colsom

Thanks for all the advice. The gloss coat prior to masking makes a lot of sense so I'll definitely give that a go.

I am having endless problems getting a decent paint finish. Small parts aren't an issue. Fuselage cammo is a nightmare. I am not a prolific builder as I have lots of other interests to keep me busy, especially in good weather. I'm doing well if I finish one kit in a year! I really enjoy the building part. I enjoy painting the small parts. I am currently building a Revell 1:72 Mi Mil 24v Hind e. It's my first kit with a complex camouflage pattern. I use Humbrol and Revell enamels thinned with Humbrol thinners. I do prime all parts first with Humbrol primer. My first paint attempt was with a brush as I couldn't get to grips with the airbrush. The result wasn't good as there was too much paint. I painstakingly removed all the paint and tried with the airbrush. Too thick again so stripped it again. But I also had a problem with the masking tape. I use the Tamiya tape. Masking literally takes me hours, usually spread over several days. By now I was doing ok with the airbrush so tried that and obtained a great finish. Which I was over the moon with until I removed the masking tape from a previously painted area. Whilst it didn't totally strip the paint underneath, it left it blotchy. I attempted to retrieve it by brush painting with the relevant thinned Revell matt grey paint. It was impossible to keep a wet line. Regardless of how much I did or didn't thin the paint it was drying in seconds, leaving brush marks and drying a multitude of shades, regardless of whether I used a flat brush or a normal brush. After each painting session the model resides in the airing cupboard for a few days. The temptation to dump it in a box and bury it in a very deep hole is very strong, but then I'll have the same issue with the next kit. I do appreciate there is a learning process but help is desperately needed please. One thought I did have. Should I be gloss coating each area of paint to help prevent the masking tape damaging the paint? I can get around the crap paint job by weathering a tatty dirty finish, which I actually prefer rather than a factory fresh finish. This doesn't solve my issue though. Thanks for reading, Colsom

That make a lot more send=se now. Thankyou. Thanks for this one. I am an IPMS member so I'll give that a try.

I've had a look at this link but I can't figure out whether the decals are for sale or if they are just a reference? In fact I can't make much sense of the site at all.

Thanks Steve, Already done and waiting for a reply.

That's great thanks. I've spent hours searching prior to posting on here. Another rookie mistake!! With the buy 2 get one free it did work out at under 20 quid but either way they'll work fine. .

I went to Scale Model World for the first time over the weekend. I bought a Revell 1:48 Mosquito B Mk.IV. The kit number is 04555. When I got home I realised I'd made the rookie mistake of not checking the box contents carefully and found that the decals are missing. Is there anywhere I might get replacements from? Thanks for looking. Colsom

Thanks 3DStewart. Needless to say I've given it a big swerve!! Colin.

Great advice Mike. Thanks for that. Fortunately I haven't come across that file!! Colin.

I was searching for a reference book for my latest kit. An MIL MI 24 Hind E. I came across a website in the name of Euro-book.net, with just the book I wanted. All F.O.C. I kept thinking that if it looks too good to be true it probably is. It required a sign up first. The usual email and password. For safety I used my tablet as there's nothing on there to spoil. After signing up the danger page appeared. They wanted card details just for address confirmation purposes!! By now the alarm bells were deafening. Needless to say I made a hasty exit. I was wondering if anybody else had come across this site. Trust Pilot has no reviews at all. Thanks for looking, Colin.

Hi Jim, You clearly spend waaaaay too much time in your modelling cave 🤣🤣🤣 Quite by chance I found that I could look through all your Flickr pics. It's interesting to see all the extras you've added. I wish now that I had kept a photo record. I'm interested to know how you've fabricated the fixing loops under the dead eyes. Have I got the terminology right here or should it be ram heads? The parts list refers to the pulleys as dead eyes but the paragraph on how to rig them refers to them as ram heads. 40 years ago I just followed the instructions and placed the thread loops through the hull. I can live with them although I wouldn't be averse to cutting them all off and doing something that looks less naff. If I keep the thread loops I have no intention of attaching the ram heads/dead eyes to the loops with more thread. Partly as it would look crap with a knotted thread but mainly because it would be impossible to tie a knot and still keep the loop taught. I've experimented with copper wire by twisting 3 strands together very tightly but even after painting they don't look right they don't look brilliant. I've just ordered some 0.5mm black wire from Ebay to see how that looks. Only 2 quid so no great loss if it doesn't work. My build work will slow down now the weather is better as well as lockdown easing. Caravan and fishing will take priority! Col.

