Subject: DARLEEN - B-58A HUSTLER - STORY
From: Rodney Williams <[email-masked]>
To: SNJ WEBMASTER <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 14:24:04 -0800

"B-58A HUSTLER"

                                Model By

                            Rodney  Williams

The first few photos show a "real" B-58 Hustler at the Pima Air Museum,
which is located in Tucson, Arizona U.S.A.  I took these photos in
December, 1985!

The kit is made by "Testors/Italeri."  I don't know when the kit first
came out, but I have a date of April 18, 1993 written on the box.  I got
it at one of our club meetings, and paid a mere $4.00 for it!

This finished 1/72 scale model is another one of my examples, using
"SnJ" Spray Metal Aluminum paint.
I built the model almost "out of the box!"  The pitot tube was the only
item I replaced, by using telescoping stainless steel tubing.

The overall construction went very well!  I choose to open up the three
cockpit hatches, and these photos show the end results!

After I glued in the finished cockpit, I white glued in 4 "BB's" just
inside the intake on all four engine nacelles, and several of them on
the inside of the fuselage just forward of the main landing gears, and
in the cockpit area.  I taped the model together, and attached all the
kit parts, including the three gear struts.  Once I had enough "bb's"
glued in so the model would sit on the nose gear, I disassembled the
model and finished all the necessary work.  Very seldom do I place all
the weight needed forward of the nose gear.  I found out that if you do
it that way, over time the nose gear will bend.

My only problem was with the kit windscreen.  While carefully sanding
it, it cracked!  I wrote to the company who made the kit, and low and
behold they sent me another windscreen.  I was extra careful in sanding
this windscreen.  Darn it all, if it didn't crack in the very same place
as my first one.

I glued the two parts back together, and sanded the inside very smooth.
Next, I made a "plaster of paris" mold, and vac-u-formed a couple of
windscreens.  Of course they had to be sanded down to 2000 grit grade of
sandpaper, then polished out with "Blue Magic," and dipped several times
into "Future Floor Wax."  I cut and fit the windscreen to the fuselage
until I achieve a near perfect fit!

A modeler wrote to me from Europe wanting to know how I painted the
inside of my canopies and windscreens, especially in 1/72 scale.  I sent
him several email attachment photos, including these B-58 photos.  I
wrote on the photos, as to how I do it.

I peel off the backing paper on the artist type "Frisket Film," and
place one little pieces of it on one of the outside widows of the
windscreen.  I draw on the window, then remove the film.  After all the
windows are drawn, I cut them out and begin to place them back on the
outside of the windscreen.  Sometimes I have to remake one or more
windows, as they may be too big, and/or too small!  Once I replace, and
achieve a near perfect fit for the outside windows, I repeat the same
process for the inside, using the outside window frame lines as my
inside guide. GOT IT ?  ** GREAT! **  DO IT!

When this is accomplished, I airbrushed on Tamiya  XF-1 flat black paint
to the inside of the windscreen.  About 20 minutes later, I rub down the
paint with a clean cotton ball to remove any over spray, etc.  I use a
new #11 blade, and carefully place it slightly under a corner of the
frisket film and lift it up and bend it over.  I use tweezers to gently
pull off the film "very" slowly."

As mentioned in other stories, my paint to thinner mix ratio is at least
4 or more parts thinner to one part paint.  The denatured alcohol
evaporates very fast, and after several thin coats of paint it's dry in
no time at all. This film is super thin, and it leaves next to "0" ridge
line of paint.  Always remove the frisket film within an hour or so.  If
you leave it on too long, it will leave the adhesive on the plastic!

"HOW TO REMOVE THE ADHESIVE:"  I use only "Mineral Spirits," sometimes
called paint thinner.
I dip a clean "Q-Tip" into the thinner, then remove as much of the
thinner as possible, by wrapping a clean cloth around the Q-Tip, so it
soaks up the thinner.  I gently roll the "Q-Tip" back and forth, which
will soften the adhesive, and pull it off the clear plastic. You will
have to use several "Q-Tips," which depends on how many windows you have
to clean up.  The paint thinner usually will not remove the future floor
wax, nor the Tamiya paint, but you must work fast.  Once you remove the
adhesive, clean the parts with a very mild soap/water solution, then
clean with only water, and blot it dry.  It will remove any "enamel
paints!"  This will take some practice, until you get it right, so
experiment on a spare windscreen, and/or canopy.

The enclosed photos show how I apply the windscreen to the model, using
future floor wax, and super glue.  If you have never tried this method,
well just "do it!"  It works for me, and with some practice, it has to
work for you.  Since I started attaching my windscreens using this
application,  I have never "fogged" a windscreen with super glue. Just
sand the outside down to 2000 grit, polish it out, and apply lots of
future floor wax, and let it run off the model. Wipe down the fuselage
with clean tissue/toilet paper, etc.  Carefully wipe the fuselage with a
damp cloth, using water and/or denatured alcohol!

I was ready to paint the model after I had replaced a few panel lines,
checked for imperfections, and finished sanding the model down to 2000
grit sandpaper.  Somehow, I was holding the model wrong, and I broke off
the left outboard engine.  Once it was reattached, sanded etc., it was
paint time.

During the month of November, and December, 2001, the weather was very
cool here in San Jose, California.  I estimate the outside temperature
to be around 50 degrees.  For me, that's "SnJ" paint temperature. I have
no idea what percentage of humidity we had, but it rained off and on a
bit.  My paint booth is outside in front of my garage, or outside of my
backyard enclosed patio.  I choose the back yard this time!  The first
few "light" coats of "SnJ" Aluminum went on to perfection.  About an
hour later I inspected the model for flaws, dust, etc.  Hey! there were
none, so I added some more "SnJ."  About two hours later, I put on my
white "nylon" gloves, and rubbed down the paint with clean cotton
balls.  I had no over spray around the four engines, nor on the pylons.
I couple of days later I added more aluminum paint in the morning, then
more of it a few hours later.  A hour or so later, I began applying the
aluminum polishing powder with a clean "Q-TIP" and polishing the model
out with cotton balls, and the polishing cloth which is supplied with
the starter kit.  Long ago I started using the white nylon gloves, which
prevents my finger nails from leaving "line like" scratch marks in the
paint finish.

For the additional colors, I just mask off the model with my low tack
"fine line" masking tape, and/or the frisket film and applied the other
Tamiya colors.  I use to mask my model  as soon as I finish polishing it
out.  However with this fine line tape it does leave some marks on the
paint at times.  I got the bright idea to wait a couple of week so the
paint gets good and hard.  Presto, it works! No more tape lines!

I used the kit decals, and applied them with "MicroSet/Sol."  Next, I
attached the landing gear struts with white glue, then aligned them up.
The next day I put on all the tires with white glue, and adjusted them
for alignment.  Darn it all, but they all touched my very smooth and
flat table top.  Nothing like having a tire or two up off the table
top/tarmac, etc.  A few days later I added the three cockpit hatches.

It's finished, and looks darn good to me.  It's really fun to build out
of the box after all these years of this super scratch building!

If you have any question, please do not email me until at least May 15,
2002, as I will be out of town until then.

As they say, happy modeling!

Rodney