NathanR

Sounds great then, I don't think any of my models have a surface area bigger than that! I live in the north west, haven't been to any shows yet. I was looking round for any local clubs but didn't have much luck. Smallspace sounds like fun, but what with work I'm not sure yet if I could make it. But here's hoping!

Some very useful advice here guys! I think I'm a bit torn again now, the H&S Evolution does open up a lot more possibilities for future upgrades, and put like that the Ultra might end up too restrictive. Then again, the Evolution 2-in-1 kit from little-cars was out of my price range, but I don't know whether to push the boat out for it. Just a couple of questions for Paul really, Would the Ultra and Evolution airbrushes be ok with stuff like the Alclad metallic lacquers? (Heard references to the lacquer thinners attacking airbrush seals) How far does 5ml of paint typically go anyway? I've read the Ultra paint cup is push-fit, while the Evolution cup screws in - does that make any difference in using the brush? And are you going to any more model shows soon? (I wouldn't mind trying one out like sennapod did!) @avro683 I'd never have thought of that... definitely going on the shopping list! [Edit] Whoops - hadn't finished typing when I posted. Didn't even click post! Ok, this is what I actually meant to type...

Ah, thanks! Will give them a try!

Oops. I'm trying to flatten the detail. Sorry the pictures are so blurry, if you look at the second you can just about see how the corrugations bulge out from the rocket on the seam line. I'd like to file down each corrugation in the bulge so that they match the rest of the rocket (where the corrugations are like someone wrapped a thin sheet of paper round the rocket). Problem is that the corrugations are actually a series of steps across the whole model, so I can't just file off the bulge to a smooth cylinder and rescribe the panel lines.

They are gorgeous!!

Good advice. That's why I've been looking at compressors from the outset, even though I've never even held an airbrush or spray gun! Think I'll try and go with the H&S ultra 2-in-1 kit from little-cars then. When I factor in the cost of the extras (facemask, better stand/cleaning pot) it's probably better to go for that and get what I think looks to be a slightly better compressor.

Hi, I've been working on a 1/144 Saturn V kit and I need some fine files to clean up some of the parts. The rocket tube has several sections of corrugations, but Airfix let them bulge out into steps in order to preserve the moulding detail: They're very narrow, only about 1mm wide, and about 0.2mm thick (I think), but the 6mm wide flat file I've been using makes me feel like I'm doing brain surgery with boxing gloves on. I'd say a narrower flat file, but I can't find them - needle files seem to be listed by length not file width so I can't figure out what I actually need for this. Any ideas what tools I need to do such fine cleanup work, and where I could get them from?

Thanks for the advice, have been doing a lot more reading up on airbrushes. I'm still a bit confused on paint cup size - roughly how far does 1cc of paint go when it's airbrushed? I know the 14ml Humbrol tinlets cover 0.3 m^2, but I'm not sure how that translates into airbrushes. I'm also still trying to figure out which airbrush setup is best to start out with - I'm leaning towards the Expo one I mentioned but I can't find out anything about the included brush (I'm wondering if it would be ok with the solvents in the humbrol enamels). I also found a starter kit from www.little-cars.co.uk that looked pretty good, was thinking of the H&S Ultra 2-in-1, it's a bit steep but if it's good quality I'd rather try and pay that little bit extra. Has anyone used it, any idea how far paint in a 5ml cup would go? Spare parts at least seem pretty easy to get.

