HobbyBoss 1/72 Grumman F9F Panther

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 7:36 pm

Lysus wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 1:42 am When it comes to greys I can spend hours hemming and hawing over which one to use.

Thanks Jason!

I know... me too

.....and when I think I have made my mind up, it starts all over again

Quax wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:55 am looking great so far Tommy

Paul

Thanks Paul!

Shiny stuff!

I will continue with some masking and GSB tomorrow.

Tommy

papatika · Post by **papatika** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:57 pm

It looks great, Tommy!

Post by **Tomcat64** » Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:03 pm

Fabulous work Tommy - love the shiny on the wings

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Sat Oct 28, 2017 6:21 pm

papatika wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:57 pm It looks great, Tommy!

Tomcat64 wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:03 pm Fabulous work Tommy - love the shiny on the wings

Thanks Attila and Neil !

Okey... I spent almost an hour this morning to mask the bare metal areas...

Time to make my mind up !

I decided to go for the XF-17.

No preshading or panelfading, the Gloss Sea Blue didn't fade and it stayed in good condition for a long period of time. On some photos from the Korean conflict there are aircrafts that flew many hundred sorties that still looked like they have just rolled out from the factory.

But running out of fuel and landing on the wrong carrier is another story....

Before glosscoat

Glosscoated with X-22 mixed with MrColor Levelling Thinner

Now it needs to cure for atleast 24 hours before I can start with the decals.

Tommy

Lysus · Post by **Lysus** » Wed Nov 01, 2017 5:34 pm

Looking hot, man.

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Wed Nov 01, 2017 7:57 pm

Lysus wrote: Wed Nov 01, 2017 5:34 pm Looking hot, man.

Thanks Lysus!

Tommy

gaz45 · Post by **gaz45** » Thu Nov 02, 2017 10:00 am

Looking really nice there mate

Post by **Tomcat64** » Fri Nov 03, 2017 4:25 pm

Beautiful paintwork Tommy!

Zen · Post by **Zen** » Fri Nov 03, 2017 10:43 pm

That's looking great!

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Mon Nov 06, 2017 10:50 pm

gaz45 wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2017 10:00 am Looking really nice there mate

Tomcat64 wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2017 4:25 pm Beautiful paintwork Tommy!

Zen wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2017 10:43 pm That's looking great!

Thanks a lot, guys!

I have been away over the weekend and came back late yesterday - so I was really looking forward to continue with the build

It's finally time for decals!

The decals I will use are from PrintScale - a brand that I have never used before. So I prepared myself for the worst

But the decals behaved very nice. Strong thin decals that conformed well to the surface.

The Panther nose-art is taking form. It consists of 11 decals in total that needs to be aligned so they form a panther face.

That's all for today.
I will continue with the rest of the face and the technical stencils tomorrow

Tommy

Post by **Twokidsnosleep** » Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:43 am

Oh this is coming along really nicely

Foil...yep that is awesomely well done
XF-17 .....looks like it sprayed perfectly, love that colour
Gloss....wow

And now decals ....superb
Any later and I would have missed the whole darn party

Post by **Tomcat64** » Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:12 am

Great work Tommy - looking forward to seeing the final face

How are the new decals behaving themselves?

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Tue Nov 07, 2017 9:58 pm

Twokidsnosleep wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 3:43 am Oh this is coming along really nicely
Foil...yep that is awesomely well done
XF-17 .....looks like it sprayed perfectly, love that colour
Gloss....wow
And now decals ....superb
Any later and I would have missed the whole darn party

Thanks Scott!

Yeah, the build have been on hold for a while; I've been very busy and I didn't want to start with the decals until I had time to complete them. But I'm gonna finish this build soon I hope

Tomcat64 wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:12 am Great work Tommy - looking forward to seeing the final face

How are the new decals behaving themselves?

Thanks Neil!

My opinion is that they where very good quality and easy to set. The details are also great, there are lots of small stencils that look reasonably to scale and still with good details. It's possible to choose from 8 different objects but there are only one set of USAF Roundels

But that is the only drawback I can come up with.

The top of the tailfin should be blue, but instead of using the supplied decals I decided to paint that.

This is the result

All decals done and ready for clear coat

What about the "face" - frontally it looks like this. But I'm not sure it looks like a Panther

Tommy

pourquoi61 · Post by **pourquoi61** » Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:17 pm

That is one beautiful little model you have there.
Fantastic.

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Wed Nov 08, 2017 8:01 pm

pourquoi61 wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 7:17 pm That is one beautiful little model you have there.
Fantastic.

