in prevents that, while softening decal film edges. Cheers, Chuck Edited March 14, 2021 by chuck540z3 Buster99, Daniel460, Marine104 and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aircommando130 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Chuck...that's a gorgeous F-104! Can't wait to smell that JP-4 exhaust out of that J-79! I'll for sure follow the Hellcat build! Have that kit too. Reminds of a bill board I saw at Cold Lake for Maple Flag years ago...said "Drink Canada Dry"...and I accepted the challenge! They meant Ginger Ale...I was downing Labatt's Blue! Cheers...Ron chuck540z3 and D.B. Andrus 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoobyDoo Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Wow, looks awesome! And as for the rivets, they are a visual representation of something that it there, most the time I can’t tell if they are raised, recessed, or flush. chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocat Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Great progress, a real beauty! Lot of tips, thank you. chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayW Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 My first comment on your F-104. When I was a kid, my favorite fighter by far was the F-104. I of course built the Revell or Monogram (don't recall which the manufacturer was) in 1/48. This build is going to look like it can taxi out and take off in thundering fashion. Well done as usual. BTW, I cannot wait to see what you will do with that Hellcat! chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmctaggart Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 Fantastic and sharp work. Gord chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine104 Posted March 15, 2021 Share Posted March 15, 2021 23 hours ago, chuck540z3 said: Thanks Guys! Since so much could have gone wrong if the X-22 didn't seal the Alclad, I am very happy with the results- and also very relieved! Thanks David! It's really too bad everyone can't see the rivets in person, because close up to my eyes, I can hardly tell the rivets are raised at all. They are, of course, which makes them visible at all and I don't think you could create recessed rivet marks that would be as tightly spaced and as small without paint filling them in. If you want real small, the super tiny HGW 481011 set I used on the dorsal panels as an experiment show up much better than I expected. Since the kit and some of the other decals were so good, I didn't apply any Microsol to most of them and when I did, it was only to specific areas where I wanted the decal to settle down a bit more, like over panel lines and fastener detail. I added a thin bead of it and never let it pool, like I might normally do on a regularly painted surface. The key is to get the Microsol over the decal and try to avoid the paint. Another tip: When you are happy with the decals and there is nothing lifting or needing repairs, shoot a spot coat of X-22 over all of them. I've found that over time, some decals might start to lift as they dry out, so sealing them in prevents that, while softening decal film edges. Cheers, Chuck Thanks Chuck for the info! I know what you mean about the HGW rivets. I bought some a few years back (ironically for the prominently raised ones on the F-104's rear exhaust area) and was a little disappointed in how 'shallow' they are, practically as flat as a decal, which for this purpose works perfectly. Having played with them a little bit, getting that many on your F-104 without having obvious rivet gaps where they didn't stick is impressive alone. Spot shooting X-22 over the needed areas sounds like a good idea too, will do! Cheers, David Derek B and chuck540z3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck540z3 Posted March 15, 2021 Author Share Posted March 15, 2021 One more tip David, or whoever else might be trying these rivet decals. Assuming you use Microset as a decal solution, you will find that the odd rivet might not stick, which leaves a gap. It was very few for me once I figured out the importance of using a decal solution over water, but it happens. Repairs are super easy by just cutting a thin slice of decal film to replace the missing rivet or two. What wasn't easy, was remembering where the heck they all were, because they were all over the place while I continued to add more rivets elsewhere. Being so tiny and with clear film, many of them completely disappeared which would have been OK, but after a coat of Alclad a few of them showed up again and I had to do repairs, which is a real pain with this metallic finish. Thinking I was finished with all them, a few more popped up again after I applied the X-22 clear coat, with the thinner in the X-22 no doubt reacting a bit with the decal film, making repairs even harder when they were removed, leaving a black background. So what would I do different next time? Place a tiny piece of tape beside each and every rivet repair to remind you where they are, and all of the decal film is removed before paint. If I had done this it would have saved me a lot of grief. Cheers, Chuck Daniel460, Marine104, scvrobeson and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiZac Posted March 16, 2021 Share Posted March 16, 2021 Chuck, I'd not visited this thread until today and I've just gone through the whole thing. What an incredible, inspirational build. Wow!! I'm speechless. chuck540z3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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