Tag: Aircraft

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1:48 Aircraft Projects

RF-4E Phantom II: Cockpit Completion

Hello all! I have to admit that it’s been a while since my last post here. For those who are checking in regularly, rest assured that the year will be closed out with regular updates and new projects into the new year. Here’s how the JASDF RF-4E has progressed!

When I left off on this project, work on the cockpit was in full swing. After applying a gloss coat I was able to add the decals for the side consoles and instrument panels. I find that this step is the first that really adds life to the model and although time consuming, is really worth it. The specific decals added here are from two companies, Anyz and Jira-Gio, both of which I am a huge fan of. I will have to make my remaining sheets from Jira-Gio last however as the owner has recently stepped away from the business and it’s not clear if anyone will be stepping in to take over that role.

After completing the majority of work to do on the cockpit tub, I turned my attention to the instrument panels. As detailed in the previous section, I opted to completely remove the detail from the panels and replace it with my own custom made instruments. While it was a bit nerve wracking to take knife to plastic I was pleasantly surprised with how these turned out.

I built these instruments out with thin styrene sheet, instrument dial decals, and photo etched instrument bezels from Airscale. My typical workflow for creating them is as follows:

  • Apply instrument decal to thin styrene sheet
  • remove and paint instrument bezel separately
  • glue painted bezel in position on top of decal
  • add drop of clear varnish to simulate instrument glass
  • cut out completed assembly and apply to model

The workflow for the scopes were slightly different and I utilized photography film along with holographic film to create a highly reflective surface, mimicking a screen. To do this I cut out a section of photo film and applied the holographic film from amazon over top of it. I then painted over everything with Tamiya clear paint (I made separate pieces for red, green, and blue tinting). I added the photo-etched instrument parts from Airscale as per the previous instructions which completed the assembly. I really think they turned out amazing and look fantastic when the light hits them just right.

With the cockpit more or less complete, I then started work on the ejection seats. While I always leave the seats out until the end of the build, I always like building and painting them up before the cockpit is cemented into the fuselage. For this project I tried out Master Craft Collection’s fantastic 3d printed ejection seats for the F-4.

After removing them from their supports, I applied a primer coat of Mr. Surfacer 1500 black as a base for further work. These seats were a real test of my brush painting ability as they almost entirely had to be brush painted. One downside of these 3d printed seats is that there’s no opportunity to paint the various parts of the seat separately, everything is attached in one part. After priming, I got to work painting the various seat sections and cabling. From my reference photos I could tell that the seat padding was primarily green/brown colours and that the upper section was typically grey. I finished off the belt buckles in silver and applied a gloss coat for decals, of which there were several that needed to be applied. With the decals in place, I then sprayed a matte coat over the completed work in preparation for the next stage of weathering, oils. I chose to avoid relying on an oil wash as my primary method of weathering for the seats. While I did still apply a light pinwash in select areas (namely the belts), this was done to support the more general oil effects I applied to depict the discolouration and staining of the seats and fabric materials.

Also of note on the seats was the yellow and black hatching on the various ejection handles. While the handle on the right of the seat was acomplished with Anyz black hatching decals, the work on the handles above the pilot’s head took a lot more work to “pull” off. After painting these separate parts yellow, I wrapped Anyz black line decals around the loops to create a convincing look. This took some practice to get right and I’m glad I did, the final result is much more realistic than painting black lines on these handles.

And with the completion of the seats, that was it for the cockpit on this Phantom! After spending quite a bit of time in this area, I was ready to move on to other areas of the build.

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1:48 Aircraft Projects

RF-4E Phantom II: Cockpit

After completing the necessary work on the fuselage, I could turn my attention to the cockpit assembly. The OOB Hasegawa kit has very nice detail, however I would be replacing the majority of it with custom work.

To start, I began removing virtually all the molded on detail present so that I could drill out 0.4 mm holes for the Anyz switches and dials. I used these on my CF-18 Hornet I completed two years ago and was fairly happy with the result. Looking back now however, I felt that I didn’t commit enough to this strategy and did not drill enough holes to get a realistic cockpit.

I also opted to remove the molded on detail from two of the included cockpit panels. The kit includes a total of 4 instrument panels, 2 for the RF-4E and 2 for a different phantom variant. I opted to use the panels for the different variant as it would allow me to revert back to the other pair if this process didn’t work out. Removing the molded on details from the panel was fairly straightforward although some modification was necessary. For the front seat I needed to adjust the shape of the lower panel right behind the control stick. The styrene piece is very triangular and the correct shape is more square. From my reference photos I could also tell that that it is angled back slightly and to represent this I glued a small piece of styrene to get the correct angle. I liked the breaker panel detail so I opted to leave it intact.