Hi Jim, Thanks for the reply and thanks for the youtube tip which I've had a look at. Guess tomorrow the Heller rig will get tossed to one side. By the time I've finished this project there will be a real mix of different methods. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures on here I'll let you see where I am with things. In the meantime have a look at the link below. It's the build manuals and prototype photos of the Caldercraft wooden kit which Cornwall Model Boats sent me when I enquired. They are really impressive with some good photos you may find useful. I'd forgotten I had them so I'll also be looking for ideas. http://www.jotika-ltd.com/Pages/1024768/Manuals_Victory.htm Colin.

Hi Jim, I only found you thread yesterday and have read it all with great interest. When I purchased the Heller Victory kit new it cost around £35 I think. That was over 40 yrs ago! Having only ever badly built Airfix kits as a child up to that point little did I realise what I had taken on. At that time there was no internet to turn to. It never occurred to me that many many enhancements could be made to improve the look of the ship. I started the kit off and got as far completing most things up to top deck level. Then the kids made an appearance. What with long work hours Victory was shelved and remained shelved until I retired 3 years ago. It was an inch thick in dust and bits had gone missing. The idea was to have a go at Airfix kits again first so started looking around for inspiration. I really couldn't believe the lengths that people go to to make kits look realistic. I went to a show at Hinkley which was even more of an eye opener. As tempted as I was to get into the aircraft I decided to get stuck into Victory. It took quite a while to clean off the dust and repaint as much as I could. Some cannons had come loose and were rattling around inside. I had to carefully remove the stern and, using a long piece of wire I managed to refit them all. Surprisingly they were all still there. I had to manufacture some bits as well such as the bell and the top to the bell housing. I think I was at the point of starting the bowsprit. It was then that I, along with anybody else who had bought the kit, realised that the the instructions are about as much use as a chocolate tea pot. But for online images of the real Victory and some imagination I would have given up. I didn't know until just recently that books are available about the anatomy of ships. However, as this is basically a retirement project I made the decision 3 years ago that I would just work it through as per the paper thingy with pictures in it. I have spent hours pouring over the pictures trying to figure out where all the ropes go. What a bloody nightmare! 30 years ago I stained the threads with tea as per the instructions. 3 year ago I realised that rigging is either black or grey. With more knowledge I should have bought after market coloured thread but instead I painted them with a very dilute mix of enamel paint. Apart from the smell it served a purpose although it did make the thread a little stiff. When it came to the hammocks I had a go with the frame that came supplied with the kit. Useless!! I finished up with an incredibly stiff mess. I spent ages trying to think what I could use when the bottom of our net curtains caught my eye. As luck would have it they were too long anyway so I cut a couple of inches off the bottom. Before you ask, yes, my wife was ok with it!! They look surprisingly ok. (I think). I am at the point now where I have all the component parts of all the masts made but not assembled. I lost count of the hours spent tying pullies. I am about to start on the shrouds. Hoping the frame supplied would be better than the one for the hammocks I made a start a couple of days ago. Another instruction book shambles! I can see that basically the idea is good. What would make it better would have been if some hapless Heller employee had been tasked to build the kit as per the instructions. Heller might then have realised how crap they are. After spending 2 or 3 hours I sort of managed to get the vertical threads onto the frame. Knowing how badly some things have fitted I thought that before adding the ratlines I'd better offer the frame up to where the shrouds fit into the ram heads. Unsurprisingly some are way out of line. I don't know if mistakes were made in translating the instructions but the numbers given for the notches on the frame don't match the position of the ram heads. I am very tempted to fit the mast then fit the lines afterwards. As always with this build it's three steps forward and one back. It's a good job that for things like this I have endless patience. I have to say that having looked at quite a few builds on Britmodeller, especially Daffi's, I was over the moon to find your's as you're not far away from me in the build. I am impressed with all the extra's you have added to the point where, in some ways I wish had gone down that route but I felt that, as I was so far on with the build when I returned to it, that adding "extras" would look a bit odd. It's been a great learning curve so far. My ambition is to have a go at Caldercraft's wooden version. It looks really impressive. Following a casual enquiry I was told by them that build time is estimated between 2000 and 3000 hours! I will continue to watch your build with great interest. Colin

Hi all, I'm in the process of building a Revell 1:100 scale kit of HMS Victory. Does anybody know where I can get hold of any crew figures? Thanks, Col.

