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#4455668 - 01/01/19 05:07 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Ajay,

That's some good work you have going there, but I wanted to get an opinion, as you are in Oz as well.

A few years back, I was completely put off of modelling, after I sported out for a long awaited 1/48 scale Lightning F6, and Tornado GR1. Of course, model kits are not as cheap as they used to be (average $90 - $150 for a good 1/48 scale aircraft) but I packed it in on principle; paying a large sum of money for kits that are warped beyond repair, and essentially sub standard. And don't even get me going on scaling, and external appearance ( a GOOD 1/48 A-7 Corsair anybody?) Don't you get pissed off paying good money for what is basically poor quality control?

Your pig is looking great, but aren't you also a bit annoyed? In these days of CAD, and a plethora of good information in the public domain, don't you think that kit quality should be improving exponentially?

Fact of the matter, is this is what put me off of the hobby. Would love to hear your opinion.

Cheers,

AJ.


Kindest regards,

AJ

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete." - The Art of War - Sun Tzu
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#4455728 - 01/02/19 01:17 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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I tend to buy models that are cheap and mod them to my standards which is fun for me. Perfect models annoy me as there's nothing to fix

#4455747 - 01/02/19 05:23 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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I feel ya. The Tamiya armour i did was levels above for fit. Maybe there just isn't a big enough market for a higher quality 111 kit in this scale? I was a bit worried pre purchase but seeing all the fixes that could be done via modelling forums convinced me it was doable at my skill level. The intakes and intake cowl fitment are very average as well, makes you wonder if anyone at Academy has actually built one lol.

For $90 i feel it is just at that edge where it could be too much, the upgraded parts sprue sort of evens that out and was enough to push me into giving it a crack. The bigger thing that annoys me regards price is the putty, $10 and the Tamiya tape $14. I'm sure i can find the same tape in a bigger roll a lot cheaper and car bog will fill in for the putty. That was more a convenience of being there at the shop when i needed it. Paintbrushes, some single ones at $14-$18 and then the spraycan prices.

If this is going to continue i really need to invest in a gun and make myself a proper little area. The cost of extras so far for just this build is more than the kit itself. It really comes down to whether you enjoybthe hobby enough i suppose, when i was building my own engines i wouldn't even leave the house without $500 if i was going to buy even a 'cheap' item. This hobby is at least cheaper though similarly time consuming.

I don't know really would be my answer. This project will feel more rewarding because of the extra work, but yes, it would have been nice if it all just fit neat. I wouldn't want every model to be as flawed as this. I will definitely try and avoid academy from now on though..unless they are the only ones doing a 1/48 Corsair or Crusader!


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#4455887 - 01/03/19 06:21 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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The pain. Had it all ready to go so i could spend a few days doing the eight million tiny decals on the body and wings. Gave it a coat of the semi gloss prior to this and dodged the paint job. I don't know if it reacted or what the go really was, it's the same paint i used on my last couple of models which went on nicely. Being a wally, after a couple of hours and it still looking terrible i thought... maybe another coat will help. Nope, as usual more is less. Less cleanup anyway.



[Linked Image]



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I was still holding out hope that a night under my lamp would see it settle but no joy. So a couple hours worth of sanding this morning, no other way around it.



[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]





Washed it down with water water and a brush and she is back under the lamp to dry for another day before i remask and repaint it.




[Linked Image]



On the plus side, she is really smooth now and if i threw it, it would definitely fly further than before. Oh yeh, looks like the bin is full too biggrin




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#4455888 - 01/03/19 06:39 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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FishTaco Offline
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Ajay,

Sorry to be so late with this, but as I recall, you can lift enamel based paints off of a plastic kit without damaging it if you give it a bath in water and a small amount of caustic soda.

Has always worked for me in the past.

Cheers,

AJ.


Kindest regards,

AJ

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt; if you know Heaven and know Earth, you may make your victory complete." - The Art of War - Sun Tzu
#4455975 - 01/03/19 10:08 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Outsch. I feel for ya...

#4455982 - 01/03/19 11:30 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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DaBBQ Offline
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Originally Posted by Ajay
The pain. Had it all ready to go so i could spend a few days doing the eight million tiny decals on the body and wings. Gave it a coat of the semi gloss prior to this and dodged the paint job. I don't know if it reacted or what the go really was, it's the same paint i used on my last couple of models which went on nicely. Being a wally, after a couple of hours and it still looking terrible i thought... maybe another coat will help. Nope, as usual more is less. Less cleanup anyway.


Since it's summer where you live, is it humid? Humidity can react with propellelant coolant grabbing water in the air andixing it with the clear enamel paint.

Also a Dremel with a buffing pad works wonders at smoothing paint jobs without the risk of going too far to remove paint from the model.

#4456030 - 01/04/19 07:50 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Ajay Offline
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Thanks for the tips chaps, filed away for future reference. It did not feel very humid DaBBQ, about the same as when i have sprayed the primer and top coats. I blamed the paint and threw it away:D I gave her another coat half an hour ago and she looks good, better than pre my stuff up as i got to sand out some blemishes and small bits of crap in the paint. Paranoid about my next semi clear though,fingers crossed.

Working on the load out now, so many tiny decals!


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#4456144 - 01/05/19 09:37 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Load out is ready to go. I ended up thinning out and hand brushing the Neutral grey and the Olive drab which came out better than hoped for. I wasn't prepared to buy two spray tins for such a small amount of use.



[Linked Image]




Touched up the corners of the cockpit, not the best, but better than it was.