Work on the rear seat panel was a bit more involved. To start, the part I wanted to use was not shaped correctly for a RF-4E (rightly I’ll add). It included cutouts above the pilot’s legs which would need to be filled. To do this, I cut out a piece of styrene sheet that would fill this space. I then used sprue goo to cement this piece in place on the back side of the panel. This created a very somewhat rough surface on the face of the panel. I then went back over the area with Tamiya putty to create a uniformly smooth surface, ready for detailing.

I then got to work making the various details for the cockpit. The idea was that I will paint the instrument panels in the appropriate gull grey while these additional details will be painted black, removing any need for masking during the painting process.

Next up was to move on to the cockpit tub and sidewalls. While the Hasegawa kit is fairly light on the details, this means it’s relatively easy to remove the existing plastic in preparation of adding custom work.

I started with the cockpit bulkheads. Reference photos showed that these areas were really quite busy with wiring and hoses and I wanted to replicate this madness. The first thing I added was some styrene sheet along with Anyz rivets as all subsequent wiring would rest over top these details.

For the rest of the added detail I used a mix of brass tubing, lead and copper wire along with Anyz 3d printed connectors. I think that I achieved my goal of having the area look busy why not being completely unwieldy during the painting and weathering phase.

Like the bulkheads, the cockpit sidewalls needed some serious work to be presentable. While 3 out of 4 of the sidewalls have at least a minimal amount of detail, the right side of the rear cockpit is missing any molded on detail at all. This does present a nice opportunity however to add whatever kind of features I wanted. To start I added some styrene rod bracing to bring out some structural elements.

Next, I wanted to try to add some padded insulation material to the cockpit to help depict some interesting textures. I did this with Tamiya epoxy putty which I rolled out into very thin slices before applying it to the model. After a few minutes I then started to sculpt the putty and added creases near the edges. This technique went surprisingly well and I can’t wait to get a wash on the painted cockpit.

Painting of the cockpit predictably started with Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black followed by Tamiya XF-19 Sky grey. While not an exact match to the interior colour of a F-4 Phantom, this shade is close enough and was what I had on hand.

After the grey base colour had cured, I masked off the side consoles to airbrush them black. From reference photos I could tell that some of the switches and dials were gloss black which I wanted to replicate, even at the cost of being less visually striking. To compensate I painted these side panels in a dark grey. When next to the light grey they will appear black, but the gloss black switches should stand out at bit more. I also took this time to paint up the various wires and cables present on the rear bulkheads, painting them in a variety of black, white, and metallic colours.

Next up was work on the sidewalls, and I was pretty happy with how my scratchbuilt work had turned out. The padded material looked quite realistic and after picking out the necessary details, this area of the build was looking particularly sharp. I also took the time to complete some chipping effects to depict wear and tear on the cockpit area as these were old birds and saw a lot of flight hours. That said I do think I could have been a bit more reserved with the weathering but I think that as long as the wash and oil work is more muted, the end result will look appropriate.

This is where I’ll leave it for this update, even though this kit has been pretty sparse on the detail in areas, I really feel that adding the detail in myself has added to the enjoyment and not decreased it. We’ll see if this sentiment still rings true in a few months!

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1:48 Aircraft Projects

RF-4E Phantom II: Riveting

For my next project I wanted to really sink my teeth into one of my most ambitious projects so far, a JASDF RF-4E Phantom II! This build was inspired by the beautiful sea blue phantoms flown by the JASDF up until 2020 when they were retired. For this build I picked the Hasegawa kit as it was the option that the DXM Decal set indicated as suitable.

The Hasegawa kit is lacking in a lot of areas and as such I knew that I wanted to incorporate a significant amount of aftermarket accessories in the build. Aftermarket only gets you so far however and considering that this kit was a 2003 release, it’s safe to say a lot of elbow grease was going to go into this build. Of particular note is the presence of very little riveting details in the Hasegawa plastic. Over 90% of the main surface parts do not have any rivet details, only panel lines. I was not happy with this at all and significant rivet work would be required for this build.

Before I could get started on any kind of assembly, some corrective work was required. There are various parts that need to be removed to depict an accurate RF-4E and several panel lines that need to be filled. The air to air refuelling probe door needs to be deleted along with several other panels molded into the plastic.

