Revell Douglas X-3 Flying Stiletto and Tractor - Finished

[georgeusa]

Duncan,

Is it ignore the colonial time again? I know I speak American and have a questionable vocation, but not feeling the love here. (See post 218). And here I was defending you when Nigel so attacked you during his visit. (Sly attempt by the heathen Texican to stir up trouble between the Scots and Anglish!!)

[bentwaters81tfw]

Who said that?

[hendie]

he's a lawyer - don't believe a word he says!

[Nigel Heath]

Interesting that KT had exactly the same problem with this cursed paint and its not just my cack handedness . I know most seem to be recommending to strip it off but I really don't think that is the best course of action. I think it might well have reacted with the plastic. This is difficult to photograph but this area has been sanded quite smooth but the crazing is visible:

See here also on the wing:

Areas where there was filler underneath have not crazed like this, indicating some sort of reaction with the plastic. Incidentally there is nothing on the tin about it only being suitable for metal and not plastic.

If I don't overload it with too much new primer, giving it light misty coats, hopefully I will get away with it.

In a way I am actually glad that I primed the top first as, even though the sanding job is bad enough here, it would be almost impossible to clean it out of features like the wheel wells. I do wish I had tried it on some scrap first though, another lesson learned.

As I am now back at work I don't think I will be able to get the airbrush out until the weekend so it will be mainly detail parts and the tractor for the time being.

[robvulcan]

Well If I was you I would stick that straight in a back of Mr Muscle, Trouble with crazed paint like that is it will continue to be fragile and keep falling away, You might find your waisting your time filling and sanding it as when you come to mask it it will lift off, I have had this trouble with some spray cans before. Mainly Halfords about 10 years ago and never used them since. I hear they are good now, But they put me off rattle cans forever till I tried Humbrols New type which are amazing and I have never had a problem with them.

Such a shame when this happens. But I am sure you will rectify it,

Cheers Rob

[Nigel Heath]

Thanks Rob, the paint is very firmly adherent, masking tape won't touch it. I think it would create more work and mess going down the stripping route and I have some confidence that my approach will work.

Cheers anyway.

[Tomoshenko]

Ouch mate; but Nigel you have a tenacity for bouncing back from these knocks, reference your Banana and Rotodyne builds. Forgive me trying to teach the proverbial grandmother how to suck proverbial eggs, but I agree with the posters above and you should do your utmost to get rid of that stuff. Appreciate that is probably not practical though. Oh and as for the offending can of dodgy paint - send it to oblivion!

[robvulcan]

What ever works best Nigel. Don't mean to teach you to suck eggs either. Sure you know what to do.

Just seeing that is thought provoking as it must be one of th worst things that can happen to a modeller with exception to children with lightsabers at model shows....

Mind you ,, its close to bonfire night., if you loose your patience you could always string a piece of wire across your garden fit a hook to it and a firework and film in shooting down the wire before going out with a bang.

Make a good YouTube video too an best yet you can make it coincide with a party and glass of wine.

Invite some lovely ladies over and your chums and your sorted.

I'm never touching army painter ! , cheers Rob

[Fritag]

I was going to add my vote for the paint stripping party - but then I thought to myself what made me think that Nigel's build was subject to the democratic process? If a man can't be master of his own build then what can he be master of......?

Bad break Nigel - admirable recovery. Hate rattle cans generally - and I'm definitely sticking only to Tamiya white primer from now on.

Good luck.

Edited September 29, 2014 by Fritag

[Nigel Heath]

After all that sanding for some light relief I made some progress with the undercarriage doors. The nose door is all cleaned up now and the main doors are underway with some of the ejector marks and completely pointless L and R knifed of:

The mark of the left door needs a touch of filler the rest can just be sanded off.

I added a little shaped channel detail to the nose door which should mount up like this:

I came up with a simplified design for the door actuator strut for the main doors using some 0.5mm brass rod and channel:

That should look something like this when attached:

It was difficult to photograph but hopefully you get the idea.

Now I just have to make the other side.

Bye for now,

Nigel

[Duncan B]

First day at the new Job? That'll be your modelling time curtailed then.

DB

[Nigel Heath]

Severely.

