Peterpools Posted August 26, 2021 Author Share Posted August 26, 2021 Hi Kai Thank you for the very kind comments on my F4. I'm still not sure which semi clear gloss to use but have it now narrowed down to Mr Color (lacquer) or MRP (acrylic lacquer). I'm leaning towards Mr Color and when it dries, awesome clarity and hard as nails. Right now I'm knee deep in decaling the missiles (96 decals) and finishing the centerline drop tank. Then the seal coat of gloss, followed up by the semi clear. I'm starting to see the finish line now Keep 'em comin Peter 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaireckstadt Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 96 decals Peter? Sounds like the 1000 rivets of Marks Ferrari build. Looking forward to seeing the missiles, the tank and the plane with the first coat of varnish applied. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 Hi Kai Yup, days of fun for sure. Missiles and drop tank are now completely decaled and tomorrow, time for the final gloss clear coat. I decided to go with Mr Color for the Semi Gloss Clear and of course, I didn't have any so I ordered two bottle, which is n ow on it's way. Close to crossing the finish line and hopefully work won't be delayed, waiting for the Semi Clear Gloss. See what happens Marks 1000's of rivets has to take a herculean effort and way more then 96 decals.🙃 Keep 'em comin Peter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
belugawhaleman Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 Looking pretty darn great Peter! Well done! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 7 hours ago, belugawhaleman said: Looking pretty darn great Peter! Well done! Very much appreciated and a joy of a kit to build. Missiles and drop tanks are now done and getting ready for another update this weekend. Keep 'em comin Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 Your F-4 is coming along very nicely there Peter. With decals generally being the bane of my existence, it's great to hear they're working so well. Carl 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 Thanks Carl, so very much appreciated Got ya and for me it's re-scribing which I try and avoid as much as possible Keep 'em comin Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 SPARROWS, SIDEWINDERS & CENTERLINE DROP TANK DONE 8/28/21 The four Sparrows, four Sidewinders and centerline drop tank were completed and ready to be added to the Big F4 at the appropriate time. Assembly was easy, with no pitfalls at all. The Sidewinders, and Sparrows were painted as per Tamiya’s instructions and the bodies were air brushed with Tamiya Gloss White, which negated the need to use clear gloss prior decaling as the finish was super smooth. On all eight missiles the exhausts needed to be drilled out and not being the best at centering the drill bit these days (sometimes I’m lucky to actually drill into the rear of the missile at all), I took my time and thank goodness for my Ottlight magnifier Lamp, which gives me a fighting chance. The centerline drop tank assembled with no issues and painted with MRP FS17875 Gloss Insignia White, a different hue of white adding to the effect that drop tanks were not assigned to a specific aircraft and the color and shade could vary. Decaling was another story and it required four full modeling work sessions to apply the all the Tamiya decals: AIM-7E Sparrows: 15 decals each for a total of 60 decals. AIM-9G Sidewinders: 8 decals each for a total of 32 decals Centerline Drop tank: 8 decals Total missile decals: 100 small decals Lots of decals for three simple assemblies. Done and time to move on. Next up: Final gloss clear coat to seal all the decals and panel line washes and then the final semi gloss clear coats. Thanks for checking in Peter 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted August 28, 2021 Share Posted August 28, 2021 Very neat work with the decals on the missiles Peter. So easy to screw it up when they are so small. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 28, 2021 Author Share Posted August 28, 2021 Thanks Gus Ssure is and the smaller they are, the harder decaling seems to become. Keep 'em comin Peter 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 The missiles and drop tank look great Peter. I've got a set somewhere for helping you find and drill the centerline on cylindrical shapes. I'll see if I can dig it out. I haven't tried it but might be handy in these circumstances. Carl 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bomber_County Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 Exceptional decaling and weathering, especially on the drop tanks…….I see the finish line approaching….. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 Who reads all these stencils in reality . Great work Peter, missiles and tank are looking bueno. Having built two Tamiya kits in a row, I found one rare letdown with them. It's the color callouts. When there are lots of different colors and detail work involved, it can be quite confusing with all these X-, XF-, LP-, TS,... Please Tamiya print your manuals in color. Cheers Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Carl Thanks for the kind words on the Sparrows, Sidewinders and the drop tank. I never knew thay made such a tool that helps us 'old folk' drill holes in the correct location. I would be more then happy for just the name and I'll order a few right away. Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Thanks Phil I can also see the finish line quickly approaching. Today I'm hoping to seal all the decals and paintwork with a second coat of Mr Color Clear Gloss and then I'll be waiting until the end of next week for my Mr Color Semi Gloss to arrive and finish all the air brush work.. After that, it's just adding the gear and gear doors, cleaning up the lose ends and she is ready to roll out to the flight line. Then onto the next build which is waiting patiently. Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Thanks Rob Some I can read some I can't - just looks the part and that's fine. I'm just happy they look good and create interest and fill the bill. It would be nice if Tamiya would go with color instructions especially with the color call outs but I just copy the color paint chart and have it on the bench for quick reference when needed. I just ordered a few of Tamiya's new LP Lacquer paints to test out and see how they compare to their acrylic whites and blacks which I use a lot of. Keep 'em comin Peter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 40 minutes ago, Peterpools said: I just ordered a few of Tamiya's new LP Lacquer paints to test out and see how they compare to their acrylic whites and blacks which I use a lot of. You will love them Peter, except maybe for the smell. They spray perfect. Be prepared to use even more thinner than with acrylics. I use a ratio of 1/3 LP-color and 2/3 Levelling thinner or Tamiya Lacquer thinner. Cheers Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Thanks Rob for the info. Smell doesn't bother me as I always wear a respirator and use a spray booth these days. I shoot a lot of lacquers and nothing smells as intense as Mr Color. Looking forward to sing the new Tamiya lacquers. Peter 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark31 Posted August 29, 2021 Share Posted August 29, 2021 great work i love it Mark 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 29, 2021 Author Share Posted August 29, 2021 Thanks Mark, much appreciated Making progress and hoping to actually finish is a few weeks Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaireckstadt Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 Awesome series-production of decaling Peter! This was much work but it will pay off in the end. Now up to the semi-gloss varnish! Curious for the next update! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 Thanks Kai You're so right, as I worked through applying the decals to all the missiles in a production style. First I decaled the four Sparrows applying the same number decal to each Sparrow, then the next decal to all four and so on. Then onto the Sidewinders, where I repeated the same process. Lastly the drop tank which seemed way too easy. I'm not planning on doing an update when the semi gloss is applied as except for the toned down glossy finish, nothing to see and it does take me a while to set up, do the photography and then the post work. About two updates ago, I decided to 'Focus Stack' a lot of the images in Photoshop, so the model will be sharp front to back which isn't possible at apertures of F22 or smaller due to diffraction (just a matter of physics) . Yes, photography is a passion of mine. I'm looking at the next up date to include most of the finishing detail work adding the gear, missiles and all the other small parts I left off until the end, plus some of the hand painting that needs to still be done. Keep 'em comin Peter 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landlubber Mike Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Fantastic work Peter! Very clean, pristine modeling there! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peterpools Posted August 31, 2021 Author Share Posted August 31, 2021 Thanks Mike I'm getting there and I can see the finish line coming up. Keep 'em comin Peter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnB Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 Coming along VERY well Peter! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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