Lysus' 1/48 Hasegawa J2M3 'Raiden' Type 21 Prisoner of War

[Lysus]

Hey there, something out of the norm for me, my first 1/48 propeller fighter! I had my eye on this when captured vehicles was on the maybe list for 2017 GB/SiGs so it was nice when I realized I could use it for Warring Weather as well since "raiden" is Japanese for "thunderbolt." I'm also excited because I don't normally seek out Axis kits despite the fact that I love many of the designs, so doing one with British or American markings for my second favorite plane from the PTO is an excellent bonus.

Jump to:
Background Info
Build Part 1: Cockpit
Build Part 2: Fuselage
Build Part 3: Final Assembly, Filling
Build Part 4: Base Coat and Color
Build Part 5: Base Coat and Color, II
Build Part 6: Base Coat and Color, III
Build Part 7: Decals and Finishes


The kit itself was a 1996 tooling with this version released in 2012.

Anyway, the kit starting with the box:







The runners:





Not a lot in it, but there's some nice details:



You get two options for the prop and spinner, a standard and a high-performance set of blades. I'm thinking I'll do the high-performance because why not.



Decals:



Marking options:



I am torn as to which I should do. On the one hand I dig the British version with the faded sun roundel visible on the fuselage behind the British one, on the other I'm a sucker for shiny NMF. Right now I'm 60/40 in favor of the NMF version. Though if I do it I won't use the tail decals...they look like a nightmare. To me at any rate.

I'll be going out of box with this one, nothing fancy. And no robots. I swear.

First up, the cockpit!

[Lysus]

Before we begin, the background info for anyone who is curious stolen from the Wikipedia Machine (bold, red quote below refers to this kit):

The Mitsubishi J2M Raiden (雷電, "Thunderbolt") was a single-engined land-based fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Jack".

J2M3 Model 21: Armed with two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model II cannon and two wing-mounted 20 mm Type 99 Model I cannon.





Design and Development

The J2M was designed by Jiro Horikoshi, creator of the A6M Zero, to meet the 14-Shi (14th year of the Showa reign, or 1939) official specification. It was to be a strictly local-defense interceptor, intended to counter the threat of high-altitude bomber raids, and thus relied on speed, climb performance, and armament at the expense of manoeuvrability. The J2M was a sleek, but stubby craft with its oversized Mitsubishi Kasei engine buried behind a long cowling, cooled by an intake fan and connected to the propeller with an extension shaft.

Teething development problems stemming from the Kasei engine cooling system, and the main undercarriage members led to a slowdown in production. A continual set of modifications resulted in new variants being introduced with the ultimate high-altitude variant, the J2M4 Model 34 flying for the first time in August 1944. It had a 1,420 hp Kasei 23c engine equipped with a turbo supercharger (mounted in the side of the fuselage just behind the engine) that allowed the rated power to be maintained up to 9,100 m (29,900 ft) Two upward-aimed, oblique-firing (aimed at seventy degrees) 20 mm cannons, mounted in the German Schräge Musik style, were fitted behind the cockpit with the four wing cannons retained. Unresolved difficulties with the turbo supercharger caused the project to be terminated after only two experimental J2M4s were built.



Operational History

The first few produced J2M2s were delivered to the development units in December 1942 but severe problems were encountered with the engines. Trials and improvements took almost a year and the first batch of the serial built J2M2 Model 11 was delivered to 381st Kōkūtai in December 1943. Parallel with the J2M2, production of the J2M3 Raiden Model 21 started. The first J2M3s appeared in October 1943 but deliveries to combat units started at the beginning of February 1944.

The Raiden made its combat debut in June 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Several J2Ms operated from Guam and Saipan and a small number of aircraft were deployed to the Philippines. Later, some J2Ms were based in Chosen airfields, Genzan (Wonsan), Ranan (Nanam), Funei (Nuren), Rashin (Najin) and Konan under Genzan Ku, for defence of these areas and fighting against Soviet Naval Aviation units.