To fill in details I used sprue goo, primarily due to the fact that it would be likely that I’d be riveting or scribing over the filled lines. I’ve had bad experiences in the past with putty not taking rivets well and using sprue goo solves this issue, it’s a dream to add missing detail back into.

I then had to remove some other details, namely two large nubs on the upper surfaces of the wings. These were quite a bit of pain to remove as it was hard to remove them with a saw or clippers and quite a bit of material needed to be sanded away. I started out with 120 grit sandpaper and taped away perimeter to prevent loss of detail during the sanding process.

With the required lines patched and the additional details removed, I could now start the first main phase of the build, riveting. As I said before, the OOB kit came with virtually no rivet detail which for me just wouldn’t work. I knew out the gate that achieving a 1:1 representation of the Phantom’s rivets would be overly time consuming and probably not look great so I opted instead to simplify areas where the pattern was too complex.

I started work on the underside of the wing, namely because it would allow me to get in a groove while not being overly visible. Right off the bat, I needed a way to ensure that columns of rivets were the equal distance from one another while being perpendicular to the trailing edge of the flaps. To achieve this I would lay down a piece of 3mm Tamiya flexible tape as parallel as possible to the previous column of rivets. I then made two spacing dots with a pencil to ensure that the next row was the correct distance from the previous one.

After the spacing dots had been completed, I then used a small modelling T-Square to mark out the actual guide lines for the rivets. I was able to brace the upper part of the square against the edge of the model which created a nice 90 degree angle for the lower portion. This method ensured that the rivets were equal distance from one another and perpendicular to the trailing edge of the wing.

For the rest of the rivets, I largely worked on the lower and rear surfaces first and slowly worked my way further up and forward on the fuselage. A particularly time consuming section was the wing root of the upper fuselage. The Phantom has a LOT of access panels and rivets in this area and it was a bear to complete. In the end however, I’m very glad I did as the added detail looks like it’ll stand out quite nicely under a wash.

That’ll be all for now, next up work starts on the cockpit!

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1:48 Aircraft Projects

Bf-109 G-6: Painting

With the completion of the construction phase of the Bf-109 I could move on the priming and painting of the model. Since I was adding HGW rivets for the the first time my normal process was somewhat interrupted and I was thrown a bit for a loop. For those unaware HGW makes various sets of positive rivet decals that can depict tiny rivets on an aircraft. My main question was when was the best point to apply them to the model?

After researching online and asking around it seemed the best course of action was to apply them directly over primer but underneath any metallic colours used for chipping.

I used my go to primer, Mr. Colour 1500 black which laid down a very smooth base for future paint. This primer was also chosen because it would do well to resist the decal setting solution that I would use in the next step.

After allowing the primer to cure fully, I then spent the next several days applying the rivets to the model. Even though they come in large sections that make it easy to cover large areas of the model it’s undeniable that these are time intensive. To start, they don’t have individual carrier film and you’ll have to trim the sheet that you dip into the water in order to limit how much overhang you have to deal with.

This ended up biting me several times as I’m used to having carrier film limited to the area with the decal. It wasn’t until I had removed the decal from the water that I realized that I had a massive area of useless carrier film to work around. This can be a problem in that you can’t really apply the decals that are right next to each other due to the fact that the film overhang gets in the way of the other decal.

All in all though these are pretty minor issues and besides the time commitment I found that they went on pretty nicely with the manufacturer recommended Mr. Mark Softer setting solution. Removing the carrier film was a breeze as well. The rivets had very minimal lifting and the film was very easy to remove. A few dabs with a damp paper towel was enough to remove the adhesive residue left over as well. All in all I think they look pretty sharp!

After the rivets were applied, I then painted a metallic chipping colour. I picked Mr. Colour Super Metallic “Super Duralumin” as it has a really nice sheen and lays down beautifully.

After applying the metallic chipping coat I then added some small amount of chipping fluid where I knew I wanted paint chips to be present. This was a precautionary measure that would guarantee access to the chipping fluid medium underneath the several layers of paint.

Next, I got on to preshading the model in preparation of the final colours. Between the black primer and the silver metallic the shades of the model were very disjointed and I needed to rectify this. To start, I applied some white and black marbling over the entire model using a metal mask tool. This would start to unify the tones present in the model and avoid the contrast between the metallic surfaces and the black primer.

After the initial round of pre-shading was completed I decided to apply a very thin layer of the final colours onto the model. I did this so I could create a template for the camouflage scheme that I could follow later on with a more careful application of the main colours.

