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Same feeling than Martin ... you're into something special here, George.
Started adding the decals. The red stars are from the AMK kit, and they are beautiful. They're a bit thick, but that's okay as I am going to distress the c**p out of them. Waiting for them to dry thoroughly before I attempt this, though. I took Johannes' advice and ordered a set of HGW wet transfers that arrived today.
1 attached image. Click to enlarge.
I started "weathering" the stars. The ones on the tails need a little extra work, but the ones on the wings look pretty good. I accomplished this by sanding them very carefully with a 180 grit sanding stick followed by a 1500 grit pad to even them out a little. The numerals will get the same treatment. I left half of the decal off on the port side as it represents an airframe that received new panels. Engine exhausts are on, but not glued. I finished the canopies this evening and they're miniature models in and of themselves.
5 attached images. Click to enlarge.
Not only that it’s first class modelling, this project is just extremely cool. And I guess I know what you’re doing currently: applying a myriad of stencils...
Hey Johannes- Yes! many, many stencils. I've been away for a few weeks (hence my silence) and have returned only to now catch up with real work. I'm hoping to have this done by Christmas so that I can start on my next project and finish a few others.
Looking great! I'm going to have to get up my nerve to try weathering decals as aggressively as you do - the result is fantastic.
Thanks, Greg. I experimented/practiced on a couple of extra AMK decals I had before I attempted it on the model. Initially, I used a 180 grit sanding stick very lightly so as not to damage the paint, and followed up with a 320 grit.
Work is coming along at glacial speeds. Seems the more time I spend the less I get done. Painting and adding the billions of stencils to the pylons and missiles. This is quite a tedious process, but will be well worth the effort in the end (if it ever arrives). I purposely mismatched the colors of the pylons as a few references show this phenomenon.
3 attached images. Click to enlarge.