Kev The Modeller

Alclad 2 This is their chrome over stripped plated surface i.e. just black plastic, my photo skills and mobile camera don't do it justice. I've tried all manner of metal finish paint, Alclad 2 is still the easiest and consistently good paint finish in my opinion. I've tried AK extreme, Mr Hobby, Tamiya, Ammo, all work all can be really good but they tend to vary depending on, surface, shape, size etc. Alcald 2 just works regardless, it's only drawback is it's odore, you need a mask minimum, better still a booth, i'f it's a quality one and you're doing smaller parts and short airbrushing times just a booth. With mine I can't smell it, forget to turn it on and boy do I smell it.

Hi Hutch Take a look at these Aircom units some under or slightly over your budget. These are quality units not your cheaper Chinese rip offs, the 17 & 38 versions can be siamesed by buying the addon unit, both are the same size just extra extraction power. If you could stretch your budget, even by delaying purchase to save, I'd recommend one of these yes expensive in comparison to Aircom, but these are top quality units and it will be the only booth you'll ever need. Aircraft is top notch supplier run by martian, drop him a line if you've got any questions.

If the nozzle seal fails, it will normally bubble in the cup, not stop air flow. It could be the seal has become deformed for whatever reason and it's now pushing the nozzle out of line with the needle, which will bend it sealing itself against the needle. It could also be the needle is bent sealing itself against the nozzle when locked into place. If you've got one change the nozzle/needle for another one or size 0.4, if it works the nozzle/ seal or needle are the issue. Check the nozzle aperture isn't bent, do this by inserting a straight needle into it and checking it's completely central, if it's not the nozzle is bent. I've had similar with my Evolution, a slightly bent needle, not at the tip but about 5/10mm back and I've had a bent nozzle, they're very thin and easily damaged, either will give you your problem. A needle can be straightened nozzles can be to a point, but often replacement is the only way. My money is on either a bent needle or nozzle and in that order, it could also be both,

Luc Take a look at these and my posts in them, what you're experiencing is very common. Here and Here

Absolutely stunning pictures, what camera/lens did you use?

Think it was Hiroboy.

I've got both Tamiya putty and all their polishing compounds all bought in the UK.

What amazing footage, you can see the salvo's from Hood around Bismarck.

I still got a few of my 80's 23ml bottles, all are fine and I still use them. The latter statement, I feel is a large clue as to why they're no longer (I've not seen any UK stockist carry them for years) sold in the UK. They last longer and they'd sell less, there's also the other side of the coin, buying a 23ml bottle of paint for a kit/job that perhaps you will use no more than a few drops! That said and as mentioned 23ml are better value and the 10ml are priced higher than 23ml and there is the answer, they make more money. Like just about everything today it's all about money!

I've tried all manner of combinations, IPA, X20a, UMP, AK, etc as you mentioned it doesn't really work. What does work consistently for me, is Ammo thinner between 50% - 80% depending on the colour and what Im doing with it. I found it really does vary by colour. It doesn't like on off (tip dry) and the pressure no more than 17psi and as low as 8 when highly thinned. Light coats is the key to applying them, avoid on off and tip dry is almost eliminated. I don't use them that much nowadays, mainly armour or aircraft builds and I'm using them until gone but I've no plans to replace. I've pretty much switched to Tamiya and Mr Hobby both acrylics and lacquers.

Take a look at This and this from 1120, on both links you can go through their sites, where's there's a lot of very useful information about using not just water based acrylic (Ammo 1st link) but just about every other type of paint (2nd link) and a whole raft of tools etc. Ammo is good paint but you've got to know how to use it, from there you learn what it doesn't do so well and what it does do very well. Personnel I'd go for Tamiya or Aqueous as there far easier to use and give you consistent results.

Not really, all the H&S has is trigger pressure/resistance adjustment and max needle opening setting, something they call quick fix. On the Infinity this can be dialled in using plunger and the No's on the body, but to be honest I hardly ever used it, or the trigger pressure adjustment. As mentioned what the Infinity doesn't have as standard that the Procon does is a mac valve and this I use all the time, H&S will sell you there's for almost £30. The H&S are lovely tools but not cheap. The Procon has everything you'll need, it's as well made, very easy to use, clean, produces superb results in my opinion and a good bit cheaper. As mentioned you can get both (0.2 - 0.3) for under £20 more than the price of an Infinity 0.2 - 0.4 combination.