Thank you very much, pourquoi61

Tommy

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:59 pm

Hey Guys!

The Panther have been glosscoated with two layers of X22+MLT and left to cure for 48 hours.

It's shiny but the surfaces are not completely smooth; there are som dust and things that needs to be taken care of.

To get the surfaces to better I use the method that many modeller use for civilian vehicles; first I need to reduce the step caused by the decal carrier film, so I sand the surfaces with a ~1200 grit sanding stick. After that I buff the surface with Tamiya polishing compounds.

This makes the decals look more like they are painted onto the surface.

I'm very pleased with the result and I'm very tempted to keep the surfaces shiny, but I will probably put on a satin coat just to knock down the sheen a little bit so it doesn't look like a brand new aircraft.

On the other hand.... some aircrafts where shiny....

I'll have to sleep on that decision...

Tommy

SkyPainter303 · Post by **SkyPainter303** » Sun Nov 12, 2017 1:48 am

I love it.

Your build inspired me to start another Feline build. I ordered the ancient, but later boxing of the 1/72 Hasegawa F9F-8 Cougar.

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Sun Nov 12, 2017 8:30 am

SkyPainter303 wrote: Sun Nov 12, 2017 1:48 am I love it.

Your build inspired me to start another Feline build. I ordered the ancient, but later boxing of the 1/72 Hasegawa F9F-8 Cougar.

Thanks, SkyPainter303 - that's awesome!

Good luck with the build

Btw,I can really recommend the aftermarket decals from PrintScale !

Tommy

Post by **Tomcat64** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:56 am

Superb work Tommy - I'm not sure I'd have the guts to sand/polish decals but the results speak for themselves on your build

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:50 pm

Tomcat64 wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 8:56 am Superb work Tommy - I'm not sure I'd have the guts to sand/polish decals but the results speak for themselves on your build

Thank you very much Neil!

Well, I didn't have the guts to sand down the edges completely, but just reducing them a little bit makes a big difference.
I saw this trick in a PLASMO YouTube clip, so I decided to try it

Tommy

Lysus · Post by **Lysus** » Thu Nov 16, 2017 6:37 pm

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:09 pm

Lysus wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 6:37 pm

Thanks Lysus, you're the best

Tommy

Zen · Post by **Zen** » Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:29 pm

Beautiful indeed!

demarcation · Post by **demarcation** » Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:16 am

Outstanding work as always Tommy!!

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:42 pm

Zen wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2017 6:29 pm Beautiful indeed!

demarcation wrote: Sat Nov 18, 2017 12:16 am Outstanding work as always Tommy!!

Thanks guys!

Life have been really busy and I have not been able to spend much time at the bench lately....

But, I squeezed in some benchtime today

Masked the canopy using the Eduard mask set and some Humbrol Maskol.

I'm preparing the fuselage for washes. There where some dried in Tamiya polishing compound in the panel-lines and other tight spots where I could not reach it, so I cleaned up the model by loading water into the airbrush and spray-cleaning it.

The last bits and bobs of the kit

The loadout will be 2 pcs of 500 lbs bombs and 6 pcs of HVAR rockets (nicknamed "Holy Moses" by the pilots).

Cleaned up, assembled and ready for primer and paint!

Tommy

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:41 pm

Hello guys!

It's time to finish this build up now; I have painted the canopy and a couple of small parts (only the ordnance left to do now) and satin-coated everything that isn't flat-coated already.

I used 30% Microscale Satin thinned with 70% IPA. I premixed in an empty paintjar to avoid that it jams the airbrush.

Unmasking...

That's all for tonight.
Only the final assembly left to do now...

Tommy

Post by **Tomcat64** » Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:00 am

Looking great Tommy - can't wait to see the final assembly and reveal photos

Lysus · Post by **Lysus** » Tue Nov 21, 2017 6:49 pm

This is the part where I sound like a broken record stuck on praise.

I will add that it makes me sad that I couldn't find the time to do this kit, I really wanted to but I thought, well, Tommy is doing one so I can be satisfied watching. But I really dig this little jet and your work is making me fired up to grab one.*

*And then build it seven years from now

papatika · Post by **papatika** » Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:29 pm

Awesome, Tommy! Just awesome!!!

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Mon Nov 27, 2017 6:43 am

Thank you very much guys!

Ok, it's been a very busy weekend but I managed to get some bench-time.

I have weathered the main wheelbay with oilpaint Abt 502 "Dust".

And it's time to put on the main landing gears.