Primarily designed to defend against the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the type was handicapped at high altitude by the lack of a turbocharger. However, its four-cannon armament supplied effective firepower and the use of dive and zoom tactics allowed it to score occasionally. Insufficient numbers and the American switch to night bombing in March 1945 limited its effectiveness.

Two captured J2Ms were U.S. Technical Air Intelligence Command (TAIC) tested using 92 octane fuel plus methanol, with the J2M2 (Jack11) achieving a speed of 655 km/h (407 mph) at 5,520 m (17,400 ft),[2] and J2M3 (Jack21) achieving a speed of 671 km/h (417 mph) at 4,980 m (16,600 ft).



General characteristics

Crew: one, pilot
Length: 9.70 m (32 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 10.80 m (35 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.81 m (13 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 20 m² (216 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,839 kg (6,259 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,211 kg (7,080 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mitsubishi MK4R-A Kasei 23a 14-cylinder two-row radial engine, 1,379 kW (1,850 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 596km/h （322kt） (5，450m)
Range: 560 km (302 nmi, 348 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,430 m (37,500 ft)
Rate of climb: 1402 m/min (4,600 ft/min)
Wing loading: 174 kg/m² (35 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.42 kW/kg (0.26 hp/lb)

Armament

2x Type 99-2 inboard wing-mounted 20x101mmRB cannon with 190 rpg
2x Type 99-1 outboard wing-mounted 20x72mmRB cannon with 210 rpg
2× 60 kg (132 lb) bombs or 2 × 200 L (53 US gal) drop tanks or single larger central drop tank

[Avgas]

I've always liked the look of the Raiden and you've picked an interesting take on it. I look forward to your permutational perambulations.

[Lysus]

I've always liked the look of the Raiden and you've picked an interesting take on it. I look forward to your permutational perambulations.

I hope my abecedarian exertions meet your affirmative concern.

[Willem]

I shall arrange my domestic furniture accordingly and observe your progress with thorough fascination. I may even indulge in some convenient comestibles and possibly indulge in a fermented barley/yeasty/hoppy beverage in celebration of your adventures.

[ElCapitan]

Good luck with the build. I've never seen one of these kits before, interested to see how it goes!

[Tomcat64]

That's something a bit different - looking forward to seeing how this comes together

[demarcation]

Interesting kit. Looking forward to your build!

[Lysus]

I shall arrange my domestic furniture accordingly and observe your progress with thorough fascination. I may even indulge in some convenient comestibles and possibly indulge in a fermented barley/yeasty/hoppy beverage in celebration of your adventures.

Thanks! I can't keep up the making words good, it's easier to mark them with a red pen than to write them Mah brain hurts.

Beer, though, beer I can keep up with. I'll keep you posted on the daily build fuel.

Good luck with the build. I've never seen one of these kits before, interested to see how it goes!

It was a surprise when I saw it, the upside of Hasegawa's craven use of "special editions" is that they produce some interesting takes on subjects.

That's something a bit different - looking forward to seeing how this comes together

Interesting kit. Looking forward to your build!

Thanks, dudes. I'm looking forward to doing it! So far I've only managed to cut some bits off a runner and start to plan the cockpit build, I have a 500 part Zoid in my way that's starting to clear up so I can concentrate on this more. I'm excited, my last plane was a 1/72 Mustang and the cockpit work was...well it was completed is all I'll say. Eager to give it a proper effort with this.

I am wondering though if I should get some PE for it or just try to manage with a brush and the decals, it's still so very small at 1/48... Maybe it's best I cut my teeth on what's provided instead of spend money.

[Willem]

I used the word "indulge" twice in my post. I realise that I shall lose marks for that.

[Tomcat64]

I am wondering though if I should get some PE for it or just try to manage with a brush and the decals, it's still so very small at 1/48... Maybe it's best I cut my teeth on what's provided instead of spend money.

That's the approach I'd take - it also gives you an idea of how much of the PE & other detail would have been visible once it's finished. I threw a ton of PE at a Hurricane last year, but once the pilot was in and the fuselage joined up virtually nada was visible so I'm being a bit more circumspect now.

