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1/72 Airfix Mitsubishi Zero - novice builder exercise!


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Right, I'm a novice builder slowly getting back into the hobby, so all my models are learning experiences. I tried a few new things on this build, with varying success.

 

First time making a mask for the cockpit. I was happy with how this went. Very fiddly in 1/72, but I pinched a template online, printed it out at the correct scale and cut through it to some masking tape underneath on glass.

 

Preshading - yet again this all got lost under the top colour! While I'm practicing new skills I am using the little Airfix kit acrylic pots, so not ideal obviously. (I've got some Tamiya paints on my Christmas list) I thin the Airfix stuff down with Ultimate thinner, and homemade flow improver. It's OK ...

 

Thinned oil paint wash on top of a gloss coat (Galeria acrylic) to bring out the panel details - this was rubbish. I couldn't remove the oil wash properly with turps, and it even started going through the varnish and into the paint below. I'm guessing using turps instead of thinner isn't a good idea.

 

All advice gratefully received!

 

This was a Lidl £5 special, so a good base for me to practice on. I've got a couple of 1/48 kits in the pipeline, but I want to build up some skills first before I tackle them.

 

I'm using my ancient Aerograph Super 63 currently.

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Airfix Mitsubishi Zero by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Airfix Mitsubishi Zero by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Airfix Mitsubishi Zero by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Airfix Mitsubishi Zero by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Airfix Mitsubishi Zero by Mike, on Flickr

First time masking a canopy, couldn't wait to remove it to see if it actually worked ...

 

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Airfix Mitsubishi Zero by Mike, on Flickr

Mask, and clunky preshading, that got lost under the paint anyway.

 

Edited by Quiet Mike
grammar
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Thanks for the tips! I've seen a few of the Flory Wash youtube vids and been impressed, and they are on my list. I was in Hobbycraft yesterday picking up some supplies and saw the Humbrol enamel washes, and wondered how they compared.

 

I'm keen to see what difference the Tamiya paints are. I've picked up 10 good RAF colours in Hobbycraft for £2 a pot, which was the cheapest I could find them.

 

Got a few 1/48 Prewar / Phoney War RAF builds in the pipeline I'm keen to get stuck into, but want to practice more on the £5 offer kits first, even though 1/72 isn't good on my eyes anymore ... They were a lot easier when I was a nipper!

(Walrus, Spitfire, Blenhiem ... )

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11 minutes ago, dbay133 said:

Very nice.  If you hadn't 'fessed to being a novice I wouldn't have known.  Well done.

 

Graeme

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. Modelling was a massive part of my childhood in the 80's, mainly Matchbox, and WW2. A few Airfix, then later a few Tamiya tanks and trucks when I could afford them. All Humbrol enamels and brush of course, and very crudely painted. I guess I stopped when I was 16.

I do have to confess, my 9-5 job is a digital illustrator, which does lend itself to detail work of any nature, even if my work is with a mouse and a curser. Even if my close up eyesight is shot now, at least I still have a steady hand. The airbrush is a relic from my art college days in the mid 90s.

Edited by Quiet Mike
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It looks great! Would beat the works of many old-hand modellers. As others said; why pre-shading? I‘ve never heard that aircraft manufacturers pre-shaded their product before painting it. Air forces wouldn‘t have accepted it anyway 🙃

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Great work! A long way off novice standard, at least my novice standard (I seem to remember I brush painted unprimed plastic with Tamiya).

 

Might I recommend trying Perfect Plastic Putty? It's up there with Flory wash in the easy to use league. Water soluble, so you don't need to sand, once dry excess wipes off with a moist finger or cotton bud. Very useful for wing roots and fairing in canopies in 1:72. 

 

Enjoy using Tamiya - it's still one of the easiest and best paints, thinned with Tamiya x20a through an airbrush. 

Edited by Bangseat
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With the clay washes, what are good shades to get for aircraft? I can't afford £40 for a complete set. Dark Dirt, Grime? And are Flory the best? I see Ultimate also do a clay wash set, but nowhere near as many reviews as Flory.

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6 hours ago, Quiet Mike said:

With the clay washes, what are good shades to get for aircraft? I can't afford £40 for a complete set. Dark Dirt, Grime? And are Flory the best? I see Ultimate also do a clay wash set, but nowhere near as many reviews as Flory.

