Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: ChernayaAkula on August 11, 2019, 12:02:08 PM
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Must have been ages since I last did an in-progress thread. Last one was for a Hasegawa 1/72 F-16C Block 50 for the Viper II GB – that ended ten years ago or so. Sheesh, time does fly, whether there’s fun being had or not. :icon_meditation: Anyway, here’s a new IP thread.
This didn’t originally start out as a four-Fishbeds-at-once thing. The first one (from Eduard’s MiG-21MF Interceptor boxing) was started well over a year ago. It made good progress for a while, then ran out of steam. It then sat in primer and the beginning of a camo scheme for quite some time. I was able to get a couple more camouflage colours on earlier this year, but that was a rather frustrating experience. AKAN colours (water-soluble acrylics) and I don’t get along too well. Yet. I hope that will change at some point. Wouldn’t mind if it was sooner rather than later.
Here are the cockpit and ejection seat. Around thirty or so parts at this point. Pre-painted PE looks cool.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508062017_ebe2d1696c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuQR)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-01 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuQR) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The pilot transferred from a Zvezda MiG-21bis.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882936_c3eceb4f6b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzBf)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-02 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzBf) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I guess he’ll be sufficient once the canopy is on. The coloured PE does look nice. The firing handles for the ejection seat are a nice touch.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882871_b12b630620_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzA8)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-03 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzA8) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
All closed and interior colour sprayed. I don’t think this was a proper colour by AKAN (didn’t have that one at the time), but a mix of some AKAN blues and greens.
The Fencer is a “smear bird”. Italeri boxing of the Dragon kit, built around twenty years ago and attacked (“painted” doesn’t quite cut it) with Revell enamels and a hairy stick. I painted the Fencer’s belly for practice purposes and because I had mixed way too much paint.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061812_782d912207_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuMj)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-04 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuMj) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
This is the scheme I’m going for. Anyone some ideas for a proper load-out? At the moment I’m considering a pair of R-13Ms and some bombs. Maybe.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061757_811bd67bc4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuLn)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-05 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuLn) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I also have Begemot’s decal sheet featuring this particular scheme. It provides more views than the Linden Hill instruction sheet. Since it’s quite an intricate scheme and having four different topside colours represented in various shade of grey in the instructions, I thought I’d make things easier by enlarging the plan and filling in the colours with coloured pencils. It doesn’t help that some light colours are represented with dark greys in the instruction sheet and vice versa. :-\
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061682_32deb7ce0b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuK5)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-06 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuK5) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
This is where things ground to a screeching halt some time last summer. As you can see, there’s more green on the paper towel than on the Fishbed. :icon_twisted: I had severe problems with paint drying on the tip. I used a Harder & Steenbeck Evolution Silverline with a 0.2mm nozzle for this.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882706_6b2c795930_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzxh)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-07 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzxh) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
My attempt at a paint swatch for the colours in my stash. I figured I’d paint one of the cockpit-hoods-on-popsicle-sticks-things for every new colour I’d use and then have a handy swatch, showing what the colours actually like once on primed plastic. The AKAN bottles have all sorts of weird and wonderful colours showing through their plastic jars, but these are hardly indicative of what’s inside once it’s been stirred. The things are actually fingernail art displays found on Amazon. Fifty for 2 or 3 bucks. They were primed with Badger Stynylrez.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882641_ac02f41762_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzwa)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-08 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzwa) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
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This is where things stood a couple of weeks ago. The Soviet Fishbed got another few camo colours, all from AKAN. I used the non-faded versions as indicated in Linden Hill’s Azeri Fishbed sheet. They looked close enough. And I guess since the Azeris got their SMs from Soviet stocks, the colours should indeed be similar. Painting was so-so this time. I tried a dirt-cheap Fengda airbrush (from Amazon). That actually produced nicer results than my H&S. I don’t know. Perhaps airbrushing is a dark art after all. The Fengda was not without its vices. Suffice it to say, the Fengda is no more. C:-)
Also visible are three more Fishbeds. They’re from Eduard’s Royal Class and MiG-21MF Fighter-Bomber boxings. I thought maybe building a couple of the same kit at the same time would not let me run out of steam quite so quickly and that’s worked out fine. So far. ;)
I intend to build the Bulgarian and Cuban options from the Royal Class boxing and the Egyptian from the fighter-bomber boxing.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48060650288_99beb1542a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gdXoVw)In_Prog_1man (https://flic.kr/p/2gdXoVw) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Assembly line.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882571_6c4cd2ce5d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzuX)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-09 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzuX) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I found that shaving the slightest bit of the areas marked in red would improve the fit of the wings.
The two bits of styrene in the wheel well are as a backer for a little filling. This particular lower wing half was shot short.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061422_76a3880355_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuEA)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-10 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuEA) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I’ve found this gap between the wing section and the assembled fuselage halves on all four Fishbeds so far. Needs a little filling. I used thin plastic sheet.
