Matthew1974

Yep. May be fun to do regardless in the aggressor scheme as new mold Airfix kits are great fun to build usually. I might be late in pointing this out but there are sprue shots up of the F/A-18 Hornet, "MiG-28", "Maverick's" P-51D Mustang, and F-14A Tomcat over at the Airfix website. The Hornet, MiG-28, and Tomcat look to be older molds and the Hornet looks to be either an F/A-18A or C model (the round intakes give it away), not the F/A-18E Super Hornet used in the movie. Oh well, building all them together still would make for a pretty cool display, I think.

I really like the look of the US Navy’s Atlantic scheme and your Wildcat!

The Czechs always do Tiger Meet so well. Awesome work!

Your mottling in 1/72 is stunning! Excellent!

Way to persevere! Very beautiful build!

Greetings! If possible, I would like to enter with the following kits in mind, all 1/48th (and all currently awaiting daylight in my stash). - Revell McDonnell F-101B Voodoo - Revell Northrop P-61B Black Widow - Hasegawa Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate Thank you for the opportunity to participate!

Incredibly realistic finish! Great job!

Okay... thank you for the reply! I think in my case I might try dialing back how heavy I am spraying some more as I still get a tacky/rubbery texture sometimes for days afterwards. Thanks again for the remarks!

Thank you, Black Knight and Joseph. This is very helpful!

Greetings. Currently I am working on Airfix’s 1/72 Gnat T.1 (A01006) and am wondering about the colors for the version I am building of silver and fluorescent orange. Was the “silver” area of the aircraft bare metal or “high speed silver”. As for the orange area, what specific color is this? The painting guide recommends Humbrol 209 Fluorescent Fire Orange but was wondering if there is a specific BSC shade. I prefer Vallejo Model Color/Air and have a bottle of 71.082 (FS 38903; RAL 2005) but this seems too red. Any suggestions? Thank you very much! Matt

Paul, your pictures do look more like a traditional primer in how it reflected your sanding. How long did you let it dry/cure? Matt

I use Vallejo Primer not as what most would consider a traditional primer that you use to check for imperfections and sand, but because Vallejo Model Color/Air seems to be a bit more durable for subsequent decalling and weathering stages of applied over Vallejo Primer. If you need to sand afterward, I have heard great things about Mr. Surfacer from Gunze. As for using Vallejo Primer, I admit getting used to properly applying it is a bit of a chore but if you thin it properly (I go with about 2 parts Vallejo Airbrush Thinner to 5 parts Primer with a couple of drops of Vallejo Flow Improver added for good measure) and spray in light almost dusting coats. This will help mitigate the peeling you are experiencing. When I first used it, I went way too heavy and experienced the same peeling effect where it just came off in sheets. So I spray a very light coat, wait about fifteen or twenty minutes, spray another light coat, and keep repeating until I am satisfied with the coverage. The Primer dries pretty quick. Remember though with acrylics you must also be concerned with curing time. For me living in the US Southland, it is so humid in the summer (80-90% humidity) that this could take two weeks. The way I check to see if the Primer is cured is by gently rubbing my finger over the dry primer. If it feels even slightly rubbery, it hasn’t cured. Once cured though, Vallejo Primer is surprisingly hard but still for sanding down there are better primers like the aforementioned Mr. Surfacer. Finally, if you go to YouTube, Vallejo, has a good tutorial on applying their primer. Hope this helps!

Very sharp! As others have said, the paint is probably drying before it hits the surface. But hardly noticeable as the builds are so nice. Well done!

That is a very nice looking aircraft with a superb finish and presentation!

Very sharp! Love the weathering!

When the Humbrol Acrylics first came out, I really liked them for both airbrush and hairy stick. Then something changed in formula or otherwise and they became unusable. I switched to Vallejo (mostly content with this paint), but I am happy to see Humbrol keeping the line and making it useable again.

Love it! Nice to see aircraft from the Irish Air Corps.

Thanks! I remember reading somewhere that someone mixed their own shade that did vary in tone and shade depending on the lighting conditions like the real thing.