For aircraft, Dark Dirt and Black. Dark dirt covers most needs, but you will need black for panel lines to show on dark paint schemes. You might want sand if you want the effect of the panel lines being lighter than the surrounding paintwork (happens to planes in the desert so I understand).  

Edited by Bangseat
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I've got these Tamiya Panel Accents. I've only used the brown one once, but it seemed to work well. Of course, it needs to be done on a glossy surface, as do all pinwashes.

 

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Chris

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20 hours ago, Quiet Mike said:

even though 1/72 isn't good on my eyes anymore ... They were a lot easier when I was a nipper!

I've bitten the bullet and bought a magnifying headset. There are professional versions in the 100+£ range, but you can find some decent ones for 30/40 bob as well. 
Best. Thing. Ever.

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1 hour ago, alt-92 said:

I've bitten the bullet and bought a magnifying headset. There are professional versions in the 100+£ range, but you can find some decent ones for 30/40 bob as well. 
Best. Thing. Ever.

You're not the first to suggest one!
Reminds me of the Repair Shop, when Steve the watch repairer needs to do something insanely tiny, and down comes the second pair of specs 🤓 4 eyes is good, 6 eyes is better ...
I've got an old pair of specs here on the bench I picked up years ago just because I like old frames. Like the ones your woodwork teacher wore at school ... I always thought they were useless as they were half inch thick. Guess what, they are perfect now!

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Hi Mike, 

 

First, great job for a comeback project. Nice little Zero. Well done! Glad you came back to the hobby. We all eventually gravitate back to it, haha. 

 

Few suggestions on paintwork from my humble experience since I am a recent "comebacker" too:

 

As for pre shading, from the photos it looks to me like you did more of a black basing than pre shading, which then usually is followed by marbling technique. Pre shading should be done in certain areas only and vary in thickness as well and, how I see it, it is supposed to give color variation to the scheme. You can use white as well to highlight certain areas before base coat. 

 

Also, play with paint thickness and airbrush distance to try and get as smoothest paint cover as possible. The coat which you spray should be wet when it touches the model so it levels itself out. Granulation and orange peel happens when the already dry paint hits the plastic. You might know this already so sorry if I am preaching to the choir. :)

 

Pre shading does not have to be with black either. Recently I have come up with, experimented and adopted what I call a "complementary pre-shading" method where I use complementary colours to the base color to pre shade. I even take it further by introducing warmer pre-shading colors for shadow areas when using colder base colors and vice versa. This is more of an artistic approach to modelling, but I like to balance both this and the realistic aspect of modelling. In my opinion it gives very interesting results. 

 

Also, if you are using the pre-shading technique, thin the paint even more and go with multiple thin passes rather than one heavy coat so you don't lose the pre-shading underneath. 

 

I am sure that bigger fish than me out there will give you more experienced advice. :)

 

Keep playing with various effects and enjoy the hobby. Having fun is what's most important in the end! :)

 

Cheers, 

Nikola

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Thanks for the tips Nikola, fascinating stuff. I've given you a follow, and checked out those links you sent me. I love seeing weathering on models of campaign workhorses. it is an art form and I have a lot of respect for modellers who have mastered it.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement.

 

The Airfix FW 190 is next on the table ...

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7 hours ago, Quiet Mike said:

Thanks for the tips Nikola, fascinating stuff. I've given you a follow, and checked out those links you sent me. I love seeing weathering on models of campaign workhorses. it is an art form and I have a lot of respect for modellers who have mastered it.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and encouragement.

 

The Airfix FW 190 is next on the table ...

You are very welcome Mike! 

We are here to share experiences, learn from each other, improve and explore the hobby together. I've learned so much from the guys here on the forum. 

 

Looking forward to seeing your "Butcher Bird". Enjoy the build! :)

 

Best, 

Nikola

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  • 4 weeks later...

You chaps are a very bad influence 😮

 

A good week for deliveries. Hannants decal sheet for my K5054 project, some Flory Washes and some Perfect Plastic Putty.


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Slowly building up modelling supplies by Mike, on Flickr

Edited by Quiet Mike
grammar
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