[Linked Image]




Where it is all at so far. The exhaust cans came out decent. After much inner debate on colours i went with a silver mixed with some grey for the end pieces and silver with gun metal for the section that joins to the body. Gave them a slight wash to pull some detail out. and dirtied up the insides a bit. The next few days will be decals on the re-painted and re-semi glossed body and then sticking on all the extra little poky bits and pieces. Tailplanes, loadout and then the undercarriage last.



[Linked Image]


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#4456182 - 01/05/19 07:02 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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carrick58 Offline
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looking good

#4456408 - 01/07/19 01:42 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Australias stealth fighter force is only held back by a shortage of Tamiya tape.


[Linked Image]



A Trial fit on one leading edge of the original long black decal looked bleh, so black paint it is. I've also scrapped the two triangular decals where the wing meets behind the cockpit to mask and paint. This whole moment was also where i discovered the gunship grey is far too dark and all of the no step/walkway and basically every other decal will hardly be seen at all. I did one wing top with the lines denoting the walk area and watched in resignment as the decal colour nearly exactly matches the paint colour. Being ever (hopefully) optimistic i thought, she'll be right by morning, it's just the light and my eyes, it will look way better in the sun. Nope, they can barely be seen. Such is life, we press forward and await the next challenge.


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#4456436 - 01/07/19 04:33 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Looking good Ajay. There are all sorts of methods for removing paint. You can use brake fluid, Fairy Power Spray dish cleaner (or the Australian equivalent) among other things. (Obviously you are going to want to test it won't destroy the plastic first!)

The weapons look great.


cheers
Gareth

UNDERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the front wing.
OVERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the back wing.
HORSEPOWER - is how fast you hit the wall.
TORQUE - is how far you can take the wall with you.

Read my scale modelling blog at www.latibuliser.com or mfhmazda787.com
#4456530 - 01/08/19 01:17 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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This has been a cool if at sometimes slightly frustrating build Goon, plenty to learn from it!


Tail decal, decided on this version so i could give the plane a splash of colour. This is with a coat of flat clear. There is a pic further down with the nosewheel doors without the clear, big difference. Gives me hope that the decals i have put on the top of the plane will fade in as nicely.


[Linked Image]







Nose gear test fit, no glue yet.


[Linked Image]




Rear undercarriage, needs some cleaning up and two more pieces still to add, as well as the wheels obviously.

[Linked Image]




Another overall shot with all of the remaining pieces besides the small fins and sensors. The difference between the nose gear door decals i just placed and tail decal is night and day.

[Linked Image]


I'm hoping to be able to flat clear coat the whole plane by the weekend, just a couple of touch ups of the gunship grey needed. I also have to decide on the loadoaut as it is either the AGM 130 (Green missile) on one wing with the white data pod on the other or the AGM 142 (grey missile) with the grey data pod. I'm leaning towards the AGM 142 because of the contrast in colour,. I actually didn't realise i was going to end up with two empty racks,but, there is a few extra what looks like much smaller sized air to air missiles in the kit that will fit without looking crowded . Any jet jockeys here know whether i can stack more missiles on with either of the above choices i have? Also should the air to air missiles be on the outer or inner racks if i can go that route?




edit- these are the others i have in the kit. Looking at the two smaller ones to add.

[Linked Image]

Last edited by Ajay; 01/08/19 01:38 PM.

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#4456704 - 01/09/19 11:19 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Looking goof.

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#4456734 - 01/10/19 03:38 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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#4456816 - 01/10/19 09:40 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Matt coat is when it all comes together. Every build I have I feel is going wrong, until the matt goes on and you get a more scale finish. I never get used to it!


cheers
Gareth

UNDERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the front wing.
OVERSTEER - is when you hit the wall with the back wing.
HORSEPOWER - is how fast you hit the wall.
TORQUE - is how far you can take the wall with you.

Read my scale modelling blog at www.latibuliser.com or mfhmazda787.com
#4456880 - 01/11/19 09:39 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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You're not wrong mate. It still looked very plasticy and toy like until that final coat. On the home straight now. Spent an hour and a bit shaving the locators for the missile mount today as it just wouldn't fit snug, it was nice to get a load under each wing and then go through the sweep and see it all work smoothly.


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#4456919 - 01/11/19 05:07 PM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Is it just an optical thing or does that missile seem to have a different orientation than the fuselage.


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#4456965 - 01/12/19 01:19 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Just optical Grog. I'll throw some more shots up soon smile


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#4456977 - 01/12/19 05:44 AM Re: 1/48 Academy F-111C [Re: Ajay]  
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Nearly finished! Still need to do the wing sleeves, the big gap that seals the swing wing sweep. The kit gives you either closed or open options and they are chunky and ugly looking pieces. I've got a few different ideas on ways to approach it and a couple of card templates i have made up, i just need to work out the sleeve material. Canopy still needs to be glued down, some work required for a nice fit. Pave tack pod still to be fitted. Still debating on whether to put the two extra missiles on and i really should have flattened out the tyres a bit before glueing. I may have a hunt around for some aftermarket rubber ones as the kit one look a bit rubbish and undersized in width . I think i've made the jet cans a bit to messy as well, i will look at pulling them off and redoing them. Overall though so far, i'm happy with the result as it ended up being a lot more fiddly than i thought it would be with the hump rework, the swing wing operation, poor fitting fuselage, overlapping wing pieces and my dodgy paint work and rework.





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size comparison, 1/35th tanks with 1/48 F 111. I'm very glad i didn't go with with 1/32 scale.


[Linked Image]




and a pic of the real deal


[Linked Image]











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