This is old Hasagawa kit I had laying around the basement like most of my models. I finally decided to give it a shot.  After extensive time on ARC reading the Tools n Tips section and looking at the gallery photos, I was confident I could apply some of the awesome techniques I discovered.  The kit was built OOB with minor changes  like using the decal set and ejection seat from an old Revell kit. That Revell kit (as you might guess) did not meet standards, it had raised panel lines, decals for the cockpit and, well you get the idea.

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    I read the article in the Tools n Tips section on how to photograph models better.  I think some of the best looking models have pics that just don't do them justice.  I hope my pics came out ok.  The decals, from that old Revell from hell kit were old and my ten years of modeling experience and a lot of solvent could not prevent some silvering. O well.

    Weathering has been my personal unicorn.  A fable, unattainable beast that I have struggled with through out my professional modeling career.  I have been working on the chalk wash technique but it just isn't coming out right.  Next project an SR-71, I plan to use some oil pastels or enamel to wash, maybe It will work better for me. This "viper" was weathered by tediously applying chalk pastels with a 000 ultra fine brush from Model Master.  Next time I'll just pre shade the jet using black and then carefully spraying over it without totally covering up the shading underneath. I did use a wash for the landing gear and the cockpit but it needs some fine tuning as it is easy to over do.

    For the panel lines I used a .03 mm pencil. You know the click pencils you had in school with the sticks of replacement lead? Well they have those only with smaller diameter lead at the local arts and crafts shop. I used it 
to fill in the panel lines. I know what your thinking "why not just use a wash" but I'm still working on that part.

    I use almost exclusively Tamiya acrylic paint. It's east to shoot through my airbrush easy to clean up and I save big bucks by thinning it with isopropyl ALCOHOL 91% (A.K.A. rubbing alcohol) of course a coat of future floor wax is applied to seal in the weathering and prep the surface  for decals. Then the decals were sealed for ever with another coat of future and then a dull coat from testers to give it that semi gloss look.

    Some advice that has been priceless to me. One word "drying time" I know you want to glue or apply decals 10 minutes after shooting paint on the thing but it has been so beneficial to just cover the model up with a box and let it dry for a day while you build the landing gear or missiles.  Bouncing back and fourth in the directions is fine, you have to get a rhythm and plan ahead. Efficiency is being able to work on another part of your model while the part/parts your unable to handle cures.

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To get the molding seam out, the canopy was wet sanded using soap and water with 1000, then 1500 then 2000 grit sand paper. When it looked even I used rubbing compound to buff it to a shine (I have also used brasso) which I bought at Auto Zone.  Then I died some future with clear yellow from Tamiya and sprayed the canopy to give it a tinge of yellow used for  glimmer reduction on the real bird.

This is my first of hopefully many submissions to ARC. I thank you Steve Bamford for making all this possible. ARC has changed the way I think, approach, build, and finish a model and I owe it all to you  guys. Thanks!

Stephen