Alan Scheckenback - 1/72 Airfix Saab Draken
Pre-Blitz:
Decided which Tamiya rattle can colours approximated those Humbrol paints noted on the instructions. Not confident enough to use the airbrush Mike Nelmes gave me years ago.
Cockpit colour – Swedish ogre snot green – bought a tin.
Measured the diameter of the model’s exhaust: 8mm. Found out where to buy acrylic rod – bought a length to make the stand out of (unbelievably it comes in 8mm diameter).
I’m not real flash at masking canopies – decided to cheat by dipping canopy in Pledge One-Go the week before and start masking drama. Called away unexpectedly for work trip – no cheating possible.
29 October Friday night: Starting about 1930
Encouragement from wife to do a good job.
Descend into the Bunker.
Fire up stereo – play old Biggles Learns to Fly tape talking book.
Cleaned up and wiped the bench.
Got all my old Humbrol tins out and lined them up in a neat oblong in numerical order – Acrylic paints? –ptooey!! Over there and begone ye anathema!
Trim parts.
Ignore sink marks.
Pre-paint the cockpit, intakes and ejector seat.
Mask canopy. (A kind soul (Steve Honeyman?)(Oxymoron?) told me how they do it and I followed instructions for a change – worked a treat).
Glue in undercarriage doors and white glue canopy in place.
Stick jugs together – sand feverishly trying to get the seams to disappear.
Thought I’d try preshading of panel lines – had a lovely time – cool scheme in its own right.
30 October Saturday: Starting about 1030 post dog walking, getting a load of washing on and leisurely breakfast.
Play 70s and 80s music on tape player and then old radio-play CDs – keeps teenage children away.
Guess at length of acrylic rod required for stand.
Cut.
Made up an interior stop for the stand to fit behind the cockpit and a centre locator.
Began drilling out the exhaust parts – melted the bottom.... rude words.
Drove to Fyshwick to find another kit. No luck. Of course having been at Toyworld on Friday afternoon, and not seeing the Draken kit which I was told was actually there, I did not return...
No Draken kits to be had in Fyshwick – Bought a 1/48 Mirage III just in case.
Consider how to fix the kit’s exhaust and return home.
Glue fuselage together.
Get busy with knife and soldering iron and get the exhaust to fit with the help of filler and nail files and buffers.
Some housework.
Outer wing panels on and weapon and jug mounts fitted.
Mask underside centre for the first coat of aluminium.
Spray – preshading last about 12 seconds before being obliterated.
Hairdryer.
Spray.
Hairdryer etc.
Mask to spray upper surfaces.
Spray (upper pre-shading lasts 8 seconds before disappearing).
Hairdryer (now I take the hairdryer down to the Bunker) repeat....
Mask aluminium belly section to spray the other underside colour.
Spray.
Hairdryer.
Repeat lots of times.
Heavy thunder and rain but can barely hear it in ze Bunker.
Spray jugs.
Hairdryer too hot and close.
Sand back bubbled paint.
Respray.
Hairdryer too close.
Sand back bubbled paint.
Respray.
Hold hairdryer further away – paint dries nicely.
Consider how to create camouflage pattern with rattle cans.
Remember in the dawn of time having read about using sausages of blutac to create soft edges like an airbrush. Worth a try.
Find old bluetac, roll sausages just like at pre-school.
Approximate camo pattern and mask off everything else.
Spray.
Hairdryer.
Repeat three times.
Peel off masking and blutac.
Lovely job! I impress even myself.
Gloss coat.
Hairdryer.
Repeat.
Knock off a bit after midnight.
31 October Sunday:
Leisurely start mid morning after informing No.2 son that he’ll be taking the dog for a walk this morning.
Stereo on – Some solid German Marches followed by Jean-Michelle Jarre and then Mike Oldfield.
Decals.
Micro-sol.
Opps, too much and really crinkling.
Water! Phew, they flatten out.
Hmm, I want to highlight panel lines – research washes.
Speak to Ian (Mr If it absolutely, positively, has to be built overnight, I’m your man) Lucas.
Nip out to Toyworld and buy recommended ink wash – grab Tamiya weathering mascara while I’m there. The original kit cost $10 – washes and weathering stuff - $40 plus rattle cans and tin of snot green. Also grabbed the Draken kit which was on the shelf ($9.99).
Buggered if I can get the ink to do what it’s supposed to do.
Give up on that idea.
Long hiatus as unexpected visitors arrive and BBQ duties beckon instead of a trip to an Open Garden out past Gunning.
1630hrs, rudely absent myself.
Get out the Tamiya mascara and apply as I see fit on the belly.
Looks good.
Hold breath and gloss coat.
Relief as mascara does not disappear
Hairdryer.
Find a nice piece of hardwood for the stand.
Cut.
Drill.
Sand.
Sand with finer paper.
Nice.
Mess around with missiles for the outer pylons. Rub off mould lines.
Get dust in the paint. Simulated gravel covers the missiles.
Hairdryer.
Rub gravel off.
Find el cheapo rattle can of white paint.
Place missiles on Styrofoam and spray.
Paint thinners eat Styrofoam and missile sink into goopy mess.
Rescue.
Hairdryer.
Rub off Styrene goop.
Dip missiles into Tamiya white paint.
Hmm, the box art shows a patch of yellow paint behind the rudder.
Find old tin of yellow household paint.
Stir the blobs out.
Mask and apply paint.
Hairdryer.
Hairdryer.
Hairdryer.
Hairdryer.
Refuses to dry under the skin it formed.
Give up, scrape it off and clean up with turps – ah that’ll come up OK with a top coat..... I hope.
Test fit jugs and missiles.
Bugger! The jug pylons are at the wrong angles and the inner fins overlap.
Snip off inner fins.
File.
Sand.
Buff.
Spray.
Hairdryer.
Glue. Looks like it was designed that way.....
Smear some old orange fluoro paint into the exhaust.
Satin top coat.
Leave to dry.
Get stand timber and spray with gloss coat.
Hairdryer.
Spray with gloss coat.
Hairdryer.
Spray with gloss coat.
Drop on floor.
Rude word.
Minimal damage.
Sigh of relief.
Spray with gloss coat.
Hairdryer.
Jam acrylic rod into hole in the stand
Get out butane torch.
Heating, heating.
Sagging in almost the shape I wanted – almost.
Ignore bubbles in the rod caused by my own impatience.
Cool under the tap.
Slip the Draken onto the rod.
2230hrs.
Finished!!
Stand back and admire it.
Feel satisfaction that I actually finished a model!!
Take some photos.
Show completed model to underwhelmed teenagers.
Stand back and admire.
More photos!
2300hrs – bed.
