1/72 Airfix - F-86D

This is an older kit that I got a garage sale.  It was missing a few parts - cockpit, fuel tanks, landing gear, air intake, air brakes, and an exhaust nozzle.  I decided to use it as a test build for AK Interactive's Xtreme metal Paints.

I started by scratch building the cockpit details.  The ejection seat was detailed with brass shim stock and plastic.  Seat belts were added, along with handles and stick.  The instrument panel was made from plastic card stock and detailed with small plastic disks punched from .010 styrene.

The canopy was buffed and wet sanded and then dipped in Future Floor wax.  This was my first time using this technique and it worked out really well.  The engine exhaust was made from the spare parts box and plastic strips.  The rest of the model went together very quickly.  The seam along the fuselage was puttied and sanded smooth.

The model was masked and primed using Tamiya grey primer from a rattle can.

I wanted to test the Xtreme Metal paint finishes.  I first applied the paint directly to the primer,  I masked half the plane and put down a coat of aluminum.  I used dark and dura aluminum for different planes.  The paint is very thin and it takes several coats to get good coverage.  The paint dries very quickly.

On the other half of the model, I sprayed the satin black that was recommended by AK Interactive.  The black paint was also very thin.

Here is the model.  I couldn't really tell any difference between putting the Xtreme metal over the satin black or straight on to the Tamiya primer.  The panel with the dark and dura aluminum do stand out nicely.  The anti glare panel was paint with Testors flat olive drab and the nose was painted with flat black.

The model with the decals completed.  To set the decals, I over coated the completed model with Humbrol Satin.  This was a mistake. It left the model with an uneven pattern.

The decals were older and didn't set as well as I hoped.  The USAF has a clear outline on the wing.  I tried to use some acetone to dissolve the decal to minimize the effect, but is started lift the paint instead.

Here is the finished model.