**** DONE: 1/48 Ki-45 Toryu Kai Tei - Night War of WWII
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Night Fighter Nut
Master Sergeant
Wow, this is really great. Enjoying the lessons. 
Great work so far!
- Thread starter
- #105
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks fellas! The compass cutter is a great addition to the tool box and is really cheap to boot. I got mine for about $9 off of Ebay so I'm sure you could get it cheaper if you could source it locally and not have to pay shipping.
I assembled the props and painted them in a base metallic finish to do some hairspray chipping.
After painting and prior to chipping, I'm not sure I like the results. The colored spinner tips weren't masked very straight and I'd like bluer finish so I'm going to set that aside for now and try to do a better masking job a little later.
The detail on the kit parts is very good. Even the tiny fuel coolers that go on the bottom of the wings inboard of the engine nacelles have molded grill details that you can bring out with careful painting.
It's time for a major assembly step now... attachment of the wings. I've sanded and shaved the joints to try and get the best fit possible... it's always wise to spend some time doing this since it will save on filling and sanding later on. Starboard wing first...
And then the port wing before the starboard wing dries completely just to ensure dihedral and symmetry. Things have been popping off during the sanding process so I've held off on the gluing in of the windscreen and canopy. I knocked off the gunsight reflector glass and then the reflector. The parachute came undone and the pilot seat fell out. I'll attend to those details before painting begins.
The join is fairly good... some small gaps that can be filled using White Milliput. Since the joint is on a panel line, I can use a dampened paper towel to clean the puttied joint before it dries, and reducing the amount of sanding to a minimum. This is a good method to use when you have lots of molded detail close to the joint.
There is one part of the bottom seam that I have to eradicate... the line that runs through the rear flaps.
I first use White Milliput to fill in the majority of the gap. You can see the White Milliput that I've applied in the other gaps... most of the work there is hopefully done, which I'll confirm with a primer coat.
Mr Surfacer 1000 is used as a final surface filler. You can see that I've given the joint a coat of grey primer to check the White Milliput work.
After sanding with different sandpaper grits and finishing it off by buffing with Micromesh and a soft t-shirt, the area is sprayed with a grey primer to check results. In most cases, I use Mr Surfacer 1000 thinned with lacquer thinner.
The rest of the bottom seam is given a less rigorous and more detailed sanding and polishing. Don't have to be perfect here since I'm preserving the seam but I make sure to restore panel lines with a scriber and rivets with the tip of a needle.
Same deal with the top seam.
The tail planes are added next.
I'm approaching the painting stage. I'm not sure how much of the clear parts are going to go on before painting so I'll have to give that some thought.
I assembled the props and painted them in a base metallic finish to do some hairspray chipping.
After painting and prior to chipping, I'm not sure I like the results. The colored spinner tips weren't masked very straight and I'd like bluer finish so I'm going to set that aside for now and try to do a better masking job a little later.
The detail on the kit parts is very good. Even the tiny fuel coolers that go on the bottom of the wings inboard of the engine nacelles have molded grill details that you can bring out with careful painting.
It's time for a major assembly step now... attachment of the wings. I've sanded and shaved the joints to try and get the best fit possible... it's always wise to spend some time doing this since it will save on filling and sanding later on. Starboard wing first...
And then the port wing before the starboard wing dries completely just to ensure dihedral and symmetry. Things have been popping off during the sanding process so I've held off on the gluing in of the windscreen and canopy. I knocked off the gunsight reflector glass and then the reflector. The parachute came undone and the pilot seat fell out. I'll attend to those details before painting begins.
The join is fairly good... some small gaps that can be filled using White Milliput. Since the joint is on a panel line, I can use a dampened paper towel to clean the puttied joint before it dries, and reducing the amount of sanding to a minimum. This is a good method to use when you have lots of molded detail close to the joint.
There is one part of the bottom seam that I have to eradicate... the line that runs through the rear flaps.
I first use White Milliput to fill in the majority of the gap. You can see the White Milliput that I've applied in the other gaps... most of the work there is hopefully done, which I'll confirm with a primer coat.
Mr Surfacer 1000 is used as a final surface filler. You can see that I've given the joint a coat of grey primer to check the White Milliput work.
After sanding with different sandpaper grits and finishing it off by buffing with Micromesh and a soft t-shirt, the area is sprayed with a grey primer to check results. In most cases, I use Mr Surfacer 1000 thinned with lacquer thinner.
The rest of the bottom seam is given a less rigorous and more detailed sanding and polishing. Don't have to be perfect here since I'm preserving the seam but I make sure to restore panel lines with a scriber and rivets with the tip of a needle.
Same deal with the top seam.
The tail planes are added next.
I'm approaching the painting stage. I'm not sure how much of the clear parts are going to go on before painting so I'll have to give that some thought.
- Thread starter
- #106
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Nice work John but I am with Terry about the tires waiting to see the final result there.I am sure it will be more than acceptable.
I did do a little bit of work on the tires over the weekend but I forgot to take pictures of them. So I ran back into the garage to get some shots since some of you are curious. I simply diffused the outer edges of the "tread" lines using a lighter grey color. The effect is pretty subtle. You can see it from some angles but not from others.
And here's a shot of props again. The spinner tip color has been adjusted and the masked edge has been straightened. Not perfect still but better. I've added the yellow striping on the tips and the yellow squares near the base of the blades are decals. I painted the yellow striping at the tips twice to better match the decals. Chipping has been done with a combination of hairspray and colored pencil.
fubar57
General
Looking good John. One of the perils of Woking with a twin engine in this scale is knocking parts off. I was forever clearing the bench off while manouevering my Catalina around. That Mr. Surfacer is pretty eexpensive around here so for seam checking I use cheap silver craft paint, about 3$. Nothing show off a poorly joined seam better than silver paint.
