An-26 - Amodel

1
May 30, 2020
Wow, this is one pretty heavy box!
2
May 30, 2020
Lots and lots of plastic, all in one resealable bag.
3
May 30, 2020
Yep, I can already see that this ain't gonna be a quick build!
4
June 11, 2020
And a big model it will be too! But look at all the flash and those ridiculously hefty molding gates ... OMG.
5
June 1, 2020
Removing the internal parts from the sprues - there are at least a dozen pieces for the crew area, although I guess very little will be visible through the windows. Again, note the flash and the large molding gates completely swallowing up the join lines.
6
June 1, 2020
As usual with Amodel, absolutely every part requires a lot of clean-up with blades, files and putty to be usable - the seat to the left is the way it looks straight from the sprue, the right one is being processed. It is still quite bare, so it will need to be further embellished with frames, back pockets, armrests, seat belts etc.
7
June 1, 2020
Starting to assemble the crew compartment - the details are surprisingly nice under all that flash. The white spots here and there are nasty sink marks that have been fixed with Tamiya White Putty.
8
June 8, 2020
The fuselage is split into four parts, and according to the instructions, the front and back parts should be joined quite late during the build. The parts are slightly warped and the generic fit is probably the worst I have seen in a long while, so I am not sure this is the best way to do it ...
9
June 8, 2020
Instead I start with assembling the front and rear fuselage quarters so I have the usual left and right fuselage halves to join instead of four parts to stitch together. I think it is easier this way to make sure everything lines up.
10
June 8, 2020
Dry fitting shows that the fuselage, with some persuasion can be joined straight and true and that the internal floor and cockpit fits reasonably well. So now we can proceed and start detailing things. And just as I thought, dry fitting the windshield part shows not a lot of the internal detail will be visible once everything is done, so I will not go crazy superdetailing it (although it would be fun).
11
June 12, 2020
But first, the horrible gaps are filled with my favorite filling stuff - tiny pieces of scrap sprue dissolved in Tamiya Extra Thin cement.
12
June 12, 2020
When completely dry, the join is sanded smooth. One more application with putty, plus consecutive sanding, buffing and rescribing, and the join line should be nearly invisible once painted!
13
June 11, 2020
I just cannot do a Hungarian An-26 without the two mandatory minions in the front side window - even though they will hardly be visible. 1 mm in size, painted with the tip of a needle - this was the fourth or fifth attempt to get them looking right and my eyes are still aching... (EDIT: since I have later decided to build an An-26 from 2004, these minions will have to live somewhere else.)
14
July 9, 2020
Cockpit painted and detailed. I added some boxes and stuff from scrap styrene and wire on the back walls to break up the monotony.
15
June 12, 2020
Also I just just had to add the crew toilet seat in the bathroom - it is actually provided as a separate part. Nobody will ever see it behind the closed door, but I know it is there!
16
July 9, 2020
The provided decal used for the navigator's panel is a bit rough, but will have to do as there is no molded detail there and the navigator's bubble window is super thick anyway. I added some tiny details, such as handles, seat frames and back pockets for the right seat made of heat stretched sprue wire and metal foil.
17
June 17, 2020
The round window openings are too rough and uneven for the clear round windows to fit seamlessly. In fact, there is no guides or anything like that, that would hold the windows in place. You need to reshape the openings with extreme care so that they don't become too large, because the windows would then just fall straight through.
18
June 17, 2020
I glue the window in place using regular Mr Hobby liquid cement. I really need to be careful not to get cement on the face of the clear part as it would make it opaque and ruin it completely.
19
June 17, 2020
The end result looks quite acceptable - even if not perfect, it is the best I can do. That is one window finished, eight more to go (yes, there are nine).
20
October 23, 2020
Finally I filled the insides of the windows with AKI Glass Coat Gauzy Agent. I applied it with a brush making sure to get a perfectly even coat, which then eliminated all the remaining tiny gaps. Also it gave the windows a nice glass-like appearance. I plan to do it later on the outside, but there is still a ton of work to do before that.
21
June 26, 2020
Inside assembled, painted and weathered and a few bits added here and there for good measure. I tried to represent the yellow stripes on the floor with my own decals (theys should be rows of tiny diamonds shapes), but it didn't turn out too good so I just painted them on instead. Actually, after painting I discovered that the ramp assembly doesn't really fit, and since the internal detail is so rough and over-simplified, so I am planning to display the model with the ramp closed.
22
October 23, 2020
