Crimea_River
Marshal
Making good progress Terry.
RCAF Starfighter, 1/48th scale - Part Two
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- Thread starter
- #142
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks Wojtek and Andy.
I think I've got the 'patchy' look how I want it - the matt clear coat should give a better idea, and reveal any areas which might need further attention. The radome and dielectric panels have now been painted pale green, and the intake lips, shock cones, and anti-glare panel painted matt black. Masking is underway for the 'striped' area of the rear fuselage and, once this has been painted, a gloss clear coat will be applied overall, to 'smooth' things out and give a uniform finish, before applying the decals and then a matt clear coat.
I need to make a decal for the unit crest, carried on each side of the fin, and I've found a black and white drawing of this which can be coloured, then reduced in size and printed on to white decal paper. I doubt the quality or resolution will be very good, but as it's a small item, hidden under the shadow of the 'stabilator', I think it will suffice.
I'll post some pics later tonight, given I have something worthwhile to show.
I think I've got the 'patchy' look how I want it - the matt clear coat should give a better idea, and reveal any areas which might need further attention. The radome and dielectric panels have now been painted pale green, and the intake lips, shock cones, and anti-glare panel painted matt black. Masking is underway for the 'striped' area of the rear fuselage and, once this has been painted, a gloss clear coat will be applied overall, to 'smooth' things out and give a uniform finish, before applying the decals and then a matt clear coat.
I need to make a decal for the unit crest, carried on each side of the fin, and I've found a black and white drawing of this which can be coloured, then reduced in size and printed on to white decal paper. I doubt the quality or resolution will be very good, but as it's a small item, hidden under the shadow of the 'stabilator', I think it will suffice.
I'll post some pics later tonight, given I have something worthwhile to show.
- Thread starter
- #143
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
A quick update, showing the radome, anti-glare and dielectric panels painted, the tail area 'striping' done, and awaiting diffusing with a softening wash, and an overall view of work to date.
Once the diffusion on the tail and some panel joints has been completed, which will improve the current somewhat 'harsh' appearance, the model will receive a couple of coats of gloss clear, before applying the decals.
Got to go out to see a man about a dog, so I'll do the clear coats when I get back, and let them fully harden overnight.
Once the diffusion on the tail and some panel joints has been completed, which will improve the current somewhat 'harsh' appearance, the model will receive a couple of coats of gloss clear, before applying the decals.
Got to go out to see a man about a dog, so I'll do the clear coats when I get back, and let them fully harden overnight.
Attachments
Catch22
Major
Looks good Terry!
Crimea_River
Marshal
Indeed it does.
- Thread starter
- #147
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks chaps !
Close up, the paintwork looks as rough as a bear's bum, due to the use of both gloss and matt paints, and a mix of both, airbrushed and brush painted But the gloss coats (2 applied) have evened things up a bit, giving a smoother surface finish, and once given a matt coat, it should look even better.
Whilst waiting for the clear coats to fully harden, I got to work making the decals for the Esk.726 crest, colouring the B&W artwork, reducing it to the required size, and then printing on to white decal paper. Having printed a strip of nine badges, just to ensure I have spares if things go wrong, I discovered that, for whatever reason, the crest was only displayed on the port side of the fin, as shown on some colour pics of the Danish Starfighters in the green color scheme, including two more I found of '771', both in the earlier matt finish, and the later gloss finish.
Unfortunately, these pics are form 'Air Britain', and need the consent of the owners before publishing or posting, something I will respect, so meanwhile, here's a B&W pic of another aircraft from the unit, which gives some idea of how tatty they looked in the overall green matt-finish - no wonder they changed it to a gloss finish !
Note that some details, such as the colour of the radome, and inclusion or lack of the anti-glare panel, changed over the years, as seen if the radome in the pic is compared to the early finish on the model.
I'm just about to start on the decals, so I might have some pics shortly.
Close up, the paintwork looks as rough as a bear's bum, due to the use of both gloss and matt paints, and a mix of both, airbrushed and brush painted But the gloss coats (2 applied) have evened things up a bit, giving a smoother surface finish, and once given a matt coat, it should look even better.
Whilst waiting for the clear coats to fully harden, I got to work making the decals for the Esk.726 crest, colouring the B&W artwork, reducing it to the required size, and then printing on to white decal paper. Having printed a strip of nine badges, just to ensure I have spares if things go wrong, I discovered that, for whatever reason, the crest was only displayed on the port side of the fin, as shown on some colour pics of the Danish Starfighters in the green color scheme, including two more I found of '771', both in the earlier matt finish, and the later gloss finish.
