GB: Academy Tempest MKV: Red Firecracker

[Red Firecracker]

A few bits done this weekend amongst other work.

First of all a dirty wash over the inside of the cockpit (pictures are so cruel). Must admit, not spent too much time in here as as we all know, it ain't going to be seen. Also in view are the optics for the rear lights;



Then we have some closer pics of the seat unit;



and the radiator;



Moving onto the wings, stolen idea of silver foil behind the wing lights and also evidence of the remade undercarriage flaps. The kit supplied ones weren;t really that good when closed, so I made some new ones;



Finally, detail of the green and red lights in the starboard wing, looking a little large as the lens is coated with pva to mask it from paint. Also in views is one of the new undercarriage covers, these have now been sanded bacl to remove excess adhesive etc;



The instrument panel is now in its final draft, slightly simplified, but still with a good amount of light in it. Just awaiting a couple of delivieries now.

[Red Firecracker]

Not a great deal of progress lately. although wings now together, complete with optics, now waiting for the joints to go off before final clean up;



Instrument panel is now complete with decals, the optic gubbins evident out the rear. The optics go forward from the panel, and then down and underneath the cockpit floor;



and here's a picture of the panel 'in action' with a dying small Maglite roviding the juice. I've simplified it slightly, cutting down the amount of instruments lit as I was getting annoyed with routing the optics!

[Red Firecracker]

Apparently the deadline looms. Ooops.

Anyway, Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Günther.



Günther is a scorpio, enjoys long walks in the countryside, the music of Wagner and stylish uniforms.

Here is Günther in his workplace;



The large silver 'thing' in front of the cockpit is the end of the acrylic rod that will support the model and also carry the light. You can also see the ever more simplified control panel lighting as well as the light paths for the wing and rear lights.

Further progress this evening has seen the second half of the body put into place and attached. It's currently drying so hopefully tomorrow I can sand and prime.

You never know, it might even get finished, which is slightly more positive than its prospects last week when it was well down the order of even being touched.

[Red Firecracker]

A bit more progress.

All main parts together and a blind coat of white sprayed;



and now something new for me, I decided to have a bash at this preshading malarky;



Will it work for me? Don't know, but there's only one way to find out. What it does show is I see to have the shakes!

The canopy is now on as well after a brief spray of Xtracrylix around the cockpit area (need to work a bit more with the paint, very much outside my comfort zone for spraying).

Edited by Red Firecracker on Saturday 12th March 15:02

[dr_gn]

Red Firecracker said:

A bit more progress.

All main parts together and a blind coat of white sprayed;



and now something new for me, I decided to have a bash at this preshading malarky;



Will it work for me? Don't know, but there's only one way to find out. What it does show is I see to have the shakes!

The canopy is now on as well after a brief spray of Xtracrylix around the cockpit area (need to work a bit more with the paint, very much outside my comfort zone for spraying).

Edited by Red Firecracker on Saturday 12th March 15:02

I'd say that your preshading lines need better definition for it to work well.

[Red Firecracker]

dr_gn said:

I'd say that your preshading lines need better definition for it to work well.

Yep, you're probably right. Right pain to get a comfortable spraying position on it as some muppet stuck a rod into it...
(plus it was a bit rushed I guess)

I've sprayed the yellow (pics tomorrow) and it's not bad, I think, but my reference level is rather low. I've gone for a 'I can tell there's something faintly there' level of shading it seems. The uppers are dark green so I'm not expecting to see much of anything, but I might strengthen the shading up tomorrow after masking.

Very much outside the comfort zone, but that's a good thing.

[dr_gn]

Red Firecracker said:

dr_gn said:

I'd say that your preshading lines need better definition for it to work well.

Yep, you're probably right. Right pain to get a comfortable spraying position on it as some muppet stuck a rod into it...
(plus it was a bit rushed I guess)

I've sprayed the yellow (pics tomorrow) and it's not bad, I think, but my reference level is rather low. I've gone for a 'I can tell there's something faintly there' level of shading it seems. The uppers are dark green so I'm not expecting to see much of anything, but I might strengthen the shading up tomorrow after masking.

Very much outside the comfort zone, but that's a good thing.

My method is :

No undercoat, there's no point: it's a grey plastic kit with mostly two shades of grey on top of it.

Undersides painted, then preshade. Then overcoat lightly with colour until happy.

Top coat grey areas painted, ditto.

Then mask for the green areas, top coat green, preshade again and then final thin coats until happy.

There are no short cuts, and the finer the definition on the panel line spraying, the better the result will be. If it's a 5mm wide dark line, you're wasting paint and time, espacially on dark final colours!

[Red Firecracker]

I think 'something faintly there' was playing it up a bit!





Saying that it's not a solid colour, so I'm happy enough with it. Now all masked up for the green tomorrow.

