Kitchen Modeller Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Bugle07 said: Slowly dabbling along with a Tamiya VB Spitfire on here somewhere, and I've got Flyhawks 1/700 HMS Aurora on the go but I'm only getting a hour or two a week at most... You can only do what you can do. If I wasn't a nighthawk (I do all my modelling after 9.00 in the evening) I'd probably do nil... I'd rather model than sit on my bottom and watch telly but sometimes I'm just too tired... A couple of hours is better than nothing so enjoy what you do get You've got a WIP on the Spit.? Looked for it - have you got a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugle07 Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Link as requested! I end up working the same hours as you it seems, no modelling till after 9 but that's work dependent most days. And I don't like using the airbrush too late at night or else SWMBO or the boy get all cranky... Geoff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev The Modeller Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Shading looks great 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 12, 2019 Author Share Posted February 12, 2019 Hi folks - have been continuing with this but not going fast. I’ve been recovering from a cold bug and the last few evenings have been very hot here in the South Island of New Zealand so hard to find the energy. But I did just about get the paint job completed. I had the white stripes, the tail and nose left to do. So lots of masking and not much spraying... or so I thought. I used a light grey here - it didn’t need much paint - just a light dusting and it was done... You can see my patented standard leading edge masking technique here. I used tamiya xf 02 - managed to stock up over the weekend. Before doing this I painted the gun barrels up and then used Vallejo masking fluid to mask them. Turned out this was a silly idea. It kinda worked in that it stopped the guns getting covered in white paint - However it didn’t want to come off and left residue which had to be scraped off with my hobby knife. After which... I painted them again. I then painted the nose which I’m sure you’ve noticed is a single piece in the kit. All was going well until I went to finish it off with the white panels on either side of the nose - where sleepy time gal will go. For some reason I decided to use Vallejo model air instead of my usual tamiya. I must have had the mix wrong or the pressure too high but the paint wouldn’t go down smoothly. I could see that it was going to result in orange peel so wiped it off and tried again.. but the same thing kept happening. I ended up going back to tamiya and that worked fine but when I removed the masking - the paint had leaked under the tape and had basically destroyed the finish. This was not unexpected considering how much paint was sprayed. All the same I was quite disgusted with myself (and the world). I threw the nose piece into a vat of ammonia. Nothing left to do but strip the sweetheart... sometimes you just have a bad night. I eventually repainted the nose - taking my time and really making sure my masking was spot on. No problems this time round so took a few photos at the end... Probably whiter than it needed to be but it will get dirtied up later. It’s nice to see her come together and get an idea of how she will look. I still need to repaint the interior of the nose but once that’s sorted, I can clear coat and start slapping on some decals. Thanks for checking in... 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 Good rescue on the nose, looking the part now! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugle07 Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Haven't mucked around with the Vallejo ma white yet, but the greys can be temperamental in the heat. The black is always great I find tho. Wonder if it's the pigments they use for white that muck it up? Good finish there, almost time for decals and dirt! Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted February 16, 2019 Share Posted February 16, 2019 Looks great! It was worth re-doing the nose - that white panel looks really sharp. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 16, 2019 Author Share Posted February 16, 2019 (edited) On 2/12/2019 at 11:48 PM, clive_t said: Good rescue on the nose, looking the part now! 4 hours ago, AdrianMF said: It was worth re-doing the nose - that white panel looks really sharp. Thanks guys - it was very frustrating have to start this again from scratch - especially as I was very pleased with the finish on the other panels. This one kit part uses 5 different colours (including the interior) and they were all good until the final "easiest" one to put down. There was some complacency on my part here - you live and learn. It was worth doing it again in any case - as it's such a focal point for the model. Second time round, I nailed the white panel which I was very pleased with. 4 hours ago, Bugle07 said: Haven't mucked around with the Vallejo ma white yet, but the greys can be temperamental in the heat. The black is always great I find tho. Wonder if it's the pigments they use for white that muck it up? I think you're right about that Geoff - it was a hot, humid evening which does add complications - The white paint in this case just didn't want to stick to the surface. It was first time I've had this problem with this paint - although the same thing has happened when I've tried to spray model colour paints from Vallejo which can be a mission in itself. I think I'll be sticking with tamiya acrylics for the "important" jobs. They rarely let me down and are quite forgiving. I have advanced this build a little this week - it's been slow progress though - I'm just going through a busy period with work and family commitments and have been just too tired in the evenings. The hot evenings haven't helped either. However, decals have been started and I've done some work on the other bits - rockets, bombs and undercarriage. I'll post some photos soon. Cheers John Edited February 16, 2019 by Kitchen Modeller spelling 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted February 17, 2019 Share Posted February 17, 2019 I only just now found this build and am looking at it with a lot of interest because 1) it's a jug -- how can you go wrong with that? 2) I have this exact same kit and it looks like it is very nice. I think your black basing came out very well. You mention trying to get some more tonal variation in the topside with dot filtering. I have to say that works quite well: on my Ji-2 build I wiped out the sunfading effects that I did with black basing, but was able to get them back with dot filtering using my wife's oil paints. I was really pleased with how well it turned out and how much working time I had with the paints to get things "just so". Looks great so far! