Sukhoi Su-30MK Flanker
I had to cut off the front to replace with a part from the box, I think for a dual/twin seater (I'd never before cut a piece of a kit !)
scary ...
New part has been glued.
Not cut in the right angle 🙁 ; you can see the panel line does not align.
Filling. I used Revell putty and smoothed it out with nail polish remover.
When you cut out of the sprue you loose the number of the piece, so I marked the left and right part.
As a kid I wouldn't come up with holding small pieces with a tape (thank you so much world wide web !)
First time kit with photo edged (PE) parts. I read somewhere to best glue them with CA (Cyanoacrylate) but no great success (maybe bottle had expired ?)
Under pressure ...
Primer
First attempt at shading. You notice I didn't have a steady hand with the airbrush yet.
Shading quickly disappears when you spray a layer (too much).
Experimenting with blue tack to mask areas. Not really a success because some of the tack sticked to the model and left spots.
Mmmmm ... this could be better.
New attempt with photocopie of the building instructions and scaling this to right proportion (again thanks to the internet)
Using Tamiya (small) and 3M (wide) tape, both excellent quality.
Mmmm... looks much better now.
Decals make a big difference, they really dress up the model.
The trick with the tape.
I tried to weather the panel lines with a Vallejo wash, but it was a complete disaster. I still need to learn how to do this properly.
Nevertheless satisfied with the result.
Ready to take off !
Comments
29 April 2018, 09:15
Martin OostromHi Norm, takeoff without pilots? Isn't that dangerous 😉
Nice job. RE the wash; you can clean it up with a cotton bud slightly damp with thinner. Move it in the air flow direction, from fromt to back. Any residue can pose as streaed grime.
For extra clean planes you can use a fine tipped brush, also slightly damp with thinner, just move it beside the panel lines.
29 April 2018, 10:42
Martin OostromCheck this one out at page 3: migjimenez.com/img/c.._US-NAVY-F14_ENG.pdf
And welcome to ScaleMates!
29 April 2018, 11:08
NormB1964Oops, didn't the pilots leave the box ?
Hi Martin, thanks for the advice regarding the wash. Is it important on what kind of coating you apply the wash : clear vs. matt ? Does the wash need to be of the same sort of the paint, for example acrylic on acrylic, lacquer on lacquer ? I also read of good results with oil paint.
29 April 2018, 16:47
Martin OostromIn general: first a gloss varnish to make the wash flow more easily. After the wash a matt varnish can be used. If you're doing additional weathering, a gloss varnish in between helps.
Preferably never use a thinner based wash (or oil) on a thinner based paint. You risk lifting the paint. An acrylic gloss varnish over thinner based paint can prevent this issue. Rule of thumb: use a different sort of paint.
I use oils for additional weathering, some fading, that kind of work. A spot of oil paint and fan it out with a thinner damp cotton bud.
Just test on a scrap piece of plastic or an old model. It's simpler than it looks, and harder to get right 🙂
29 April 2018, 17:10