Are you thinning the Vallejo varnish with their airbrush thinner (71.161), maybe with a couple of drops of their flow improver (71.262) added as well? I use Vallejo polyurethane flat varnish (26.651) thinned to about 50:50 (they are thick) with their airbrush thinner and some flow improver and spray at a bout 12 psi. As long as I go in light misted coats, I achieve a dead flat finish. However, if the flat coat is not your final stage (for me it usually is), like all Vallejo products it can be delicate so weathering should be done patiently and not with too heavy or strong of a hand. Also, give it enough time to cure. I have not used the 100% acrylic resin varnishes, but I would have thought the same prep is involved, and they probably dry more resilient than the polyurethane stuff. Have you made sure the varnish is fully mixed? You can use pliers to gently pull the top of to allow for a complete mixing with a stirrer. Be careful with the Mr. Color flat... It is too flat and too rough in my opinion. I agree Mr. Color sprays beautifully I have heard great things about their GX series clear flat (http://www.mr-hobby.com/en/itemDetail.php?iId=2580) which has a much finer grain.

When we could get Gunze Mr. Hobby Aqueous here in the States it was my preferred paint. I always thinned with isopropyl alcohol though and never had a problem with it remaining tacky, it always dried quickly, leveled well, and was rock hard. Also, I never had an issue with paint drying in the airbrush's tip while spraying and it was super forgiving and held up to weathering and the decal stage quite well. I have sprayed Gunze Mr. Color (roughly 2 parts thinner to 1 part paint, at 10-15 psi) a couple of times with their leveling thinner and it is probably the best paint I have ever used minus the odor of the lacquer thinner... I don't have a spray booth with ventilation so Mr. Color is out for me. I do wish they would bring back Mr. Hobby Aqueous to the USA...

In the summer here in the US Southeast, it is so humid that my Vallejo do have a distinct, almost sweet candy-like odor to them for days after they have dried but not cured (a simple test I use is if they still feel a tad rubbery to decide if the paint is cured). This is particularly noticeable with their primer but I sprayed some insignia white a couple of days ago that also still has this slight odor and hasn't fully cured. Once they cure though the odor dissipates. I have multiple projects going on simultaneously, so I just work on something else while the paint cures but if you are in a rush, try a hair dryer on low setting to speed up the process. Just be careful the heat from the dryer doesn't warp the plastic or damage the paint.

Is there any consensus on an accurate Have Glass V (FS 36170) off the shelf color for the F-35, yet?

Also, if I may suggest, you may be spraying the upper coat a little heavy - try thinning the paint a bit and dialing the pressure back a tad. I have never had this problem with Vallejo but I did with enamels, which I was spraying too heavy, seeking total uniformity, but not looking too realistic. I now use paper masks tacked in place with tiny roles of Tamiya tape and have achieved an almost hard edged demarcation between colors, while at the same time allowing for some variation in tone. If sticking with a true hard edged mask, another thing to look at is removing the mask as soon as possible to give the paint a chance to self-level. Hope it helps!

Hello. Seems like you have found the solution. If you are using Vallejo's polyurethane primers they definitely do not like to be sprayed on heavily or under too much pressure. My first experience with them was very disappointing as I sprayed way too thick with way too much pressure. The primer peeled off in sheets. Following that I dialed back the pressure, thinned the primer roughly 2:5 thinner to primer ratio, and sprayed multiple thin coats... After letting it dry for a couple of hours it looked nice. However, if you plan to sand, you must let the primer cure for a week or ten days, otherwise if you start sanding without the primer being fully cured, it will peel - weird and frustrating. I do like it though for the range of colors, it is fully compatible with Vallejo's thinners and retarders, and Vallejo ModelAir sticks really well to it.

Can't say I've become any less food obsessed since the lock-down started but I have been barbecuing much more often, 3-4 nights a week. Last night we barbecued pork ribs (cooked low and slow) and along with that had baked beans and potato salad. My wife is Korean so we also have very spicy, delicious Korean dishes (plus lots of fish) 3-4 nights a week.