This channel is my adventures in making scale models. I have been making models on and off since I was 5 years old and have come back to it in recent years with a renewed passion. Having spent a lot of hours watching other people’s channels and learning a lot from them, I thought it was time I had a go and shared by learning with others. I work predominantly in 1:24 and 1:32 and usually build aircraft. I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to modelling and have spent a lot of time working on techniques, which I am now hoping to share with like-minded modellers. If this is something that interests you then please click on Subscribe and come with me on my modelling adventures.
Nicely done my friend! Love the way all comes together on the final polishing. I'm going to try the Tamiya polish and see how much damage I can do, LOL. I'm amazed at how you have embraced the 1/72 venue. Love it as you do a marvelous job! One question did the DW come so low onto the port wing root? Seems like it would be aligned along the side door. Nevertheless, I'm very impressed with your build and finish. Another Spit added to your stable. Wonderful work! Cheers, Rhys
What's going on Rich ?...you've not positioned the rudder and elevators on that Spit ! 🤣😂😉...Seriously though, that's a beautiful finish on that little Spit....absolutely flawless 👏Great masking tips and the polishing technique is very interesting. There are some great reference pics in the latest " Aeroplane " Magazine edition of a beautifully restored Corsair with a high gloss finish you might find of interest when you get into your Corsair build. Great Video and glad you're enjoying the Braille Scale experience 😀 🍻 Dean.
the too big codes were the fault of the air ministry in the late 30's when they issued a standardisation order for aircraft letters, due to a mix up somewhere, fighters were given sizes for letters that were actually the size that should have been put onto bomber aircraft!
Thanks for the painting tips the kit turned out really nice. I have worked on RAF fast jets and the trainers are usually very clean and with a gloss finish so this is quite accurate.
Addendum: the F-104C I built was based on one of the F-104C's in my Air National Guard unit here in Puerto Rico which we flew until 1975. These came directly from Vietnam in 1970.
Good day. I hear you my friend. Yes the Italeri line of F-104's in 1/32 do have some nasty flaws. I built the F-104 A/C No. 2504 in SEA cammo last year and did confront some issues. First, the intakes as you mention needed some work to make them fit right. Then the gears. I knew that the plastic gear legs were very fragile and hence bound to break apart during the build. What I did was I used the SAC metal gears instead and super-glued them as directed but left the smaller parts off to be fitted after painting was done to avoid breakage. It worked for me. The slightly twisted fuselage front, well, mine was not that twisted and I fitted it forcing the twist back into its almost right place. Since I opened the right side avionics bay and added the resin after-marked bay, I had to re-shape the nose gear bay to fit correctly with the avionics bay, hence, I also worked with the fit to counter the still slight twist. In the end the nose gear fitted in its correct stance. One good thing about the SAC metal gear is that if there is a slight twist, or one side is a bit lower or higher than the other, you can safely bend it a bit to its right stance. I also used resin wheels to enhance the model. In the end, with much work, some elbow grease, some unorthodox out of the box thinking and a bit of luck I ended up with a fine looking Vietnam era F-104C. May I suggest to you to try to add the SAC metal gear that it is still probably possible to set in place at this point of your build. The nose gear then you can bend a bit to counter the fuselage twist. If you can do that, yes you will end up with a nice model worthy of your excellence and standards. Suggest to take a break from it, get the SAC metal gears, arm yourself with your favorite drink (tea, coffee, or else), place the model on your workbench and walk around it with critical eye and critical thinking. The solution will spring out by itself. I've done it many times and it works. I know you will fix as much as you can and finish a gorgeous model as you always do. Best wishes my friend.
Hi George, thank you so much for the info in the F104. I think the ship has now sailed on the practical application of the gear being down now. All the gear doors are glued in the up position now. I'll make it work as an in flight model at some point though. I have deffo walked away and will be giving Italeri kits a wide birth from now on. 😁
@@RichardsModellingAdventures 1/72 is already pretty big. But if you have the room for a 1/48....... I have the Hasegawa 1/72 in my stash and it's a big kit. What do you reckon?
This is always my worry with any 104 kit. The fuselage is only stabile from the nacelles to the empennage. I have never seen one sit correctly or not have a twist. One wing always hangs low or you detect a LOT of fettle at the lower root. One thing that can alleviate a bit of twist is laying it in bright sunshine (UK on the car dash) to preheat it then using a heat gun and a pile of little sandbags. Trouble. Bummer. I had better hopes for this kit. Loved the little Provost!
Best thing to do when you fall out with a build is to walk away. Always a danger that you don’t go back to it but trying to press on when your heart isn’t in it is a recipe for disaster.
Mate, that's a bummer, but I love the warts and all honesty of videos like this 👍 I'm sure it won't be long before the Siren call of the 104 tempts you back to its sexy curves. 😍 And it's such a dynamic looking Aircraft, it lends itself to "gear up " Display anyway. 😏 🍻 Dean. p.s. I've flicked you an email 😀
With 1/32 and bigger models, ALWAYS reinforce the landing gear with metal. Use al steel rod, of change for a whole bronze cast. Never trust plastic or resin landing gears. Also, it´s advisable to reinforce te model internally, with styrene tubes with steel rods inside. Just a reminder.
Great video and build Richard, superb attention paid to the painting aswell. I agree also that 2k subs is far too low for your channel but am pleased to be one of the 2k
I think the twisted fuselage is a problem across all 104 kits. I had the same problem with my Hasegawa 1/48. I put a small fishing weight inside the right wing fuel tank to make the kit sit more evenly, and I sanded some material off the wheel too. When I build another it'll be an in-flight so it won't matter.
