This is my third “Hairy Stick” adventure that I completed in December 2016- a very basic kit by Matchbox from 1973 that has been in my stash untouched for a very long time. Again, I was really concerned about the decals being so old and the fact that they had “yellowed”, whether they would work or not, but, if I let them sit in warm water for a few minutes, I was able to carefully peel them from the backing paper, they wouldn’t slide, but I was just happy that I got them to work!
The cockpit for this two-seater trainer version was very basic- just two seats, so I decided to scratch-build two instrument panels, four side consoles, two joy-sticks, seat belts made from wine bottle foil and ejector pull handles for both seats. The canopy was one solid piece which wouldn’t allow for displaying the model with the rear section of the canopy open, so, with a hot knife, I carefully separated the rear section from the front section, glued the front section in place, then scratch-built a canopy actuator for the rear section and displayed it in the open position…
If you’d like to see my YouTube build video for this vintage model, then here is the link to it:
Great job on building detailing and finishing these three birds. Nice to see what can be done without an airbrush. I too use the hairy stick - but I am just a wizzling. I’ll definitely be checking out your vids to see what I can learn about your weathering techniques.
Very nice ! And this mirage looks so incredibly . . . pointy !
I just finished watching the video on this mirage build, very nice!
It just goes to show people of all skills that an airbrush is not always needed to paint with. I’m impressed with your brush abilities. The finish is smooth.
It also shows that aftermarket products are not always required. Nice touch to carve the joystick out of a cocktail stick. That is what to me true scratchbuilding is about, to take and make components from whatever source you have handy at the time and turn it into a joystick, seatbelts, knobs, etc.