After completing this very thin layer, I decided to do a rough panel line preshade. I opted to go this route because while I liked the variation that the stencil templates provided, I felt that this variation was a bit too uniform and I wanted some more elements to effect the final top coat. I loaded up a very thinned down application of Tamiya rubber black and sprayed it onto the model with a 0.15mm nozzle/needle. Overall I’m fairly satisfied with my application of the panel lining here.

I then needed to apply the final colours to serve as a basis for the iconic mottling seen on the majority of 109’s. To do this, I needed to tape off some areas of the model to get a hard edge transition which would be needed for this specific scheme. This was a lot easier said than done as the model was covered in small dabs of masking solution thus making it had to get a crisp line with the masking tape. I started with the light blue fuselage and under side surfaces as the darker greys would cover easier than the lighter shade. The scheme I selected called for RLM 76 as the fuselage colour, however I only had RLM 65 available to me. To re-create a colour closer to 76, I created a mixture of around 70/30 RLM 65 to white paint. Next up was the RLM 75 Grey Violet colour and I also opted to lighten it with a few drops of white to ensure that it would contrast with RLM 74 Grey Green which is a very similar shade which was applied un lightened onto the model.

In the end I was left with what I felt was a very respectable Bf-109 scheme with enough contrast to be interesting yet accurate to the historical colours used.

What I worked on next was the tricky fuselage mottling. This was a phase of the build I wasn’t particularly looking forward to as it’s difficult to pull off this camouflage element convincingly. It’s also fairly prevalent in German aircraft so there’s no avoiding it.

I think my application went fairly well. From the colour profiles and reference photos I noticed that the mottling didn’t touch the upper camouflage paint all that much and it was fairly substantial in some areas.

After completing the mottling, I then removed the liquid mask to expose the chipping effects underneath. While it would have made sense to do so after the markings were painted I felt that it would be too difficult to get a solid line with the masks that I planned to use. I can always add chipping effects at later time over top of the painted on markings. I removed the masks for another reason as well, I wanted to expose the HGW rivets and see how they contrasted with the painted surfaces. Do do this I took a 8000 and 12,000 grit sanding pad and sanded the surface of the paint. This removed the paint directly over top of the raised rivets but is high enough in grit that no scratches are left behind. If anything this helps to create a smooth surface in preparation for a gloss coat.

I also took this time to paint up the prop and spinner. I really like the effect I was able to get here even if it is pretty weathered. This vehicle is meant to depict a G-6 that’s both seen a lot of action and has been sitting in the Italian sun for a while. I’ll definitely need to come back to address some errors but I think this is a good baseline to build off of.

Next up was the markings and for this project I treated myself to a Montex mask set instead of decals for the markings. This was my first time using masks extensively in an aircraft build and while my application wasn’t perfect I’m still fairly happy with the result I was able to achieve. Even on my first attempt the painted markings look so much better than decals!

That’s where I’ll leave this update as I move on to the stencilling and weathering stages, Thanks for looking!

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1:48 Aircraft Projects

Bf-109 G-6: Construction

While waiting for some aftermarket parts to arrive for another build, I decided to take up Tamiya’s 1/48 Bf-109 G-6 as a fun little side project. I had heard great things about this kit and the inclusion of a fully detailed engine made this particular offering by Tamiya somewhat interesting. In fact, in 2023 I reviewed this kit and was somewhat pleased with what was included in the box.

Tamiya Bf-109 G-6 In Box Review

Tamiya’s 2017 G-6 model is a well-stocked kit perfect for both new and experienced modellers, despite lacking features like photo-etched parts. The model has a quality molding, clear instructions, and three standard colour options. While criticized for its minor shortcomings, it’s considered a worthwhile model for…

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Construction, unsurprisingly, starts with the cockpit. Things went pretty smoothly and it wasn’t long before I was laying some paint. I knew that I wanted to incorporate some chipping effects so after the major construction as done on the cockpit I sprayed down a layer of aluminum to serve as a chipping base.

I also opted to add some additional wiring to the cockpit area as I felt that the detail was a bit sparse. The added detail was particularly noticeable on the control stick:

Next, I whipped up a generic “German aircraft interior grey” after spraying the cockpit pieces with the chipping medium. I wasn’t too specific about getting the exact shade right as most of this work will be hidden in shadow when the fuselage is sealed up. I used Tamiya acrylics at this stage which I’ve found chip very nicely. I primarily used a brush moistened with water, although in some areas I opted to used an old airbrush needle to get more fine, controllable chips. I then move on to painting the various small details in the cockpit. The Bf-109 is a bit unique in that it has a rather colourful cockpit with blue and yellow pieces of equipment present.

