Egilman

This was an all metal bird as you well know, and flying surfaces were built out of the same stuff they sheeted the fuselage and wings with, .030 T-80 aluminum... So the flying surfaces are the same color as the main structures... The only places they used a different material was the gun ports which were made of a stainless steel casting and functioned as the the barrel end support to keep them from vibrating around when fired... It had to be stout, and at the tail they had a 16 gauge pressed steel ring connected to the main longerons to act as a tailpipe support... Since it made direct physical contact to the engine tailpipe and frame of the aircraft it had to be stronger and able to withstand the heat transfer from the tailpipe... I will be using pewter coloration for both as in certain light conditions you don't notice them but in others they stand out like neon signs... So I'm going for a little show without overpowering the aluminum surrounding them... The look I'm going for.... They both show on the outside of the aircraft and were polished like the aluminum was... the only place we get heat discoloration is the inside of the tailpipe fairing itself, it took on that blackish brown heat cycle color, but you will hardly see it as the kit provides the red FOD cover for the exhaust as well as the nose... All you will see is a little brownish ring on the inside under the tail for the exhaust... They were very clean aircraft, and they took pride in keeping them that way...

Thanks Ed, I certainly hope it does....

Another update, the first application of Rub n Buff to the wings... It's not perfect, I'm going to have to go over some of the lines with a Qtip to get them silvered.... Getting there.... Onwards...

Thank you brothers, it has taken a bit of a load off my mind, but that being said, he only eliminated two types and they still have that unexplained mass they found on the CT scan.... It's a relief but I'm not out of the woods yet... They have to come up with some kind of explanation.... The lab who processed the biopsy did say it was cancerous and of unknown origin... Mistakes are made, but this one is a biggee if it is a mistake... So we are still waiting.... Not quite ready to crack the champaign yet....

Another very tiny detail to add before silvering.... The 6/3 wing root cutout for the Ammo Door/Step... And yes, the stress ribs were angled like that... ( note; the Hasegawa kit has a more rounded leading edge, I'm going to leave it as the aluminum paint will fill the slight difference) Now to figure out how to drop a short cable off it to hold the removable part...

Yep the man above is always watching.... Thank you..

I know that brother, I got it, (just speaking to those that didn't) and yeah they went back to the Stars & Bars national insignia during Korea leaving everything else red, but during WWII everything was red including the insignia...

Thanks Dennis, I'm getting ready to silver her up.... Thank you and everyone for the good wishes... I just finished the dual scope procedure today, Doc said no cancer, top or bottom, didn't know what the mass was they found but it isn't stomach or colon cancer... He's ruminating on Diverticulitis, a huge relief if it is (common ailment for people our age) Will see my attending in a few days, maybe they will have a clue at that point.... Thanks all for the well wishes and prayers, My friends... they helped greatly...

Very Very well done... Looks like it drove right in off the Sinai desert...

Thanks my friend, yeah they were a surprise to me when I saw them, I've never seen that on an injection molded kit before... That's an incredible level of detail I wish you all could see in real life, the pics don't do it justice...

Yep, that was the standard for all black aircraft in those days, not so much today...

The sabre's in Korea weren't equipped for night fighting, they were day fighters only.... {chuckle}

A lot of pilots gave a name to their crates which was generally placed on both sides, but some put the name only on the left side and put their wives/crew chief's names/nicknames on the right side, a practice that continued through the Korean War...

Resin kits are a trip unto themselves brother.... Study your research and break out all the skills you will need them.... But they build beautiful, quality models when done... I just received my M-6 HST in the mail yesterday a complete resin model which has similar issues along with a warped top plate... Practice patience and it will go together brilliantly... You can do it....

Eye Candy is always welcome brother, testing or not...

I'm in brother, pulling up the comfy chair now...

Tamiya Thin Grey... it's the best thin primer available... Something else, she is now dry, and very reflective... I saw something I didn't see when she was in bare plastic.... Talk about detail? look at those wing panels and the subtle details that come out when shiny!!! Astounding! You don't see that while working in bare plastic during building.... I can see why the old reviews rave about this kit now, it was called a revolution in molding tech...... I was wondering what made this kit so special in their eyes, I can see why now...

Well, here she is, painted..... The paint is still a bit tacky so silvering will have to wait a bit until she fully cures.... But looking good so far....

Thank you brother...

UHF Radio antenna encased in the plexiglass canopy.......

Ready for paint.... As close as I can make her... Onwards...

I'm sure of that....

He was, it's part of the gun stabilization system... The Abrams has a similar one as well

Yeah, that upper one is a bit out of focus, but it doesn't matter, like you say there really isn't any difference between the blue and black... So I'm going with the black, it is what most use for shiny silver and it looks just a bit deeper... Right now I'm finishing up the fuselage for painting... base sanding is done, (at least as much as I'm going to do) and masking off the canopy.... The Eduard Masks can be interesting at times but they are much easier than any other method I've used... Once masked they get tacked to the fuselage for the painting and silvering... Easier to do it all at once.... I wish I could have experienced all that action that you guys lived... I'll bet there is nothing else like it...

Update, just a simple test, Blue or Black? Bright flash... No flash... For the life of me I can't tell a difference.... Not even a slight one...