(DONE..FINALLY, sheesh! LOL) F/U-2 H.A.W.K., Vietnam era warbird (Pics page 14)

[TheChronicOne]

It might be done by 2020 at this rate. I planned on working on this today but *actual* work whooped my azz and there's just no way. All I want to do right now is sit around and be a lazy bum.      Still, I need to get back outside and clean out my truck and blah blah blah so...     


HAWK Spyplane: 27
Brad:  14 

[TheChronicOne]

Had to fight of a bout of anxiety and trepidation over this thing but I'm definitely on the right track now. The paper mask stuff was not going to work. Plain and simple. So, I'm moving instead to direct masking tape right on the body. (more accurate this way anyway because at this scale the "feather" wouldn't really be apparent)   I trace a pattern on a piece of tape, cut it with my scissors, then slap it on. So far, the empennage is masked for the lightest color and I'm moving up the plane toward the nose. I imagine the wings will be the easiest part and the empennage with all the ins and outs was the hardest part so I'm on the down hill slide already with this AFAIK. 

In light of the gracious extensions it just wouldn't be "kosher" to delay further work on this. I have a bit of free time right now so I'm going to use it well!  All this said, I plan on having this done at MAX after an hour's worth of work (which may take 4 hours of real time with how easily I'm distracted).  If I hustle up, though, I could spray the tan and have it sitting to dry for about 24 hours then I can continue the last bit of masks for the middle color.

The PLAN is to be done with the camo paint job by some point tomorrow afternoon then I need to hit the whole thing with gloss.  I'll let it dry a couple days then on to transfers... then... a coat of satin over the camo areas.  With drying time factored in I should be able to just barely squeek this in by the deadline.

[TheChronicOne]

One hour task took me two hours. I was, indeed, distracted. LOL  I only lost 20-30 minutes total, though, and managed to even paint the second camo color.  2 down, one to go!!


Phase one of the masking:

[DogfighterZen]

One hour task took me two hours. I was, indeed, distracted. LOL  I only lost 20-30 minutes total, though, and managed to even paint the second camo color.  2 down, one to go!

Same here... been watching the Star wars model building doc and it took me over an hour to brush paint 3 little spots of grey on my harrier... party's still taking it's toll too...

[TheChronicOne]

Goodness, how do we get anything done?!    Can't wait to see Harriet the Harrier all done...      

Post work sluggishness and Twilight Zone marathon are what have their clutches in me.  There for a moment I had to say, "Hey, the sun's going down SOON, better hurry!"  Just managed to get it done in time. 

Update on the plane: Now, the remaining masks are for just the lighter green areas (yes, I got all backwards and mixed up on the order.. I should have went tan, light green, dark green but I went dark, tan, light green instead.. oh well who cares, shouldn't be much of a prob).  It won't take nearly as much time and attention to get those put on tomorrow as today, then I can spray the light green.

[DogfighterZen]

Shouldn't make much of a difference. How's the airbrush working for you? Do you like it?

[TheChronicOne]

Shouldn't make much of a difference. How's the airbrush working for you? Do you like it?

Rattle cans this round! I still need to buy a uhh... some little adaptor thing and a water trap before I can try my airbrushes.    It will be soon, though!  When I start getting this contract money I might just pop off and buy this like $90 set of stuff off ebay that comes with everything. Ol' cheap stuff but then I won't have to go outside to my big compressor.       Still,  barring that, I'm definitely going to pick up the other stuff so I can try these out.  They're just bottom barrely cheap stuff but hell, I'm not trying to be a master modeler anyway.   

[DogfighterZen]

Couldn't agree more, i don't think one needs to buy all the pro stuff when you have a cheaper option that does the job how you want it to... Especially when the budget's tight, that's why i didn't buy the compressor i had in mind, would be sweet but just wouldn't be wise to buy it then, so i settled for the cheaper one. I know that cheap isn't always best but it all depends on the income...

