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Wolfman63

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Everything posted by Wolfman63

  1. Tedious painting on the Ki-45 camouflage continues. I tried masking the pattern and realized it was actually easier to just hand paint the jungle camouflage. The base coat is Japanese Army light green and the camouflage is Japanese Army dark green. In the end I really like the look of this camouflage. I then painted the wing leading edges yellow and the white fuselage stripe just forward of the tail. For the wing landing light I painted the light bezel chrome silver and filled it up with acrylic gel to simulate the lens. See all the details and photos in the blog build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ki-45-toryu-nick/ At this point I move the model to another table and upgraded the work bench area by adding work table to organize the work surface. Check out the updated photos of the working area on my blog at https://davidsscalemodels.com/gallery/the-studio/ The new workspace
  2. Continuing forward I assembled the wings and detailed the main landing gear bays. I assembled the rear gun using the resin version and the photo etch gun sight and mounted the cannon gun sight above the dash. I then mount the wings. Found another issue when mounting them. The kit has spars to support the wings. I ended up cutting these off the kit assembly and attaching them to the fuselage. It was not difficult and the wings lined up very well to the fuselage. The engines came then. They were detail painted and then the copper intercooler for the intake was installed. The engines were then put into their cowls and mounted to the wings. The wings were then installed and the entire fuselage was painted with the base coat. Weathered and added the belly 37mm cannon and then the landing gear was painted and installed. Next up will be the camouflage painting. You can see all the photos and details from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ki-45-toryu-nick/
  3. This build is the 1/48 Hasegawa Ki-45 Toryu (nicknamed “Nick”) and the scheme is the Manchukuo Air Corps version. The Ki-45 is a twin engine heavy fighter and was used for ground attack and as an interceptor. Manchukuo was a puppet state of Japan in located Manchuria that aided Japan in their Indo-China operations and later intercepting U.S. B-29’s that were fire bombing Japan. For this build I will be using the CMK resin cockpit detail set. I started by removing all the parts from the resin casting. The cockpit tub required very little trimming to fit in the fuselage. After some detail painting and adding some photo etch accessories I started installing the cockpit. I then found some errors in the CMK instructions. The first was the instructions show the dashboard mounted too far forward and does not show the control pedals. I had to remove it then relocated it to the correct position and added the control pedals. The second issue is the instructions do not inform you that the top of the dash on the kit needs to be notched in order to fit the cannon gun sight. Once these minor issues were corrected the cockpit tub fit in without any problems. I am now moving on to the wings and engine/landing gear bays. You can follow along on my blog in the build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-ki-45-toryu-nick/
  4. The Raptor is now finished and on the display shelf. This was a nice build. The photo etch parts were tedious but worked very well. The “stealth” coat does not show up very well when photographing the model. The kit itself fit together very well. The decals were great. They slid in place very well and conformed to the surface. The only caution is once the landing gear is installed, you need to use care as it seems a little flimsy. I did not break any of them but they appear to flex easily. Thanks for following along with this build. See all the details from start to finish at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  5. Minor update part 2 on the Raptor. The Weapons bay doors have been installed. It was a little tricky getting them lined up and installed but they settled in nicely. I then built, detailed, panted and installed the missiles. I only installed two of the AIM-120’s in the main weapons bay as the second set from Eduard had a problem. The set had three sets of forward fins and only one set of rear fins. I sent them back to exchange them for a correct set. Meanwhile I just installed the two AIM-120’s in the center and the AIM-9X into the missile bays. Decals installed, some weathering done and final coat using 8 parts matte and 2 parts of Vallejo metallic clear were sprayed to emulate the scheme. While it is drying I then started to detail the canopy. The kit comes with both tinted and clear canopies. I opted to use the tinted version. Hoping to complete this build by the weekend. Check out the build log for details and photos from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  6. Minor update on the Raptor. Had a minor health issue that kept me away from the bench for a couple of weeks. Over the last couple of days I was able to finish building the main weapons bay doors and prime them. I then assembled and primed the missile bay doors. Working on finishing the landing gear doors then onto the weapons to fill the bays. See all the photos from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  7. I am using the Glue Looper. It is an awesome tool to apply CA glue. I have used it for applying Tamiya thin glue as well. For CA glue I place a small pool in an aluminum dish and dip the tip of the tool into the glue. Just touch the edge and the glue flows under the PE and there is no excess to be seen. Gives me a very clean looking bond. I use to use dental picks but this tool works a lot better and is very precise. Especially when glue very small PE parts. https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/photo-etch-tools/
  8. This week’s update on the F-22 is a small one. Between my oldest son’s graduation from college and life getting in the way I was not able to spend a lot of time on the bench. However I was able to complete the main weapons bay doors. The small doors had 14 parts and the larger doors had 50 parts each. The braces are 1mm X 1mm styrene stock and the hinge shaft is 28awg wire. Next I will be assembling the photo etch replacement missile bay doors and then priming all the doors for paint.
