daneel

Gunze GX line, just make sure you thin them correctly. You'll never go back to any other clear coat.

Seahawks, seahawks, seahawks! 😀😀

Thanks Scooby! For a long time, I kinda ignored the Euro 1 Phantoms and did the Navy and Air Force grays, israeli, and greek ones, and of course, SEA ones, but just recently I came across some images of well used Euro 1 Phantoms, and thought that it would be an interesting scheme to do, especially because the Meng Phantom just hit the shops at thet time. As for the painting, you're right, i black based the model first, using Gunze surfacer black, then I started adding the paint layers as described in my post above.

I actually used AK Real Colors... I use a couple of their greens for SEA camo, so I just used them, and used the RC243 (FS36081) for the grey. Every paint was first lightened a bit for scale effect and used for blocking, then lightened a bit more, and used for marbling. Then on some spots, I used even more lightened bits of paint, until I got this really splotchy, well used and abused kind of coverage. AKRC has fast become my favorite go-to paint, and it's perfect for these kind of jobs. The finish it produces is just wonderful.

I kinda always considered it a MiG-21 on steroids so much steroids in fact, it sprouted an extra engine!

Have you tried Gunze C068 (H086) Madder Red? I have seen a guy do a similar red flash on a US Navy Hi-viz jet, and that colour seems to have worked.

Fantastic model! Great example of true modelling skill, congratulations!

Yes, consider all of the above advice given by other forum members. Please note that airbrush is a tool, and as with all other tools, it needs good maintenance to perform consistently. Also important is for the user to understand how the airbrush works, as that will help immensly with troubleshooting. For example, polishing the needle will improve the performance of an airbrush, but only users who really understand how an airbrush works do it. As for your problem, have you measured the two needles' length? Have you compared them next to each other? Is the new one really shorter? Next, have you checked the inside of the nozzle? Are there any obstructions inside? This happens a lot. I usually clean the nozzle with a piece of paper tissue rolled up into a point, then finish it with a dental point ( usually ment for root canals, got a box of those cheaply on ebay), to clean the very tip of the nozzle.

Beautiful work sir!

I have dreaded this from the first moment I read online that AKRC are changing format and discontinuing some of their range. Since they showed up in the modelling world, I was an enthusiastic user of these paints, and have been recommending them to all my modelling friends. They were perfect for me and I enjoyed working with them. However, this is a betrayal, they are discontinuing most of their paints, and thinning the rest? Well, I won't be buying them again. There are other, more serious paint manufacturers, that won't be changing the rules on us in the middle of the game...

Hi, sorry to hear about your bad experiences with the airbrush. I can sympathize very much, as I also had great trouble at first. Actually, I have went through 3 different brands of airbrushes and several brands of paints to finally find those I am comfortable with. However, now airbrushing is my favorite part of the hobby, and I just love working with the airbrush to achieve different kinds of finishes. I have just recently won a medal at one model contest, so you know it's really possible to go from really bad at airbrushing to really good. However, the road is not easy, but if you persevere, you can really get great results. I also have the Fengda, and I think it's really a great brush for it's price. If you'll allow me to relate my experience; I went over a couple of lower class brushes from several brands, but I wasn't happy with any of those, and couldn't really get any sort of normal result with them. Then, on an advice from an older fellow modeller, I purchased a Paasche VL, and a whole new world opened up. I thought: "So this is the way an airbrush should work, finally". Then I understood that the problem wasn't in me, just that those other brushes weren't really properly engineered, even though they were from big brands. Paasche was really my workhorse for many years, and with her I learned, slowly, how to work with a proper airbrush, and even with a 0.75 mm nozzle get a tiny thin line on the model. Then, after I coquered the Paasche, I thought it was time to move on to something better, and I got myself an Iwata. Boy, was I happy when it arrived! Couldn't wait to start using it. But, alas, my first couple of tries, it was a disaster. I just couldn't get it to work. I thought I got a bad brush, so I thoroughly checked it over, and couldn't find anything wrong. So I just chucked it back in the box, and went back to my trusty Paasche. Bit it kept nagging at me, how come this great brush that everybody is so happy with turns to junk in my hands? So, after a couple of months, I took it out of the box and started messing with it. Changed the air mix, changed the paint mix, and voila! It started spraying beautifully. Then I understood, every brush needs its paint and air mixes adjusted to suit them. The Paasche is much more forgiving in this manner, so I didn't really notice it when I was working with it, but Iwata needs more care taken. So, if you don't want to just give up, I would recommend you change your paint first, the 3rd gen are really for more experienced users, as they require more fettling to work properly. For first time user, I would use AK real color, Gunze, or Tamiya, thinned with their thinners. Start with the matt greys or greens, they are the most forgiving. Then, as you master each step, move on to more complicated things. Try different paint/thinner ratios, and different air pressures until you find what works best for you. And most of all, don't get discouraged, none of us knew how to use the airbrush from the start, but perseverance really pays off, and the work really gets easier with experience.

If you can mail order AK Real Colors, they do light gray (RC255) and blue gray (RC256) that might be a good match. I haven't used those specific colors yet, but I have been quite happy with AK RC line so far.

I did the same, and had no problem. First applied gunze surfacer black on previously cleaned plastic surface. Then applied AK Extreme metal, then coated it with gx100 to ensure I can mask over it. Never had a problem with paint lifting with this system. However, for this to work, plastic has to be well cleaned, paints well mixed, and gx100 applied in a thick enough layer (not too thick, ofcourse. I usually apply a couple of thin layers). If you followed all of these steps, that would point to there being a bad batch of paint, and I would obtain a second bottle, from a different supplier, and test again, on a scrap bit of plastic. This combination really works, and you shouldn't have a problem using it. Hope you stick with it, and find out what was the issue.