Andrés S.

Hi. Second attack on the objective of recreating the wear and dust of an airplane in the desert. I have reinforced the smoke of the exhausts with Abteilung oil paints: neutral gray and faded white. With the reference "Africa Dust Effects" by AK I have tried to recreate the dust deposit on the upper surface of the plane, making longitudinal strokes on the wings and vertical strokes on the fuselage. On the wings I have also made some hydraulic fluid leaks, but few, using the "Smoke" reference from the Abteilung oil paintings. I don't want to be excessive in this part of the painting so I let it rest until a next varnishing session. Andrés.

Nice !!! Andrés.

Excellent, great job !!!! Andrés.

Hi. I start with the wear and dirt of the model. I have simulated very dark brown Vallejo MC dirt on the wing panels for access to the machine gun ammunition and reproduced chips on the edge of them with a brush and very light gray. With this I have also reproduced chips in other places, such as the joint between the fuselage and wing due to the pilot's movement, in the canopy rails or in the removable engine access panels. I have also reproduced chips on the leading edge of the wings, after painting the yellow stripes. Regarding the engine fumes, I have reproduced a slight trace of smoke using Tamiya XF-80 light gray. Andrés.

I did it by masking with slightly raised Tamiya tape, but in some places there was a hard edge between colors so I touched up with an airbrush. As I was a little tired from so much masking, I made the stain on the engine hood and that extends along the left side of the cockpit and the junction with the left wing with the airbrush. On the fuselage, between the tail and the cockpit, there are some lines that are hard but I leave them because they will be covered by decals. Thank you for your words. Thanks for your kind words. You will find that it is a great kit and I am sure that you will enjoy it and it will do a great job. Rivet a model he has the problem of finding suitable plans and it is a somewhat boring job, to be honest. However, and even though it is not 100% realistic, I think it is an enriching visual contribution to the model. Thank you for your words. Andrés.

Hi. When I opened the box of this kit at my usual store in my town, what I saw was a pleasant surprise, since I had not the slightest idea of the quality of this kit. Fine but strong incised paneling with good details throughout and a cockpit that looked much more than correct for the 1/72 scale. So it went straight into my beloved Vstrom's suitcase and home. That was a few months ago. I started it but left it on the shelf for a while, like many others. I have recently regained interest in this model and since I don't think I will leave it again, I have decided to start this post. I have not wanted to use more than a few photo-etched belts in the cockpit, I consider that it has more than enough quality to not use resins or photo-etched parts on it. What I did have to do was try to paint the indicators on the front instrument panel since I lost the decals. The base color used was Gunze's H-58, painting the details with different Vallejo Model Color references and varnishing it with its satin varnish reference. Here is the engine radiator part. Of the landing gear I only have the wheels, which are a reference for this plane from the Czech brand CMK. The color used for the tire was H-77 from Gunze and for the Azure Blue the reference 71108 from Vallejo Model Air. For the back of the rim I used aluminum from AK Extreme Metal. I have simulated the dust on the tread with Vallejo Model Color ref. Iraqi Sand. The first thing I worked on the propeller was its blades, with sandpaper I refined its thickness until it was more realistic in 1/72 scale. The base color was Tamiya XF-1 black and light wear on the leading edge with XF-53 (although this is barely visible in the photo). The yellow color was H-329 from Gunze and the scratches on the paint were done with very light gray from Vallejo MC. I worked on the propeller hub by highlighting the center panel line with a mini saw. The red color used was 71003 from Vallejo Model Air and with a brush and very dark brown from Vallejo MC I simulated some threads of lubricant that start from the panel line. I'm not entirely sure if it will have a pump or a fuel tank. Be that as it may, for now I have made the deposit. I have again used the Azure Blue from Vallejo MA as well as different references of brown and black mixed to simulate dirt and fuel remains. In this photo I have shown the little work I had to do: cover some panels with black cyanoacrylate, eliminate the exterior machine guns that the MK I did not have or paint the landing light with chrome and mask it with Vallejo liquid. It is obvious and you will have seen of it in the photographs but now I remember that I have not mentioned that I have riveted the surface of the model as well as that I have made the screws of the removable panels with an appropriate punch for this purpose. To finish for today, some photos of the model with the upper base colors. One last photo of the lower part where I have simulated accumulated dust raised from the ground during the takeoff run and traces left by oil leaks. Andrés.

Good job with the paint: very very fine. Particularly I miss a little more wear or dirt, although it also looks very good. Congratulations !!! Andrés.

Nice 👍🏼 Andrés

A matte surface is matte because it does not reflect light rays in the same direction. Thus, by definition, a matte surface has valleys and ridges. The difference between one and the other can be very big or it can be very small, but it is there. And that difference in height is what means that air can be introduced or that the decal does not adapt well, producing the silver. No, I don't think it's a myth that decals with a shiny surface don't produce silver. The silvering depends on many aspects among which are the quality of the decals themselves. In my opinion, applying decals on a matte surface is not recommended and the chances of the decals producing silvering are much higher than on a glossy surface. In fact, when I did not varnish in gloss, silvering was produced and since I varnished in gloss, I have never had silver. Andrés.

