F-104C Starfighter "Blue Jay Four" 1/32nd Scale, Italeri #2515, by Egilman

[Egilman]

5 hours ago, Danstream said:

Yes, old style, but I have seen spectacular results with furry sticks. You might search, f.i., for the works of Paul Coudeyrette if you like. (I do not even mention that I am living in the home town of Rembrandt). I think that using a combination of selected rattle cans, dry brushing and accent dyes you can still do a lot. For metallic heat discoloration, you might consider Tamiya powders designed for that (blue, red and dark palettes). I have seen videos where Gunze metallic paint can be laid down very well by a flat brush. In addition, there are no glossy parts (or really few) on an engine, mostly are matt or satin conversion coatings or protective coatings. Non-glossy finishes are much more forgiving. If you desire a glossier finish, you might consider starting with a matter finish and then glossy it up with a transparent layer from a rattle can.

I continue watching and I wish you even more good luck. 😉

Dan

Yeah that's me old style... I'm familiar with Paul's work in fact his F-104 is the inspiration for mine... He had two techniques for getting metal finishes on models, the high polished ones and the weathered dull ones... Both are fantastic and look real when done right... old school... 

 

On the engine, I'll be aiming for coloration on the base metal, I kinda want an engine that looks like it's clean but used so there won't be a lot of dark oilyness on it base colors and tinting and highlighting is the ticket, then afterwards picking out details... Still debating if I want to add anything to what the kit offers...  Those last four photos above is the scheme I'm looking at... Should make a very good display, sitting next to the aircraft...

 

Thanks my friend and keep the suggestions coming, it's how we learn... (and yes it may be 50 years later but I still learn things about this hobby)

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, Edwardkenway said:

Phew! What a lot to catch up on! I need more time😏

The instrument panel is excellent EG, very nice intricate brush work!

PS, I've sent out for more brittle Lou😊

Hey Brother, I'll never call you late, just delayed... {chuckle}

 

Thanks, that Instrument Panel was the job, haven't used a 5/0 in about ten years... I got lucky....

 

Welcome aboard my friend relax and enjoy the journey...

[Egilman]

Small update... Engine, J79-GE-7 

 

Base colors are down and a bit of detail paint added to the intake... Currently coated in future to start the highlighting process... I haven't done the thrust cone actuator ring yet, I still have to determine the base color, black or grey...

 

Ready for highlighting black in sections, brown in others, still looking for a decent sponge for layering...

 

More later,

 

Onwards...

EG

 

[Roger Pellett]

Cockpit Magazine Rack:

I am astonished that a pilot traveling at 100’s mph could have been able to read and understand any printed material; maps, landing protocol, etc. while trying to fly the plane. It would also seem that by the time he dug out the information the plane would have traveled far enough that it would be irrelevant.

 

Maybe some pilots could weigh in to explain how this is done.

 

On a related point, I just finished reading Flying Blind, a good book about Boeing and the 737Max.  Boeing claimed that the procedure for dealing with the instrument failure was outlined in the procedure manual carried in the cockpit.  When they ran the scenario in a simulator they found that they had less than 30 seconds to retrieve the book, find, and execute the procedure.

 

Roger

 

[lmagna]

8 hours ago, Edwardkenway said:

PS, I've sent out for more brittle Lou😊

My wife goes to Leavenworth, (Washington) in a few weeks so I will be stocked up as well Edward. Just have to settle in on the old hammock and watch the paint fly.

Edited February 19, 2022 by lmagna

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, Roger Pellett said:

Cockpit Magazine Rack:

I am astonished that a pilot traveling at 100’s mph could have been able to read and understand any printed material; maps, landing protocol, etc. while trying to fly the plane. It would also seem that by the time he dug out the information the plane would have traveled far enough that it would be irrelevant.

 

Maybe some pilots could weigh in to explain how this is done.

 

On a related point, I just finished reading Flying Blind, a good book about Boeing and the 737Max.  Boeing claimed that the procedure for dealing with the instrument failure was outlined in the procedure manual carried in the cockpit.  When they ran the scenario in a simulator they found that they had less than 30 seconds to retrieve the book, find, and execute the procedure.

 

Roger

 

Welcome aboard Roger...

 

I think that they are reference materials for location, and airport pattern maps, Landing Patterns, radio contact frequencies, hazard avoidance information... Nothing about flying the plane at least not for Airforce pilots, airline pilots on the other hand, they should be trained up on procedures before being let loose with a load of passengers... And when they throw a manufacturers programming defect into the mix all bets are off... What I read about the 737Max is yes the procedure is in the flight manual, but they weren't trained on it. and training for that specific malfunction is now mandatory, both recognizing it and resolving it...

