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So many Lightnings, so little time (or how I actually managed to finish in time for once!) photos of completed model added


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No swearing (not yet anyway) but when I try to quote I type in my answers then hit post but it all disappears and I have to retype it all!!

DB

Aye right! It's nay the workman, it's the tools.... :whistle:

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See what I mean?

DB

It's the Lightning STGBs way of telling you to do less typing and more modelling! :whip:

:lol:

Seriously though, had the same issue due to ie8s version of internet on this new laptop so installed Goggle Chrome and all was good again.

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I'm letting Mark play catchup!

DB

Too kind sir, too kind! Cracked out the airbrush last night and got some painting done, so today should see some actual work being done.

Mark.

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As Mark and I seem to be competing in the slowest Lightning build competition (a specialist sub set of the GB) progress has been adjusted to the optimum required to, a: proceed at a pace that will achieve a completion before the end of the GB, b: allow completion as close to the end of the GB as possible but after Mark's.

On with the update. After lots of humming and the other thing about such topics as whether to attempt a cockpit cover or to build the standard cockpit, what type of paint to use and what finish to go for I bit the bullet on all of those things. The cockpit cover will be attempted, this was kind of forced on me by Airfix anyway as they forgot to actually include the clear plastic sprue so I've been forced to use one of the highly collectable but utterly useless flawed ones from my Airfix F2A's. (The up side is that I didn't have to detail the cockpit and also had lots of room to add ballast.)

I have decided to go for a shiny Alclad finish to depict a highly polished, brand new aircraft of 11 Sqn (which I also happen to have photos of wearing that cockpit canopy cover).

FCE8591D-2714-4A8C-ADFB-7F099E4A570D_zps

1AE89989-FE9D-4CAF-9D51-C1FACD0A0752_zps

So here we have the results of 2 coats of Alclad's black primer and micro filler which is really a must for that horrid pebbledash plastic that Airfix have produced the kit in. The first coat was gently micromeshed but I've left the second coat as it seems quite smooth but very matt. I'll be applying a coat of Alclad's gloss black base over this anyway.

And the real reason that progress has been slow, I thought that as I was using Alclad I may as well pull this off the shelf of shame and finish it off too.

8F6EFF16-DA03-4777-ABBB-2B39B0B5B89E_zps

Duncan B

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Looking nice!

I use the Alclad grey micro-filler primer. It's great stuff and micro-meshes to a nice smooth satin finish. That what I used under my Lightning kit-bash build a few years ago. The stuff acts and smells like good old automotive primer, is that also true for the black version?

Cheers,

Bill

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(quote) Looking nice!

I use the Alclad grey micro-filler primer. It's great stuff and micro-meshes to a nice smooth satin finish. That what I used under my Lightning kit-bash build a few years ago. The stuff acts and smells like good old automotive primer, is that also true for the black version?

Cheers,

Bill (quote)

Hi Bill

The black primer doesn't polish up as well as their grey primer. It does go on very smoothly but dries very, very flat, I'm a bit concerned as to how the next coat will go on as I've heard horror stories about their black gloss base not drying properly but I think that was an old batch issue. I have only ever used Alclad once before and used the grey primer then which worked fine for the finish I was after, a worn look, but I want this one to be shiny so will try this black approach.

Duncan B

p.s. for some reason I don't seem to be able to use the Quote function now!

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Hi Bill

The black primer doesn't polish up as well as their grey primer. It does go on very smoothly but dries very, very flat, I'm a bit concerned as to how the next coat will go on as I've heard horror stories about their black gloss base not drying properly but I think that was an old batch issue. I have only ever used Alclad once before and used the grey primer then which worked fine for the finish I was after, a worn look, but I want this one to be shiny so will try this black approach.

Duncan B

p.s. for some reason I don't seem to be able to use the Quote function now!

Thanks for the tip.

Some of the guys in our club use regular old gloss black enamel, let it dry for days, and then fix any issues that they see. They'll paint the gloss black again over the patchwork, let it dry, and then use very fine grade micro-mesh and finally polish to make the black look like an obsidian mirror. Then the Chrome or some other shiny Alclad goes on, and, wow it looks just like highly polished metal. Very effective if that is the effect you're looking for. For me, most natural metal aircraft, at least the ones in service, don't look like a mirror so I will just use Alclad Aluminum over the grey primer.

