u/gibbygobhead

Finally finished. Really enjoyed making this one. It was my first Tamiya (usually stay with Airfix) and first attempt with weathering powders and using gloss/matt varnishes.

One downside I found (halfway through the process) was airfix usually give you the option to choose landing gear up or down, I assumed this was a universal thing across all brands. Apparently this kit only allows you to have the wheels down. I skipped the instruction step for assembly of the gear as I knew I wanted it in flight. The problem came at the end when I realised the wheels are cut too thick to fit inside the wells. I had to sand them down and dispose of the metal leg on the inside of the "flaps". Therefore they dont sit flush against the fuselage but you live and learn.

I also didn't stick strictly to the correct decal scheme, as this livery should have a red heart on the cowling but I preferred the look of the blue emblem. The white band around the rear fuselage I also painted on myself instead of using the sticker, which I think adds to the look.

I used Tamiya x22 gloss after painting to then add a grey pin wash for panel lines, which didn't really work, so I then used AK ultra matt to deaden the paint down and my god does it make it matt! Just one coat completely killed the shine, a little too much for my liking, so applied the weathering powders and then sealed the model with a mix of about 60:40 Matt to Gloss varnish.

Some of you may remember I had an issue with this kit where I lost the back half of the canopy and was begging for spares. Managed to get a new sprue from Tamiya for £12.99 plus shipping, arrived within 4 days.

This is my 7th build in a year after leaving the hobby around age 13. Let me know what you think and any tips to improve!

Thank you guys. What a nice community we have here :)

Finally finished. Really enjoyed making this one. It was my first Tamiya (usually stay with Airfix) and first attempt with weathering powders and using gloss/matt varnishes.

One downside I found (halfway through the process) was airfix usually give you the option to choose landing gear up or down, I assumed this was a universal thing across all brands. Apparently this kit only allows you to have the wheels down. I skipped the instruction step for assembly of the gear as I knew I wanted it in flight. The problem came at the end when I realised the wheels are cut too thick to fit inside the wells. I had to sand them down and dispose of the metal leg on the inside of the "flaps". Therefore they dont sit flush against the fuselage but you live and learn.

I also didn't stick strictly to the correct decal scheme, as this livery should have a red heart on the cowling but I preferred the look of the blue emblem. The white band around the rear fuselage I also painted on myself instead of using the sticker, which I think adds to the look.

I used Tamiya x22 gloss after painting to then add a grey pin wash for panel lines, which didn't really work, so I then used AK ultra matt to deaden the paint down and my god does it make it matt! Just one coat completely killed the shine, a little too much for my liking, so applied the weathering powders and then sealed the model with a mix of about 60:40 Matt to Gloss varnish.

Some of you may remember I had an issue with this kit where I lost the back half of the canopy and was begging for spares. Managed to get a new sprue from Tamiya for £12.99 plus shipping, arrived within 4 days.

This is my 7th build in a year after leaving the hobby around age 13. Let me know what you think and any tips to improve!

Thank you guys. What a nice community we have here :)

Finally finished. Really enjoyed making this one. It was my first Tamiya (usually stay with Airfix) and first attempt with weathering powders and using gloss/matt varnishes.

One downside I found (halfway through the process) was airfix usually give you the option to choose landing gear up or down, I assumed this was a universal thing across all brands. Apparently this kit only allows you to have the wheels down. I skipped the instruction step for assembly of the gear as I knew I wanted it in flight. The problem came at the end when I realised the wheels are cut too thick to fit inside the wells. I had to sand them down and dispose of the metal leg on the inside of the "flaps". Therefore they dont sit flush against the fuselage but you live and learn.

I also didn't stick strictly to the correct decal scheme, as this livery should have a red heart on the cowling but I preferred the look of the blue emblem. The white band around the rear fuselage I also painted on myself instead of using the sticker, which I think adds to the look.

I used Tamiya x22 gloss after painting to then add a grey pin wash for panel lines, which didn't really work, so I then used AK ultra matt to deaden the paint down and my god does it make it matt! Just one coat completely killed the shine, a little too much for my liking, so applied the weathering powders and then sealed the model with a mix of about 60:40 Matt to Gloss varnish.

Some of you may remember I had an issue with this kit where I lost the back half of the canopy and was begging for spares. Managed to get a new sprue from Tamiya for £12.99 plus shipping, arrived within 4 days.

This is my 7th build in a year after leaving the hobby around age 13. Let me know what you think and any tips to improve!

Thank you guys. What a nice community we have here :)