Italeri | No. 2703 | 1:48 | Republic F-84F Thunderstreak "i Diavoli Rossi" (WIP)
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/8/6/8/1610868-49836-23-720.jpg)
Bravo! Those Italians know a thing or two about flair and style... Now that IS a display team livery!
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/8/6/9/1610869-49836-59-720.jpg)
It's also a nice kit. And for once it's not all raised panel lines - which is what I normally have to contend with.
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/8/7/0/1610870-49836-63-720.jpg)
Making a start on cockpit and adding weight. I do this with fishing weights and then normal household (inert) filler. This kit even has a thoughtfully provided area to do this!
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I (sort of) followed the original colour instructions. 😉
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/8/7/2/1610872-49836-91-720.jpg)
Cockpit done. Colour scheme is broadly correct. I haven't really weathered it or dry brushed etc. I want this one to be super clean.
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/8/7/3/1610873-49836-51-720.jpg)
Kit gives the option to remove the nose panel to showcase gun and inner bay. So have painted first.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/8/7/4/1610874-49836-53-720.jpg)
Now shown mounted within main body...
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/8/7/5/1610875-49836-71-720.jpg)
It went together pretty well. This is a bit of overkill really. I removed all clamping more or less as soon as glue had adhered.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/8/7/6/1610876-49836-12-720.jpg)
Some post glue fettling with seams and a bit of pretty simple re-scribing. I need to get the levels back down centre. I usually do this with several higher build primer passes and in-between coat rubdowns if the difference isn't too much.
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First pass all over with Vallejo gloss primer. Just to get my eye in and see where more work is needed.
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/6/2/8/1611628-49836-19-720.jpg)
I'm trying hard to get a nice flat finish so that both the metal and decal finishes look clean. I can't hide behind a load of post build weathering on this one!
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Not bad.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/7/3/3/1622733-49836-91-720.jpg)
I'm still fiddling with the central seam. Filling, sanding and re-scribing.
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/7/3/4/1622734-49836-75-720.jpg)
Touch more Vallejo filler and I'm gonna leave it alone.
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/7/3/5/1622735-49836-23-720.jpg)
Happy with the top. Paint used is Vallejo gloss black primer.
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/4/1/2/1633412-49836-90-720.jpg)
Vallejo Metal Colour Aluminium being used...
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/4/1/3/1633413-49836-57-720.jpg)
I'm trying to get a nice flat finish as there's a LOT of decals to place! Removing any high spots of dust/crud with careful use of a blade and a minor wet and dry before retouching paint. Blissfully this kit has recessed panel lines, so that makes this process much easier than the normal kits I build with raised.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/0/2/0/1659020-49836-57-720.jpg)
So I left the Vallejo Metal colour a LONG time to fully cure before attempting any masking. All seemed to progress ok on this first pass of red along the spine. Phew!
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/0/2/1/1659021-49836-55-720.jpg)
There are decals for the top strip, but decided to paint.
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Masking...
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/7/1/7/1663717-49836-52-720.jpg)
Masking and painting the red...
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Touch-ups
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Going to let this cure for a LONG time...
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/3/9/3/1763393-49836-14-720.jpg)
Kit comes with a pretty cool decal 'cheat' sheet - though they are pretty thick.
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/3/9/4/1763394-49836-83-720.jpg)
After a LOT of water + softening solution! The good thing is because they're so thick, they hold up well to softening will eventually conform. This kit has excellent surface detail, so I'd rather some of it was visible even with the decals on! In hindsight I could've masked up the tri colour of green, white and red for the underside.
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/3/9/5/1763395-49836-75-720.jpg)
Other side... Oops! Minor tear. You can see how thick they are on first application - where have all the recessed panel lines gone underneath the decals?! haha!?
