Tabla de contenidos para September 2021 en FineScale Modeler

I’ve tried several products to paint natural-metal finishes, including Testors Model Master Metalizer and Alclad II. Both produced finishes that looked like they were painted, so I wasn’t satisfied. In 2016, while visiting a local air show that featured several World War II aircraft, I had a revelation about what makes bare-metal aircraft look so unique. The colors of the individual panels vary, there’s a subtle grain in the aluminum, and rivets are visible. That prompted me to try metal foil as a finishing material. I ordered Bare-Metal Foil (BMF), a thin, self-adhesive foil that is available in several sheens; I use two sheens: Matte Aluminum and Chrome. The foil has subtle grain on the surface. I’ve used it several times and this is how I get the right look.…

Every self-respecting modeler, especially those who like cars, has to build a Volkswagen Beetle at some point. This charming vehicle is undoubtedly one of the icons of motoring. You still see these cars on the road despite that most production ended decades ago. I built my first Beetle a long time ago as one of the first models after returning to modeling. Inspired by photos of a VW finished in a rusty patina, I set about to build another using Aoshima’s 1/24 scale VW 1303S (No. 055526). I washed all of the parts with a little dish soap in warm water and stripped the chrome from the plated parts with caustic drain cleaner. FINAL THOUGHTS I AM SATISFIED WITH THE FINAL EFFECT. For sure, this VW 1303 is different, distinctive,…

Belching black smoke from two General Electric J79 engines and carrying up to eight air-to-air missiles with more wallop than most World War II bombers, the F-4 epitomized brute-force fighter design. It’s only shortcoming — the lack of an internal cannon — stemmed from non-fighter pilots deciding that the age of close-contact aerial combat (dogfighting) was over, leading at least one fighter pilot to comment, “Never bring a missile to a gunfight!” Everyone from Academy to Zoukei-Mura has produced a 1/48 scale Phantom II, so do we really need another? Read on. Tamiya provides 399 molded light gray and clear parts on 22 parts trees — at least by the letters. In several cases, Tamiya has left two or three different trees together; for example, Q, R, and S were…

Scale safety first Tim Boyd’s article in the May 2021 FSM, “The Secrets of Extreme-Z” was interesting and informative, but I must point out a serious safety issue: the use of cinder blocks to support the frame or chassis. Cinder blocks, as their name implies, are constructed of coal ash cinders bonded together with Portland cement. While they are lightweight and therefore tempting to use in lieu of jack stands, their bonded construction makes their use extremely dangerous for projects like Tim’s hot rod, where someone may be lying on the ground underneath. Cinder blocks are reasonably strong when the load is distributed evenly across the supporting surface, but a point contact will create extremely high stresses and often, the structure being supported will punch through the supporting cinder block…

Ship modelers frequently face the dilemma of how to differentiate their model from other builds of the same kit. In real life, hundreds and thousands of planes and tanks were built in multitudes of different variants, markings, and camouflage. In contrast, there was only one Bismarck, for example. There was only one battleship USS Arizona (BB-39), one heavy cruiser USS San Francisco (CA-38), and so on. So what are some ways you can make your ship stand out? Some things come readily to mind, like adding aftermarket photoetched metal (PE) details. Or scratchbuilding additions. Or modifying the base kit so the project can be called a kitbash or conversion. In almost every case, unique painting or finishing further elevates the model. Combining these techniques is what I call strategic detailing.…

The Pegasus Alpha Centauri UFO model kit makes for a fun build. The 1/32 scale kit contains two UFO models with alien pilots and has been the basis for some very creative models I’ve seen in forums and at shows. After building one of the kits straight out of the box, I thought it would be interesting to build a diorama utilizing both ships with one crashed on a planet’s surface and the second — a rescue saucer — hovering over the site. I had picked up a vacuum-formed crater base made by Plastruct as the starting point for my diorama idea. I also wanted to light the rescue saucer and picked up an aftermarket lighting system from TenaControls specific for the Pegasus kit. Of course, the crashed saucer wouldn’t…

The P-51 formed a significant part of the Swedish air force immediately after World War II. More than 100 Mustangs, designated J 26 in Sweden, served well into the 1950s when they were replaced by jets. Meng released its 1/48 scale P-51D in 2016 as a kit designed to be built without glue. I was blown away by the excellent engineering and detail — this kit is nothing like the snap-together models many of us enjoyed in our youth. As good as the kit is, I wanted more detail, including Eduard photo-etched metal parts (PE) and a pre-painted Yahu PE instrument panel (No. YMA4820) for the cockpit, and BarracudaCast resin wheels. Research indicated that all Swedish Mustangs had fabric-covered elevators and rudder, so I replaced the kit parts with Ultracast…

Developed in the 1960s and entering service in 1971, the Marder is a capable infantry fighting vehicle that is just now being replaced by the Puma. I have wanted to build a model of this important vehicle for a while. Revell offers the only 1/35 scale kit, first released in 1997. It’s not bad but lacks features we expect in newer kits, such as posable hatches, photo-etched metal details, and movable torsion bars. Still, it produces a nice replica with a careful painting and weathering.…

One of the noteworthy sequences in Christopher Nolan’s most recent film, Tenet, is where a plane crashes and explodes. Dan McCoy of Hesperia, California, worked at the airport in neighboring Victorville where the scene was filmed and was inspired to build this creation. In his own words, “I have never built a diorama, but I was compelled to build this one. I ordered the biggest Revell 747 I could afford (1/144 scale) and 15 scale cars and street lights. The aircraft was still at the airport, so I was able to get the details down.” The airline titles on the side were custom-ordered, but the tail markings are from a stencil Dan fabricated. The diorama sits on a 24-inch x 24-inch piece of wood. The pictures lining the inside are…