[dr_gn]

Red Firecracker said:

I think 'something faintly there' was playing it up a bit!





Saying that it's not a solid colour, so I'm happy enough with it. Now all masked up for the green tomorrow.

Bah, I forgot it's yellow. I though it was standard camo. It looks fine.

[perdu]

I never did much of this preshading back in my day, it wasn't all the vogue then, but that seems to me to be near enough if you ran another fine coat over it.

A few defining extras, oily residues on panel lines etc would do the business, wonder how doc sees it?

I really am looking forwards to seeing her "all lit up"

Quite excited really

Did you find any swastikas? I may have a selection of very ancient ones that you'd be welcome to

PM if needed



bill

[dr_gn]

perdu said:

A few defining extras, oily residues on panel lines etc would do the business, wonder how doc sees it?

Difficult to tell in a photo. Must admit mine hardly shows up at all in the pics, but it's visible in real life! Maybe another thin coat as you say.

[Red Firecracker]

perdu said:

I never did much of this preshading back in my day, it wasn't all the vogue then, but that seems to me to be near enough if you ran another fine coat over it.

A few defining extras, oily residues on panel lines etc would do the business, wonder how doc sees it?

I really am looking forwards to seeing her "all lit up"

Quite excited really

Did you find any swastikas? I may have a selection of very ancient ones that you'd be welcome to

PM if needed



bill

It's a bit more obvious in real life, but still very subtle. We'll have to see about too much extra weathering, time is limited due to other models I have to work on.

Cheers for the offer of the decals, but I'm lucky enouth to be able to print my own, which reminds me, I must print some decals.

[Red Firecracker]

Both colours on, no dramas with the Tamiya masking tape (as usual). After these pictures were taken it got a coat of Klear ready for some decal.









The port wing in the last picture shows the preshading on the bottom slightly better than any other. Once it's finished I hope to be able to take some better pictures with a longer exposure to show it more 'how it is'.

I'm finding the Xtracrylix are very picky on the amount of thinning required, which should be fun come matt coat time.

[dr_gn]

Looks excellent: the preshading worked well on the undersides and it looks like you ended up with some shade variation on the green too. Can't ask any more than that.

Are you going to put a panel line wash on it? I think it would add some interest to the undersides so long as it's not too much of a contrast.

[Red Firecracker]

dr_gn said:

Looks excellent: the preshading worked well on the undersides and it looks like you ended up with some shade variation on the green too. Can't ask any more than that.

Are you going to put a panel line wash on it? I think it would add some interest to the undersides so long as it's not too much of a contrast.

Cheers

I'm undecided on the wash. The trouble is I have a very limited time I can spend on this (hence some bits have been quite rushed), especially as the deadline looms, so the chances are I'd screw it up!

As a matter of interest, when do you do it? I've Klear'ed, I'm planning on decaling next and then matt coat. Do you put a coat of Klear on after the decals, panel wash and then matt coat? I'm guesing if there is Klear coat on top of the decals, I can wash off whatever I use if I don't like it? Britmodeller here I come.

[dr_gn]

Red Firecracker said:

Cheers

I'm undecided on the wash. The trouble is I have a very limited time I can spend on this (hence some bits have been quite rushed), especially as the deadline looms, so the chances are I'd screw it up!

As a matter of interest, when do you do it? I've Klear'ed, I'm planning on decaling next and then matt coat. Do you put a coat of Klear on after the decals, panel wash and then matt coat? I'm guesing if there is Klear coat on top of the decals, I can wash off whatever I use if I don't like it? Britmodeller here I come.

If youre using Klear, then yes apply it over the decals, then do the wash. Make sure it's an enamel wash! I use MIG dark wash with no problem. Make sure you really have covered everything with Klear though. Load a small brush with wash, then dot a few panel line intersections and it should capillary along them. When it's all done, let it dry for an hour, then go around the areas where you dotted with the brush with a very very lightly thinners-damped lint free cloth to remove any excess. You can also wipe the whole thing from front to back . This will remove some of the panel line wash and slightly darken the areas behind. don't go mad with the wiping down, even though the thiners won't react withteh Klear, the coating easily wipes off if not treated with a bit if respect.

[Red Firecracker]

Thanks for the info.

Just had a search for some. How much!!!! Hmm, will have to think about it as chances are they'll not be used again.

[tangerine_sedge]

Looking good - Nice to see that I've chosen a different approach to the yellow tail. Of course, theres no photo evidence to prove us right or wrong

[dr_gn]

tangerine_sedge said:

Looking good - Nice to see that I've chosen a different approach to the yellow tail. Of course, theres no photo evidence to prove us right or wrong

There's some good info here, but as you say apparently nothing definitive:

http://www.hawkertempest.se/GoeringsTempest.htm

[Shar2]

Some really nice work there RF.