u/Altruistic_Elk3384

Calling this complete - 1/72 XAJ-1 Savage Prototype

This was a down conversion from the Mach2 AJ-2 kit and all that entailed. The down conversion required:
> Cutting down the vertical stab/rudder,
> Adding dihedral to the horizontal stabs and notching for the rudder,
> Cutting the chord down on the props and extending them by 3/8”,
> Relocating the main entrance hatch,
> Relocating one set of exhausts to the outboard side of the nacelle,
> Scratch building the entire cockpit because replacing the heavily framed canopy for a frameless opening ‘bubble’ canopy would open the cockpit to wider viewing,
> Removing later model antennas and radioes,
> Vacuforming a new frameless bubble canopy,
As expected, the Mach2 kit put up resistance but almost all of it was fixable. By far the nacelles and cowling had the worst fit and required a lot of work. The one thing not fixable is the mismatch between wing roots on the fuselage halves, with one lower than the other giving the a/c the ‘leans’ to starboard. I partially offset that by mounting the stbd strut (main struts sourced from SAC’s 1/72 Su-27 mag with wheels/tires from Brassin’s 1/72 P-47) slightly longer than the port. Additionally there is a bit of droop in the outer wing panels not apparent until well along in assembly.
The canopy was vacuformed using an epoxy buck shaped from the framed kit canopy, and placed on a scratch built base. AlClad metallics were used for the NMF and a mixture of spare, kit and aftermarket (CtA’s AJ Savages) decals used over a gloss clear coat. A finishing coat of AlClad clear semi-luster was applied and the canopy set in place with UV ca glue.
I’ve always liked the Savage and especially liked the clean appearance of the bubble canopy prototype. *If* I build another Savage though, I’m using Roden’s kit…
(McDonnell’s FH-1 and North American’s FJ-1 provided for contemporary size comparisons).

Calling this complete - 1/72 XAJ-1 Savage Prototype

This was a down conversion from the Mach2 AJ-2 kit and all that entailed. The down conversion required:
> Cutting down the vertical stab/rudder,
> Adding dihedral to the horizontal stabs and notching for the rudder,
> Cutting the chord down on the props and extending them by 3/8”,
> Relocating the main entrance hatch,
> Relocating one set of exhausts to the outboard side of the nacelle,
> Scratch building the entire cockpit because replacing the heavily framed canopy for a frameless opening ‘bubble’ canopy would open the cockpit to wider viewing,
> Removing later model antennas and radioes,
> Vacuforming a new frameless bubble canopy,
As expected, the Mach2 kit put up resistance but almost all of it was fixable. By far the nacelles and cowling had the worst fit and required a lot of work. The one thing not fixable is the mismatch between wing roots on the fuselage halves, with one lower than the other giving the a/c the ‘leans’ to starboard. I partially offset that by mounting the stbd strut (main struts sourced from SAC’s 1/72 Su-27 mag with wheels/tires from Brassin’s 1/72 P-47) slightly longer than the port. Additionally there is a bit of droop in the outer wing panels not apparent until well along in assembly.
The canopy was vacuformed using an epoxy buck shaped from the framed kit canopy, and placed on a scratch built base. AlClad metallics were used for the NMF and a mixture of spare, kit and aftermarket (CtA’s AJ Savages) decals used over a gloss clear coat. A finishing coat of AlClad clear semi-luster was applied and the canopy set in place with UV ca glue.
I’ve always liked the Savage and especially liked the clean appearance of the bubble canopy prototype. *If* I build another Savage though, I’m using Roden’s kit…
(McDonnell’s FH-1 and North American’s FJ-1 provided for contemporary size comparisons).

> 1/72 conversion of Mach2’s AJ-2 to the XAJ-1 prototype: Stain 6 is done save for any required touch-ups. Clear coat next for decals. Cut the Vacuform canopy to display opened, need to re-work the canopy base to a wider spread to accommodate the wider stance of the bubble canopy. This will be the last thing to mount after decals etc., are in place.
> 1/144 Titan 3C w/MOL/Blue Gemini and DynaSoar: priming and compiling a 💩-ton of masking tape for the upcoming paint evolution.
> 1/48 Revell AD-5Q/EA-1F: one more layer of white then into Light Gull Grey (gloss).