If not attended to, this model is a massive tail sitter. The open ramp is supposed to support the model's tail, but if you want to display the ramp closed, you will certainly need all the weight in the nose you can possibly add. And I mean a LOT! I superglued pretty much all my lead fishing weights into the nose cavity. More lead weights will be squeezed in under the cockpit floor and pretty much everywhere I can, as long as it is in front of the main gear line.
23
June 29, 2020
Assembling the left and right fuselage halves. The join lines are ragged and uneven so I literally need to cement the halves together inch by inch, squeezing the halves together with tape, waiting for one area to dry before continuing to the next. But I am slowly getting there!
24
July 3, 2020
Copious amounts of "liquid sprue" and Tamiya White Putty is needed to even out the ragged join lines.
25
July 3, 2020
Of course all panel lines along the center seam are completely obliterated in the process, so I need to rescribe the most obvious ones, using dymo tape and electrical tape as guides. This of course only works for the larger, straight ones, a lot of the small circular panel lines along the centerline are gone for good.
26
July 3, 2020
Sanding to even out the seams and then polishing to remove any remaining scratches ... it's messy and takes time but it all works out just fine and the joins should be invisible once painted.
27
July 4, 2020
The result of a last week's work, getting this upper wing part joined nicely to the fuselage. It may not look much, but it sure as hell wasn't easy. Sanding sticks are of no use here; you need to use a knife to whittle the part to fit. But in the end it pretty much got in place and after two more days of intense work with my entire array of fillers (including molten styrene and plasticard pieces), the join lines are getting more or less invisible.
28
July 8, 2020
Stabilizer section added and faired in with some heat stretched sprue and lashings of Tamiya White Putty. When you get to a point during a build when a 1 mm gap is considered reasonable, you know you've got a seriously ill-fitting kit.
29
October 23, 2020
The left and right part of the tailfin is separated straight in the middle of the face of the vertical rudder, so it takes a couple of filling and sanding sections over a few days to make that join line acceptable. Also, the inside of the tailfin needs to be power-sanded to an inch of its life to avoid a horrible step in the middle of the rudder. Why, Amodel, why???
30
October 28, 2020
As usual with this kit, there are no locating pins, just a butt join, so you need to take great care to get the fin completely vertical. I added a small lug made of a piece of styrene, and drilled a corresponding hole in the fuselage to help holding the fin upright.
31
June 4, 2020
The rather prominent intake for the APU (basically a small auxiliary jet engine) on the right engine nacelle needs to be scratch built if one wants to build an early version of the An-26 (used by the Hungarian Air Force). There is actually an Amodel kit of the early version, but mine is unfortunately not that one. Anyway, that should be an easy conversion! If you look carefully, you can actually see the finely etched lines for the APU intake on the part, so you just need to follow the lines.
32
July 8, 2020
Drilling a few holes ...
33
July 8, 2020
... cutting open the intake ...
34
July 8, 2020
... adding a backing plate ...
35
July 8, 2020
... cementing in the backing plate at an angle and creating inner walls plus some piping of styrene ...
36
July 8, 2020
... constructing a small air cover of tiny styrene sheets ...
37
July 8, 2020
Hey - auxiliary intake done! Work all in all no more than 30 minutes.
38
July 8, 2020
New exhaust pipes are provided on the Brengun PE fret, but they need to be rolled to a perfectly cylindrical tube shape, which is not as easy as it sounds!
39
July 8, 2020
I used the handle of a Tamiya scribing tool as a rolling pin and managed to get it fairly even.
40
July 8, 2020
The tube is taped together with electrical tape and superglued on the inside
41
July 8, 2020
Quite a difference from the original plastic part! I think I will leave these off for now and add them only after the main painting.
42
July 10, 2020
Engine nacelles assembled together with the landing gear struts. Wheels, wires and stuff will be added later. Of course, as usual with this kit, all that fine detail along the centerline join is totally wiped out as result of the huge amount of putty and sanding that is required to hide the warped join lines. Also, there are no guides to help you with the correct angle of the gear strut, so you'd better check your references before committing to glue.
43
July 10, 2020
The attachment points on the wings need to be cut and shaped with dozens of consecutive dry fitting to accept the nacelles. Hours of fun spent here!
44
July 10, 2020
But there they are, at the ends of the wing stumps, looking massive! The propellers will be left off for now. Next, the outer parts of the wings!
45
August 2, 2020
Some more fuselage join smoothing done and wings finally attached. The outer wing parts are just butt joined to the nacelles. I was contemplating adding some internal reinforcements, but regular liquid cement seems to be enough and it is starting to look like an Antonov!
46
November 19, 2020
