Martinnfb Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I am switching to chess . Fanes, D.B. Andrus, Uncarina and 6 others 2 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted May 28, 2021 Author Share Posted May 28, 2021 14 hours ago, Uncarina said: Looking good John! Thanks for the comparison of pull-rings. The Quinta set is a game-changer for sure. Cheers, Tom Thank you Tom! The 3D decal technology is certainly impressive but there is room for improvement. Like the prepainted PE stuff from Eduard, the grain/resolution of the paint process is visible and can be distracting on certain parts. I'm sure we'll see improvements in the future. 13 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said: Wow, that’s looking fantastic! Quinta stuff really is a game changer. It's very cool stuff... I love checking out new products! 13 hours ago, scvrobeson said: Awesome update. These 3D decals really do change the cockpit, and look so much better than flat PE would. Matt That's the biggest advantage that I see with these 3d decals. 2 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said: One thing to note on MB seats with the overhead face curtain pull rings (including Phantoms) - they aren't really bright yellow and black. The real thing is a braided rope (?) that's been coated with some sort of clear varnish type material. That makes the yellow much more of a dull mustard yellow color. I'm still not 100% sold on the pull loops. I'll play around with the Eduard version and maybe try some wire. If I go with the Quinta ones, I'll try and tone down the colors. 2 hours ago, Kagemusha said: That's jaw-droppingly good John. Thank you very much! 1 hour ago, jenshb said: One thing I have noticed on a lot of builds - incuding my own - is that the fit of the windshiels leaves a larger gap if it is fitted after painting and decalling so that it doesn't look as "integrated" as if you were to glue it in place before painting the model. Thanks for the heads up! My plan is to install the windshield prior to painting so hopefully, I'll get that joint to not stand out. 32 minutes ago, Martinnfb said: I am switching to chess . Paul in Napier, Uncarina, Martinnfb and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 I got the cockpit hoods painted. I didn't do anything fancy like trying to mimic the fabric texture of the shrouds... just painted them. According to my F-14A book, the starboard side shroud between the pilot and radar operator was accessed much more frequently than the port side, causing it to wear more and even replaced. That's why I painted them in different colors. The pull loops on one of the seats has been temporarily removed as I'm trying to tone down the coloring a little bit. I want to add a little bit to the nose wheel well so I am not at the gluing stage yet but I wanted to check the fit of the various forward fuselage panels. The one thing that Tamiya does that continues to impress is making things fit oh so well. They are the only manufacturer that can butt two parts together at a panel line and have that panel line turn out uniform (provided you don't screw up with the glue). One thing I'm NOT a fan of is the light-colored plastic that Tamiya used for this kit. I much prefer the darker neutral gray plastic of the Corsair kit... easier to see and photograph. Just playing around with some of the bigger components to check the fit. More Tamiya precision. LSP_K2, Greg W, scvrobeson and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenshb Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 The first time I dryfitted the forward fuselage to the rear, I couldn't believe the precise fit. I was grinning like an idiot while taking it apart and putting it back together just to make sure it wasn't a mistake:) Thunnus and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringleheim Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Just found your build, John, and enjoyed all 3 pages of it. That Quinta cockpit stuff is really interesting; I want to give it a try based on your build here, it's very inspiring. Looking forward to seeing this one come together! Martinnfb and Thunnus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 There's definitely something magical about Tamiya engineering, and you're of course doing it justice. Can't wait to see what comes next John. Matt Thunnus and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenshb Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 7 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said: So I just discovered this. It says “early” - what exactly does “early” mean? It is the early mid-breech panel (that's what Gerry Whiteside - ex-Tomcat maintenance guy - caleld it) - the type that the Tomcat went into service with. The panel that Tamiya has in their kit is the type that was replacing this. However, this panel was