Complete!

Sprayed a final coat of clear flat, removed the mask from the canopy and this model is now complete! This build took me 43 hours and 17 minutes, a lot more than I had originally planned but I am very happy with how it turned out.

Weathering

Applied diluted oil paints to the seams of the grey sections of the plane but noticed immediately that this is not going to work for the white sections so I will not weather those sections.

Decals Complete

Applied the printed decals and once dry sprayed another coat of clear to seal them as instructed so that the colors don't bleed. This kit is starting to look real sharp now!

Photoshop Decals

Recreated the decals I want to replace in Photoshop using several reference photos of decal sheets I found online. Interestingly I find that the new decals look better than the originals, with the text being much more crisp.

Decal Woes

Spent the past few days applying decals which I always find to be one of the more rewarding parts of building a kit as it helps bring it to life.

Unfortunately I had not one but two issues that caused a lot of frustration. First, a while back I had pre-cut the decals to minimize any transparent borders surrounding the them but it appears that I lost not one but both red arrow decals next to each jet intake. Second issue, one of the danger arrows on the side became displaced by accident while manipulating the model and I did not notice until it was too late.

I contacted Revell to get a replacement decal sheet but it could take up to 8 weeks and I really want to complete this kit in September. So looking for an alternate solution I found printable decal sheets and with the aid of Adobe Photoshop I'll recreate them.

Clear Gloss Coat

After double checking the masking on the canopy I sprayed the whole model with an acrylic clear gloss to prepare the plane for the decals.

Need a Needle

Needed to find a way to keep all the small lead weights in the nose and not rattle. The solution was to purchase the largest needle available at a local pharmacy. Was a bit awkward to explain why I needed a needle but once the pharmacist understood what I was trying to do she was very helpful and cooperative.

I put some glue in the syringe which will also add some weight and inserted it into the small whole in the body and with a good amount of pressure was able to squeeze out several ml of glue. I also decided to add some glue inside of each feel tank, although the holes are too small for lead weight the glue will be better then nothing. Now I just got to let the parts hand downwards for a couple of days while the white glue cures.

Gone Fishing

Bought the smallest fishing weights I could find but they are still too big. I have been busy cutting them up into 8 smaller pieces and heating them up with a small torch to make them round balls which fit into the tiny hole where the landing gear is supposed to go.

Tail Dragger

Back landing gear installed, had installed the forward gear but had to remove it. This plane is what we call a tail dragger, too much weight in the back of the model despite the marbles I glued in the nose.

I will go out and buy some fishing weights made out of lead and insert it into the small hole where the front landing gear goes.

Taking Shape

Glued the wings to the body of the aircraft, now this project is starting to take shape!

Black Mask

Painted the black section underneath the cockpit window.

Tail Wings

Tails wings are back from the garage with a few fresh coats of paint, glued them to the body of the aircraft.

More White to Paint...

Unfortunately I realized that I forgot to paint the wings ailerons white as I relied on the box art of the kit and did not analyze the instructions properly. What tricked me is the artist who made the very nice box art added reflections that blended the grey color of the top wing with the white of the ailerons.

Same thing for the tail wings, the top should be white when I thought it was grey. I masked up the parts and will be heading back to my garage to apply a few coats of white…

Painting the Body Grey Complete

Painting of the grey on the body is complete, removed the masking and putty and got a nice gradient as I was hoping for. This will be a technique I to reuse…

Masking the Body

Preparing to paint the final color on the body of the aircraft. Using a new technique I discovered where I use putty delimit the area I want to be masked. I then used Glad Press & Seal to cover the area I wanted to protect. The putty is round and will allow for a more natural gradient of paint when spraying.

I’ve seen some pretty nice results unsung similar techniques and am hoping for the same results…

Masking the Cockpit Windows (Part 2)

Having painted the windows in late May I did a last inspection of the cockpit and glued the glass to the frame with white glue. I then added the second mask set which overlapped the first one and added some extra masking take since the masks had lines to make them more flexible in the curved sections and I wanted to ensure no paint got through.

Masking the Cockpit Windows (Part 1)

I ordered some special masks to fit the windows of the Intruder and to my surprise there were two sets. The first one seen here is slightly smaller then the second set and is to be painted black to replicate the rubber lining around the windows. The next one will slightly overlap the first mask so that I can paint it to match the upper section.

White Paint is hard to Apply!

After applying seven coats of white paint a I am finally satisfied with the results. To my relief the mask to cover the cockpit worked and nothing was damaged during the paint process. With the mask gone I was finally able to add the heads up display (HUD).

Front Wheel

After a little break from spray painting several coats of white paint I completed today detailing the front landing gear.

Cockpit Mask

Today I added a tape mask as to prepare for the several coats of white paint that I need to apply to the underside of the aircraft. That parts makes me nervous as I don't want to destroy any of the detail that I added to the cockpit.