On the right hand side you see where filler was used to plug the gap from the short shot.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061327_d532e368c4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuCX)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-11 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuCX) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
This was an attempt to get a kind of support for liquid putty. I originally planned to use Magic Scuplt. It’s easily manipulated into gaps and can then be smoothed with water, making sanding redundant. In the end, thin plastic sheet worked just as fine.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061262_b91e332820_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuBQ)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-12 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuBQ) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I want to build all four Fishbeds in-flight. The Zvezda pilot is okay, but I wanted something a little better. This is an Aerobonus Soviet Naval Air Force pilot. As you can see, he’s standing with his arms down by his side, head looking sideways. Since he’s still on the tarmac, he’s not wearing his oxygen mask. The level of detail is very nice, though. That should make painting a lot easier.
Some Frankenstein’ing is in order!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882336_b97d253ec4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzqU)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-13 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzqU) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
First steps. First cuts? :icon_vader: Legs cut off. Aluminium wire was sintered to allow the legs to bent, making the torso fit the ejection seat and the cockpit.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061112_e4139e4778_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuzf)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-14 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuzf) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Getting him ready for moulding. An oxygen mask was added with Magic Sculp. The legs were cut at the knees, but easily reassembled thanks to the aluminium wire. The arms were also bent. They were cut at the elbow and also reconnected with aluminium wire and CA. Ha, no needle and thread for this Frankenstein!
The arm on the right has a throttle added to the hand..
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882186_0b2c9d5185_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzoj)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-15 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzoj) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The first round of moulds didn’t really work out. Lots of bad casts. So I revised the bases for the parts. Mould boxes made from LEGO (of course!).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060942_7a08fb869d_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuwj)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-16 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuwj) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
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Making new moulds using the revised basing. Also making a mess. :P
Actually bought new-ish LEGO parts just for this purpose. You can get them in any size you want from shops selling individual parts (used and new) via BrickOwl.com. For some colours, the prices for 4X2 bricks are a cent per brick! Perfect for reconfigurable mould boxes.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48507882051_33cab55daa_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzkZ)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-17 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUtzkZ) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
With the revised bases I was able to get much better casts. They do need more clean-up, though. The resin I use was pretty easy to cut with sprue cutters and scalpels, so clean-up wasn’t too bad.
The pilot on the right is glued to his ejection seat and already has the stick fitted to his hand. They all need slight adjustments to allow them to board their cockpits after they’re painted. The rudder pedals had to be cut out because of fit issues (don’t tell anyone).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060792_7dbd3d20e4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuutJ)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-18 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuutJ) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Batmen.
The black primer brings out the detail much better than the tan resin.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060717_8d1ba090e7_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuusr)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-19 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuusr) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Pilots painted and with oxygen hoses and mike cables. Pilots were painted with a mix of Revell Aqua, Vallejo, Citadel and AKAN. The oxygen hoses were made by wrapping quite thin copper wire round a slightly thicker wire. They turned a bit oversize, but aren’t too bad, I guess. The mike cables are even thinner copper wire. All wires were sourced from various old appliance cables. I was a little careless with painting the seats because you won’t see any of that afterwards anyway. Painting things nobody will see? Ain’t nobody got time for dat!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060607_5607d86dc7_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuqx)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-20 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuqx) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Pilots fitted to their cockpits. Added a dab of Tamiya X-22 to make their visors shiny.
Bit of dry-brushing and some dust pigments on the IP panel coaming for some discolouration. The HUD lens was painted with a mix of clear Mr. Color orange and yellow tones. The whole HUD assembly is made from a transparent part., which I think works nicely. I painted the bottom silver first. With the transparent colours added to it, it looks quite convincing.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060522_5d13c26733_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuup5)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-21 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuup5) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
One step back. The part just ahead of the windscreen (D32) has some slight fit issues. Eduard did some clever engineering on this kit and a lot of seas are hidden. With the spill-over from the air intake (still slightly flashed-over in this pic), it makes sense to design the parts this way. It would be really nasty to have a seam running down the centreline here.
I used red marker to give me a reference when sanding. A few swipes with some sanding files were all that was needed. Rescribing was a female dog, though. Will have to see how this looks under primer.
Also obvious is that AKANs interpretation of Yucky MiG Cockpit Green isn’t quite the same as Eduard’s pre-painted PE’s is. Then again, once it’s all buttoned-up, that won’t be too much of a problem. In the previous pic (with the pilots), the difference is hardly discernible (also thanks to a bit more brushwork with mixed colours).
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060412_7c6e5e55d9_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuunb)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-24 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuunb) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The fuselage’s tail pipes. Original on the left, thinned down version on the right. I don’t know why Eduard moulded them so thick. An issue of plastic flow in the mould? Some scraping and filing produced much thinner versions.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508060477_1d7fef2fa1_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuoi)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-22 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuoi) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
So much for now. More when there’s… well, more. ;)
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Neat job on the pilots! :smiley:
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It's a treat to see you back at the bench, Mortiz and the MiG-21 is one of my favorite Soviet jets.
That camo paint work is especially sweet. I'm going to enjoy seeing more for sure!
Brian da Basher
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great job on the pilot plastic surgery and casting! the painting looks great, too. Stynylrez is a great paint/primer and it makes a great primer surface for delicate acrylics like Vallejo.