  9. Looking for the Furball Aero 48010 1/48 A-4 Skyhawk, Lo Viz Devil Dog Scooters decal set. I need the VMA-214 decals specifically. Thank you.
  10. Thank you! This is for my own collection.
  11. More work on the Raptor. This update is a little early as my oldest son is graduating from college this weekend. As for the build, lots of tedious work. The landing gear is now detailed and installed. There are 22 parts for each of the main landing gear. I was able to get the base coat of all the paint on the tails and upper fuselage. I am still experimenting with the top coat to give it the metallic sheen. I am now working on the weapons bay doors. All of the doors are completely photo etch and around 80 parts each. This is going to take some time but so far it is looking great. See all the photos from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  12. Work continues on the fuselage of the Raptor. To start with the RAM panels on the fuselage are very thick. In scale they would be 4” thick! So I grabbed some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and went to work wet sanding all of them. The 600 did a nice job thinning them out. I then wet sanded with 800 grit, 1000 grit, and finally 2000 grit. This removed any sanding marks. Once the few photo etch vent panels were applied I looked into the paint scheme. Using some home experimenting mixology I ended up with the following colors. The lightest color is 3 parts light ghost gray and 1 part flat white. The median color is 9 parts dark ghost gray and 1 part gunship gray, the vent panels are gunship gray and I will be using neutral gray for the last color for the scheme. The final color “blobs” will be applied with an airbrush so I can get a good fade line between the colors. The paint on the actual F-22 has a color changing hue similar to a pearlized clear coat. This causes the aircraft to appear to lighten and darken depending on the angle of the light. I am still experimenting with different ideas on how to accomplish this. Once I figure out the process it will be applied as a final coat after the decals. I am now working on the landing gear. So far the nose gear is just about ready to install. I will attach the landing lights later so that the final pant coat doesn’t affect the clear parts. You can see this build from start to current progress in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  13. This week the Raptor build is moving forward with many details. To start with the kit does not come with any weapons so I purchased some Eduard Brassin AIM-9X and a few AIM-120’s to load up the weapons bays. I finished the main landing gear bay walls then moved on to the exhaust. The photo etch kit supplies the inside details of the exhaust. Once installed they were painted then weathered with pastel chalk. The top part of the fuselage is also the top of the main landing gear bays. I added the kit parts then detailed them with more wire and cable mounts. I turned to the intakes by painting them white and adding the decals. I like that the intakes assemble on the edges instead of the middle. Makes the intakes look seamless. Finally I assembled the fuselage halves together. This was a bit tricky especially around the intake openings. But once I got it lined up and some minor trimming they fit well. Will need some minor putty in a couple of areas to smooth out some minor gaps. The next step is to address the fuselage and some overly thick RAM panels. See all the photos and notes from the start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  14. I have updated my 1/350 US Navy Modern Aircraft Carrier Hangar Bay Decal Sets. You can now purchase them by the ship name. These include all signs, logos, and safety stripes needed to highly detail the hangar bays. Free shipping Worldwide. Check out the decals at https://davidsscalemodels.com/decals/modern-carrier-hangar-bay-decals/ USS Nimitz and USS Enterprise samples:
  15. Continuing onward this week I am working on the main landing gear bays. After locating reference photos on Google, I started by drilling many, many holes to install the numerous hydraulic lines. Using a .09 drill bit I drilled out the many locations where the lines go to. I then took 32 awg wire and ran the individual lines. I then added the electrical cables and routed them. Still have a couple of more lines to run then need to do all the yellow and blue connections and holders on the lines. Then I can weather and highlight the bays. See all the photos from start at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  16. Spring snow storm update! Yes it is spring and the middle of April but I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. Snowing like crazy here. So spent the day finishing the weapons bays and starting on the landing gear bays. The front landing gear bay is done. I added some wiring and hydraulic lines as well. I drew out the shape and laid out the wires then CA glued them together then fit them inside the bay. The photo etch supplied the wall details. I then glued the weapons and nose landing gear bay into the lower half of the fuselage. Next moving to the main gear then the engines. More photos at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  17. Weekly update on the Raptor, I started on the weapons bays. First the main bays. I found a photo on Google that gave me a close look at them. Using 32 awg wire with black sleeving I shaped the harness and used CA glue to join them together. I was looking thru my scrap photo etch items to find something I can use for the harness ties. I taped the photo to the wall for reference