That being said, I'm in awe of some of the cockpit artists around here. The detail is phenomenal.

[Lysus]

Yeah, me too. There's some crazy good cockpit builders here. Not me, I'm lazy

Speaking of...

BUILD PART 1: COCKPIT

So in the past all I've done was color them green, dry brush a little, then button it up and never speak of it again. This time it's 1/48 so I thought I should start putting in some effort. The kit supplies a decal (see above) for the dials on the dash and a couple other spots, but man I don't love decals. In particular the dash as it has a deep recess; meaning I would have to slice up the decal and pray it doesn't go to pieces on me. Not to mention the raised detail is really good on this kit and that means the decal will fight tooth and nail to conform.

To hell with that. Let's try to paint it. First things first, build it.

Easy enough to do, though the bits are small the pegs are semi-circles instead of round pegs so there's no chance of screwing it up. Some Tamiya Extra Thin (TET) and some regular Tamiya Cement depending on the part/fitting surface and it's done, easy peasy.



After a couple days of no bench time I got frustrated waiting to prime it so I crept out one night and primed it with some Tamiya Fine Primer (Grey) in a rattle can. I do love the stuff, just have to be careful not to a) flood the small bits and b) blow them off...

A week later, when I had some time, I went out to get some Mr Color 126 Cockpit Color (Mitsubishi) as indicated on the call out. Naturally I came home with 127 Cockpit Color (Nakajima). I am SMRT. Two days later, the right color in hand, I got to work.



Next were the dials. Maybe my Google-fu is weak, but I didn't run across many color photos of the J2M cockpit, so I went with my gut and the B&W photos. I used some Vallejo Model Color Black to fill them in, taking each loaded brush tip through some Mr Leveling Thinner (MLT) each time to let it get a little runny, easier to manage. After that air dried a bit, I came back and did the same with some Vallejo Model Color Flat White, this time with a bit more thinner and a bit less paint.

Not, I would say, totally successful. There are some that came out ok, others with too much thinner (it ran into the gaps) and some with not enough (it blobbed onto the dial). I touched them up a tad, but I'm calling this a learning experience and not a museum piece...

The main takeaway is that I need to practice, but also I need to invest in a really good brush that can keep its point. Most of mine are just bargain bin fair. Time to upgrade.



Red knobs done with Vallejo Model Color Flat Red. I also did various switches and so on with some Citadel Boltgun Metal. It might be a bit too bright, but I'm hoping the next step will take care of that.

And of course I bumped the control stick out of place. Twice. Need to get it back to dead center somehow...

I did do a tiny bit of dry brushing with some more Citadel Chainmail, but only a little here and there on any surface I thought would have a human hand on it at some point. I hit the bucket seat with a bit more and maybe overdid it.

Next I slathered the whole of the interior with a varnish wash. It's some Pledge Future Care with a little Mig Satin Black and Shadow Rust mixed into it. I wish I could tell you the ratios, but I didn't really keep track. I just poured the floor wax into a jar then mixed in the black and rust until it looked about how I wanted it too, like grime. More rust than black.



Give the jar a good stir, it settles quite a bit, then with a floppy brush just slather it on. Walk away. The varnish will let the paints run and settle while it's wet, hopefully to simulate how dirt will collect in a space. I left the parts in an upright position to let the wash run the direction I want it to. After it dries you should have a neat effect AND it's gloss coated, ready for any more weathering or a matte coat. If you get too much in a spot, just touch it with the brush and it should suck right back into the bristles.





Oh, those poor dials... Oh well, I'll try again next time with a better brush! At least I didn't have to try to settle a decal over them

Also, why is I only seem to spot the OBVIOUS injector marks NOW?! Sigh...

The whole wash idea isn't mine, it's this guy's: https://youtu.be/Aupa2qnuA5c?t=26m11s

Next day or two I'll check it and either do a second coat for the spots I missed (and I missed a few) or just go ahead and matte coat this if it's to my liking and then button it up before the fuselage work begins!