Geo
Geo
T Bolt
Colonel
Very nice John
Crimea_River
Marshal
The thing to watch with silver paint is bleed through if painted over with enamels. I use Tamiya primer which goes on thick and dries quickly.
Looks great so far John!
- Thread starter
- #113
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Thanks guys! As long as I'm not breaking or losing parts, I don't mind them being knocked off. It's funny... we had guests over the other day and a teenage son picked up the Hellcat nightfighter and promptly knocked off the pitot tube, a landing gear door and collapsed the aerial. I was... ahem... not overly upset as it was my fault that it was out and not in the glass cabinet. The damage was easily correctable. Luckily, the antenna mast was only knocked off at the base and miraculously, the stretched sprue stayed connected at all points... it was a simple matter of propping up the mast using CA glue. But while I was doing that, I noticed the relative size between the Toryu and the Hellcat... surprisingly close in size. The Toryu is very small for a twin engine plane and the Hellcat is one beast of a single engine fighter.
Mr Surfacer 1000 is a great primer. In a pinch, I'll also use Tamiya Gloss Black, which you can see around the nose of the Toryu. I have not tried silver but based on my experiences with Tamiya and Testors acrylics, I avoid shooting silver through an airbrush.
I should be close to paint soon. Have to figure out the order. I'm thinking preshading first, white bands, red hinomarus, grey bottom and top and green mottle last.
That really irritates me that someone just picks up your model without thought or permission...regardless of where it is...
sorry if I am out of line John..
sorry if I am out of line John..
Little boys do wonder/wander....
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
"STOP !!, in a 'parade ground' voice normally works for me !!
- Thread starter
- #119
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Back to the Toryu... I made an executive decision to mask the closed canopy pieces and put them in place. I really like the lines of the Toryu and may end up keeping it buttoned up.
I glued on the engine cowlings without the exhaust stacks in place. I'll pop them off and re-attach after the camo goes on.
The landing gear wells have been stuffed with tissue. To compress the tissue into shape, I wet it with water. Once dry, it's nice and stiff and stays in place much better than dry. I'm ready for painting!
The model is wiped off carefully using a dampened cotton rag (old piece of t-shirt in this case) to remove the dust and finger prints/oils. The panel lines are then highlighted with a highly thinned black. The canopy frames are also given a spray of black to help prevent light from shining through the frames. And yes, I first gave the frames a coat of the interior color before the black.
To give some depth to the camo, I scribble fine black lines all over the model. Based on past experiences, this is a good way to add some visual interest to a big area of single color but it will all but disappear under a mottled finish. So the entire bottom gets the scribble but not the whole topside. I scribble the area where I will be putting the white bands though.
The white bands are added using a highly thinned mixture of Tamiya White acrylic. Depending on the specific color, I am thinning this paint to about a 4:1 thinner-to-paint ratio. This helps modulate the coverage so that I don't obliterate the pre-shading and also helps to ensure the smoothest finish possible. Patience is needed when using highly thinned paint because multiple coats are necessary.
Here's a closeup of the white area on the wings to show the effect that I am trying to achieve. I'll set aside the white to dry before having a go at the red hinomarus.
I received a card from Karl (Rochie) this week with some very key decals! The "18" for the tail looks to be the perfect size... thank you very much Karl!
I glued on the engine cowlings without the exhaust stacks in place. I'll pop them off and re-attach after the camo goes on.
The landing gear wells have been stuffed with tissue. To compress the tissue into shape, I wet it with water. Once dry, it's nice and stiff and stays in place much better than dry. I'm ready for painting!
The model is wiped off carefully using a dampened cotton rag (old piece of t-shirt in this case) to remove the dust and finger prints/oils. The panel lines are then highlighted with a highly thinned black. The canopy frames are also given a spray of black to help prevent light from shining through the frames. And yes, I first gave the frames a coat of the interior color before the black.
To give some depth to the camo, I scribble fine black lines all over the model. Based on past experiences, this is a good way to add some visual interest to a big area of single color but it will all but disappear under a mottled finish. So the entire bottom gets the scribble but not the whole topside. I scribble the area where I will be putting the white bands though.
The white bands are added using a highly thinned mixture of Tamiya White acrylic. Depending on the specific color, I am thinning this paint to about a 4:1 thinner-to-paint ratio. This helps modulate the coverage so that I don't obliterate the pre-shading and also helps to ensure the smoothest finish possible. Patience is needed when using highly thinned paint because multiple coats are necessary.
Here's a closeup of the white area on the wings to show the effect that I am trying to achieve. I'll set aside the white to dry before having a go at the red hinomarus.
I received a card from Karl (Rochie) this week with some very key decals! The "18" for the tail looks to be the perfect size... thank you very much Karl!
- Thread starter
- #120
JKim
Senior Master Sergeant
Not out of line Wayne at all. I think all of us modelers are sensitive when it comes to our creations. I know I am. Most of the people I know don't understand the care and attention to detail that I pour into these plastic things. And they are all a bit confused when I tell them how much time each one takes, especially when they don't even fly. But I shouldn't have left the Hellcat outside of the glass case without any warning. In any case, the damage was easily repairable.
Here's the Hellcat back on the table after repairs. Look at how big it is compared to the Toryu!