then realized the blue painters tape was an exact match to the color of the harness ties! I then cut small strips and wrapped them along the harness. Once all the wire harness’ were built and installed I stripped some wire and used the bare wire to simulate the hydraulic lines. I made my own fittings and ran the lines to the individual launchers as well as left some hanging for when I attach the doors. I added some weathering and used a black colored pencil to color in some of the fine wires. Next I started on the starboard missile bay. Eduard provided some photo etch parts for the avionics and I then drilled and installed the wires for each. Still need to do some fine details on the missile rail then I can repeat the process for the port missile bay. You can see all the other photos in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  18. This is the start of the Hasegawa 1/48 F-22 Raptor. I will also be using Ares resin cockpit and Eduard photo etch to detail this kit. The F-22 Raptor is fourth generation in stealth aircraft technology by the USAF. It is the first operational aircraft to combine super cruise, super maneuverability, stealth, and sensor fusion in a single weapons platform. The Ares resin cockpit required the removal of the dash hood/HUD panel so that it can be replaced by the resin part. The nice thing about resin parts is they have much better detail than the injected plastic kit parts. The cockpit tub just required a couple of photo etch parts like the pedals and levers then was painted. For the resin dash I found a photo of the F-22 dashboard for the F-22 simulator. Using Adobe Photoshop I cut and sized the screens to make decals for the resin dash. Once the decals were applied and coat with clear gloss, the dash buttons and controls were painted. The ejection seat was painted and detailed with the Eduard photo etch parts. After installing the seat into the cockpit tub the cockpit was weathered with dark gray pastel chalk. The dash was then installed into the fuselage and resin details were added to the fuselage for the canopy mating hooks. Next I will be working on the main bomb bay section. For more photos see my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f-22-raptor/
  19. The Italeri 1/48 F7F-3 Tigercat is complete. The HVAR’s have been replaced with Eduard Brassin rockets. These look way better than the kit rockets. The photo etch mounts look great as well. I then built the base using Tamiya’s accessories, the oil barrel with crate from the kit, resin wheel chocks, and a Scene-A-Rama kit that I found at a local arts and crafts store. The Scene-a-Rama comes with many nice features. It has grass mats, bushes, trees, gravel, and many other items. I did have to purchase the sand mat separately. I bought a wood base and using contact cement spray I attached the sand mat and trimmed the edges. Using the white glue in the kit I put a coat of white glue on the edges and on the edge of the sand mat. I sprinkled the road gravel and built up the area behind the barrels and gas cans. I painted the oil barrel black and the crate green drab then weathered with light and rust pastel chalk. The Tamiya fuel barrels and gas cans were painted olive drab and weathered the same way. The folded tarp was painted desert tan with dark tan in the folds. This was then weathered with tan light tan and brown pastel chalk. I used 80 lbs test braided fishing line to create the rope and weathered with dark gray pastel chalk. The resin wheel chocks were painted safety yellow. To keep the aircraft stable and mounted to the base, I use 28 awg wire and drilled a hole in the bottom of each wheel. Then I drilled corresponding holes into the base. I used CA glue to glue the wire posts to the base. The white glue from the kit was used to attach the other accessories. As for this build, I really like how this came out. Aside from the weight issue trying to keep it from tail dragging and the poor kit HVAR’s this was a nice kit to build. The decals were very good. If you build this kit the only other thing I would like to note is the main landing gear is a little tricky getting mounted. It takes some tedious work to get it inside the bay and lined up. Overall it presents great. Thanks for following along. On to the photos! See the entire build from start to finish at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f7f-3-tigercat/
  20. I am getting closer to completing the Tigercat. This week I put on the decals and sealed the aircraft. Once sealed, I added some weathering to the exhaust areas using light blue, brown, gray and finally black pastel chalk. Next I added the recognition and wing tip lights. I finally added the antenna wire using EZ-line. You can see how I did them in my tips and tricks section. https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/ I started working on the HVAR (High Velocity Aerial Rocket) and that’s when the problems arose. First the kit rockets have a cut-out area where the fins are mounted. Second the rockets are about .2” too short. I tried using the photo etch fins to see if I can make them look decent then realized the photo etch set only has enough fins for only four of the rockets. So I opted to buy the Eduard “Brassin” HVAR set. These look a lot more realistic than the kit rockets and even include the rocket to aircraft ignition wire. Once I finish the rockets I will then start on the display base. Stay tuned for more. All the build photos from the start are in my build log https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f7f-3-tigercat/ Kit HVAR’s that I will not be using.