Hi Guys, My last few kits have been all brush-painted, and while I'm getting to be pretty good on small details I'm absolutely useless on the large areas of base colour. I think the way forward might be to get an airbrush, but the more I read about them, the more confused I seem to end up! I think I'm looking for a double-action gravity feed airbrush with a compressor, but I've no idea what makes or models to go for. I've never even held an airbrush, so I don't want to spend too much in case I don't take to it, but equally I don't want to buy something that's cheap because it's poor quality and liable to pack up in a matter of weeks. The kits I'm currently working on are fairly large - 1/144 Saturn V, (2.5 foot tall rocket) Space shuttle stack, Space shuttle on Boeing 747 (the plane is just huge!). I considered rattle cans, but Humbrol don't do all the shades\finishes I need and I'm not too sure what other makes to try - slightly off-topic, but I'm still wondering if rattlecans might prove better than an airbrush for these type of kits? Anyway, I think I'm looking for a beginner airbrush that's good for large areas, but maybe with the option of allowing some finer work. I basically work with Humbrol enamels, but wouldn't mind trying some of the Alclad metallic lacquers for an iron man kit I picked up a few days back (been seeing some great builds on here!), not sure if that would also affect the choice of airbrush. either (problems with thinners eating away the seals?) I also don't know how far a given volume of paint will actually go when spraying, so I don't know what paint cup size would be best to start with. I've been looking into these two setups: Expo airbrush and compressor (£110) http://www.modelzone.co.uk/airbrush-and-compressor-kit.html AB-AS-18 Airbrushing Kit with Ultra Airbrush (£127) http://www.everythingairbrush.com/acatalog/Harder___Steenbeck_Kits.html Would either of these be any good, or are there better starter kits around I haven't stumbled across yet? And are there any other questions I should be asking at this point but haven't thought of yet?

I don't think manned spaceflight has too bleak an outlook in the long run, though in the next decade or so man's presence in space may vanish altogether. Reinventing Apollo to get back to the Moon was a good idea (they knew how to do it) but that was part of what got the Constellation program cancelled - "lacking in innovation" if I recall. You just can't be innovative on the cheap, and Constellation died the death as it was too highly rated for simple "ferryboat" trips to the ISS. Nasa has handed manned flight over to the private indiustry, and they'll do it - for as long as they can make a profit. Government-run organisations can do stuff without worrying about shareholders, because they're employing people and will help the economy boom again. Private industry needs to make a profit, so I think they'll keep things going until the Nasa paychecks dry up or a few preventable disasters occur. The ISS will come to the end of its operational life soon-ish as well - I think it was only supposed to operate until 2020, but they probably patch it up until it goes the way of Mir in the late 2030s/early 2040s (one of the first kits I ever remember making was a card one of Mir... always have fond memories of it and the space station). Russia I don't know that much about, but I reckon with the US paying for seats on flights they'll keep things going. China - now China I'm watching with great interest. They have put a man in space, built their own space station (ok, a small one but so was Salyut), and a while back they announced plans to put a man on the moon in the next 10-15 years. There economy isn't in such a bad way yet, so their plans may get put on hold, but I think they've definitely got the willpower to achieve it and also to demonstrate their technological prowess. The real test is if they follow through the plans they announced and build an actual moonbase. Science fiction becoming real life, a one up for China on the US, might just be enough to spark another space race. And if that happens, the moon will (hopefully) become another Antarctica with dozens of research stations scattered across it, all in various territories. As i typed this last bit, I realised it sounded a bit familiar.... Then I remembered. 2001. Arthur C. Clarke may have the last laugh yet... (tickets for a trip to the Moon in 2061, maybe?)

Actually they haven't slashed the price - the 250M reduction is really what they charge you on the Moon to bring you back to Earth...

Thanks for the advice, the gloss has started to come up a lot better... unfortunately the kit may be a right-off, after three of the pins holding some of the moving parts together completely sheared off. Will have to see if I can get source some replacements.

Oooh, very impressive!

I'd have said not - I'm also working on a gloss black dalek at the moment, and that seemed to brush on ok... I've got sandpaper up to about 2000 grit, is that fine enough do you think? I've seen Revell sell some micromesh polishing kits with grits up to 12000, would trying one of those be going too far do you think?

Ok, this is starting to drive me crazy. I've been brush-painting Humbrol enamel gloss brunswick green onto a fairly large area of an Airfix "Beam Engine" (a steam engine used for pumping water out of mines), but the paint is like a magnet for dust! Even as I'm brushing on the paint I can see a few bit of dust settling, and when I come back after letting it dry the whole thing is just coated in dust. I've tried sanding off the dust and repainting, I had the same problem, I sanded again and tried leaving the model under a box while the paint dried and it still came out "dusty". I've worked with matt enamel for the most part until now, and not really had this trouble, I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I'm using a Revell Marten hair paintbrush, I thoroughly mix the paint in the tin (thought the gloss green never looks like it needs it), brush straight from the tin, and the room doesn't seem all that dusty. I've seen kits built where the gloss finish is like a highly polished brand-new car, a mirror-like sheen and not a blemish on it - any advice on how I can get this kind of effect on my kit?