My latest purchases

Today we went to the large mall called Gekås or Ullared. I think I haven’t been there for 20 years or so. Quite a lot od people, but not as many as I’ve heard there could be when it’s crowded. I got myself a Bob Marley mug, 2 blues harps, a capo, a songbook, and I’ve heard that they possibly had model kits, so I had to check their toys sektion, and what I found was three different kits, so I got one of each! 🙂

Tomcat boxart
Tomcat boxart
Kenworth T600 boxart
Kenworth T600 boxart
Tornado F3 boxart
Tornado F3 boxart

Not much to choose from, but I’m happy! Could be fun builds! 🙂

Tornado ECR 1/32 Update 6

I tried to mask the inside of the canopy and front glass, but gave up and decided to only mask the outside.

Canopy masked
Canopy masked

To be ready for putting the canopy in place, I had to sort a few other things. First I put decals on the ejection seats.

Seats with decals
Seats with decals

Then I glued the sight/HUD display.

Sight added
Sight added

I gave the seats a wash and then both seats and interior got a light dry brush with grey primer.
I forgot to take a pic of that before I glued the canopy parts in place.

Canopy in place
Canopy on place

Then I painted the frames with grey primer.

Frames painted
Frames painted

I decided to go with the open fuel probe.

Fuel probe case added
Fuel probe case added

These three holes on the bottom confused me a bit as the instructions told nothing about them. I realized that they are for a mid pylon that isn’t used on the ECR model.

Three strange holes
Three strange holes

I found a rod that was close, drilled some and glued in place.

Plastic rods inserted
Plastic rods inserted

After it had dried, I cut them even, sanded a bit and then filled with some putty.

Holes sanded and puttied
Holes sanded and puttied

I’ll sand that down, and then it’s soon getting ready for paint. I just need to cover the inside of the intakes, air brakes and the wheel bays.
I think it’s ok to add all small antennas and other stuff later.

Tornado ECR 1/32 update 5

The tail fin was glued in place!

Fin assembled
Fin assembled

All in all parts seems to fit quite well, and the fin only needed a little putty and sanding.

While handling the plane I accidently knocked off one of the stabilizors. So now it was time to sort this problem somehow. My options as I see it was either to glued them in a fixed position or find something better than the current rod system.

My idea was to find a tube and a rod that fit snuggly into each other, and by chance I had saved a few lollipop sticks that is hollow, and then I noticed that my ordinary wooden tooth pics fit very well.
After removing the kit rod, I could put the lollipop stick in place and glue it, and I also drilled the stabs and glued tooth pics instead of the old mechanism.

New rod system added
New rod system added

I also did the same thing with the broken pylon.

Pylon fix
Pylon fix
Pylon in place
Pylon in place

Stabilizers in place.

Stabilizers in place
Stabilizers in place

I’ve also painted some of the load out with black primer.

Black primer painted
Black primer painted

By the looks of it they need some more attention to look good, and then some more primer.

Next will be sorting the canopy so I can start priming and painting the plane.

Tornado ECR – part 4

The exhaust pipes got a darker colour and some dry brushing inside.

Exhaust and nose painted inside
Exhaust and nose painted inside

I took a pic on the exhaust to more clearly show the darker colour.

Exhausts side view
Exhausts side view

Some putty was applied on the seams around the body and intakes.

Putty applied
Putty applied

My idea was to remove the excess a while later with cotton buds and etylacetate, but it got late, and I think now a sander is the only way! I just dread the work re-scribing all the panel lines.

I’m also having a bit of a problem with the seam in front of the wing keeps breaking up. Maybe adding a bit of thin plastic will remove some of the tension.

Lastly I tried tire black on the tires.

Tire test paint
Tire test paint

On the pic it’s quite recently painted and looks more like a tire on a WW2 aircraft. Looks like it darkens a bit when totally dry. Not sure if need to add some black to the mix.

Tornado ECR – part 3

The seams on the front fuselage part is now sorted to my satisfaction!

Front fuselage done
Front fuselage done

I continued painting the exhaust parts. This time with a mix of steel and brown.

Exhaust cans painted
Exhaust cans painted
Pipes tested in place
Pipes tested in place

Not quite happy with that as I think it needs to be a lot darker colour to create that burnt look I’m after. I’ll do a test with a darker metal colour and perhaps more or darker brown.

I started using putty to get the weights in place, but that got too tedious, so I decided to use white glue instead. I poured some into the nose after having glued the radar in place.
Then I dropped the rest of the weights and then some more glue to cover them.

Typically there was small gaps in some places around the radar were the glue could and did seap out, and I think it took 2 days for it to cure enough to stop seaping out.

After removing excess glue and touching up the radar, I could finally glue the front to the main frame. In the process, I accidently broke off one pylon. Somehow I have to sort that later. Maybe I fix the wings and pylons in one position later.

Body glued
Body glued

I took a pic of the pile above the plane, with all the missiles and other parts that I’m working on while other things is drying, not realizing until afterwards how much of the pile that could be seen in the pic above. Anyway here’s the pile again! 🙂

Pile of missiles and stuff
Pile of missiles and stuff

Not quite happy with the inside of the intake so I applied a little more putty that needs to be sanded and polished, and painted again to look good. Then they’re going on as well.

I’ll check all seams and also see if I can re-scribe missing panel lines. Then it’s time to add everything needed before painting with the black primer that also will double as the body colour.

