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Revell 1:144 Tupolev Tu-95 Bear D +++ FINISHED +++


Jasonb13

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Oh doo-doo... that doesn't look too good. :( Hope you can sort it out, altho if you are going to have two totally different colours/shades it might be a better idea to strip it entirely. Even tho it would be a pain in the bottom.

Hope you do sort it out tho and dont have to resort to that.

Kind Regards,

Dazz

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I got the area cleaned up, but basically had to go back to the plastic. So then when I brush-painted the aluminium on, not only is it a different shade, but the texture is completely different as well, and with less paint (not as much primer etc.), there's a bit of a step between the brush-painted section and the spray-painted section.

Finding it hard to see a way out of this problem without stripping back all the paint and respraying. And to be honest, that's not going to happen before the end of this GB, if at all. So if I can't sort out this issue, I'm afraid I won't get the build finished, sorry...

J.

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Much as it would be nice to see it completed during the GB, it would seem better if you did a good job on it that you are happy with. The GB, like modelling itself, is supposed to be fun. Maybe it will be worth sleeping on it and remembering how good it looked in its bare primer, it will look stunning if you give it a chance and finish it properly; and you'd be happier with it too.

Whatever you do, just remember that you can retrieve just about anything with a little patience and care. Good luck.

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Wise words Dave...

I have left it for the night, but I have an idea that *might* make it look better. I can use different shades of paint (Aluminium, Steel, Silver), to paint various different panels, a bit of a patch-work effect. It'll definitely make the messed up section that's now a different shade (and texture) not stand out as much. And some polishing of the airframe might smooth it out a bit, also helping it blend in with the now pretty smooth section. It won't be as good as new, but it might be decent.

If that doesn't work, then I reckon I'll just leave it, I've no time or patience to strip all the paint off, that's not 'fun' modelling for me.

J.

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That's a right pain in the a*se Jason...

Dave speaks some wise words there - leave it for a night and come back to it. You'll feel differently about it. Using the different colour metals will help for sure. And then with weathering, decals, etc, it will pay off. Besides, I think you're one of the best paint brushers out there and I think you can work your magic on it.

Stripping paint is not that difficult either if you wanted to go that route ; sure, it takes a little time (like a weekend) and patience and is an aggresive route. But the results can be worth it.

Besides, these Russian a/c are built like the proverbial brick outhouses and flying long-range patrols must give their paintjob a beating! :fight:

All the best,

Dermot

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If at first you don't succeed, leave it the hell alone! At least for a while anyhow...

In my usual dramatic fashion, I was trying to decide if I'd just bin this build last night or not. But I got some sleep, and had a very busy day away from the bench so I didn't even have time to think about it. So when I came back home, I was feeling a bit more calm.

So I decided to be sensible. Took some sandpaper to the section and sanded it back down and re-scribed, just to get it fairly tidy and neat again. Then I put a bit of primer on that section, and here's the result:

LessMess_zps49cd78de.jpg

As always, it's not perfect (is it ever?), but it's looking a lot more salvageable. Now that I know it can look decent again, I'll splash out the €6 for a new can of spray paint and top up that area (without going too heavy this time) and hopefully it'll look pretty decent.

Just some quick advice, I found the finish from the rattle-can quite 'grainy' and rough. I've only used one other Humbrol rattle-can before, a Khaki Green, and that when on really smooth. So maybe it's the Aluminium giving that finish, but it's probably my 'technique' or lack thereof. Any suggestions? Is it grainy 'cos the can's too far away, so it's 'drying' in mid-air? All advice appreciated, thanks...

J.

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Well retrieved, that looks pretty good to me. Would it be possible to do a test spray with the next can? Hopefully this time it will work out ok, if a test isn't possible then maybe try under the wing first where it is less visible.

Anyway, good luck, your perseverance deserves it!

Mike

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Stop at the drug store and look in the nail care section for fingernail buffing boards. These are much like tripple grit sanding sticks, but much cheaper. You can use them to gently smooth out the remaining roughness of your primer.

A tip for using spray cans: Soak the can in hot water for a minute or two. This heats the contents and makes them spray a little finer because the preasure's higher and the warm paint flows better.

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I feel your pain with a paint job failure!

But as others have mentioned, just careful sanding and polishing with those nail buffing boards and it'll all work out. They’re cheap and just and so useful, the good polishing ones are great for removing mould lines on canopies!