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Looking good Moritz. Four at a time is impressive considering what you have created in 72nd scale.
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great job on the pilot plastic surgery and casting! the painting looks great, too...
Agreed! Very nice work :smiley:
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Thanks, guys! Glad you like them. :smiley: It's good to be actually modelling and putting cement to plastic for once.
Hope you don't mind that wall of text and pics, but I wanted to be sure I'd get quite a way into the MiGs so I wouldn't start a thread and let it cool down only shortly thereafter. Hope the mojo continues to be on my side.
<...> That camo paint work is especially sweet. I'm going to enjoy seeing more for sure!< <...>
It looks nice because it's about an arm's length away. ;) Airbrush was driving me mad at times. >:D No colour at one moment, then - with only the minutest muscle movement on the trigger - a deluge. Then the finest line fit for free-handing intricate camo schemes - for all of an inch or two. And no rhyme or reason I could make out. :icon_twisted: The camo looks quite splotchy and that's only partly on purpose, I'm afraid. I guess with some weathering it will look like a suitably beat-up and well-used airframe, though. I hope.
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Got a bit more work done on the Fishbeds.
Kicking off with the – in my eyes – only real, REAL weak point of the kit: the air intake!
(What is it with Eduard and the Fishbed noses?)
The intake ring is dull. The intake rings on the left and right are from the box. DULL! Rounded. More Farmer than Fishbed, I’m afraid. The Intake ring in the middle is my sharpened version. Took about ten minutes with a deburrer, files and sand paper. The intake diameter is now also a bit larger (albeit still too small!). OOB the inside diameter is 11,04mm. The actual MiG-21MF intake has a diameter of 89cm (measured at a German museum in Cottbus by modelling colleagues on flugzeugforum.de), which translates to 12,36mm on a 1/72 model. My sharpened version has a diameter of 11,44mm. Still too small, but the sharp lip improves the look of the model considerably, I think.
The inside diameter of the metal replacement parts by airdesign.sk and Miniworld is 11,5mm each.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49014732566_746a3ac8a4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hFgjkY)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-25 (https://flic.kr/p/2hFgjkY) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr.
The in-flight stands.
Since all four Fishbeds are going to be in-flight, they need stands. Trying a solid square rod (2.5x2.5mm) this time. Original plan was to use 3x0.5mm strip styrene to fashion sleeves that would accept the rods. The sleeves were to be embedded into the model. Only built one sleeve this way.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129937241_5f66182e0e_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrLFt)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-26 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrLFt) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Used 5x5mm L-strip (0.5mm thickness) by Tamiya on the three other sleeves.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129483593_466da48acb_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRprPX)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-34 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRprPX) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Needed some trimming down to 3mm. Fit is quite tight. Almost a bit too tight.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129483558_5c7541ffc1_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRprPm)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-35 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRprPm) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I could have installed the sleeves before closing the fuselages. On many types, that would’ve made much more sense than the way I did it on the Fishbeds. I drilled a hole next to the ventral fin and enlarged it with square files so it would accept the square sleeve. The sleeve now sits between the last “engine bulkhead” (part D50) and the afterburner flameholder (part D41). Couldn’t be helped, but is invisible anyway.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49130120182_92ef2ec246_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRsH4C)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-27 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRsH4C) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The drilling and routing were done with a Proxxon MicroMOT 50/EF on a Proxxon drill press stand to ensure the drill and router bit wouldn’t wander.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129446438_e666b79d48_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfMm)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-28 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfMm) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
This is what it looks like under primer.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129972521_6c9f7f06b8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrXaK)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-36 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrXaK) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
With the rod installed. Neat enough.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129972461_016b863c06_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrX9H)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-37 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrX9H) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
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While I had the drill stand set up, I figured I’d give the GSh-23 cannons a bit of attention.
On the right is an OOB part with the “ears” for the cooling air intake/shell ejection ports added. On the left the modified parts. From the front:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129446413_1b2d26b4d7_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfLV)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-29 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfLV) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49130120037_886f7c9172_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRsH28)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-30 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRsH28) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
From the rear:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129446303_11206de2d5_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfK2)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-31 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfK2) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I opened up the holes in the “ears” with a drill bit and the help of a vise. A matchstick helped securing the part without snapping the ears. These holes were only starting points, though. I hollowed out the parts mostly with fresh scalpel blades.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129937296_bc2cd38010_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrLGq)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-23 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrLGq) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Fit of the guns was greatly enhanced by running the chisel a few times against the ridges on the fuselage flanking/pinching the gun housings.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129446233_0caa759e32_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfHP)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-32 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRpfHP) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Ready for priming!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129936831_798b7a352e_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrLyp)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-33 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrLyp) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Primed!
I fashioned a couple of stands from some woodworking left-overs. Never – NEVER! – throw anything away! The post has a hole that accepts a wooden rod which in turn fits the tailpipe quite snuggly once some making tape is wrapped around it. The Fishbed-on-a-stick can now be easily handled for painting and is just as easily stored for drying. Now I just need to get started on the painting……
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129972391_380d6078b5_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrX8v)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-38 (https://flic.kr/p/2hRrX8v) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
So much for now. Hope to get some paint down soon. I hope to get the Fishbeds done this year. Famous last words, eh? Took me ages to get this update up…. :-\
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Lookin' fine! 8)
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These look great! I would have thought 1/48th scale from the look of those cockpits!
