I have entered the danger zone on this model. I always hate the last few steps of a build, because it makes me heartsick when something goes wrong at the very end. And when you mess up, it is usually hard to fix.

So, here I am in the danger zone taking care of the last few things. I added the streamlined antenna above the cockpit. No problem.

Next, it was time to paint the five tires. I cleaned them up, and put them on a paper plate to be sure they didn't go adrift on the way to the paint booth. I lost a gear door on my last model on the way to the paint booth, which I managed to rebuild, but I wasn't taking any chances with wheels I couldn't rebuild. So, I carefully carry the plate downstairs to the paint booth, and get ready to paint. But when I reach onto the plate I only found four tires. Yes, it was true, aliens abducted one of my tires as I walked downstairs. I have several tires in my spares that I could use, but they have all been packed for my move and are now living in a storage room 90 miles from here. I sent out search parties, but my tire remains missing.

I decided to move on, just in case the tire eventually turned up, so I decided it was time to seal all the decals with a fresh layer of clear gloss. I was just getting ready to make the trip to the paint booth when I realized I hadn't added the de-icer strips. I had previously decided to use the de-icer strips with the kit's decals instead of painting and masking. The kit decals were old and a little thick, but I thought they would be fine. The decals for the two strips closest to the fuselage went fine, but the strip on the outermost part of the wing had problems. The radius of the leading edge had become very tight in this area, so the thick decals just didn't want to make the bend from the top of the wing to the bottom. I dug really deep into my large selection of profanity, as well as large quantities of MicroSol, and managed to convince the decal to curve. I knew the decals for the tail had zero chance of curving around the leading edge, so I decided to paint them.

Well, all's well that ends well. I plan to let the decals dry for 24 hours, then apply the last layer of clear to seal everything. Maybe in that time, the missing wheel will show up. Everyone stay safe. Cheers.

1 attached image. Click to enlarge.

The de-icer lines look fine, George @gblair
Not sure why they have painted them black in stead of the overall silver color.
Do you know if there was a technical reason behind that?
Sometimes it is hard to believe how parts just can disolve in air, I hope you can still find that wheel soon.

@gblair, thanks a lot for this clear explenation. Also the experience you have with them, and even without them, helps in understanding it even better. I knew about the function of the de-icing strips although not as detailed as you described. In this particular situation of your C54, I was wondering if there was a specific reason to have them painted black.

George (@gblair), your explenation was more detailed than what a knew already so it was definitely useful, thanks a lot for that. The material used for the strips was unknown to me. Clearly makes sense now why it is black 🙂 Thanks again.
Never thought that even Talon's were not equipped with them. Must have been a strange experience to have to check your wing edges with a flaslight.

Thanks, John (@johnb) and John (@j-healy).

(@johnb) The de-icing systems tend to be a little heavy for small planes like the T-38. They also tend to bleed air off the engine which reduces its power somewhat.
(@j-healy) I really get nervous at the end. It involves a lot of processes that can mess up everything you have done. You would think after all of the models I have built that these things would be more predictable, but it is a toss of the dice for me if the decals, clear coat, and weathering will work as I think it should.

Turned out wonderful, my friend @gblair!
I am off to the headlines!

Thanks, Spiros (@fiveten) and John (@johnb). John, your life will not be complete until you have the experience of putting really long, thin decals on a shiny, metal finish. :o)