Nice brush choice, if you go the H&S route I'd go for a 0.2 and 0.4 mix. I would suggest you consider This and this these are absolutely cracking airbrushes, I was using two(infinity & evolution) H&S airbrushes until recently. I bought the 270 after a mate recommended I try his, well wow and I mean wow, it's easily as good as H&S and so easy to use all with a built in mack valve somthing H&S sting you almost £29 for. To back flush no pinching the nozzle, all you do is unscrew the cap it's just so easy. Check this out he also does many other tests and reviews which are very helpful or here and here You could get both the above for under £20 more than one Infinity and save all the fuff of changing needles and nozzles.

Hi I can only tell you I how do it, which works fine for me. Most areas requiring decals will be the outside of the bodywork/tank/firing panels, these areas are nearly always have a finished gloss surface. On these areas I colour coat, seal with a light gloss coat, add the decals and final gloss coat in layers. Parts requiring matt or semi tend to be interior or separate components, wings, spoilers, exhaust cans, seats etc and can be built, painted, decaled, given a matt or semi coat and added as a separate component. A vinyl roof, bonnet/boot lid I'd mask off the surrounding area and add colour and then matt/semi as required, this would be done after the main body/area was finished. Personally I've not had issues turning matt to semi or gloss to mat or semi or any combination, for decals it doesn't always have to be gloss, providing the surface is smooth you can decal without any clear/varnish. Same applies to decaling on a matt or semi finish, it's the surface finish that matters rather than the type. That said sometimes you can get colour bleed onto say a white decal on a red colour coat, after the clear coat is added weeks later, I would always seal the area with with a clear before decaling. The surface finish you get really depends on what clear/varnish you use, i.e. Tamiya I find there's not a lot of difference between matt and semi, same with Aqueous, where as there's a huge difference between them with Ammo Mig, or AK. Yet Mr Hobby GX 112,113, 114 and GX100 super clear 111 gloss, again a huge difference and these are my go to clears. That said if I want a really matt surface I find Ammo mig is great.

Personally and IMHO I wouldn't use either of those choices. I've not use beeswax, but have used Iwata super lub. For me it turned into a sort of paste which dries out and semi hardens which creates a lot lag and jams the needle and air valve, it also leaves a semi hard residue which has to be cleaned off and it's not that easy, requiring complete strip down. The stuff is water based and fine until the water evaporates and your left with the above. The best stuff I found is Needle juice it works a treat leaves no residue and you only need a tiny dab, that's easy enough to last a good few days worth of airbrushing on the needle, the air valve I only dab it once or twice a year and the bottle will last for years. I've had mine 3 now and I can't see any difference in when it was new, the stuff works.

Think there's one in the science museum. They have s superb collection of builders ship models as does Greenwich.

All top draw levels of work there mate

I'll second that, it is expensive but it works.

My experiences of Mr Hobby are the same as bmwh548. I've got about 30 odd jars a mixture of Aqueous and lacquer versions, some I've not used for a good few years all are fine. I have and a Tamiya pot go off for want a better word. It was white gloss opened it, used it, resealed it, after a few weeks it started to turn, brown then black. There's no shaker ball in there, or anything else, I must have somehow contaniatend it, I've got almost the whole Tamiya acrylic paint range, never had this before or since.

I'm seem to remember reading or seeing, that to achieve good yellow colour the primer/undercoat needs to be white a bit like using black undercoat to achieve good metallic finishes.

The KH250 was my first bike 78 B3 in lime green, I too moved on to the 750 just loved it. The green in the picture is well off the mark for a B3 here just look at the price it's almost 10 times what I paid for mine! Following with interest.

Certain types and makes of paint do perform better through 0.4 nozzles. I find spraying certain colours of AK Extreme metal and other metal paint work better through 0.4 due to pigment size , the same for some ture water based acrylics and primers especially Stynylrez/UMP and micro fillers or Mr surfacer 100. I also find the 0.4 great for armour and larger scale aircraft coverage, that said I've got really good results doing fine work with an 0.4, just takes practice.

With Tamiya acrylics you will be fine waiting, it's a very easy and forgiving paint to use as is Mr Hobby Aqueous. Ture water based acrylics like Ammo, AK or Vallejo aren't and will cause tip dry and can start drying in the colour cup depending on thinning ratio quite quickly. Tamiya the paint and most paint will be recoatable within seconds with normal levels of coverage/coat thickness, so you've not really got to worry about recoating too much. I often wait up to a good few minutes while painting multiple parts, without issues using Tamiya or Mr Hobby Aqueous thinned 50/50, just wipe the tip as you finish the last pass, I sometimes have to wipe the tip with a little A20X if it's been left a longer. Why not practice a bit first, get used to the brush and feel for the control of it, coat thickness etc. There are other tricks but I'd recommend you just master using the brush with just Tamiya and their thinner first, as your experience and confidence grows you can start experimenting with other thinners etc.

Superb build, a ship I visited as a teenager while I was a sea cadet

Yep same here!