Scalemates 5th Generation, UAV, and Stealth Groupbuild 2021
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Looks nice, doesn't she?
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Cockpit.
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Unwarping the lower fuselage.
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Intake ducts glued in place.
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Deaper half of the exhausts with their respective afterburner rings. Not much work, just Model Master's Jet Exhaust with a black wash.
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Inlets glued, puttied and sanded. The insides were pretty difficult to sand...
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Starting from the back. I glued the beaver tail and then the wheel side walls to the upper fuselage.
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The clamps were essential in this.
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Next were the areas over each intake.
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This left a gap at the left hand size of the nose.
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Continued with the right hand side of the nose. Before that I had already glued the wings.
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This must have been pretty brutal on the kit, but it held on.
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Not bad! Needs some cleanup.
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A dry fit of the control surfaces.
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It looks bluer that it is. The camera got a bit confused.
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I failed in making a faded transition from the blueish gray to the light aircraft blue. Darn...
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Started correcting the bad masking.
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Main fuselage corrections done.
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Camo done.
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Camo done.
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Camo done.
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Line wash on lower surfaces.
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Line wash on upper surfaces.
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Decaling
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Decaling
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Decals done!
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These tires may be well suited for an F1 car but not for a fighter.
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So, I scribed some crude treads.
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Semigloss varnish applied.
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The wheels might be overdone.
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Kommentit
114 7 January 2021, 21:18
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Let's see if I can manage to build it until the end of 2021. Hopefully I will build 055 blue in the faded shark scheme. Just need to find the proper decals. Shopping time!
7 January 2021, 21:22
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Lucky me! The decals in the kit were toast. Yellowed. But, Begemot have a sheet covering the first 6 prototypes. It's on the way from Ukraine (the sheet was cheep, postage was expensive, what to do, what to do).
A warm welcome to all.
8 January 2021, 20:49
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Finding a room with a view!
Btw, the 57 is now available in 48-scale from Zvezda. Just saying...😉
Begemot decals are good stuff (work with the, 2x so far, happy both times) - Looking forward for the 55 blue colors & finish - seems to have 2 otherwise unique colors, will be greqt to watch! 👍
8 January 2021, 21:12
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Welcome Nathan, Daniel and Slavo! I am happy to have you here.
As with all the Flanker family, there are metals here on the engines. I will browse Slavo's Sukhois for ideas.
As for the colours, Slavo, there will be some experimenting since the eggplant-ish upper surfaces don't really correspond to my tins so far. I have Hasegawa's Su-35 painted in the same (I think) camouflage and the instructions say that Midnight Blue should be used. So at first I will find a good mix for the light blue and then check out my other tins to find a proper shade for the dark colour.
Slavo, as most of us, I started in 72nd and it still is my preferred scale. I will stick to it as far as my short sight is still strong. After that well, I have about 20 48ers to play with.😉
8 January 2021, 21:32
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Welcome Julian!
Some progress.
The cockpit was painted with a mix of Humbrol 112, Humbrol 2 and Humbrol 130 at a 3:2:1 ratio. It looked ok. Decals have yellowed a bit and it shows, I will not bother that much, though. The seat was fun.
The lower fuselage was warped and it took me some to to actually realise that. Dryfitting the outer part of the intakes left triangular gaps. When I found out the warp thing, I used a square section evergreen rod reinforced with a brass tube for more stiffness. It did the part.
I deviated from the construction steps, as I didn't see how glueing the wheel well walls to the intake ducts would yield a good fit. Zvezda has the wheel wells in two parts (four if you count the intake ducts and the upper fuselage). So I first glued the two parts together using pieces of plastic as locating tabs, did some puttying and sanding and then glued each intake duct in two sessions: first to the lips and then to the end with a sanding session in between. Still needs some work. The lip-duct connection was also reinforced with plastic locating tabs.
I will tackle the inner parts of the exhausts which are split in two parts, before closing up the fuselage. Slavo's Flanker builds will be a source of inspiration for this.
