My current project, Italeri P-38/F-5E,1/48

Started by Ralph Clements · 10 · 9 years ago · P-38 photo recon
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    Ralph Clements said 9 years ago:

    a few pics of my work in progress a photo recon version of the P-38. I note in period photos that the camera lens is visible through the nose windows, so I've tried to replicate that using a small piece of the tube that comes on the end of a new paintbrush (I kept some for a while - I knew I'd find some use for it...I put a drop of clear plastic parts glue in it to hold it and hopefully look more like a lens from the outside.

    3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Ralph Clements said 9 years ago:

    Here's what the lenses look like from the outside. I am pleased. Now to just not mess them up in the painting...

    2 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Ralph Clements said 9 years ago:

    A week later, trying hard to get that 'natural metal finish'...a daunting proposition

    3 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Bernard E. Hackett, Jr. said 9 years ago:

    Ralph, if the water gets deep, there's always overall PRU blue! Or that Chinese one in OD and neutral gray. You would have to source their roundels and tail stripes.Navy intermediate blue (3 tone scheme) is either close enough or the same as PRU blue.
    Your take on NMF looks fine to me.

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    Ralph Clements said 9 years ago:

    Thanks Bernard - the blue was my original intent, but I found a unused can of MM buffable metalizer in my stuff and one of the 4 versions the kit includes decals for is a natural metal one I liked so I decided to give it a try.

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    Simon Whitney said 9 years ago:

    Looks nice and shiny Ralph.

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    Magnus Fridsell said 9 years ago:

    That lens certainly looks the part! Is this an Italeri original or is it someone elses repacked kit?

    Regards

    Magnus

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    Ralph Clements said 9 years ago:

    Thanks Magnus. The kit just provides windows. The lenses, one on each side and two smaller ones on the bottom, aresmall pieces of the tube that comes on the end of a new paintbrush. I put a drop of clear plastic parts glue in it to hold it and hopefully look more like a lens from the outside. Unfortunatley they got messed up when I put the nose weights in. I used small fishing weights and white glue to hold the and that glue seeped into the lenses. Oops. But they still look more like lenses than the plain window (which would have been messed up by the glue even worse without the tubes in there.)

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    Craig Abrahamson said 9 years ago:

    I'd say you've achieved the exact look you wanted with that MM Buffable Metalizer. I use it for all my NMF's...works great, doesn't it? Beautiful finish, Ralph.

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    Ralph Clements said 9 years ago:

    Craig, thanks so much, coming from you that is a compliment for sure. I followed a tutorial you posted over a yer ago that I went back and found before starting. Unfortunately adding future seems to actually dull and darken the shine a bit.The photos posted here were taken before that. When I post the finished model it won't be quite so shiny but still I like using the two different shades.