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Good Build going Bad - Help


Sean_M

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Help! My Spit Va was coming on nicely. I was losing my fear of the spray gun and somehow worked out the consistency of mixing Tamiya acrylics with X-20A. Then DISASTER! I wanted to seal the underside which I had panted with XF-21. I sprayed a light coat of Plasti-kote Super MATT. The "Sky Green" now looks wrong and blotchy??? I have a tin of Plasti-kote Super - should I have used this. Everyone talks about using Johnson's Polish but as we all know you can't buy it in the UK.

Life was easy when I worked in enamels as a boy. Sigh. A tin of Paint also lasted longer. My first attempt at spray painting was a disaster. I thinned the paint too much. Thank goodness for Tesco's Everyday Cleaner. I was able to start again. Now on my second bottle of Tamiya things were looking up until I sealed it.

By the way. Working in 1/48 how long should a bottle of paint last if its a main colour. Yes I know that there are lots of variables, but some rule of thumb would be nice.

BUILD GRINNDED TO A HALT – PLEASE HELP

Thanks

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Is the blotchy a discolouration or the finish varies from flat to shine? If it's the latter, you might clear it up by giving it a gloss coat followed with a dull one.

A few things I can think of as to what might of happened:

-kote's shelf life has expired or needs to be stirred before use

-not compatible with Tamiya products

-the undercoat did not cure long enough

I suggest to try again the paint process and kote on a scrap piece to see if you end up with similar results.

regards,

Jack

Edited by JackG
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HI Sean,

Sorry to hear about your setback. I use Humbrol acrylic matt varnish in a rattle can, very good stuff and use it all types of acrylic paint including Tamiya. For a kit the size of the Spit, I'd expect to get 2-3 models at least out of the tin. Don't really have an exact procedure for mixing paint, I tend to thin it until it 'looks right' (approx. 50/50 paint / thinners). Thinning the paint too much shouldn't be a big problem, so I suspect the varnish had some kind of reaction, is it acrylic or enamel varnish ?

I was reluctant to change to acrylics, but now love them as they dry much faster, less odour and it's easier to keep the airbrush clean, so it's well worth the short term pain of adjusting.

Cheers

Neil

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Is the blotchy a discolouration or the finish varies from flat to shine? If it's the latter, you might clear it up by giving it a gloss coat followed with a dull one.

A few things I can think of as to what might of happened:

-kote's shelf life has expired or needs to be stirred before use

-not compatible with Tamiya products

-the undercoat did not cure long enough

I suggest to try again the paint process and kote on a scrap piece to see if you end up with similar results.

regards,

Jack

I actually did a test. the Plasti-kote started eating the acryllic. I have now stripped the model down. Luckillly the fuselage was not affected and all m hardwork on the cockpit has survived.

HI Sean,

Sorry to hear about your setback. I use Humbrol acrylic matt varnish in a rattle can, very good stuff and use it all types of acrylic paint including Tamiya. For a kit the size of the Spit, I'd expect to get 2-3 models at least out of the tin. Don't really have an exact procedure for mixing paint, I tend to thin it until it 'looks right' (approx. 50/50 paint / thinners). Thinning the paint too much shouldn't be a big problem, so I suspect the varnish had some kind of reaction, is it acrylic or enamel varnish ?

I was reluctant to change to acrylics, but now love them as they dry much faster, less odour and it's easier to keep the airbrush clean, so it's well worth the short term pain of adjusting.

Cheers

Neil

Hi I will see if I can get some online. Thanks

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I actually did a test. the Plasti-kote started eating the acryllic. I have now stripped the model down. Luckillly the fuselage was not affected and all m hardwork on the cockpit has survived.

Hi I will see if I can get some online. Thanks

Be very careful, Plasti Kote is a brand name and not just a paint for plastics. Many of their range are enamel or cellulose based and will eat plastic as you discovered. The Super Matt says not for use on high impact plastics which is probably why you had a problem. nearly fell into the same trap myself.

Peter

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I actually did a test. the Plasti-kote started eating the acryllic. I have now stripped the model down. Luckillly the fuselage was not affected and all m hardwork on the cockpit has survived.

Hi I will see if I can get some online. Thanks

Hobby craft sell it if you have one local mate :)

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Hi Sean,

I agree with Woody37 about the humbrol matt coat in a can, very handy, easy to use and a nice flat finish - but be sparing, one quick pass and let it dry for a couple of minutes before you give it another, i got a bit over happy with it the first model i did (new tool airfix spit 1a) and it gave it a heavily frosted look, so much so that the panel lines went white!! I managed to save it in the end but it was a bit of a pain.

I can recommend extracrylic matt varnish as being worth a try, i tend to use that for most of my models now, it gives a nice semi matt finish and will thin with water or thier own brand thinner.

Also i can see you have some jonsons floor polish on the way over from the states but if you get stuck and have a poundland or savers near you they do 'astonish' acrylic floor polish in a blue bottle, gives the same gloss finish and about a quid for a big bottle.

Look forward to seeing the spit coming along :)

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Well off in a while to replenish paint stock. I am now at odds with the Brown. There has been an ongoing debate on my "Spitfire - Green" thread. I have settled in my mind to go the XF-81 route for the green and perhaps mix the Brown as suggested in the thread. Have discovered that I should do the base coat of Dark Brown first and then do the green. Maybe having to strip the model down was a blessing in disguise.

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That's a pity. BTW Sean, I know you are trying to get your model done to a high standard (BM builds seem to be among the highest standards I've seen on the web), but just remember that to get good requires a bit of a learning experience. So the first model doesn't necessarily have to be "perfect" when just plain "good" will do the job nicely. We can always build another one in the future if not everything goes right. That being said though, as long as you are having fun, keep at it good chap!

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That's a pity. BTW Sean, I know you are trying to get your model done to a high standard (BM builds seem to be among the highest standards I've seen on the web), but just remember that to get good requires a bit of a learning experience. So the first model doesn't necessarily have to be "perfect" when just plain "good" will do the job nicely. We can always build another one in the future if not everything goes right. That being said though, as long as you are having fun, keep at it good chap!

For me having fun is getting it right. I have the right tools for the first time in 30 years. I want to build models that are good enough to go to competition with. I am now fussing of details - like colour. I am a long way off photo etched parts. I think my current standard is a model that has no seam lines, is painted correclty in the proper colours and has the appropriate weathering then it is a good place to start.

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Last night started work on the Spit, Damage does not looks od bad in the light of day. It is amazing what a few days away from a project can do. When I was remove the plasti-kote and paint I felt like binning the model. The only thing that stopped me was that I had done so much work on the cockpit and that looked amazing.

SptfireVa270212-b.jpg

I am not happy with the wing root area. Any suggestions?

Edited by Sean_M
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