On the Bench

On the Bench

WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-2A Pt.2 – Painting & Finishing

Since I’m attaching the pylons from the beginning, I painted them first with the area around the sway braces being handpainted. The pins were all slightly oversized so I had to make the holes larger for the pylons to fit. The F-2 color scheme is an overall FS35109 medium blue with FS35045 dark blue highlights. …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Hobbyboss 1/72 Rafale Pt.3 – Painting & Finishing

I picked the build up again in February 2024 and while looking at what else needs to be done I reaalized that I had missed out on the a pair of lights on each wingroot. These were quickly handpainted. Based on pictures the inner one is actually a clear panel with the outer one being …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Hobbyboss 1/72 Rafale Pt.2 – Painting & Finishing

I’m building a French Air Force Rafale so the color scheme is a uniform medium gray which can look somewhat monotonous. To add some variations to the finish I first added a mottling coat with white color over a base of black. There are usually staining on the hind quarters. To help the eventual oil …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-2A Pt.1 – Construction

The first build of 2024 is Japan’s indigenous F-16 variant, the F-2 Viper Zero. Hasegawa usually makes some extra effort with Japanese subjects, let’s see how this one builds up. First impressions are mixed. This mold is from 1998 but it’s barely more detailed than the F-16 that’s from the 1980s. A plus is that...

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On the Bench

WIP : Academy 1/72 F/A-18E Super Hornet ‘Top Gun’ Pt.1 – Construction

Like any self-professed aviation geek, I was a massive fan of Top Gun: Maverick and upon seeing that DEF Model has issued decals for the aircraft in that movie including of course, Maverick’s F/A-18E Super Hornet, I just had to build one. The kit will be the newish Academy offering that is (somewhat) snapfit. I …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Hasegawa 1/72 F-15E Strike Eagle Pt.1 – Construction

Unlike most aviation fans, I’m not that much of a fan of the F-15. But it’s one of the more important fighter jets of the 20th/21st Century. And of course I want to have a ‘teen fighter’ collection so here we are. Likely overshadowed by newer releases, this Hasegawa offering is at one point, the …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Hobbyboss 1/72 Rafale C Pt.1 – Construction

It’s strange that considering how popular the Rafale is (200 or so units in active service) that only Hobbyboss has kitted the subject. My experience with Hobbyboss has been hit or miss though so let’s see how this one goes. As we shall see, this build will heavily reference this Rafale on the Prime Portal …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Fujimi 1/72 F-14A Tomcat ‘Top Gun’ Pt. 3 : Finishing

The edges of the gear doors were handpainted with red. This takes a bit of concentration and a steady hand of which I didn’t really have. I began with a panel wash using AK Abteilung Starship Filth. I really like the way Fujimi has done their panel lines. They are just fine enough to be …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Fujimi 1/72 F-14A Tomcat ‘Top Gun’ Pt. 2 : Painting

Painting begins with making sure the canopy frame is in black. I then base coated the whole kit with black primer, which in this case is Mr Surfacer Black thinned with Mr Levelling Thinner, which results in a smooth and slightly glossy finish. I wanted to build up the weathered finish layer by layer so …...

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On the Bench

WIP : Fujimi 1/72 F-14A Tomcat ‘Top Gun’ Pt. 1 : Construction

I’ve always wanted to model Maverick’s F-14A from the first Top Gun movie but I never had access to the markings. That was until I got my hands on the DEF Models JD72004 F-14A Tomcat Decal set – Movie Collection No.1 sheet. I’ve had this Fujimi kit for a long while now and had taken …...

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