While I was building the F-16C Block 52M, I was looking for a way to recreate the soot streaks that are present inside the afterburner can of the Pratt & Whitney F-100 jet engine. Some time ago, in a Youtube video I saw a trick of using toothpicks as masks, placed inside the afterburner tube and held in place with rubber bands.
I thought it would be nice to do the same but there was one problem: the trick works on afterburner cans that are open on both sides, like the ones in F-16 kits by Kinetic. On the other hand, on the Tamiya kit (like the one I was building), the afterburner can is closed on the front so I had to find another way to keep the toothpicks in place.
Since I have a 3D printer, the solution was obvious: I designed and printed a jig to hold the toothpicks in place!
The usage is simple:
1. Attach 12 wooden toothpicks (cut to fit inside the afterburner can) in the jig.
2. Insert the jig in the afterburner can.
3. Spray thinned black or “smoke” paint inside the afterburner can.
The toothpicks act as a mask to create soft-edged paint streaks.
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