**FINISHED** X/JT-47 "Valon" NASA

[reddfoxx]

Sharp!  Very, uh, swooshy-looking.  A bit reminiscent of the MiG-29U trainer, and really, I even almost forget the 16 is in there and it looks entirely new, something from a scifi show.

[TheChronicOne]

Thanks, y'all! 

Well.... back at it today. I'm out of practice and forgot to put decal fix on the old decals. I always do this by default when using old stuff but like I said.... out of practice. Either way I need a new sheet so if anyone has one they don't want and would like to donate it... I'm receptive to such antics! Hell, all I really need are the yellow stripes that go on the tail that say "NASA." Otherwise, I'll have to mask and paint and use individual letters from one of my letters and numbers sheets. It's doable but I'm not motivated to mess with it right now so who knows when I'll pick this back up again.

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks, y'all! 

Well.... back at it today. I'm out of practice and forgot to put decal fix on the old decals. I always do this by default when using old stuff but like I said.... out of practice. Either way I need a new sheet so if anyone has one they don't want and would like to donate it... I'm receptive to such antics! Hell, all I really need are the yellow stripes that go on the tail that say "NASA." Otherwise, I'll have to mask and paint and use individual letters from one of my letters and numbers sheets. It's doable but I'm not motivated to mess with it right now so who knows when I'll pick this back up again.

That sucks!

[TheChronicOne]

Tell me about it! 2020 really screwed me up in more ways than one. I went months without even so much as looking at a model kit and now that I'm back at it I'm finding that I'm making mistakes because of being rusty. It's cool, though, It's all coming back to me but damn... I wonder what else I've forgotten about. 

This right here isn't really that big of a problem, to be honest. If I can't get my hands on another sheet within a day or two I'll just mask and paint the yellow strip on and put the letters on individually. It's actually a pretty easy fix... it's just time consuming opposed to slapping on a decal. That said... I spent over an hour trying to get that ONE decal to work so................. hell, in that amount of time I probably could have gotten the strip painted on and got started on the letters so........  6 of one, half a dozen of the other. Frustrating more than anything but I'll be back at it within a day or two. 

[Rick Lowe]

Looking 'Sharp and Swooshy' there, Brad. Coming on well. 

Annoying about the transfers, but as you say, we all keep making the same mistakes and having to relearn - or at least refresh - the knowledge we already have in there...

(I have a Story about masking yellow NASA lines and using rub-down lettering... in 1/200... but that's another trauma I won't inflict on you at this time...) 

[DogfighterZen]

Frustrating more than anything but I'll be back at it within a day or two. 

[TheChronicOne]

Looking 'Sharp and Swooshy' there, Brad. Coming on well. 

Annoying about the transfers, but as you say, we all keep making the same mistakes and having to relearn - or at least refresh - the knowledge we already have in there...

(I have a Story about masking yellow NASA lines and using rub-down lettering... in 1/200... but that's another trauma I won't inflict on you at this time...) 

Thank you!!!!    So right.... 'refresh' is the perfect word for it. I doubt this'll be the last time it happens.     


OK, this is fun.... 1/200 you say..... hmmmm.......     B-52? 747?  The mention of the rub-on transfers unearthed a memory of mine of using them as a wee lad on various things. I still have a sheet of them, too, that I laid eyes on not TOO long ago. I know I used some on pine-derby cars....    rub the decals on and shove a C02 thingy in the arse end and off to the races! 

[Rick Lowe]

(I have a Story about masking yellow NASA lines and using rub-down lettering... in 1/200... but that's another trauma I won't inflict on you at this time...) 

OK, this is fun.... 1/200 you say..... hmmmm.......     B-52?

DING DING! We have a winner!

Yeah, I got one of the Large Warplanes diecasts for a friend and turned it into NASA 008.
The changes from a -G back to a -B weren't difficult.
The fun started when I went the 'cheap and quick' way and cobbled the markings up from spares.
It worked, but in some instances needed 2-3 goes at things (don't let out a big sigh when you get something perfectly positioned but not pressed into place... old transfers aren't always worth the trouble of keeping... watch where you put your fingers to hold the thing... etc, etc)

The tail 'NASA' marking was dry-rub letraset and I needed 3 hands for that part.