The transparent part was completely riddled with tiny bubbles and lumps and I needed to first sand it completely smooth and then polish it back to shine with grinding cloths and then polishing compounds. Of course all frames were eradicated during the process, but that should not be a problem since they will be represented by painting anyway.
47
November 19, 2020
Before closing up the flight deck, I made some new throttle levers and new seat belts from strips of metal foil to look a little bit nicer than just masking tape strips.
48
November 19, 2020
Transparent part cemented in place with acrylic cement to avoid the windows to fog up. The fit is pretty poor, so a lot of dry-fitting, sanding and consecutive repolishing was done before it ended up like this. But now, all the major parts are in place!
49
August 31, 2020
Ramp opening masked off ...
50
August 31, 2020
... and navigator's window. Tamiya Masking tape and Mr Hobby Masking Fluid.
51
August 31, 2020
The flightdeck windows are masked off with KV Models masking sheet.
52
August 31, 2020
And that is done! The masks do not completely match the frames on the transparent part, so it was lucky that I had already sanded them off before. I think the masks are correct, the molded frames are slightly oversized.
53
August 31, 2020
The entire model is then meticulously wiped off with IPA alcohol to remove any dust or fingerprints - and then it is finally time to fire up the primer!
54
August 31, 2020
I will be using my favorite primer (UMP Ultimate Primer) - I see no reason to ever use anything else.
55
August 31, 2020
Sprayed on with my H&S Evolution airbrush (0.4 mm needle, 30 PSI). By the way, I am using the Evolution for all broad paintwork and the Infinity for small scale details.
56
August 31, 2020
One big, aeroplane-shaped chunk of plastic in overall gray - now waiting one or two days to fully dry before continuing.
57
September 1, 2020
The primer revealed a couple of filling errors, so these had to be corrected and then resprayed. I am pretty happy with the result, all those hours spent sanding and polishing seems to have payed off!
58
September 1, 2020
In the meantime, I started with the propeller assemblies. The parts do not work the way they are designed, so I had to find my own way.
59
September 1, 2020
I first assembled the entire hub/spinner part and then drilled out holes for the blades.
60
September 9, 2020
The finished props look quite smart with that silver spinner. BTW, the metal parts on the inner part of the leading edges are the heated anti-icing elements. Now they just need some clear varnish, decals, and will be added to the model as one of the last steps.
61
September 1, 2020
The blades were then cemented into the hub, taking care to give them the same alignment. I first thought about making a jig, but then I just eyeballed it.
62
September 1, 2020
The two propeller assemblies ready to be painted.
63
September 4, 2020
Time to add the final paint coat to the model - another gray, but this time the final color, based on photos, showing a very pale, slightly cold gray, much lighter than the NATO version's gunship gray. Tamiya XF-53 mixed with Tamiya XF-2 White (70-30 ratio) sprayed on with the Evolution (0.4 needle, 20 PSI).
64
September 4, 2020
That looks kind of like planned - when fully dry, gently buff it with a micromesh cloth to smoothen out the large surfaces and to remove any traces of orange-peel that might occur. It is especially important to have a perfectly smooth finish around the leading edges that will be metalized!
65
September 5, 2020
Masking off the engine nacelles for detail paintwork
66
September 5, 2020
Spraying on the black and the aluminium parts (Tamiya Black, AK Xtreme Metal Matt Aluminium).
67
September 11, 2020
I decided to not use the purchased mask templates for the de-icing panels on the wings, but to use regular masking tape. Why? Partly because it's really simple, but also because I think it is better to place the mask on the gray areas and spray the metalizer, than the other way around. This AKI Xtreme Metal stuff I am using is pretty resilient, but I generally avoid placing masks on metalized surfaces if I can avoid it.
68
September 11, 2020
Leading edges metalized (AKI Xtreme Metal Matt Aluminium). Two hours of masking fun, four minutes of painting...
69
September 11, 2020
Nose painted black - it was surprisingly difficult to get the curvature exactly right, but it finally worked out with white vinyl Tamiya Masking tape.
70
September 17, 2020
Wing and stabilizer tips painted red - need to be extra careful with the masking, red paint mist is a b*tch!
71
September 23, 2020
Ah, there - all large areas painted and masks removed. A few corrections will be needed here and there, but overall I am pretty pleased.. The window masks were absolutely perfect! I estimate that I have reached about 3/4 of the project, there are still an awful lot of parts remaining in the box!
72
September 23, 2020
AKI Intermediate Gauzy Shine Enhancer gloss coat applied with a broad brush (Tamiya HF no 2), and buffed with a micromesh cloth for a nice and even sheen. The final coat will be a matt/semi-matt varnish, but let's make it really shiny and smooth first.
73
September 23, 2020
One scary bit done ... that large red-white-green decal. Phew! It is incredibly thin so I needed to be super careful not to rip it while cutting out the crew door opening. I will need to paint the door by hand, but it should be rather easy as long as I can mix the correct green color.

