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KONG on EMPIRE STATE ... (Hold onto your Hats!) ...

Show off your in-progress builds! This is the place to post questions about building and painting your model kits and to share your latest techniques.

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barad_dur
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#41 Post by barad_dur »

Great job shaping those frame panes - I bet that take some time for each frame !

I have never done lighting on a kit , so maybe this idea is not possible, but could you put thin LEDS inside the frame areas and lightly paint the clear acrylic windows covers placed over the LEDs to make it all really light up ?

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#42 Post by tay666 »

Wow!
You really are going all out on this one.

It is going to be amazing once completed.
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#43 Post by bucketfoot-al »

barad_dur wrote:Great job shaping those frame panes - I bet that take some time for each frame !

I have never done lighting on a kit , so maybe this idea is not possible, but could you put thin LEDS inside the frame areas and lightly paint the clear acrylic windows covers placed over the LEDs to make it all really light up ?
Probably there is, and I'm not going to say that this didn't cross my mind, but ... I have very little experience with such small LED lights (there will be a "puck light" inside the tower so the porthole windows can be lighted up). What you are suggesting is more than I am willing to tackle right now ... I hope ... we'll see what the painted up interiors of the frames look like ...

:lol:
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#44 Post by bucketfoot-al »

tay666 wrote:Wow!
You really are going all out on this one.

It is going to be amazing once completed.

Thank you! (I hope you are right, given how much work is going into it! :rolf: ) This is the best thing about unique bashes like this one - you're never quite sure WHAT it will turn out like - there's always that undercurrent of nervousness as you get farther and farther into it ... so far, so good. (Personally I was a bit surprised that the first "frame construction" went off as easily as it did. Now repeat 3 more times! :mrgreen:
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#45 Post by Buc Wheat »

loving following this! Kick ass!

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#46 Post by bucketfoot-al »

It seems that everywhere I go these days, I see something that reminds me of this 'bash. I guess I got it on my mind. :mrgreen:

For example, last night we were with visiting relatives on the Riverwalk for dinner in balmy 70-degree temperatures. When we got to the Rivercenter Mall (at one end of the Riverwalk), I looked up at the neighboring hotel - and stunned, did a double take, then looked again to see "where the big monkey was"! :rolf:

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#47 Post by bucketfoot-al »

Today I completed the second set of frames - and also customized the 1:32 ladder (heat w/ hairdryer, bend top w/pliers) ...

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#48 Post by bucketfoot-al »

Window frames completed and sanded down. Tower washed to get the dust off. Next steps on the tower:

1. Primer;
2. Silver paint;
3. Black oil wash;
4. Matte Sealant Spray;
5. Insert/glue porthole windows;
6. Paint the interior of each frame (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green neon paints on order);
7. Affix/glue the clear window panes over each frame;

Then, finish Kong, and *finally* build the biplane, paint it, affix stickers, settle on mounting mechanism.

Speaking of which, I have been consulting with my pal Bill "Monster" Jones on the best way to suspend/mount & elevate the plane above Kong. Bill had a BRILLIANT suggestion tonight - which I am not going to share with you as yet. I have to determine its feasibility after completing the plane ... :wink:

Here's the tower w/finished frames ...

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#49 Post by barad_dur »

Looking great - always feels good to complete a portion of the overall bash!
Looking forward to seeing the next steps

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#50 Post by bucketfoot-al »

Update: One spray primer and two coats of metallic silver paint later, the tower is starting to take shape.

Next up: Light black oil wash, then matte sealant, then portholes, then neon light paint ups and attachment of glass panes & ladder. :D


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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#51 Post by Tim Fortuna »

Coming along nicely.
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#52 Post by llricmc »

Excellent!
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#53 Post by bucketfoot-al »

Tonight I started painting the glass panes - I am painting the rear of the pane with neon paints. Mass production. Will need 4 each Green, Blue, Red, Yellow. Take a peek at a rough sample I just inserted into one frame as a test. Whadday'all think? :lol:

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-HUGE REVEAL TODAY! Hold onto your H

#54 Post by bucketfoot-al »

:hot: BOOM!!! :hot:


The Tower has LIGHTS!!! :mrgreen:


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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-WE HAVE LIGHTS!!!(Hold onto your Ha

#55 Post by llricmc »

Alright! Very cool!
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-WE HAVE LIGHTS!!!(Hold onto your Ha

#56 Post by barad_dur »

Couple thoughts here B-A.

Looking at the pics you posted of actual lighted buildings, there is fading and variation in each lighted pane.
It appears your painted panes are each a solid color with no fading or color variation ?
Would it be possible to paint in some color variation in each of the painted panes to imitate lighting effect?

Or,

maybe cut out a smaller rectangular space behind each window pane. The cut out would be smaller than each pane to leave a frame to hold the glass panes in place. Then put in a single simple remote controlled battery operated puck light within the tower that would shine through all the smaller openings behind each window.

But as you have often recommended to me, go with what makes you happy !

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-WE HAVE LIGHTS!!!(Hold onto your Ha

#57 Post by bucketfoot-al »

Barad-dur - thanks for the suggestions, but - the panes are glued in place, and I'm as happy as a pig in s*** that I actually managed to pull this off - I actually LOVE the "chicklet-like BLING" they give off. "Simulated lights" I call them. The decision to go with neon colored paints, and then paint the rear of the acrylic panes was a MASTERSTROKE in this regard (even if I do say so myself! :D ) ... before then however I had to repaint and re-oil wash a panel on the tower that I tried painting first ... (what a F$#@! minor disaster that was! :lol: ) The actual lights on the Empire State Building are solid like these are - (the lights on that hotel I took that photo of are spotlights only - which creates the effect you suggested).

I had to come up with ideas on how to do this as I was going along - purchasing several items that didn't work, then purchasing other stuff ... my wife kept a close eye on the bank account and eventually asked for an explanation for all these "smallish" (under $50 apiece) charges, which started adding up ... lucky for me by then I was done ordering all the stuff!! :rolf:

Spoiler: These neon colors will glow in the dark under a black light ... which I will test as soon as I've purchased a black light bulb.

Now to finish painting Kong ... just need to do his eyes, then hit him with some oil washes and maybe a few highlights, then matte sealant ... then comes .... "The Plane, Boss, The Plane!!" :wink:




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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-WE HAVE LIGHTS!!!(Hold onto your Ha

#58 Post by barad_dur »

Roger that!
I look forward to seeing pics with the black light effect !

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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-WE HAVE LIGHTS!!!(Hold onto your Ha

#59 Post by Tim Fortuna »

Man this gets better with every update, going to be epic.
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Re: KONG on EMPIRE STATE-WE HAVE LIGHTS!!!(Hold onto your Ha

#60 Post by bucketfoot-al »

Tim Fortuna wrote:Man this gets better with every update, going to be epic.
Wait til you see the BIG "King Kong" NAMEPLATE with the letters POPPING OUT of the sign (you know, the one you surprised me with)!!! :bow: :bow: :bow:

Edit: Just got the idea to paint the name plate with Neon glow under black light colors too! :D
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