First off, I want to thank you guys for inviting me to join your group. This is just what the doctor ordered.

I picked up this model some years ago, after re-entering the hobby again in the mid nineties.

I have always been interested in the Thunderbird aircraft. Knowing that they flew the F-84 in the 1950’s, I knew that building this particular kit in these markings would be a perfect combination.

The problem was that these markings were not included in the kit.

Fast forward many years and this wonderful thing came around called the Internet. I was able to find a nice set of Thunderbird decals for a F-84.

These were made by Warbird decals. I picked them up from Sprue Brothers and started building the model about five years ago or possibly more.

I assembled the kit and started painting it, knowing that I would be using some of the decals.

The stage was set. Or so I thought.

Something happened, and for a reason I no longer recall, the F-84 was put back in the box. I don’t remember having any problems with the building itself. It had to be something stupid that would have made me stop working on this project.

Then one day, several years later, my wife and I were shopping at Hobby Lobby, when I stumbled across this kit. As luck would have it, the model kits were also on sale at a 40 percent discount.

It was a no brainer and I left the store with the model kit in a plastic bag.

The kit supplied decals looked very nice. Time will tell how well they work out.

Another irony about this particular project was that only a few days ago, just before George Blair was so kind to start this group and send out the invitations, I was talking about this exact same kit with another friend of mine named David Odenwald @kahu

David, if you see this message, please feel free to jump in. This has to be a sign that we need to get our projects done.

Many thanks go out to George @gblair

I sincerely appreciate your kindness and this is the perfect opportunity to get another one done from the shelf of doom.

This F-84 will be finished using various shades of bare metal foil. I have already applied a small section of foil just behind the cockpit.

As always comments are encouraged.

Thanks for stopping by.

This will be an amazing addition to this group build, Louis @lgardner
Would love to see the Thunderstreak in Thunderbirds livery.

Looks like you guys are going to have fun. Thuds abound and a nice addition Louis.

A wonderful entry,y friend @lgardner! Looking forward to it!

Hello again George @gblair
I’m not too brave because I think it’s actually harder to spray paint a metallic looking finish on a model. The foil is a little bit easier except for when you try to cover up a compound curved surface. Then it’s a different story !

I’m a huge fan of the Thunderbirds…… and the Blues. I’ve seen them both on several occasions. The Thunderbirds have a more complex paint scheme when compared against the Navy jets.

Thanks again for not only starting the group but also for your invite.

Please stay tuned and I hope I don’t disappoint !

Take care my friend.

David @kahu
Thanks buddy for stopping in. I’m lucky here because I’m getting ready to start with the finish which means the decals are not too far behind that if things go well. Unfortunately the jet I have picked for this group is one of the more difficult ones to do. But I sincerely think it’s one of the best looking ones and one of my favorites to boot. So it’s a win / win for me. As long as I get the model completed and it looks good enough for me.

Please stay tuned for updates as I make progress with this project.

I have several different Thunderbird models in the stash but none of them are a 105. How cool would that be to have a model of each jet that they flew ?

Icing on the cake would be the do the same thing, but with the US Navy Blue Angels aircraft ….. food for thought, and definitely a bucket list project.

It’s been a little while since I’ve used foil. The last time was on my 1/48 scale Tamiya Ki-61 Hien.

So I decided to start out by covering the speed brakes. The brakes are molded as separate parts and I glued mine in the closed position. The fit was marginal but good enough for me.

I cut out a piece of “Matt Aluminum” colored foil and applied it on top of the speed brakes.

Then, using a toothpick, I carefully pressed into the holes that are molded into the surface to replicate the holes that are molded into the parts. If you apply too much pressure you will tear the foil, so you need to be careful.

Once I was happy with how it looked, I trimmed the excess foil off around the edges of the perimeter.

The process was repeated on the other side.

So far so good.

The next step will be to mask up the red / white/ blue scallops and the wing tip stripes. I really should paint these areas first, before going any further down the road with the foil.

As always comments are encouraged.

Thanks for stopping by.

You are a braver man than I am, Louis (@lgardner). I wouldn't even want to try the foil on a tiny panel on my models, but you are doing a whole plane. I remember the last one you did was spectacular. Looking forward to the shiny model!