@@RichardsModellingAdventures it's one of those designs that just look great parked or flying. But I agree the 1/32 104 would need a beefy stand for a flight display. That would be a lot of plastic being supported from the exhaust nozzle.
La variante che stai costruendo non lo acquistata, ma ho sia il 104 G/S che il TF104G...il primo, tanto decantato, presenta un errore madornale riguardo la griglia di raffreddamento presente a sx poco prima della coda (i geni di italeri l'hanno riprodotta rialzata, mentre invece è a filo della fusoliera...e già lì ci sarebbe da discutere)...nel TF invece, le sedi circolari dove sono posizionate le luci lampeggianti (presenti anche sulle tiptank e all'inizio delle prese d'aria) non sono affatto centrate (e anche in questo caso, un'altra deficienza dei progettisti nostrani)... Riusciranno i "nostri eroi tricolori" a produrre qualche kit privo di errori cosi grossolani quanto banali? Per ciò che mi riguarda, ho imparato a tenermi alla larga da questo marchio...
Interesting stuff. Thanks for this. It's nice to know it's not just me having issues. As said in the video, life is too short. Fixing problems is fun but I fear in the case of this kit, some of the issues are a bridge too far for me at the moment.
@@RichardsModellingAdventures Il problema è che italeri non fa pagare poco i suoi prodotti, almeno qui in Italia...dovrebbero essere più accurati i kit che propongono, anche in forza del fatto che, con le tecnologie odierne, riprodurre al meglio non dovrebbe essere difficile.
@@RichardsModellingAdventures Yes, this is also true, but a kit, like the Starfighter, much advertised (when it had yet to be marketed) should not have presented errors like those described by me... let's also add the price which is a little too exorbitant and the circle closes. Strange that Tamiya didn't produce a 104 in 1/32 (they had that in service too). Not to mention, as perhaps mentioned in some other article, the C130J, in 1/48, which the Italian producers naively printed with the engine nacelles of the C130H, same scale...perhaps thinking that the model maker wouldn't notice... .that's why, despite having purchased some of their kits, I keep a safe distance from them. Incidentally, now that there are the two Macchi in 1/32 (202 & 205) I wouldn't buy them even if they cost €25.
Perhaps, if they are available for the front too? The only other alternative is to work out how to fit them after like most conventional builds are done.
A couple of questions...... I know the fuselage seams are already good but what did you do to make them vanish completely? Also why didnt you add the nose weight and instrument panel before you put the fuselage together? Thanks.
Hi Ricardo. The whole model was sanded. I have very little interest in moulded in panel lines. Most of the time they are way too deep or wide IMHO. At this scale they are all but pointless. I rather achieve a smooth surface for painting. Sanding and then primer to see how it looks is the way to go. The model also probably had at least 5 applications of clear lacquer that has been sanded, each application helps to fill in small imperfections. All this came from me starting back in the hobby building model cars and motorcycles. The nose weight was just easier to add at this point anyway, and I didn't even consider it needed any as the Airfix instruction don't mention it. The instrument panel was added before joining but it got washed away when I removed all of the paint and started again with the new colour scheme.
@@RichardsModellingAdventures cheers. Sorry I didn't mean the panel lines but the fuselage joint. Airfix are very good now but what was your technique for getting rid of the seam completely? Thanks.
How hard is it to click the thumbs up? Just 37 likes from over 400 views is ridiculous. Another fantastic build Richard especially in a scale you are not keen on.
@@ricardoroberto7054 thanks Ricardo. It’s the internet, it’s a fickle strange place 🤪I loved this build. It has changed my perspective on smaller scales. They take up less room, considerably cheaper, a challenging experience to do well and don’t take as long. I’ll mix them in with larger builds going forwards 🙏👍
@@RichardsModellingAdventures Good stuff. 1/72 is all I do due to space constraints but rigging a sopwith pup can be challenging but I love the scale. Look forward to seeing more.
Very pristine and wonderful build Richard. You mentioned you had to remove all of the paint on a previous covering, were you using acrylic paint at that point? If not, how are you able to get the paint removed without marring the surface. Again, Richard everything looks great. From your comments earlier I thought you would never do a 1/72nd scale model, but here you are. Cheers, Rhys
I used various paints but IPA and a bit of time removes anything and has no effect on plastic, even the clear stuff. The whole model ended up in my ultrasonic cleaner at one point. I have changed my opinion of 1/72nd scale. I really enjoyed this one and will be doing more ( one on the bench now) 😀
Based on box art I would have gone with the red too, I think it stands out and is easier than orange. Really smooth finish too. Cheers till the next build
How come you only have 2/000 odd subscribers ???? It’s truly criminal considering the skill and knowledge and entertainment that you provide tours mere mortals ! It honestly baffles me when you consider other channel’s numbers many thanks ray bham
@@RayWheeldon Thanks Ray. I only started this May so I consider it early days. RU-vid has been a huge learning curve that’s for sure. Thank you so much for the support and encouragement 🙏
After that epic Spitty build, I am ready to follow your builds anywhere they lead. I learn so much from you, it is a pleasure to watch each video, even these smaller builds.
@@tmcmurdo826 Thank you so much. I don’t want to be “the foil guy”, that’s only one small part of model building. This little kit was so nice to build, I hope others will follow along. .Thanks again 🙏