I sympathize with the painting problems. I always stall out at that point. Keep at it, I’m sure they will look great.
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Thanks, guys!
I hope the paint won't stop me. I'm cautiously optimistic, though. Did some trail runs on an ICM 1/72 MiG-25 Foxbat and the airbrush didn't give me too much trouble. I tried using some stencils and white paint to create some preshading.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49144002858_9296586d3f_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hSFRU7)
ICM-72-MiG-25-Foxbat-ArtFX-01 (https://flic.kr/p/2hSFRU7) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Looks kinda cool just like that, I think. Really just white over black primer.
Sprayed some fairly thin grey paint over all of that, taking care not to cover the preshading completely. The idea was to get a slightly patchy, worn appearance to make it look more "lively". I'm quite happy with how it turned out.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49149698547_3373db5c05_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hTc42D)
ICM-72-MiG-25-Foxbat-ArtoolFX-03 (https://flic.kr/p/2hTc42D) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
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Use a couple of greens for a base & one or two browns over that mask (or vice-versa) & that's one awesome camo scheme! 8)
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That fractal MiG is looking like it's gonna be pure eye-candy!
Brian da Basher
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Old Wombat: Yeah, that should work really nicely. :smiley:
Brian da Basher: Thanks. Once it's grey, the candy bit will be gone, though.
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Get the Fishbeds done in 2019? Yeah nah, that obviously didn’t pan out. :-[ Didn’t touch them at all for the remainder of 2019. But now it’s 2020 and I’m happy to report that some progress has been made. :icon_beer:
Primer had ample time to dry… :uuu: … and things kicked off in 2020 with some pre-shading, thanks to the Artool FX masks and Tamiya paint. Three topsides…
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448309877_c08ef7bf40_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvLR)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-39 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvLR) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
…and four bottoms. On the lower right is the Soviet SM that had most of its topside camo colours applied already.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448081436_4786669947_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykSd)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-40 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykSd) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
First camo colour. Gunze H27 Sand, to be precise. Thinned with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner, it went down nicely.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448309792_aec5e5958b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvKo)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-41 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvKo) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Underside light blue. Gunze H67. I hope you can see the preshading showing through just a tiny bit on the leading and trailing edges. Difficult to get on camera.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448309747_1ef272a83b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvJB)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-42 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvJB) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Masking the radio-transparent bits. 30 minutes of masking, two minutes spraying (Gunze H26). ;D
This is the Egyptian Fishbed. The sand colour is a tad brown, I guess. Both the sand and green (Gunze C136) have been faded ever so slightly slightly using highly-thinned Tamiya white.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448081286_d9ffe9ff2a_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykPC)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-43 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykPC) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448309632_535b392bba_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvGC)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-44 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikzvGC) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The Bulgarian camo looks fairly complex. In the end, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had feared.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448081186_4b60bc1d23_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykMU)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-45 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykMU) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
This is where things are at right now. The Bulgarian (missing half its pitot rod because I’m a klutz :-[) and Cuban/Angolan MiGs.
For some odd reason, the two greens –Mr. Color 135 and 136 - were much more difficult to work with than the sand colour, Mr. Hobby Color 27. I thinned all three with Mr. Leveling Thinner. I suppose the Mr. Color colours should have been easier to thin – being lacquers -, given that the thinner is actually for these very colours. Still, even with a bit more thinner in the Mr. Color colurs, these tended to clog and dry on the tip much faster than the Mr. Hobby Color. Conventional wisdom has it that the Mr. Hobby Color should’ve been more difficult, being an acrylic. Right?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49448081146_7ee33309cd_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykMd)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-46 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikykMd) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49447606728_f459756418_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikvUKA)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-47 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikvUKA) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The Soviet SM and the Egyptian MF. Note that the Egyptian and Cuban/Angolan MiGs use the same colours. The Egyptian one has been faded a bit.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49447606698_1242be73a0_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikvUK5)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-48 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikvUK5) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49447606658_1704563126_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ikvUJo)
ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-49 (https://flic.kr/p/2ikvUJo) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I need to repair some overspray on the undersides. I will probably try fading the other camo schemes and radio-transparent bits a bit (more). Maybe add a little chipping and then it’s time for the pre-decal gloss coat. :smiley:
Will also need to work on the load-out.
The metal bits also need painting. I’ll be using AK Extreme Metal for this. Still debating whether to lay these down before the decal gloss coat or not. Thoughts?
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Holy Fishbed resurrection, Batman!
Love the look of that camo, Herr Akula.
I liked the spotty one and probably would've gone with it but that might be just because it reminds me of my teenage years. ;D
Great stuff and you've got some keen artistic talent!
Brian da Basher
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This is looking really good! I would just use gloss where the decals go, then spray with matte or flat to match the rest of the paint.