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 On 2/17/2019 at 2:41 PM, opus999 said: I think your black basing came out very well. You mention trying to get some more tonal variation in the topside with dot filtering. That’s the plan - I’ve tried this before with mixed results however I understand that this process is a lot more effective when done on a Matt finish. So I’ll be giving that a crack. Stumbling along with this - I’ve come to decal night. Not my favorite part of the process but a necessary evil. Made much more evil with the inclusion of tamiya decals. This is the 3rd time using kit decals from tamiya and it wasn’t the charm. They’re useable - they go on but they are just problematic. They’re very thick which is annoying. Nothing spoils the illusion of a painted on marking than seeing the carrier film and these decals do that. You can cut around them etc to lessen the effect but at this scale, it’s easier said than done. When you’re putting them on there’s a good chance they will break... thicker doesn’t mean stronger in this case. Then when they’re on, they refuse to move. You can gather where I’m going with this. It’s just harder working with them. Takes more time and there’s a much greater chance of disaster. This time round, I got there but it wasn’t pretty. The serial number on the port side was the only casualty - disintegrated when I tried to move it slightly to the left. I had issues with all of them pretty much. Most are slightly out. Most took a heap of attention to settle into the recesses. Using mark fit strong does help but you need to use a knife to cut them at some point. It’s a shame as it’s such a good kit but the decals are truly awful. If you’re doing this kit, Buy an aftermarket set if you can. Save yourself some pain. Some photos: You can see the missing serial number on the tail. Sad face. So most of the decals are on - and the sleepy time gal does look nice so there’s that. I won’t be using tamiyas decals again - maybe they’re better on newer kits but these have put me off permanently 🤨. Sorry for the prolonged negative rant. Weathering up next. Onwards and upwards! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Sorry to hear of your decal troubles. Im glad most of them turned out ok, the Jug does look good with the art. I seem to be one of the few who get along with decals from Asia ? Ive only had one problem and that was a 2nd hand kit stored improperly ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedders Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Tis but a bump in the road. Looks great, and Kits World might be able to give you a set of tail numbers. Justin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 14 hours ago, Kitchen Modeller said: Buy an aftermarket set if you can Hmm... I planned on doing Little Chief because I'd done the Hasagawa version of it when I was 12 and have a lot of fondness for it. I haven't been able to find aftermarket decals for Little Chief though (although it's been a long time since I looked). That's too bad that the decals were so problematic for you. I hope you can find some tail numbers. Boy, I just ordered Tamiya's wallpaper camouflage decals for the Ki-61 Tony. I'm really hoping that wasn't a mistake. 😱 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 12 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: I seem to be one of the few who get along with decals from Asia ? Ive only had one problem and that was a 2nd hand kit stored improperly ? Thanks Corsair - I think it's more down to technique to be honest - everyone has their own way of doing things - I suspect your particular method works better than mine - as far as tamiya decals go anyway . Lots of people don't seem to have any issues with Tamiya decals but I always seem to. Just one of those things. Anyways - I'm over it now. I'm moving on 13 hours ago, Bedders said: Tis but a bump in the road. Looks great, and Kits World might be able to give you a set of tail numbers. Thanks Justin - I checked out Kits World but no joy. Unless someone else has an idea on where you would source another serial number for this kit - I've resigned myself to a blank tail fin at stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 31 minutes ago, opus999 said: Boy, I just ordered Tamiya's wallpaper camouflage decals for the Ki-61 Tony. I'm really hoping that wasn't a mistake Hi Opus - I'm sure the wallpaper decals will be fine - I'm pretty sure the decals supplied in this particular line (Warbirds collection) are the 'bad type' as I think they were tweaked in other releases. I have a friend who used those decals recently and he said although they were difficult to get on (due to the size), but they were quite good and the model turned out great. Let me know how you get on with them..! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 55 minutes ago, Kitchen Modeller said: I've resigned myself to a blank tail fin at stage Seems like each of my models has a "good side" and a "bad side". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 Another build update - washes! After sealing in the decals with a gloss clear coat, I got out the oils and mixed up some olive green and black and thinned it with odorless thinner... I didn't want the wash to contrast too much with the base colour so was careful not to go crazy with the black. So it's dark but not too dark. That was applied to the panel lines: I didn't go for full coverage - just sticking to the areas I wanted the wash to go. After that the model was treated to a blow dry from the wife's hairdryer. Then the wash was removed with dry paper towels. I ended up with: I'm quite happy with that - I don't think contrasts too much with the main coat which was the plan. Here it is in a different light: I think it just brings out the details a little more - I like the way it's highlighted the rivet detail too. The same process was repeated on the underside - this time with a mix of black and white to make a neutral grey: The wash looks quite dark in the photo but the real version isn't as bad - just the lighting - or lack of. This will get sealed and protected by another gloss clear coat - after which I'll apply a matt coat on top - I've had problems putting matt coats directly in top of oil washed finishes - it can ruin things quite easily so putting a gloss coat down first seems to protect the oils. If anyone has a better method on this process, I'd love to hear it... This is a puzzle I haven't quite yet solved yet. Once that's done I'll start applying some oil highlights and chipping effects, oil stains etc... Thanks for checking in...! 