interchangeable, so you can see this style of panel being used on late 80s aircraft too. Check photos of the aircraft you want to build. I have used this on two Tomcats, and the fit is pretty good. Add some shims here and there and a litte careful filing, and it will go in just nicely and look like Tamiya tooled it:) $13...? scvrobeson, Thunnus and Martinnfb 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 1, 2021 Author Share Posted June 1, 2021 Thanks guys! The nose wheel well attaches beneath the cockpit tub so if I want to move forward, I have to complete the nose wheel well. Based on my references, there is an absolute maze of wires and pipes in the wheel wells and I am not brave enough to try and replicate it. But I've added a little bit of wiring to help enhance the overall busy-ness of the kit parts. The wiring has been added in a way that enables me to pull apart the nose wheel well components. So I can take advantage of this and paint the nose wheel well components separately prior to assembling the box structure. Anthony in NZ, LSP_K2, Dragon and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.B. Andrus Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 Speaking of Ejection Seat Pull Handles: Uncarina, LSP_K2, Thunnus and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvrobeson Posted June 2, 2021 Share Posted June 2, 2021 Great progress John! Is that lead wire just threaded through little pieces of copper tube? Matt Thunnus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 2, 2021 Author Share Posted June 2, 2021 19 hours ago, D.B. Andrus said: Speaking of Ejection Seat Pull Handles: Thanks for that pic, Damian! From a scale perspective, the Quinta handles are not as overscale as I thought. 18 hours ago, Jennings Heilig said: That perfectly shows the mustard yellow color. I always cringe when I see school bus yellow pull handles. I'm not as sensitive to the issue but I'll see if I can give the handles a coat of thinned down grey/brown to better align with this photo. 16 hours ago, scvrobeson said: Great progress John! Is that lead wire just threaded through little pieces of copper tube? Matt Yes, lead wire was used for the plumbing and threaded through small pieces of brass tubing. It's hard to make out but I cut the ends of the lead wire at a 45 degree angle to simulate the pipes diving under that junction box. scvrobeson and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 Sorry for the lack of updates guys! The summer slowdown due to fishing is officially here again. Looking back on my past builds, this seems like a recurring pattern. In association with the fishing thing, I've been doing quite a bit of lure painting... I've been experimenting with a few new techniques (like getting a cracked paint finish), hand drawing and using the Portrait cutter to make pattern masks and spraying my logo. Lures don't need to be realistic to catch fish and so it seemed inevitable that my two hobbies (fishing and scale modeling) collide with each other... FYI... that shark mouth is not a decal. I didn't have a shark mouth decal in my stash box so I created a little intricate, multi-part mask for it and was surprised that it turned as well as it did. The Nationalist China insignia is also painted via mask. scvrobeson, Martinnfb, Troy Molitor and 9 others 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.B. Andrus Posted June 7, 2021 Share Posted June 7, 2021 Nice job on all, especially the crawfish...love the eyes. How do you get the high gloss? Cheers, Damian Martinnfb and Thunnus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunnus Posted June 7, 2021 Author Share Posted June 7, 2021 34 minutes ago, D.B. Andrus said: Nice job on all, especially the crawfish...love the eyes. How do you get the high gloss? Cheers, Damian Thanks Damian! The crawfish! Lots of thought went into that one! That body is a very common lure... deep-diving crankbait and almost all lure manufacturers offer crawfish patterns that put the eyes at the front of the bait. But crawfish travel through the water backwards, with their tail tucked underneath the body. The shape of the lure body seems to correlate very nicely with this backwards movement and so I filled in the lure's eyes at the front and painted a more realistic crawfish going backwards. The green lure eyes are two bristles clipped (in secret) from my wife's hairbrush! To protect the paint finish, I coat my lures with 2-part epoxy (Devcon 10-minute). Using a brush to apply, the stuff self-levels very nicely and give a very strong and shiny finish. Martinnfb, D.B. Andrus, Uncarina and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.B. Andrus Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Really like your logo, too. Thunnus and Martinnfb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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