discussion Tamiya 1/48 Douglas F4D-1 Skyray

[Dave Ward]

Fernando,
yes - there are photos on the internet of F4Ds of the same unit, in 1960

It does show one or two things - the natural metal finish is not only on the wing leading edges, but on the inlets, and the tip of the tail, and the front edges of the pylons - not clear in the instructions
Dave

 

[Ian M]

Not a bad looking bird. Sleek and curvy.
Looks like it goes together nicely as well.
Plenty of decal softener is the order of the day for those markings!

 

[Dave Ward]

All is still all white! I sprayed the underside & control surfaces with Hataka Insignia White - it looks the same as yesterday, so no pictures!
Next, I'll mask up & spray the upper surfaces with Hataka Light Gull Grey, but that's for tomorrow................
Dave

 

[Fernando N]

Good luck with the large decals Dave:thumb2:.
I thought of building that one too once, but went for the marine version as I thought the large decals on the tail and spine would ruin it…
Maybe I’ll cut out the stars and such and paint the underlying blue, looking forward to see how yours turns out:smiling3:.

 

[adt70hk]

Looking good Dave.

Well done. Andrew

 

[Dave Ward]

Lovely sunshine morning in South Gloucestershire, I've masked all the white bits.................

All ready for the upper surface spray..............
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

Sprayed Hataka Light Gull Grey - allowed to dry for an hour or so, then masking removed

A bit messy around the nose - but I'll be masking that off for the black radome & anti-glare panel.
The Hataka Red Line paint is a bit tricky to use - even though it's meant to be ready to a/b, I find I have to dilute it quite a bit - it's essential to shake well, and dilute & mix in a separate cup - I tried mixing it in the airbrush cup, that didn't go well! :disappointed2:
I'll have to smooth the demarcation line between grey & white on the wings - a slight lip of paint has built up, then I have to add the natural metal leading edges, on the wings. slats intakes etc - not sure about how to mask them, so a little experimentation is in order.
Dave

 

[flyjoe180]

Looking good Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

Almost ready for the overall gloss varnish...................

Just a bit of touching up before I seal it all in - most important with all those decals to add.
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

Tricky bit started..............each decal cut closely to remove excess carrier film - I had to get a plate, my normal decal tray was too small. I started with the tail, as this has the positive location, and the spine decals butt up against it.............
I decided to do one side at a time, to ease handling. Mig Decal Solution, cotton buds & tweezers all employed. I'll wait for this to dry fully before going on to the other side - it's not going to be a fast process. I discovered that the final part of the blue spine overlaps onto the canopy, so that will have to wait.
Dave

 

[Guest]

Taking it slowly and carefully should do the trick, is my experience. Looking good so far.

 

[Dave Ward]

All the major decals are on ( at least on the uppersurfaces )
Needed a few applications of the Mig No 2 Decal solution to get them to sit down ( those on the spine ), but all in all not too bad.
I had more trouble putting the decals on the drop tanks, than the main airframe, they wrinkled, tore and misbehaved, but I wore them down..............

I have had one failure - the warning decal for the port inlet, I couldn't get to fit - after applications of decal solution, & much prodding, it eventually fell apart, and I had to ditch it. I'm now going to have to brush paint the red strips - oh well!
Dave

 

[boatman]

HI Dave it looks great to me well done on getting that big tail decal on perfect as I know they can curl up an be a right pain :thumb2:
chris

 

[Dave Ward]

All decals now applied - all behaved, apart from the drop tank pieces
I hand painted the red warning strips on the inlet edges - lust a bit of tidying up here and there, and this is approaching a finish. No weathering - all pictures I've seen of the F4D in service show it in very good condition.
Dave

 

[boatman]

NICE

 

[Jim R]

Hi Dave
Come together quickly - Tamiya fit helps. Paint job looks great and those decals are stunning.
Jim

 

[adt70hk]

Dave

Looking very nicely done indeed.

Andrew

 

[Dave Ward]

Nearly a baad mistake - I'd just added the drop tanks & decided to fit the canopy - applied the PVA, then suddenly realised something was missing - the ejector seat! Just in time ( not that you can see a lot of it!
Dave

 

[Guest]

The good hing about PVA glue is that it comes apart easily if you use it for plastic Still, better to catch it in time, like you did, of course.

 

[Dave Ward]

Finished! I'm waiting for the satin varnish to dry - the light is fading fast, so I'll wait until tomorrow to take some pictures of the finished article......................
Dave
Now in completed aircraft section