[albertross]

I have thought about this problem a bit more. Aerosol contains two things paint and propellant. We vigorously shake the can to mix the paint and thus the propellant is mixed into the paint. When the paint is sprayed onto the surface it will then start to cure and the propellant disappears, if there is a higher ratio of propellant that means less paint. I am also assuming the paint will shrink slightly as it dries. Thus leaving shrinkage cracks on the surface. Perhaps the filler is more porous than the plastic and more paint collected on these areas. I am likening this to shrinkage porosity you see in castings. Perhaps in future I will let my primer can stand for a bit post shaking.

I am sure you will recover the situation but I am sure it will require some more delicate rubbing down! What fun that is

David

[Nigel Heath]

I have also been thinking about the spray paint. Looking at the can there is an instruction to spray from a distance of 20cm max. With the volume of paint coming out this seemed way too close to me so I was probably spraying from 30 to 40cm stand-off distance. I think Jorgen already mentioned that this meant that the paint was probably partially dry before it hit the model and started to collect in clumps rather than self level. I have had an affect a bit like this when airbrushing Tamiya acrylics. I might have a play with the can tonight and see if I can get rid of the effect by holding the can at the recommended distance and see what I get re. runs etc. I have a feeling that its not bad paint but rather the application method. It might work OK if decanted into an airbrush.

[Alan P]

That's brave Nigel. I would bin the stuff after such an experience!

I like Tamiya primer as well, but if I can't get hold of any, I use Halfords plastic white primer. Goes on a tad thick, but very smooth and sands down very nicely.

It's easy to get hold of, just a suggestion. :-)

[robvulcan]

Why not use humbrol sprays they go on very fine with great permanence with great colour density and they shrink back.

Their matt greys make a good primer and they do their own primer too but never needed to use it.

I think your brave to use it again though I think the problem could also be humidity as this can happen when the air is like that.

I'm sure you will have fun whatever look forward to seeing were you take this now.

Cheers Rob

[Fritag]

Woa. Anything from a rattle can that requires that level of precision in use (difference between 20cm and 30-40cm spraying distance) - and in default of that produces such a bad result - is waaaaay to sensitive for my cackhandeness. Good luck Kemosabe.......

Edited September 30, 2014 by Fritag

[Nigel Heath]

I'm not saying I'm going to use the stuff again on my model - its more scientific curiosity to try to understand the problem. My base plan is still to airbrush it with Alclad white primer.

[S5 modeller]

I agree with the alclad primer route. Never had any trouble with their grey, got some white to try though. Never had a bad finish, or any sort of crazy reactions.

Just my little input.

Matt.

[Billydick]

Nigel just discovered this thread. Are there any more I've missed out on ? That primer turned out to be real poo - shame, the lad sounded so convincing about its quality in the shop

BillyD

[Nigel Heath]

Hi Billy,

Good to have you on board. I think all my significant recent builds are linked to in my signature below, I just haven't added this one yet. Yes shame about the paint, I suppose people will say anything when they want to sell you something.

[Sgt.Squarehead]

The can I was using was black.....I didn't give it time to fully dry before I started removing it, so it was easy to get most of it off. Some of it was impossible to remove as it was sprayed around the running gear of 1/72 tanks, not the easiest area to sand, but fortunately one that does get quite muddy. It's possible that it crazed the plastic, but if it did, I didn't notice it as my clean up wasn't as thorough as yours, for fairly obvious reasons.

I really don't like the Army Painter cans, quite apart from these problems the nozzles clog up very quickly and the propellant runs out before the paint does, which I find very irritating.....Not recommended!

[robvulcan]

Sometimes paint reactions like that are chemical reactions with odd plastics / release agents and the the vapours that they may be releasing.

Be cool to see if you can replicate the problem with experimentation. I bet you find it sprays like a dream

On everything except your model.

Cheers Rob

[wellsprop]

It's the WORST when that happens!

I had a disaster of similar disasterousness (I've invented a new word!), I had painted, decaled and gloss sprayed a 1/72 Spitfire before spraying matt varnish. The matt dried bright white (be careful with humbrol matt varnish)

Ben

[robvulcan]

It's the WORST when that happens!

I had a disaster of similar disasterousness (I've invented a new word!), I had painted, decaled and gloss sprayed a 1/72 Spitfire before spraying matt varnish. The matt dried bright white (be careful with humbrol matt varnish)

Ben

Ah the dreaded matt white bloom, Thats caused by spraying in humidity too, If you get that, Wait for a dry day and spray a mist coat again and it will go.