Scale finishing my BVM Hun
 

I am finally at the finishing stage of my BVM F-100 (Hun), D model.. This project has become bigger than “Ben Hur”, as I have dropped in and out of the build over the last few years. Anyhow, I do enjoy kit building and am a bit of a masochist, so have decided to do a proper scale finish depicting a real aircraft. This will be my very first "full on" scale project so don’t expect a master craft tutorial approach, but I will try my best and share a few things here as I complete them..

The subject I have chosen is a Vietnam era operational aircraft, specifically, F100 D, serial number 56-6163. I have chosen this airplane simply because I found a number of good, detailed photos of it on this brilliant website http://www.f-100.org/

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036817

63-163 was based Tuy Hoa Air Base Vietnam, sometime in the sixties as part of the 308 Tactical Fighter Squadron. At that time it was painted in South East Asia (SEA) camouflage, similar to all F-100s in service there. And from what the photos depict, it was pretty well used.

I wanted to do an operational aircraft, rather than a “Show” finish, because I think this is a better representation of what these air-planes were all about. Fighter planes are weapons, not show pieces.

Unfortunately this model will never qualify for serious scale competitions simply because the photos available would just not be good enough to be a set of scale documentation. I think it is kind of sad that scale comps like WJM require such rigorous photo docs, as it means only restored aircraft can be considered as subjects for competition. Restored full size aircraft are anything but representative of how these machines really looked like when being used for real, in a war setting.

I do however have quite a few pics of this and similar machines, and my aim I suppose is not to be extremely accurate with this project, but try and be typical of what these F-100Ds really looked like when in combat.

These are some of the full size pics. As you can see, it was pretty utilitarian. (I must thank Staff Sargent Bilcek… who ever and where ever he may be.)

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036818 http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036822 http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036826
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036827 http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036828 http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036829

If you want to see how my build has gone so far, look at Rafs thread here. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-j...ld-thread.html He has done a brilliant job of building his. Mine is finished up to paint stage, except for install of the cockpit, and Internal ductwork.

The first thing I wanted to do was work out the finishing system I intend to use. I purchased the base paint and the markings from Taylor Made Decals Germany..(BTW This company is brilliant, and were extremely helpful designing some custom markings and paint masks for me.)

As the finish I am trying to replicate is quite dirty and rough, I wanted to test out some different weathering techniques. The under wing weapons pylon were a good place to start as these are ready built, and provided enough detail to practice, without being a total disaster if I get it wrong…

This is roughly what I want to emulate.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036830 http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036831

Looking forward to it Roger!

Jack D Jr. has a hun in camo colors that looks beautifully like a well flown machine. Just the way they are supposed to.

You are going to love the way it flies too.http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/o...mileys/yup.gif

Here is the model pylons as supplied by BVM. The aluminium parts are glued in at an angle to replicate the sway plates. The BVM F/G pylons have a lot of surface detail moulded in.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036832


Next I painted the pylons with primer, then the “off white” base paint which is the SEA Cameo used on all under surfaces, supplied by Taylor made.. I then added a few rivets/fasteners using the old brass tube/soldering iron method. In hind sight I might do the rivets under the base coat next time.. They also seem to be a bit too large.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036833

The next step is to add the water slide decals. This is quite easy to apply, especially if you stick to the instructions !!. I cut out and added each one individually as this makes the job neater, and the decals sit nicely on the raised moulded surfaces. The little vents are a nice touch.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036834

Now to make it look used…. The first task is to damage and fade all these the beautiful new decals and signs that I just applied.. I started to do this with 600 grit paper directly on the decal.. This was only partially successfully, some of the decals tore, and some lifted off completely. (Not a complete disaster, as these were also decals/stickers on the full size, and suffered the same fate though normal wear and tear.)
I switched to using a cloth with a dab of paint thinners to fade the red signs, and gently rubbing the decal gave a nice faded/worn result. The red decal on the right has been weathered/faded, the left one is still new..
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036835

I now need to apply the grime and dirt that accumulates on these parts.. . To simulate this I obtained some dry paint pigment in black and white, ( a trick I learned form RCU Member Kirk Sonn), and mixed up some grey pigment. This creates a grey powder that is brushed on dry and rubbed in to the paint surface using paper towels, always moving in the direction of airflow. This gives a slightly oxidised affect. I found that adding a bit of moisture made the result better, and pushed the pigment to the front of panel lines and moulded hatches and rivets.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036836
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036837

I used some normal lead pencil to draw inside and highlight the moulded panel lines, as these obviously get dirty. And then I actually sanded through the base paint in a few places to replicate where an emblem or marking had been removed, on the full size.

The last bit of weathering was to add some grease and grime marks with my air brush. Some black base paint was loaded into it and gently misted on to the high maintenance areas of the pylons. (Where the armourers would have worked with greasy dirty hands. The men who worked tirelessly to keep these planes in the air.)

Finally a clear coat (Flat of course) was applied to seal everything in.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036838

And the first parts of my Hun are finished. !!

Thanks. Everyone keeps telling me this Raf.. Apparently this Super Scale jet, flies like a Bandit.

O.M.G. The detail, and the attention, to detail on those pylons. Wow, great work man!

The hun doesn't quite fly as precise as a bandit, but it does land somewhat similar.

After about 10 flights now, the approach has been, nose just a touch high with throttle on, as soon as I know I've got the runway made, I can bring my throttle to idle (gulp!) and let the nose drop to the runway and flare for touch down.

Having the landing down makes for a very comfortable flight, don't you think?!

For sure.. Landing is the ONLY mandatory manoeuvre:D..

