Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 Well sports fans, I have been on a major modeling respite. With the new child and my basement getting redone, I haven't been able to get anywhere with my VF-4 since early this past summer. I have just got the new spray booth hooked up and my new workspace built, so I'm ready to go. Now the only thing I'm missing is free time. The new baby is starting to sleep more, so I thought I would try to get some more progress on my modeling. First off, for those of you who were not following this project. Our friendly neighborhood Valkyrie recast a VF-4 resin kit with pretty darn good detail. I have assembled, broken, and assembled, and broken, and assembled it several times, and I think I've finally gotten it where I like it. As you can see below, I have finished the cockpit and applied the vacuum-formed canopy. I had some gaps between the canopy and the fuselage, so I used some clear canopy glue (as you may be able to see, it has not dried clear yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 Ok... here's a side view. Still not getting very good focus on the camera. Perhaps you can see the wet canopy glue in the gap on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 here's the pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 Ok... now here is my little spray booth technique. I bought a lump of clay that never dries. I stick some popsicle sticks in it with a little clay at the end of each one. This hold my pieces while I spray them. As shown below, I'm doing the thrusters/feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kam63 Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 thats looking pretty good so far is that the recast that was selling her on the boards? Is it still available ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerwalker Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 LTSO, Congrats for your new child!! Nice VF-4 there!! You use Super Jet glue, the best IMHO!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 11, 2003 Author Share Posted November 11, 2003 OK... this technique for masking the canopy may not be new, but I really don't see it that much here or on Starshipmodeler.com. I use Blue Tac (the stuff you hang posters up with). As you can see, one of my daughters toys found its way into the picture as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the white drew carey Posted November 12, 2003 Share Posted November 12, 2003 Good job. I like reading this. It's kind of like a blog (God, I hate that word) of your trials and tribulations with the VF-4. One question, though: Why did you start a new thread instead of continuing the first one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 12, 2003 Author Share Posted November 12, 2003 One question, though: Why did you start a new thread instead of continuing the first one? good question... i think I had screwed up so much on the first go around, that I would start over. I'm not nearly as good as wm cheng as the build ups are concerned. I should probably do a step-by-step, but I only think of grabbin' the digital camera every once in awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 Well.... I've been painting the base coat and I was really unhappy with the "off white" color scheme I had picked out. After further consideration "off white" or "egg shell" should be left to the Pottery Barn squadron of UN Spacy (only the old folks on the board will think that joke is funny). I went back to the original flat white paint scheme... unexciting, but I like it better. Perhaps I will spice up the details with some color, but as you can see below, the base remains white. I used Tamiya paints and Mr. Surfacer primer (should use primer on resin from what I hear). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 By the way... simultaneously with the VF-4, I am finishing my Yukikaze Super Sylph. It is the Bandai 1/100 version 1.5. Overall, I had the same problems as wm cheng... the connections between the wings and the fuselage SUCK... lots of Mr. Surfacer and copious amounts of sanding made it somewhat flush. I used a combo of dark grey and RLM grey from Tamiya's paints for the top base coat (underside will get a lighter shade of gray. The hook nose on the Super Sylph reminds me of the VF-4 (club-M version). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted November 23, 2003 Author Share Posted November 23, 2003 (edited) Ok... new picture... not much has changed. I just added a gloss lacquer coat. I thought I would do the lacquer coat over the acrylics, so I could try the post shading technique. That way if I screw up then I can remove the post shade without attacking the base coat. Make sense? *EDIT* Well, I tried the aforementioned plan and it did not work... I did some overspray with an acrylic paint over the lacquer coat (by accident), and then tried to correct my work by wiping the acrylic paint off... however, it wouldn't come off with either water or windex... this does NOT bode well for my post shading experiment. Edited November 24, 2003 by Less than Super Ostrich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 6, 2003 Author Share Posted December 6, 2003 Welll I finally got a moment to do some painting. As you can see in the two pictures below, I am pretty close to finishing. I still need to apply some decals. The prescribed circles where the Macross