Back in the Saddle

Hi Sasha. @Viking posted here about the problems with the new Halfords primer. Forewarned is forearmed - I will source a different product from now on for any future builds! At least we’ve all been able to rescue our models after using it…👍

Sorry to hear about your paint woes. Out of interest, what primer did you use? I’ve had a few issues lately (as have others!) and we used Halfords primer…

The 'Chelsea Rose' design was just an interlude, as the original intention was to finish this model in the Polish livery. That meant the decals had to come off again after I'd taken the photos...🙁 The fin needed some TLC, including a general rub down to remove a few blemishes, re-scribing the rudder and drilling a hole to insert a support pin for the tailplane: The belly also had a few marks, so these were blended away: I masked the majority of the white and applied some primer in the middle section: Before reapplying the blue: That looks much sleeker! Note the slight overspray - not a massive issue as the white also needs a new coat of paint... I will mask the blue very carefully and then respray the upper fuselage and fin.👍 Almost time for the set of 'Poland' decals!

Thank you Alex!👍 To answer any questions about the replacement paint for Halfords 'Appliance White' and 'Fiat Capri Blue' paints, please take a look here.

I've had comments from @AdrianMF and @Skodadriver about the paints I'm now using on my BA models and I hope the following information will be useful for anybody else building airliner models. As mentioned before, Halfords have discontinued selling their own brand of Appliance White and Fiat Capri Blue, which were my paints of choice for BA models. Halfords also have also changed the product in their cans of grey primer and their 'Racking Grey' has been replaced by 'Light Grey Colourcoat Paint': I'll start my comparison with this one - it seems to be identical, despite the different labelling! Halfords were selling the can on the left via their website but when this was ordered I was given the can on the right. Halfords confirmed it has the same product number on their system, so they believe it is the same paint. I cannot disagree - the new product looks and sprays exactly like the old one.👍 The grey primer is totally different product, being a paler shade of grey. It also seems a bit thinner than the old product. However it does the job perfectly well and I prefer it being a lighter colour - it makes covering it with white a simpler task! I forgot to take a photo of the cans of primer, but will post one up next time. Regarding the Appliance White and Capri Blue, I'm hoping to use my alternative paints this weekend so will report back once I've tried them! To prevent damage during the drying process, I have made a basic tool (?) to hold the fuselages securely whilst the paint sets. I used some old foam sheets, scrap wood and a few cable ties: It's a very simple padded clamp but it works perfectly: Please excuse the messy workbench!

Thanks Matt, as you said, all working again.👍

Time for some decals! The windows were cut from the homemade sheet shown earlier; the door decals were the ones supplied with the kit: Most of these were applied, except for the front two doors - these will go on after the 'Speedmarque' logo: Talking of which, these will be applied once the doors and windows have dried: I'm not entirely happy with the print quality, as I'm getting unwanted lines appearing. It might be time to invest in a new printer...😕

I’m having the same issue. Older pictures are showing but I cannot embed any new images from Flickr…

Thanks Dave. There is definitely something to be said for stripping paint right back to back plastic or metal - it worked out in the end but it might have been easier done that way… I’m just about to experiment with my alternative sources of paint and will report back once I have results! Cheers Paul. I enjoyed following your Jaguar build and was impressed how quickly it progressed! I should have a few RFI’s this year - multiple models are nearing completion…😁

I have given the wings and fuselage some TLC and am getting them ever closer to painting.👍 The wheel bay doors needed fitting to the refurbished model, as this will be now displayed with the gear up: Once set, everything received a rub down to remove most of the old paint (and filler on the new builds!), before applying the primer. This was a new tin from Halfords and like most of the other paints supplied by them it has changed... It went on nicely enough but I did get a slight reaction from the old topcoat of Humbrol enamel which was underneath on the corogard sections: This was rubbed back again and the second coat was perfect.👍 The fuselages were also filled as required, rubbed down and primed, ready for the topcoat: It all looks far tidier, but inevitably I have finally snapped the nose gear strut off! It lasted well, staying on until now...😁 Hopefully some more paint will be applied soon!

Thanks Noel. One of my aviation regrets is that I never flew the 727. I’ve been a passenger on a few and had a go in the simulator at Bournemouth over 25 years ago, but never had the chance to fly the real thing. I’ve only heard good things about this aircraft, which is a testament to how highly regarded they were.👍 Cheers Vince and entirely due to your comment! 😁 Thanks Trevor. The Comair 727’s were one of the reasons I built the original models - the 727 looks very attractive in the various ’Utopia’ liveries. 👍 Cheers Mike! It’s been a bit sporadic of late, but I’m enjoying getting the occasional one over the line! 😁 Thank you John, glad you like it. I do have a 727-100 also needing refurbishment, so I might be tempted with your suggestion! 😉

I still can’t believe a new tool model has been so demoralising… I stumbled across this thread again purely as I had a notification that @RCI had reacted to one of my posts (thank you!🙂). It is currently sat in a cupboard waiting for the final push to get it painted - I think it’s time I got this one finished! An excellent model and my apologies for not responding earlier - I never received a notification that replies were on this thread; I haven’t visited this one myself for over a year…😲 Incredible how that happened.😕 Not yet, but these comments are spurring me back into action - albeit slowly!🤣 I share your pain Martin. However, I think the worst is behind me now, I just need to get it painted. Hopefully that is a job I can get done soon, then the RFI can finally get posted. 👍

Thanks Chris. One month later and it still hasn't appeared... I haven't given up (yet!), but I might be tempted to take you up on your kind offer!👍 The first model from this mini production line is complete - the 727-200 in a fictional "Chelsea Rose" livery. The Polish version is next on my agenda, followed by the G-RAES decals for Mike's 777 model! Here's the RFI for this one:

Welcome to my first RFI in a very long time! 😁 This was intended to be a relatively quick project for me - just the simple refurbishment of a model that had seen better days. That process is described here if you want to see what happened. Spoiler alert - it took longer than expected! The model is a 'what if', designed to show how this aircraft could have looked if British Airways had used this livery on this aircraft. The full back story is on this model's original RFI. Only a couple of photos, but I quite like how this one turned out! My thanks to @Vince1159 - his innocent comment on the original RFI was the inspiration for this build! As ever, all comments and critique are welcomed.👍

Successful mission! The decals were cut out: And applied: If I did it again I might try to get a bit more design to fill the front of the tail fin, but I think it looks quite elegant as it is. The artwork for this design is in 'portrait' mode (see below), so getting it to fit sensibly on a tail fin that is very definitely 'landscape' in orientation was always going to be a challenge - I used every section of the design in the bottom right corner: Anyway, that the last experimental design for this model - the next livery will be my final version. An RFI hopefully beckons in the near future...!🤞