YF-23 Black Widow - FINISHED!

[TheChronicOne]

Nice!!!  Get after it!!

It's just shy of 2AM here. I've been polishin a TURD for hours. I'm just now putting it up. 

[DogfighterZen]

Building is finished!!    Painting begins after lunch...

[DogfighterZen]

Ok, didn't start painting right after lunch but it's been primed and covered with a layer of XF-24. The scheme is the simplest thing of the build, as it's a what-if PAV1 Grey ghost, it's a one color paint job. No weathering will be done, i want this one clean, like it was on roll out and maybe i'll try some camo or something on another build of this jet...
So yes, another boring dark grey jet in my display but i'm a monochromatic kind of guy so, i just love it...



The grey looks much lighter in the pic than it is in reality, and it will be even darker after the gloss coat goes on, which is what i want.
Next will be masking and painting of the exhausts and landing gear parts and bays. No plans for tomorrow other than modelling so i wanna do as much as can on this one.

[DogfighterZen]

Changed my mind about the real world scheme... and i'm very glad i did!



May not look like it but that was some of the hardest masking jobs i've done. All the curves were hard cause the tape kept sticking to the wrong place and made it difficult to keep a straight line... not perfect but it came out better than i expected.

[PR19_Kit]

That's already looking smart, when it's done it'll be terrific. 

[DogfighterZen]

Glad you like it, kit!
It's getting a second gloss coat to protect the paint a bit more, before masking the vents/grills and exhausts area for the metal colors. Think i'm having a late night modelling session tonight, might get those bits done if i do.

[jalles]

I wasn't expecting that, but man it looks sweet 

Between this build and the B.1 Black Widow I'm itching to build a F-23, too bad 1/72 ones are so pricey 

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks, jalles!
I have plans to build the F-23A, but it involves a LOT of surgery on the Italeri kit... The fuselage has to be extended behind the cockpit to make room for the Sidewinder bay in front of the main weapons bay, which also has to be moved further back in the fuselage.
The nose also needs to be enlarged for the radar and the intakes need to be reshaped.
Considering what i've done to this kit, and that i'm much more comfortable with my modelling skills, i think i can pull it off, but it will take quite a while...

[jalles]

I have plans to build the F-23A, but it involves a LOT of surgery on the Italeri kit...

Yeah, I've thought about the same thing.  I can't decide if it would be easier to just scratch build it or start from the YF-23 kit.  Once you start looking at it, pretty much everything is different.  Even the engine nacelles are shaped considerably different, canted in, and closer together.  Regardless, I'm sure if you made it, it would be fantastic.

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Looking good. 


Ian.

[DogfighterZen]

I have plans to build the F-23A, but it involves a LOT of surgery on the Italeri kit...

Yeah, I've thought about the same thing.  I can't decide if it would be easier to just scratch build it or start from the YF-23 kit.  Once you start looking at it, pretty much everything is different.  Even the engine nacelles are shaped considerably different, canted in, and closer together.  Regardless, I'm sure if you made it, it would be fantastic.

Indeed, from the pics of the RCS test mockup, the F-23A would've been very different on most aspects, reshaping the engine nacelles will probably be the hardest modification that has to be done to the Italeri ki, but i don't imagine it to be easier to scratchbuild it. I think that using the Italeri kit it is possible, but only a modeller with skills superior to mine could do a flawless job, i'll be happy if i can get it to look similar and with a half decent finish.

Looking good. 


Ian.

Glad you like it, Ian.

Well, i was supposed to have a late night modelling session last night but that didn't go as planned so i'm masking the exhausts now...

[DogfighterZen]

Well, nozzles and all the rest of the details are painted, all that's left to paint are the landing gear bits and bays.





The edges of the exhaust areas on the topside need some touching up cause some bits of paint came off with the masking tape but nothing too serious, but it's still annoying...

[TheChronicOne]

I hate when paint comes off with the tape... it's like... WHATS THE POINT OF THE TAPE THEN?!?!?!??! 

OH WELL, win some, lose some, but you live to paint another day!      

Paint work looks very good, though....  specially on the bottom sides of the exhaust stuff.

[DogfighterZen]

All landing gear bits and bays were painted and to compensate for the nozzles, the gear bays masking was a success, no paint bleeding through and the tape didn't lift any paint off... This means, i'm on to decalling, which, for a change, will only be of around 30 decals.

[TheChronicOne]

GO MAN GO!!