FA-37 Talon From the movie 'Stealth' 1/24th Scale


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I'm telling ya straight...
It's A Frame Up!
Or to be more precise, a canopy frame.
Well only to say that using the masking tape and filler trick, it was done.
Much laying on of filler, sanding, scraping, painting, repeat and so on.

So enough about that and to paraphrase a line from a Monty Python sketch...
I Will Buy This Aircraft, It Is Scratched
Or to be more precise, scribed with them thar panel lines..
So then, much back and forth with the pics and plans and some pencil scraping along the way, the task was begun...

One thing that's always fun, scribing round compound curves.
This is where masking tape comes in handy and i shall explain for those who've never tried it

To begin with and i'll use a couple of lines needed on the top fuselage hump as an example here,
Two layers of masking tape with the shape drawn on then the excess cut away.



Then quite simply place and gently scribe round said shape. Pel off the tape, a lick over with some 600 grit wet and dry, a dab of paint and there you have it. Simple no?
For long continuous lines, some 4mm masking tape was laid out on the model but the general principle is the same.



Well this lark was perpetrated over the top of the fuselage like so with the help of the afore mentioned tape and plasticard strip.

After a coat or two of primer punctuated with a little rubdown we now get to some final surface detailing.
RIVETS!
Or at least a representation of them. Oh yes, regardless of how advanced this plane is supposed to be, gotta have rivets and they did in the film...no honest.
Namely around the canopy and a few panels each side for starters. Like this...

See? told ya.
Well now, for this little skit i'll be going round the panel dircetly under the canopy and the canopy frame itself.

Right then simple and quick, a gauge of sorts for spacing was needed so out with the plasticard,
notched cut at 3mm spacing and one freshly sharpened pointy thing with wooden handle.
Place gauge, get pointy end of pointy thing in notch and gently apply pressure and twist a little, repeat.

The before shot...

A lick of the wet and dry, a burst of primer and the after shot.

And then a spin round the canopy frame to finish with somethign resembling a flourish.

And there we have it all up to date.
The rough marks inside the canopy frame edge are not important and in an update at some point, i'll explain why...honest!



So then, more surface finishing to correct any remaining imperfections as we go and more fun to be had with the construction.
But for now that's ya lot for this turnout so i'll be back at some point and i trust you will be aswell.

Untill then as always, go easy folks and folkettes!


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