Simon Platt

Final post on this, hopefully helpful to someone else in the future. I have tested WD40 over the paintwork of an old model finished in Mr Hobby Aqueous paints with a Tamiya X-20 gloss over the top - in other words tested over acrylic paint. I rubbed the paint quite hard with a kitchen towel sprayed with a bit of WD40 and then dried off most of what came off on the model using a fresh piece of kitchen towel. At this point I could barely perceive any oil on the surface but went one extra step and used a bit of dishwashing soap to degrease and remove what might have been left on the model anyway. To save spending any more looking for some sort of holy grail I think, for now, I'll standardise on removing the residue on my canopies at both pre-paint and post-paint stages with WD40 and follow up with a little soapy water to remove the little bit of oil that WD40 leaves behind. Works for me

Been doing some digging through MSDS and what I find intriguing is that the naptha used in humbrol enamel thinners is the same as that used in WD40 which does not harm the plastic at all. Well, they may not be exactly the same batch etc. but the CAS number of the main ingredient (64742-48-9 - naptha (petroleum), hydrotreated heavy also known as white spirit type 3) is the same. The difference is in the extra ingredients: WD40 contains propellant gas and the oil, of course, and Humbrol thinners (on a Rustin's letter headed MSDS interestingly) contains up to 30% 2-methoxy-1-methylethyl acetate which is another solvent. This is assuming that the MSDS I have, dated 2012, matches the sample of humbrol of thinners I have. I think I will have to try another thinners based on white spirit type 3 that doesn't contain this chemical to find out if it is the culprit.

I find tamiya tape difficult to use as a canopy mask so I am trying bare metal foil as recommended by a number of old hands. I found it much easier to use than tamiya tape and would like to continue using it but it leaves a small amount of glue residue that needs to be cleaned before and after painting. On my test pieces I cleaned the residue off successfully with Mr Color lacquer thinners and also WD40 but I know I cannot use either of these to clean the residue after painting since they will also remove the paint from the canopy frames and leave a thin layer of oil behind respectively. The BMF instructions say to clean the residue with turpentine, and Paul Budzik's video on the technique shows him using a hardware store grade of mineral spirits. Mineral spirits are a turpentine substitute so that makes sense. I know that humbrol enamel thinners are mineral spirits and assumed they'd be safest to use on my kit since that is what they're designed for and, since I plan to paint the canopy frames with acrylic or Mr Color 'lacquer' based paint, I hoped that later in the process the enamel thnners would be able to clean the glue residue from the painted canopy without attacking the paint on the canopy framing. A small bottle of humbrol enamel thinners was duly aquired and a cotton bud slightly wet with the stuff easily removed the glue residue from the canopy framing just as promised but I watched in horror as the canopy frosted over inside and out within seconds after removing the BMF residue. I am at a loss, since I followed the instructions and recommendations to the letter and find this result particularly surprising since humbrol enamel thinners are designed for use on plastic. The kit is the hasegawa hellcat in 1:72 just in case the manufacturer makes any difference to the result. Yes it was rather stupid of me to test two products on a test piece and then use a third unknown on my actual part. I doubt I'll be able to polish out the frosting since it feels very rough and the canopy framing is represented by finely engraved lines which will surely be removed in the process. I suppose I now have a kit on which to test these sorts of new techniques. Should I have used a different grade of mineral spirits? What product can be used to remove the BMF residue but won't attack the dried acrylic or laquer paint? Paul Budzik says he does not Klear or Future his canopies before using this technique instead preferring to polish them, but, perhaps that might have some bearing on the outcome of this technique? BMF really is nice to use as a mask so I feel that it is worth persevering and finding a way to make this work but perhaps others out there have already figured out what works and relay their findings to me?

Hi, I have not been modelling in scale for quite some time now but retain a small quantity of prized kits, and after market accessories for those kits including some nigh on irreplaceable decals. In my experience decals are the first to show signs of old age. I remember opening a pack of decals I bought when I was a kid and clearly being able to discern yellowing on those that had been exposed to the light. So my idea is to revisit my decals and stash them in an archival manner, something that will slow degradation to a minimum. I've read that, in addition to temperature and lighting controlled environments archival libraries use well fitted heat sealed silver mylar covers to keep their documents in good condition. I wonder if the same techniques may be used to good effect on decals. Do you have any other ideas or tips to share on this subject?

