The F1M Forums

I started working on the front wing. First, I filled-in the ejector pin marks on the wing and endplates. I also replaced the pins on the ends of the front of the wing to fit the holes in the endplates better, and inserted plastic rod and drilled the holes in the endplates smaller for the wing rear pins. This should give a stronger assembly, and I'll cover the holes on the outside of the endplates with some photo-etch bolt heads.





Then I shot some primer on the parts, and followed with Zero Semi-gloss Black. This caused some problems with the ejection-pin marks reappearing. I think the Zero paint is a little too hot, and it etches through the primer. I used Tamiya grey putty, and that stuff will dissolve in lacquer thinner. I guess I could use a different putty, or some other semi-gloss black paint like an enamel or acrylic, but I'm open to suggestions.

I sanded the semi-gloss black with some fine paper, and got rid of the ghost ejector-pin marks, so I started the decal work. The S27 set doesn't include anything for the bottom of the front wing, so I used some Scale Motorsports 1/20 CF for that. I then applied the S27 decals to the top of the wing, which took a lot of work with Solvaset and heat to get them to lay down. I also had to fill-in with SMS decals around the edges, which weren't completely covered by the S27 pieces. The SMS CF decals sure are a lot easier to work with. I shot a couple of coats of Zero one-part clear over the whole wing. It looked pretty good, but I decided to polish the underside of the wing, which now looks better. I'm going to leave the top of the wing alone - it looks pretty good, and I'm hesitant to try polishing the complex shapes on the top of the wing.

Wow, life gets in the way. It's been a while since an update on this project, but I have gotten a few things done lately. I decided that the engine really needed a little more detail, so I started adding some ignition wiring.

I shot some primer and color coats on the nose section of the body and the front wing end plates.

Nice work...loving the front wing..

I added the number decals to the front wing, and applied the S27 carbon fiber decals to the lower wing elements.

I applied the S27 CF decals to the top of the upper rear wing elements, but unfortunately when I got ready to do the bottom, the elements broke apart.

I'm sure I'll be able to fix it, but my first attempt to glue the pieces back together resulted in a misalignment where the wing didn't match up with the end plates. I decided to finish the end plates first, then assemble the whole rear wing and add the CF decals to the underside of the top element later. So I primed, painted and decalled the front and rear wing end plates. Then I shot a couple of coats of Zero one-part clear over them, and had an airbrush accident. Apparently the needle got loose, and stuck in a retracted position so I wound up with spatters on one front end plate. I then made the mistake of trying to wipe off the excess, and the result was really ugly. I let it dry, and it actually sanded out not too bad, so I'll just shoot another clear coat and polish them out.

Wow!! This is an amazing build so far. Incredible, all the upgrades and customizing that you're doing to it, love it.
What color are you using for the body color?
I'm getting ready to start this kit - not to your level, and I'm planning on using the Tamiya color TS-41 Coral Blue... Is that the right one?

That's what is called out for in the kit, but just want to make sure.

Thanks for sharing your build!!

Seriously impressive work going on here. Nice detailing.