Sword/Special Hobby F-84F Thunderstreaks
Project start 2023-04-01
Even as stash denizens go, this is an odd bird. It wasn't the kit that was lurking in the stash, but rather the decals. I got the Model Decal sheet as a gift for use in my Heller Starfighter, and the F-84F decals also on that sheet were somewhat surplus to requirements. Still, I hate to throw out anything still of some value, especially if it was a gift, so I picked up a brand new tooling of the Thunderstreak to stick under the decals.
The decals in question are for a machine of Escadrille de Chasse 1/9 "Limousin" of the French airforce, based at Luxeuil or Metz in 1961.
The kit is the very recent Sword tooling. The parts are basic, and appear just short of crude, but the surface engraving looks very nice. The ejection seat is resin, but otherwise this is straightforward plastic. Being a short run kit, there are no locating pins or similar luxuries. I don't really mind, but some sort of indication where the wing pylons are supposed to go (other than a suggestive arrow on the instructions) would have been appreciated. Masks for the transparencies and wheels are included. I've never used pre-cut masks before, so this will be a novelty for me.
After my experiences with their RT-33 I'm going to be approaching this kit with extreme paranoia, and fully stocked up on sandpaper and filler. Perhaps it will be a pleasant surprise, but I'm fully expecting a memorable fight.
2023-12-01
Work on this project has stalled, as I direct consequence of my product paranoia. My
preferred metallisers by AlcladII have been transferred to MIG Ammo, and are now
called A-Stand. Theoretically, they are exactly the same as their AlcladII counterparts,
but new owner all too often means new formula, with new meaning cheaper, just good enough
to sell on the strength of the previous brand for a while. As said, I'm paranoid, and I
hate losing my toys. So, I bought me a bunch of different metalliser paints, including of
course the A-Stand ones, and a whole bunch of Trumpeter 1/144 MiG-21s and set up a test
series, much as I'd done with the
Su-27 colours.
Rather predictably, the MiGs were a pain in the butt to build, and with all sorts of
distractions going on, took months and a bucket of filler to build into something that
can be used to test bare metal finish. Today, I finally find myself looking at ten
glossy black MiGs to test on, so the real test can begin. As before, I'll be using
nose numbers to identify the models and paints used, according to the table below.
| Nose number | Paint brand/number/name | Thinner |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MrColor SM201 Super Fine Silver 2 | Firescale lacquer |
| 2 | MrMetalColor MC218 Aluminium | none |
| 3 | AK RC020 Aluminium | IPA |
| 4 | AK Extreme Metal AK479 Aluminium | none |
| 5 | AK Extreme Metal AK481 Polished Aluminium | none |
| 6 | FireScale Metal Color FMC011 Aluminium | none |
| 7 | Tamiya LP-70 Gloss Aluminium | Firescale lacquer |
| 8 | Hataka Orange C078 Aluminium | none |
| 9 | MIG A-Stand 2300 Aluminium | none |
| 0 | MIG A-Stand 2319 Airframe Aluminium | none |
The picture doesn't show the numbers, but the MiGs are numbered back to front, left to right.