I remember having landing issues with my Super Bandit.. It is kinda Heavy for a Bandit especially if it was part loaded with fuel and I was bouncing it more often than not. The cure was partly set up, and partly to do with correct procedure. Now it approaches and lands easy as pie, which makes the rest of the flight much more relaxing.

When I come to finally maiden this Hun, I will know that if it is set up correctly, and flown correctly, there is no nasty surprises lurking..

Great work Roger! So refreshing to see some building and finishing, post away! Thanks for sharing!

It's looking good Roger!!!!!! Too Bad you live on the other side of the world it would be nice to have another camouflage Hun over here to fly some formation with. By the way where did you get the decals for the pylons from.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036906http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2036907

That web site sucks you can't even find any thing that he produces. Plus i don't want the water slide type decals.

That is just sexy!

is it a two seater? Looks like a single, but if it was, it was likely used for these missions..

http://www.amazon.com/Bury-Us-Upside...XHKW6RG2PKCCYA

great read.

Agreed Patrick

Mine is a D model.. (Unfortunately)

Actually, after I purchased this kit, I did a bit of research on F-100s. It did not take me long to discover the Misty Legend. I have read both this book and "Misty". These should be required reading for anyone interested in Vietnam era air planes and the people who operated them..

The men who flew the Misty missions, were undoubtedly some of the bravest airmen ever to strap on a fighter.. For me at least, their story epitomises the Vietnam conflict.

If I ever was to do another one, it would be a Misty Hun.

Hi Greg,

You never know, I t may get to the USA one day..

Taylor Made don't have much shown on thier website.. I suggest you contact them via email as they have a huge catalogue of markings and of course can do customs as mine are.

I think they can do rub on transfers as well. I like the water slide type, but I intend to clear coat for final finish.

Roger

I have spent the last couple of weeks working on the cockpit.

Not being blessed with a 3D printer or the skills to operate it, I purchased the BVM cock pit kit, plus the Details for Scale A4 Gunsight This is a pretty labour intensive way to make a cockpit and does involve a bit of modelling skill The BVM cock pit parts are moulded resin, with the seat and tub from ply.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2039513


The various parts are hand fitted and then painted with an air brush. The wood parts need to be grain filled which takes time. The finest detail on the knobs and switches is added with a very fine artist brush.. My hands shake far too much to put in all the detail, but a bit of yellow and red added here and there adds some texture..

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2039516

Photos below are the first trial install of all the cockpit parts.. .
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2039520
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2039522

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2039523

And a real one.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2039524

Not perfect but it will do for me.. There is still a bit of finishing to do, but I can’t really go too much further until the canopy is installed, and to do that I need to have it painted..

I’m happy with the result so far. (Considering that every cock pit I have built up until now has stickers for instruments.) It is not completely, 100% scale, but to the casual observer it should be convincing enough..

F-100 Hot Section. My Attempt .
 

So,,, to update, my BVM Hun build is sloooowly progressing. The following pics are my take on re-creating the rear fuse surface details of an “in service”, and well used F100D

The amount and type of colouration varies from aircraft to aircraft, and on mine, the hot section was not blued at all, just titanium coloured Most of the hot section was actually painted over, but this creates another challenge as the paint has burned off leaving an uneven white oxidised residue behind. As you can see, my prototype plane has a few miles on her. The paint work has been done,and re done.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125387

To replicate this finish I decided to work in a similar manner to the full size and start with a metal finish, (albeit painted on),cover it with SEA camo paint, and then weather accordingly.

The first thing to do was add some aerofoil, aluminium film tape to all the hatches and access panels that are prescribed on the BVM mould. This give a slightly raised panel effect and add texture to the skin.

The whole aft section was given a coat of primer. Then the rear of the fuse was painted with an aluminium silver (base coat) paint, and then using BVM Titanium “hot section” Paint, I sprayed in some stripes, using the full size pics and panel lines as a guide.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125388http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125389http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125390

Rivets Need to be applied, after a few practice parts.. Using my cordless Dremel. This is a BIG job..

Second pic is an hours work
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125392http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125393


Then I airbrushed in the the white oxidisation parts which are visible around the edges of the burned off paint.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125394

All this paint was now sealed with a coat of two pack clear.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125395

I Then spayed the whole aft section, (excepting the unpainted parts) with a base coat of “South East Asia Camouflage”, and painted in the ID markings using masks
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125396http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125397http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125398

Now to make it look burned off and weathered.. I simply used 800 grit wet/dry to remove the camo paint where it had burned off. The pics show how..
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125399http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125400
The theory being, the under lying metal finish and detail was protected by the hard clear coat, so the wet/dry would only remove the camo paint.. To be fair, I had to re paint some parts from time to time to get the effect just right, but the final result is pretty convincing..
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125401http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125402http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125403http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125404http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125405

Now I started to add weathering detail and other marks that the photos show.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125406http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125407http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125408
I use Post It notes as a quick and reusable masks a lot.. Low tack and very affordable :)

All the detail is applied with these. The Iwata (sliver gun) is for very fine work..
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125409http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125410

The camo paint is removed in stategic places to mimic the full size.. These aircraft were not pretty.. Some hasty paint repairs are evident..
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125411http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125412

Finally there is some metal work at the rear end. The rectangular petals (Chute line retainer) are cut from 0.6mm aluminium sheet with contact glue, and the metal ring on the after burner is aerofoil.

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125413http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125414http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125415http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125416


Some subtle weathering is airbrushed on and around the petals..
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125417

Finally, when ALL the weathering and details are in place, a coat of 2K matt clear is applied to lock everything in.

This is the end result, loosley fitted to the front fuse..

What I have discovered in this scale journey, is that it takes a lot longer than a shiny sport finish!!

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/atta...mentid=2125419

That is looking really SWEET!!!!