capt_biggles

try Windex with Ammonia - ordered from Amazon Uk 768ml for £5.95 which is what I use for the yellow bottle Future! and then flush out with warm water / AB cleaner. www.amazon.co.uk/Windex-768ml-Trigger-Original-Cleaner/dp/B006NYXTA0?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

coming along nicely

looking good!

Excellent progress Ced, cannot wait for the finished result, which if what you have achieved so far, will not be too short of stunning!. I also have a similar kit in my stash, which I am looking forward to start soon, once I complete my Tiger1 Normandy.

I would completely agree with everyone, as i started off with canned air for spraying and using an old spare tire for cleaning, but after a little while, it started to get expensive. It may take longer to save up, but seriously consider a compressor with an air-tank(as big as possible), as you will not get any pulsing of the sprayer, and also it will be quieter as the pump will only be on while it fills the tank.

Hi Steve did you paint the main body in Medium Sea Grey?, then try Dark Sea Grey for the Radome (Tamiya XF54) or mix of Revell (dark grey)378:04 (white) ratio of 11:1 - hope this helps

Second that! - shading looks good

Hi Steve my pleasure and hope that my feedback was helpful and constructive. Remember! model-making is an art-form, and no two finished products will look or turn out the same. Dont worry about bodging it, as I am sure that I am worse than you as a returning newbie after a break of almost 20ish years, where I am on a steep learning curve, as my current Tiger 1 mid-prod build is having a lot of first's i.e. airbrushing, CA glue, Photo-etch, acrylic's, primers etc.. dont want to bore you what filler are you using, as I am using Vallejo plastic putty which is so easy to clean up (with a damp cottonbud), and is much easier to clean-up than the Tamiya putty. Can't wait to see your next set of pics... P.s. not started with the 1/48 kit yet (Revell Tornado IDS) but had a quick look at the kit and it looks ok - no raised panel line's thank god! as I am almost at the weathering stage with the Tiger and am thinking to make the 1/72 Dambuster Lanc next

Hi Richard I would use the suggested setting as a starting off point, as there will be many variables, and what thinner/paint/pressure/temperature/humidity settings works for one person, may not work for someone else - only you will know what combination works for you, and this will come from experience. This can also be dependent on the type/manufacture of the paint as well, as I am sure that the more experienced AB experts out there would confirm this. Atul

Completely agree with Paul, as I have the Iwata Revolution, PremiAir G35 and the H&S Ultra, and the more I get used to them, I am spending more time using the Ultra for painting Vallejo ModelAir and the others for primer/clear/metallic coats, as the Ultra is well engineered (and I don't hold shares in H&S), easy to control, use and clean. One bit of useful advice - please, considering compressors, get one with an air tank, as they are much quieter in use....

preshading looks good - Might I suggest that you may want to make lines darker next time, because when you come to spray the top coat, you will have to make it really light, or post shade, as the examples that I have seen on the web show the pre-shading with quite dark lines with really light top coats, and I do not think it matters that the lines are not straight. as I was told by someone that turns out fantastic end products, and he has been airbrushing for many many years, that the straightness of the pre-shading does not matter, and what matters is that you spray really light multiple top coats to enable the pre-shading to show through. Look forward to the next set of pictures, as I have a 1/48 Tornado IDS in my stash. Did you have any major fit issues that you had to use a lot of filler to correct?

Tamiya kits for a newbie are perfect as they fit together pretty well, and I don't think that there are no kits out there, that do not require a little bit of cleanup and the odd bit of filler. I know this as I have two kit on the go - 1/35 Tiger 1 mid-prod with fruil tracks and photoetch (both a first for me) and about 80% complete and a 1/35 Challenger 1 Mk3 (50% built), and both kits have given me the confidence to enable me to be a returning newbie after a break of 20+years and not scare me off.

Hi Mike in my humble opinion this is a bargain as the H&S Ultra is approx £60 on its own, and I have the Camouflage version of this set, and in my limited experience the H&S Ultra is a good AB for a beginner as much easier to use than the Iwata Revolution.

Hi Muzz great progress on the build - have you had any fit issues with so far, as I have this kit in my stash (No. 4 in the build queue) and at first glance with the kit, there could be fit issues and loook forward to the next part of the build

superb pics - please post more if you have them!

