Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 24, 2023, 01:02:04 PMI DETEST painting wheels! 

It's never ending, you paint the hubs and then the tyres, and the tyre paint runs over the edges of the bubs, so you re-paint the hubs and that paint overruns onto the tyres, .-and so an and so on.

I'm onto the second tyre re-painting of the Swift's wheels now, and hopefully there won't be a third one!

Have you tried this method:

Paint your hubs as normal.
Then, using thinned paint and a fine pointed brush, load the brush and touch the tip to the point where the tyre sidewall meets the rim of the hub. The thinned paint should run around the edge of the rim by capillary action, giving a neat edge to the tyre sidewall. You can then carefully block in the rest of the tyre's sidewall with straight paint.

If the thinned tyre colour doesn't "run", it's still not thin enough - probably best to try it on a scrap wheel to get the consistency right first. Plus you need to do each side separately and allow to dry before turning the wheel over.....

HTH!

Cheers,
Mark

No, I haven't, and it sounds well worth a try, thanks for the tip. 

I'm not usually a 'thinned paint' kind of modeller, but I'll give it a go anyway.   

Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 25, 2023, 03:52:06 AMNo, I haven't, and it sounds well worth a try, thanks for the tip. 

I'm not usually a 'thinned paint' kind of modeller, but I'll give it a go anyway.   

Sounds like a very good idea. I know I'll try it.

Quote from: PR19_Kit on May 25, 2023, 03:52:06 AMNo, I haven't, and it sounds well worth a try, thanks for the tip. 

I'm not usually a 'thinned paint' kind of modeller, but I'll give it a go anyway.   

Must admit I discovered it by accident a while ago, and it works well, providing the moulding of the wheel is reasonable.

Yeah I'm gonna try that as I freaking hate painting wheels 

I painted the tyres on the SU-76c today.  I used vallejo model air acrylic straight out of the bottle which as it is allegedly already at airbrushing consistency (although IMO it usually needs more thinners before spraying) meant it flowed nicely along the raised line between the tyre and the hub.
Indeed, it was so painless I momentarily thought about starting on a Pzkpfw iv (painting the wheels first).
But luckilly the moment passed.

Ah, that's an idea. I don't have any 'airbrush ready' paints of course, but I can get some.......... 

The F10's on its wheels now, or will be once I've RE-glued the nosewheel which snapped clean off while I was gluing on the nosewheel door. I hate repairing models that are broken, but I REALLY detest doing so when I've not even finished building them! 

There's an odd thing about the Airfix Swift FR5 kit, they provide lovely clear windows for the cameras in the nose, but they also provide grey plastic blanking plugs as well.

Why? Swift FR5s never operated without the cameras so why would they even think to blank off the ports?

And here we are ready for some decals at last. 

All the stores are painted now, but the missiles will need some decals too, and then it's just a case of gluing them all in position.

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OK, the Swift F10 is done, and ready for some trial flights.

Here's XF274, the only Swift F10 operating with the IRMTU (Infra Red Missile Trials Unit) from Llanbedr in North Wales. Carrying both Firestreak and Red Top missiles, the F10 had extended wings, tails and fin in order to carry out the trials on the two missile types. Their Airships were concerned that at the very high altitudes that the Soviet bombers were expected to operate the Sun itself might prove to be a more tempting target than the Soviet bomber's exhausts. The trial programme took place over the early months of 1959 and proved conclusively that there would be no such danger of the missiles losing their targets.

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Note the greatly extended wing planform, the taller fin and longer tailplanes, all to keep the F10 controllable at its 50-55000 ft ceiling.


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Here's an underside view of XF247 showing both test missiles, the data transmission pod carried under the starboard wing and the balancing fuel tank under the port wing. XF247 always carried the large belly tank fitted almost as standard on the later Mark Swifts.


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A plan view shows the photo marker crosses on the upper wings, which were also carried on the fuselage sides, and the red wing tips adopted by the IRMTU.


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The starboard wing showing the Red Top missile, also with photo markers, and the data transmission pod.


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The port wing carrying the Firestreak missile and the wing fuel tank.


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The special unit marking carried by XF247 showing the Sun above silhouettes of both missile types together with the unit designation.

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At last it's sorted and it only took me 11 months.....

Beautiful Swift build            (one of my all time favourite jets)

That's a very nice Swift, and I do like the idea of  Their  Airships  having concerns that high flying aircraft might inadvertently attempt to shoot down the sun.

The wings are perfect mate 👌 👍
They balance the entire look of the plane ..yep I lovin this 😍 😃

This plane was nearly unknown for me before , but the extended wings look very good on it !

Looking great!

TomZ