Thomas Kolb
@Ben, yes, it is clearly a difficult kit with some pretty bad molding. I can already see that a lot of time will be spent cleaning up parts and removing nasty join lines.
@Łukasz, now that is a good question! Not sure yet... This model also clearly needs a base of some kind to stand on, so I will try to make a (very simple) diorama or something.

4 June 2020, 06:10

Oleg Bogolei
nice start of the long way) i'll be watching)

4 June 2020, 06:53

Thomas Kolb
Front and back fuselage parts assembled - these large parts are warped like crazy, so I think it will be easier to force everything together later.

8 June 2020, 16:20

Cuajete
An unusual and beauty model... Good news!! Following.

8 June 2020, 19:05

Géza Szekér
You're really persistent! You will have more Hungarian planes than the Hungarian Air Force! Good job!

8 June 2020, 19:17

Thomas Kolb
@Cuajete, you are welcome to take a comfy chair, - 'tis is going to take time...
@Géza, well, that is the general idea - at least the really cool ones, like the Ancsa!

8 June 2020, 19:49

Andy Ball
In!!

9 June 2020, 14:33

Alexander Grivonev
That kit looks like a lot of work, good luck!

11 June 2020, 08:57

Daniel K
It's one of those kits that looks like would be a pain to build, but worth it for the end result. Looking great so far. Will be following.

11 June 2020, 09:14

Thomas Kolb
Alexander & Daniel, yes you are probably right - this is indeed a very difficult kit to build, but it can be made into a beautiful replica. I just hope I am worthy!

11 June 2020, 15:23

Mirko Römer
Looks challenging but will be a stunning model/banana. All the best!

11 June 2020, 15:24

Ben M
nice minions! I will try painting with a needle next time I'm doing something tiny.

11 June 2020, 15:31

Thomas Kolb
Ben, thanks! It is actually an old bent airbrush needle with the very tip broken off to form a kind of "prong" to hold a microscopic drop of paint. It works great also for instrument panels, but you need a lot of light to see what you are doing!

11 June 2020, 16:19

Ben M
I have such a bent airbrush needle. In the spirit of sharing helpful needle tips, I've cut the end off a sewing needle to leave half of the "eye" so it's shaped like a little fork. I use a pin vise for a handle and use this to apply thin CA precisely for photoetch. The "eye" holds the glue with surface tension and allows me to place it exactly when I need it. When it gets clogged up with dry glue, I just hold it over a lighter to burn the dried CA off.

11 June 2020, 16:55

Andy Ball
@Ben M...cracking tip...I'll try this as I have a similar challenge with too much CA on PE

11 June 2020, 17:00

Maverick212
Love the minions!

11 June 2020, 17:07

Łukasz Gliński
The minions are impressive, but are you sure Thomas, you're going for '407', not '405'?
An-26 Decal Sheet (HADmodels 72037, 1:72)

11 June 2020, 18:00

Thomas Kolb
Łukasz, yeah, I was thinking of that first, but I would need to do a lot of very precise cutting on that large red/white/green decal to fit around windows and stuff and I don't think I will be able to pull it off.

11 June 2020, 22:02

Andy Ball
Ha! Just re-read your comment....have you got "Soviet 1:72nd size-envy"? ????

11 June 2020, 22:16

Thomas Kolb
Andy, you know: bigger and shinier is always better!