Great to see this model completed Gary Well done!

Nice one, Wayne

but then you WOULD say that wouldn't you? Nothing like a little bit of pressure eh Gajman? Suddenly quite a lot of interest in this one!

There is a reason I never built this set, and that is because it seemed well above my experience level. It looked like a lot of work to me. With enough patience I reckon it will turn out a lovely model.

I reckon this will be a tasty build! Thanks for letting me know about it Gajman.

That's a really great model. Especially in 1/72! I must admit that for a SAAF fan I know very little about the Canberra but this model sure drew me in. Loving it. Cheers, Simon

Hi Dean, I realise I'm late in posting, in more ways than the obvious - I should have commented long ago on some of your previous builds but I've not been visiting the forum very regularly lately. What I'm building up to is a serious gushing of admiration for your work. There are a select few modellers who, when they've posted a ready for inspection post, I open it up like a kid at Christmas who still believes in Father Christmas - you have become one of those modellers. I haven't seen all your work but what I have seen has been of a consistently high quality and, on occasion, like this model, seriously breaks the mould and lets a little more light into the prison I call my brain. I am simply in awe. Bravo Sir! Simon

I'm sure that most of us keep our cyano glues in the fridge or some other cold place to extend their shelf lives. Well for some time now I've had a bottle in the fridge with a slightly dodgy lid. The lid had become gummed up with dry glue that I could not extract and did not screw onto or sit properly on the bottle anymore. Never the less I balanced it carefully on a shelf in the fridge door and thought nothing more of it. Fast forward a few days and I need to make a repair using some super glue. I find I have glued pretty much everything that was sharing that shelf space with the super glue bottle. I have got a bottle of maple syrup that is permanently attached to the fridge shelf. Quite amusing and I laughed when I first saw it but after trying to clean it up I realised it was not really possible to undo the mess and I've had to place an order for a new shelf with a spares supplier. Moral of the story is we can keep our cyano in the fridge but make sure it's lid goes on tightly and if not then wrap it inside something, a resealing sandwich bag or some other container. Though I wouldn't buy anything for the purpose because it is highly likely to get ruined when the inevitable spill happens. :shithappens:

Thanks for the idea CockneyCol. I have tried some 'piano wire' which came in an old guillows model kit I never finished. It was slightly thick but I created a small jig to bend it using a flat headed screw of appropriate shank diameter embedded in some wood. Using that jig I got a near perfect fit on the shank of the pin vice I thought I was all set but I was unable to get it into the swivelling head. Even the hammer couldn't convince it. I gave it some more thought but figured that going out and buying some thinner wire of the same kind was probably a bit over the top given the price of pin vices. Instead I got out my junior hack saw and took the shank right off. Filed the rough marks down til smooth and then polished it using scraps of fine grit aluminium oxide sandpapers and WD-40 for lubrication. It doesn't swivel any more and is a bit shorter but it looks a lot better and is easier to use without the swivelling head falling off during drilling.

Hi All, Bit of a long shot, and this happened some time ago so I don't even remember how it happened, but the swivelling head of my pin vice popped off. I think I was pulling it for some reason and it came off. The body has a small shank at the top and the swivelling head has a corresponding hole into which that fits. There is a groove around the circumference of the shank and I recall that there was wire of some sort wrapped around this groove. I'm guessing that the wire compresses into the groove when the shank is forced into the head and then springs back to shape again once inside the head thus forming a joint that is difficult to pull apart but swivels freely around the shank. Anyway, long shot as I said, just wondered if any of you folks have ever had this happen and repaired the thing? I've tried a few different scraps of wire so far but none have been successful, some too thin, some too compressible. I think I might need some spring wire. Simon

That's a very neat build at that scale. Is the light on the port wing straight from the kit? It seems exceptionally clear. The aerial on top of the fuselage too must be extremely thin. Great work all around. The paint job, and your own little details. Just superb. Simon

Hi Jen, I consider myself to be quite an experienced SAAF Gripen model viewer having trawled the depths of the internet looking for all completed examples. I feel I can confidently declare that yours is the best one on the internet at this point in time! Your paint looks very accurate and that is the biggest problem most others seem to have. Did you follow the Italeri kit instructions for the paint? I can't seem to tear myself away from staring at this model. The words 'gee' and 'wow' just keep hypnotically floating around inside my head. Simon The SAAF enthusiast!