Not sure about the quote function, but you might want to ask the BM admin guys if it requires any scripting. Then check to make sure your browser is allowing that. Pure speculation on my part, but I've found a lot of browser weirdness to be attributable to scripting. FWIW...

Cheers,

Bill

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Bit of a setback tonight, decided to go for the Alclad over the matt black primer, mistake. It didn't go on at all well, very grainy so it'll have to be micromeshed back and start again. I really should have gone for the gloss coat first although I have got away without it before.

I find Alclad is really hit or miss and I can't figure out why, I use low air pressure and thin coats but it didn't work this time.

I'm really tempted to try my collection of Mr Colour Super Metallics instead.

Duncan B

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That's too bad, Duncan. I feel for you, mate! I've only done Alclad the one way - straight out of the bottle at 20 PSI over micro-meshed grey primer. Never had a problem, but I've never tried to get that super shiny look either.

I hope this works out for you. Your fallback can always be to paint it in one of the later schemes, matt green or grey.

Cheers,

Bill

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Bit of a setback tonight, decided to go for the Alclad over the matt black primer, mistake. It didn't go on at all well, very grainy so it'll have to be micromeshed back and start again. I really should have gone for the gloss coat first although I have got away without it before.

I find Alclad is really hit or miss and I can't figure out why, I use low air pressure and thin coats but it didn't work this time.

Feel for you too Duncan. I'm planning to use alclad shiny aluminium in the near future on the tails of my JPs. You've just made me even more nervous about that than I was before (which was plenty nervous) .... :)

Edited by Fritag
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It was the regular Aluminium that went on grainy (which I think it has a reputation for IIRC), I then tried the polished Aluminium (as I had nothing to lose anyway) over the top. It sprayed beautifully (and I think it would have been fine on a smooth surface) but the grain of the previous coat was still obvious.

I've covered the lot in Mr Surfacer 1000 and will decide on a top coat after I've polished the Mr Surfacer.

Duncan B

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I still fear Alclad too, in fact the more I use it the more I fear it!

Anyhow the show must go on so 2 coats of rattle can Mr Surface 1000 (sprayed directly over the failed Alclad so I hope that doesn't come back to haunt me later) I have this:

51A54D86-56DF-4488-A941-00DB848379F0_zps

26EA5065-00E0-4107-B3BA-558ECD83C5F4_zps

DDDD7231-91EC-4971-B08F-7CF6BDC3C218_zps

So it is crunch time once again, what paint do I go for? I live in constant fear of Alclad but think that the Polished Aluminium should go over the Mr Surfacer without any problems but I do have the Mr colour Super Metallics I could try. Allegedly they spray just the same as regular Mr colour paints but I have never tried them before.

Well there is only one way to answer the above. All Hands to airbrush stations (battle stations ringing on ship's klaxon :poo: )

Duncan B

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Bullet bitten, choice made and the winner is.........Mr colour Super Metallic Fine Sliver SM01. Phew the initial coat is on and it sprayed perfectly just like regular Mr colour paint using the regular thinners.

A66B99BC-693E-4702-B8C5-F564B2EBE34D_zps

775DEAB1-DB89-4AEE-8A3C-1EA85B2F38FA_zps

1AAAFCC2-36EF-4CDC-8C3F-B0E9417A70E2_zps

So next step will be to let that fully cure overnight even though it was touch dry within 15 minutes and then I'll mask off various panels and give them a dusting of some of the darker Mr colour Super Metallics.

Duncan B (feeling a lot happier about NMF again :yahoo: and many thanks to my good mate Arkady72 for recommending them in the first place). Here's a link to his fabulous Mig 19 build for reference: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234926867-mig-19s-trumpeter-148/

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That looks VERY nice...!! I believe I have a bottle of that somewhere, shall have to try in on my F2A when I finally get to paint it, see if I can get anywhere near as impressive a finish!

Really good work Duncan!

Keith

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