12 June 2020, 08:14

Thomas Kolb
Just got into a pickle... the round transparent windows are too small for the round apertures in the fuselage they should fit into... about 1 mm difference. I am not sure how to get around this yet... I tried using liquid Kristal Klear, but the window openings are too big for it to work. Fill the openings and use paint or decals? Using transparent plastic sheets to fabricate new windows? Any ideas?

16 June 2020, 21:35

Ben M
I'd do the last - transparent plastic.

16 June 2020, 23:07

wilky
Can you run a piece of tape behind the window holes.
Sit the clear parts in the middle of the holes and use PVA glue to secure them

16 June 2020, 23:23

Łukasz Gliński
I'd either follow Ben's proposal or glue a bigger transparent sheet on the inside of the fuselage, mask it with blutack (or sth similar) and fill with PVA/KristalKlear after painting (you have to use excess amount, as it will shrink while drying).

17 June 2020, 08:38

Łukasz Gliński
Just a quick thought - maybe trying some transparent resin would help? Never seen or used one myself😉

17 June 2020, 10:29

Thomas Kolb
Thank you gentlemen for your tips and ideas... the main problem is that since the ramp on the back will be open, the windows will be visible both from the outside AND the inside. Anyway, I carefully attached the round windows with thin styrene cement on one side and filled the remaining gaps on the other side with clear acrylic glue. It actually turned out pretty decent - after painting it should look quite acceptable.

17 June 2020, 14:56

Andy Ball
a whacky thought.....have any local opticians got a semi-rigid contact lenses?.....could they be fashioned?....and they're (like mine) convex?.....(or concave depending on how you view them!)

17 June 2020, 15:39

Thomas Kolb
Andy, that is actually a very cool idea! 🙂 However I think I got it figured out how to use the provided transparent window disks instead. I just cement them in place on one side with regular extra thin cement and then fill the gaps on the other side with clear acrylic glue (similar to Krystal Klear). Since the acrylic glue has pretty impressing gap-filling properties and dries almost perfectly transparent, it all actually turned out to be easier than I initially thought.

17 June 2020, 18:54

Skyhiker
Really nice to see the love put into 1:72. I'm following. 🙂

17 June 2020, 19:20

Thomas Kolb
Skywalker, thanks, you are welcome! Yes, 72 is a harsh mistress. Make one slip and you have a toy instead of a scale model.

17 June 2020, 19:56

Alec K
This looks like a slog! Looking great, I'll take a seat.

27 June 2020, 14:20

Treehugger
Ah nuts and bolts for nose weight, what a nice idea.

29 June 2020, 09:52

Andy Ball
sounds more like you're stitching them together....

29 June 2020, 16:12

Thomas Kolb
Andy, yes, the left and right fuselage halves don't seem to like each other much. But they actually line up quite nicely once you squeeze them together, you just need a lot of brute force.

29 June 2020, 16:15

Alexander Grivonev
Briefly wondered about the shark fin in pic 30 lol

3 July 2020, 07:25

Thomas Kolb
Alexander, yes, that is the bottom front part of the vertical fin, molded to the fuselage sides. It seems to be a late change in the design as it is not at all described like that in the instructions. Not sure why Amodel did this since it creates an awful lot of work to blend it in. It would have been so much easier to have the entire fin molded as one separate piece.

3 July 2020, 09:01

Thomas Kolb
BTW, I changed my mind and will probably use the special anniversary paintjob from 2004 on this model, or I think it will just be so incredibly dull and boring. It means that will need to do some decal cutting work around the navigator's window and the open door, but I think it should be manageable.

4 July 2020, 12:47

Alexander Grivonev
I see you have a particular affinity to Hungarian AF, why is that?

4 July 2020, 13:08

Łukasz Gliński
Good idea Thomas. Have you considered painting the additioal colours instead?

4 July 2020, 14:45

Thomas Kolb
@Alexander, my wife is from Hungary, and I love the country, the culture, people, language, food and atmosphere. Also I think it is cool to work on a collection with a certain and clear theme. So my model collection is a mix of Hungarian and Swedish Air Force aircraft.
@Łukasz, yes, I actually did some tests on a scrap model, but there are some annoying thin white lines around the color bands which I just cannot seem to be able to mask off properly. The decals are really nice and I think I can get away with some small cuts. If I f*ck up, I can always revert to the regular 80's light gray scheme which I think looks quite attractive. The dark gray NATO scheme is just sooooo incredibly boring.