 

Generally they reference such info at least 20 to 30 miles out from the marker... Landing is no time to be consulting charts...

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, lmagna said:

My wife goes to Leavenworth, (Washington) in a few weeks so I will be stocked up as well Edward. Just have to settle in on the old hammock and watch the paint fly.

Oh, so you go get the good stuff... (I see how it is) I put extra rafters up there to make sure you can relax comfortably while the paint flies...

 

Good to see ya brother enjoy the journey...

[Egilman]

Another update:

Wash, both black and brown...

 

Metal powdering next, lightly of course which allows the silvery blue sheen to peak out a bit...

We just want a hint of it, it's not like a chrome exhaust pipe with a rainbow of colors... The brown gives the darkening effect around the burner cans from heat flow and usually results in a fairly even color distortion on a used engine that isn't worn out yet....

 

There are no afterburner injectors on the engine, as well as the aft bleed air tubes.. I was thinking of making some up but most of the museum engines I've got pic of show them as removed... so I'll leave them off...

 

Next up, picking out details with paint and metal powders... The forward bleed air tubes will be very shiny as that is how they look and I will try to pick out the control rings for the variable stators on toe forward compressor...

 

Onwards Brothers...

 

EG

[king derelict]

The engine is coming together beautifully. Shining up the pipes and a bit on the unison rings is a good plan. It's going to look very real

Alan

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, king derelict said:

The engine is coming together beautifully. Shining up the pipes and a bit on the unison rings is a good plan. It's going to look very real

Alan

Thanks Alan, I certainly hope it looks the part, we gots brothers here that know... {chuckle}

It's going to be what it's going to be...

[Egilman]

I think I'm done with the paint and powders for at least a little while....

Chrome bleed air tubes... they don't stand out as much as I thought they would...

And the next few shots are of the complete basic engine with thrust cone....

I still have the oil Tank to add and the thrust cone actuators...

 

Then I will call it done...

 

Onwards..

[Old Collingwood]

That looks Excellent  all the detail layers  really make it pop.

 

OC.

[king derelict]

I'm not familiar with the J79 but the look matches perfectly the engines I do know. The exhaust nozzle is especially good.

that is an excellent job.

Alan

[Canute]

Colors look good, EG. Like the combuster section, suitably burned. 👍

 

The afterburner (AB) section (reheat for some of us) had what looks like a spider web in it It was inset several feet in from the eyelids. Spray mechanism for the extra fuel for the AB. Our fuel flow in AB jumped 4 times over the normal numbers. We didn't stay in AB any longer than we needed to. The newer jets are higher fuel consumption ratios, but the  cruise flows were better with the turbofans they used in the F-15, 16, 18. And they didn't need the thrust of ABs to do air combat maneuvering flight.

[mtaylor]

4 hours ago, Egilman said:

Generally they reference such info at least 20 to 30 miles out from the marker... Landing is no time to be consulting charts...

True that.   There still is the saying "that if things go really wrong,  pull the face curtain and read the instructions".   

 

That is one sweet looking engine.   It might be used and overhauled but it looks ready to in the bird.

[Danstream]

Exceptional results, I would say! Especially the exhaust area looks very convincingly heat scorched. I guess you take pictures with a flash light? With a less harsh light results might appear even better.

Well done,

Dan

[Egilman]

21 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

That looks Excellent  all the detail layers  really make it pop.

 

OC.

Thanks OC, Layering is the old school way of doing them... It's not a new technique...

[Egilman]

21 hours ago, king derelict said:

I'm not familiar with the J79 but the look matches perfectly the engines I do know. The exhaust nozzle is especially good.

that is an excellent job.

Alan

Thank you Alan, it was a bit touch and go to get the right coloration and make it look used as well..  Believe it or not, the nozzle started out blue... I learned a long time ago it's backwards to the way the mind wants to see it, you put the tint on as the base color first, then bring the tones into the shade you want... It looks like burnt/discolored titanium...  It's strange the way the mind works sometimes...

[Egilman]

20 hours ago, Canute said:

Colors look good, EG. Like the combuster section, suitably burned. 👍

 

The afterburner (AB) section (reheat for some of us) had what looks like a spider web in it It was inset several feet in from the eyelids. Spray mechanism for the extra fuel for the AB. Our fuel flow in AB jumped 4 times over the normal numbers. We didn't stay in AB any longer than we needed to. The newer jets are higher fuel consumption ratios, but the  cruise flows were better with the turbofans they used in the F-15, 16, 18. And they didn't need the thrust of ABs to do air combat maneuvering flight.

Thanks Ken if anyone knows what a used J79 should looks like, you do...

