Chewie

I've posted this up in other forums, but I thought I'd post it here as well.... I'm currently starting to think about building my Su-27 Russian Knights, and I want to first research into the best colour mix for the different shades of blue. Firstly, I only use either Tamiya, Gunze's Aqueous Color, or LifeColor. Nothing else. Has anyone experimented mixing up the existing colours from either of these paint brands to try to replicate the Russian Knights' colour? Anyone has any tips? BTW, I'm going to use the non-camo scheme. TIA!

Gotta admit that I haven't built many Revell kits. Only their F-22 thus far, got 2 other kits in stash (F-4 Richtenhofen and F/A-18E), plus 1 CF-18A on the way. Still, I have to second the opinion about the box. It's very irritating. Almost lost a few small pieces while building my F-22 a while back. As far as paint instruction goes, from memory the F-22 uses FS numbering. I haven't opened up the other 2 Revell kits in the stash so not sure about their paint instructions. I'm guessing that they use FS numbers for their newer kits. EDIT: I also agree with the opinion about their fantastic decal sheet! The one that came with their F-22.... DANG!!! Could've easily cost $20 by itself from aftermarket suppliers...

Citadel metallic is the best! Bar none! Just need to thin it quite a bit with distilled/demineralised water. 2 parts water + 1 part paint. Spray at 10-12Psi using gravity airbrush. BOOTIFUL!!!

BTW... I just noticed something else... You'd need to fill the gap between the wings and the fuselage, but only the "middle section".

I normally use burnt umber and black for oil and hydraulic fluid leaks/streaks on my jets. I'd imagine you could use the same for WWII aircrafts. Burnt sienna is good to emulate/simulate rust.

I'm using LifeColor more and more these days too. Very good paint, and very cheap too. Same price as Tamiya/Gunze Aqueous, but you get twice the amount of paint in the bottle. Plus only need demineralised water to thin. One word of CAUTION though: AVOID the so-called "aluminum", or "bare metal" colour at ANY cost! Absolutely useless!! Also find its gloss clear to be quite inferior to Tamiya's.

Very nice and clean build! For weathering, I'd go for a more subtle weathering. Not too heavy. Start with oil wash to highlight the panel lines, and to add "depth" throughout. Slightly heavier weathering using artist's oil on the underside, near the jet exhausts (I'd use combination of burnt umber, burnt sienna, and black). Weathering on the flaps can be a bit heavier too. Pore thru tons and tons of reference pics of operational "E" Hornets from Airliners.net, or other sources. BTW... don't forget to mask the cockpit BEFORE you start! Good luck!

I too always hate spraying white (either flat or gloss). After trying for 2 years, I *think* I finally know how to do it properly. Here are some tips: 1) Make sure you thin properly. In my case, I typically use 60% thinner and 40% paint. 2) Use medium pressure (15 Psi with gravity fed dual action AB) 3) Mist spray only, use quick sweeping movement (direction of airflow - i.e. front to back/back to front), and constantly rotate your subject 4) DO NOT spray too close to the subject (~15cm distance) 5) Spray multiple light coats, ensure the previous coat is dry to touch before the next one - I usually spray at least 4 coats 6) DO NOT rush In my case, quite often the 1st coat is hardly visible. I successfully use this method with Tamiya, Gunze and LifeColor gloss white (all acrylic). I thin Tamiya and Gunze with either methylated spirit/denatured alcohol or Tamiya's acrylic thinner, while LifeColor is thinned with demineralised water (a.k.a. distilled water). HTH.

You can also use methylated spirit/denatured alcohol to thin Mr Color acrylic (Gunze Aqueous as it's called in Aust, I believe), as cheap alternative to Mr Color's or Tamiya's thinner.

Tap water or demineralised water. Personally, I use demineralised water to thin, and tap water to clean. Same goes for LifeColor. FYI, LifeColor and Citadel can be mixed safely too.

Why not try eBay? Get one of those cheap gravity dual action from China. Been using that myself. Works great!

Airbrush gives much better finish. I.e. it can be from "meh" to "WOW!!!" (but that's just my opinion). As far as "investment" goes, IMHO, don't need to splurge on fancy equipment. In my case, I only spent about AUD$120 to get my first airbrush and compressor off eBay. Works well.

IMHO, unless you build models professionally, cheap airbrush and compressor should be sufficient. I buy my airbrush from eBay for around $20-$30 a pop (looks identical to this one: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BRAND-NEW-DUAL-...item2c5a591248) I also buy my airbrush compressor from eBay. I have two now. First one I bought 2 years ago for $75 (incl P&H), looks identical to this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Airbrush-...043&sr=8-16. The second one I bought a month or so ago, for around $85 (incl P&H) from same eBay seller, with tank (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-1-6HP-AIR-BRUSH-COMPRESSOR-SPARY-GUN-TANK-/190408983945?pt=AU_Toys_Hobbies_Model_Kits&hash=item2c55428589). The first compressor still works perfectly after 2 years, I just decided to give the 2nd one a try to see if there's any difference. There isn't.

I use either methylated spirit (a.k.a. denatured alcohol) or Tamiya thinner to thin Tamiya acrylics. Typically, the ratio I use is 60% thinner 40% paint, sprayed using low pressure (12Psi with gravity-fed dual action airbrush). I have heard others use Windex to thin Tamiya acrylics too, but I haven't tested it, since methylated spirit works quite well for me already (and it's bloody cheap here!)

I have two compressors. One looks identical to the one you were looking at, the other looks like that too but with tank. Personally, I don't see any difference between the two. But hey, if you can get one with tank for just a little bit extra, why not? My point is, no need to spend squillions on brand name when you can get cheap Chinese brand that will do the job equally well. Besides, these days, there's a very good chance that those branded ones are made in the same factory as the cheap ones. EDIT: I'd suggest NOT to get the airbrush with interchangeable feed (siphon and gravity). Used to have one. The attachment point was busted after 3-4 swaps. Just get a fixed gravity-fed dual action from eBay. Only cost me AUD $20 a pop including P&H.