Ray_W

I used their primer once but ended up shelving the build for a few days before I felt confident moving on. The end result was fine, but I’ve since gone back to Gunze GX-002 Ueno Black—saves time and reduces the risk of things going wrong.

Hi Colin, Interesting observation — I checked mine, and they’re all labelled as enamel paints. They do seem a bit of a hybrid though, with lacquer-like behaviour: they flash off quickly to become touch dry, but then cure more like an enamel, taking their time to fully harden. I’ve also found that mixing the Xtreme colours can be a bit temperamental — sometimes the pigments resist blending and tend to separate. I often have to bubble them back in the airbrush cup just to keep things mixed. That said, I still reckon they’re the best option out there for a robust natural metal finish — you just need to be aware of their quirks. And definitely avoid mixing and matching between paint brands. Stick with one paint system or chemistry, allow proper drying and curing time, and you’ll steer clear of most issues. Mind you, there’s a lot to be said for the simple pleasure of grabbing a premixed lacquer MRP and just blasting away! Ray

I know that feeling! I’d been hoping to throw a Mosquito into the ANZAC GB once I wrap up my current F-51 build — as you’ll have seen in my WIP — but the window’s closing fast. I’ve got a fair bit of travel coming up. End of September works better for me anyway, and the timing of the Liberator GB looks spot on. Ray

I’ve been scaling from various modeller’s drawings, but I’d really appreciate confirmation from those with factory data or measured references — what’s the actual diameter of the propeller spinner base for the Merlin engined Beaufighter Mk.IIF, Mosquito, and Lancaster? From my scaled drawings, I’m consistently getting figures in the range of 31 to 33 inches (787–838 mm). Does this align with known data? Thanks in advance! Ray

I also really liked them and then had some colours - burnt metal and titanium - that stayed slightly sticky. Applied over the same base and could not find a reason for this. Hence I have been working more with Gunze metallics.

Well, I’m locked and loaded. The base kit has arrived—Hasegawa’s 1/72 B-24J. Also in hand: Alan Griffith’s Consolidated Mess, which I ordered from Super-Hobby Poland. What a magnificent book—rarely do you get this depth of information on a specific subject. In my case, it will be a B-24L-5-CO serial number 44-41454. I’ll be scratch-building the rear turret, along with whatever else proves necessary. The nose, especially working with the clear styrene, might be a bit more of a challenge. Really looking forward to this one. Ray

Hi Dunc, I'm in the middle of building one now. Personally, I'm not a fan of the patchwork quilt approach unless the reference photos clearly show it. Fortunately, my subject has plenty of original images showing, not just variation in colour, but also the degree of lustre—so it's been possible to aim for a more accurate, prototypical finish for A68-809. I started with a gloss black undercoat, followed by a top-coat of various lacquer metallics and Xtreme Metal—no gloss protective coat was added. The panel variation has come from paint mixing when spraying—not just silver and black, but a wide range of options. If I can’t get the look I want straight from the jar or bottle, I experiment with a mix until it appears right to my eye. That might involve adding compatible greys, blending metallics, or incorporating clear lacquers (flat or gloss) to modulate the finish. The subtlety is often lost in my photography. I also know the NMF finish will really come to life once I get into careful oil rendering and some targeted pin wash. I’m allowing plenty of curing time before that step. The true metallic lacquers don’t worry me much, but I tend to be more cautious with the Xtreme Metal products. I’ve described my process in more detail here: HTH Ray

Thanks, James. I’ve actually really enjoyed working with the NMF—great practice for my upcoming Aussie NMF B-24. As for the decals, if this is now Eduard’s standard (and likely to keep improving), I’ll be a lot less hesitant about picking up their full kits. Even the Weekend Editions offer multiple marking options. Heaven forbid I start regularly using kit decals! Next up: details, and then a new challenge—using oils for the weathering on this particular finish. Ray

I approached the next step with a bit of trepidation — the application of Eduard decals. I was fully prepared for carrier film peeling and potential surface touch-ups, but neither proved necessary. The decals in this boxing went on without fault. I did try a small experiment with decal solutions, starting with the underside roundels (as you do). One was applied using the Gunze Mr Mark Setter and Softer system, the other with Microscale Micro Set and Sol. Both worked reasonably well, although the decals felt a little stiff and didn’t initially respond that enthusiastically to either solution. Only afterwards did I realise I’d inadvertently used the Gunze NEO versions for the underside roundels. I’m not a huge fan of the NEO range — the Setter seems to contain a higher PVA content, and I’ve occasionally seen particles form if the brush isn’t scrupulously clean. Worth keeping an eye on, as you don’t want one of those locked under the decal. That said, the NEO Setter did outperform Micro Set in this instance — it allowed much easier decal positioning and immediately started pulling the decal into the panel lines. For the rest of the model, I reverted to my preferred original Mr Mark Setter and Softer. Both reacted well with the Eduard decals, and I was very pleased with the end result. The carrier film disappeared and, even better, there were no adverse reactions with any of the metallic paints, — and you may recall I didn’t apply a gloss coat beforehand. A68-809 did make my life easier; on close inspection of the actual aircraft, there’s no stencilling to be seen, so I was spared dealing with any testy little markings. Given how well the Group Captain markings went down, I don’t expect any issues with the stencil decals included for the other marking options on the sheet. All in all, a satisfying outcome. Ray

Hi Peter, Please accept my humble apologies for getting the name of your 'research assistant' wrong. But let’s be honest, cats never really forgive, do they? Very clever phonetics on the PC-9. I hadn’t come across that one before. I’ll definitely be following your PC-9 builds with interest. I’ve got a bit of a bucket list Roulettes lineup I’d love to tackle one day. Maybe even something from the earlier Red Sales or Telstars era. A Vampire T.35, Macchi MB-326 (those “Fanta Can” displays were my favourite), PC-9 and PC-21 — though that’s yet another project waiting its turn in the queue. And speaking of the Telstars... could a name be any more iconic for the 1960s? I suppose it is better than the RAAF 'Aquarius' Aerobatic Team. Ray

Seems Cleopatra has made a choice.