The begemot decals are still under way.
18 February 2021, 20:58
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Always happy & honored to serve as an inspiration...😉
Looks like one of those kits which wouldn´t bulge (literally)... but seems you´re well on top of it.
I want to do the 48-scale zvezda Su-57 at some point - hope that will not be just an upscaled 72-scale kit like the Hind...
19 February 2021, 10:49
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Welcome Łukasz, Roland and Sergej!
Slavo, while the general arrangement of the new 48th Zvezda kit resembles the smaller one, it tries to tackle some of the shortcomings in the intake area. It provides weapons plus a full length weapons bay, so it may be easier to bulge it, as the side walls of the weapons bay will straighten up the probably warped lower fuselage. All this comparing the 48th instructions with my kit. Should be an easier build and one you can put your metal magic.
19 February 2021, 13:23
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I'm curious about Zvezda and their kits. Let us know what you think about it when it's done
22 March 2021, 10:00
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Thank you for the likes guys!
Gidge, this is the first release of the T-50 from Zvezda. The main problem is at the intakes. My kit came with the lower fuselage being warped. I hope my remedy will work. Care also needs to be taken on the landing gear wells.
When I close up the fuselage I will let you know.
22 March 2021, 13:43
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Interesting, looks like the newer tooling has the inlets redesigned, somebody from Zvezda might have found it 😮
24 March 2021, 20:32
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Yes Łukasz, somebody at Zvezda put some hours in making the kit better.
Welcome Neil!
29 March 2021, 19:26
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Another small step towards closing up the fuselage. The deeper end of the exhaust was painted and the intakes were glued. Some putty there, no steps, but gaps. The insided of the intakes was demanding and will probably look average.
Setting up for the fuselage, the fit seems so and so.
29 April 2021, 20:58
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After some force and a few glueing sessions I managed to close the fuselage. I started from the back and slowly proceeded to the front. There are some misallignments on the panel lines which will be corrected later on.
12 May 2021, 19:10
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Coming along nicely, Maciej.
Looks like some force was necessary to get her nose into shape.
17 May 2021, 17:46
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The kit needed some persuasion 🙂 We'll see how she turns out after the first coat of paint.
17 May 2021, 18:13
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So this one is not finished yet - good for me, so I can watch where the paintjob will take it - I'd love to see some good 57's done before starting one myself 🙂
Wonder when the "Checkmate" is going to be picked up by some manufacturer too...
6 August 2021, 20:33
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Problems that I also had to a greater or lesser extent, only that you solved it much better. Excellent work. WELL DONE
21 August 2021, 19:51
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Welcome back Slavo!
Thank you Aleksandar, it was quite troublesome at the start but it finally got better after the fuselage closed.
So, not a real update, but I have been thinking which colours to use from my vast Humbrol palette. I think that Aircraft blue from Revell (I know I said Humbrol 😄) and Humbrol's Oxford blue look pretty much ok under the sunlight. I might add some white to the aircraft blue and maybe some blue grey to Oxford blue.
Some more testing to follow.
Cheers,
Maciej
1 September 2021, 18:43
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I agree with Nathan, Maciej. Add a nice light gray wash to that dark blue and it will be really great 👍
2 September 2021, 05:51
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Maciej, if I may add my opinion/impression
Light tone - pretty much spot on, a really good interpretation IMHO 👍
Dark tone - definitely in OK range and could stay so, that would in my perception cover how the paint looks when fresh & maybe in slightly overcast conditions... In sunlight these colors are really peculiar, I personally would not add more blue, but maybe a very small touch of green-blue for a bit more "zesty" tone in the sunlight. But we definitely are in personal opinion/interpretation territory 🙂
Good choice, looking forward to the paint on the kit!
8 September 2021, 11:01
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WhiteGlint, my first impression was "oh this looks better than expected". Still, I made another experiment, adding some white to the light blue, and Humbrol's 128 to the dark blue. I will upload a picture comparing the two paper Sukhois when it stops raining.
