ghodges
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Posts posted by ghodges
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Hiya Scott, and welcome to the forums! Glad to have another "Tannite" (Floridian) on the boards. Looking forward to y'alls show next spring! In the meantime, make yourself at home!
GIL
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Wow, that actually makes me feel better!
All I can say is that Microscale prints GREAT decals (for Isracast and everyone else. It didn't take more than 30secs for any decal to loosen on the paper once it was wet. They also laid down easily (little to no silvering) so that I lost no extra time in "babying" them.For you "youngsters" out there, we old folks can remember when Microscale was almost the ONLY aftermarket decal maker (at least in the US). My understanding is that when the company slpit apart in the late 70's, one guy got the art work (Scalemaster) and one guy got to keep the "technology" (Microscale). Ther IS a difference in the quality between the two!
GIL
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I'm doing a Navy unit from the 80's. However, ATAC (private) is still flying a few and I ocasionally see them overhead here in Jacksonville!
GIL
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Sorry, no pics...but after another 2.5hrs of work all of the decals are on! Just over 130 of the little suckers in all, and I left about 25 stencils off of the bottom. Got to watch all of "Die Hard with a Vengeance" though......
GIL
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Magnificent Mustang Mike! By the way, I meant to ask what gloss coat did you use? I can never seem to get my models that shiny! Congrats on another beatiful build!
GIL
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Good lookin' 'Stang Mike! Glad to see I'm not the only work bench slob here!
GIL
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Decaling progress...
The first decaling session: 2.5 hours for 65 decals, and one side and one wing is done! The Isracast decals (printed by Microscale) are marvelous, going on with no problems outside of my own creation. The only mistake is a "danger saction" on one of the small intake stencils. I dare ya to find it!
Thank God for ballgames....it makes the long decalling sessions tolerable! Questions, comments, and critiques welcome as always. Cheers!
GIL
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You might try contacting USAAF color expert Dana Bell. You can do that by posting on Hyperscale.com. My impression is that there never was a "pre-mix" chrome yellow paint before WWII; and it was never officially called "chrome yellow". However, it may be something from the 40s-50's when it was still being used for trainers, or simply a Dupont paint stock made for private aircraft owners who wanted to paint their own plane in an "authentic" color. Sounds VERY interesting!
GIL
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Nice save! That is one OUTSTANDING looking Mustang and a great tribute to the man and his group. Congrats on your perserverence!
GIL
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Masterful Messerschmitt James! Hard to believe such a nice model could be slammed together so quickly and yet with such craftsmanship. It says a lot about your skills! Congrats on another winner, and thanks for posting!
GIL
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That's how the Germans lost the war....they had all of those great complex camo schemes and then they'd put some bright yellow on the plane that just shouts "HERE I AM, COME SHOOT ME DOWN!"
GIL
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Nice pics Chris! Congrats on bing tagged by FSM and thanks for sharing.
GIL
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Well, my personal experiences with acrylic paints has been to stick with enamels (because acrylics don't stick well to plastic, despite the "special formulation"
)! But then, I have no problems with fumes since I paint in my garage.C'mon you acrylic lovers! Defend yourselves!
GIL
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Howdy Brad! Glad to have you here with us. Jump in with both feet and don't be shy! Cheers!
GIL
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Charles: Love the camo on the Jagdpanther! Is it free-hand, or did you mask; and if your masked, how? Thanks!
GIL
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Terrific Tigercat! You obviously used your limited time to the utmost. Congrats!
GIL
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You're off to a super start William.
GIL
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Yea! I like it TWICE as much as Greg does! Greg will never like your stuff as much as I do Mike! (just doing my best to turn the commentary into competition too!)
Nice Texan! Just shows that all you need are skills like yours and not the latest-greatest kit to turn out a nice model! Thanks for posting!
GIL
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Smashing work Bill! They look great!
GIL
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Instead of hawking any brand or type of airbrush, I want to pass along 2 other items of advice:
1) Look at your airbrush purchase as an INVESTMENT. Sure, you don't want to blow $200 at the start (and you don't need to); but if you get a cheap airbrush that can't do what you need to do (as in handle mottle camo in 1/72), then you're actually wasting your time and money. You'll have enough headaches mastering what the brush IS capable of, so get one with features that will allow you to finish your choice of subject matter the way you want! Besides, a good quality airbrush that is properly maintained will last for 10-20yrs; making your inital outlay paltry when amoratized over the course of its use.
2) Get a good, reliable air source. You can use a compressor or a tank of CO2 (or nitrogen), but do NOT use the cans of "Propel". They're expensive and also lose power as they get cold during use. Again, invest in a system that fits your situation. If humidity is an issue where you paint, you'll need a moisture trap for the air line (unless you use a tank). Get a regulator for your system if the compressor you have doesn't come with one. It will allow you to dial down the pressure from the "max" level, which gives you much more control over overspray and orange peel.
You don't need to spend $300 for a good set-up. However, you should bet on spending $100-$200 in order to get stuff that will give you a chance at success. By the way, if you have a Harbor Freight near you, check them out. They carry knock-off brands of the better known airbrushes (same actions and tip sizes) as well as many different compressors for hobby and industry, and often have sales. Best of luck!
GIL
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This shows how the flaps fit to their actuator fairings, as well as the botom of the leading edge slats after grinding them to shape. You can just see the thin wire "pins" I'm using to position the parts.
This top view shows how the flaps fit up under their fairing slats (ala the F-18), as well as the position of the leading edge slats. There's still quite a bit of filling/sanding needed on the leading edges.
The camo is on the Kfir! I really like my Talon airbrush. It made controlling the overspray a snap! I also like schemes like this that require little to no masking. You can also still just see a little of the preshading in the lightest gray color.
The bottom view shows that I still need to repaint the gear wells, but at least the hard painting is done! It's getting close to the gloss/decalling stage, and there's a LOT of decals on a Kfir (even an American one)! Comments, questions, and critiques welcome as always!
GIL
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James, you've obviously been hangin' around Barry Numerik way too much! That 109 looks NICE!!
GIL
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Should be quite eye catching when the yellow and the markings are on it. I agree, don't rush it as you've got a good'n going there!
GIL
All I can say is that Microscale prints GREAT decals (for Isracast and everyone else. It didn't take more than 30secs for any decal to loosen on the paper once it was wet. They also laid down easily (little to no silvering) so that I lost no extra time in "babying" them.
Nose weights?
in Aircraft
Posted
Neal's method is the common technique to get enough nose weight without over doing it. I'd also like o suggest Terry Dean's nose weights. You can contact him for as listing at: NightieMission@aol.com . He has weights pre-shaped to fit a lot of the Monogram 1/48 bombers (as cockpit floors, etc), many of which are notoriously hard to find enough space for enough weight to make them sit on their gear! Best of luck!
GIL