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Academy 1/48 F-86FSabre, HAF

Started by George R Blair Jr · 149 ≡ · ↻ 7 months ago · Academy 1/48 F-86F, F-86E(M), Hellenic Air Force, Icarus Decals, Sabre

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George R Blair Jr said 8 months ago:

Thanks, John (@johnb). It was a slow process to get the stripes done, but it works. There might be a way to get the decal to work, but I don't know what it is.
Alfred van Paaschen said 8 months ago:

Nice piece of paintwork, George!
Tapered areas are always difficult to paint. The decal that was supposed to go there was a real misfit, unbelievable that they’ve come up with something like that.
George R Blair Jr said 8 months ago:

Hi Alfred (@alfred): The painted stripes were a lot of work, but they came out OK. The geometry of the fuselage at the rear of the plane is surprisingly complex, so it seems obvious that a straight decal wouldn't work. My wife is a retired math teacher. When I showed her the problem, she started talking about using measurements and formulas to figure out how the decal should be shaped. My eyes glazed over halfway through and went to the bench to start masking.
George R Blair Jr said 8 months ago:

I only had a little time to work today, so I started on the decals for the fuselage. There are many small stencils on this model that are tiring to place, so I limit myself to an hour of work on the decals. I think the decals that I placed yesterday look pretty good, but the proof will be when I spray the clear over the model. I hope that there is no silvering, but you never know. I have had good luck with decals on my last few models, so I hope to continue that streak with this one. It has been very humid here, so I plan to let the decals dry for at least 24 hours before I seal them with clear. Cheers everyone.
3 attached images. Click to enlarge.
John vd Biggelaar said 8 months ago:

Decals and stencils do look really nice, George @gblair
From the pictures there is no silvering visible.
Alfred van Paaschen said 8 months ago:

Haha, geometric formulas can be quite complex indeed!
Decal and stencils look good.
Spiros Pendedekas said 8 months ago:

Decals look great on, my friend @gblair!
George R Blair Jr said 8 months ago:

Hi, John (@johnb), Alfred (@alfred), and Spiros (@fiveten):

Just finished the last decal session and all decals are in place. Actually, to be truthful, only about 90% of the decals are in place. There were several sets of stencils that are on the decal sheet, but I couldn't find them on the instructions. I think it looks OK with what's on there. I plan to let the decals dry for 24 hours, then I will take a good look for silvering, and then spray the clear coat. Not at the finish line yet, but you can see it from here.
4 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Spiros Pendedekas said 8 months ago:

Excellent job on the decals so far, my friend @gblair! Finish line comes closer.
Carl Smoot said 8 months ago:

Looks great so far George (@gblair). That green tail really makes the NMF look unique.
John vd Biggelaar said 8 months ago:

She looks great with all decals and stencils on, George @gblair
George R Blair Jr said 8 months ago:

Hi Spiros (@fiveten), Carl (@clipper), and John (@johnb): Lots of stencils to deal with. Not quite as bad as an F-4, but still a lot of decals. Hopefully they all went on well and won't cause problems later. I have a doctor's appointment today, but hopefully I will have some time later to apply the clear. Thanks for stopping by.
George R Blair Jr said 7 months, 4 weeks ago:
I had a doctor's appointment this morning, but I got the clear gloss sprayed on the plane. I didn't go with my original plan, but I dug out and used some very old Testor's Glosscoat Clear Gloss Lacquer that I have been saving for a really long time. I thinned it 50% and sprayed it on the model in several thin layers. I really like the way it came out. I finished the afternoon by adding the horizontal stabilizers and using my expensive jigs to prop them into the right position. I hope to get everything finished tomorrow, but there always seems to be more to do than I think. Cheers everyone.
5 attached images. Click to enlarge.
1. I have been saving this like a fine bottle of wine for just the right moment.
1. I will need to hit the anti-glare panel with some flat.
1. Stencils look pretty good.
Carl Smoot said 7 months, 4 weeks ago:

That glosscote did an excellent job George (@gblair). It does not appear to have dimmed the shininess at all. This is a very attractive scheme for this aircraft.
George R Blair Jr said 7 months, 4 weeks ago:

Hi Carl:
I planned to use some Gunze Supergloss to seal the finish, but I tried it on one of the gear doors and didn't like it. The Testor's was my go-to clear for a long time, so I tried my one remaining bottle. You are right, it really did the trick on the metal finish, and it should be really tough after it fully cures.

Viewing 121 - 135 of 149 posts

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Academy 1/48 F-86FSabre, HAF