Jump to content

1/72 Hasegawa VF-1 + Booster step-by-step...


wm cheng

Recommended Posts

It's one of those modeling myths that a double action is better than a single.

It's perhaps telling that most double-action airbrushes feature that trigger-limiter on the barrel that allows you to set them up and use them essentially like a single-action... ;-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, everybody - I'm so excited, I just got the resin launch arm kit that Gundamhead and Jesse produced! and promised them that I'd drop this to start on their wonderful kit. It shouldn't take too long - and I will resume the Booster when I finsh their kit (I already have a Max VF-1A Super ready for it).

So here are a few parting shots of the stage at where I am for now. The Valk is ready for decals and the Boosters are ready for the black stripe to be painted on and decals as well. I plan on doing the engine bell metallic shading with all those shades of burnt metal at the end - that will take the longest.

Join me over at the Launch Arm thread!! :D

post-244-1130792246_thumb.jpg

post-244-1130792257_thumb.jpg

post-244-1130792269_thumb.jpg

post-244-1130792282_thumb.jpg

post-244-1130792296_thumb.jpg

post-244-1130792307_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Now that all the things that have been getting the in the way of my version of this project, I can start to post some more updates.

ATM I am just fixing a few spots with the white paint on the Valkyrie itself, then I will be ready for weathering.

Cheers,

Berttt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Ok, the Launch-Arm-Work-of-Art is done.

No rest for the wicked modeler! time to get back to this baby, chop chop!

(Wicked as "extremely awesome", not wicked which implies that the devil will not allow wm cheng to rest from his evil doings, er... modeling :ph34r: . But then, how do we know wm cheng has NOT sold his soul to the devil in exchange for jaw-droping talent in the scale modeling hobby? B)) )

*Look who's avatar is talking!

Edited by Viceland
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

That looks great Brett!

Well, got a little time to get back to work on these Boosters. I wanted to experiment - learn to age/weather the booster nozzles like the SU-27 references I got from the tips section of ARC (Aircraft Resource Center). So I started to layer up the multiple shades of metallics I had lying around.

First I masked off the nozzles starting with the bottom working my way up towards the front.

I only had on hand four Alclad colours.

post-244-1138684550_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138684564_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Using the Captn's scribed rings as a guide, I sprayed varying patterns as I moved forward - I masked the next section, trying to make a random plated pattern.

post-244-1138684644_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138684654_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138684668_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the real anal freaks out there - I guess I should of applied a thin coat of Mr. Surfacer to seal in some of the resin surface imperfections, but I didn't mind it, it will give it a worn patina when I'm done with the weathering.

I've been asking myself whether I should weather or not, since the Booster is probably not a re-usable piece of equipment, so the engine bells should look new. But hey, I've been dying to try out the SU-27 techniques, its more fun to weather, and it gives it a sense of scale.

Now I took the last colour; Jet Exhaust and started to airbrush burnt markings and streaks and darkening the tips of the bell nozzles with this colour.

post-244-1138684952_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138684963_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now to add the clear blue and yellow to various panels to denote different materials and various stages of burnt staining.

I masked off a few panels, and I reused these masks in various places to get all the "random" panels. Then I thinned down Tamiya Blue Clear and Yellow Clear and lightly sprayed in the panels. I think I might of over done it with the blue, but the yellow looks convincing. Although the panels might seem a little too random. However, I'll reserve judgement till after I weather it, I may need them to be a little overly contrasty or strong for it to show through after the weathering.

post-244-1138685178_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138685189_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now I've applied a thick black oil wash over most of the bell nozzles. It will seep into all the rivet and scribed details as well as provide a darker base for me to wipe away to reveal the metal panels below. I made the wash much thicker than I usually do, because I want some of it to stay behind (not just in the crevices). Now I'll let it dry over night (so it doesn't all get wiped away so easily).

post-244-1138685338_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks,

I tried to wipe some more excess oil wash away today - but even after 24hrs, its still too wet (I guess I laid it on a little too thick) it just smears... a little too evenly. I wanted sections to wipe off while leaving other sections intact - when its too wet, it just evenly smears - so I just wiped in the airflow direction so that the smear lines are in a single direction and I will have to wait till tomorrow. Hoping that it will dry more thoroughly - and I can remove some of it in patches.

post-244-1138738896_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quick update.

All I have to do now is finish weathering the launch arm, attach the amrs wing and legs, fit the cockpit ans she's done.

Cheers,

Berttt

358433[/snapback]

Looks great (as usual). :)

But man, that design looks...well...frightening. What was Kawamori thinking? :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THE MASTER HAS RETURNED!

Good to see you again, Mr William-Super-Dee-Duper!

Remember about my whole fiasco with the Elintseeker where I cried and cried for days and days with the whole putty issue? Well, man it's still waiting patiently for a base for me to mount it on. I'm thinking of getting a round/circular acrylic base about 3/4 inches thick that can be drilled and get a acrylic dowel to support it. I connect the model to the rod with magnets, so I can remove the Valkyrie away from the base whenever I please.

Meh, so lonely, what a lonely Elintseeker.

(psst, apologies for stealing your thread again...sorries)

post-3312-1138775792_thumb.jpg

Meh, okay this one I blame the stupid digi cam. I'm terrible with that thing, so no, the Elintseeker doesn't look nearly as horrible in the pic. Really! Plus all the detail of the panel seems to be gone in the picture. :(

Edited by Spatula
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey great to hear you've rescued the melting putty model - how did it dry out? Did you have to fill and resand it or did you just leave it alone and it dried on its own? Good to finally see it, looking good - you should post more photos of it when you get your stand completed. Good idea about the magnet thing for the stand, will it be strong enough? Let me know when you try it, I'd be interested in ripping it off if its sucessful :D

Ok, I added some pencil crayon silver to the edges of the scribbed lines - its pretty subtle though, the pencil was a little too hard to really bite, so it just really cleaned off some of the oil wash at those areas. It wasn't too bad, but it didn't work the way I thought it should. I sealed in the oil wash and pencil crayon and brown/black conte streaks from the boltheads in with another coat of ModelMaster semi-gloss clear. Overall its not too bad, it was a little too heavily weathered (great for rebel starships though...) but when I placed it next to the blue/grey boosters it seemed too heavily used. So I gave the nozzles another dusting of Alclad Steel to brighten it up a bit, tie in all the bluish panels together and hide some of the darker weathering. I like the fact that you can just make out that the nozzles might be made from several different types of metals, instead of one big sheet of some non-descript metal - but it doesn't look patched together from junk.

post-244-1138845080_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845199_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845210_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845220_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yay! finally decals... I think I'll start with the Valkyrie first, then moved my way to the boosters. There's still a final weathering over the decals to tie them all together and a final clear-coat over the decals to protect them, the Boosters will get a final coat of clear flat and some drybrushing before I actually glue the nozzles on. While the Valkyrie will get a semi-gloss final clearcoat and some light grey oil wash over the darker decaled sections.

Its important to keep piecing together the various components so that you get a sense of how all the colours and weathering goes together. The blue in the engine bells picks up on the blue in the grey boosters.

Can't wait to peel that masking away from the three meshed grilled portions! Its like peeling the canopy masks (the best last steps)

post-244-1138845416_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845432_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845443_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845455_thumb.jpg

post-244-1138845469_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...