But it seems that the Panther is biting back... I'm sure I checked this before, assured that the resin nosecone would be enough noseweight. But that doesn't matter much

So, I'm not gonna bin it ofcourse - this can be fixed

Stay tuned

Tommy

Quax · Post by **Quax** » Mon Nov 27, 2017 1:57 pm

beautiful job Tommy, lets hope Capt MacArthur was overweight....

Paul

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Mon Nov 27, 2017 9:15 pm

Quax wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 1:57 pm beautiful job Tommy, lets hope Capt MacArthur was overweight....

Paul

Haha... Yeah, but I think that I have to help him with some noseweight anyway...

So let's get started with the surgery

I will use 4.5 mm steel shots so the hole needs to be ~5 mm

I start by filling the inside of the nose with PVA glue

r

I just drop the steel balls intro the glue

I will leave the glue to set overnight

In the meantime I can continue with the rest of the small parts

Dryfitting... I'm happy with that

Painting the 500 lb bombs and HVAR rockets

Stay tuned!

Tommy

papatika · Post by **papatika** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:39 am

Nice job, Dr. Killander!

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:00 pm

papatika wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:39 am Nice job, Dr. Killander!

Thanks papatika!

After the glue had dried up it's time to plug that hole and try to recover the paint,...

I'm using the scribing template to find out the exact size of the hole and transfer that to a piece of 1 mm plasticcard.

The size of the "plug" where just a little to big so I had to "press-fit" it into the hole. I'm also using TET to soften the plastic to make it easier to get it in place. The TET will ruin the paint around the hole, but that's unavoidable.

...and we have contact with the ground!

The correct way of doing this would be to leave the glue to cure for a couple of days - but I'm impatient, so I start sanding directly....

The seams are filled with CA-glue

After glue have cured I sand and polish the surface. The masking tape is there to protect the decals.

I coated the sides and the nosewheel well to protect it from overspray and hit it with primer

Coated with XF-17.

Glosscoat. X-22 thinned with MLT.

Satin coat. It's not perfect, but it is acceptable

The patient survived

Tommy

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:04 pm

Hello again!

It's just some small parts left to assemble now

Added the actuators for the main landing gear

...and the tailhook - almost forgot that one

500 lbs bombs and HVAR have been flatcoated and ready for assembly

Cleaning up the tail of the rockets

Resin gunbarrels - they looks really nice I think

One side completed!

And the build is completed!

I will take som better pictures later this week and post the Final Reveal photos!

Well, this build was a bit more exciting than it needed to be

The kit is really good and all the issues that I had where my own fault - they ursually are, don't they !?

I learned a couple of new things about gloss surfaces and decals that I think I will have use for when building civilian models.

So thanks for watching and I hope to see you in the next SiG or GB i participate in

Tommy

papatika · Post by **papatika** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 11:05 pm

Well done, my friend! Another great piece joins to your collection!

Attila

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:47 am

papatika wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 11:05 pm Well done, my friend! Another great piece joins to your collection!

Attila

Thank you very much, Attila

Tommy

Stash · Post by **bfrd** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:01 pm

Stunning work Tommy! Nice save on the nose weight. The scale makes it even more impressive.

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:14 pm

bfrd wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2017 12:01 pm Stunning work Tommy! Nice save on the nose weight. The scale makes it even more impressive.

Thanks a lot, Matthew!

It's probably not the last time I run into tail-sitting issues...

So I'm thinking of buying some of that "Liquid Gravity" stuff (from Deluxe Materials) that would have been ideal in this situation I think.

Tommy

Lysus · Post by **Lysus** » Thu Nov 30, 2017 6:27 pm

You must be some kind of surgeon to fix that nose up...amazing rhinoplasty. I'd never dare...

styrcrazy · Post by **styrcrazy** » Thu Nov 30, 2017 7:44 pm

Beautiful build with a stunning result. And a nice fix right at the end. I really enjoyed reading through your thread.

TommyKillander · Post by **TommyKillander** » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:10 pm

Lysus wrote: Thu Nov 30, 2017 6:27 pm You must be some kind of surgeon to fix that nose up...amazing rhinoplasty. I'd never dare...

Thanks Lysus, I worked for many years as a electronics design engineer and production engineer, so I'm pretty used to carving in PCBs with a scalpel

The most tricky part was to avoid destroying the decals

styrcrazy wrote: Thu Nov 30, 2017 7:44 pm Beautiful build with a stunning result. And a nice fix right at the end. I really enjoyed reading through your thread.

Thanks styrcrazy, I'm happy that you enjoyed the thread - it was a fun building the kit

Oh, almost forgot to mention that the Final Reveal photos can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=630&t=23758

Tommy