The browned, heat discolored Aluminum is difficult to replicate... That is MM flat aluminum sealed with future then flood washed with tamiya brown panel line accent color then left to dry, once dry it was finger rolled for a few minutes so the hand oils will lift and move the thinner spots and vary the coloration....  It looks close to the real thing doesn't it...

[Egilman]

19 hours ago, mtaylor said:

True that.   There still is the saying "that if things go really wrong,  pull the face curtain and read the instructions".   

 

That is one sweet looking engine.   It might be used and overhauled but it looks ready to in the bird.

Never got the opportunity to pull the face curtain Mark, and glad of it, but I have had to go back and read the instructions a time or three... But only when it REALLY went wrong... {chuckle}

 

Thanks for the complement my friend, it does have a used look but not a worn out look, I think I'm gonna leave it outside the plane on it's stand... that's what they intended for it anyway... It will look good sitting next to it with other panels open.......

[Egilman]

12 hours ago, Danstream said:

Exceptional results, I would say! Especially the exhaust area looks very convincingly heat scorched. I guess you take pictures with a flash light? With a less harsh light results might appear even better.

Well done,

Dan

Thank you Dan, I'm posting two as finished pics taken in natural light, we'll see what everyone thinks... I think its good enough to display with the bird herself...

[Egilman]

As finished, one J79-GE-7... Used but ready to fly again....

 

Next step, prepping the fuselage for joining.... Gotta take a break for a bit, going thru my stash of paint I found out that I have no Zinc Chromate Yellow, (green either for that matter) Yellow is required for some of the interior spaces on this bird that are going to be open for viewing... so they have to be painted before the halves go together... Ordered them today from True North, could be here Tuesday, or next Wednesday depending on how USPS does.... Besides I need to do some research on this bird, and I could use the break....

 

Thanks for following along brothers be back at this shortly...

 

EG

Edited February 20, 2022 by Egilman

[Canute]

EG,  I got a package of boxcar parts from Ontario to western NC last week. 5 days from order to package in my mailbox. In state mail is about 3 days.

 

 

[mtaylor]

That engine definitely looks like it just came out of overhaul...   cleaned but also discolored from the heat. 

 

I never got to pull the face curtain either since choppers don't have them.  But in aviation school, we did get the parachute simulator about 50 up off the deep end of the pool. You'd hit the water feet first and get out of the harness.  It was the same platform for "abandon ship" training.  Certain individuals did get a rougher time on the parachute simulator, like a nice drop but with 60 mph wind gusts.  

 

Also got training in the Dilbert Dunker. 

[king derelict]

The finished engine is superb. It would be a sin to hide it in the aircraft. The subtle colour variations on the casings makes it look very real. Exactly how they look when they come off the test stand

Alan

[lmagna]

4 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Also got training in the Dilbert Dunker. 

It's not fair Mark. As I was just a lowly door gunner not a crew chief I didn't get any of that cool type of training! Our stuff after volunteering was pretty much "Here's your gear. Don't walk into the tail rotor. Do you have a next-of-kin you want us to send your stuff to? " Oh yeah, a couple of weeks learning to clean an M-60 and which  end the bullets came out so you would be less likely to shoot your own chopper out of the air. At least that seemed to be the reasoning. Mostly they seemed most interested in filling the right back door with a warm body. Pretty much the way everything went in the Army I guess.

[Canute]

As one of the guys actually driving  a jet around, we got a shot on every conceivable way to get out of a plane and then what to do as we made our "silk" descent. Seat trainer was an old T-33 seat rigged on rails and fired with a 37mm cartridge (some boot in the butt). Parasailing on land and sea. Water survival in Biscayne Bay, near Miami. Jungle survival in the Philippines, being chased by some local folks. They got 50 pounds of rice for every Gringo they caught. I think they smelled us, cause I got into a good hide under a log. Still nabbed by my pursuer. Quarterly egress training, getting out of the cockpit with the lid down in a pitch black room. Suspended agony outside, hanging in our harnesses and manipulating the personal lowering device to get out of the trees and onto terra firma. Boy, I don't miss that stuff.

[FriedClams]

Very nice progress Egilman - the engine looks great, and I like the way the landing gear turned out as well.  Keep it up.

 

Gary

[lmagna]

6 hours ago, Canute said:

I don't miss that stuff.

Oh come on Ken. You know you miss SOME of it. People pay perfectly good money to do many of those things.

Edited February 21, 2022 by lmagna

[Egilman]

20 hours ago, Canute said:

EG,  I got a package of boxcar parts from Ontario to western NC last week. 5 days from order to package in my mailbox. In state mail is about 3 days.

 

 

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)