What a great stage to reach—the major painting work is now complete. I used a mix of paints and finishes across the model, including AK Xtreme Metal, MRP, Gunze, and Tamiya. The latter three were mostly applied in custom mixes. For example, the wing finish was a blend of MRP White Aluminium (MRP-009) with just a touch of light grey, then flattened slightly with Gunze GX-114. That combination gave me a sheen I’m quite happy with. As for the rudder, period photos make it appear white—almost as though it was painted that way. I took an each-way bet and went with a mix of MRP-003 Super Silver and White 1500 Mr Finishing Surfacer, again flattened with GX-114. It seems to match the look in the photos, so again, I’m calling that a win. There’s still plenty of detail painting to come, but I’d say we’re now ready for decals. And that’s going to be interesting... I really don’t want to apply an overall gloss coat. The decals will sit fine on the current surfaces. However, since they’re Eduard decals, there’s a high chance I’ll remove the carrier film—and for that, I prefer a robust glossy base like Gunze GX-100. I completely trust the 'true' lacquers for this kind of work, but Xtreme Metal? I'm not so sure. One idea is to lay down GX-100 only in the areas where major decals will sit, then blend it in—but ideally, for the natural metal finish, I’d rather avoid any gloss overlay at all. I’ll now let everything cure for 48 hours, and by then I should have settled on the best way forward for decal application. Should be fun... Ray

I wasn’t happy with the finish when I saw it in natural light this morning. MRP 003 looked nice, but still came across as silver paint to my eye. No doubt it’s a great option for a smooth silver painted aircraft, definitely one to keep in the toolbox for that kind of finish. So, I decided to repaint the natural metal areas — fuselage, fin, tailplanes, elevators, flaps, and selected panels — with AK Xtreme Metal Polished Aluminium (AK481). The improvement was immediate: much more lustre and reflectivity. I really like Xtreme Metal. It's the closest I’ve seen to a sprayed-on natural metal finish straight from the bottle. That said, it has some odd characteristics. It flashes off quickly but then behaves almost like an enamel, taking quite a while to fully cure. I’ve even had a few bottles stay tacky—maybe a bad batch, who knows? That variation in quality sent me searching for a true lacquer-based metallic that could achieve a similar effect. Some come close, but none quite capture the look I’m after. For now, it looks like I’ll be sticking (pun not intended) with Xtreme Metal. To its credit, the MRP finish provided an excellent base layer. Here are a couple of images — the wings are finished in MRP, with the remainder in Xtreme Metal. The central riveted panels on the underside image are in Xtreme Metal, showing the contrast with the rest of the wing. Ray

I was up early this morning, so I managed to get the gloss black undercoat done—Gunze GX002 Ueno Black thinned with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. Gave it a close inspection to check for any blemishes or stray dust that might need sanding out and recoating. Only found a couple—I've been working hard to keep the surface clean. One of the great things about lacquers is the quick turnaround—you can sand out a blemish within 20 minutes and spray again. As you’ve probably guessed, the prop’s not fixed—just dropped it in for the photo opportunity. On return this evening, I checked everything was still OK and went ahead with the primary aluminium layer—MRP-003 Super Silver, shot straight from the bottle. I usually like the Gunze Super Metallics, but opted for the MRP this time to avoid the premixing. It was my first time using MRP metallics for this type of application. Coats went on light and even—great self-levelling, and it built up to a really smooth, consistent finish. No complaints and very happy with the exceptional fin grain. It turned out with a more polished finish than the photos show. I’m pretty happy with it, but I might try a bit of select panel polishing tomorrow just to experiment. That’s it for now. I’ll leave it to fully dry overnight before masking and starting on the different metallic tones and finishes tomorrow. Ray

Hi All, I'm finally going to pull the trigger on a B-24 project I’ve been planning for some time — the B-24L flown by RAAF 24 Squadron Group Captain Deryck Kingwell (A72-81, GR-T) during the raid on the Kali Konto Power Station, East Java, on 27 January 1945. This Group Build seems the ideal opportunity to start the project. The aircraft was serial number 44-41454, a B-24L-5-CO, positively identified thanks to a well-known image of Kingwell in the cockpit following the successful mission — the serial number and aircraft designation are clearly visible on the nose. My reason for choosing this subject is a personal one — I knew, when I was young, Jack Holliday, who served as a Sergeant Air Gunner on this mission. I never knew of his wartime role until years later, while leafing through my copy of Stewart Wilson’s book when I saw his picture. By then, Jack had sadly passed away. Here is an image of the same aircraft with Kingwell's crew and Jack in the foreground. A72-81 did not survive the war, being shot down over the Sawoe Sea (Timor) on 6 April 1945, with only one survivor, W/O Shilling. Remarkably, Shilling was rescued by a Catalina that was then itself shot down — and, according to ADF Serials, he had to bail out a second time. Twice in one day. Shilling survived the war. Note that A72-81 was crewed by a different team on its final mission, though I’m still cross-checking names. Its sad last moments were captured in an image that is available on the Australian War Memorial site. I already have the Hasegawa 1/72 B-24J kit in hand, and have Alan Griffith’s Consolidated Mess on order to help me sort through the finer airframe variations. I’m fully expecting to do a bit of scratchbuilding and mod work, particularly around the tail turret and other weight-saving features typical of the L. All-in-all another great project to look forward to. Count me in. Ray