Duncan B

My trusty old Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH has seen better days after over a decade of being my go to airbrush so I decided it's time to relegate it to second line usage and get myself a new one. After spitting my coffee all over the computer screen when seeing that they have more than doubled in price since my last purchase (now £315!) I decided to broaden my search and found that Mr Hobby produce some very nice airbrushes at very reasonable prices. I have gone for the (rather oddly named) Mr Procon Boy FWA Platinum 0.2mm which is proving to be an excellent choice as a replacement and I'm very pleased with it. It's replacing a 0.3mm airbrush but so far that hasn't been an issue, even on my current build which is about as big as I go (1/48 Su-27UBM). If it does become an issue then the parts to convert it to 0.3mm are readily available and won't break the bank either. Duncan B

The GX range can be mixed with regular C series Mr Color if you need to. I use the GX1 white as my go to gloss white now as it sprays and covers without any fuss and dries to a hard, high gloss. I can understand why Eduard state GX5 for the RLM24 as Mr Color doesn't have that particular paint in its range and Eduard are a Mr Color distributor. Duncan B

My collection of Mission Models paints did a great job.....of lining my waste bin! The worst paints I have ever tried and I did give them a decent run but found them to way too finicky for my liking. I want a paint I can thin, pour and spray as quickly as I can type that phrase, no playing at being a chemist! That's my personal opinion, others will have their own. Duncan B

Having just seen the current UK RRP for both the Iwata Micron and the Mr Hobby Airbrush Custom I know which I'd be buying for painting bits of plastic!! Glad I got mine when it was a "reasonable" £300ish, even the Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH has doubled in price from when I bought mine, really makes the Mr Hobby brushes look like excellent value. Duncan B

Great photos, thanks for posting them. I really want to get started on my GWH Mig 29 now. Duncan B

It's a beauty. I love the very subtle wear to the paint on and around the various hatches. Duncan B

Mr Paint do the colour but you'll have to paint it on obvs (or paint the decals). Duncan B

How does it work? If it does the job then it's good to go. Duncan B

I've got a decal sheet for the early batch F6F-3 in the stash but can't remember who made them. The Detail & Scale Hellcat book gives a good breakdown on the various changes that took place during production, well worth a read (not just because one of my builds is featured in it. One of my very few modelling claims to 'fame' lol). Duncan B

Not sure what I'm missing here but they have gone a bit overboard on the panel line wash! First batch were in this scheme for sure, note the early cowl exhaust fairing configuration. Duncan B

Same here, had the Micron CM-C+ for many years but have hardly ever used it as I found it was more finicky than my normal HP-C+ which could do 99% of the same work. My next AB will probably be a Procon. Duncan B

Then add in the cost of the new kit to build while you're on holiday lol. Duncan B

You just have to look on this Forum to see that kit sales have dropped dramatically over the last couple of years. The what have you purchased thread used to turn over it's 40 pages fairly frequently but in the last 18 months has only rolled over twice if I remember correctly. Many of us used to joke about the stash being an investment for when we retired however it is becoming a reality as new kit prices force folk to search the loft. With increasing (trade and retail) prices, the current cost of living, an ageing and shrinking hobby community with large stashes to work through or sell off you have to wonder how much longer LMSs can hang on. The end of this 'golden age' of modelling may well be within sight. Duncan B

A Detail & Wonder 3D printed undercarriage set for a future 1/48 Su-27 Flanker build (really looking forward to using this), a Quinta Studios cockpit decal set for a future 1/48 Su-30SM Flanker build (can you see a pattern here?). Various Master metal pitot probes for stash kits, including for the aforementioned Flankers. Can't remember the last time I acquired a full kit though, like almost everyone else I'm working through the stash at the moment. Duncan B

Great work on one of Trumpeters earlier kits. it looks like you had a lot of work to do. Duncan B

Same here, it's good stuff. Duncan B

I moved away from using Kleer and the likes a long time ago, there are so many good modelling specific products out there now that can do the job better. I did try the clay based washes but didn't like them and after trying out the various enamel washes, pastels, acrylic sludges, artist oil paints etc I have ended up using MiG's Oil Brushers for most of my weathering and PLW now. Very similar to Artists oil paints but thinner I further thin them and use them on top of a gloss coat (usually Mr Color's GX100). Very easy to work with and they dry more quickly than genuine artist oil paints but still slowly enough to have a decent working time. If I don't like the result they can be removed easily with a brush dampened with thinners. I haven't had any disasters since I started using them for the above reasons. Duncan B

