Ahhh…now I get it. Thanks!
The two main “problem” I found with the kit are shapes and dimensions. The canopy problem is that the bow frame of the windscreen sits at a 90-degree angle to the axis of the airplane, but it should be tilted forward so that it is 90-degrees to the base frame of the sliding canopy (which sits at an angle on the fuselage). The front edge of the sliding canopy also has this problem (designed to fit together), but there’s enough material on each section that you can sand in the correct angle and then mask and paint the correct framing.
The other problem is that the exhaust pipe is really thick so that it fits tightly into the rear fuselage. I’d cut off maybe a 1/4 inch off the back end and find a soda straw with a similar inside diameter and use that for the pipe. The pipe should appear to float a little inside the opening in the fuselage.
Paul, I thought the tail pipe looked a little thick but I went ahead and glued it in as is. I’m thinking an easy way to fix that would be to build it as a “display” plane with the covers over the intakes and one over the tailpipe. That would be something different for me. I also learned about the problem with the canopy from the research I did on the internet. That shouldn’t be too hard to fix. Thanks for your response.
It’s been a few days since my last post primarily because of starting my new shift at work. I went from working the graveyard shift to working days. I’m feeling ten times better but it’ll take a little time to adjust my modeling schedule to my new work schedule.
As I think I stated earlier in this thread I’m building this one straight from the box however there is one exception to that…I may add an aftermarket canopy.
On the kit box it says this is an F9F-2. But after doing some research it appears to be an F9F-5 or very close to it.
One of the differences I discovered between the two versions are the blow-in doors as shown in the pics below as well as the indentation at the beginning of the tail section. The F9F-5 has the two blow-in doors as well as the indentation while the -2 has only one blow-in door. I’m not going to concern myself, in this build, with trying to correct every error and making it a 100% accurate scale replica of an F9F-2. I’ve never actually tried making a model “accurate.” I’ve always just built them as is. So this one will give me some practice at correcting some accuracy errors. It may not end up perfect but I’ll still display it with pride.
The pics below show how I’ve corrected the errors on one side of the fuselage. I used gap filling CA to fill in the panel lines of the blow-in doors as well as the indentation. After sanding them smooth I then scribed the panel lines for the one blow-in door on the -2 version. The door on the -2 is in the same location as the forward blow-in door on the -5 but is shaped differently, being basicly square in shape. This is the first time I’ve ever scribed panel lines so I’m pretty satisfied with how it came out. Now I just have to do the other side and hope that both sides match.
It’s those little details that make a kit stand out. One opinion if you’re going for that glossy blue finish is to make sure to polish out the plastic on any seam filling or body mods. There’s nothing more frustrating than having big gouges show through your paint.
Hey, mississippivol. Thanks for responding. I’m approaching this model as an opportunity to practice getting a good finish where a glossy finish is concerned. I’ve not had much practice with that in the past. I’ve played around with the various polishing grits and tried getting a glass smooth polish on the bare plastic but that was on armor models with a flat and weathered finish. After I’ve smoothed out the plastic I’m thinking about laying down a coat or two of Future, since it levels itself so well, to help cover any really small scratches that are left over. It’s just an idea. What do you think?
I don’t think Future at that stage is necessary; as a paint finish, it’ll expose the scratches rather than cover them, plus if you’re using enamels over the top of it, it may cause some issues. Many folks will put down a primer and sand/smooth that out to cover the scratches and give the paint something to grab onto. I have better luck spraying the gloss paint directly on the bare plastic after smoothing out the scratches and polishing the plastic. That is with Model Master enamels on Revell/AMT car bodies; I’m not sure how Hobby Boss’ plastic will react to it. Model Master’s 15042 Dark Sea Blue is the color I use for those birds, and it’s really shiny.
Glenn
I have to agree with the paint directly onto the model idea.
I sometimes use a primer first, but usually just sand the whole model down with fine (800 and then 1500) paper. I use a low angle light to see if there are any spots I missed.
If you use a high gloss blue as your colour coat, you can even skip the future “pre-decal” coat.
Theuns
Glenn and Theuns, thanks for your advice. I was gonna paint it with acrylic but I may just go ahead and use the enamel dark sea blue.
I have used both humbrol aswell as Tamiya gloss enamels and have found for me the tamiya seems to cure faster. I am sure you will be able to find even better paint there
Theuns
It’s been a while since I’ve used Humbrol or Tamiya. And I didn’t even know Tamiya had enamels. All I’ve ever seen are their acrylics.
The Tamiya enamels are in the small square bottle, they work very well.
Theuns
Nice work here Jim. Great job on all the little details. I don’t think you will find Tamiya Enamels in the States though, if thats where you are located. Looking forward to the painting stage.
Thanks for the compliments, Nathan. Yeah, I live in Tennessee so I guess that explains why I’ve never seen Tamiya enamels around.
I like it. One of my fav jets. That’s a nice IP in any scale but more impressive since it’s 1/72.
Thanks, wing_nut. Hopefully the finished product will look good.
Okay. Time for a quick update. I can’t believe it’s been this long since my last one. But, since I’ve gone from night shift to day shift at work my modeling schedule has changed to pretty much just the days I have off.
Anyway, since my last post I’ve attached the wings, rear horizontal stabilizers, and the wingtip tanks. Most of the time has been spent filling and sanding seams. And I also pre-shaded the panel lines. I’d never done pre-shading before so since this one will be painted dark blue and the shading probably won’t show through I thought this would be a good opportunity to begin getting some practice at it. Overall I think the shading came out decent for my first attempt but I think it also shows that I definitely need more practice. But, it’s a start and I will get better. Sorry I don’t have more to show right now but the next post should show it with a new coat of paint. Thanks for visiting!
Looks awesome Jim! I can’t wait to see her painted. Are you gonna finish it in semi-gloss?
Yeah, I’m gonna make sure she has a little bit of a shine. But I don’t want her to look brand new. I’ve never weathered anything with a gloss or semigloss finish so it will be a new experience for me.
It’s coming along nicely, Jim!