> 1/72 conversion of Mach2’s AJ-2 to the XAJ-1 prototype: Stain 6 is done save for any required touch-ups. Clear coat next for decals. Cut the Vacuform canopy to display opened, need to re-work the canopy base to a wider spread to accommodate the wider stance of the bubble canopy. This will be the last thing to mount after decals etc., are in place.
> 1/144 Titan 3C w/MOL/Blue Gemini and DynaSoar: priming and compiling a 💩-ton of masking tape for the upcoming paint evolution.
> 1/48 Revell AD-5Q/EA-1F: one more layer of white then into Light Gull Grey (gloss).

WIP on the Workbench
Primer arrived Monday - in the meantime went back through my research materials and found several items that needed addressing. Primer shot and moving forward with paint
> Revell 1/48 AD-5Q/EA-1F: During review found I’d skipped over making/installing the ALQ-2 tailfairing, so fashioned one out of scrap and sanding to shape. Decided to install the pylons and ended up using guitar wire as installation guides as the kit’s were more like pimples than mounting points.
> Anigrand 1/144 Titan 3C: The detailed instructions Anigrand provides makes locating and installing the miscellaneous fussy bits pretty easy. Well, actually, the instructions are anything but detailed which is part of the charm/challenge in building these kit. Major parts primed and awaiting primary white and silver coats.
> 1/72 XAJ-1 conversion of Mach2 AJ-2: Review led to removal of production radomes/antenna, adding enhanced (prototype only) air scoop on stbd side and reworking props by extending 1/4” and narrowing chord on all 8 blades. Re-primed, shot and masked the tail cap and nose (white) and started final paint (NMF).

Primer arrived Monday - in the meantime went back through my research materials and found several items that needed addressing. Primer shot and moving forward with paint
> Revell 1/48 AD-5Q/EA-1F: During review found I’d skipped over making/installing the ALQ-2 tailfairing, so fashioned one out of scrap and sanding to shape. Decided to install the pylons and ended up using guitar wire as installation guides as the kit’s were more like pimples than mounting points.
> Anigrand 1/144 Titan 3C: The detailed instructions Anigrand provides makes locating and installing the miscellaneous fussy bits pretty easy. Well, actually, the instructions are anything but detailed which is part of the charm/challenge in building these kit. Major parts primed and awaiting primary white and silver coats.
> 1/72 XAJ-1 conversion of Mach2 AJ-2: Review led to removal of production radomes/antenna, adding enhanced (prototype only) air scoop on stbd side and reworking props by extending 1/4” and narrowing chord on all 8 blades. Re-primed, shot and masked the tail cap and nose (white) and started final paint (NMF).

1/72 XAJ-1 conversion from Mach2 AJ-2: Fuselage assembled, corrections made to vert. stabilizer and new rudder laid out for re-scribing. Sanded down the crew entry hatch and re-scribed the correct one in the proper location. Shims placed to aid horizontal stab dihedral. Buck made a new canopy - needs fine sanding to the final shape and vacuum forming. Props built up. Next: correct exhaust locations/configuration, seam work, and re-scribing of fuselage, mount stabs and wings, and the heavy seam work to follow.

> XAJ-1 conversion of 1/72 Mach2 AJ-2: Buildout of the cockpit continues. Using Ginter’s classic on the AJ Savage, additional images provided by Tommy Thomason, instructions from Roden’s AJ-1 Savage, and Eduard’s PE to design, build, and detail the XAJ-1’s cockpit to scale. All this is required because the flight deck is entirely visible due to the prototype's use of a clear bubble canopy versus the heavily-framed production’s version.