4 July 2020, 16:48

Łukasz Gliński
Choice of Hungarian Ancsa serves you right😉 You should have gone for the late Polish one😉

4 July 2020, 17:29

Thomas Kolb
Yep, TBH most of the Polish aircraft have way cooler camos. Should have married a Polish lady instead? 😉

4 July 2020, 19:30

Łukasz Gliński
Not at all, but remember: Lengyel, magyar – két jó barát, együtt harcol, s issza borát 😛

4 July 2020, 19:51

Thomas Kolb
Ha ha, that's a cool one, I will remember that! 🙂 🙂 🙂

4 July 2020, 19:55

Łukasz Gliński
We all learn it (in Polish of course) as kids here. Thought the kids down there at Balaton do the same 🙂

4 July 2020, 19:59

Andy Ball
Hungarian is one of the unique languages of Europe, as is Finnish I believe. Lovely progress, Thomas!

4 July 2020, 21:00

Thomas Kolb
Andy, yes it sure is, and also ridiculously difficult to learn as an adult.

4 July 2020, 21:41

Géza Szekér
On behalf of the Hungarians, thank you for your kind words! Köszönöm. „Polak, Węgier, dwa bratanki, i do szabli, i do szklanki."

5 July 2020, 17:59

Łukasz Gliński
Hah! I knew they're familiar with it down there at the Hungarian Sea. However I'm still unable to pronounce and learn it in the Magyar version😉
For the English speakers, the sentence approximate meaning is: Pole and Hungarian brothers be, good for fight and good for party.

5 July 2020, 18:15

Thomas Kolb
This evening I started with the engine pods - quite a lot of details needs to be fixed on these, such as the photo-etched exhaust pipes that I was dreading since day one. Frankly, I didn't expect that I would be able to roll them to a perfectly circular tube, but somehow I think I managed. Phew, let's not do that again in a hurry.

8 July 2020, 21:54

Thomas Kolb
I just received my acrylic putty - this stuff is simply amazing for filling in tiny gaps, such as around wing roots. Just dab it on with a cocktail stick and wipe off the excess with a moist cotton swab. No sanding required - no lost details! I used it to fill in tiny gaps around the engine nacelles and the wings. Highly recommended!

[img1]

10 July 2020, 21:52

Łukasz Gliński
First time ever I can see someone recommending Wamod stuff 😄
Sounds like cheaper version of Perfect Plastic Putty

10 July 2020, 22:20

Andy Ball
does it work on 50 year-old female faces too? [asking for a friend....]

10 July 2020, 22:27

Łukasz Gliński
I have to test it - is it washable after drying? Perfect Putty is. No clue how the Britons made it but it's awesome 🙂

11 July 2020, 08:29

Thomas Kolb
@Łukasz, given the cheap price I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe it is not the same as Perfect Plastic Putty - never tried that so I cannot tell. A tip I got was to brush on a very thin layer of matt enamel varnish on top when dry. From there on it should be fairly solid.
@Andy, he he, one can try. If it goes wrong, your friend may have more time to spend on building models...

11 July 2020, 16:10

Alexander Grivonev
Ouch Andy 😄😄

13 July 2020, 09:04

Thomas Kolb
Finally got the outer wings on... I was worried that if I didn't add some reinforcing strips inside the wing structure, the wings might droop, but the butt join seems to work just fine. Next: the canopy and the ramp assembly and then it's time to mask off the windows before priming.

2 August 2020, 22:06

Andy Ball
Great progress: funnily enough I was disposing of my contact lenses today and thought: "what could I repurpose these for?", ah an Antonov!

2 August 2020, 22:23

Thomas Kolb
Primed! That's always a welcome progress when you start to get sick and tired of seeing all that filler and putty.

31 August 2020, 18:04

Juergen Klinglhuber
great progress... 👍
I guess I check out some source for the primer you recommed.

31 August 2020, 19:24

Cuajete
Good progress, Thomas.
Where can get the Ultimate Primer?
And how did you solve the fitting problems for the masks on the cockpit? Thanks.

31 August 2020, 19:52

Thomas Kolb
Juergen & Cuajete, thanks! I buy the UMP primer from my local hobby shop, but you can also get it directly from the manufacturer's web shop:

umpretail.com/produc..te-primer-120ml-grey

It is an absolute dream to work with, both the gray and the glossy black. It covers completely with an exceptionally silky smooth surface and is super resilient. It is a bit thick so it needs at least a 0.4 needle and 30 PSI. And it cannot be thinned, or it will lose its magic properties.

