Vic Balshaw
Major General
Great work.
**** DONE: 1/48 F6F-3N Hellcat - Night War of WWII
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- Thread starter
- #122
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Busy weekend but I was able to get the first pastel wash on...
I need to do the exhaust stains next!
I need to do the exhaust stains next!
Really nice John
Crimea_River
Marshal
Good stuff John. What do you use for panel wash?
- Thread starter
- #126
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Almost embarrassed to say! I know that there are pre-made mixes available these days but I make my own. I have a small set of chalk pastels in earth tones.
Using the edge of an x-acto, I scrape pastel dust into a small cup. I add a very small amount of water and then a smidge of dishwashing liquid to help the pastel particles to mix in with the water. I apply that mixture into the panel lines and recessed details and allow it to dry. After it's dry, I'll start wiping it off with a lightly dampened piece of paper towel. As the paper towel gets loaded with the dirty wash, I'll throw it away and use a new piece. I usually wipe in the direction of the airflow but some times, a faint or shallow panel line needs a perpendicular stroke to prevent all of it from being wiped away.
I like to make a new batch with each build as I've had some funky results with "reconstituted" pastel wash.
Almost embarrassed to say! I know that there are pre-made mixes available these days but I make my own. I have a small set of chalk pastels in earth tones.
Using the edge of an x-acto, I scrape pastel dust into a small cup. I add a very small amount of water and then a smidge of dishwashing liquid to help the pastel particles to mix in with the water. I apply that mixture into the panel lines and recessed details and allow it to dry. After it's dry, I'll start wiping it off with a lightly dampened piece of paper towel. As the paper towel gets loaded with the dirty wash, I'll throw it away and use a new piece. I usually wipe in the direction of the airflow but some times, a faint or shallow panel line needs a perpendicular stroke to prevent all of it from being wiped away.
I like to make a new batch with each build as I've had some funky results with "reconstituted" pastel wash.
Same here John
fubar57
General
Nice John. I use even cheaper chalk, I think it was my kids sidewalk chalk. My daughter ground it up for me because touching chalk gives me the full blown willies. I'm looking at a cheap coffee grinder as my supply is now dwindling.
Geo
Geo
Top stuff John, good thing about Pastels is they come off easy if you are not happy with the result.
- Thread starter
- #131
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Down the homestretch now. After the panel wash and some paint touch-ups, the exhaust stains were added and a final flat coat was put on the Hellcat.
The cowling is popped off and the resin exhaust pipes are added.
The tail wheel is finally secured into place.
The main landing gear has been pre-assembled and is now glued into place.
All of the little final details can now be addressed including removal of the wing light masking.
The other wing light is glued into place. Nice fit on the clear piece!
Landing gear doors are tacked on and the wheels are glued into position.
The drop tank has been painted and weathered already and is now carefully mounted.
The little lights on the fuselage spine are added. This seemingly afterthought of a step was a mini-adventure onto itself. These pieces are tiny and I lost the white light after installing the green one. Multiple carpet-level searches yielded nothing so I was forced to try and fabricate a new tiny piece from a piece of stretched clear sprue. It took me a couple attempts to produce something acceptable. I then lost THAT ONE trying to get the tiny piece into the tiny hole. Another round of down-to-the-carpet-on-hands-and-knees and whaddya know... I found the original piece. Sigh... at least THAT'S done with.
The canopy masks are finally removed. I think the Future bath of the clear parts was well worth the effort as the canopy is noticeably clearer than without the treatment. Once again, Andy's comments on canopy installation were prophetic. Last time, he asked about clear parts fogging with Tamiya cement and sure enough, I pulled off the masks of my 109E-4 to find that my canopy had indeed fogged. This time, a few pages back, he asked why I used Scotch tape when it was such a hassle to remove. I found out that Scotch tape REALLY STICKS WELL to clear parts treated with Future. It took quite bit of careful effort to remove all of the Scotch tape without putting scratches into the canopy. The tape kept breaking off into smaller parts, making removal even more difficult. Patient, careful work was key here.
All of the gyrations in the mask removal stage resulted in the breaking off of many small parts, most noticeably the antenna masts on the fuselage and tail. The eventual build-up of CA glue forced a cleanup, which in turn will require some repainting.
Just a few more details and this bird will be done. I should have a photo gallery of the finished Hellcat this weekend.