[arilo76]

Lysus really nice start and the details of the cockpit are super, well done looking forward to see more

[Lysus]

Thanks, man! It actually doesn't look half bad to the naked eye, the camera is excellent at magnifying the warts

I'm happy enough with it as a first outing.

[ElCapitan]

Those dials look great, I would be happy with that result!

[Tomcat64]

That looks great Lysus - really tidy work.

[Lysus]

Those dials look great, I would be happy with that result!

Thanks! I am, just always think I have room to improve

That looks great Lysus - really tidy work.

Thanks, Tom! Aside from realizing I need to improve my brush selection, I also need an optivisor...my eyes are crying.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Fantastic work on the cockpit..Dude's got some skillz

Don't tell anyone, but I am a big Future fan myself..but we can get the good stuff in North America

[Lysus]

Fantastic work on the cockpit..Dude's got some skillz

Don't tell anyone, but I am a big Future fan myself..but we can get the good stuff in North America

Thanks, bro. I dunno about fantastic, but I'm never one to turn down a compliment

Ordered mine through Amazon about a year ago to dip canopies, wasn't too expensive and so far I think it'll last until 2050 at the rate I use it. For some reason it just isn't on supermarket shelves in my area, but not hard to get either.

[Avgas]

I also need an optivisor...my eyes are crying.

Get one, you won't regret it. Get the real deal though, not some cheapo Chinese job. I use the x5 strength and they are spot on.

Oh and good work so far!

[Skullfish]

Yeah Man! im diggin it!

Lov me a Japanese plane.

J

[Lysus]

I also need an optivisor...my eyes are crying.

Get one, you won't regret it. Get the real deal though, not some cheapo Chinese job. I use the x5 strength and they are spot on.

Oh and good work so far!

Thanks!

It's on my list, the visor. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Yeah Man! im diggin it!

Lov me a Japanese plane.

J

Hope I don't screw it up

[Lysus]

BUILD PART 2: FUSELAGE

A scant bit of time today meant I could get some work done. Put the cockpit together:



No problems there.

There are two versions you can build, one British and one American. I decided to go for the American version because it's shiny metal and I'm a sucker for that. Strangely, the antenna mast provided is not right for the American version. It even tells you so in the manual, but Hasegawa doesn't give you an alternate piece--the regular one is bent forward while the Americans apparently fitted a new antenna mast. So I decided to chop it off and reattach it at the right angle. Hopefully that won't reduce the height too much.







Along the way I primed and painted it with some spray can primer and Mr Color 126 Cockpit Color (Mitsubishi) as instructed. It should have a silver top on the bar but I'll do that later.

Next up was to fit the two fuselage halves together. No worries there, the tub didn't fight me at all and it went together nicely enough. One problem, though, is that though I've lined up the cockpit bits, nose, etc., there's a bit of the tail that seems longer than the opposite side:



Strange.

It looks like a plane!



Wings went on alright. There's a bit of a step at the main wing roots on the dorsal surface, but shouldn't be too bad to fix up. Underneath, though...





Not awful, but considering my only other WWII kit experience was a Tamiya that basically put itself together after I asked it nicely, this was a bummer. Nothing to do but go about making it right. I'll try and putty tonight if there's time.

And then there's this...



Sigh...

Other side is fine:



So that should be fun. There's some odd fitting on the leading edge of the wings; the lines are lined up, but there's some weird hairline gaps that I can't seem to close up. They're a little off. Maybe this kit mold is just showing its age, I dunno. Fixing it will have to wait for next time!

[arilo76]

Lysus really nice progress there , the filler the joy of any scale modeller

[Lysus]

Lysus really nice progress there , the filler the joy of any scale modeller

Thanks, Antonio. I don't mind a bit of filling but that hole in the wing root is disappointing. If only because sanding it will be a pain

I looked around and it seems this kit is either flawless or the wing roots are gap ridden which supports my theory that the mold might be getting tired.

[demarcation]

That cockpit looks superb, great work!!

[Tomcat64]

Coming along really well mate!