Slavo, your opinion is welcome. I will try it too, and maybe add a bit of purple to skew it a bit more towards eggplantish stuff. Will see, will see.
8 September 2021, 11:58
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Exactly WhiteGlint!
The other experiment with the blue mixed with Humbrol's 128. I might overdid it with this one, I think I put too much 128 in the mix.
Next will be Slavo's suggestion.
11 September 2021, 10:23
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Initial paintjob done. Lots of touch ups needed because I failed in masking.
8 October 2021, 20:20
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Your painting looks convincing, Maciej. Do not be so harsh to yourself.
9 October 2021, 07:00
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Thank you Robert ad Sergej! I'll post some close ups to see my wrong doings...
9 October 2021, 07:10
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Thank you Jos! The colours are much less blue, the camera got the white balance wrong. So the second photo is much more closer to the rwal thing.
9 October 2021, 07:35
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I think you nailed the colours or are at least very very close. 👍 I like it.
9 October 2021, 13:19
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Thank you WhiteGlint and Cuajete. I think the colours are okish.
I uploaded some more photos to see how I messed up the masking.
9 October 2021, 19:27
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I like the transition you have achieved, the curves and colour look great. Very much liking your results, so I'm looking forward to the next steps 🙂👍
9 October 2021, 19:41
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Lovely colour combo! The light blue looks RLM65 to me but that could be my monitor or the fact that I've been using it a lot recently lol
20 October 2021, 17:46
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Thank you Kermits pants. The light blue is Revell's 49 with Humbrol 130 at a 5 to 1 ratio. I think it's bluer than RLM65 but I might be wrong.
So I kind of fixed the paint job on the fuselage. The nose section is up and then some touch ups with the aforementioned mix. I think it is going well.
29 October 2021, 19:57
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Thank you Clifford!
I think I am done with the camo. Nose come, side radar panels and fin tips next.
1 November 2021, 19:30
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Thank you Clifford! I will try not to mess it up with the gloss varnish. I kinda have difficulties with that.
18 November 2021, 10:05
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So... this one has come to a halt for a variety of reasons, with the common denominator being the time spent on other things. In other words, real life came into play 🙂
Hopefuly I will pick it up after the holidays.
Merry Christmas to everybody!
23 December 2021, 20:54
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I haven't even closed the cockpit on my 5th gen yet, Maciej 😉
Have a nice holiday time 👍
23 December 2021, 22:08
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Sergej, you might not have closed the cockpit on your 5th gen, but you have built a splendid Phantom!
24 December 2021, 09:35
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Welcome Gabriel!
Well Roland, that Super Hornet is much more attractive!
24 December 2021, 14:25
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Thank you Clifford! Still on hold though, I think I know which is the second thing I don't like: the wash! The first one is filling and sanding.
12 May 2022, 10:40
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Got this one going again. I finished the wash on the lower surfaces and tackling the upper surfaces is next.
25 October 2022, 08:37
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Thanks Łukasz, it feels nice indeed!
Got the upper surface wash done. Subtle in some places, more prominent in others. Looks ok to me.
25 October 2022, 10:39
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After some set backs and quite a few decaling session I got about 99.9% of the decals on. I loved the Begemot set, I didn't like the instructions though, some numbering is wrong and sometimes they are ambiguous. Now to find some time for the semigloss varnish.
23 January 2023, 11:51
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Welcome David!
Łukasz, thanks, the photos flatter her greatly. Up close and personal, well...
23 January 2023, 21:15
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Not many people will have the honour too meet her in person, won't they? 😉
23 January 2023, 21:16
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Not sure which generation of F1 cars you're thinking of, 1950s maybe?
4 March 2023, 13:33
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Welcome George!
Well they weren't cylindrical like today's F1 tyres but were slick and shiny like them!
4 March 2023, 13:52
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Some work on the exhausts. Titanium, polish feathers next and finally some Humbrol gold sprayed. The insides are Humbrol pale stone (I think 121) with humbrol white approximately 50-50. Then some black wash.