logo goes does not fit any of my Hasegawa 1/72 scale decals. I should've tested this before, filled them up and gone without the scribed circles. I'm still trying to think how to successfully mask the canopy. More importantly, I am in dire need of some weathering tips. My airbrush (or perhaps its my skills) is not good enough to do a post-shade like wm cheng. I may instead to a sludge wash. I have heard it can have a similar effect. Some of the best modelers I know like to weather with pastel chalks over airbrush shading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 6, 2003 Author Share Posted December 6, 2003 If my digital camera were better, then you may notice that I used the Alclad jet exhaust to do the thrusters and the exhaust nozzles. As wm cheng has stated before, this has a reeeaally nice effect. I had select areas where I got some overspray, but since I sealed the previous coat in with a lacquer seal, then I think i can use some windex on a cloth to clean that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptunesurvey Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 Nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyowelb Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 looking good..keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grayson72 Posted December 6, 2003 Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) Looking good, one comment, it looks like you're getting a lot of orange peel from you airbrush. You might want to either thin your paint more or up your air pressure. Edited December 6, 2003 by Grayson72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 6, 2003 Author Share Posted December 6, 2003 (edited) Looking good, one comment, it looks like you're getting a lot of orange peel from you airbrush. You might want to either thin your paint more or up your air pressure. I will try to thin the paint more... I have been spraying at 25 psi, which i think is pretty high. The orange peel is there, but it gets exacerbated by the low quality of the digital camera. Also, I get a little impatient with my airbrushing since two kids keep me VERY busy. If I was smart, I would do lighter coats more times. Instead, I probably spray too much paint on. Thanks Grayson for the tip! By the way... I have another one of Valkyrie's recasts of this kit. I've been having so much fun with this one, that I thought I might get "creative" with the paint scheme on Number 2. Edited December 6, 2003 by Less than Super Ostrich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 Ok... I added some decals tonight. I basically scrounged these up from old Valkyries I had (mostly Hasegawas). I have not done the panel lines yet. I plan to do an oil wash. I also may use some pastel chalks. I put down a coat of future first, so the decals would glide on nicely. Then I plan to seal it with another coat of future. Then do the wash and other weathering. And then a flat seal at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 Here's another view... I am not horribly pleased with the paint job. I had to rescribe some panel lines, and I did a HORRIBLE job. (see near the cockpit). Next time I plan to use label tape to guide the scribing saw that I just got. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 By the way, I don't have any VF-4 reference materials, so I made up where the markings are and the decals go. I'm sure I made some mistakes, but I don't mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Hey, that ain't too bad I just would have gone with smaller UN Spacy logos for the wing and nose. And like Grayson pointed out, you need to work on getting a smoother finish with your airbrushing. But I shouldn't talk... I've been struggling to overcome the same problem :/ Might as well get a shameless plug in while I'm at it. The VF-4 recasts are now available once again, now that I've finally re-made almost all of the molds. And they now come with gunpods PM me for details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neova Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Actually, That looks pretty good! I see what you mean about the panel lines but you can always fill it in with putty and re-scribe them. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but the payoff is worth it. Can't wait to see the VF-4 after washing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Great work so far - keep it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 16, 2003 Author Share Posted December 16, 2003 Might as well get a shameless plug in while I'm at it. The VF-4 recasts are now available once again, now that I've finally re-made almost all of the molds. And they now come with gunpods PM me for details Yeah baby. Do I get a free gunpod for doing an advertisement for your beautiful work? Yep... very displeased with the paint job... but it is my first resin try. The UN Spacy logos are big, but I had to work with what I had... not many extra decals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Posted December 16, 2003 Share Posted December 16, 2003 Yeah baby. Do I get a free gunpod for doing an advertisement for your beautiful work? Hehe, sure thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel's Fury Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 By the way, I don't have any VF-4 reference materials, so I made up where the markings are and the decals go. I'm sure I