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Wow that looks great! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christer A Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 That is one tasty looking jug! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Christer A said: That is one tasty looking jug! Thanks Christer 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugle07 Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Like that a lot! I've been sealing in each layer with a gloss coat and saving the Matt finish till the very end, might be cause Future/Pledge is a lot cheaper than the Matt gloss... Cheapskate, me? Never... Great variation on the wings and fuselage so far, the oil dot filters will really bring out all the work you've put into this. Can't wait for more. Geoff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 20, 2019 Author Share Posted February 20, 2019 1 hour ago, Bugle07 said: I've been sealing in each layer with a gloss coat and saving the Matt finish till the very end, might be cause Future/Pledge is a lot cheaper than the Matt gloss... Thanks Geoff - normally I do the same - however I just wanted to see if a matt coat would help with the oil dot filters - so the paint has something more grippy to cling on to... So after I did the oil washes, I put down a coat of matt clear - tamiya xf-86 thinned 50/50 with X20a - after that had dried, I put down some oil dots: I used Migg Oil brushers here - let that dry for a wee while, then blended it in with a soft brush dipped in thinner... The effect is quite subtle which is what I wanted - just wanted to add more variation. You can just about make out the steaks I made with my brush. Still not sure if it makes that much of difference but it was fun trying it out. I did have issues with the lighter colours going into the panel lines - which needed to be cleaned out. So I think next time I'll do this part before doing the filter wash which might give a nicer result... It's all about experimenting for me - I really enjoy this part of the hobby. I did have a semi disaster on my hands last night - a few nights ago, I masked up the canopies ready for painting - and put them in what I thought was a safe place - last might I noticed that the front canopy was missing Spent about 2 hours turning the house upside down looking for it but to no avail. I don't even know WHEN it went missing. So that was a bit of a downer. I looked online to see if I could get a replacement - I did find a supplier that had vac-formed canopies but it was for the hasegawa kit - and having never used vac formed anything before, that option wasn't that appealing. Luckily my local model shop had the kit - and so bought their last one. This means I can replace the missing serial number also - I was planning on getting a paint mule to test out new techniques in any case so I justified the purchase in my head for those reasons. Also it was a discounted price so paying 25 bucks to enable me to finish a project that I've put 30ish hours into seems like a good deal. I know a few of you are thinking of building this kit or already have it in your stash, so let me know if you need a replacement part and I'll happily send it to you! I feel like this project is nearing the end - hopefully I'll get some decent bench time over the coming weekend and we'll put this sleepy time gal to bed :) Cheers - John 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 I feel your pain there. Dropping a part on the floor is bad enough, but putting it somewhere and then losing it is the absolute worst. Streaking looks good though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugle07 Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 9 hours ago, Kitchen Modeller said: I was planning on getting a paint mule to test out new techniques in any case so I justified the purchase in my head for those reasons. I think every kit I've ever bought has been justified to the missus with this reasoning! As long as she doesn't see the bills i may get away with it! Geoff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchen Modeller Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 (edited) Hello all - I had a busy weekend with work and family - not so much with modeling but have made a little progress. I’m also conscious of the fact that I’m near the end of the build... and often this is where I start to make silly mistakes - as I’m in such a rush to get it done. So I’m trying take my time as much as possible and avoid any unforced errors. My most recent work has been trying to get all the different little bits sorted out - pylons, wheels, undercarriage, prop, canopies, rocket tubes, bombs, tail wheels, fuel tanks... the list goes on. But getting through them... everything has a base coat on at least - some need decals and most require weathering. Once they’re done I can start attaching them to the airframe. Here are some of the things: Most of these things didn’t give me much trouble - though the rear canopy was a challenge to mask with the curve at the back. I ended up using liquid mask again for this - is there nothing it can’t do? The metal finish on the prop was also a little tricky - and needed a few coats to get right. I also did some more weathering to the air frame: Scruffed up the star and bar here - though I ended up toning this down a little - added some landing lights here also - clear tamiya red, green and orange painted over aluminium - not a great result but the best I can do without a magnifier - really need to get one of those things Upper side decal got the same treatment... this was mostly done by sanding the decal with high grit paper - this is half way through the process so looks alot cleaner now. Finally, I painted on some exhaust stains - trying to recreate the distinctive stains you see on P-47's - I'm not 100% happy with these but they can go into the 'close enough' folder. So it's moving along - I might get this wrapped up this week but I thought that last week so we’ll have to see... Cheers for checking in... John Edited February 25, 2019 by Kitchen Modeller Added more photos 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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