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Thanks, Mr da Basher! :smiley:
This is looking really good! I would just use gloss where the decals go, then spray with matte or flat to match the rest of the paint.
Looking at the stencil instructions, that would be..... just about everywhere. ;D Really, the only things not covered in stencils are the underside of the stabilators and about a fingernail-sized patch smack in the middle of the wings.
The thing I'm wondering about with the gloss coat is the metal bits. I wonder whether using a gloss coat now and a matte coat at the end would kill the metal lustre. The AK Extreme Metal paint are said to be pretty durable. Apparently they aren't fussed by odorless thinner used in weathering, meaning they don't have to be protected by a gloss coat like the decals do. I've got a MiG-25 in the works that's at the same point. I will probably try laying down metal colours and then an overall gloss coat and see how it looks from there.
In the end, this might be a non-issue. The parts I'm talking on the Fishbeds and Foxbat about are well-weathered and not shiny at all. The drop tanks I painted in AK Extreme Metal Aluminium, for example, look way too shiny. They will need dulling down to look realistic.
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Looking good Moritz! Hopefully no more mishaps with the pitot tube bits. :smiley:
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A gloss coat makes metal finishes look unnatural. A flat or matte coat just dulls the shine, so maybe a dull coat after gloss? Or just don't gloss the metal parts (if you can). Another option is to hand brush metal surfaces that have lost their metallic look. For small areas, it should be OK.
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Thanks, Jeff! Hope you're right about the pitots. ;) I've got a set of Master brass pitots. Hadn't intended to use it for one of these Fishbeds, but I guess that's academic now.
Yeah, Frank, a dull coat after the gloss was the idea. :smiley: Either that or paint the metal parts so late in the build that everything else has already got its final dull coat.
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The three-tone looks great! 8)
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Six months since the last update? Ugh. :-X
Among other smaller things that had to be done, I had to add the little FOD guards for the auxiliary air inlets. Top row left is what Eduard provides in the box (there’s also a plastic version, but that’s too thick): a butt joint in a groove in the fuselage. Can be made to work (I know because I tried), but pretty easy to knock off while handling the model (I know because I tried). A more durable solution had to be found. I’ve seen a build where the modeller soldered thin brass wire to a slit cut in the fins (subject was a BAe Hawk). I’ve also tried that. Result is in the lower right corner. Wasn’t happy with my soldering skills. Granted, this was my first try at soldering PE, but it was so frustrating at that moment that I tried another approach: CA. This seemed to work much better for me and turned out to be almost as strong. I will give soldering another try in the future, but I wanted to crack on with the Fishbeds and the FOD guards had sucked enough joy at that point and stalled the build(s) for a brief time. Well, brief? Given that my last update was in mid-January….
Anyway, the (suitably shortened) brass wires were then inserted in holes drilled in the grooves on the fuselages and secured with CA. Much stronger than the OOB solution.
Idea for Eduard: Instead of thin tabs that need to be cut, perhaps leave a full-thickness tab that can be glued in a drilled hole?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50015128821_74b230a68a_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcEBig)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx50 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcEBig) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
To cut the slots, I fashioned a zero-clearance bit from a piece of aluminium T-stock. That kept the PE from bending to the pressure of the fret saw.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50015128811_1a575c1d6b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcEBi6)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx51 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcEBi6) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Also had to paint the ordnance and the associated pylons. Drilled holes in all of them and inserted thin brass wire to hold them.
The Angolan MiG will get four UB-16 rocket pods. The Egyptian MiG will be armed with four R-3S/AA-2 Atolls. The Soviet MiG will be armed with two each R-13M/AA-2 Atoll and R-3R/AA-2 radar-guided Atolls. The Bulgarian MiG will get two R-60/AA-8 Aphids and two empty pylons.
All are from Eduard BRASSIN sets, except for the R-3R AAMs, which are from ResKit.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50015128806_8c63e5ee82_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcEBi1)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx52 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcEBi1) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Resin and brass mobile. ;D
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50014597438_e9f7a9f3c0_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTku)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx53 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTku) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Shiny MiGs! Tamiya X-22 thinned 1:1 with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. Well, a tiny bit more thinner than X-22. 40/60-ish.
I’ve decided to paint the metal parts as late as possible.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50015390067_2cbfc796f6_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcFWXv)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx54 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcFWXv) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
First round of decals. The Angolan and Bulgarian markings are printed by Cartograf. The Egyptian markings are Eduard’s in-house decals. They weren’t too bad. Not quite Cartograf, but quite usable. With some Micro Set and Sol they wrapped around the conduit on the rear flank quite nicely. The stars on the Soviet MiG are from Cartograf (robbed an Eduard option for those), the White 17 is from a (rather old) Begemot sheet.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50014597418_0097b17294_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTk9)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx55 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTk9) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Disaster! :icon_twisted: The white arrow on the Begemot sheet didn’t want to play ball. Wouldn’t lay into the panel lines no matter how much Micro Sol I threw at it. Also didn’t want to align properly. In the end, I had to take it off. The Sol didn’t get the decal to conform to the panel lines, but it sure made it stick like mad. It apparently also softened the clear coat, paint and underlying primer. Getting the decals off resulted in some paint flaking off.
