Wlad

Thanks @Mycapt65. The damage report is in and it looks like it's just a flesh wound. What looked like wrinkled paint was crazed gloss coat. I started sanding it with Micromesh and didn't like the lack of progress, so I thought I'd get more aggressive. I used the finer sanding sticks on the canopy edges, and a paper towel soaked in IPA on the model. That took out most of the gloss coat, then I sanded it down with Micromesh. IMG_4458 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_4459 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr I will let it dry for a day, just in case, and spray another coat of Gloss Sea Blue. I have also researched alternative coatings and I may try them on this model still. Interestingly, the bottom part of the model, coated with Testors, looks fine as do areas painted with Tamiya paint. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I added decals to the propellers. IMG_4460 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Interesting how the data decals on the propeller differ. Turns out the fainter one is partly because the base colour is out of register with the top yellow. In this case, I like the effect. I'm also researching the colour scheme for the -7 so I can work on it while I wait for things to dry on the -6. Hasegawa offers two sets of wing stripe decals, as they varied by squadron, yet I don't trust decals for stripes so I'll be painting them. I found a picture of my chosen subject in Suez markings, sporting different wheels than when it was delivered (which was my original reference picture). I might use the -6's aftermarket wheels. Cheers, Wlad

And then, disaster struck! I sprayed a clear coat on my test strip and things looked OK, then I sprayed the model. IMG_4456 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr IMG_4457 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Two things are at play here: The spray can was getting low on air, so the spray came out pebbly. There is a reason I gave up on propellant cans for airbrushing decades ago... The Vallejo paint was none too happy about the lacquer clear coat. It needed more time to cure. Looking back on the -5, there were 17 days between spraying the Vallejo Gloss Sea Blue and the clear lacquer. Only 5 days here. I have a newer can of clear lacquer, Testors this time, so I tried it on the test strip and on the underside of the model. The results were better. Testors seems to use a different solvent as the smell was very different from the Tamiya spray. So, I'm not sure what all the remedial actions I will need to take. I will try sanding with Micromesh and see what happens. Worst case I'll strip the paint and repaint the model. Bummer. This also settles what kind of paint I'll use on the -7, as I have all the colours I need in lacquer. I will also check on the alternatives to spray can clear coats. Airbrushing, with a compressor, should yield better and more consistent results, even though I can't seem to airbrush Future smoothly to save my life. Lesson learned: don't rush things. Slow down to go fast (i.e., do it right even if it seems to take more time). Cheers, Wlad

Hello, A little more progress. I attached what will be the brake lines to the main landing gear. I will try to bend these to shape onsite to see if it is easier. It's a fiddly procedure anyway. A nice touch from Hasegawa, the wheel hubs are separate from the tire so there is no fiddly masking needed. IMG_4455 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Then a detail I almost forgot, painting the fuselage fuel cap red. First punch an appropriately sized hole in Tamiya tape and cover the area with it. Then cut a hole in a piece of paper towel, and tape it over the tape on the model. The area is now isolated. As for the piece of tape punched out, it went on the -7 drop tank's fuel cap which is already red. IMG_4453 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Spray red, then pull out all the masking. IMG_4454 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Once it dries, I'll apply some wear with a silver pencil. Cheers, Wlad

@Toryu, there were two prototypes built. According to Wikipedia, one was scrapped and the other was sent to the USA and it's now at the Udvar-Hazy. When you mention natural metal bottom surfaces, are you perhaps referring to the scrapped prototype? What do you make of this picture? The bottom surfaces could be light grey, and there is a wavy demarcation between upper and lower colours. Thanks, Wlad Edit: I have since found this site https://oldmachinepress.com/2020/05/20/kyushu-j7w1-shinden-interceptor-fighter/. According to it, the photo I posted is of the first prototype after it was repaired and painted by US forces.

Hello, Some more progress. Sometime after ordering the aftermarket wheels for the Corsairs, I changed my mind regarding the -6's scheme. It requires the older style wheel with a block tread tire. I'm not about to order a new pair of wheels, so I went with the kit wheels as they are the old style. The tires are diamond tread, yet close enough. I've also painted the propeller hub. IMG_4452 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr I think the Vallejo Gloss Sea Blue paint is still off gassing because the WIP shelf smells of it. I'll give it a few more days before spraying a clear coat. I'll try first on the test strip I use to check airbrush settings. If I run out of things to do on the -6 while waiting I'll start painting the -7. Cheers, Wlad

Thom, as you have painfully found out, it's very important to use the proper thinner for the paint. I also found out the hard way IPA isn't the universal thinner for acrylics, as it curdles some Polly Scale colours. At first I thought my paint was going bad and bought the same colour from other brands. Then I used the proper thinner and, surprise, it worked fine. When I poured IPA on the airbrush cup for cleaning, everything gummed up. 70% IPA is bad, though it may work in some cases, and 100% IPA is really bad on some acrylics. Now I even clean the airbrush cup with the appropriate acrylic thinner, then let it soak with water. AK is a different beast altogether, as Andrés pointed out. Interestingly, Tamiya acrylics don't seem to care. X-20A, water, IPA, lacquer thinner all seem to work. I'll stick to X-20A on them. Good luck. Wlad

Hello, Today it was time to paint it black. IMG_4451 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr I took the opportunity to paint the -7's propeller as well. It's getting to the minor details now on the -6 and I'm already thinking about how to tackle the -7. Cheers, Wlad

Dito all that has been said above. Excellent result. Cheers, Wlad

Hello, So, what did I spend a couple of hours doing one evening this week? I was out with calipers measuring the patches on the landing gear doors from a picture, then scaling the measurements to the model. Some déjà vu as the precision required was as much as, or greater than, when I built the gunsights. Here's where I ended up. IMG_4449 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr I did it for both models. Then it was time to paint the -6. I used Vallejo Air Gloss Sea Blue, same as on the -5's side panel, and it sprayed OK diluted with 20% Vallejo airbrush thinner. Some stoppages due to tip dry. I used a lot of air and low paint flow so the model wouldn't get soaked in paint. Tamiya and Mission sprayed better under similar conditions. It's all curing now before I do anything else. IMG_4450 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr Cheers, Wlad

Very nice Skyraider. Properly worn out and dirtied up. Cheers, Wlad

Nice Sea Fury CC. Good to see something coming out of your assembly lines. Cheers, Wlad

Very nice. Well done.

Hello, Some more progress. First a detail I noticed on some AU-1 and F4U-7 Corsairs, note the lighter blue patches on the landing gear doors, just below the number "10". They seem to contain instructions, possibly landing gear oleo settings or such. These are not catered for in the decal sheets, so I'll have to paint them. Photo from https://www.asisbiz.com/ site. For the light blue, I mixed PR Blue and white at a 1:1 ratio, and it looks good enough to me. I also sprayed white on the cowling, for that small white dash, and on the propeller spinner. I got the yellow tips on the propeller too, along with clear blue on the lights under the wings. IMG_4447 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr The -7 got the clear blue for the wing lights and the light blue on the landing gear doors. IMG_4448 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr That's all for now. Cheers, Wlad

Hello, Quick update today. Priming is in progress for both kits. I still need to tidy up some areas and prime the tailfins as that's where I held them by while priming. IMG_4446 by Wlad Franco-Valias, on Flickr I'll be moving ahead with the -6 and parking the -7 after this. I find I start rushing things when doing them in parallel. Cheers, Wlad

Cute! You really went all out on that cockpit, not to mention converting a 109E to a 109G. Well done. Wlad