Meng 1/48 F-35A Lightning II

[scottie3158]

Bob,
That looks the nuts mate.

 

[Mickc1440]

Well worth all that effort Bob

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers guys.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Afternoon all.

Been having a bit of a mare with the paint.

There was a mark on one of the wings. I made a small mask with some of the spare vinyl and blew over it with the airbrush. After taking off the mask the painted section was a completely different shade. I have no idea why, it was the same bottle of paint thinned to the same ratio.

I tried to fix it by painting over the offending patch with neat paint and a brush, then gave it a light sanding. If anything this made it worse.



After scratching my head for a while I decided there was no choice but to respray both wings, so even more masking.



The end result is ok, both wings are a slightly different shade to the rest, but at least they match.



Everything has now been glossed in preparation for decals.

 

[scottie3158]

That really is a brilliant bit of masking. All builds of this aircraft show this pattern on the back is it something to do with the panels?

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Partly, but also to reduce the aircraft's radar signature.

The lighter colour is RAM (radar aborbing material) tape.

 

[stillp]

All builds of this aircraft show this pattern on the back is it something to do with the panels?

I was wondering about that. Looks almost like seam sealer.
Pete

 

[flyjoe180]

Superb masking work Bob, great result. Noone will ever notice the differing wing shades once it's decalled up and varnished

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers Joe.

You're right, still annoying after all that work though. The only thing I can think is maybe the air pressure was different so the metallic flakes dispersed differently??

 

[Si Benson]

Glad you’ve managed to sort it ....that was a lot of masking beforehand

 

[Deleted member 7181]

That's a distinct possibility.

Along with other variables a change in air pressure will affect the droplet size. Larger, wetter droplets will give the flakes longer to settle down flat, reflecting more light. Smaller, dryer droplets can see the flakes drying at random angles, scattering light.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Bob
Glad you sorted the wings. Annoying and rather strange but it is fine. As Joe says only you will know once it is decalled and finished. It will be a cracker.
Jim

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Evening gents.

Update time. Over the weekend I glossed and got the decals down, then glossed again.

The last couple of evenings I've been weathering. As this is a relatively new service kite I didn't want to batter it, more of a general dirty feel. For this reason I went with a grime clay wash. Easy to apply and remove, pics up the rivet and line detail and leaves a little dirt in the corners.

The burner can was done with a combination of oils, enamels and pigment.

 

[papa 695]

Looking sweet Bob

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers Ian.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Bob
That is looking very nice indeed.
Jim

 

[scottie3158]

Bob,
That is an incredible finish it certainly justifies your patience and skill.

 

[Steven000]

That's one hell of a masking job Bob, very nice

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Cheers gents.

Decided to get the matt coat down last night at around 11pm when it was a bit cooler. Hopefully going to get the base board and pole sorted tonight and then it should be done.

 

[papa 695]

Looking forward to the final reveal Bob.