Thanks Paul, It sounds like this might be quite a lot of work. I'm taking a guess that your decals will be Alps printed too. I work in computer imagery and would be quite happy to go to the trouble of making the artwork for a whole series of these but I'd rather they be the traditional screen printed variety if that is the case. Something for me to think about, Simon

Thanks Paul, You possibly know this by now but I've sent over a highish resolution scan (only 0.25mb though). Further to the email it just looks as if the manufacturer printed this on low quality or else their printer (Alps?) was not up to printing solid patches of the particular colours they decided on. I started some decal artwork of my own for this model ages ago but figured I'd purchase this sheet before going to the trouble of getting mine printed. Mine could do with some work in any case

Hi Paul, I've recently bought a set of South African MAV decals to model a Silver Falcon MB.326 in the old 'republic scheme' of orange, white and blue but I'm a little disappointed at the apparent print quality. It's quite easy to see where the printer has attempted to approximate a colour shade because it leaves lots of dots or stripes of different shades in those areas. I just wondered if you'd be able to produce a better set for me? You'd need to be able to print a kind of metallic brass looking colour along with white for the roundels though. Simon

Perhaps one of the following would be useful to you? Difficult or expensive to get hold of though. BS 381C Specification for Colours for Identification, Coding and Special Purposes BS 5378 Safety Signs and Colours Part 1. Specification for Colour and Design Def Stan 08-5 Design Requirements for Weapon Systems (Guided Weapons, Torpedoes and Airborne Armament Stores) Def Stan 05-18 Symbol Markings of Servicing and Safety/Hazard Points on Aircraft, Ground Support Equipment and Guided Weapons Systems ASCC Air Standard11/1H Aircraft Servicing/Hazard Markings STANAG 3109 Symbol Marking of Aircraft Servicing and Safety/Hazard Points I have the document that I have bolded and am happy to send a copy to you. I really can't remember where I found it but I think it turned up while I was rooting around the internet looking for recipes for South African Air Force paints. I have checked but Def Stan 05-18 does not specify the font for the signs that it covers. I expect that sort of thing to be covered more in BS5378 judging by the title.

Wow Piero. Just wow. Love at first sight! That is incredible work. I'm looking through my kit right now to see where you've added extra detail. There is tons of it! Hope it is not too rude of me to ask which resin / detail sets you found useful in this build? periklis_sale, I'm still waiting with baited breath for yours too. I probably won't start mine until I can learn some of the tricks that you masters have employed. Simon

Well folks, Here is how the custom panel and the kit panel turned out after painting. I've decided to go with the kit panels after all as I have found further references indicating that a black panel in the style of the kit was also used in some of these aircraft. In the end it came down to which I felt was more realistic though. I tried all sorts of tricks to create instrument dials for the scratch built panel but they just didn't look right. In the above photo you might have noticed that the locating tabs on the cockpit floor are no longer present. That is because I filed them off in an attempt to aid me in seating the cockpit slightly higher and further back in the fuselage than the kit normally allows. I wanted the top of the cockpit sides to meet with the edge of the canopy as they do in the real deal. Unfortunately it turns out that this is not possible because even though I can get the cockpit into roughly the right position, when it is in position it is impossible to get the canopy over the top. Looks like I'm stuck with the kit's designated position. Of course this means that I've got the fuselage halves together too, still a bit of a frustrating experience for me on my third model. I held the halves together with elastic bands and put super glue along the inside of the seam hoping that it'd fill any gaps without the risk of getting superglue all over the outside of the fuselage. I then ran liquid cement over the outside of the seams. I got a small amount of melted plastic oozing out of the forward face of the rudder but everywhere else the mating was less than satisfactory. You can see some of the seam in the picture where I've tried to fill some of the seam with humbrol filler. Looks like I might be forced into running some superglue along the outside of the seam in any case. Simon