GREAT !!! Andrés.

Delete the swastika in the drift? In a model that is not a political instrument but a miniature representation of a real object, with maximum historical fidelity? It's a joke ? I can not believe it....

Absolutely top-notch work. With great attention to all details and perfectly done in both construction, paint and wear/dirt. It doesn't look 1/72 at all. Congratulations !!! Andrés.

Hi. No wonder everything you say happened to you happened to you. If, as you say, you have not used an airbrush before and you also do not like using it and you have only done it to try it, then... The airbrush is a really complex machine, and also precise. Its handling is not easy at all, there are modelers who do not even know how it really works and this makes it difficult for them to identify the cause of the problems they suffer from jams or malfunctions. I have been using it for 30 years and although I consider that I am confident enough and with enough practice, there are times when I find myself in trouble. Not all airbrushes have the same responses nor do all paints behave or have the same characteristics. It's like wanting to compare the driving of different types of cars on different roads with different tires and asphalt... There are many parameters that come into play and when one of them is varied the result is no longer the same... Airbrushes I have Iwata HP-CP 0.3 mm, Evolution 0.15, 0.2 and 0.4 mm, Mr. Hobby PS-270 0.2 mm and a Chinese one similar to the IWATA CM C-2 Plus. The ones that I feel most comfortable with and that I am able to do what I want to do are with the Iwata HP-CP and the Chinese one, and not precisely in this order... Regarding paints: acrylic ones are the most complicated to use, so if you have started with them and do not have much experience with airbrushing, I think that your case has been one in which hunger has combined with the desire to eat... My favorite paints are Tamiya acrylic paints (they are really acrylic lacquers or semi-lacquers) and AK Real Color paints. Some have the disadvantage of having to make mixtures to obtain more or less exact colors and the others that I like some colors but not others, so I normally go between one and the other except for rare exceptions in which I use Gunze (H-77 pneumatic) or Model AIR (RLM 23 for example) or AMMO (Zinc Cromate Yellow for example). The only thing I do like about acrylic are Vallejo varnishes. Regarding the toxicity of the paints, my opinion is that I would not take a drink of any of those paints... For me the determining factor of using one or the other is the finish; If they need more or less ventilation or protection, it is something that I have assumed is a necessary lesser evil. Regarding airbrushing, it is like everything, whether in modeling or another activity carried out by humans: the key is to know the technique and practice, practice, practice. And when you have finished practicing and mastered it then continue practicing. Of course, what an airbrush can do will never be equaled by a brush, but the opposite is also true... Andrés.

Excellent paint job !!!! Congratulations. Andrés.

Oh yeah...Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I like !!!! Magnificent work, both on the plane with its incredibly good NMF application and with the riveting and of course with that magnificent painting of the pilot. Very good job, I love it. Congratulations!!!! Andrés.

Beautifull !!!!! Andrés

Very good job !!! Congratulations. Andrés.

Thank you very much. Andrés.

Pe-2 looks very good, well done!!! Can I ask you what colors you used for camouflage? It would help me with mine from Zvezda. Thank you. Andrés.

Hi Bruno. After seeing your work with the Hurricane I'm staying to see this one. 😉 Andrés

When I print, which is only and exclusively when the paint has poor adhesion, I do it with white Gunze Surfacer. Tamiya are for me the best paint after AK Real Color and finally Gunze. Acrylic paints are not my favorite, but if I had to choose it would be Vallejo Model Air and AMMO. The ones I would never choose would be Humbrol acrylics, nor of course enamel. Andrés.

Ciao Bruno. Thank you for your words. The Arma kit is really nice, I'm enjoying it yes. I have seen the super detailed work you did, it is incredibly good, congratulations. Saluti. Hi Bertie, Thank you very much. Andrés. P.S.- I'm sorry for the delay in answering, I usually enter the forum almost every day but lately it doesn't notify me when I have a message on this topic.

Excellent metallic finish. Andrés.

AK RC's thinner is called highly compatible, which means that, in addition to working for its own paints, which is obviously logical, it works with other types of paints. In fact, I do dilute the Tamiya and the Gunze with the AK thinner and I can tell you that this thinner gives these paints properties that seem to me to be much superior to those made by the other ones. their own brands. Therefore, since I did a test, and this is what you should have done before, it is the only thinner I use for these 3 brands (until then I used the Tamiya yellow cap for both Tamiya and Gunze). In any case, you should have asked AK who is the manufacturer and as such better than anyone else his own products and not an intermediary like you did, who surely has not inquired anything about a product that he neither knows nor has manufactured.

Great job !!!! Andrés.