I have another arrow on a Linden Hill sheet, but I’m thinking about making some masks and spraying it instead.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50014597413_158e803aa3_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTk4)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx56 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTk4) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
The drop tanks also got some paint. They were all painted in AK Extreme metal (Dark Aluminium, I think), got a coat of hairspray and then their camouflage colours. Some water was applied to activate the hairspray. I then used a stiff brush, tooth picks, bamboo skewers and tweezers to ding them up a bit. At the top is the tank for the Angolan MiG in a wrap-around scheme. Next up is the Soviet tank. I more or less went with a camo scheme similar to the full-sized MiG. I coulnd’t find any pics indicating a “proper” scheme. Bare metal? Overall grey/blue? Camouflaged? It seemed all options were used at some point, so I went with the option I liked best. Was there a standard? And were wing tanks painted differently from belly tanks? Next up are two Bulgarian tanks. Don’t know which one I’ll take. Looks like they used both. Much like the full-sized MiGs, there seems to be no standard as far as camo schemes go. But they often look pretty weathered and beaten up.
The overall metal tank will go on the Egyptian MiG.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50014597393_384a18fa33_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTjH)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx57 (https://flic.kr/p/2jcBTjH) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
That’s what I have pictures of. Will have to re-shoot some of the camo colours on the Soviet MiG. The other three have been stencilled. A hundred stencils each? Two hundred? Closer to the latter, I think. Took ages – one night for fuselage, one night for wings and pylons -, but was strangely relaxing. :icon_meditation:
Will also have to paint some of the smaller antennae bits and then it’s time to seal in the decals. Then it’s on to the weathering.
Hope the next update won’t take another six months. :P
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:smiley:
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Those are coming along very nicely Moritz :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
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Good progress! Those paint disasters are the bane of my existence. If the arrow is simple enough, you should try a mask, maybe large enough to cover the damage?
The drop tanks look ready to go - it's hard to believe these are 1/144.
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Must have missed this the first time, but got my attention now :smiley:
Impressive work so far
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Thanks, people! :smiley:
Good progress! Those paint disasters are the bane of my existence. If the arrow is simple enough, you should try a mask, maybe large enough to cover the damage?
The drop tanks look ready to go - it's hard to believe these are 1/144.
Simple, yes. But also fairly large. Masks should still be easier. I will try some of the other decals on that Linden Hill sheet on some scrap pieces and see how they perform, but I'm leaning towards masks and Tamiya XF-2.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48508061757_811bd67bc4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuLn)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx4-05 (https://flic.kr/p/2gUuuLn) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Also, they're 1/72. ;) I guess there are people that could do this in 1/144, but I'm not one of them. ;D
Here's a shot of tanks' undersides. Quite happy with how they turned out, considering it was my first attempt at hairspray weathering. Some of them really did look that beaten-up in real life..
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50021346257_aa895e411c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jddtwr)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx58 (https://flic.kr/p/2jddtwr) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Also managed to repair the damage done by the decal. Paint looks a little lighter, but that's because it's flat (and barely five minutes old), unlike the shiny rest of the plane. Should even out once it's also clear-coated.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50020549928_809e73ecaa_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jd9oNC)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx59 (https://flic.kr/p/2jd9oNC) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Also masked the little antenna covers under the wings. Thankfully included on Eduard's mask sheet. You're supposed to paint them before the underside colour and mask them, but since I was a tad impatient, it had to be done the other way round, using the left-over "waste bits" for masks. Worked out okay. :smiley:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50021346227_82b601ab87_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jddtvV)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx60 (https://flic.kr/p/2jddtvV) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
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Nice work on the drop tanks! The weathering looks excellent :smiley:
Good recovery on the paintwork too! Did you decide whether you're going with decals or masking and spraying the white arrows?
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I couldn't do it in 1/72, so; Hat's off to ya! :smiley:
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Thanks, guys! :smiley:
<...> Good recovery on the paintwork too! Did you decide whether you're going with decals or masking and spraying the white arrows?
Tried some of the Linden Hills decals on a test bird and wasn't too happy wih the results. It was one of their very first sheets so is quite old now. Maybe that hasbto do with it. It also didn't confrom too well to panel lines.
Looks like it's going to be masks then.
May even invest in one of them Silhouette Portrait stencil cutters that are all the rage these days. Can see lots of modelling applications where one of those could come in handy.
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Love the tanks and also the kahunas to put masking tape over decals :o
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The tape was sitably de-tacked on back of hand before applying to model. Also not burnished down in any way.
The kahuna move will be trying a mask for the white arrow. :o
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Pretty impressive masking-fu and paint repair!
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Work on the Fishbed continues. Made a lot of progress on the armament.
