Hello
Ive been away from modeling for some years now, and even then I wasnt very good at it. I’ve decided to make a return by building Italeri’s 1:72 scale F-5A kit. I plan to do this with Canadian markings for the retirement of the aircraft as pictured below.
If any body has built this kit before, or has any tips or ideas in general, I would be happy to hear them. Ive never been very good at making seams disappear or weathering the aircraft to make them look real.
Thanks for your help and your time.
Nice colours on that CF-5. I built Italeria’s 1/72 F-5F many (and I mean many) years ago and still have it. Its a nice looking kit and a great one to start off with. I myself have returned to the hobby recently after a long break and I have found this site to be a great help. Welcome and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
As for general tips you should take a look at Swanny’s site under the tools and tips section for starters.
http://swannysmodels.com/
or just browse through some of the discussions in the tool and tips/painting sections.
So what part of the skating pond do you call home?
Thanks for the help Dave, and Ill be sure to check out the web site.
I call Thunder Bay Ontario home, and at the moment its a cold home.
I know, its -46C with the wind chill here in Winnipeg this morning! [censored][censored][censored]
Wish I could have stayed home and built some models.
Welcome back to the hobby!
I love that 419 colour bird, I saw it a couple of times at airshows back home in Edmonton.
If I recall correctly, the Italeri F-5A kit (and Revell Germany F-5B) are both reissues of older Esci kits, but still good value for the money today.
What decals do you have for the 419 bird, the Arrow Graphics set or the more recent Leading Edge ones.
I’ve got Classic Airframes’ 1/48 F-5 kit back home with Leading Edge’s decals to do her up in the wrap around tactical camoflage. Probably do her up as a 434 bird, I loved that “Bluenose” squadron marking on the tail.
I was looking to use some decals from a company called jbot decals (www.jbot.ca), but I may look around to see if any other companies offer the markings that Im looking for.
Both Arrow Graphics and Leading Edge do make the 419 colour bird decals that you’re looking for.
The Leading Edge ones are currently in production and should be easy enough for your local hobby shop to get or for you to order direct from Leading Edge in Calgary.
I’m not sure if the Arrow Graphics sheet is still in production, but if you get that one, beware that you have to cut close to the images as the entire sheet is covered by carrier film.