And, whammo, it's done! Well, not
exactly. The model was given a black color coat with Tamiya Flat
Black,
then a stencil was made for the USAF wing markings. The Airfix USAF
markings were much too large, and
in my opinion so were the set from Superscale.
I
should have also painted a white background for the stars
and bars because the Airfix decals used for those markings were too
translucent
for the black. Seems
obvious in retrospect. Several coats of Future
followed,
then Superscale MS481230 was used for the rest of the markings, and
this set worked well. Next the landing gear was attached, and at
that
point it was
realized that 18 grams more nose weight was required. A
hole
was drilled in the bottom of the nose cone and lead BB shot was added. The
model
weighs a little over a pound when completed. After that the
flaps,
bombs and hardpoints, speedbrakes, and various vents and antennae
were
added and a final coat of Future went on. Because of its weight,
size,
and poor attaching methods particularly for the flaps
and canopy, the model
requires very careful handling. The shape of the canopy is too
shallow
over the back cockpit so I chose to have it open to make that less
obvious. The panel lines are not accurate
as to location, but that's all
disguised by the shiny black paint, I hope!
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