Take it for a Drive...

Installed the completed soldier in the drivers seat and I was surprised (as well as relieved) that the arms positioned very well with the steering wheel. You will also notice in the photos that I added accessories such as the shovel and paddle.

Maverick

Today Casey and me finished assembling his F-14. He is pretty happy about his latest project and already wants to build another kit. Ironically tomorrow on the local cable channel what movie is playing... "Top Gun". Guess who wants to see it...

Casey Painting his F-14

After spray painting the whole kit with Tamiya grey I had Casey paint the pilots black and the motors metallic grey. I had him mount the missiles and he assisted me in spray painting them white outside.

Weathering

Tried another new technique, weathering... Added umber brown oil paint diluted with turpenoid then applied it to all the seams of the kit. Let it dry a bit then wiped off the excess with a qtip dipped in turpenoid. The effect is subtle but does add depth and more realism to the model. This is a technique that I read in an article of Finescale Modeler.

Make It Shine - Part II

Added a second coat of clear gloss to seal the decals. I am not 100% convinced that the decal outline will show less but at least I can be assured that in a few years they will not flake off.

Decals

Tonight I added eleven decals to the gloss coat. Sure adds a nice touch to an already great looking kit.