Riveting on 48th scale

Just gotten 2 tools, on fixing rivets on plastic kits that are blanked!

One from Romanian source, came all in one flitch of photoetch system, which is disappointing.

So, thereby, I bought another set from China from our trusty Trumpeter agent, Miniature Hobby.

To start the project, I needed some cheapo kits from Hobby Boss, which came in as a P38 Lightning in 48 scale as a easy build model series. $21 bucks damage total! No sweating of buckets.

Once I get the hang of it, I changed the masking tape guide to the Hasegawa steel photoetched templates which will be more sturdy to guide the wheels to form straight and even lines.

First, before we begin, we have to get good source of scale drawings on where the rivets are actually on the subject of choice. For this experiment, I am using the Kawanishi N1K1 Shinden Kai from Tamiya in 48 scale.

The drawings adopted as as follows.

The real work begins when we protect the ailerons from damage and areas not riveted with masking tape. Next we have to mark out the distances using the Hasegawa template set. And finaling rolling the cutter with pressure perpendicular to the surface.

The dots are satisfactory. However, if we need to weather this plane with paint chips and fading, we will have to use the Hasegawa Rivet Punch to augment each dot we marked with the rivetting tool.

I did some experiment earlier during the day using the P38 from Hobby Boss.

Once rolled, the areas area hand painted with diluted Vallejo black paint and then rubbed off with rags and alcohol to review the work done with the revelation of the rivets. If the dinks do not show up well, it will definitely need augmenting using the punch, dot for dot! Otherwise, it will not show up after 6 coats of various paints, varnishes and decals.

Watch this space for further updates coming up soon.

F14A Tomcat Part 4

Hi Guys,

Just back from the holidays and its 3 weeks of low period again for me for the Lunar New Year, which is great, as I am getting a whole new work desk and model display cabinet being custom made for me for $8000 bucks with 12 zone LED lighting! Hurray!

Wood of choice of the cabinet is thus. But work area shall be stainless steel! Hurray, my own personal self made to order hobby centre with paint display racks and power system coupled with 2 cubic meters of display space with 6 zones LED lighting from Hafelle Germany! Hurray!

Now back to the project. I just got all the ladder struggles over with the photoetched materials.

Then I finally got the weapons down and decalled properly from the expensive kit from Hasegawa.

I am just down to the leading wing root AIM 9 Sidewinders and thats it, once the airbrakes are in by the next 48 hours or so, the project shall be deemed complete! At long last! Then I will start to work on the new riveting tools that I just gotten recently and working on a new WW2 subject that brought me so levels of fame in both the competition arena as well as the magazines.

Awaiting Ejection Seats

The ejection seats in Hasegawa kit is a pain with the lack of decent details, however, its good enough with some painting. I have to paint the difference between the cushion and the parachute in the seat back and the lack of decals have me paint gibberish on red and white.

Seats are due to be mounted.

Have a good one this year of the HORSE, so, please also stop horsing around guys! Gong Xi Fa Chai everyone.

Hasegawa 1/48 F14A Tomcat Work Progress 3

Its the holidays, I wish everyone who views these pages a Properous and Blessed new 2014.

I took the several days of rainy holidays to catch up with my work on the Tomcat which has been left on the table for 2 weeks.

I took time out to paint the under carriage parts on the trees and hand painted the red sections on the air brakes, undercarriage door edges.

I also took time to paint the undercarriage doors in Tamiya X18 followed by Gull Grey and Lt Gull Grey of my own concoction from Mr. Hobby Colours.

The areas where the underwind Kevlar reinforce bladders are painted black and drybrushed with light grey and Desert Sand to mimic pictures I have on my reference books and taking time to ensure modulation of lightness of tones to highlights its uneven surfaces. 

The greys where painted in as well as the tails and exhaust safety lines. The models was given a coat of Johnson Klear and then washed with Tamiya Burnt Sienna and Black Weathering Washes. Streaked off with cotton clothe moistened with some Tamiya Enamel Thinner (blue cap) after setting aside to dry for 6 hours.

Some paint patches are sprayed on with lightened gull grey and some had panel lines masked to accentuate the difference between old paint on panels with new removed panels that were painted separately away from the airframe. This is to create some interesting tonal subtleties.

In masking, the old decals from Hasegawa on the aircraft walkways were peeled off when unmasking. Thereby, there arise a need to repaint the whole rubber walkways that are anti slip surfaces. The rectangles are masked off and painted Tamiya X18 and then dabbed with sponge methods using 2 lighter tones of the same. Making the joint lines and painted with light gull grey. These will later be subdued with washes and weathering in that area.

The corners of the canopy glass areas were masked with 1.8mm diameter masking punched tape that I happened in Melbourne recently from Victoria Hobby Centre. These where joined with 1.5mm Tamiya type of tape from Hobby Point and the rest covered with good old trusty Tamiya tapes. Then the areas are painted black. The interior hooks and mirrors are added and hand painted with Vallejo black. But to increase adhesion of Acrylic paints to metal, I sanded the photo etched parts with Fine Tamiya Sanding Sponges.

During the weathering, the pre finished wings were attached on dry mode to compare the tonal differences and to guide the weathering process of the fuselage from the wings.

As the wings has more working surfaces and oil leakages on them compared to the fixed fuselage, there must be tonal differences between the two but subtle. The above is too drastic and more brown has to be added to the main body.

Another view of the pre balanced fuselage

More browns were added to bring the fuselage shades of grey nearer to the pre finished wings.

Almost there, quite happy with the tonal turnout. Now the painting to be done and tonal of the airbrakes areas to begin.

Balanced tones with very subtle shading differences to differentiate the wings from the fuselage.

Since I am now happy with the work of the leading edges and wings matching closely to the fuselage, I now work on finishing the undercarriage area with exposure of the gun area, ladder, canopy and ejection seats. Update will be done in a week or two once I am back from my business trip.

Happy New Year Everyone.