Revell 1:48 F-84E
I finally got around to this kit, which has been on my to-do list for quite a long time. It's pretty much OOB, but I did use a resin seat from Quickboost. It's probably not quite as pleasant a build as the Tamiya F-84G, and there are some rather fiddly bits including the landing gear scissor links and the tiny landing lights, but overall I enjoyed it. It's the only game in town for a proper F-84E in this scale.
I wanted to do a Korean War bird, and I wasn't particularly taken with the kit decals, so I invested in a sheet from Experts Choice/Bare Metal Foil. One reason I went with that set was they correctly have the large USAF wing markings in Insignia Blue rather than black. More on that later.
I used various shades of Alclad metallic lacquers to finish the model, predominantly Duroluminum, which is far and away my favorite for overall surfaces. I used Dark Aluminum for various fuselage bay covers, and I misted on Burnt Metal Carbon for the darker areas under the cockpit and ahead of the exhaust. The exhaust itself was done with various mixes of Stainless Steel and Burnt Iron. I decided to mask and paint all the red stripes and trim except for the arrow markings on the tip tanks. I also masked and painted the olive drab antiglare strips with Model Master ANA 613 OD.
Then it was on to the decals. The Experts Choice decals worked okay, but they were prone to cracking and had to be handled with a lot of care. When I finally applied the USAF wing markings, I was disappointed because they were far too light. I therefore removed them from the top wing and generated computer artwork from which my friend Bill Michaels of NH cut masks with his Silhouette Cameo cutter. I applied the masks and used Model Master Insignia Blue to paint the markings. Much better!
The other big decal trouble I had was with the upper wing national insignia. Neither the Experts Choice nor any other decals in my stash would lie down properly on the curved NMF surface, to which I had not applied a clear gloss coat so as not to ruin the metallic effect. Having recently had great results from some Techmod F6F-3 decals, I purchased a sheet of their assorted national insignia decals, which worked perfectly. The blue of the Techmod decals was slightly different from that of the E.C. fuselage ones, so I ripped those off and replaced them with Techmod ones.
After the decals were done, I applied Mr. Color GX clear flat to dull the finish down. I would have liked to have replicated the highly oxidized surfaces of many Korean War Thunderjets, but again I was fearful of losing the metallic quality with too much added stuff. I think the result is a decent compromise; the model in person is less shiny than it appears in the photos.
The model depicts “Miss Jacque II” (port side) / “Kay-Allen” (starboard side), an F-84E-15-RE, serial no. 49-2360, 182nd FBS, 136th FBW, 5th AF, Taegu Air Base (K-2), Korea, January 1952. The unit's planes were drawn from the Texas ANG.
Cheers, Pip
Amazing job allover, Pip, especially in painting, decaling and weathering.
Congratulations!
Thank you Spiros!
Excellent result.
Having built both Revell and Tamiya, I prefer the Revell; its shape is better, having looked at
F-84s out at Chino; Tamiya's fuselage is too deep. (People are constantly confusing Tamiya's "buildability" with "accuracy" - two very different subjects)
Thanks, Tom, much appreciated.
Superb work! Setting decals on curved surface is always challenge!
Thanks, Lis. Yes, I always dread the upper wing insignia, which always seem to be more problematical than the fuselage ones, probably because of the size.
Great result, Pip @seawinder
Great safe on the decalling part.
Thank you, John. Based on my two very positive experiences with Techmod decals, I'll never hesitate to use them again.
Great job, Pip!
Thank you Gary!
Nice work Pip-outstanding finish!
Thank you, Clark!
Nice work, Pip.
Thank you, John!
@seawinder, Pip, that is a winner! ? Great job on a beautifully finished scale Thunderjet! ? I think the Revell kit makes for a good result; I built it myself a couple years back, and did a Korean War bird as well. I think your canopy looks especially well done, as does the NMF! Good show Pip!
Thank you, Gary, I really appreciate your comments.
@seawinder, You're welcome sir! Here's a photo of my Revell F-84E for a bit different look:
Nice job is this bird. I agree with Tom about the Monogram/ Revell versions of the F-84 being better.
Thank you Steve. I've never had the Tamiya kit in my hands, so I can't really compare them. The only thing I didn't like about the Revell kit was the molded-on nose gear doors. Predictably, one of then got broken off during construction and was fiddly to reattach later. I also didn't realize that the inner main gear doors have to be installed before the wings go together, so I had to cut down the parts to get them to fit in later.
The metal finish is very appealing and nicely done. Can you expand more on the template cutter your friend used to make the stencil for the national insignia? Thanks for posting this nicely done model. Well done sir.
Thank you David! Silhouette is one of the better known brands of computer-driven cutting machines that have become very popular and are widely available. The Cameo is their larger and more capable line. It's kind of like an inkjet printer with a cutting knife instead of ink nozzles. Its software allows it to turn a graphics file into a series of cut outlines. It works especially well on vinyl. My friend uses Artool Ultra Mask Professional Masking Film, a thin vinyl layer on a pull-off backing paper. If you're familiar with Montex masks, it's pretty much the same stuff. it's great to use, although precise placement on the model can be challenging. The film has just the right amount of adhesion, and one mask can be reused a number of times. It's also translucent, which is really helpful for lining up concentric color areas like white surrounds on Japanese Hinomarus.
If you google artool ultramask, you'll get any number of hits. Silhouette cutters are available online and at art stores like Michael's. Here's the link to the Silhouette web page describing the Cameo cutter:
https://www.silhouetteamerica.com/featured-product/cameo
Looks great! The NMF is really nice.
Thanks Greg! I really love Alclad stuff, especially their Duraluminum.
Nice model of a great early jet aircraft. I have built both the Tamiya and Revell kits and prefer the Revell. Attached is an old photo of my rendition of the Revell kit.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
Thanks, Wayne. Yours looks really nice!
Outstanding build Pip. In every aspect, very nicely done.
Thanks again, Jim!
Pip, what an excellent build, NMF looks great, and I like the chosen scheme. Well done with the painted details. I'm finishing up a Revell F-86D, and had a very similar experience with hit-or-miss quality on both the Revell and aftermarket decals I chose! Haha, I know the pain. Looks great though!
Thank you Andrew, much appreciated!
Really awesome F-84 build Pip!
Thank you Keith!