**DONE** F-52 Ultra Hornet, United States Space Force (PICS Pg. 4)

[TheChronicOne]

Looks like I threw away the remaining clear parts for this thing. I remember yesterday taking, what I thought, was an empty bag from the box and tossed it. It's in the city dump now. PRETTY sure it wasn't actually empty, and I just didn't see the clear parts in the clear bag. This has to be the only explanation as I can't find them anywhere. After the re-organization yesterday.. I would have found them. SO.. Rather than dwell on it, I'll just do something different where them parts went. Some were just stuff like landing lights but some were for sensors or something on the front. Two on the sides, one in the middle. I've already found something to cram in that hole:



The two on the sides I won't even worry about because folk would be none the wiser.

While I was taking a pic of that, I took another of the canards that I modified.



Still on with paint! I have a lot of little details to paint still. Thought I was close to glossing it but I keep forgetting about these.

[TheChronicOne]

The paint job is starting to come together. I still have a long way to go and much touch up to do.

[zenrat]

How annoying.

[nighthunter]

Oddly, it looks like a Sukoi project, not a Boeing one,

[TheChronicOne]

Deep down inside it has some Su 27 lineage, if memory serves! 

[TheChronicOne]

Painting some more. Getting closer and closer but still a ways to go! 



Not sure what's next. I'll keep scouring this thing for things to touch-up and eventually it gets gloss coat.

STILL haven't fished through my spares to find a set of transfers but I'll need to pretty soon.

[TheChronicOne]

Right.... I'm still doing the touch up and detail painting. Mainly done with touch up I think, though.

However, looking at the tail planes and stabs I'm re-thinking the way I painted the control surfaces. I painted them grey thinking they would look good but they don't look quite as good as I would like them to, and, they will interfere with any markings I put on them because the silver leading edges already encroach pretty deep into area. So.. I'm going to paint them over black and re-wash with my silvery-green stuff.

She's on her feet now, too.





Oops! Left off the tailplanes and stuff but oh well!   


So, I still have some painting left to do but it won't last much longer. In fact, rather than do any more of that tonight, I'm going to finally stop to look through my transfers stash to see what I can use on this. 

[Tophe]

Oops! Left off the tailplanes and stuff but oh well!   

Maybe the canards are enough for control, yes. This is more different from RW, so: better, somehow.

[TheChronicOne]

 

Truth be told, I'm kind of lamenting the fact that I didn't try to alter this thing a bit more than I have. I could have found some things to glue on here and there or re-shape or something but I wasn't thinking about it until I was well into paint. 


So anyway....  I found all the missing clear pieces!!!! I thought I threw them away. I have no idea how in the hell they got there, but they were in a bag with a sheet of transfers from some RAF kit. This bag was inside a cardboard envelope that contained part of my transfers stash. I draw a complete blank when I try to remember how/why they were put there but.... whatever! Glad to have them back. 

For today, I'm going to look this little dude over again and see if I'm missing any detail painting. I know I have a few little places to paint gold. I was going to leave them as they are, but it just so happens these are where a lot of the clear pieces go so these things will look better than with just paint. So glad I found them.

After that, I'm going to try to get it glossed. I have very little left in my can but I think I have enough to get it covered. I also still need to go through my transfers to find some to use on this. I tried to last night but shortly after making that post I went to bed. I accidentally took too much pain medicine and it wiped me out. I need one of them calendar box thingies for prescription pills so I don't do that again! 

But uhhh..... back on track...   I think I'm pretty much at the end of painting and construction after this. I did the gear doors and stuff yesterday, I just need to put that green/silver wash on them so there's very little left on this one, now! 

[TheChronicOne]

Through painting for now. I might find some things later after transfers, though.

I glossed it and next up I will start putting transfers on. I need to find them still.  Going to do that now. I've kept putting it off but now there's nothing else to do! 


Any how....  still wet from the last bit of gloss clear, I took it outside so that the partial sunlight would hopefully bring out some of the detail and colors of the paint scheme.









Oops, I forgot to gloss the tailplanes!! I'll do that in a few...

[TheChronicOne]

Well, I've found any and all transfers that might work on this thing. I'll only really know once I start putting them on. I've used grey markings before on dark colors/black and some work, some don't. If they all work, I should have enough to finish this, though! 

Also....   I did manage to gloss clear the top and most of the sides but I didn't quite get good enough coverage on the bottom. Ran the can smooth out of material. So uhhh....    I could try to wing it and hope everything works but I think I'll go ahead and wait to work on this any more until I get some more.

[silverwindblade]

Deep down inside it has some Su 27 lineage, if memory serves! 

In Macross Zero, the anime the Sv-51/52 are originally from, they're made with plans and information stolen by espionage by the 'anti-UN', a holdout group of nations that resist unification of a world government. They build them using the same reverse-engineered technology that later leads to the VF-1 fighter of the first Macross series (or, in the west, Robotech).
Like the VF-1 - and its' limited production prototype the VF-0 - the Sv-51 transforms into a bird-like 'gerwalk' mode for low-speed flight and VTOL, an aircraft mode, and a robot 'Battroid' mode.
All three modes of both craft make use of weapons on the wing hardpoints, as well as an underbody high-speed multibarrel autocannon that becomes a hand-held rifle in the non-aircraft mode.
The Anti-UN was comprised of some countries that were formerly part of the USSR - as Macross was originally written during the Cold War, and had a 'Global Civil War' between the East and West in its' backstory) - and some of their aircraft industries were involved in developing and building the Sv-51, which is why it has a strong resemblance to the Sukhoi. There's scenes in Macross Zero with MiG-29's and F-14's also modified and enhanced with minor applications of reverse-engineered alien technology from the spaceship that starts off the whole franchise and series, and leads to the transforming fighter planes.

Of course, none of this is actually relevant to your build, but I thought it was something I could contribute, haha.
I do like the way this is shaping up though. I have often thought it would be cool to build some things blending more real world and macross influenced stuff together, but the kits aren't cheap, sadly, and are mostly in 1/72, which isn't my scale of choice.

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks!! Pretty cool. I was kind of wondering anyway so the information is welcome. 


As far as this one goes.... I've done some more work on it today. I've finalized the paint situation on the gear doors and tail planes. I just need to get them gloss coated along with the bottom of the plane itself then I can start working on the transfers.

Probably won't get back to it for at least a week or more because I can't spend any money on hobbies and stuff right now lest I run myself out of it. 

[Firefox]

Nice work. I'm glad you see this as Hornet rather than the designer's claim that it based on Su-27

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks, bud!! Glad you like it. From some angles it has similar qualities to a Hornet so that helps the myth along!