AREA 88 : "A Close Shave"

1
June 2, 2022
That's a big fuselage for 1/144 scale. 🙂
2
June 2, 2022
That's just ONE of the wings...
3
June 2, 2022
There's the other wing. That's a huge base... which I won't be using, of course.
4
June 2, 2022
The tail... and the F-5E sprues look TINY in comparison.
5
June 2, 2022
A quick dry fit mock up. This is the ultimate David vs. Goliath project.
6
June 2, 2022
The engines could be better... so let's grab a few bombs and make them better.
7
June 2, 2022
Yeah. That looks much better to me.
8
June 2, 2022
Inside the wing wiring. Each wing has a white strobe light, a coloured (red/green) navigation light, and two landing lights. I used wire shrink wrap around the interior part of the LED to try to limit light bleed. Everything held neatly in place by a massive amount of hot glue.
9
June 2, 2022
All still fits inside. That's a good sign.
10
June 2, 2022
Same goes on the other side.
11
June 2, 2022
Now for the engines themselves. First some paint. I started this project partially because my main airbrush broke and I was waiting for a part, but for an interior splash of paint, my old (backup) airbrush will do.
12
June 2, 2022
Fans and exhausts fitted in place.
13
June 2, 2022
The engines look pretty good to me. Need some putty and sanding on the seams though.
14
June 2, 2022
Test fit on the wings... I count 8 working lights. So far, so good!
15
June 2, 2022
For the tail pieces, I'll solder on the resistors/wiring inside the fuselage instead of trying to cram it all inside that small space.
16
June 2, 2022
There we go. Using a toothpick, I added a few dabs of clear "5-minute epoxy" as a cover for all the lights. It should both protect the LEDs (and look more like a bulb) and diffuse the light a bit better. Now for some more sanding.
17
June 4, 2022
Now for the interior. First a coat of black to block the interior lights from shining through the plastic.
18
June 4, 2022
Testing the light brightness. I also added another coat of aluminium to reflect even more light.
19
June 6, 2022
Next a coat of aluminium to reflect even more light. Also cover the windows from the inside with 5 minute epoxy. I also epoxy-ed in some posts to hang the lights from so the spacing would be even.
20
June 6, 2022
All the Christmas lights hung from the chimney with care...
21
June 18, 2022
Everything looks good...
22
June 7, 2022
Also added some internal support for the main post. I don't need it getting broken inside the fuselage!
23
June 4, 2022
Testing the interior lights shining through the epoxy windows... looks good!
24
June 6, 2022
Now to test the interior AND the exterior lights.
25
June 6, 2022
To make it even more complicated, let's add the red fuselage lights to the mix.
26
June 18, 2022
Let's wire in the Arduino nano that will control all this mess of wires.
27
June 18, 2022
Ok.. don't forget the F-5E Tiger II! A good fit, but still needs some putty for the gaps.
28
June 25, 2022
Shin gets snug in the cockpit.
29
June 25, 2022
Ok. looking good. Canopy on, a million windows on the B747 masked... we're almost ready for some paint.
30
July 23, 2022
Big brother stopped by to compare paint jobs.
31
July 23, 2022
Looks good. Needs a bit of a panel wash and then we're ready for the decals.
32
July 23, 2022
Let's check those lights one more time...
33
August 5, 2022
Decals on... looks good.
34
August 14, 2022
Some masking and some painting happened. I won't bore you with the details, but it took a few tries.
35
August 14, 2022
The homemade decals on the B747 and the base look good... at least on THIS side. 😉
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022
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August 26, 2022

Comments

38 2 June 2022, 14:08

Greg Baker
Thanks Roland. My airbrush broke a couple of days ago, so, while waiting for a new part to arrive, I decided to tackle a project that won't require any painting for a bit. 🙂

I've had this one on the books for a while, but the time just seemed right. Almost all my 1/144 scale Area 88 projects incorporate electronics (LEDs or DC motors), but this one will be lit up like a Christmas tree! I've already got 8 lights in the wings and two in the tail... more to come!

2 June 2022, 14:21

Spanjaard
interesting, of course 🙂

2 June 2022, 14:24

Greg Baker
If you can't be smart, or good-looking, at least be memorable. 😉

2 June 2022, 15:23

Greg Baker
Finally got all the lights hooked up. Still need to mount the red beacons, but at least they all work.

6 June 2022, 13:44

Robin (WhiteGlint)
👀

9 June 2022, 10:35

MS K
Nice pairing. good idea.

18 June 2022, 07:34

Alec K
Wow, BIG project. Following, of course 👍

18 June 2022, 11:45

Greg Baker
Finally had time to move this project long. Some careful masking, and Shin's F-5E Tiger II is just about done. The B747-200 is still a ways away, but coming along.

23 July 2022, 04:38

Dominik Weitzer
Well well.well. great built so far. I'm always impressed while installation of lights in models. Well done!

23 July 2022, 08:39

Alec K
Nice 👍

24 July 2022, 11:36

S M
😄 Watching with interest!

24 July 2022, 16:36

Greg Baker
I kinda missed taking some pictures… but just try to imagine me drowning in tape while masking the paint lines for the two-tone bare metal and the red cheat line… 😉

14 August 2022, 06:23

Erik De Smet
How could I miss this one! And there is an Arduino in the base, so there will be action!

14 August 2022, 08:04

Greg Baker
I was a bit hesitant to go the arduino route. Compared to the complexity of the projects I usually deploy the arduino in, this one is pretty tame. But I wanted a bit more variation in the lighting, so… that was certainly the easiest thing to do.

14 August 2022, 14:11

Greg Baker
This one was so big, I struggled to be able to get some half decent pics of the final build.

26 August 2022, 16:18

Greg Baker
The pics might not quite do it justice, but hopefully the video does:

Youtube Video

26 August 2022, 17:09

Spanjaard
it does 🙂 great job

26 August 2022, 17:48

playtime 222
Excellent!

26 August 2022, 18:29

Daniel
😎😎😎

26 August 2022, 19:26

Greg Baker
Thanks guys. If anyone wants to read the manga pages this build is inspired from, feel free to check out my blog - strobez.ca/wp/index...-close-save-area-88/

26 August 2022, 20:30

S M
Nicely done and awesome lights with strobos 😃👍 I wonder is that small cotton cloud necessary? It is quite remote from the main models and covers the cool wooden stand.

28 August 2022, 10:31

Alec K
Wow. A BIG project indeed. Well done Greg 👍

28 August 2022, 11:54

Greg Baker
Thanks guys. Yeah... I'm starting to have second thoughts on the cotton cloud as well. I might just remove it. It doesn't quite work as I was expecting... and I have another little build that will make better use of it I think. 😉

29 August 2022, 02:09

Robin (WhiteGlint)
😎 Awesome work Greg!

29 August 2022, 06:30

Album info

On Kanzaki's last flight before becoming a full-fledged Yamato Airlines pilot, he's forced to fly without the use of an auto-pilot. When the 747-200 he's piloting strays slightly off course, he learns the need to be ever alert after a near collision with his former friend Shin's F-5E Tiger II in a cloud bank over the Mediterranean.

AREA 88 : “A Close Save”

43 images

1:144

Completed

1:144 Northrop F-5E Tiger II (Revell 03947)

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