[TheChronicOne]

I'll upgrade if I decide I like using an airbrush. I've never used one so I'm going to start "in the basement." I know the results might not tell the whole story due to the fact that they probably ARE substandard brushes (one was $3.40 and the other Right at $6 total, with shipping.. )  but I'm pretty sure after a little while trying out these cheap-o airbrushes I'll know whether or not I like it on a meta scale. I'd hate to shell out for some good stuff only to find out I HATE airbrushing.     It's a shame there isn't a place around where one could "test drive" these things.


Any how! Keeping on schedule.. I got the final masks placed:



I also managed to get the next color down even though the weather is wretched. I decided to "risk it" and do it in my shop where the dust floating around can almost be walked upon..  I got in there, layed down my paper, sprayed it, then hauled azz right back outside again before anything got on my baby.   

An hour or two from now I'll take all the masking off and hope I don't have a disaster. I'm pretty sure the layout itself is good. But, I always seem to miss something when I get into intricacies such as this. Surely there will be a gap here or there where the wrong color wound up in the wrong place but so long as it's very minor I couldn't care less.

If everything looks alright, I'll hang 'er from a hook and do a run with gloss clear then it's a couple days of drying time. SO, this means Thursday for transfers, maybe Friday.. depends on how everything else in life goes. 

[TheChronicOne]

Took off the masks and the paint on top of filler did not adhere and came with the tape. Also, the fin looked wrong so I remasked a bunch of stuff to do patch work and the like. I can report that the camo lay out is good though! It doesn't "look stupid" so boy am I glad about that. There just isn't time to fix anything and even the repairs I'm doing today will be substandard because I've no choice. I need to get this fixed then a coat of gloss on which most likely I can't do until tomorrow because the wind is ATROCIOUS right now and it's way below freezing.

Still, I think I'll be able to get it done but it's going to be CLOSE.

[kerick]

Carry on! It would look be good to see it finished.

[DogfighterZen]

Carry on! It would look be good to see it finished.

I second that!

[TheChronicOne]

Well... I did the best I could with it. Mask,paint, mask paint, repeat.... paint comes off on the damn tape...repeat.. mask... oops.. "that lil piece of camo is the wrong shape." Maks, paint, unmask, more paint comes off, brush paint a color that's close, ......  CALL IT DONE.   


I'm ready to gloss this thing now but considering I need to "set up" and spray the whole thing I don't think risking painting in my shop is worth it. The wind is TOO MUCH and the dust factor too high. Not to mention temps well below freezing.. I just don't want anything to happen at this late stage with something as important as this coat.

So anyway...  at some point tomorrow afternoon this winter storm will move on out. The wind should die down to manageable levels at which point I will go to the front porch, hang this thing from an old wind chime type thing... and gloss like a boss.  Saturday comes the transfers, then I'll go ahead with the fiddly bits as the satin finish will be applied to the top (camo) only as the paint scheme I'm replicating (B-52 black on bottom, SEA on top) was REPORTED as the black being gloss. This way I won't have to wait on stuff to dry up in order to glue on the small bits... I can just call it finished at that point just in the nick of time.

Ya know.. I have this thing hanging on the wall right now from a contraption I built to hang it from to spray and I have to say the camo looks really neat! ......or a first timer and all. I can't wait to show you all this thing! I've tried my best to make it as good as possible. Other than the clear messing up only thing can go wrong now is I mess up the transfers. I hope they work well with the black.. 

[kerick]

Careful with the gloss! Cold weather will make it dry slowly. It will be easy to build up too much and get runs. Ask me how I know this......

[TheChronicOne]

Painting in the house like an idiot. It's OK, I'm doing it in a spare bedroom that serves as storage and is on the South side of the house. Wind is from the North and blowing hard so I open the window and it goes out.. I just have to spray and leave quickly before I breathe too much. Not worried about overspray as it is clear.

One coat down.. I'll let it sit a few then hit it with another.  My mother (85 years old) lives with me now so that I can help her all I can... and if she "catches wind" of this I better run and hide..  let's hope the open window does it's proper job.