The cowling is popped off and the resin exhaust pipes are added.
The tail wheel is finally secured into place.
The main landing gear has been pre-assembled and is now glued into place.
All of the little final details can now be addressed including removal of the wing light masking.
The other wing light is glued into place. Nice fit on the clear piece!
Landing gear doors are tacked on and the wheels are glued into position.
The drop tank has been painted and weathered already and is now carefully mounted.
The little lights on the fuselage spine are added. This seemingly afterthought of a step was a mini-adventure onto itself. These pieces are tiny and I lost the white light after installing the green one. Multiple carpet-level searches yielded nothing so I was forced to try and fabricate a new tiny piece from a piece of stretched clear sprue. It took me a couple attempts to produce something acceptable. I then lost THAT ONE trying to get the tiny piece into the tiny hole. Another round of down-to-the-carpet-on-hands-and-knees and whaddya know... I found the original piece. Sigh... at least THAT'S done with.
The canopy masks are finally removed. I think the Future bath of the clear parts was well worth the effort as the canopy is noticeably clearer than without the treatment. Once again, Andy's comments on canopy installation were prophetic. Last time, he asked about clear parts fogging with Tamiya cement and sure enough, I pulled off the masks of my 109E-4 to find that my canopy had indeed fogged. This time, a few pages back, he asked why I used Scotch tape when it was such a hassle to remove. I found out that Scotch tape REALLY STICKS WELL to clear parts treated with Future. It took quite bit of careful effort to remove all of the Scotch tape without putting scratches into the canopy. The tape kept breaking off into smaller parts, making removal even more difficult. Patient, careful work was key here.
All of the gyrations in the mask removal stage resulted in the breaking off of many small parts, most noticeably the antenna masts on the fuselage and tail. The eventual build-up of CA glue forced a cleanup, which in turn will require some repainting.
Just a few more details and this bird will be done. I should have a photo gallery of the finished Hellcat this weekend.
Looks good though !
fubar57
General
Looking very nice John. Though my solution to the wee clear parts isn't 100%, I put a small piece of Blue Tack© or similar poster putty on the end of a toothpick, fill the receiving hole with puzzle glue and attach the piece. The puzzle glue dries crystal clear and holds firm. I use the puzzle glue to attach canopy parts as well.
Geo
Geo
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Nice work John.
Great work so far John!
- Thread starter
- #137
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks Geo! That's a good tip...I'll have to remember that about the Blu Tack on a toothpick. The little lights are an exact fit into the holes so they had to go in just right or else an edge would hang.
The tail wheel keeps breaking off as well. I'll have to do one more round of repairs before I move on to the aerial. Based on the picture that I posted of White 10, I don't see any indication of a whip antenna on the fuselage spine. The decal sheet didn't include it but I may add the thin black stripe between the handholds on the fuselage sides by paint.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Great stuff John. Thanks for the info on your wash technique. I was actually hoping that you'd say that you didn't using premixed stuff as I make my own as well. Up to now, I've tried a couple of things and am trying to land on something to use going forward. My last effort used heavily thinned acrylic paint with dish soap but I tend to get dried edges that are tough to remove when dry so I'll give the pastels a try. I have a bunch of those at hand.
Glad you're seeing the purpose behind my questions. Like Geo, I often use a PVA glue on my clear parts but only if I know that I don't need to do any blending work of the canopies or landing/nav lights into the surrounding plastic. In those cases, CA glue is a must and, ergo, so is the Future dip. The PVA is just not strong enough to withstand a vigourous wet sanding.
As there appears to be an aerial wire in your reference pic, that might explain the absence of the whip antenna.
Glad you're seeing the purpose behind my questions. Like Geo, I often use a PVA glue on my clear parts but only if I know that I don't need to do any blending work of the canopies or landing/nav lights into the surrounding plastic. In those cases, CA glue is a must and, ergo, so is the Future dip. The PVA is just not strong enough to withstand a vigourous wet sanding.
As there appears to be an aerial wire in your reference pic, that might explain the absence of the whip antenna.
Vic Balshaw
Major General
Always a pleasure to watch your progress John and thanks for giving us the run down on how you use the pastels.
- Thread starter
- #140
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Finished off the final details on the Hellcat. Added the aerials... painted a black stripe between hand holds on both sides of the fuselage... little paint touch-ups here and there. This one is a wrap! Thanks for following this build!
