<-- **** DONE: 1/48 Beaufighter TF X - Twin Engined Aircraft of WWII
- Thread starter Crimea_River
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vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
That is some amazing work!
turbo
Staff Sergeant
Just tuned into the thread, lovely work Andy. Have a Beau in a museum near where I live if you need any walkaround or other info.
- Thread starter
- #324
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks guys. Turbo, thanks for the offer but have plenty of shots from the net. The one near you is a MkXXI and has slight differences. However I used many of the features of that one when I did the pit.
T Bolt
Colonel
Beautiful work Andy
- Thread starter
- #326
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks Glenn.
Did some work on the cupola which was actually over a week in time. Shown n yellow below is a frame molded on the outside of the glazing which represents the track for the sliding perspex sections. This is supposed to be on the INSIDE so I decided to sand these off, polish the area, and dip the cupola in Future.
Once the Future had cured, I initially tried Terry's method to make the frames (painting some Scotch tape with enamel and cutting slices) but this second attempt at this technique failed me once again as the paint just won't stick to the stuff. The paint pulls right off when you slice the pieces. So plan B was used as shown below where I masked the frame and painted it,
I'm not impressed with how this turned out but will make do after touching up with a fine brush.
The blast plates were masked and sprayed with Alclad steel. Poor lighting on this pic, sorry. The Niphan sockets were painted by hand.
I coated the underside in Future as soon as it had started to cure to prevent scratches but I still got some. Below is the tail wheel installed and there's a visible scratch behind it.
Before installing the main gear, I masked and painted the hedgehog exhausts. This would have been a bit more difficult with the gear in the way
The main gear is now inserted, allowing the model to be set on the bench with a reduced risk of breaking parts off the underside.
A small detail omitted on the model is this small fin in front of the cupola, an easy addition.
That's the progress report for today folks.
Did some work on the cupola which was actually over a week in time. Shown n yellow below is a frame molded on the outside of the glazing which represents the track for the sliding perspex sections. This is supposed to be on the INSIDE so I decided to sand these off, polish the area, and dip the cupola in Future.
Once the Future had cured, I initially tried Terry's method to make the frames (painting some Scotch tape with enamel and cutting slices) but this second attempt at this technique failed me once again as the paint just won't stick to the stuff. The paint pulls right off when you slice the pieces. So plan B was used as shown below where I masked the frame and painted it,
I'm not impressed with how this turned out but will make do after touching up with a fine brush.
The blast plates were masked and sprayed with Alclad steel. Poor lighting on this pic, sorry. The Niphan sockets were painted by hand.
I coated the underside in Future as soon as it had started to cure to prevent scratches but I still got some. Below is the tail wheel installed and there's a visible scratch behind it.
Before installing the main gear, I masked and painted the hedgehog exhausts. This would have been a bit more difficult with the gear in the way
The main gear is now inserted, allowing the model to be set on the bench with a reduced risk of breaking parts off the underside.
A small detail omitted on the model is this small fin in front of the cupola, an easy addition.
That's the progress report for today folks.
fubar57
General
Nice additions
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great work there Andy, some very nice details.
Did you use enamels to paint the clear tape ?
I normally give the tape two to three good coats of enamel, then let is dry for at least 12 hours, or a lot longer if possible.
Cutting is done with a new blade in the scalpel, and the tape is lifted, gently, at an angle of around 45 degrees.
I have had the odd bit where the paint had peeled at the edges, but if a long strip is cut, then it shouldn't be a problem.
I'm not sure how acrylic would perform for this method, and it's also probable that a blade such as those used in X-Acto knives might cause the edges to lift, being thicker than the Swann Morton surgical scalpel blades I use.
Did you use enamels to paint the clear tape ?
I normally give the tape two to three good coats of enamel, then let is dry for at least 12 hours, or a lot longer if possible.
Cutting is done with a new blade in the scalpel, and the tape is lifted, gently, at an angle of around 45 degrees.
I have had the odd bit where the paint had peeled at the edges, but if a long strip is cut, then it shouldn't be a problem.
I'm not sure how acrylic would perform for this method, and it's also probable that a blade such as those used in X-Acto knives might cause the edges to lift, being thicker than the Swann Morton surgical scalpel blades I use.
- Thread starter
- #330
Crimea_River
Marshal
Yes to all Terry. Enamels completely cured and new scalpel.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Ah well, keep trying, as it does work normally.
- Thread starter
- #332
Crimea_River
Marshal
Do you use the glossy tape or the flat, invisible type?
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Normally just the glossy type. My current stuff is cheapo, not genuine 'Sellotape' or Scotch tape, and I did experience a little peeling.
Using a 'branded' type tends to prevent this.
I haven't tried the 'invisible' type, but I used to once have access to a clear matt tape used in the graphics and mapping industries, which worked very well indeed. In theory, a matt tape should resist the peeling, lifting or flaking, as the matt surface will provide a better 'key' for the paint.
