Telboy1999

Markus Many thanks for the advice, much appreciated On reading the instructions, and knowing the layout of the F-16, I had figured that that area around the air intake would be fiddly and had planned to paint it they way that you've suggested, so thanks for confirming that my plan will work!

Tesco Value All Purpose Cleaner (it's green in a spray bottle) removes acrylic paint like nobody's business. 75p a bottle and lasts ages. Soak any painted part in this stuff for 5 minutes and the acrylic practically just rinses off.

Just a couple of tips from a not-very-experienced modeller. Hope I'm not teaching my grandmother to suck eggs but If you're priming from a rattle can (as I do - I swear by Halfords grey auto primer) make sure it's well shaken before spraying. I'm talking 2 full minutes of vigorous shaking just to be sure. Spray no closer than 20cm or 30cm - any closer and you'll put too much on. Personally I don't sand primer unless the primer shows up a seam or area that needs more work. Once the seam or whatever is fixed, I'll put another quite light dusting of primer on the offending area. As far as the finish you're going for is concerned, one of the main purposes of priming is to provide a single consistent surface for further painting, so give it a good eyeball and if it all looks smooth and even and the same colour all over after priming, you're probably there.

My work bench is in my shed in the garden and it regularly hits below 10 degrees (I have a heater on when I'm working needless to say). Despite being stored out there in such temperatures, I've never had any problems with xtra thin. Was the bottle securely capped? It's pretty volatile stuff so if not, it could have evaporated. Sorry I can't help more!

Folkds, I've recently started building this monster of a kit and am very impressed so far. I've completed the engine and the dolly, which are kits in their own right really. However I'm looking for some advice for later in the build. Those of you who know this kit will know that the fuselage is split horizontally, with upper and lower fuselage halves (including the wings). Now it seems to me that, in order to save masking etc later on, it might be possible to paint the upper and lower halves separately, before building. Is this possible, and more to the point if it's possible, is it advisable? I do bear in mind the need to ensure that mating surfaces aren't painted as I've discovered that tolerances on this kit are very tight! Any advice greatly appreciated/

Lasermonkey, thanks for the reply...but I figured that's what the Klear was for! ! Having said that, I did think about using a Flory Models wash. I wish I had now

OK, here's the situation. I've been experimenting with various paints to achieve that elusive perfect NMF (with varying degrees of success). The latest to go on the bench were the AK Xtreme Metals. Sprayed through a cheap Iwata-clone airbrush, the first experiments on some scrap plastic looked good. Durability and scratch resistance seemed excellent, shine was good, and it even buffed up (a bit). It was time to try them in anger on an Eduard 1/72 Mig-15. All seemed to be going well. The process was as follows: Apply AK black base (good results, very glossy finish, no pooling, needed a lot to cover but excellent retention of lovely surface detail). Let dry. Apply AK Xtreme Metals Chrome (seemed to need a lot to cover such a small model but the finish was excellent) Let dry. Apply decals (went on lovely). Let dry. Apply Klear. Let dry. Apply oil paint panel line wash. Wait couple of hours. Gently wipe off excess wash with white-spirit dampened cloth. AK Xtreme metal paint starts to come off, right down to the black base, particularly around the panel lines. Cue teeth gnashing, swearing etc etc you get the picture. Can any of you fine people point out what on earth I was doing wrong here? It all seemed to be going so well until I tried to wipe off the oil wash. Am seriously considering giving up on the BMF for good, I'm not convinced it's worth the heartache.

Excellent! Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

Folks, SWMBO has asked me what I want for a big birthday coming up and it would appear that (since I've been a good boy) my wish for a Tamiya 1/32 F-16 will come true this year. Whoopee-doo! Any recommendations for a good reference book for this wonderful warplane, one with loads of good pics please? Many thanks in advance,

Lovely build and great paint job - you should be pleased with this one! Fantastic work on that splinter camo

Excellent build and paint job - I think you picked the right scheme, it really shows off the lovely lines of the Flanker really well. Nice one!!

Have to declare my interest here cos the OP is my brother, but great job! Love the subtlety of the paint job and the weathering - it's easy to go OTT with it but you've kept it nicely restrained and it's turned out really well. One to be pretty chuffed with!

You're absolutely right about the red (or lack of) of course - silly me for not looking more closely! Thanks for the advice, I'll have a look for what you suggest. Many thanks!!

Hi all, I'm lucky to be working on Tamiya's latest masterpiece, their 1/32 Mosquito. So far it is a joy to build, amazing fit and detail, and I've decided to make the RAAF version in all-silver. To do it justice, I have invested in a full set of Montex masks which comprises pre-cut canopy masks and national insignia masks. Although I've not used the insignia masks before, I reckon if I take my time and am careful, they should be worth it. My only concern is, I'd like to get the colours right. I prefer to use Tamiya or Mr Hobby paints where possible. Any suggestions as to the correct paints to use for the red and blue of the roundels, and the lettering? Many thanks in advance. Tony

Nice one! Lovely paint job and nice subtle panel lines. I know how much work this took and it's all paid off handsomely!