Still, it got done and in good time, and he was happy so that was a Result and I'm happy with how it ended.
Now I just have to do it again for the Brother-in-Law...

[TheChronicOne]

Fascinating, thanks!!!!   That part about the big sigh... MAN!!!! I know JUST what you mean... holy crap.       Real talk, breathing control is something not a lot of people realize us model builders have to master and make a conscience effort to not forget about. Goes for painting, too; but this is what got me recently on this thing with the splintered marking. I had it almost fixed, too! I made it over an hour before I started to lose my stamina and then botched it and it all went to hell after that. In fact, I took a picture of it... one I haven't shared. I was going to use it for a comparison shot after I managed to fix it but since I didn't fix it, I didn't need this picture:



I actually had all that mess 97% back together and looking good until one little sliver went out of place whilst at the same time a tiny piece busted loose while another flipped over upside down and another folded under. I gave it another 15 minutes and it was over. Non recoverable.

Them rub-on decals are a pain the arse, IMO. Like you said... need three hands and in many cases the backing paper obscures the stuff behind it which makes alignment a nightmare.


Update on this one... not much progress in general although it was a fair amount of work to do what I managed. Seeing as how those yellow stripe markings went tits up I decided to just paint the strip and find some random letters in the decal stash. To that effect, I did both:






This project has sat on hold ever since due to having to focus my efforts heavily on the GB build. The GB build that ends in less than 24 hours...... 

[Rick Lowe]

Did you mean to say 'Splinter', or 'Shatter'? Yikes, wattamess.
I understand the sheer bloody-mindedness of wanting to get that sucker put back together again, though.
I have tried (and only sometimes succeeded) to repair similar disasters, but sometimes it's just easier to start again.

If you have something to replace it with, of course... if not, this is where desperation comes in.
But like Women and Animals, Decals can smell desperation...

I have heard and will try the technique of rubbing the dry decals onto a clear transfer sheet and applying them as one unit. It sounds like the way to go.
Getting them lined up will be the trick, but probably no moreso than getting them straight in situ. And nowhere near as many hands needed...

Breathing techniques... yeah, I have to turn my head to take and expel a deep breath sometimes - slippery transfers, small and fragile assemblies, paint/cleaner fumes, etc...

This hobby is such fun, isn't it?!

[TheChronicOne]

Yes, when I first reported this happening I said that they "shattered" if memory serves. That said, if you notice... in this usage, a "sliver" is an individual piece of a shattered transfer, because it literally is a sliver, and as stated, that single sliver is what caused the affair to go bad.

Desperation is right.....  the damn thing teased me and would give me small victories then rip them away from me again moments later.  Goodness, the level of patience... it's like there's a meter hanging there and I could damn near see it draining by the minute. I'm surprised I managed to make it over an hour on the stupid thing.   

[Rick Lowe]

Yes, when I first reported this happening I said that they "shattered" if memory serves.

Yeah, but that was probably days ago, if not weeks... my 'leetle grey cells' aren't the best at the best of times, and old age leads to more frequent memory slippage... 

[TheChronicOne]

Still and all, "sliver" is definitely what I intended to use, as it is the correct word for what I was describing. 

[Rick Lowe]

Still and all, "sliver" is definitely what I intended to use, as it is the correct word for what I was describing. 

Fair enough. 

[TheChronicOne]

Want to know what isn't fair, though?  The fact that my stupid letters won't work. I just noticed that they are different sizes. lmao         It wasn't as apparent when looking at them but.... look at the picture of my "MARINES" markings.... they aren't the same size so it's back to the decalstash again.     


Yeah I just checked them on the sheet, they definitely don't match. I can get N A S but the second set of A's will be the wrong size and thickness.