Interesting hear the different methods, I'm still wary of giving it a try though but would like to sell some of my older builds to make room for new ones. Duncan B

I stocked MM paints when they first arrived in the U.K. I did have a go with them on a couple of kits but it was more like being a chemist than a modeller having to get the mix of the thinners and the additive right each time and I struggled to get a decent mottle finish with them (they were ok for a solid colour to be fair). Too much faffing around for my liking (and the additive did the same in my stock as above even though they were stored in their box in a cool, dry place). When I spoke to the American owner at Telford and asked about a couple of issues I had with the paints he was extremely rude and blamed me for not knowing what I was doing with an airbrush! That may be the case but didn't help me to get better results with his paints. Sold the rest off cheap and never went near them again (anybody want a MM paint rack?). Duncan B

Mr Hobby's Mr Tool Cleaner R is my go to now after having tried most of the others mentioned above. Cheap cellulose from Lidl is another option but don't leave it to soak in the airbrush for any length of time. Duncan B

It's a shame as it looks like you had been doing a good job on it before the mishap. I've certainly come very close but I don't think I've ever actually 'test flown' any. The question is do you know what caused the reaction so you can avoid it happening again? Duncan B

Recently we have received some exciting new arrivals that are worthy of sharing with you. 1/72 kits: Big Planes Kits 7222 1/72 Poseidon P-8A US Navy & RAAF (Inc free postage) Finemolds 72846 1/72 USAF F-4C Phantom "Wolfpack 1967” Finemolds FP30 1/72 U.S. Navy F-14A Tomcat Finemolds 72743 1/72 US Navy F-4J Phantom "USS Midway 1978" Finemolds 72936 1/72 F-14A Tomcat "IRIAF" Finemolds 72847 1/72 Iranian F-4D Phantom "IRIAF” Meng 72-001 1/72 scale PLA ZTQ15 Light Tank Meng 72-003 1/72 scale U.S. M1A2 SEP ABRAMS TUSK II Main Battle Tank 1/48 kits: Kinetic K48105 1/48 F-16D Block 30/40/50 USAF (New Tool) Kinetic K48133 1/48 F-16C RSAF (New Tool) Kinetic K48105 1/48 F-16D Block 30/40/50 USAF (New Tool) Kinetic K48040 1/48 T-Harrier T2/T2A/T2N/T4/T4N/T8 Two Seat Trainer Kinetic K48124 1/48 Mirage 2000N La Fayette Meng LS-002 1/48 Chinese J-20 Stealth Fighter (Inc free postage) Miniart 48001 1/48 P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt Advanced Kit ARMA Hobby 40006 1/48 Hurricane Mk IIc "Jubilee" Ltd edition Great Wall Hobby L4831 1/48 Sukhoi Su-30 MKM/MK/MKA/SME Flanker H (Inc free postage) Tamiya 61125 1/48 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II (inc free postage) ... and winging their way to us and expected to arrive very soon: Great Wall Hobby L4826 1/48 Sukhoi Su-30MKI Flanker H Multi-Role Fighter w/ BrahMos missile (inc free postage) As always our prices are discounted from the U.K. RRP and all orders over £60 include free postage (RM T48 or DPD). Visit www.blackmikemodels.co.uk to see our full stock. Duncan B

Currently there is a bit of a shortage of some Mr Hobby products in Europe (including U.K.) due to problems the European division of Mr Hobby's parent company (Gunze Sanyo) are having getting stock into Europe. This means that the most popular items in the Mr Hobby range, the thinners, Mr Color paints etc are starting to run out at the various European Distributors including Albion Alloys in the U.K. I have spoken to both Albion Alloys and Gunze Europe directly and have been assured that this is only a temporary issue but it has been going on long enough for stocks to run low and in some cases run out completely. Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon. Duncan B

The Eisernes Kreuz figures haven't exactly marched out the door, even at the lower discounted prices I had on them so they have been furthered reduced to clear and won't be restocked. It's a shame as they are lovely looking kits but possibly a bit too niche for my website. Duncan B

Uschi stuff is available from other retailers, the rigging thread is easy enough to find usually. I have some UVDR Superfine rigging thread and some paint masks as it happens. Duncan B