Unfortunately, these pics are form 'Air Britain', and need the consent of the owners before publishing or posting, something I will respect, so meanwhile, here's a B&W pic of another aircraft from the unit, which gives some idea of how tatty they looked in the overall green matt-finish - no wonder they changed it to a gloss finish !
Note that some details, such as the colour of the radome, and inclusion or lack of the anti-glare panel, changed over the years, as seen if the radome in the pic is compared to the early finish on the model.
I'm just about to start on the decals, so I might have some pics shortly.
Attachments
- Thread starter
- #149
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Got the first few decals on, including the home-made decal for the Esk.726 crest on the port fin. As on the real aircraft, this hardly shows, being coloured dark blue, red and gold, and merging into the background colour. It can just be seen in the first pic, below and slightly forward of the Danish flag, and I'll try to get a close-up pic once the model has had a matt clear coat applied - the badge measures less than 5mm x 4mm, so quite small, and is difficult to get to, hidden under the stabilator.
I noticed that the shape of the forward 'point' of the upper dielectric panel, behind the cockpit, was totally wrong, so this has been corrected as best as possible, allowing for the fact that the spine in this area is rather too shallow, almost flat, in fact, compared to the actual aircraft. The gloss coat has also emphasised some of the weathering 'streaks', making them look rather harsh, and too well-defined, so this will be rectified, where needed, once the decals are done and the first matt clear coat applied. A few light panel lines will also be added at this stage.
Thanks again for looking in, and I'll try to post another up-date sometime tomorrow, once the tiny, individual serial numbers on the fin, and other decals have been applied.
I noticed that the shape of the forward 'point' of the upper dielectric panel, behind the cockpit, was totally wrong, so this has been corrected as best as possible, allowing for the fact that the spine in this area is rather too shallow, almost flat, in fact, compared to the actual aircraft. The gloss coat has also emphasised some of the weathering 'streaks', making them look rather harsh, and too well-defined, so this will be rectified, where needed, once the decals are done and the first matt clear coat applied. A few light panel lines will also be added at this stage.
Thanks again for looking in, and I'll try to post another up-date sometime tomorrow, once the tiny, individual serial numbers on the fin, and other decals have been applied.
Attachments
SANCER
Senior Master Sergeant
Looks good to me 
Cheers
Cheers
- Thread starter
- #151
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks Luis !
Catch22
Major
Those roundels really pop!
- Thread starter
- #154
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks Wojtek and Cory.
Yes, I was quite surprised at just how visible the roundels are against the dark green background. The rest of the decals are mainly yellow stencils, in yellow-outlined 'boxes', so they should really stand out!
I haven't done anymore today - hands are a bit stiff, and the decals are small ! Hopefully I should get the remainder done over the weekend, and maybe get the first matt clear coat on too.
Yes, I was quite surprised at just how visible the roundels are against the dark green background. The rest of the decals are mainly yellow stencils, in yellow-outlined 'boxes', so they should really stand out!
I haven't done anymore today - hands are a bit stiff, and the decals are small ! Hopefully I should get the remainder done over the weekend, and maybe get the first matt clear coat on too.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Looks the biz Terry. That finish on the picture sure looks worn!
- Thread starter
- #156
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks Andy. That's one of the cleaner ones ! They look even worse in colour, and worse still 'in the flesh'.
The same happened with their Super Sabres and Hunters, although the Hunter didn't seem to fade to such a patchy appearance, or so quickly. Changing to a gloss version of the same colour on the F-104 made a heck of a difference.
The example at the Midland Air Museum is starting to look a little like the matt-finished scheme, it being outdoors in the wonderful British weather, although it had been re-painted in the later gloss scheme when still in service. Here's a pic to show what I mean, but notice that the paint has weathered evenly, without the patchy and streaked effect along the fuselage frames and joints.
The same happened with their Super Sabres and Hunters, although the Hunter didn't seem to fade to such a patchy appearance, or so quickly. Changing to a gloss version of the same colour on the F-104 made a heck of a difference.
The example at the Midland Air Museum is starting to look a little like the matt-finished scheme, it being outdoors in the wonderful British weather, although it had been re-painted in the later gloss scheme when still in service. Here's a pic to show what I mean, but notice that the paint has weathered evenly, without the patchy and streaked effect along the fuselage frames and joints.
Attachments
Lovely work so far Terry!
Coming along nicely Terry.
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
Top job old boy!