The result at this stage is VERY stark although after subsequent weathering and varnishes the colours will be muted somewhat. I was particularly happy with how the control stick turned out as in my reference photos I saw some brass elements that really pop in the grey monotony that is the rest of the cockpit.

I then applied a VMS satin varnish over the entire cockpit in preparation for decals and weathering. For the decals I used several pieces from Anyz to depict cockpit placards and switch lettering. I find that these decals really add a lot if life to the model and look great in a busy cockpit. I chose to use AK’s weathering pencils as the primary medium for weathering as I wanted to experiment a bit further with these after trying them out a bit on my last aircraft build, Eduard’s F6F Hellcat:

F6F-5 Hellcat: Completed Build

A few weeks ago I completed Eduard’s F6F-5 Hellcat and I’m finally getting around to post the photos and compile my thoughts about the build. If you’re just here for the photos check them out below 👇 As for my thoughts, this build was a pretty fun, short project. I really didn’t invest a ton…

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I feel like these weathering pencils have interesting pros and cons. For depicting built up levels of dust, dirt and grime they are great. In a confined area like a cockpit however, I’m not sure they are the right choice with the kind of results I’m after. They do give off a VERY stylistic result however and while some people might love the result I managed to get here I wouldn’t be surprised if some people hated it too. As for me I’m a bit in the middle, I do like what I achieved here but I think I want to go back to oils and enamels for my next project.

I definitely achieved the dirty/dusty look that I was going after but I feel like this is still pretty stark result. More refinement and practice will be needed to get my cockpits where I want them however. I will say though, when all the pieces are added together the result isn’t half bad:

Some might notice the HGW belts in the above photos and in addition to the belts, I’m also planning on using HGW rivets in this build. For all the pros the Tamiya kit offers it still doesn’t include a fully riveted model like Eduard does. To rectify this and to experiment with a new product I picked up a full rivet set to see if this is a product I’ll consider purchasing in the future. Although this build is meant to be a fun side project to keep me occupied, it’s also a test bed for future builds.

After major assembly was completed on the cockpit I sealed the cockpit halves and moved on to the engine assembly. The DB 605 engine is really nicely molded however I felt it was lacking some wiring detail. To rectify this I added a combination of 0.1mm copper wire and 0.2mm lead wire in various places to busy it up a bit. Although it’s not period specific, I used some avionic connectors from Anyz instead of having them go straight into the plastic.

Because the engine had various different elements all in different colours I keep things detached to allow for easy painting. To start, I painted the engine block in MC214 “Dark Iron” These Mr. Metal Colours are really nice because they are bluffable and have a really nice sheen when polished. The “Dark Iron” shade was exactly what I was looking for and finishes as a very dark, almost black, grey.

I painted the engine mounting arms with RLM 02 and after adding a few accents of aluminum it was time to bring everything together for a mockup:

I have to admit the DB 605 builds up to a pretty nice looking engine! After the painting was completed I hit the engine section with another coat of VMS Satin varnish for the decals and weathering. For the decals I did opt to used some of the kit supplied decals as there are some specific markings that need to be added for the engine to be accurate. Along with the kit decals, I also added some Anyz placards although the majority of them ended up not being visible in the final product. After decals I opted to revert back to oils for the weathering and used some Abteilung 502 “Bitume” mixed with straight black for a very dark grime wash. I left the weathering at that as I wanted a dirty, yet restrained, look to the weathering on the engine section. After applying a final flat coat to seal everything together I dry brushed some graphite powder over the engine block to represent wear on the edges and give a nice metallic look.

Now that the cockpit and engine subassemblies were complete, I was able to move on to further steps of the build, namely building out the rest of the fuselage and the control surfaces. The control surfaces needed some work as the HGW rivet set comes with decals for the fabric surfaces which required removal of the molded on details. I put together the frontal section including the prop and spinner along with the oil cooler assembly that hangs beneath the engine. I also got to work building up the engine panels that would be posed in the open position above the engine. With these additions this build was looking more and more like a Bf-109!

After verifying fit of these components it was time to disassemble these parts in preparation for painting. At first I was a bit at a loss for how to mask off the engine section. It’s a fairly complex shape and it’s difficult to seal of the entire compartment. To solve this issue, I first wrapped the engine in tape and then used masking fluid to seal off the large gaps in engine cowling, forward of the cockpit. I’m pretty pleased with this solution but only time will tell if I was successful in my approach.

That’s it for now, next up is the priming and application of the HGW rivets!