nicholassagan
sippin on gin + juice
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2,013
My airplane itch flared up an I boiled a few choices down to this bird. I’ve been wanted to build a Fishbed for some time now and this particular boxing (Egyptian AF markings) seemed as good place to start as any. This is a Full Meal Deal build, meaning all manner of aftermarket parts will be used during construction. One thing that’s nice about this build so far is that right now there are a lot of little steps here and there I can complete. That way it doesn’t really intrude on my other temporal considerations! Little things like spraying the photo etch with a primer, trimming the pour stubs off the resin parts and completing the most minor assemblies are all easy enough in small doses. A process like this not only forces me to take time with my decisions, but also allows for a bit of therapeutic time since each step feels like I got something done.
Onto the build! I mentioned aftermarket parts…so here they are:
Eduard Brassin Wheel Bays
Eduard Brassin Wheels
Eduard Surface Panel PE
Eduard Exterior PE
Eduard Airbrakes
Master Pitot
Dreammodel Pilot (though I probably won’t use him)
Quickboost air scoops
Quickboost gun pod
Step 1: In order to make sense of all the material going into this, I compared all the various bits of instruction sheets and cross-references the steps. Taking notes on where PE and resin parts replace kit parts saves a bit of time and helps the planning process.
Step 2: Riveting! I love riveting. The kit has a small amount of subtle rivets but I love em. So I added more based on some orthos I’ve had in my files.
Step 3: Since the airbrakes are going to be displayed in the open position the recessed areas had to be cut out and added. I guess I didn’t too quite as clean of a job as I should have because there were some gaps. It’s not too much of a concern since they’ll be in shadow on the belly. Just in case, I did add some putty to fill in the gaps and secure the parts a little better.
Step 4: Minor assemblies. The missiles and the drop tanks are going to be prepared separately so I built them up first, along with the ventral fin. They’ll be easy enough to add on right at the end (save for the fin). All the parts that get sealed up inside the fuselage have to be prepped first so I also added some weights to the nose cone (in the form of some small screws and a nut) and also trimmed up the resin parts (wheel bay prep not shown).
Step 5: Prepping the fuselage. The instructions call for some parts of the interior to be painted aluminum, so I used my Krylon Silver Leafing pen. It’s a bit on the bright side but since those areas are mostly illegible when it’s buttoned up it doesn’t really matter. Looks cool now though. I also placed the forward wheel bay (just glued to one half).
Step 6: The Burner! Similar situation here with the painting and details. Yes, I added all the photo etch parts to the deep since it’s just barely visible if you peek down the tube. Beyond that, I figured I’d use my new AK True Metals rub-n-buff wax! It really is a great product and I can’t wait to use it more. I dipped a cotton swap into a little bit of the wax and spread it liberally on the nozzle feathers, wiping off the excess with a clean swap. After about 15 minutes it had dried to the point where I could buff it with another swab and boy, it sure shines up nice!!
That’s about all for now. The next steps will be assembling the cockpit and sealing up the fuselage! Stay tuned!