The SAAF Forum

Here's a real peach of a kit. I've read a lot of build reviews of these Wingnut Wings kits and I can say that all the positive sentiment is really spot on.

Box art - just from the packaging one can see that this is a quality product. Each sprue separately bagged to prevent scuffling and dame to the fine surface textures :



A couple of samples of the instruction booklet. Many great reference photos and other good info :

Mould seam lines are virtually invisible. Plastic is soft which make cutting easy. Surface detail is brilliant, fit is perfect. So far, I'm really having fun with this kit OOB :

Some of the main parts making up the Merc engine :



Engine fully assembled and painted / weathered :



I used the Barracuda Cast manifold - difference to kit part is this has the asbestos cord and heat shield providing a bit more detail :



Weathering one using a combination of the following :
a) Hairspray technique to show chipping
b) X-22 acrylic gloss varnish coat followed by polls and enamel washes

Two reasons why I've never tried one of these kits before :
a) rigging and
b) Wood grain effect

I decided now was the time to get some practice - below is a sample of my very first wood grain test on a piece of white plastic card. Two base colours were used - Tamiya XF-59 Desert Yellow and XF-60 dark yellow. Once airbrushed on these were then over sprayed with Tamiya X-22 acrylic gloss varnish - acrylic to protect the underlying enamel paints from the oils. The various tones of oils - Naples yellow, light red, burnt sienna, burnt umber and vandyke brown. These were applied with a soft brush randomly and then spread with a wide soft brush to provide the grain. Radom areas applied with darker oils. Quite happy with this as a first test :



Fuselage interior prepared with a base colour of lightened XF-59 (with 50% white) :



First attempt on fuselage - should have filled the ejector pin marks

Fuel tank and ammo bins - heavily weathered using hairspray technique and then enamel wash and oils :

Holy kamoly!!!

This build is epic!

_________________
How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Wow! A great choice of models, and a wonderful opportunity to push the technique's envelope.

That exhaust manifold is quite something...

Great. I like your wood grain. If you hadn't mentioned it is white sheet I'd take it for a piece of wood.

Can you elaborate on the hairspray technique? First time I hear about this.

So far I have resisted the wingnut models because I didn't want to start in a new scale. But now that they are doing the Taube I'm on the brink of giving in.

OK, it seems a good time to start my SE5 then
Nice work on the plywood

See viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8904&p=111763 and viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8671&p=109854

_________________
How come every time my ship comes in, I'm at the airport?

Non-modeller chipping in:
It would be great to have some models of the planes the SAAF started out with back in 1920.
Perhaps the modelling clubs could get together with the SAAF Museums to have a special show (or three) for the centenary.

Those arent cheap kits at all. Cracking build.

Hey Malcom. I know you are a stickler for detail on your builds...maybe check the scale on your heading

Great idea RtD. Will speak to the okes at GRSM and see what they feel.

Oi, you're right . Dunno how to change the heading. Maybe Dean can assist ?

Here are some more WIP piccies - starting to assemble the bits into the fuselage :





Tolerances of kit parts so tight that a coat of paint makes fit an issue. So be careful of having too much paint on mating surfaces especially on the fuselage frame sections. Wingnut Wings have a clever way of attaching the photoetch straps to the rear bulkhead - small holes are provided in the bulkhead into which a thin "leader" section of the photoetch belt is inserted. This is bent to lie flat with the rear of the bulkhead and is then glued with super glue. Very clever. Belts were annealed over a candle flame to make them softer before gluing in place and painting.

Instrument details - very nice little instrument decals provided in the kit which go down well with Microset :



I didn't bother putting in electrical / pneumatic hoses behind the instruments as they can't be seen anyway.