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/3/9/6/1763396-49836-17-720.jpg)
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/0/7/5/1764075-49836-88-720.jpg)
Decided to do a bit more underside centre seam touching up, before decal application- metallic finishes are so unforgiving,
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/0/7/6/1764076-49836-22-720.jpg)
Getting the hang of them a bit now... Though also a bit peeved that I spent forever attaining a smooth metallic finish on this build, only to cover it up by applying their whacking great big plastic decals. I should've painted the underside of the wings and stabilizers in retrospect and just not bothered with decals here.
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/0/7/7/1764077-49836-37-720.jpg)
The kit decals go to the wingtips; which the kit instructions show as incorrect: The kit paint instructions show that the wingtips should be painted red for the top and underside also - of course this means that the kit decals cover this. So I decided that I'd follow their 'interpretive' instructions and chop the decals I'd already applied about and then repaint the underside wing tips red. However in reality the tri-colour scheme goes to the edge as per original decals! I also did this for rear stabilizers too... Oh well, just made myself a load more work by deciding to follow their incorrect instructions! I will tidy this up (I'll have to be careful now). The build will end up with red wingtips all round. My advice would be, just stick them on as they are and ignore the instructions, much, much easier! 😉
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/8/4/9/1764849-49836-96-720.jpg)
WORK IN PROGRESS. UPDATED: 27/8/24...
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Komentarzy
49 1 February 2023, 11:58
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I'll take a close look at your model. I have the same one in my stash and would like to build it myself in the near future. Have fun Neil!
5 December 2023, 16:09
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Parked the 360, watching. You should have prolific as your middle name, the amount of builds dude. It would make me more confused than I am. Hurrichurchspitwell anyone. 🤟😵💫🤘😵💫🖖😵💫👍🤣🥸
12 December 2023, 08:01
![](/profiles/img/49836-796-s.jpg)
Wow! Welcome all. Really great to have interest from such a talented bunch of fellow modellers. @stephan, looking forward to your version very much also 👍👍 @mark, I know, I'm a bit nuts! I love having lots of the go, takes a while to complete and I'm useless at doing reveal photos. But it keeps it all fresh for me! My job is all about multiple projects, so similar state of mind! 😂
6 January, 11:14
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I do NOT envy you your masking job but it should look amazing when you finish (or run out of tape). 👍
9 February, 16:31
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Hi John, thanks for your interest mate. I should be ok tbh as the kit comes with a superdecal (cheat) sheet! So although there's some stressful masking on a metallic finish, it's hopefully all doable 👍 I've added some more images today. Thanks for your likes also to all who've dropped by too 🙂
14 February, 20:54
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I did this one as well. Those decals are actually pretty good.
I tried acrylic metallics for the first and last time on this one. When I removed the masking for the red, it pulled EVERYTHING, primer included, right up. The finish was awesome until then. Alclad and Metalizer for me from there out.
Diavoli Rossi F-84 | Album by smokeriderdon (1:48)
8 July, 15:14
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Hi J35J - thanks very much 👍 🙂
Hi Donald, Yes, I agree, the kit decals are nice - though they are on the thicker side. On application they hide a lot of the kits surface detail in my opinion. However subsequent passes with more (and more!) softening and setting solution is doing them justice - more pictures to follow. Sorry to hear of your paint issues when building. Yes. My version is painted solely with Vallejo acrylics: Vallejo primer, Vallejo colour and Metal Colour 👍 You rescued your version well, looks good 🙂
8 July, 15:45
![](/profiles/img/22896-413-s.jpg)
Thank you. In person you can see the areas that pulled fairly clearly.
I used Solvaset on the decals. That managed to get them to settle down fairly well. But yeah, it did hide a bit. BUT, i liked the thickness as those large ones required a good bit of fiddling to get where they needed to be and they stood up to the handling perfectly.
8 July, 17:28
![](/profiles/img/44950-497-s.png)
Metalisers require a certain sense of masochism 🙂 I always try to paint the metaliser last, although mskign the red in this case is challenging, I admit. In general, the sequence of paints is very important in all cases and is certainly important with pesky colors such as yellow
16 July, 16:19
Album info
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version.