The Duke's Modern Aircraft

[Duke Maddog]

Okay, I've had this 1/72 scale F/A-18F screaming at me to build it so here it is as my submission for this campaign.

The box:

The contents... unstarted:

Naturally, I started with the cockpit:

It's pretty basic but there will be a lot of decals going in there once I paint it. Next is a shot of the cockpit on the forward fuselage assembly:

After that, I assembled the main fuselage assembly:

Finally, I completed the main wings; drilling out the holes for the ordinance and cementing the parts together. Now all the sub assemblies for this aircraft are done and I can complete the cockpit and start shooting paint on this:

Okay, that completes my latest progress so far. Hopefully I can get even further later in the week. Meanwhile, thanks for looking in, comments are welcome!

 

[Hippy Ed]

 

[Swordsman]

Nice choice Mark ..... be ....

 

[SA Dave]

Great choice Mark

 

[dollar19]

looking forward to this one! Great choice!

 

[Duke Maddog]

Thanks guys! She's coming along quite well so far.

 

[Sherman 18]

Cool! Great start Mark!

 

[Swordsman]

I love to see Me some twin-tailed AC ....... :skipper

 

[Duke Maddog]

Thanks guys! More to come in a few days...

 

[Hippy Ed]

Hey Mark, ya know who the granddaddy is right?

The North American A3j-1 Vigilante! hyeah

 

[Duke Maddog]

Yes, I know. I just haven't found a 1/72 scale kit of one to build for my Naval Air Forces yet. Maybe someday.

 

[Hippy Ed]

Yes, I know. I just haven't found a 1/72 scale kit of one to build for my Naval Air Forces yet. Maybe someday.

 

[Duke Maddog]

Well, I finally found time to get to the workbench after all this time. Now I managed to get enough progress to show here.

While waiting for parts to dry on other projects I was working on; I pulled out my Hornet, dipped the canopy and windscreen in Future, and then continued with the extensive sanding and filling and sanding again until I'd gotten it done as well as I could expect. Then I installed the canopy and windscreen on the model:

When this was dry, I applied the liquid mask to the windscreen and canopy in preparation for painting:

Thanks for looking in, comments are welcome.

 

[Skinny_Mike]

i really love the super bug! Just a fantastic aircraft! Yours is looking very nice!

 

[SA Dave]

Nice going there

 

[lupanzer]

Very good

Luiz

 

[Swordsman]

Starting to look like a very nice Bird Mark ... Cheers !!! ... Still

 

[Duke Maddog]

Thanks guys! I may have enough soon to fire up the spray booth Stay tuned...

 

[Gator]

Looking good Mark. I picked up a 1/72 Vigilante earlier this year. My brother-in-law was assigned to the Vigilante squadron on the Nimitz in the 70's before they retired the aircraft.

 

[Duke Maddog]

That's cool Kenny. I think the Vigilante is one of the few aircraft I've not built a model of.

Okay, now for the latest...

Today was a day of two steps forward one-and-a-half steps backward.

Today, I fired up the compressor and got some paint and clear coats shot on some models. One of those was the F/A-18 for this campaign.

Today I shot paint on the F/A-18 Hornet in grey on the top:

After about three to four hours, I figured I could mask off the F/A-18 for the second coat of paint underneath, so I pulled out my trusty blue tape and went to work:

Then I shot the lighter color on the bottom:

While that was drying; I did some other models that can be seen in my Maddog Manufacturing Thread. Eventually, I pulled the tape off the F/A-18 and realized why I don't normally use acrylics. This was the result:

Yep! Pulled the paint right off the sides and the wings.

I pulled the tape off the F/A-18 nd realized why I don't normally use acrylics. This was the result:

Yep! Pulled the paint right off the sides and the wings.


I just cannot catch a break....

On that disappointing note, I'll leave this here until I can find some time later to get this fixed. I'm thinking I need to get some new paint anyway.

Thanks for looking in, comments are welcome.