I know what you mean about that wing root though - I don't mind filling and sanding to tidy things up but when it seems like I'm making up for a deficiency in the moulding or design I do feel a little aggrieved.

[RossiM1]

Great job in the cockpit apologies for not consulting the thesaurus for some suitably appropriate words before commenting on your blindingly stupendous build of this very unique subject that will continue to tantalise one anticipating it's magnificent conclusion.
sincerest well wishes with rest of this build.

[Lysus]

That cockpit looks superb, great work!!

Thanks, man!

Coming along really well mate!

I know what you mean about that wing root though - I don't mind filling and sanding to tidy things up but when it seems like I'm making up for a deficiency in the moulding or design I do feel a little aggrieved.

Thanks, Tomcat!

Great job in the cockpit apologies for not consulting the thesaurus for some suitably appropriate words before commenting on your blindingly stupendous build of this very unique subject that will continue to tantalise one anticipating it's magnificent conclusion.
sincerest well wishes with rest of this build.

No big words necessary, these days I guess we only need "tremendous," "yuge," and great" by all accounts.


A little more work done:

BUILD PART 3: Final Assembly, Filling


Decided I would work on the canopy a bit. I dipped it in some future and then set about masking it off with some foil.





I'm not 100% sold on this method. For one thing I think the foil reacts poorly with the Future. Twice now I've seen it come up and leave a gross sludge behind. I'm worried this will happen again. It cleans up with some IPA but not well nor easily. This might be the last time I either use foil or the last time I do a dip. The nice thing with foil is you just slap it on then cut out the bits you don't want. I loathe long masking sessions so this is nice. We'll see.

Next I sprayed some primer down over my seams to see if the filling had done the job. In a couple spots it had not...







So...more filling. This time I just used some Mr Dissolved Putty as I don't need a lot and it's fast to apply with a little brush. A day later I sanded them down again and repeated the primer process. Looked better. I had to rescribe a couple panel lines (which I forgot to photograph, but I'll try and get some before/after in the next update). Used a .2 chisel from MadWorks and was quite pleased.

Added the top of the nose...whaddya know, it's not a great fit.





More filling and sanding to do...

Put on the canopy. First I had to paint some black onto the part of the fuselage under the front of the canopy. I almost missed this detail, would have sucked to find bare plastic visible through the window...just some Stynylrez/Ultimate black primer as it was handy and doesn't need thinning. Just a few drops in the airbrush and then done.





I'm either lazy or a genius.

I laid down a layer of Stynylrez/Ultimate Grey primer, excited that the majority of the build was behind me apart from landing gear. And then I noticed a wing root had come up a bit. Stupidly I pressed on it a bit to see if I could slide in more TET or whatever...then it went POP. Now it's nice and prominent and the canopy popped out a bit to boot!



Hooray!

That's enough for today I need a beer.

[RossiM1]

Looking really cool Lysus but feel your pain, I too suffer from cannot leave alone syndrome see a minor glitch then faff around with it till I make it worse than it was hey ho that's modelling I suppose. Good luck with your progress sure it will be yuge when it's done

[Lysus]

Looking really cool Lysus but feel your pain, I too suffer from cannot leave alone syndrome see a minor glitch then faff around with it till I make it worse than it was hey ho that's modelling I suppose. Good luck with your progress sure it will be yuge when it's done

Thanks! Easy enough to fix, just a bummer.

How about some more updates?

BUILD PART 4: Base Coat and Color

As I mentioned last time, I had to rescribe a couple lines, for example on the belly:



My experience so far with Alclad metals is pretty good, but they can still get abused by too much handling so I decided to paint the anti-glare strip and then mask it off rather than do it after the primary coat. Also, the kit comes with a set of decals for the tail. Hasegawa decals are usually above average, but I tend to tear them easily for some reason. Also also I hate hate hate decals that meet on the edge of wings. I can never seem to get them quite right and can't stand all the fiddling to get them right.

Instead I painted the tail stripes.