made some mistakes, but I don't mind. Good job so far Less than Super Ostrich! When do you expect to finish it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 Good job so far Less than Super Ostrich! When do you expect to finish it? I expect to finish circa 2044. Seriously, I get about 5 minutes here, 20 minutes there, an hour if I'm lucky. Truth is very young children are a modelers worst nightmare. Keep in mind this is only my third model since I got back in to the hobby and my first resin kit. Hopefully, I will get better. I really want to get my weathering skills down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 Well... I thought I'd take a little break from the model and build the stand. Since this is an in-flight model, I thought I would have to make some sort of rig to hold it. The coat hanger thing won't cut it, so I decided on something I saw is FineScale Modeler. The article had a guy who used acrylic rods which I kinda liked. I ordered various sized extruded acrylic plastic rods from U.S. Plastic. I got more clear acrylic plastic than I will go through in six lifetimes for $8.00 shipped! As you can see below, I'm not done yet. I took the straight acrylic rod and taped an end to a coffee can side. I heated the plastic with that heat gun (very cheap too!), and then pushed the rods along the groves in the can until I got a U-shaped piece of plastic. Remember to use gloves! I cut off the ends, smoothed them too. Finally I drilled a hole in the base and fed the plastic rod in. Now I plan to hand drill two holes near the top for small metal rods... then glue those in place... then drill similar holes in the base of the VF-4, so the rods will fit in to hold it to the top of the acrylic base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptunesurvey Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 Nice idea. I should look into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wm cheng Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 (edited) What a great idea, the gloves I guess are for the hot rod? Where online is US Plastics? The heat gun, is it just the kind to strip paint? I really need stand ideas, all my in flight babies are still sitting on coat hangers! Oh, by the way, could you pull back and take a shot of your spray booth, neat set up, where did you get it, and how much do they cost? I need proper ventilation before I kill myself! So does it vent outside? Edited December 18, 2003 by wm cheng Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 The gloves I guess are for the hot rod? Exactly. and for holding the can which gets hot too. Where online is US Plastics? It is www.usplastic.com and here is the link to the acrylic rods: http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.a...ded+Acrylic+Rod Funny thing... in the package they sent me was the acrylic rods and some religious literature about being a born again Christian. Who knew that Bible Beaters were big into plastic manufacturing? The heat gun, is it just the kind to strip paint? Exactly. I had one from working on the house when I was painting. Very cheap and you can direct the heat source better. spray booth, neat set up, where did you get it, and how much do they cost? It is a Paasche hobby spray booth and it is BIG! I got it on ebay for $179. I actually live in Chicago, and picked it up right at the Paasche manufacturing facility (NO SHIPPING COST!!). Here is the guy I got it from on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=28111 So does it vent outside? Yep... the vent booth has an exhaust motor by which you attach a 4" dryer vent. I bought a little vent from Atlanta supply Co. to exhaust to the outside: Exhaust vent is toward the middle of the webpage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel's Fury Posted December 19, 2003 Share Posted December 19, 2003 Looking good so far Less than Super Ostrich! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 23, 2003 Author Share Posted December 23, 2003 Ok folks... I think I'm done for now. I'm actually pretty pleased for my first resin model, but its clear that I have ALOT to learn about modeling. I'm still frightened to do anything except an oil wash in terms of weathering. My airbrush skills keep letting me down every time I try pre shading or post shading. I think adding those touches would really make it nice. I over sanded, over glued, over scribed, over everything, so it looks really choppy in parts. I think alot of that has to do with a lack of patience. I only have opportunities to model for about 30 minutes at a time, so I think I rush through the steps to quickly. I really like the base and the stand. I need to paint the base (as you can see it only has primer on it now. I can't wait to do more In-flight models like this. I have sooooo many acrylic rods now that it should last me for a lifetime. I should have thought about the decals before I started the model. As you can see they are a hodge podge of scraps from old Hasegawa models. By the way... if any of you are interested in this resin kit... Valkyrie has some available for sale. I think he is charging $50, if I'm not mistaken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less than Super Ostrich Posted December 23, 2003 Author Share Posted December 23, 2003 two of three pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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