Masking four rollerons each on ten missiles was tedious.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321368363_ff69fd8df7_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEJaDn)
Stencilling them was almost as tedious. Eduard and ResKit certainly didn’t skimp on stencils. Lots of work, but looks the part, I think. Also added a medium grey wash to bring out the details on the missiles. On the UB-16 rocket pods, I went for a black wash.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322217887_46a292f36e_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jENwbk)
Pylons were also painted and got between six and eleven stencils. I will swap out a pair of the APU-3 rails for a different set of APU-13 rails specific to the radar-guided R-3R Atolls. These rails had a slightly different front end. ResKit only provides the R-3R missiles themselves, but since Eduard’s recently-released set of R-3R missiles does include such rails, I want to use them.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322038051_552c0b23d4_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEMAHH)
The lower pair of APU-60 rails on is painted a different grey, but sadly it doesn’t properly show in the pictures (the chipping, on the other hand, shows a little too well). They’re for the Bulgarian MiG. Pics of Bulgarian Fishbeds frequently show them with differently painted missile rails.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322038046_7cc351c3b8_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEMAHC)
The Angolan MiG is the one farthest along. I’ve painted the engine section in some shades of AK Extreme Metals. The canopy was also painted in AK’s Dark Aluminium. Tom Cooper’s profile in the Africa@War volume on Angolan/Cuban forces at war shows this. Cooper mentions in one of the “Arab MiGs” books that canopies were at times unpainted because of problems with the plexiglass that necessitated repairs.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322217842_07d144321b_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jENway)
Applied some chipping. It looks almost overdone to the naked eye, but hardly shows up in the pics. Interesting.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322038016_9cea2dbc49_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEMAH7)
Panel lines were partly post-shaded with a highly-diluted dark-brown mix of Tamiya colours. Also added some streaking with Oilbrushers.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321368283_a753420efb_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEJaBZ)
The soot from the GSha-23 is pretty hefty on purpose. In one particular battle that lasted over a week, the MiGs each flew an average of about three sorties daily in an effort to provide close air support. I don’t think they had much time to clean off the powder residue. The oil deposits near the horizontal tails attachment points are a bit overdone, I think. May tone that down a tad.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322037981_77b30928a3_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEMAGv)
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Close up of the cockpit area. I’m glad the amber lens of the HUD shows up so well. I guess painting the underside of the clear HUD assembly (good move, Eduard!) silver and a drop of orange clear colour on top worked out as planned.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322037961_368231c1ab_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEMAGa)
Another shot, showing how well the instrument panel and associated details remain visible and also showing that masking the clear part of the mirror on the canopy worked as intended. Eduard don’t mention it, but a teeny-tiny bit of masking tape here goes a long way. I suppose Eduard didn’t include it on the masking sheet as it would’ve just been too small. I had to give it three or four tries because it loved to stick to the tweezers and was then difficult get off the tweezers and place it properly.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321368188_cfb377da37_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEJaAm)
Disaster! :icon_twisted: The inside of the left-hand side of the canopy has some crazing. You can make it out just ahead of and slightly below the pilot’s mask and just above his shoulder. It’s difficult to capture in the pic. It looks worse to the naked eye. I guess the reflection of the lamp and the fact that the pic has just a fixed angle makes it appear less worse in the pic. Don’t know what to do about it. Kinda torn. Either just accepting it and carrying on OR actually ripping off the canopy and replacing it. It’s not gonna come off easily, though, as I glued it with Tamiya Extra-Thin QS. I don’t know what caused it. I masked it well after the glue had set.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322217722_761785e3c0_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jENw8u)
I wanted to do the canopy and windscreen sealant and peeled of the masks. Was happy with how the windscreen turned out and went on to peel off the canopy masking…… :-X
On the bright side, the beautiful detail on the instrument panel coaming and HUD remains well visible.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322037901_ba58a8913f_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEMAF8)
Some shots of the painted and weathered drop tank destined for the Angolan MiG.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50322217672_bb9286669c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jENw7C)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50321368123_e571d0024c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jEJaze)
The canopy issue is a bit of a downer. The Angolan MiG was really close to being finished. Some details to add, but nothing much.
Next up should be the Egyptian and Bulgarian MiGs. Those have been stencilled and chipped. No weathering apart from that yet. Oh, and I did manage to break off the pitot tube on the Bulgarian Fishbed. The only one without any apparent mishaps – for now! - is the Egyptian MiG. Exciting times! :P
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Perfect is the enemy of the good - keep the canopy; maybe it’s bird poop, or just low quality Soviet Lexan (or whatever they use). You could try a tiny drop of Future or clear varnish to see if it changes the index of refraction enough to make the internal crazing less visible.
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:smiley:
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At the moment I'm kinda leaning towards just accepting it as it is. Put it in the display cabinet looking at the right-hand side.
With my luck I'd rip off the windscreen as well when trying to pry off the canopy. In fact, the windscreen would probably pop off before the canopy just to spite me. ;D
I may just leave this one alone for the moment and continue with the other MiGs and look at the canopy issue again in a few days.
It would be interesting to rip it off just to see what actually caused this. I left the glued canopies unmasked for some time to ensure this wouldn't happen. :uuu:
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Good call. The rest is looking great. So, try Frank's Future technique. If that doesn't work, just display the starboard side :smiley:
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Doesn't look like normal crazing to me. Looks more like a clear coat has lifted off in places. ??? :-\
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Made a decision: Canopy had to come off!
I suppose the canopy issue would’ve bugged me every time I looked at it. Perhaps more importantly, I also had to try to find out what caused it.