As a last resort and with really careful masking and using only moist cotton buds you could also try enamel paint thinners (Tamiya X20 I find the best). But again this is really only a last resort option as it WILL remove all the paint! But it is quite gentle on plastics.

I have used rattle can a lot, especially automotive lacquers on model cars and you can easily get perfect finishes with a little care. But I have found it very easy to “overspray” areas which often results in minor disasters! Light coats with a well shaken/mixed can are the only way to go, pretty much the same rules with airbrushing.

If time and other projects didn’t interfere, I was planning to build this beast as well to go along side a pair of Tornados’ (well Tornado now), as an “intercept” diorama. Will still build it, will just have to be at a later time.

Keep up the good work and don’t let this little set back worry you.

Will watch the rest of the build with interest, she's a big baby.

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Thanks for all the tips and advice! I do use the buffering boards, but seams are a weakness of mine, I can never get them right!

I had today off work, and I'd got more Aluminium spray last night, so that's what I did this morning, which left the messed up area looking a lot better:

LessMess2_zpsb29e5185.jpg

Heartened by that, I've spent most of the day at the bench. Got lots of the little painting jobs done on the airframe, as well as the bigger ones (the Anthracite near the engines etc). Also got a lot of the little jobs done on the remaining pieces, like the props and undercarriage. So here's where I am now:

Painted1_zpse896c62c.jpg

Painted2_zps8df33548.jpg

Basically it's ready for a gloss coat now. Well, probably more than one gloss coat, the spray can still came out quite 'rough' so it'll take a good bit of Klear to make it glossy and smooth for decals. It's typical, I decided to use the spray can to save me time as I only had 3 weeks for the build, but going with it has caused more issues and cost more time than if I had just used my usual brush painting!

Gloss coat number 1 will be done in a few hours...

J.

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Thanks Dave!

Got a bit more done, all the decals are on. I know in the picture it looks like there's just a few red stars and nothing else, but there are actually quite a lot of small stencils, especially on the engines. Here's how it is now:

Decalled1_zps9566a5d2.jpg

Due to the issues I've had with the spray can (the finish is still fairly rough) and also due to the fact that I haven't given this build the time and energy it deserves (i.e. sanding and buffing like mad to make it all smooth), I'm a bit concerned about how the wash will go. I think if I do my normal pro-modeller wash it'll just mucky up the whole airframe (the wash works much better on a glossy surface).

So, I'm going to do a gloss coat in a couple of mins, and I might even do another one (that'll be the 4th) to make it as glossy as possible, to help the wash. At least it's standing on the undercarriage now, so it'll make putting it down after the gloss coat a lot easier!

I've got a week left to finish this, and even though I'm very busy this week, and won't get to the bench much at all, I think I should be fine. Most of the other bits (props, wheels etc.) are either done, or very nearly done. So all going well I should make the deadline.

Thanks...

J.

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Well, I'm calling this one done. After I got the decals done, and more gloss coats, I spent about 4 hours just using a fine brush to put on a panel line wash (as I knew an all-over wash wouldn't clean up well due to the rough paint), and I brushed away the excess in the general direction of the air flow. The result was a fairly dirty aircraft, but hopefully not too bad. I did a matt coat then, and stuck on all the extra bits and pieces, like the undercarriage, engine exhausts etc.

All in all it's definitely not one of my better builds, by any stretch of the imagination. It was a rush job (16 days), I had the issues with the spray can, and also because of stuff going on in real life my heart just wasn't in it; I didn't have the energy or motivation to give it any TLC. It was definitely a 'it'll do' build. But, it looks like a Bear, and it does fit into my 'looks good from a distance' ethos. It's big and imposing on the shelf, it just doesn't stand up to any up-close scrutiny, but that's ok, it won't be going near any comp tables!

Thanks as always for all the help and support for this build, especially when it caused issues and my patience wore thin. I've taken a few shots, I'll put them all up here and a few of them in the gallery. Thanks...

J.

P.S. I threw in the Harrier just to give an idea of scale...

Finished1_zpse9c54f14.jpg

Finished2_zps53016483.jpg

Finished3_zps5f10d186.jpg

Finished4_zpse51f3d7f.jpg

Finished5_zps42117eab.jpg

Finished6_zps58d6a225.jpg

Finished7_zps7e249400.jpg

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