geoff m

Colin. I should have said that I was using Johnsons Clear which I believe to be acrylic.

I have just used these decals on a Spitfire Mk1. They worked perfectly with just a couple of provisos. First, putting a second decal on top of an existing one doesnt work. The second decal simply wont stick and just lifts off. Secondly ( and this isnt neccesarily a problem ) Clear doesnt stick to the surface. I needed to mask over the lower wing decals and was worried that the decals would be damaged. I put a coat of clear over the markings before masking and when I removed the masking tape the decals were fine but the clear coat was removed completely. I suspect that when printed there is some sort of non stick coating which helps the carrier film to come off easily. I am not entirely convinced that these are the way forward but on natural metal finishes I can see their advantages. Would I use them again? Yes

Thanks for the swift replies. Mike yes I did shake it very vigorously before use but it was a brand new tin so I dont think that was the problem. There was no bubbling so no leak in the airbrush either. Next time will puor it straight from the tin and see what happens.

I wonder if anyone has had problems with Alclad grey primer? I am a huge fan of it and have used it exclusively for the last 3 years however this morning I opened a new tin and had some major problems. The problem was that when spraying it was leaving behind what I can only describe as a thick grey sludge in the airbrush cup. Funnily my airbrush didnt seem to mind and the primer seemed to spray without difficulty and also seems to have dried to a good finish but cleaning up my airbrush afterwards took an eternity. I tried it through both my airbrushes, an Iwata HP-BH and an Iwata TR1 both with a 0.3 needle and sprayed at 15psi. The same thing happened with both brushes. Any advice or comments gratefully received.

You are too kind Dave. I havnt posted anything for ages and not sure if I can remember how to post photos but will have a go. Am on the last lap so when its finished will try to post in ready for inspection.

Thanks for that Jon. I have polished it and coated in clear. Hasnt got rid of it entirely but has left a quite attractive weathered finish that I can live with so am not going to mess around with it further.

having heard how good this stuff was I bought a can. Tested it on various bits and pieces and no problems. Have just used it on the prop blades of my Tamiya spitfire and it has dried white!! Is there any way to get rid of the white bloom? Really dont want to have to respray the prop cos will lose the decals. Any help very gratefully received.

I use both micro set and sol over klear with no problem at all. You get milky patches whilst it is wet but they go when it dries. Have just had a sniff of my micro set and it smells more like acetic acid than ammonia.

If that was "all" I had done this year I would be very pleased indeed.

Thanks for the help and advice. Unfortunately I had glued the cockpit tub together before I realised how bad the problem would be. If I try to cut it all apart I fear I will completely ruin it. Am going to bash on with this one as is and get some practice with resin and photo etch. May see if I can get hold of another kit and try a completely different approach. So far as the flaps are concerned it is my intention to show them dropped. I realise that this is heresy but I tried to close them when I did the Airfix version of this kit and they are such an appalling fit that I dont think I can get them to fit properly or at all. It may not be quite the heresy that people think cos I have seen a photo of a Mk24 on the ground with flaps down. Its on p15 of Peter Marsh Spitfire story though I do admit this is the only photo I have ever seen of a Spitfire on the ground with flaps down.

Well I have now finished the cockpit and after much sanding and thinning I have got it to fit. Tha problem now is that the cockpit walls are about 6" thick!! Is there an easy fix for this or is it something I will just have to live with. It wouldnt be too noticeable with the canopy closed but I had intended to leave the canopy open to show off the detail and it will stick out like a sore thumb. Any advice anyone?

Did you use any primer? I have found to my cost that all paints are much better with a primer and some acrylics are pretty hopeless unless you prime first. Halfords white primer comes in aerosols and is very good as is Tamiya primer which I think you can get in either aerosols or jars.

Welcome. As a relative newcomer myself I would echo the advice you have been given. Never be afraid to ask questions even if you think they are stupid. 99 times out of 100 they are not and you do tend to get quick and helpful answers. Finally I think the best advice is to join a club. The internet is a great tool but nothing can beat speaking face to face. Finally finally never forget its a hobby and you do it for fun!!

That is really useful. I have been lucky cos I had heard that a lot of the fuselage halves are warped in this kit but mine are fine. I stuck the main parts of the cockpit together with pva and tried them in the fuselage and it looks like I need to thin them overall by about 4mm. most of this will be moulded detail in the kit parts ( I hope ) but still some serious sanding to do. Thanks for the warning about the resin dust. I do wear a respirator cos its amazing how much dust does get thrown off even a quite small part. Geoff

Thanks Edgar. I have identified the part you refer to. I know about the canopy from my build of the basic kit and have a set of Falcon canopies. Never done a vacform canopy before so it will be interesting to see how I cope. Thanks for the help.

Edgar, is the plate you refer to a kit part or a resin one? I assume that when fitting the cockpit a fair bit needs sanding off the kit walls. Is this enough or does the resin need thinning also.

Thanks for that. I built the basic Airfix kit first as a dry run and it is indeed a joy to build and looks great. Have now primed all the resin bits and will try to fit it all together with pva and see if there are any major issues before I pull it apart and paint it.

I have just started this kit which is my first attempt at using resin. Has anyone built this particular kit and are there any pitfall? So far I have cut out all the resin for the cockpit and washed and primed it. Does this stuff go together well or is it tricky? All help and advice gratefully received.

that is a beautiful build. I have just finished the Airfix 1/72 Gnat for a club group build and I can say that mine isnt a patch on yours. Its lovely.

Pierre you astound me every time I look at this build. I must say that those mags for the machine guns looked perfect before you re did them. So far as the microscope is concerned, dare we ask how much that thing cost? It looks seriously expensive!!

I am not really interested in ship models but I found this by accident and I have got to say that that is an amazing model.

Unbelievable!! If my jaw drops any further it will trail on the floor.

Thats looking seriously good. Which kit is it? Fruilmodel tracks are really good. I have used them twice, once on a King Tiger and again on a panzer 1. Welcome to the asylum by the way.

Vallejo matt varnish is fantastic stuff. I have used it for about a year and it works every time. It looks scary when you first spray it cos it seems to go on very thick but 20 mins later it dries absolutely smooth and flat.

that makes perfect sense Greg. Wish I had thought of that. I put a belt of filler round the joint and sanded it back. Not got a perfect joint but its not too bad.