SPA Modeler

I built my share of classic Monogram kits when I was younger. For some reason, this one keeps coming to mind...

You too, huh? I have fond memories building that one.

There was a time when I was a pup where I would only build Monogram kits. I was anti Revell, AMT which pissed a couple of my car buddies off. But I built airplanes. Lol

My go-to kits were always Monogram and....MPC. I love their car kits then.

Well folks, it's time for an update, and some in-progress pics. I have finished decaling the Delta Dagger and I managed to finish with only a few boo boos. The kit was made in 1990, so those decals were 31 years old. I had bought a set of Pro-Modeller decals for the Idaho Air Guard bird I'm building that were from 1996. So, I coated both sheets with MicroMark Decal Film. This is the third build in a row that has featured "antique" decals and I hope the next ones are a bit fresher. That said, by using a, by now, tried and true method, I've been able to apply them all with little drama. I had one decal break, loosing the small corner, and a couple that were trimmed too close show a bit of a ragged edge but I'm pleased with them. I've found that a pan of water on an electric "hot plate", kept at just under a simmer, works well with the decals. I hold them under the hot water a bit longer than usual, and they seem to release from the paper in a few minutes. You will note the wing fences are painted to match the fin decal. Had pretty good luck matching the paint and decided to also paint the brake doors in that shade (a bit of artistic license, although they were frequently painted a contrasting color).

After I seal these decals with a coat of Future, I'll try some Flory wash and see how it works with the raised lines. Then, I need to mask and paint the anti-glare panel and the nose cone as well as the tip of the fin (radome tan). I still have some work to do on the two drop tanks and after that, it should be time for the fiddly bits that are painted and awaiting their turn. Oh, and I'm more than a little worried about what I'll find when I remove the masking tape that covers the bare metal at the rear of the plane. It has been taped for far too long and I think I might have some glue residue to deal with. If Goo Gone doesn't futz it up...if it does, I may end up painting those three shade of NMF again, we'll soon see! This big boy is going to consume a lot of parking space in the display cabinet and will be one more Century Series aircraft done.

A few progress pics if you're interested:

decaling set up:





overhead:



boo boos:



penciled panel lines seen here:



finished decals, Port side:



finished decal, SB side:



head on:



kit date:



An actual Idaho Air Guard F-102 in "silver dope":



decal debris:



decaling stuff:

Nice! Well done, too....I think I've finally acquired the Century series kits. Now to find time to build them.

For the life of me, I cannot get that Micro Mark decal film stuff to work worth a damn. I brush on an even coat, let it dry and yet they still shatter. How long to you have to let them dry?

A very nice clean build so far Gary!

So cool.

Looks great! I wouldn't worry about the boo-boos. Just say that it's wear and tear on the jet. And it does take a lot of space on the shelf.

LyleW wrote:Nice! Well done, too....I think I've finally acquired the Century series kits. Now to find time to build them.

For the life of me, I cannot get that Micro Mark decal film stuff to work worth a damn. I brush on an even coat, let it dry and yet they still shatter. How long to you have to let them dry?

Hey, thanks for all the comments guys! It's slowly getting there. Lyle, I usually end up letting the decal film dry for several days. That's just due to my slow assembly mostly, I think the label says to wait 15 minutes? I think it's saved several old decal sheets thus far; not sure why you're having that issue...have you tried various water temps? Some of these decals soaked in the hot water long enough that they released from the paper in the water, and I could just grab the decal with tweezers and put it in place. Keep tryin'!