Egilman

Nice job, I built that one when young and they were still in use... a quick little build decent detail for the period and it actually looked like the subject.... That was a plus... According to R.P. Hunnicutt, the god of US Armor historians, (Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the U.S. Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground and a frequent contributor to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox.) the Patton series of Medium and Main Battle Tanks runs from the M-46 thru the M-60, The M-60 being the last of the breed... Then the failed MTB-70 and then the M-1 Abrams.... The official names for them were; Medium Tank M-46, 90mm Gun Tank M-47, 90mm Gun Tank M-48, and 105mm Gun Tank M-60.... They were all given the unofficial nickname "Patton".... They all had their variants designated as A1, A2, A3 the same as the earlier M-4's and M-26's did... The last of the Patton series was the M-60A3... Those tracks, if left to their original connection method will fail, that's what happened to mine... I came up with the same solution after they fell off, stitching them together, unfortunately, being made of vinyl, they eventually disintegrated completely... It got relegated to the shelf of doom where it eventually was sacrificed as parts/materials to more modern builds.... Todays aftermarket will allow it to be built into a very nice representation of a late model M-48 more early vietnam era than european era... Looking good my friend...

Just a question Kevin, I think your idea of using elastic for the leather suspension gives a very real action to the suspension... have you figured a way to deal with the rubber in those elastics when it dries out and breaks? My suggestion, while you are at this point, is to thread a thin brass wire or two through each elastic, so when the rubber dries out and breaks, the nylon covering and wire will hold them together and the dead rubber will serve as a filler to let them keep their shape? I would hate to see all that beautiful work fail in a few years...

Another small update... Testing continues... Two things I learned, you get a nice soft reflection off flat paint, you get a shinier reflection off a shiny coating... That is .020 styrene sheet with a brush on coat of future allowed to dry completely... This is close to the finish on a standard issue bare metal bird... and what it tells me is shinier finishes work better for shiny metal, flat finishes work better for unpolished metal.... Now future is not a super shiny smooth finish, it is a smooth semi gloss finish... So what I'm going to do tomorrow is split the other side of this sheet and paint half of it with high gloss black over Tamiya grey primer from rattle cans and on the other end rattle can a diamond finish after smoothing the surface down to as smooth as possible... Glass like I hope... The smoother the surface the shinier the RnB buffs up is what I think happens....... The reflection above, I can see myself in it from about two feet away, just a blur mind you but you do know it is you when you move around... You can tell and arm is an arm a hand is a hand, but you cannot pick out details... From about a foot away, I can see my face, blurry, but you can see it... Better the second time around I think... Now I'm beginning to wish I didn't prime the plane parts flat black... cause I might have to change them to gloss... Till tomorrow brothers...

Mine too, we had the 318th FIS out here when they transitioned from F-106's to F-15's... They are something to behold.....

I'm here Dan, Several decades ago I did the 1/48th Monogram "A" model of this aircraft... Yep it's a large one alright... Will be taking the center soft chair, back won't handle climbing up to the rafters... (now where's that popcorn)

Excellent! It's probably time I learned to paint figures.... and I can't go wrong with your advice...

Ok Brothers, my first not so scientific test... Remember the old turret top I used the last time? well I used it again cause the top was un touched and the ideal is putting RnB over bare plastic... The section covering the hatch & behind the cupola, back to the storage bin... The half behind the cupola to the end of the turret, (not including the bin) was daubed with a q-tip dunked in Future and allowed to dry... The coloration did darken a smidgen not enough to really notice and the reflection remains..... That semi test came out well so I figured I would try it on a plain white scrap of model plastic.... In real life, you can read the lettering in the reflection... That's straight Rub N Buff took all of two minutes to apply... It seals with Future and it produces the exact same polished surface on plastic you see in Paul's pics of his models... Excellent!!!! Need to practice a few more times to get a better feeling for it, but what is said about it is true, you want a natural metal finish that actually looks like metal in real life this is the product to do it... There is no paint that will do this...

Ok Brothers, I'm still here.. Was a bit under the weather again so I took the opportunity do so some research into F-104's and Paul Coudyrette's Rub n Buff Technique... Found a lot of pics of his models especially his Bare Metal birds... It appears to me that he's built most of the various manufacturers bare metal aircraft models, in his 50+ year modeling career, including the B-58, the B-25, the B-17 and all the various fighter aircraft... He was a master of brushwork/fingerwork, never used an airbrush, in fact he didn't even own one... You will see why I want to learn this technique... These are all Paul's builds... Yeah, that's what I said as my jaw was breaking when it hit the floor... Unfortunately there is no tutorial on his technique and he passed some six years ago... Of the numerous requests in the forums he frequented was to do a tutorial, he would always say he explained his method in other forums/threads, occasionally giving a hint of what he does, but never in detail... I did find one post where he outlines his technique, (probably cause he got tired of answering the questions over and over) but then when you spend decades figuring out how to do something like we see above, it is time to admire and not question... (I also found a post on what he uses for those colored heat stains on RnB and pretty much all his tinting for BMF's) There is a video of his technique being demonstrated but it is in French and although it does show the finish as applied in basic technique, it doesn't go into a lot of detail in what was happening while doing it or how to finish it off... So I need to do some more testing... I want to make sure I understand his technique fully and that was his advice, try, try and more try... He was willing to point the way, but he stated more than once that the best way to learn it was to try it and experiment, just like he did over 60 years of modeling... I think that is why you don't see very many models done this way (almost none except his) No one is willing to do the work to learn and perfect his technique... Paul Coudyrette, A master modeler, maestro with a paintbrush..... Anyway, This is my next step... Yeah putting the main fuselage halves together without doing too much damage to the painted finish... This is alternative 2 because I'm leaving the engine out, in fact I'm thinking through how I want to present this plane again... Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the everything open look, it's not my style... So I think I'm gonna go back to the image of what she shows in the video and let it be that.... Like she returned from a successful mission... Anyway onwards, testing won't take too long... and I'll probably do a few simple parts first like the wing tanks just to make sure I got it right...

