Donald Dickson II
Totally in on this one.

Michael Hickey
Plenty of room up front Don, I was going to initially re engrave her, but I really don't want her to turn into the B-ONE where I got bogged down by doing to much. So I'm pretty much going to keep it simple, but I will be asking you're guys and gals opinion on what metallic paints are best to use.

Nathan Dempsey
Oooh this one is going to be good!

Donald Dickson II
I have this one in the stash Michael. I have the decal set, metal gear and the resin cockpit conversion. Even if I was inclined to re scribe, which I am not, I am already in up to my eyeballs when I get around to it. LOL I dont go with the whole re scribing thing. To my way of thinking, no one was doing so when these kits came out. No need to now IMO. But thats just me.

As for paints. Alclad, Metalizer and AK Extreme are the ones I use.

Michael Hickey
Your most welcome Nathan, BYO beer and snacks.
Don, I usually use Alclad but I find when I handle the model a lot after painting it the paint tends to rub off. Don't know what I'm doing wrong, maybe I need to take some lessons from Augie. After what she just did with her Javelin was quite appealing.

Donald Dickson II
She was using a paste. I looked for it in craft stores here, but could not find it. Could be a UK only brand.

I have heard others say that about Alclad as well. I dont handle it without gloves, rubber or cotton, until it has set at least 24 hours. After that point, I have never had an issue.

Michael Hickey
Yes I might need to have more patience and also wear gloves of some sort.

Francky
metallic paint: Alclad II; no doubt the best around IF, and only IF, it is treated with the necessary respect!!!

Perfect surface: each and any scratch will stand out as if it were a trench.
Perfect base coat: gloss back for some paints, grey for other, take care to use the correct one
Airbrush only; in thin layers, don't try to cover completely in one heavy coat but build it up very slowly.
After thorough drying o the base color you can mask individual panels and give them a single layer with a slightly deviating color.

Looks fantastic

Michael Hickey
Thanks for the tip Francky. So far what I have done to the kit has been a real pleasure to deal with.🙂

Michael Hickey
Yeah James you said it, the box size is really quite deceiving. The fit of the parts for a kit that is nearly 35 years old is awesome so far. Should be able to get my paint booth back up and running today so I can paint the cockpit. Now I've moved house the paint booth and just about everything else is in the garage, I finally got myself a hobby room in the house but I don't have much in here, just the basics not even paint.

Donald Dickson II
I picked mine up for 10 bucks. No box, no decals. Just parts and instructions. Now, I have spent over 100 on the extras. LOL I have test fitted it, and as you said, it seems as if it will be fairly worry free.

So where are the progress pics???

Augie
She was indeed using a wax gilt to do hers with AK true metal for the contrast panels 🙂

Michael Hickey
Ahh, welcome Augie, well you did an amazing job with her. Don $10 bucks what a bargain, a friend of mine loaned me the cockpit conversion and I was going to mold it but never got around to it, then I had to hand it back. He also loaned me the exhaust nozzles but I handed them back too before molding them. I think and don't quote me but I believe you can use the exhaust nozzles from an F-4E Phantom II and if that's the case I defiantly have a mold of those nozzles and will cast new ones for this bird.

As for the progress pics, I was planning to get to my paint booth by now but that hasn't happened yet. I'll probably paint the cockpit tomorrow seeing how it's all constructed now, and I'll put the undercarriage together tonight and paint that tomorrow as well.

Augie
Thanks michael 🙂 sure this will too

Nathan Dempsey
Michael, does the kit include the "ejection pods"? I have a book on the history of the ejection seat, and this is one of the most interesting seats by far. A complete capsule that encases you!

Holger Kranich
Hustler? Wasnt that a nude Magazine, too?😉
Cool idea, one of my favorite Bombers!

Donald Dickson II
Nathan, no it doesnt. You have to get those after market. They are part of the conversion set we are talking about.

Maciej Bellos
I am in!

Bryn Crandell
Do you have room for one more? Brought my own chair and beer.

Augie
I'm in, get hints for mine!