Tornado ECR part 2

The front wheel bay was glued to the bottom of the cockpit tub and then the whole thing was glued in place into the front fuselage halves that was glued together. Everything but the seats was glued in place.

Front fuselage assembled
Front fuselage assembled
Rear view
Rear view

The intake fans got a black oil wash.

Intake fans wash done
Intake fans wash done

The wings was connected, aligning the cogs.

Wing mechanism assembled
Wing mechanism assembled

Putty was applied to the fuselage seams.

Fuselage seams puttied
Fuselage seams puttied

Stabilizers was connected and put in place in the main body.

Stabilizers in place
Stabilizers in place

Then it was time to do the same with the wings, which took a bit of adjustment to fit in place.

Wings in place
Wings in place

Then the upper fuselage half was glued in place.

Main fuselage assembled
Main fuselage assembled

It wasm’t entirely easy to get the seams even, and they’ll need some work with putty and sanding to look right.

The exhaust parts was painted black.

Exhaust painted black
Exhaust painted black

The front fuselage needed some more putty as well as some parts for the intakes and air brakes.

Fuselage and some parts puttied
Fueslage and some parts puttied

The sander starter set I ordered arrived yesterday.

Flory sanders starter pack
Flory sanders starter pack

Maybe no bearing on this build more than that I started using some of them. I really liked the skinny ones as they made it easier to sand areas where the larger ones wouldn’t fit.

Some of the exhaust parts got a cote of steel and here’s a pic of the parts I’m working with at the moment, that needs to be done before I can progress further with the build.

Some putty was added to the fuselage seams.

Fuselage seam puttied
Fuselage seam puttied

I guess it’ll need more than that to look good. Working with the seams is a bit hard as the stabilizers and wings are in the way. I just hope I can avoid breaking anything!

Tornado ECR Tiger Meet – Revell 1/32

I started building this kit for a tiger meet and special markings group build on Facebook.

Boxart
Boxart

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.

Cockpit parts
Cockpit parts

Like all good tv-chefs I have already prepared and done the entire cockpit! 🙂

Pre built cockpit
Pre built 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.

Cockpit painted dark grey
Cockpit painted dark grey

The idea was to create some kind of pre-shade. Then everything was painted in a light grey.

Light grey painted
Light grey painted

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.

Two sets of instrument panels
Two sets of instrument panels

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.

Details painted
Details painted

The cover between the front and rear seat was painted, and the seats masked and painted green.

Seats painted green
Seats painted green

With the tape removed it looked like this!

Seats unmasked
Seats unmasked

The instrument panels got some decals.

Decals on the panels
Decals on the panels

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.

Blacak wash
Black wash

The radar nose parts was painted black.

Radar parts painted black
Radar parts painted black

Then I turned my attention to the wings and movable pylons.

Pylons and wing parts
Pylons and wing parts

Maybe due to the movability the fit isn’t optimal.

Not perfect fit
Not perfect fit

The instructions calls for 55g of weight in the nose. Here measured in a lid.

55g BB bullets
55g BB bullets

Some hours later the excess wash was wiped off.

Weathered cockpit tub
Weathered cockpit tub

Some more weathering done and the panels got a clear cote

Weathered tub and clear coted panels
Weathered tub and clear coted panels

I decided to use the pylons as they are without trying to create something to make them move along with the wings.

Pylons fastened with clips on the inside
Pylons fastened with clips on the inside

The panels got the same wash treatment and the body section with intake fans was painted.

Panel wash and intake painted
Panel wash and intake fans painted

The radar got some details painted in aluminium and was then assembled.

Radar assembled
Radar assembled

The wash on the panels was wiped off.

Excess wash wiped off
Excess wash wiped off

Then some dry brushing with white was done.

Dry brushing done
Dry brushing done

The seats got details painted by hand.

Seats painted
Seats painted

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.

Tornado front fuselage glued and wings started.

If I am to believe the instructions, it’s only the Gulf war version who has those “danger” markings on the sides of the head rest. Have to check!
Anyway, the seats can go in later and the cockpit was fitted into the front fuselage halves and glued in place.

Cockpit in place.
Cockpit in place.
Rear view
Rear view

A bit fiddly and I had to glue one bit at a time. For some reason there’s a gap between the front panel and coaming. Have to carefully fill it with plastic or putty. Hard to sand where it’s already painted.

I’ll sand and check all seams, and use putty where needed.

The wings have gears and turnable pylons, but as it is now the pylons can turn any direction, and really don’t sit very tight.

Turnable wings.
I’ve started on the turnable wings and stabilizers.

On the 1/48 kit there’s a mechanism to turn both pylons at the same time. I wonder why they didn’t do that on this one?
Maybe they thought of it afterwards.

Tornado cockpit almost done!

The cockpit is more or less done and can be fitted into the fuselage halves.

Cockpit rear view.
Cockpit rear view.
Cockpit right angle view.
Cockpit right angle rear view.

As the plane is standing on the ground with engine off, I decided to omit the instrument decals and instead have blank screens.

A few decals for the seats still needs to be added. Other than that the cockpit is ready for the next step.

Tornado – painting of cockpit has begun.

I started by painting everything black.

Cockpit parts painted black.
Cockpit parts painted black.

Then most parts got a cote of Dk gull grey, and then I added a few drops of white and made another pass to break it up a bit.

2nd colour grey.
2nd colour grey.

Then I started painting details.

Detail painting.
Detail painting.

The seats will have more colours and some more details will be added to the panels as well as instrument decals.