Cuajete, I don't know if is the molded-on window frames that are incorrect or the masks are too small, but they do not match completely. I just placed the masks in the middle of the windows (you can see it clearly in picture 54). It (sort of) looks okay.

31 August 2020, 20:49

Andy Ball
Thanks for the tip on the UMP Thomas, I too think I need to work with a good self-levelling primer. Tell me, have you compared it to Vallejo's grey or black primer?, I like the meticulous approach to this build!

31 August 2020, 21:37

Thomas Kolb
Andy, I have had a few mishaps with Vallejo acrylics, so I haven't tried their primer. In the past I used Mr Surfacer (500, 1000 and 1500) and had some occasional problems with it not leveling out or rubbing off. The UMP hasn't let me down yet. But as I have mentioned a few times, there are some caveats.

1 September 2020, 04:34

Cuajete
Thank you, Thomas! 👍

1 September 2020, 11:24

Jiri Vybihal
great job so far

1 September 2020, 11:57

Łukasz Gliński
I can see the new project cover picture, yay! 👍

2 September 2020, 20:40

Erik De Smet
You have already put a lot of work in detailing this model , Thomas, I will follow. Btw I got the Gpm hangar too. Looks very good.

9 September 2020, 17:41

Łukasz Gliński
Props for props, they look really great 👍

9 September 2020, 19:49

Thomas Kolb
Łukasz, ha ha, nice pun! Thanks, but I really had to thin them considerably, they looked a bit like clubs from the sprues.
Erik, thank you, yes, isn't that hangar great? So simple, yet so complex looking. You can really go to town superdetailing it, if you want.

10 September 2020, 05:16

Lochsa River
Thomas,

Please explain the sprue in liquid cement mix you use for filler.

How do you make the material? Sprue to cement ratio? Any particular cement suggested?

How do you do this and are there any tips you have for using the filler?

Thank you!

10 September 2020, 07:01

Thomas Kolb
Lochsa-River, I am using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. I cut up remaining sprues in tiny bits (~5 mm) and chuck them into the cement jar. After about two days, the pieces are fully dissolved. The consistency of the goo should be about that of honey, so you should be able to use the brush pf the cement jar as applicator. Maybe 50-50, but I am not particularly measure it, I just look at the result and adjust accordingly. Too thin, add more sprues. Too thick, add more cement. You don't want it too runny, and you don't want it to form long strings when using it. When applying, I usually brush it on quite generously as the stuff evaporates quite a lot. The bad thing is that it takes a very long time to dry, I would say at least 30-40 hours before you can start sanding it. The good thing is that it really becomes uniform with the plastic, so you can easily carve it, make rivets or panel lines and polish it. I have been using this stuff for quite some time, and it doesnt't shrink or detach.

10 September 2020, 11:55

Gordon Sørensen
Great work on the detail painting, Thomas! Everything looks very clean and crisp. And like Lucasz said, the props look top notch!

10 September 2020, 13:23

Cuajete
Looking so good 👍

10 September 2020, 18:28

wilky
For filling I find baking soda and Superglue works best.
Actually any powder will do.
I've been using custard powder lately.
I dries quickly and doesn't shrink

11 September 2020, 07:59

Thomas Kolb
Wilky, that's an interesting idea! How does it work when you need to sand or scribe?

11 September 2020, 09:42

Skyhiker
Just don't use gun powder.

11 September 2020, 20:03

Andy Ball
Or Novichok

11 September 2020, 20:40

Thomas Kolb
How about that white powder those guys on the street are trying to sell to me? I tried it once, but as I was sanding it, my Spitfire model suddenly turned pink and tangerine and flew out the window. Man, it was beautiful.

11 September 2020, 20:42

Daniel Klink
oh another A-model Wrestler... respect Thomas..👍

11 September 2020, 20:44

Lochsa River
John Miller at Model Paint Solutions in Seattle, WA, US swears by superglue and talcum powder.

It works well for me

11 September 2020, 21:07

Ben M
I've found the superglue / powder dries harder than the plastic around it, making the sanding a bit tough. But in situations where the gap needs filling -and- the joint needs to be very strong, I find it to be the best approach.

11 September 2020, 22:40

Cuajete
I heard about the good results Loctite black. I think it has rubber particles so it makes it flexible and sands pretty well so not as hard as normal Loctite.