  21. More progress on the Tigercat. I first cut out the molded wing tip lights. Later I will add clear parts to make the lens. Next I assembled and detailed the main gear bays with some photo etch and detail painting. Moving onto the engines I used the photo etch wiring harness. The engines were painted with aluminum for the cylinders and black for the pushrod covers. The wiring was painted burnt umber and the front cover was painted light gray with chrome bolts. The landing gear was then detailed. The main struts had the hydraulic lines molded on. I cut them off and replaced them with black sleeved 32 awg wire. I drilled a small hole at each end then stripped the sleeving off to the bare wire and CA glued the wire into the hole. I added the one for the nose gear as well. When assembling the fuselage I filled everything forward of the cockpit to the nose with lead weights. Alas even with all the weights the aircraft still wants to sit on its tail. There just isn’t enough room to add more weight due to the sleek fuselage. I am most likely going to make a display base for the aircraft to sit on so that it displays correctly. The fuselage has been base coated and the decals will be the next step. You can see all the build photos from the start on my blog at https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f7f-3-tigercat/
  22. Next up is the Italeri 1/48 F7F-3 Tigercat with Eduard photo etch details. The F7F-3 aircraft entered service late in the war in 1944. They were produced in day fighter, night fighter and photo-reconnaissance versions. They were originally designed to be carrier based but there were some issues that caused them to fail carrier qualification. They ended up being used by the Marines and did most of their service later during the Korean War. Starting off with the cockpit, the dashboard was detailed with photo etch parts. The photo etch seat was adorned with the seatbelts then mounted to the cockpit. While assembling the cockpit to the fuselage I noticed the kit did not have parts for the front a rear bulkheads of the nose gear bay. I used a contour gauge to measure the fuselage and cut out the bulkheads from sheet styrene. They grabbing so extra photo etch parts from my spares drawer I detailed the bulkheads . with a little minor shaping they fit right in. Another detail I did was to drill out the gun barrels of the nose guns for a more realistic appearance. See my build log for more detailed photos. https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f7f-3-tigercat/
  23. The MIG-21 PFM is now complete. I detailed the canopy and opted to leave it open to show the details of the cockpit. After reviewing some photos on line I dulled the finish a little. I then detailed the R-3S missiles by making the sensors look realistic. The method used is in my Tips and Tricks section. https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-make-laser-and-ir-sensor-heads/ The missiles were then mounted as the final step. This was a very nice model to build. The fit was very good with very minor work required to line up the parts. Aside from the numerous decals they all went on nicely. Thanks for following along. Here are the final photos. To see all the photos from start to finish check out my build log. https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-mig-21-pfm/
  24. Many modern weapons like missiles and bombs have a sensor on the nose for Infra Red (IR), Laser, or GPS guidance. Typically the sensor is mounted behind a coated lens to protect the sensor and allow it to have a wide field of view. Many times modelers paint them using gloss paint. The tutorial on my blog will show you how to replicate the coated lens appearance. https://davidsscalemodels.com/tips-and-tricks/how-to-make-laser-and-ir-sensor-heads/
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