Ian M does the 56sq Lightning/Tornado

[Guest]

Looking good Ian, nice job on seat :-)

[Guest]

Looking good Ian. I'll be starting mine when I get home from holidays. Just spent the last 2 days at the Avalon air show in Melbourne. Plenty of pics and vids. Anyway keep up the good work.

Cheers

Kresten.

[Ian M]

Thanks Graham, Thanks Kresten.

Hope you had a good time at that airshow! Are you going to post some of the photos?

Started to attack the exhaust end of the jet pipe. Just given them some primer, and undercoat. Again Aires stuff. I have never used their stuff before but this will not be the last time. Its rather good (if we don't look at the over thick wheel bays!!!). Sharp detail clean castings and the small parts are very lightly attached to the casting block. Their PE is also some of the finest I have ever seen. again the attachmant points are very fine and easy to cut.

Photos later.

Ian M

[Guest]

Hi Ian, you are storming along their, looking great. Bet you loved all that scraping and sanding on the wheelbays. The exhaust on the other hand just falls into place. Cheers Derek

[Ian M]

I don't know if I am flying through this Derek, I had a day off Friday, and most of Saturday and today have been shared between this, the weekends shopping, (always fun) and the odd bit of TV. Being a knackered old fart does have its good side lol.

After turning the shed upside down to fine a bit of lead, I managed to get the two half fuselage together. There was a bit of sanding and scraping needed to get the cockpit module to fit but it's sort of there.

The little part behind the cockpit has lifted a bit as the glue dried, which is a pain. It will need cutting off and doing again! Thats going to leave a scar!

[ATTACH]25949.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]25951.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]25952.vB[/ATTACH]

But the fuselage went together with out to much drama.

As Derek said, the tailpipe fell together. Deep down in the depths is even the injector ring! A touch of Dark Aluminium and jet exhaust from Alclad and it almost looks the part.

[ATTACH]25950.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]25953.vB[/ATTACH]

Just looking at the legs and wheels. I might just use the kit parts for this build and save the metal ones for the F6 later. I will see what they look like after clean up.

Ian M

[ATTACH]32059.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32060.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32061.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32062.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32063.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Ian M]

Well since the last instalment I have done the legs, I went for the kit ones as they are pretty good. Same for the wheels.

[ATTACH]26395.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26399.vB[/ATTACH]

Got the wings on! That was fun getting them to hang the right way. The tail planes in particular were fun. They are a nice sloppy fit in the location holes and had to be held while the glue dried.

[ATTACH]26394.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26396.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26397.vB[/ATTACH]

The nose ring has had a coat of Alclad stainless steel. I think it looks OK.

[ATTACH]26393.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26398.vB[/ATTACH]

Tomorrow I will give it the once over and correct any seam issues I might of missed, then its primer time.

Ian M

[ATTACH]32358.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32359.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32360.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32361.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32362.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32363.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32364.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Hi Ian, you are putting me to shame, great work keep it up. Cheers derek

[Ian M]

Nonsense Derek. You did half the work for me.

Before you did your build I was going in blind. Following you build yours was a very big help, showing the pitfalls and problems. So I thank you a lot when I'm fettling away.

If my one looks near as good as yours does, I will be happy.

Started the primer this afternoon, and sorted a few knock offs, you know the bits you will always knock off as you work. I've done the top and later I will go at the belly!

Ian M

[Ian M]

A little teaser.

Just so you all dont go thinking I've sat on me bum and done nothing this weekend, here are a couple of snaps of the Lighting.

[ATTACH]26509.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26508.vB[/ATTACH][ATTACH]26506.vB[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]26507.vB[/ATTACH]

The Red and the black is good old Vallejo model color, the rest are Alclad II.

The whole lot, except where the red was to go was painted with Alclad II black base over a grey primer. This was then given Polished Aluminium, then random areas lightly dusted with clear blue, sepia, violet, red and yellow! Sounds nasty but it was really a very tiny amount and all that was then toned down with further light coats of white aluminium, gold titanium, aluminium, and magnesium! Some of the inspection covers where picked out with either a lighter or darker tone than the surrounding panel.

Whats the verdict?

[ATTACH]32462.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32463.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32464.IPB[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]32465.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Looking good Ian, how do you find the Alclad to work with? I have never tried it myself. Cheers Derek

[Ian M]

Thanks Derek, good to know that some one is watching LOL.

Alclad: Well in a nut shell its a piece of pie. some things are though every important. The ground work. Any chip, scratch, lump, bump or any other marks will show up ten fold! A thing I must pay more attention to next time. Preparation! 100% the single most thing under any paint but under Alclad it is even more so.

Also the base coat. Others here on the site have said that they have gotten great results just spraying over ordinary grey primer. Yes the result is good. HOWEVER if you spray over a gloss black undercoat the effect can be stunning. The real trick is to go at it very lightly and the second the effect shows, STOP. Otherwise the metal effect gets lost and it just starts looking like any other metal paint.

Turn the Air down and the flow down to if your airbrush allows it. The other thing is the way you paint. The normal run of air on - paint on -paint off - air off is fine but the long strokes along the length of the part goes out the window. Short fine stokes almost like you are brush painting. It takes some getting used to. I still found myself painting as if it was ordinary paint.

Being water thin the paint is very easy to clean up after and I would recommend their airbrush cleaner.

Ian M

[Guest]

Hi Ian, thanks for the bit of a tutorial, not sure I will ever use Alclad, but as they say, never say never. I am now entering my 'Stealth' period, have just started the 1/72 Zvezda Sukhoi SU-50 or T-50 if you prefer, and will be following this up with the 1/72 Academy F-22A Raptor where I will be mixing Gunze's Super metallic paint. Thanks again Derek

[Ian M]

Well the legs are on and the wheels too!

looks as though I got enough weight in the nose as she sits nicely on the nose wheel.

Here is where I'm at right now.

I have the re-fuelling probe to go on, after the decals. The seat has got to go back in. (I took it out for masking the cock pit).

Jet pipes need to go in, the "pilot tube" on the bottom of the nose ring.

Right now its drying after some gloss coat, then its a few details, bit of pin washing and the decals.

[ATTACH]26585.vB[/ATTACH]

More later.

Ian M

[ATTACH]32500.IPB[/ATTACH]

[Guest]

Cracking work there Ian. My boss actually flew in one of these and set an altitude record. I saw the video of the whole thing. It was something he bid on at a charity night. I will get the details and let you know. They did break the record. Unfortunatly the pilot crashed a few flight later and was killed.

Cheers

Andy

[tr1ckey66]

Looks fabulous Ian. Excellent paint work. This will be one nice piece of work.

All the best

Paul