I have a full set(72colours) of the ModelAir, and add a few drops of their thinner in the colour cup in my H&S Ultra and dont seem to have any issues with clogging unless I have a extended period of spraying i.e. 20mins+, but then a quick wipe with a paintbrush loaded with the Vallejo/Medea airbrush cleaner, and I am ready to continue. If i use an Iwata Revolution then I have more chance of blockages as the nozzle is considerably smaller, and I have to increase the thinner ratio. I find the coverage quite good, and have not tried to add Future to their polyu primer, but then my AB sessions are usually a week apart, and this gives the primer/ModelAir a good chance to dry out. One problem that I have had with the Vallejo Primer is priming Photoetch, which even after a week or more of drying time still tends to rub-off quite easily, and i will try the primer with some Future added and see if this improves the adhesion.

Hi Stew I completely agree with all the comments in this thread, and after my return to modelling following a hiatus of 20ish years, purchased an almost full set(72) of the Vallejo ModelAir as I wanted to progress from brush paint to airbrushing. In my humble opinion as a returning newbie, I have found that the ModelAir colours aren't as accurate as the FS equivalent , and I think that people are getting too paranoid about exact colour matches, and I think that the same colours vary from different manufacturer's. I decided to get the set of ModelAir in order to enable me to mix my own shades or get the colour as close to the Federal standard, and this is an art form in itself. There are lots of valuable tips in this thread, and even two aircraft painted at the same time/factory in the same colour, could vary in shade depending on the environmental conditions such as weathering, sun bleaching, dirt etc. I have an app on my iphone called iModelKit for mixing my own colours & shades, and if you pick a colour from a specific manufacturer and look for the equivalent colour from other manuf. then the colour/shades do vary quite considerably, but then this gives you the mix amounts for different colours that are in your collection in order to get an approximate match.

I have used the Vallejo ModelAir and have had no issues, and even though it is pre-thinned and specially made for airbrushing, I add a couple of drops of their thinner in the colour cup, which helps it to flow better.

Hi All For what it's worth, I have used the Vallejo Grey and Dark Yellow Polyurethane primer, and the only issue I have had so far is that it does not stick too well to photoetch , but then it does go on very smooth. I did prime a car body with the grey primer almost 2 years ago, and will do a sanding test and post the results. I will also try to mix it with Future for a sanding test and let you all know how I get on, as I have managed to buy a couple of bottles from my local Sainsburys, as I heard a rumour that the current Future/Pledge is going to be discontinued and they may be bringing out a new version...

I have exactly the same setup as Dennis, and have never had any issue with water in the air supply, as the majority of the water is trapped with the compressor mounted trap, and the second trap removes any water that manages to get past the first trap

out of the 3 different AB's that I have (H&S Ultra, Iwata Revolution CR and PremiAir G35), which are all entry level, I find the Ultra by far the easiest to clean and use. The Iwata is also a good brush but much harder to use and keep clean, and if you have to unscrew the nozzle on both the Iwata and the PremiAir, for a clean and screw it back after, it if fiddly and also have to be very careful as there is a possibility of snapping off this if you use too much force. I will look to upgrade to an Infinity once my AB skills develop considerably.

I also have this kit in my stash, so will be keeping an eye out for the build progress.

Hi Steve sounds like a cracking build - I have a very similar kit in my stash - an Airfix Dambuster 60th Anniversary 617 Sqd. twin kit which consists of a 1/48 Tornado and 1/72 Dambuster Lanc, and which I may have fit issues, but will be a cracking build if I get past the problems.

Superb weathering - has given me lots of idea's to use for my current Tiger 1 Mid-prod build. Your "zimmerit" looks better than mine as I have used the PE version and the grooves are not as deep as your version, but then will know better for next time.

I would go for metal on most if not every occasions as they sit correctly, and feel right, where I am mid-way through a Tamiya 1/35 Tiger 1 mid production build, and have decided not to use the plastic links after making a small section. One disadvantage with metal tracks is that they take a lot of time to put together, but the end result is worth it, and they did cost more than the actual kit.