Off course, the same practice can be undertaken using clear decal film, but, depending on the shape of the interior surface, and ease of access, it can be a bit tricky to align the 'frames' accurately, before the film 'sets'.
Using a 'branded' type tends to prevent this.
I haven't tried the 'invisible' type, but I used to once have access to a clear matt tape used in the graphics and mapping industries, which worked very well indeed. In theory, a matt tape should resist the peeling, lifting or flaking, as the matt surface will provide a better 'key' for the paint.
Off course, the same practice can be undertaken using clear decal film, but, depending on the shape of the interior surface, and ease of access, it can be a bit tricky to align the 'frames' accurately, before the film 'sets'.
turbo
Staff Sergeant
- Thread starter
- #335
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks Turbo.
Terry, that was my thought as well and that's the type of tape I used. However, the peeling was consistent for every section I tried. The only thing I could see that may be causing this is possible oil from my fingers contaminating the surface when I stuck the tape down to my cutting mat. Maybe I should have cleaned it with alcohol first.
Terry, that was my thought as well and that's the type of tape I used. However, the peeling was consistent for every section I tried. The only thing I could see that may be causing this is possible oil from my fingers contaminating the surface when I stuck the tape down to my cutting mat. Maybe I should have cleaned it with alcohol first.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Ah, very possible. I normally just lightly lay the tape down, smooth it carefully with the butt of my hand, and then give it a dry wipe with a clean cloth or tissue.
Also, if the tape is very firmly stuck to the glass, this can cause paint peel or lifting when cut and peeled away.
Also, if the tape is very firmly stuck to the glass, this can cause paint peel or lifting when cut and peeled away.
- Thread starter
- #337
Crimea_River
Marshal
I may give it another go Terry, thanks.
A big forehead slap today when I discovered that I installed the wrong carb intakes on my rig. I suppose I was misled by a 3-view drawing I have that shows the longer ones on a TF X and I never thought to check, assuming the drawing was correct. Fortunately the kit includes the short intakes so I've had to pry off the longer ones and rework the area to install the correct ones.
Pics later.
A big forehead slap today when I discovered that I installed the wrong carb intakes on my rig. I suppose I was misled by a 3-view drawing I have that shows the longer ones on a TF X and I never thought to check, assuming the drawing was correct. Fortunately the kit includes the short intakes so I've had to pry off the longer ones and rework the area to install the correct ones.
Pics later.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Did exactly that on my Beau nightfighter, ten years ago !
- Thread starter
- #339
Crimea_River
Marshal
So as I mentioned above, it was at the point of masking the demarcations between upper and lower camo colours (below) that I discovered that I should not have used the long intakes. The light came on when I looked at my reference scheme to find out exactly where the gloss black edge would be for the collector ring.
The glue had stuck pretty well and some of the underlying surface of the nacelle pulled away when I pried the intakes off. This was remedied by slapping on a couple of passes of Tamiya surface primer before I went to bed last night:
Today, I sanded the areas smooth and installed the correct intakes. Pretty glad I discovered this before I sprayed on the final colours.
It's kind of ironic that I studied photos in enough detail to pick up the fact that there is a small vent that appears only on the starboard intake but not on the port and yet, a major thing like the intake being wrong eluded me.
Anyway, it's all good now. Today was an exercise in frustration as I struggled with the function of my airbrush whilst painting the splotchy preshading that will create a weathered look. I just couldn't get the thing to spray as nicely as it usually does and had to completely strip it down and clean it twice. Even then, it wasn't 100% so I'm scratching my head a bit. Nonetheless, after a couple of hours of spraying first black then white patches, I was able to finish it and below is how it now looks.
I'm now done for the day and will see what tomorrow will bring. Thanks for checking in.
The glue had stuck pretty well and some of the underlying surface of the nacelle pulled away when I pried the intakes off. This was remedied by slapping on a couple of passes of Tamiya surface primer before I went to bed last night:
Today, I sanded the areas smooth and installed the correct intakes. Pretty glad I discovered this before I sprayed on the final colours.
It's kind of ironic that I studied photos in enough detail to pick up the fact that there is a small vent that appears only on the starboard intake but not on the port and yet, a major thing like the intake being wrong eluded me.
Anyway, it's all good now. Today was an exercise in frustration as I struggled with the function of my airbrush whilst painting the splotchy preshading that will create a weathered look. I just couldn't get the thing to spray as nicely as it usually does and had to completely strip it down and clean it twice. Even then, it wasn't 100% so I'm scratching my head a bit. Nonetheless, after a couple of hours of spraying first black then white patches, I was able to finish it and below is how it now looks.
I'm now done for the day and will see what tomorrow will bring. Thanks for checking in.
fubar57
General
Looking good Andy. If you were to enter this in a contest, would the judge have picked up on the wrong intakes?
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