> XAJ-1 conversion of 1/72 Mach2 AJ-2: Buildout of the cockpit continues. Using Ginter’s classic on the AJ Savage, additional images provided by Tommy Thomason, instructions from Roden’s AJ-1 Savage, and Eduard’s PE to design, build, and detail the XAJ-1’s cockpit to scale. All this is required because the flight deck is entirely visible due to the prototype's use of a clear bubble canopy versus the heavily-framed production’s version.

> 1/72 Mach2 AJ-2 conversion to XAJ-1: trial fit of major components and surprise (not) - there are issues. Significant gap at the top spine, with what appears to be warpage out of the mold. Not sure to what extent, if any, it will have on the rear wing misalignment - if it doesn’t, this just might have been one of those 🤷‍♂️ moments. Looks like I’ll be able to get the dihedral on the horizontal stabs with some shims. Can't wait to see the felony mess the engine nacelles are going to be.

> 1/72 Mach2 AJ-2 conversion to XAJ-1: trial fit of major components and surprise (not) - there are issues. Significant gap at the top spine, with what appears to be warpage out of the mold. Not sure to what extent, if any, it will have on the rear wing misalignment - if it doesn’t, this just might have been one of those 🤷‍♂️ moments. Looks like I’ll be able to get the dihedral on the horizontal stabs with some shims. Can't wait to see the felony mess the engine nacelles are going to be.

Calling this one complete. Built wholly OOB to represent a specially equipped ELINT variant designed to provide strike support through jamming and the anti-radiation variant of the Kh-22 (Kh-22P). This example was assigned to Soviet Long Range Aviation - specifically the 341st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (341 TBAP, military unit 27882) based at Ozernoye Air Base near Zhytomyr, Ukraine, during the 1980s (and one I most likely would have worked against operating off Med-deployed carriers then).
This is a limited edition kit and, as such, presented several challenges in terms of fit, but nothing significantly difficult. Some aspects were over-engineered, especially in the cockpit areas for a 1/72 a/c with very little glass and no means to display (e.g., each if the 3 ejection seats consisted of no less than 12 parts, yet none are visible once the fuselage is closed up. By far the most problematic areas were the engine pods wing roots and forward fuselage joint - the latter necessitating manufacturing tabs to align and strengthen the joint. A set of masks was enclosed for the clear parts including internal masking for the Blinder’s anti-flash covers. I also used NewWaree’s kabuki masks for the extensive anti-flash white areas around the a/c.
The kit was finished with no less than 12 metallic shades from AlClad - the most I’ve used to date. Kit decals were used as they were sourced from Begemot, my go-to decals when building Soviet era jets. Trying a different methodology, I did not use a gloss undercoat - the decals w/MicroSet/Sol worked exceptionally well and the minimal oil wash using Modeller’s Oils (first time for me) went very well. My chief reason forvthiscus I wanted the deliberately varied/worn sheens of the metallics to not be mitigated by a clear coat a sci have sometimes encountered in the past and more accurately represent those surfaces on the real Tu-22 Blinder.
Overall a decent build with some challenges but nothing a moderately skilled builder couldn't handle and be proud of the result.

Finish line in sight. Panel wash/lining completed. Detail parts being added (e.g., RATO boosters) and all clear parts unmasked. Unlike in the past, I did not put on a coat of gloss before decals or weathering. I wanted to keep the raw metal sheen, which varies by panel, and accentuate it as I went through with the oil-based panel lining. Really pleased with both these new oils and the results. I will go back over the decals with a thinned wash of Galleria matte for protection—the Begemot decals laid down nicely and have a smooth, flat finish—last of the tiny bits and any touch-ups to wrap, then off for the glamour shots.

Decals done, light weathering and attaching all the fiddly (read: ‘easily broken off’) pieces. AS-4 decaled, weathered and complete. RATO bottles finished and awaiting attachment.

WIP on the Workbench:
1/72 Modelsvit Tu-22kdp Blinder - and now the decal slog begins. At least they are the usually very good Begemot decals. Starting with the AS-4 Kitchen to get that out of the way.