Using a metered caliper, I measured out a set of strips for the white parts after the whole area was colored with Tamiya XF-2 Flat White. Using a second strip measured out for the red stripes (they're a bit smaller than the white) I'd lay down a masking strip, then move the red mask below it, repeat. Note that in the example below I was a dork and had my strips reversed. Easy to fix and glad I caught it right after taking that photo





Some Tamiya Flat Red:



Some Tamiya Flat Blue:



Note the bit of spray that I let get past my masking. I didn't fix this figuring the base coat would cover it up fine. This was dumb, don't be me.

Also masked and sprayed the anti-glare strip with Mr Color 33 Flat Black and then masked it back off for the base coat.

All ready?



Some Mr Color GX2 black:



While that settled I assembled the greebles. I couldn't find any examples of this subject with a drop tank so I'll be leaving that off. One frustrating thing, there's pin marks on the inside of the wheel covers. I shaved two of the three down on each cover with a hobby knife and gave it a gentle sanding...too easy to damage them. The third one is hopelessly nestled within some details so I'm just going to have to live with it.



Then came the Alclad Aircraft Aluminum:



Now I've used Alclads a lot and they usually pour out the airbrush like silk over the surface with no problems. This time it seems almost dusty and I'm not sure why. Granted, I've never used this PARTICULAR color before, but I'm not sure how it's so different from the other aluminums I have used. Also the bit of blue, while it looks the same as the rest of the plane, the area that WAS masked is perfectly smooth. So something went on here with maybe the primer. Something that the masking tape corrected. Maybe I should have given it a gentle polish first. I dunno.

I'll probably try to give it a quick buff with a polishing cloth somewhere inconspicuous and see if that makes it look a bit better before I do anything rash. But not now, it's time for sleepz.

[arilo76]

Lysus, really nice progress mate

[TommyKillander]

Wow that looks fantastic!

Keep up the good work


Tommy

[Lysus]

Lysus, really nice progress mate

Thanks, man! I might finish one on time for a change.

Wow that looks fantastic!

Keep up the good work


Tommy

Thanks, Tommy. Had myself a bit of a setback, though.

BUILD PART 4: Base Coat and Color, II

I went to add my third and final contrast color for the metal finish and grabbed the wrong color. Sadly, instead of a dull aluminum, I used a bright, Pale Burnt Aluminum...



Hooray?

Well, nothing to do but mask it all over again and start over. As with the Duraluminumm I masked off the panels, but this time I redid the gloss black (MR Color GX2) as a test spray of the correct color came out still too bright. Hopefully this will set it to rights without being too thick on the surface.





I'll let this sit overnight then spray the correct color tomorrow and, all goes well, move on to a gloss coat for decals.

[Tomcat64]

Shame about the mix-up with the panel detailing mate, but hopefully not to much of a pain to recover from. I really like the paint-work on the tail though that looks very tidy

[Lysus]

Thanks for the encouragement, I tried to spray over it with the right color but it still wasn't right. Reprimed it and I'll hit it again today. I think I used a base color that was a bit too dark to begin with

[Twokidsnosleep]

You will solve the panel easily
What is really important is your stripe painting....you have a nice tail there

[Lysus]

You will solve the panel easily
What is really important is your stripe painting....you have a nice tail there

Thanks! My wife said the same thing. About the plane...

Yeah, not a hard fix, just super annoying

[Twokidsnosleep]

I am an expert at "CA Glue Thumb Print in the Middle Of the Most Obvious Panel Right Before Finishing"
multiple times, multiple build topics, any season of the year

[Lysus]

I am an expert at "CA Glue Thumb Print in the Middle Of the Most Obvious Panel Right Before Finishing"
multiple times, multiple build topics, any season of the year

Oh and I snapped off the radio antenna last night. Go me!

[Tomcat64]

Yep that's a favourite trick of mine too - usually when I'm unmasking and have already told myself to be careful!

[DrSprue]

Wow awesome build on this cool thunderbolt Lysus and thanks for the link to the guy (ant I believe) that does so many Star wars related kits and stuff. Sorry so late but all of your work that I read up to here is outstanding!.... and amazing paint work (the pit and the rudder is so cool!).