I will be seriously interested in the steps you use to paint these figures Brother, they are the same ones I have for mine...

Very Very nice kitbash to correct the obvious shortcuts the mfgr took... Well Done!!!

Hey Brothers... Today the weather got warm enough so the Shop could be successfully heated by the wood stove sufficient for painting... I took all the major parts that will need a metal finish and primed them with Testors Flat Black.... It went down very smooth and even... Getting ready soon for the first major construction... Onwards...

My pleasure, I've never tried inks before, food coloring was always what I used cause it seems to mix well with whatever I put it in, besides, I have a ready supply of it from the Admirals baking supplies... My technique on tinted glass panels was to dip them in a little cup of the solution of coloring and Future rather than paint them, then place them face down on a paper towel allowing the paper to wick the colored future off the surface.. After a few minutes, (3-4) I would move them to another section of the towel so they didn't dry to the paper... Once dry, then dip them in completely clear future to give the outside a clear and shiny appearance... (also if the outside still had a bit of tint you could clean it off and the second dipping would restore the shine) Dipping ensures a smooth even coat which is what is required for tinting clear plastic and future dries ultra thin so an even coat is vital... I'm sure there are other techniques that will do as good a job, the secret is to get an even thin coat on the surface you want to tint... I'm sure you will find a solution that will work well for you...

No understanding needed, ENJOY....

Thanks Dennis Yep I've decided to keep it outside since they give you a very nice and accurate engine stand as well... It's already on my display shelf next to my F-4J.... I'm using the old Hase engine to support the tail cone so it looks right in a closed up fuselage.... Still working out which direction I need to go from here, I have to depart from the instructions build sequence cause to prime the fuselage flat black would mean having to mask off a ton of already completed fine detail... If I follow the build sequence... So I'm working out a way to get them primed before I assemble the fuselage... flat black should be easy to fix if I damage any of it before laying down the finish... (I have individual clear formation lights to tint and install as well before assembly, so it would be easier to prime it first... It's not going to be as easy as the Hasegawa fuselage for sure...

Alan, that tinting is the polarization of the viewing ports so they don't get glare and reflections when the look thru them... On my kit of the Abrams I have the aftermarket films used to replicate it... you see it on all the glass where they look thru it from the inside, including the targeting and range finders... and yes it is different colors on different glass panels... You guys are going really trying to get me to start this thing aren't you.... {chuckle} Two ways to go about it putting that tint on the windows, get the various colors of clear paint washes, or cheaper, food coloring mixed in Future/Pledge acrylic finish coating the insides... Just enough to give a decent coloring to the future... Then, when colored and dry, dip the entire part in clear future to seal it in...

One of the great things about this forum, the living history... Thank you all for your service...

No more for me either... I sincerely empathize my friend... two laminectomies here T6-7 & T7-8... docs tell me I'm lucky to be walking.... Take care brother...

Yep, thousands of dollars a pop... and will travel halfway around the world for the opportunity... all on their own dime.... But I imagine doing it 4 times a year can get to be old quickly as well...

Thanks Gary, my luck is holding for now.... Will do my best...

A lot of it was like that back then, sign on the dotted line and we can do whatever we want with you... The thing is, given what they advertise today, a lot of it back then was OJT, "Hey we gots this job to fill here it's pretty dangerous who's the next guy in line?;, does he have any experience?;, Nooooo.... well stick him in there any way and educate him on it!;, YES SIR!!! ... "Hey son, come over here,, You have been assigned to me,, have I got a job for you......."

Thanks Alan, I've gotten it off the bench and into the display case to keep it from getting damaged... now figuring out how to mount the other tail cone into the tail when the time comes... Probably going to use the engine from the old one as the support for it so it sits in the right place... I'm happy with the way it turned out...

Thank you Mark, that was what I was hoping for, I have put it in the case next to the F-4J so it is out of the way and kinda fits the presentation... (I know it's not the correct model for the airplane though) Man that is some rough training, but required to stay proficient...

Well True North says two to eight days.... The last time I ordered from them it took six days to get here and four days for my PO to deliver it... ME to WA.... Only place I could get both colors of ZC in one purchase for a reasonable price... although I did break down and pick up a small bottle of Testor's yellow from Hobby Lobby today.... (along with a few other supplies, I just happened to notice they had a bottle)

Yeah, that Bosun's chair, (bounce chair) does have an unfortunate habit of getting people wet from time to time, I wouldn't want to sit in one for very long either brother... (right or left handed sky hook)

Looking good my friend.... Can't wait to see the paint effects...