25 March 2023, 18:53
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I worked on the engine area. Trying some things, blue, purple, gold, smoke over titanium, magnesium, aluminum. Clear colours from Humbrol, Revell and Tamiya. Metalisers from Model Master.
2 April 2023, 21:14
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Łukasz, it's my first try! Glad you like them. There are two more kits in my stash running the same engines, so this was a nice warmup!
5 April 2023, 09:55
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what a beautiful plane! you made that beauty justice. love that styling! well done!
6 April 2023, 12:43
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Looking great! Looks like you've matched the reference photo perfectly!
7 April 2023, 04:08
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Thank you Alexander, I like how the engines turned out.
Thank you Dean! I think I kind of did match it.
Stay tuned for finished photos (under lights) this evening!
7 April 2023, 09:31
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So, it seems proper that I finished this kit exactly 27 months after I started it.
My first ever group build partitipation in Scalemates comes to an end, successfully in terms of a built model (my first Sukhoi jet), though failing miserably on the deadline.
Thank you all for your help, cheering me up and for all the likes.
I hope you like it!
Cheers,
Maciej
7 April 2023, 19:57
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Thank you Robert, Guy and Alexander! Your kind words are much appreciated!
Alexander, is that a MiG 1.44 in your avatar? I have an idea of building it as a what if, in the sense that it made it to production. I am thinking of painting it with a winter camo. Will see. Obviously some more metal work there.
7 April 2023, 20:24
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Yes, it is, one of my favorite planes haha.
I would love to see a build of this plane - and I love winter camos too!
Though, a 'true' what if would probably be a bit difficult, since the kit renditions only depict the prototype, and the true plane would have looked a bit different in the end if we believe 3D renderings.
Anyway, sounds like a good idea for a future build! 🙂
7 April 2023, 20:32
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Yes, there is no place for a radar in that kit! Who knows, I might make it a bit bigger! 😉
7 April 2023, 20:37
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Oh, I guess its actually extremely fitting for the Su-57 to face extreme delay in final delivery! 😉
A very nice job - I particularly like the engines of course - and a little stealthu Felon is out there - top 👍🏻
8 April 2023, 06:30
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Thank you Clifford, Slavo, Roland for your kind words and the rest mates for the likes!
Well said Slavo 😄 The engines are a first for me and I am glad you like them!
8 April 2023, 07:50
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Very nice job and fantastic result, Maciej.
It is better to take 27 months than a lifetime. You can be proud. Congrats!
Now I have to look for a Su-57 for my warehouse, but I'm not sure if Zvezda "early", Zvezda "late" or HobbyBoss is better.
8 April 2023, 18:16
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Thank you Patryk, glad you like it!
Thank you very much Cuajete! The early Zvezda/Revell rebox you should pass. The late Zvezda offers a weapons bay plus they remade the intakes. The Hobbyboss is an unknown but the begemot decals I used were sized for it. Any of the two should be a good choice.
8 April 2023, 19:14
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Wonderful build, very clean 👍. Re timing, my F-35C is still in pieces, so you are not the last 🙂
8 April 2023, 22:24
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Congrats mate! Well done, engines look even more impressive on the latest pics 👍
9 April 2023, 10:52
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Thanks Ł! When the weather gets better and there is time, I will snap some pics with the camera under the sun to give her some proper looks. The only thing that I would change on her are the side radar panels. They are too prominent and their thikness is out of scale. I should've used some aluminum foil instead.
9 April 2023, 13:27
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Thank you Sergej for your kind words. Much appreciated! Considering your build, well the F-35 is stil in Low Rate Initial Production Run, so you can still bring her up!
9 April 2023, 13:29
Project info
Group Build
![Scalemates 5th Generation, UAV, and Stealth Groupbuild 2021 in](/events/img/11767-16625-39-p.jpg)
Scalemates 5th Generation, UAV, and Stealth Groupbuild 2021
1. tammikuu siihen asti kun 31. joulukuu 2021
1. tammikuu siihen asti kun 31. joulukuu 2021