I started building this kit for a tiger meet and special markings group build on Facebook.
I guess the big challenge with this one will be the painting and tiger meet decals. I’ve never done that before, and certainly not on a big model like this.
I started by assembling some of the cockpit parts.
Like all good tv-chefs I have already prepared and done the entire cockpit! 🙂
That’s actually for my stalled RAF Tornady, which I might pick-up while I’m at it.
Next step was to paint some dark grey.
The idea was to create some kind of pre-shade. Then everything was painted in a light grey.
I don’t think I managed to make the pre-shade show very much.
While getting the front fuselage halves from their sprue, I realized that there was two more instrument panels, and after checking I noticed I’d taken the wrong set.
There are minor differences, and luckily I managed to sort that in time. Now they only needed some paint.
After painting light grey, some details was picked out in black and the seats was painted with a darker grey on the side frames, then masked and painted in a different grey.
The cover between the front and rear seat was painted, and the seats masked and painted green.
With the tape removed it looked like this!
The instrument panels got some decals.
For some reason some of the decals wouldn’t fit with the dials on the plastic, so I had to cut them apart, and some decals seemed to be better fit with the panels I shouldn’t use. I opted them out.
After painting some more details and adding a clear cote, I did a black oil wash on the tub.
The radar nose parts was painted black.
Then I turned my attention to the wings and movable pylons.
Maybe due to the movability the fit isn’t optimal.
The instructions calls for 55g of weight in the nose. Here measured in a lid.
Some hours later the excess wash was wiped off.
Some more weathering done and the panels got a clear cote
I decided to use the pylons as they are without trying to create something to make them move along with the wings.
The panels got the same wash treatment and the body section with intake fans was painted.
The radar got some details painted in aluminium and was then assembled.
The wash on the panels was wiped off.
Then some dry brushing with white was done.
The seats got details painted by hand.
I need to touch up somewhat and add a few more details to the seats and also some decals.
Next will be building the cockpit and inserting that and wheel well into the front fuselage. I’ll also start assembling the main body and wings.