[Lysus]

Wow awesome build on this cool thunderbolt Lysus and thanks for the link to the guy (ant I believe) that does so many Star wars related kits and stuff. Sorry so late but all of your work that I read up to here is outstanding!.... and amazing paint work (the pit and the rudder is so cool!).

Glad you enjoy him (and yeah, I think he's called Ant). Also thanks, getting my first gloss coat down for decals, let's hope I don't muck it up

[Lysus]

BUILD PART 6: Base Coat and Color. III

Been super busy but I've gotten some stuff done.

I resprayed the dark bits with some Dark Aluminum, hoping it would better match the surrounding Airframe Aluminum. It did not. This time it was too dark So I got to repeat the whole thing again.

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Masked. No gloss black this time.

This time though I left a couple spots as I thought they weren't too terrible on the one wing, and it's my kit anyway so there. Targeting the rest I actually just did more Airframe Aluminum, figuring the underlying layer being different would help. It did!



Thankfully this means I can lay down a gloss coat and do some decals tomorrow! Tossed in the eight exhaust thingies around the cowl and got to work.

Wish me luck

[Twokidsnosleep]

It is looking great
I like the splash of colour on the tail to contrast the bare metal look
Nicely done

[DrSprue]

Love that multishading silvers you made on this model. just puts life into it!

[Lysus]

Thanks dudes. I'll be backfilling the borked pictures over the next week, in the mean time...

BUILD PART 7: Decals and Finishes

I did get the decals on, sadly those pics have been lost to the ether. Needless to say there aren't many; four stars and bars, a couple unit markings, six NO STEPs, and a placard. MicroSet/Sol used, nothing fancy going on there. They went on just fine, though they would not settle into the lines too well no matter what I did. I'm too chicken to slice them with a knife...maybe next kit



Glossed it off then tried a mix of about 2:1 Ultimate Light Dirt and Dark Dirt. I did pure Dark Dirt around the exhausts on the cowling. I didn't want dark lines everywhere, and the reference shots I have don't show a filthy plane.



Let this stand about 15 minutes then wiped it away. Always fun to work with, these washes.

Also I had some shots of the prop and landing gear assembly/painting but Photobucket has eaten them and I don't care to do battle with that right now. I back up 95% of my photos on the PC, naturally those few were in the 5% I didn't. Sigh.

Anyway, the prop is silver (Alclad Airframe Aluminum) on one side, and Mr Color Propeller on the other. Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow over some white for the tips. The instructions would have you put on an inner set of wheel doors but in the pics I have the American Jack here has them removed, so I omitted them.





After all that got sealed in with another gloss layer, I picked off the canopy wrap. And yeah, I think if I do BMF to mask next time I won't use any Future on the canopy, they don't react well together and I had to clean up some gunge with a q-tip and some mineral spirits. Sadly, some of the paint came off on one spar and I lost containment on another so some last minute fixing is in order.



Not the worst I've done, but a little sad it didn't come out a bit better. Ah, well

I was really hoping the wash would subdue the brightness on the decals a little but it did not. Not sure what to do about them, maybe I'll think about it while I fix that window frame.



Getting close now!

[krusty69]

next time those decals give you a problem, you get your knife and you cut them. you cut them good . Paul uses a transparent white oil over the decals I've tried it, but still don't have the hang of it. and I here your pain over this picture thing
your humble servant
bob

[Lysus]

next time those decals give you a problem, you get your knife and you cut them. you cut them good . Paul uses a transparent white oil over the decals I've tried it, but still don't have the hang of it. and I here your pain over this picture thing
your humble servant
bob

I think that rings a bell, I'll have to trawl some of his vids and look for it. Or ask him

Yeah, I shoulda' knifed them. I was hoping I could avoid it, but alas. Live and learn!

[DrSprue]

Wow Lysus, that raiden looks sweet! Its about done too! When I saw the wash appl on that plane I freaked, but as we know, to make it look real we have to make it look real??, lol so cool!