Thursday, July 23, 2009

Model Airplane International 06 2006


First on the agenda is what to do about those panel lines? You could of course leave them but for goodness sake don't make matters worse by pre-shading or running diluted oil paint info them. If this does not suit you then it is really a matter of how best to fill them and whether or not to either fill them completely or partially? The three most obvious ways of filling are to use a clay-based filler like Milliput, a liquid-based filler like the Gunze Sanyo Mr Surfacer (or a correction pen), or finally an aerosol filler like Halfords Filler Primer. None of the above really represents any great time saving over the other so it will be more about what you want the finished model to look like. Using Milliput will almost completely eradicate the panel lines and you can use the hint of what is left as a guide to any pre-shading you might want to do. This medium also has the advantage of being very controllable from an application viewpoint, but considerable pressure sometimes needs to be applied to manipulate the filler into the panel lines, so you might want to do this prior to construction. At first glance a Tippex correction pen looks ideal in every respect. It is certainly easy enough to apply as the nib is passed along the lip of the panel line and the excess wiped off with lsopropyl alcohol.

Model Airplane International 07 2006


The overall package from Academy is excellent and vastly superior to the old Matchbox version of this type! No wing folds though, which may upset a few, although thinking back to the Matchbox example, maybe it is not a bad thing (remember those hinges' in that kit!). All the injected parts have nice crisply moulded recessed panel lines and there is a good amount of interior detail. There is also a full bomb bay with two bombs in it and separate bomb doors. The cockpit is multi-part with separate sidewalls that just slot into place and although there is room for you to add more detail if you want, that is entirely up to you. All I added were some pre-painted seat belts from Eduard, as the seats looked bare without them. The rear cockpit area is the same, although the radio equipment rack (#A6) is a little two-dimensional, so I am sure the aftermarket boys will come to your aid there. The cam-shell dorsal spine is a little simplified, but reference to books like the In Action title will show you what is really in this area and most of it can be built from plasticard if you desire.

Model Airplane International 08 2006


In pursuing a hobby we all try to juggle both improving our game' as well as learning new techniques and technology. It is not always easy, but there are so many useful bits of equipment around that once you have them you would just never go back (like a dishwasher -1 said a dish-w-a-s-h-e-r. oh forget it!). Nevertheless, one of the things I have always had a bit of a fascination with is the whole process of airbrushing, more so the skill of others than my own. I started like everyone with a motley collection of paintbrushes and never had the money until about 12-14 years ago to purchase an airbrush. I opted right from the start not to use canned propellant, simple because as a teenager I worked in the holidays with my uncle in his motorcycle repair business and knew just how good a real airbrush and compressor could be. In the intervening years I have struggled to get to grips with working with an airbrush and have to admit I was quite pleased with my level until I started to encounter the likes of Steve Evans. Marcus, Spud etc. Having seen how it should be done I started to rethink the whole process and get to grips with it. But then I experienced a bit of a revelation. I got hold of an Iwata airbrush. I had heard about them before and got to see them in use when I joined ADH. but it was not until I actually got one that I realised that this was all of a sudden a whole different ball-game. Don't get me wrong.

Model Airplane International 09 2006


The G' variant was a strengthened and modified version of the basic airframe, tailored to suit life in the harsher European environment, with improved avionics and restressed structures. The two-seat 'G' wasn't just a trainer though, it kept four of the five stores pylons and exactly the same radar systems making it fully combat ready (although it did lose the Vulcan gun in the conversion). With 137 being produced for the Federal German Republic Luftwaffe they became the biggest single user of this particular type, with production running from 1961 right up until 1966, although many other European nations also used the trainer types. Hasegawa have had Starfighters in Their box for a long time, in all sorts of scales, but it's taken them an age (six years to be precise!) to bring out the two-seat version in 1:48. and very welcome it is too. Many people prefer the lines of the trainer (my mate Dai for one) but to me it always looks a little bent' and out of shape, but not to worry, let's see what looking at it in three dimensions will do to change my mind.