Konrad -
Count me in here as well 😉

Michael Hickey
The more the merrier I say, Nathan when I finish painting the cockpit and seat I'll take some happy snaps and get an album going. From what I've built the seat has what looks like half the pod, but I haven't researched it yet. I have a really good book on the beast called "Convair B-58 Hustler" by Bill Holder, lots of photos and many in color. Just flicking through there's an image of a chimp sitting in the ejection pod about to be test launched. Something is telling me I have to remove the top section of my seat.🤔

Donald Dickson II
Here is a pic of the one in the AF museum in Ohio. I should have taken more, but I was like a squirrel with ADHD in a nut shop. Couldnt focus on one thing for long without going OH LOOK! LOL

[img1]

Nathan Dempsey
Nice Michael, I can't wait to see those pics. Donald, I know how you feel. My wife thought I was speaking another language at one museum because I was rattling off all the names so quickly. Just being a Southerner makes most of what I say another language, LOL.

Clifford Keesler
I'm in you shit!. LOL.

Michael Hickey
Yeah Donald that's how they get you to build the seat in the kit. I'm not sure if it's like this all the time or the top part is retracted. All the pics I've seen of the pilot in the seat show no capsule top. Welcome in on the fun Cliffy. Nathan just have to do some research on the wheel wells, instructions say to paint them Dark Gull Grey, but I have at least one photo showing them to be an off white color. I'm imagining that they would be white to show oil and hydraulic leaks easier than what the dark grey would.

Nathan Dempsey
In some of the pictures I've seen the wheel well looks white while the gear itself looks grey or even natural metal.

Augie
Gear would be natural metal IIRC, bays in white to show up hydro oil 🙂

Donald Dickson II
As Augie said...

[img1]

Clifford Keesler
The top of the capsule should be fully retracted in normal operations. The later models just had regular ejection seats, they did away with the capsules. You are correct Michael, the engines were J-79's and had the same exhaust nozzle as the F-4E, J and S. I painted my wheel wells white with natural metal landing gear just like Augie. Too bad I did not know about Alclads, or extreme Metal or Real Metal paints when I built mine. And I imagine that kit is hard to find now. Would be nice if someone came out with a new tool one. But you would have to own a bank to buy it. LOL.

Augie
Someday I will figure out how I know this stuff 🤔 lol

Clifford Keesler
I think it's called books? At least that is how I learned a lot, plus it did not hurt that I grew up around all those "old" airplanes. LOL. I had been in the service 4 years when the F-15 went into service.

Michael Hickey
To busy today to get any painting done maybe this afternoon I'll spray the wheel wells and undercarriage.

Clifford Keesler
I went downstairs and blew the dust off of mine today. I have some True Metal paints coming, maybe I will bring her upstairs and give her a face lift.

Michael Hickey
Yeah Cliffy, put some fresh life into her.👍 I'm still trying to organize my paint booth and get it back in operation. Did I mention I just moved house, I HATE moving house, and now I have both my teenage daughters spending the weekend here, and the youngest one will be begging e to take her surfing all weekend and insist I join her out the back.

Holger Kranich
Oh you have your girls with you? Thats cool. Not the best time, in the middle of a move but better than nothing!😉

Michael Hickey
Yeah Holly, still haven't unpacked everything yet, I wasn't going to let them come over just yet , but they insisted. I'm really itching to do some painting on the Hustler.

Clifford Keesler
Yes you told me you just moved, or were moving. You told me 2 hours after you got the new house. LOL. Ah the beach out the back door, good luck. LOL.

Michael Hickey
Yeah, I think I take way to much medication now and it is starting to effect my memory.🤔

Clifford Keesler
No it's called old age my friend. LOL.

Michael Hickey
hahaha, that's funny Cliify. Managed to paint all the undercarriage, wheel well and cockpit parts yesterday afternoon. With the wheel wells and undercarriage I'll give a gloss coat in prep for a wash, and with the cockpit and seat I'll pick out the fine details to paint. Need to order some Alclad to get ready to paint this beast with.

Holger Kranich
Alclad II rulez!

Michael Hickey
👍🙂

Michael Phillips
Count me in, this will be fantastic! I really look forward to building one of these, but I need to work on my BMF skills before I would even contemplate starting it.

Michael Hickey
Come on in Michael your most welcome, and enjoy the show.

Michael Hickey
Spent a lot of the day gluing in the weight so she won't be a tail sitter, undercarriage is almost complete. From what I have dry fitted she sits nicely, pictures tomorrow when I have daylight coming into my room. Overall I'm pretty pleased with the way the parts fitted together, not too shabby at all for such an old kit.😄

Michael Hickey
Should be up sometime this morning James.