After giving up modelling for a
couple of years I decided to take it up again and build Academy's F-16CG/CJ kit
in 1/32nd scale. This kit has a few faults, but then so does the
Tamiya offering which is much more expensive. It is however a good
foundation for a super-detailing project. Using DACO's excellent
'Uncovering the F-16' book, my other F-16 books, the Internet, lots of plastic
card, and a good deal of patience mixed with super-glue.
NEW PAINTS
I went to
Hannants with Ted Taylor and Peter Quinn recently and Ted recommended the
Xtraacrylic range of paints. Previous to this I had never really
used acrylic paints - only Humbrol enamels. However Ted gave the
paints a 'big thumbs up' so I bought the colours required. It took
me over 2 hours to spray the base coat of grey! I went round to
Ted's (The modelling Guru), it proved fruitfull - my new double action
airbrush had a fine needle and head assembly, Doh! No wonder I
needed to really thin the paint. Even so, the results with the
Xtraacrylic paints were so good - I am now a convert to them. All my
enamels are now in a box under the workbench. I also used the range
of acrylic paints by Games Workshop (Warhammer figures). These are
great for brush painting and dry within minutes. Come to think of it
I do not know how I managed with enamels having to wait so long for them
to dry.
Click on
images below to see larger images
During the building of the
kit things kept breaking off, on one occasion I was just
about to glue in the throttle all nicely painted when it pinged out of the
tweezers and hit my box of wires and tapes. This was the last that I
ever saw of it. I scoured the loft room for it, on my hands and
knees like some crazed bloohound for days. Do these parts that
modelers lose end up in the same place where elephants go to die?
The new throttle is made from a carved piece of black sprue and plastic
rod buttons. The open panels and hatches are all scratchbuilt,
with new panels and doors being made from plastic card and secured with
blue-tac. This acted as a mask for the already painted equipment as
well as providing a uniform coat of paint across the outer skin of the
aircraft.
During the building
of the kit things kept breaking off, on one occasion I was just
about to glue in the throttle all nicely painted when it pinged out of the
tweezers and hit my box of wires and tapes. This was the last that I ever
saw of it. I scoured the loft room for it, on my hands and knees like some
crazed bloohound for days. Do these parts that modelers lose end up in the
same place where elephants go to die? The new throttle is made from a
carved piece of black sprue and plastic rod buttons. The open panels and
hatches are all scratchbuilt, with new panels and doors being made from
plastic card and secured with blue-tac. This acted as a mask for the
already painted equipment as well as providing a uniform coat of paint across
the outer skin of the aircraft.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The decals (AVI Print) were very
good and thoroughly recommended; don't use Micro Set or Sol with them though,
they are so thin that pure water is all they need. It was also my first
ever use of a canopy paint mask by Eduard... I am now a convert. As
for the Academy kit - I would definately build another one, I have even bought
the decals ready for it from Twobobs. The fit is pretty good, engraved
panel lines, nice cockpit, lots of weapon choices and at the end of the
day... it looks like an F-16. The Academy decal sheet is also good,
allowing for five different aircraft to be made. Some of the kit options
include the IFF antennas, small of big mouth intake, Pratt & Whitney or GE
engine, CG or CJ HUD, LANTIRN or HTS pods.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The the next project
is for the US Naval Aircraft SIG to keep Bill Allen happy, the Trumpeter
A-7E Corsair. It's already started but there are just so many
parts; a far cry from some 30 years ago when I thought that an Airfix series 4
kit had too many parts.
Keith
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