I started this post earlier in the Sci-Fi forum by mistake so if you stumble across it over there just ignore it.
This is my first Hobby Boss kit so I’ll build it straight from the box. If you have any suggestions on how to make it look great or what I need to be aware of regarding Hobby Boss, please don’t hesitate to share them.
No teasing.Ya gotta give us more than that.
Hahaha! I may get a couple pics posted before the night is through. I’ve worked on it off and on all day. After I posted the first pic last night I spent the rest of the evening doing some research for it. I don’t think it will be anything spectacular. Hopefully it will be something worth looking at.
Here’s a little of the progress I’ve made so far. The photos aren’t particularly good. I’m using my macro lens to take close-ups of the detail. And, I’m not exactly an expert at using that lens…or any other lens for that matter.
I searched a lot of images online to get an idea how to paint the cockpit. Don’t know how accurate it is. I did my best with what I could find. The instrument panel gauges are a decal. I started trying to pick out the detail on the side consoles with some light grey paint and a small brush and then remembered that I have some Prismacolor colored pencils. So I picked out the rest with a white colored pencil. I think it worked out pretty good. Hard to get it looking much better in 1/72 scale.
The bottom pic shows the nose gear well and the nose gear dry fitted to see how it will look. I still have some painting to do on the nose gear as well as some weathering to both assemblies.
The blue I painted part of the nose gear with is Vallejo Model Air Blue. I had ordered some dark blue paint for the skin of the aircraft but I think the Vallejo blue will be dark enough especially if I apply it over a base coat of black. We’ll see.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I’d appreciate any helpful comments. Thanks.
Cool, I have the Trumpeter 1/48 F9F in the stach, I believe they build up very well out the box.
Nice work on the panel there 
Theuns
Thanks, Theuns. I had a Panther model as a kid but it was either a 1/48 or 1/32 scale and I don’t remember who made it. But, that was one reason why I picked this one up and also because I’d never built any Hobby Boss kits.
I think the panel is about as good as I could get it at that scale.
Looks like a great start, Jim. Panel looks excellent as well. Looking forward to more pics.
Lyle.
Thank you, Lyle. Maybe I can get some more posted today.
Do they also give you the option for the folded wings like on the 1/48 one?
Theuns
No. It’s a pretty simple kit. I guess you could make them fold if you didn’t mind the extra work.
No lack of effort here.Lookin’ good.
What the heck? My post didn’t upload.[*-)]
I’ll try again.
Ok, maybe it’ll work this time.
I think I made decent progress considering I just started it last night.
The bolt fit perfectly as a nose weight.
Cool idea with the bolt LOL!
This build wants me to break out my 1/48 Panther and start it.
Theuns
The instrument panel looks very good! I like the idea of using the white pencil. I will definitely be using that in the future.
One question and I hope this doesn’t qualify as a “thread highjack”. [:$] What is the bolt for? I’ve seen others talk about adding weight, but I’m not clear why.
The weight in the nose keeps the nose wheel on the ground. Often times when you build model planes with tricycle landing gear, meaning that it has a nose wheel plus the main landing gear under the wings, they tend to be tail heavy causing them to tilt back on to the tail. The bolt was the only thing I could think of to use as weight. Lead sinkers are sometimes used for adding weight but I didn’t have any.
I put the halves together, then drill a small hole in the under side. then i load bird shot into the cavity. then get a syringe, load it with white glue, put that in the cavity. put the model nose down in any thing that will hold it up. the glue dries in a couple of days. bird shot the glue and shot will dry into a solaid puck. it will not slip out, and will not rattle.
Go for it, Theuns. Yield to the temptation…Mwahahahaha![6]
I like that idea about the bird shot. I’ll have to remember that.