Here’s my latest completion. This has to be one of Trumpeter’s best 1/48 kits. The fit is almost perfect and the detail is nicely done. No craters for rivets and the panel lines are fine and consistent. Lots of details on the small parts too, such as landing gear actuators and linkages. Wheelbays are nicely detailed albeit a bit shallow. I went with an Aires cockpit and wheels, as those items on the kit are widely inaccurate. I also added a resin exhaust for some wow factor. I wanted a Hun in SEA cammo and the kit decals are widely wayy off!! So I used the markings from an Xtradecal set that preformed perfectly. Only thing is they really neglect the stencils, so I added some from my spares bit, using most on the pylons. Speaking of orinance, I used some Nape tanks and Mk 82s from Hasegawa, and I used some drop tanks from the Monogram kit. I added some lenght to them to represent the 335 gal tanks used in country. A master Models Pitot tube and some scratch building on the canopy to pose it open finished off the kit. Hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment:
Nathan, that is simply divine. I love your treatment of the drop tanks, where the finish is smoother toward the front. And the burnt paint/metal on the aft fuse right before the exhaust nozzle. The weathering is perfectly subtle. Fantastic work. Inspiring
Outstanding work, Nathan!! I have one question - How did you do the burnt paint effect on the rear fuselage? I’ve seen this many times on the forums, but have yet to see it explained. Your work on that is just awesome!!
Thanks guys. Glad you like it. For the engine area, I used Alclad stainless steel. Its a high shine color so I sprayed gloss black after I primed the whole model. Then I sprayed the stainless steel. I then sprayed some Alclad Hot Metal Violet in the center of some panels. I also mixed up some Tamiya clear blue and smoke and airbrushed it in various panels. I oversprayed the camo according to the ref pics, to make it look like the camo paint was wearing away. I glossed the whole model and gave it a wash, using a burnt sienna around the engine. I tried to avoid a flat coat over the metal area to preserve the shine. It was actually a simple process. Just get yourself some hot metal violet and some clear blues. Those paints are perfect for this work.
Stunning looking build, really nice job on the scheme. I have gotten a bit of a hankering for Vietnam era US aircraft after Stik Vietnam GB, I do like that SEA scheme.