Hi Graham: I was indeed describing Zinc Chromate as not being present in the cockpit area. This was one of my references: Linky Hi Deon: I have exactly the same crit about the oversized look of the control column. I considered yanking it out and replacing with wire bent to shape but didn't want to damage a cockpit that was already part constructed with the seats super glued in place. I'll probably try it next time. Thanks for the critique. Here is how I am doing on those custom instrument panels. The scratchbuilt replacement is shown next to the kit supplied to show just how different they really are. I found my reference shots here if anyone else is interested in them too. So far accomplished with 0.25mm sheet styrene cut to shape and drilled out with a micro drill set from maplin. A few raised details have been added from the same sheet styrene, though they're clearly far too raised when looking close up. This is 1/72 though, and I think I've done alright for my skill level. Apart from cleaning out the instrument holes and backing with styrene painted black, filling the instrument wells with klear, is there anything else that I should be doing to this? Buttons are a bit out of the question at this scale without any form of magnifying glass.

Hello Britmodeller, I'm going to build Academy's 1/72nd T-6G Texan finished in the day glow scheme of the South African Air Force, using the decals from the Airfix kit. Yes, this will be a copy of my first model but I'm hoping to significantly improve my technique this time. This will be my third model since I got involved with scale aircraft modeling again and I feel that it would have been worth receiving a bit of constructive criticism on my last model - the T-28 Fennec - so have decided that this one will be a work in progress in the 'critique corner'. I understand now why Airfix chose to issue decals for 7709. The SAAF purchased it's last batch of these aircraft in 1952/53, and they were all AT-6As, SNJ-3s, AT-6Cs or SNJ-4's upgraded to T-6G specification. Many of them still show clues as to their previous variants such as the gun recess over the cowling. 7709, in contrast looks very much like a T-6G making it most suitable for airfix's kit and of course, this academy kit. On to the build now. I've started with the cockpit as per the instructions. The side walls are nicely detailed straight from the kit but there are some noticeable differences from my references so if you're a stickler for accuracy I would imagine you'd be filing quite a lot of it away and replacing it. I decided to compromise and added detail where I felt it was significant. IMHO the throttle and other levers on the side walls were a bit flat so I got some PE levers that were left over from my last model, painted them appropriately and added them to the side walls. I also added the grey box with placards on the pilot's starboard side. Not too sure what it is in reality, but it has wiring coming from it in my reference shots so must be electrical. In this next photo things have moved on a little bit. I did some paint chipping effects on the well used areas of the cockpit. The port side upper framework where the crew get in and out, the tops and buckets of the seats, the foot wells and the throttle areas all show chipping in my references. Things got a little out of hand on the starboard cockpit wall but I didn't notice until I took these photos. Better get one of those magnifying headsets so I can see better next time. I've also added some home made harnesses from masking tape. The majority of the colours I used here are custom mixes. The references don't show any of the usual crazy yuck yellow interior green rather they show a subdued green that I'd call 'hospital green'. The green is primarily various shades of Model Color Olive Grey (70.888 or 92) lightened with varying amounts of their White Grey (70.993 or 151). Chipping was done with a piece of sponge and Citadel Chainmail. The harnesses are a custom mix of Citadel Catachan Green and Golden Yellow. Looking ahead I'm going to be creating custom instrument panels because the ones in the kit are a bit flat and have very little bearing on the configuration of the SAAF examples. After that I'll be filling in the recessed baggage door on the starboard side as it's only meant to be on the port side. When the fuselage halves are together I'm going to file off the lights on the underside as they are not fitted to T-6's and then investigate how the heck I'm going to model the canopy in the open position. Kindly Academy have supplied the canopy in separate parts but for the life of me I can't see how the sliding canopies in thick plastic are going to sit neatly or realistically. Either a lot of careful filing or I'll have to get a vacform replacement which will be another first for me. Anyway, I'll leave you to digest that for now. Until next time, happy modelling! Simon

In a pinch I have used one of those all purpose repositionable spray adhesives available from art and stationery stores to create my own self adhesive kitchen foil. Here's a picture of the result. Note the foil is not shiny only because I put a very nasty home brew wash on it. Please ignore the model itself. It's possibly not the best candidate for promoting this idea. The foil idea worked really well and I was very pleased. It conformed exactly to the plastic after rubbing down even around the tiny compound curves of the cowling panels.