falcon and slave 1 in 1/44 (falcon finished)

[astroboy]

Hey gang,

I just picked up the 1/144 falcon and slave 1.

I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet for display, but right now I'll start with the falcon. (If I didn't hate the look of landing gear I would love to do cloud city landing platforms)

I've already done a 1/144 falcon before and it looked terrible. It was the first model I painted and I made so many mistakes. I'll start off this thread with a picture of that one. So this time, I want to do it justice.

First off, no lighting. I've been working on a 1/72 and all production stopped when I started lighting. So this is about painting.

For this falcon, I've got the PE grill set and fan inserts, as well as scratchy's resin gunwells, radar dish and windows. I would like to use scratchy's window frames but the cockpit frame isn't fitting all that. Well and I'm not sure if I have the skills to fix it. (This is not slight to his product. This man is a master)

I WILL be asking questions..especially since I will be using enamels for the first time

 

[astroboy]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

First question, why did my cockpit glass get all fogged up when I glued it on? (The main reason I'm considering glassless is because I'm nervous about the fog)

 

[division 6]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

Did you use CA glue?
If so then that's your answer.

With your title I was expecting to see a sailing ship or at least the Bounty from Space Seed.

 

[Albertese]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

Did you use CA glue?
If so then that's your answer.

With your title I was expecting to see a sailing ship or at least the Bounty from Space Seed.

Perhaps you refer to the Botany Bay? The only Bounty I can think of with a Star Trek connection is what Doctor McCoy, with his fine sense of historical irony, renamed Commander Kruge's Bird of Prey in ST4.

Anyway, Looking forward to seeing progress on this Falcon model.

--Alex

 

[astroboy]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

Did you use CA glue?
If so then that's your answer.

With your title I was expecting to see a sailing ship or at least the Bounty from Space Seed.

Good point...I'll change the title when I get to a computer.

I didn't use CA glue. I used a tamiya extra thin cement. That was my mistake....

Anyway, here is my loot from the model shop for painting....

 

[division 6]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

You're right.
That's what I get for posing at 2 in the morning before finishing my coffee. :sleep

Perhaps you refer to the Botany Bay? The only Bounty I can think of with a Star Trek connection is what Doctor McCoy, with his fine sense of historical irony, renamed Commander Kruge's Bird of Prey in ST4.

Anyway, Looking forward to seeing progress on this Falcon model.

--Alex

 

[astroboy]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

Ugh....here's what impatience gets me.


Guess I need more base coat

 

[division 6]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

I hate when that happens.

 

[astroboy]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

And the other problem is that it has been SOOOO long since I have used my airbrush. I should have practiced more before the basecoat. So I ended up with some puddling.

Then I tried to wipe the puddles away. I may very well start from scratch on this basecoat

 

[astroboy]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

So...if I wanted to clean off all the paint, does anyone have any suggestions for that?

 

[danikin72]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

I use easy off oven spray, just make your well ventilated.
I usually let it sit for a while (in the oven or outside) then scrub it down with a toothbrush.
Rinse and repeat as needed.
I'm sure there are other methods but that's what I've always used.

 

[newmagrathea]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

What thinner are you using? I noticed that when I use Tamiya X20A I get more puddling. Now I pretty much only use Mr. Hobby Leveling Thinner, it seems to go on smoother and not puddle so much. Also, doing multiple thin coats helps.

 

[astroboy]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

I was using humbrol enamel thinner.

BTW, what is a recommended air pressure for spraying? As a carpenter I use between 60 and 100 so often that I get confused at low pressure

 

[Collektor]

Re: Bounty in 1/44

I was using humbrol enamel thinner.

BTW, what is a recommended air pressure for spraying? As a carpenter I use between 60 and 100 so often that I get confused at low pressure

The general rule of thumb for airbrushing is to spray at the lowest pressure you can get away with. This of course is going to vary depending on the paint you use and how thick it is ect. I'd suggest grabbing a piece of scrap and start with your standard pressure, and lower it as you go until you've got it down as low as you can get it while still getting good coverage and even spray.

I use a double action airbrush, and I tend to have my pressure set up around 60psi, as it will drop down to around 40-50 depending on how much flow I'm using.

 

[astroboy]

Re: falcon and slave 1 in 1/44

Wow...40psi? I used to do that but then I understood 20-25 is preferred. I had heard that it dries out in the air when you have a higher psi.

Mind you, I didn't seem to have a problem at the higher psi. Yet at 25, I'm getting a gritty texture

 

[Scratchy]

Re: falcon and slave 1 in 1/44

For this falcon, I've got the PE grill set and fan inserts, as well as scratchy's resin gunwells, radar dish and windows. I would like to use scratchy's window frames but the cockpit frame isn't fitting all that. Well and I'm not sure if I have the skills to fix it. (This is not slight to his product. This man is a master)

Any advice I can offer about the resin parts, it's yours. Send me a PM with some images of the cockpit window frames.

scratchy

 

[astroboy]

Re: falcon and slave 1 in 1/44

Any advice I can offer about the resin parts, it's yours. Send me a PM with some images of the cockpit window frames.

scratchy

Thanks! I'll send pics later

 

[astroboy]

Re: falcon and slave 1 in 1/44

So I spent some time tonight getting the internal things going. Painting the cockpit and gunwells.

Anyway, I worked with scratchy's cockpit window and man, that thing is sweet. I have it fitting fairly well. It will need some putty along the sides and I have to build the front circle up a bit to connect with the factory part.

 

[astroboy]

Re: falcon and slave 1 in 1/44

Forgot the pics

 

[astroboy]

Re: falcon and slave 1 in 1/44

And so the premask begins.....


At this point I need to thank merseajohn for his amazing panel diagram he posted. VERY handy.