Here’s a pic trying to show the problem. It’s really difficult to catch on camera, but immediately obvious to the naked eye.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50336154127_6beabdd230_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jG2WWk)
In the words of Bob Ross: “Time for your bravery test!” :icon_surprised: Out came the cutting disc in the Proxxon. I made some cuts to take out the clear (ha ha! :icon_twisted:) portion of the canopy. I also used a milling bit to further reduce the frame. To remove the remainder of the frame, I made a couple of small incisions perpendicular to the frame up to the surrounding area. The little bits were then carefully broken off with pliers. They came off quite cleanly and I didn’t have to sand or cut too much to get a smooth cockpit opening again.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50336154112_039b73196c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jG2WW5)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50335310453_0ce4107972_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jFXC9e)
Sadly, I didn’t really find out what caused the problem in the first place. The “crazing” was actually some kind of fogging or dusting and was easily removed with a dry cotton bud. It simply wiped off. Perfectly clear. Following up with some isopropyl alcohol and it looked as good as new. Hmmm. :-\
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50335998421_faf5e5f52f_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jG29DK)
Here’s how things look now with a replacement canopy glued in place. I played it safe and dipped it in Pledge/Future/Klear beforehand. Also evident are some unintended chips and slips with the scalpel that happened when cleaning up the opening.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50335998406_4492b02961_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jG29Du)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50336154072_b53ac8b98c_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2jG2WVo)
I will leave this for a couple of days before looking at any small gaps that need to be filled. I can already see a few spots where gaps need sealing (above rear canopy hinge, canopy/spine join,…). I guess PVA will be the weapon of choice here. Then it’s back to masking, interior colour, some sand colour repairs, more masking, primer (may skip that), Dark Aluminium….
I hope this was the right decision. :icon_beer:
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Wow, pretty drastic action. I hope it comes off ok.
These are looking very nice
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So far it looks like the right decision. :smiley:
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Yup. I'm now sure it was the right decision. :smiley:
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Time for a last small 2020 update on the Fishbeds.
Managed to repair the damage to the cockpit canopy. Some filling, sanding and even filling and sanding that nasty scar down the fuselage side with Mr Surfacer 500. Getting it back to where I was before wasn’t without setbacks, though. Wholly self-inflicted, too. :-X I resprayed the cockpit green with AKAN and let it dry. Or so I thought. Followed with AK’s Extreme Metal Aluminium. It crazed immediately. I wasn’t patient enough. Luckily, though, the crazed paint came off easily, including the turquoise AKAN colour. I resprayed with a blue green from Vallejo and followed that with some Vallejo “Metal Color” Aluminium. That worked flawlessy, both being acrylics. The Vallejo Metal Color is wonderful stuff.
Okay, the Angolan MiG was all but finished now. Even had the final flat coat on. I thought I might get it finished before year’s end. But it wasn’t to be. To quote the Dude: “New sh!t has come to light!”
Notice anything?
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50781981246_107e19c48e_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2knqVNN)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx81 (https://flic.kr/p/2knqVNN) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Yeah, Eduard botched the colours on the rudder. :icon_twisted: I had my suspicions earlier, but couldn’t get any proof. Seeing some pics in the third volume (delivered this morning) of “War of Intervention in Angola: Angolan and Cuban Air Forces, 1975-1989 (Africa@War series)” did confirm that the red would be at the top. Other pics I had seen were either at bad angles (one pic had the MiG at a perfect angle, but the rudder defelcted away from the camera! :-\) or inconclusive due to the quality of the picture.
It makes sense, looking at Angola’s flag.
Okay, more masking and spraying. Tamiya’s white, black and red to the resuce.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50781981226_2856195195_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2knqVNs)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx82 (https://flic.kr/p/2knqVNs) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
There. Much better. :icon_beer:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50781217938_b67988b178_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2knn1Uj)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx83 (https://flic.kr/p/2knn1Uj) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
Showing the lighter colour (red) at the top of the rudder and the darker (black) at the bottom of the rudder.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50782090767_2ab0368860_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2knrun6)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx84 (https://flic.kr/p/2knrun6) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
I should be able to finish the Angolan MiG soon. The black is a gloss colour and needs some flat coat. Also needs some oil staining n the rudder hinge.
Work continues on the Egyptian and Bulgarian Fishbeds. The Egyptian one only needs some minor weathering and some chipping to be ready for the final flat coat, while the Bulgarian is in the middle of the weathering stage. Didn’t do much on the Soviet MiG, but did get a boxing of KP’s re-worked R.V. Aircraft MiG-21M/SM to nab the decals from.
All three did have more colours applied to their engine sections for a livelier look.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50781217903_169f0cd146_o.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2knn1TH)ChernayaAkula-Edu72Fishbedx85 (https://flic.kr/p/2knn1TH) by Motschke (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151156765@N03/), on Flickr
So much for 2020. :icon_meditation: Up next should be finished pics of the Angolan MiG.
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This is going to be a brilliant display, especially if you set them up in formation! 8) 8)
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Very Cool Project Moritz :smiley:
Steven