I've
been a steady reader of ARC for 5 years now, and have just recently gotten back
into aircraft & space modeling after a hiatus of 3-4 years. I just finished
a Minicraft 1/144 Shuttle Orbiter, and felt I was due for something relaxing, so
I chose the Tamiya kit. I employed several tricks which I've learned on the ARC
galleries, and have modified one to fit my needs for this aircraft, which I
share in detail a little later.
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images below to see larger images
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As
others have pointed out here, this is a beautiful kit...all that we have come to
expect when we shell out the extra bucks for a Tamiya kit (in this case $47 USD).?
I appreciated that the kit was molded with a top & bottom fuselage. The
crisp detail is vintage Tamiya.? The canopy masks, while tricky, are a useful
addition that rendered great results (just make sure to keep the masks on until
AFTER applying the clear coats. Resist the urge to peek at your paint job like I
did). The positionable ailerons & v-tail fins, which like the real thing can
move independently, are a nice option too.
Construction
began with the cockpit, which I initially planned on closing. I was so
impressed with the level of detail that I later decided to leave it open. This
created a problem as pieces B1 & B2 were lopped off in step #1! I
improvised & propped the canopy open with some small pointy-ended wooden
dowels of the variety frequently handed out at fine eating establishments.
For
the record, that mod was not found on ARC!! The instrument panel is a decal,
and it looked okay; however most of the panel will be hidden by parts B32-33 in
the final step anyway. As noted in the instructions DO NOT remove the extra
sprue protecting the antennas on the front. These parts are very brittle &
will easily break off if you're not careful. The remaining construction went
smoothly with the exception of attaching the two fuselage halves. I was unable
to get a good join in the front, and only after removing 1/8" from the top
of the front landing gear box (where it touches the bottom of the cockpit) was I
able to squeeze the two halves together. I left the bomb bay doors open, and
added the Paveway III bombs which are included in the kit. Bomb bay detail is a
little sparse, but who looks under there anyway??
I
did not use the kit decals, choosing instead to go with TwoBobs "Kosovo
Bandits" sheet. The 10 USD cost is reasonable, and the shipping is free
here in the states. After applying Polly-S "Night Black" to the entire
model sans landing gear, I allowed the model to dry over the weekend. Next up
was 2 -3 coats of Future floor wax, airbrushed on as described on ARC. After
another 48 hour drying period, I applied the decals using small amounts of
Micro Set & just a touch of Micro Sol. The TwoBobs instructions are a little
misleading when modeling aircraft 834, which was the personal mount of the 49th
Fighter Wing Commander. The diagram shows the grey band at the top of the tail
fin going all the way to the top, when in fact it must be applied down about
1/8" from the top in order to fit (and to be accurate). I figured this
out after applying one of the bands in the wrong place. After applying all
markings, and allowing 24 hours to dry, the model was then coated with Testor's
Semi-Gloss.
My
final trick, which I learned partially here on ARC, was the Remove Before Flight
tags found on the Paveway bombs & the bomb bay doors themselves. Everett
McEwan describes how to make the British version, but here in the states we need
to have the words on our tags. In Adobe Illustrator I created a red rectangle,
and typed in white text set for 6 point, Machine font "REMOVE BEFORE
FLIGHT". I then copied & pasted the resulting tag right next to
itself, creating two identical tags. Printing was on regular copy
paper. Next,
using a brand new blade, I cut the tags out, careful to cut INSIDE the red
box. I folded it over, and super glued the halves. Next I added a 1/2" section
of wire folded over on itself.? These tags were then super glued to their
respective location. I have saved the file in PDF format, and you can download
it here if you wish.
This
was the perfect kit to build after such a major challenge as the space
shuttle. The resulting model is impressively large, and thanks to the great advice found
here at ARC, will hold a special place in my collection. I would also like to
acknowledge the book Nighthawk
by Paul & Allison Crickmore as it helped throughout the process.
NOTE:
The diorama base used for these pictures was originally built for a 1/48
B-17...hence the 500 pounders, and the guys wearing Mae Wests etc.
Scott
Click on
images below to see larger images
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