Jazzy Jase

Hmmm. I've got Vallejo Air 71014 and Tamiya XF26 as matches for Humbrol 149 Edit: Looks like it matches both 71014 and 71021 according to the colour charts!

Nice, I'm building the 1/72 version so I'll be interested to know how you paint it, what colours you use etc.

Awesome. I've got both of these waiting to be built. Can you tell me what colour(s) you used for the silver on the Mustang?

Joseph, those links are great thanks. I now have the Tamiya mixes for Sea Blue and Intermediate Blue, but the mysterious insignia white is still absent. I wonder if this is the same colour as USN Light grey? It's for a Tamiya 1/72 Hellcat and their new Corsair.

Thanks to all your help I'm pretty much sorted except for 3 colours. AS-8 - Navy Blue (US Navy) AS-19 - Intermediate Blue (US Navy) AS-20 - Insignia White (US Navy) I can't find any Vallejo matches for theses colours. I would buy the Tamiya Sprays, but AS-8 is not available anywhere. Doing a little research shows that Xtracolor might match AS-8 and AS-19 AS-8 - Navy Blue USN (ANA 607 Non-Specular Sea Blue) - X121 AS-19 - Intermediate Blue USN (ANA 608 Intermediate Blue) - X125 Are Xtracolours any good? What thinner should be used to airbrush with them? GrahamEM, can your Painters Assistant match any of these to Vallejo?

Thanks for all the kind comments.

Well I finally finished my first kit without throwing it in the bin, despite giving up with the airbrush and finishing it by hand. It's an RAF chipmunk like the ones I used to fly as an Air Cadet out of Benson. I haven't applied any weathering because they were always very shiny in my memories of them as a teenager, but this is perhaps too shiny? I'll make another one once I'm comfortable using the airbrush. The transfers are a little thin and the red shows up through the white on the roundels, so I'll paint some white underneath them next time too.

Cheers LotusArenco. Now why couldn't Academy have put something like "Refers to Gunze Sangyo paints" in the instructions?

What colours are referenced on Academy instructions? The paint numbers just seem to be in order and don't reference any paint manufacturer numbers. Which leaves me with the descriptions like Black, Flat Black (What's the difference?) and Gun Metal, but do these correspond to a certain paint brand?

Absolutely. Having fun is what it's all about, which is what I was trying to say in my original post: "Now I don't mind a bit of filling and sanding, but this kit would take a lot and isn't my idea of fun." So I don't mind spending a bit extra on a well fitting kit if it means I gain more enjoyment. I've now got both the Tamiya and Airfix Spitfire Mk1's, so I shall build them both!

Well the Fairy liquid bath didn't work. What else to try?

I have a couple of questions for anyone experienced with Vallejo Air: 1. The Vallejo guidethat came with my paint set recommends adding 1 drop of thinner for every 3 drops of Vallejo Air, but I have also read that you can airbrush it un-thinned. What do you guys and girls do? 2. I need to spray a glossy white colour. It's an Airfix kit that says Humbrol 22 on the instructions. On the Vallejo conversion chart this equates to "71001+71058" (White and Gloss Varnish). So, does this mean I should mix the two before spraying? Or spray the white, then the gloss varnish? Does it matter? And if I need to mix them before spraying do I mix them 50/50? Thanks, Jason

Right, it's had a Fairy Liquid bath and a good scrub with a tooth brush. Now it's wrapped in kitchen roll and in the airing cupboard. Lets hope the paint sticks tomorrow evening!

Cheers MODeller. I did not wash the parts in soapy water before assembly. Is that something I should be doing with every kit? So if I wash this one the paint should take to it? what sort of soapy water? Hand soap? Fairy liquid?

I attempted to primer my 2 Airfix Sopwith Pups this evening. Using Vallejo Model Air Primer straight into the airbrush. The newer kit, moulded in grey plastic took the paint fine. However, the paint would not stick at all to the older kit, moulded in yellow. The paint just ran off. It looked like rain on a freshly polished car. I have no Idea why it did this, and I don't think I did anything wrong seeing as one kit was fine. Any ideas? Is there something I can use to get paint to stick to my early kit?

Found some sort of equivalence chart on the Vallejo website that relates specifically to WW2 aircraft colours that go by the same name as the Tamiya colours, so I'm guessing they're the same? Vallejo Conversions What does RLM mean?

Thanks Graham. The colour charts don't show direct conversions for the Tamiya AS and TS paints though. Here's a few of the colours I wish to convert: AS-10 Ocean Grey RAF AS-11 Medium Sea Grey AS-9 Dark Green RAF AS-5 Light Blue Luftwaffe The Humbrol Colour Reference charts do have colours by those names, that doesn't help me mixing Tamiya or Vallejo. It would be great if your software could do it though. If it can I may even invest in it myself!

Is there a conversion chart anywhere for Tamiya's AS and TS paints? I don't really want to buy entire cans of the stuff, but I can't find out how to match them to Tamiya's regular acrylics or Vallejo.

Well I've taken the plunge and ordered a few Tamiya WW2 aircraft kits. Including both their Spitfires!

Gwart, that Mustang looks awesome. Graham, that's some interesting information. I just assumed that most kits would be fairly accurate. The Tamiya Mk.1 Spit for instance, is it massively innacurate, or just seasoned modellers being picky? So what is the best 1/72 Spitfire?

Back when I used to make models as a kid, they were almost always Airfix and the occasional Matchbox and Revell kit. I'd heard about Tamiya, but they were too expensive for my pocket money. Now though there are loads of manufacturers to choose from, but knowing Airfix the best I've bought a few cheap kits from ebay. Last night I started on an Airfix 1/72 ME262. I was mightily surprised however, at just how bad this kit is: No cockpit, appaling fit, and an engine piece missing. Every joint is poorly fitting, with gaps of upto 2mm. Now I don't mind a bit of filling and sanding, but this kit would take a lot and isn't my idea of fun. I shall throw it together and use it to test my new airbrush. This got me thinking. The Revell Spitfire I made didn't need much filling at all. Did I get lucky with the Revell? Or unlucky with the Airfix? Which kit manufacturers are the best? Which are the worst? Does quality vary from kit to kit? I want to build a collection of 1/72 WW2 aircraft, so should I be looking at certain manufacturers? Or only certain kits from all the manufacturers? How do I find out which are good kits and which are bad? I don't mind spending a bit extra for good quality and detail. Any thoughts or recommendations would be welcome.

Rigging? That's not on the instruction sheet! I guess I'd better find some tiny wire from somewhere. Oh and what is the best way to paint wood to look real?

Brilliant. Thanks T-Tango, thats exactly what I'm after.

I've purchased an old Airfix 1/72 Sopwith Pup off ebay with the intention of giving it to my Dad for his birthday at the end of March. I'm recently new to modelling (apart from when I was a kid) and I've never built a bi-plane before. Are there any tips you good people can give me on building WW1 aircraft? My first major hurdle I think will be trying to figure out the old Airfix colour codes. Can anyone translate the following to Humbrol or Vallejo Model Air for me or show me how to do it myself: M2, M5, M6, M10, M11, M13, M14, M19, G9. Also, the decals are very old looking so I'm going to use some: Microscale - Micro Liquid Decal Film to hopefully bring them back to life.

I'm looking for one of these, and I can find the Pin Vise, but not the bits that go in it. Any of the online model shops selling a set?