Softscience Labs 2.5

[Softscience]

All 3 look great. Fujimi's Claude is one of my favorite kits. Don't see enough of them built. I really like what you have done with the AD. Sweet looking. Have you done any of the other newer Tomcats?

Nope. A friend of mine picked up the Fine Molds kit and is very happy with it. I got to fondle the parts before he started building, and its a nice looking kit. Lots of options for a stripped down plane. The GWH kit has more options for things to do with wings and air brakes. For this one, I'm going to build a parked plane with wings swept back, but I think it might be fun to pick up a late-model Tomcat and build it coming in for a landing, with wings splayed, gear hanging long, and all the speed brakes up. All the red trim showing up against a lo-vis grey scheme, might look cool.

[montessa315]

I was thinking about how cool it would be to have my car in that color.

I'm interested to learn more about cloudy day photos. Can you show any comparative exanples?

Sorry for the delay in a answer Ralph, I'll do my best.

As you already know and stated, different types of light can give different colour casts.
Bright sunshine will give a hard light and warm colour cast. (yellow, orange to red)
Overcast or cloudy days are a soft light and cool colour cast. (bluish)

Midday outside is when the light is at its most colourless or neutral and if overcast or cloudy the softest light available so no or very little shadows. Because the light is also so diffused bright items have a lot less reflections in them so the surface doesn’t look altered.

Fluorescent lights will give a greenish colour cast.
Tungsten/incandescent lights will give a yellowish colour cast.

If you look at the bodywork paint of my chopper build, bright LED lights, but diffused and at a kelvin of 5600k, the colour and finish is pretty much correct.

https://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=22083&start=15

Now look at the finished pics actually taken in bright sunshine and the finish looks mottled and rough in places and surrounding reflections do not help.
Although the sunshine can really enhance some paint and colour. Direct sun light will also create a high contrast so can be very useful.

https://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=22083&start=30

The finish pictures of my Honda dream 50 were taken under diffused LED lights in doors so a more muted look and very little shadow.

https://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=21737&start=15

The same as the Madza MX-5.

https://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20870

Whereas the Yamaha R1M was taken outside on an over cast day, the sun did break through the clouds a couple of times and you can see the orange colour in places where it reflected off the garden fence.

https://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=20674&start=15

Now, I know you are not going to go outside to take any in progress pictures but hopefully I have done enough to show what I mean about cloudy day light.

If you think its not helpful then ignore it, thats not a problem and no offence will be taken.

One way with pictures indoors is with a light tent and the known kelvin of your light source, setting the camera to the right kelvin will give the most accurate colours and the light tent will diffuse the light and get rid of shadows and high contrast. But like most people who has the room to leave a light tent set up.

Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with your pictures.

Still totally agree with you that metallic shades can be very hard to photograph and I’m not even saying that I have got it right.


Thanks


Alan…………

[Softscience]

Thanks, Alan. I'm going to try some natural lighting for may next beauty shots. Incidentally, those will be coming soon. Stupid Sword Skyraider is finally, almost done.





The model which killed my enthusiasm for 1/72 scale at the start of 2021; Sword's awful AD-4W, is 99% finished. Alongside is the kit which is renewing my love of the scale; Special Hobby's delightful Kittyhawk Mk IV (P-40K), about 75% there. This one being built as an RNZAF kite.

Im enjoying the P-40 so much that I ordered a second. This one, a short tailed P-40K

[PaulBradley]

Well, both look good despite your varied experiences with them!

[PTB11]

Nice work on the AD-4W and the colour scheme on the Kittyhawk looks fantastic.

[iggie]

Both are looking excellent despite the contrast in build experience!

[Softscience]

Sigh...99% done, but that SOB POS MoFo still has fight in it. I was spraying exhaust stains, which turned out only okay, and in the process, I broke off the propeller and tail aerial.

Dammit, im going to finish this.stupud thing! It might look like the dog's lunch, but i WILL win!!!!

[skypirate]

Looking great, Ralph!
I have had my eye on the Sword AD-4W, and I saw your earlier troubles. You have made it look fine!

David

[Softscience]

Finished at last. It looks okay from far away, but its a back of the bottom shelf job. Crap kit, not recommended.







PS. it fought me to the bitter end

While drilling a hole in the top of the tail for the aerial/ my drill slipped and went right into the side of my thumb!

Yes, it hurt. Still does.



No beauty shots this time. Desk lamp and black paper background is more than this hunk of junk deserves.

[Clashcityrocker]

I think it looks ok. Don't see many in the all over blue.

Nigel

[JamesPerrin]

Well I like it even if you don’t

I have to say as I’ve got one

[PaulBradley]

Looks good, Ralph.

[AndrewR]

The AD-4W looks fine in the photos Ralph. I sympathise about the finger, I stabbed myself in the thumb in a similar fashion a couple of weeks back.

[ShaunW]

The kit might have been crap but the build certainly looks great to me, Ralph. Stabbing myself with slipping drill bits is one of my great talents that I've built up over the years. If you want tips on how to do it with maximum pain and bad language, I'm your man. I'm great at drilling off-centre holes as well.

[Lone Modeller]

It may look bad to you but it looks OK to the rest of us. Wait for a few weeks for the bad memories to fade (and the painful thumb to heal), and you may feel differently about it.