Thanks again for the replies. Michael.....The video was good to watch. All I've found so far are grainy old photos of aircraft taking off from aircraft carriers. The quality is understandably awful which probably contributes to them looking filthy. I'm thinking perhaps I should get the paint out again. I also think I'm perhaps trying to run before I can walk but hey, it's fun and I'm enjoying what I'm doing which surely is the main priority. I'll have a go at uploading some photos again. Dave....Paint what you see is also good advice as I've painted probably what I imagined. The upside though is that I've started to experiment with different methods and materials. Colin

I put a lot of thought into what to do with regard to weathering. All the WW2 IJN pictures of carrier based craft I found (Swearing removed) were quite grainy as you'd expect but the vast majority of the aircraft looked very dull and grimy and a long way from being looked after visually. As a result I now have a pretty dirty and grotty looking kit lol. I'd post some pics but after spending a couple of hours trying to figure out how to attach photos I gave up. (I have little patience with technology). If anybody can tell me where to find better images I'd be very grateful. Colin.

That was a great answer thanks. I hadn't thought about different layers of paint/dope etc or repairs to the air frame. Finding photos of specific in service WW2 Japanese planes is a challenge to say the least. The ones I've found are very poor quality which is understandable. I'll just keep experimenting. It all adds to the enjoyment.

Thanks for the answers. I can see your point with not using black and will definitely give it a go. I perhaps should have picked a single wing kit first. I'm not overly worried about making a mess though. It was bought very cheaply from a show. In fairness to all the modellers in the video's I've seen only a couple use black all over the completed models. The rest used an airbrush and did the panel lines first then built up the paint layers on top. Colin.

I'm part way through a 1:72 Hasegawa Kawanishi type 94 with ALF. This is my first kit since I was in my teens, 40 odd years ago. I've got a lot of the plane built but haven't attached the top wing yet as I want to have a go at weathering. A lot of the panel lines protrude on the wings. They look almost like the old rubber powered balsa kits I used to fly as a kid where the wing covering stretches and shrinks over the spars after being doped. It may well be that this bi plane was cloth covered and doped. I have painted the kit with Humbrol enamels but would like to have a first try at weathering. I have watched lots of videos but very few cover enamel weathering/washes. A couple I did look at on YouTube showed the modeller giving his kit several coats of clear varnish first. (I used Humbrol Gloss No.35.) The video showed the guy mixing black paint and thinners, covering the model and then wiping it off straight away. It looked ok. I tried it and succeeded in stripping the wing of gloss coat and most of the paint. Tried again with an extra gloss coat but with the same result only worse. Where am I going wrong please? Thanks, Colin.

Thanks Niall. I'll take a look.

I'm in the process of finishing a 1:100 HMS Victory which I started the best part of 40 years ago but had to put to one side once the family came along. I've retired now so have the time. Does anybody know where I can get spare parts from? I've tried a time or two email Heller but have never received an answer. As you can imagine, over the years quite a few parts have gone missing but I was able to scratch build them as they were quite simple. The bits I need though are tiny anchoring rings which I really think I'll struggle to make.

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful,

Hi all, I'm more or less a newbie to modelling. I don't count the airfix kits 50 years ago as experience. At present I'm half way through a Heller 1:100 kit of HMS Victory I started 40 years ago. I'm retired now so have the time. I need a little advice on paints please. My only paint experience is with Humbrol enamels which is what I am using to finish Victory. Once that's finished though I have several aircraft kits to complete......4 Airfix, 1 Revell and 2 Hasegawa kits. I am trying to settle on one brand of paint, probably Vallejo as it is available locally, as is Humbrol. I have a brand new and as yet unused airbrush, which I am keen to have a go with, so will probably go with Acrylics as everything I've read suggest they are more user friendly than enamels. I have found loads of conversion charts which I assume are good to use but have found that some of the Gunze Acrylics have no equivalent listed against Humbrol or Vallejo. Does anybody have any suggestions as to where I can find mixing information or would I just be better off trying to find a Gunze supplier and just buy the paints I can't get from Vallejo? Thanks for reading, Col.

Thanks for the replies. Dafi's build is really impressive.

I started building the Heller 1:100 Victory nearly 40 years ago!! When the kids came along it got pushed to one side. After retiring just over a year ago I decided it was time to finish it. I'm glad I waited as, without access to pictures on the internet I don't know how anybody completed it. The instructions are more vague than a Michael Fish weather forecast. I'm hoping that somebody has successfully built this kit and can help me out please. I am really struggling with the deck hammocks. I have wound the rigging thread onto the frame as per the instructions. The instructions then said to glue the threads together. They don't say what with so I brushed it with superglue. The result was a horrible brown mess which is very difficult to fold around the plastic part. Together it is supposed to look like a rope netting. It looks like the aforementioned horrible brown mess. Is there a glue which will the glue the threads together which wont discolour them and still leave them flexible? Another question arose when I read the instructions for assembling the ram heads. The instructions say to use No. 1 thread. It doesn't say what No. 1 thread is though. I emailed Heller with the question but, as they have never replied to previous emails I'm not holding my breath. Colin.