Great idea to use vinyl masking tape for curves from Tamiya 👍

12 September 2020, 17:55

Cuajete
Looks great, Thomas 👍

17 September 2020, 18:02

Thomas Kolb
Gloss coat applied and buffed to a nice sheen. I next need to apply that red-white-green jubileum flag decal on the front fuselage before I can continue, because a bunch of details are actually going to be on top of that.

22 September 2020, 21:26

Daniel Klink
Wonderful and clean built and paintjob!👍
Amodel should send you gratis kits for lifetime🙂

22 September 2020, 21:57

Clifford Keesler
Nice one,

22 September 2020, 22:40

Thomas Kolb
Daniel, thank you, but I am not sure I can take too many Amodel kits in a row... 😉

23 September 2020, 15:23

Thomas Kolb
Finally managed to wrestle that large Hungarian flag decal in place - that was one step I was absolutely dreading. I needed to cut out the door opening, but it actually worked quite well. I am pleased that I went for this version (thanks Łukasz!), that splash of color is certainly needed for this big chunk of gray aircraft.

23 September 2020, 15:27

Łukasz Gliński
Che tricolore!!! 👍 Di niente mio amico😉

23 September 2020, 16:37

Ben M
Very nice result with the decals. I can understand your anxiety about it!

23 September 2020, 17:28

Andy Ball
Now I know what a 'jubileum' is.

23 September 2020, 18:03

Cuajete
Very nice result, Thomas!

23 September 2020, 20:05

Raphael Bernecole
Really nice and interesting !! I have the same model to do in my stash. I will continue to follow your project with interest... 🙂

23 October 2020, 07:13

Thomas Kolb
Raphael, thank you! I will try to add as many details of the build process as possible. I recommend that you load up with filler before starting the kit, it certainly needs it.

23 October 2020, 08:40

Daniel Klink
Absolutely beautiful Thomas! 👍

23 October 2020, 09:12

Bernd Korte
Very nice progress!

23 October 2020, 12:45

Thomas Kolb
Doing some back-pedalling to fix some issues before I continue... there are some serious fit issues with the ramp assembly, so I have decided to display it closed instead. A pity, but at the same time a relief, I was not too happy about the inside detailing anyway.

19 November 2020, 17:21

Andy Ball
so tidy and clean Thomas, it's a pity about the ramp, but am sure that won't detract from the final result!

19 November 2020, 18:25

Łukasz Gliński
Nevermind the ramp, it still looks gorgeous 👍

19 November 2020, 20:37

Zsolt Czegle
Great work! 👍

19 November 2020, 22:45

Guy Rump
Great work 👍

14 November 2021, 22:24

Clifford Keesler
Great work, well done.

15 November 2021, 03:58

Bernhard Schrock
Excellent especially the front windows.

15 November 2021, 06:05

bughunter
Impressive super clean work on a rough base 👍 The minions are so cute 😉

15 November 2021, 07:59

Andy Ball
The decal really makes it that bit different from the grey Soviet machines

15 November 2021, 10:56

Michael Kohl
A-Model? Puh. To brave that. I am particularly impressed by the imaculate surface you achieved. As bughunter said: super clean coming from a rough base.

15 November 2021, 17:08

Casey Beckett
WOW - That windscreen fit is FLAWLESS. Excellent work! You've made my decision for me - I am buying one now.

18 November 2021, 02:08

Thomas Kolb
Casey, thank you! But no, the fit out of the box is awful. It took me about a week to fill and sand everything to shape using molten styrene, Tamiya White Putty and sanding sticks. Also, I had sanded off all the windows frames as they are not correct. Photos 46, 50 and 52 should give you a hint.

18 November 2021, 06:44

Mark K
Amazing!

18 November 2021, 07:19

Casey Beckett
Oh no ,Thomas -I am aware of the out of the box fit of some Amodel moldings - I was impressed by your WORK to make it look so smooth. And I ordered my An-26 today. So well done, and sorry for the confusion - your work is heartening for these tough but cool kits!

19 November 2021, 00:52

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I have a bunch of pretty quick builds ongoing, so let's start a long hauler too! Enter, my Christmas present from my dear wife: the mighty An-26!

It is an Amodel kit, so better load up with putty and sanding sticks...

An-26 'Curl' - Amodel

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1:72 An-26 Decal Sheet (HADmodels 72037)

1:72 An-26 military cargo (Amodel 72134)

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An-26 - Amodel

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