VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 4, 2020 Author Share Posted October 4, 2020 (edited) On 10/2/2020 at 6:44 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: I believe I followed the FW build, I dont mind the Mr.color/Tamiya bottles but my last bottle of Mr.Color US Army olive is temperamental so need to figure out if its me or the product. In fact Im doing a paint run tomorrow as Im out if several colors and pipettes. As for the Hataka color matches thanks for the heads up on the RLM 81/82. Ive got Italian and mid war-Luftwaffe, USN Three tone and post war grey’s and have been very satisfied with them. Thank you Corsairfoxforuncle & you rock for being such an awesome part of the community🙌--your advice & knowledge has always been spot on since my 1st build on here--I think it was an F-105. I have heard Mr Color is spot on for IJAAF/IJN/Luftwaffe--but I dont have much info about their allied powers colors, nor-modern paints--does the team have any thoughts? Best, Erwin Edited October 4, 2020 by VT Red Sox Fan emoji add 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 (edited) 8 minutes ago, VT Red Sox Fan said: Thank you Corsairfoxforuncle & you rock for being such an awesome part of the community🙌--your advice & knowledge has always been spot on since my 1st build on here--I think it was an F-105. I have heard Mr Color is spot on for IJAAF/IJN/Luftwaffe--but I dont have much info about their allied powers colors, nor-modern paints--does the team have any thoughts? Best, Erwin Thank you for the Compliment. If Mr.Color follows traditional Gunze-Sangyo then the modern colors are exact matches. I used Gunze in my competition era (94-05) and I never once had a complaint. They sprayed beautifully and stuck like glue. I left the hobby for ten yesrs due to Competition burnout and was destroyed when I found Gunze wasn't to be had. I only just found a source last year that carries a limited selection locally. Ive tried sprue brothers but was told Illinois wont allow its importation. Though that was in 2017 so maybe the law has changed since then if I can now buy them in Illinois again ? That or he’s breaking the law and doesn't realize it ? Im always available as a research assistant since I'm disabled and have a lot of free time. Thats why I try to help as often as I can. BTW these are all Gunze Me.Color colors USAAF olive drab, Dark earth, Edited October 4, 2020 by Corsairfoxfouruncle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted October 5, 2020 Share Posted October 5, 2020 3 hours ago, VT Red Sox Fan said: those are sweet builds Thank you, sir! Years of practice. Some of my early builds when I came back to the hobby were... well... not quite as nice. 3 hours ago, VT Red Sox Fan said: in this thread is a B-57 I built from the same Bomb Group--I believe from the same decal sheet Yes it looks like it's the same sheet. I love the builds in that thread! I especially like the Zero and the P-40 -- Are those Airfix? I also love that 102... I would love to do a 102, I have an old Hasegawa F-106 in the stash, though. The trick I learned that really helped with my B-57 is an automotive painting trick; I sprayed a thin coat of straight Mr. Levelling thinner on the black when it was still wet and it turned out glassy. Unfortunately, If I put too much on, the thinner would dry in kind of an iridescent, rainbow look in the right light. So, it was a little bit of trial and error. Did the same trick with the tamiya clear gloss coat over the decals too. 3 hours ago, VT Red Sox Fan said: what kind of air brush set up do use? Nothing special -- I have an Iwata HP-C. The trick with that 109E was that I thinned the paint to something like 4 or 5 parts thinner to 1 part paint, then turned the compressor way down to 5-7 psi so it wouldn't make spider legs and then removed the outer nozzle of the airbrush so that the needle was exposed. This allowed me to get really close, but has the danger of damaging the needle so I had to be really careful. The paint would go on very faintly, so I just kept going over a spot until it was dark enough. The other problem with this technique is it is very sensitive to little bits of junk in the paint or airbrush, so I need to strip down and clean the airbrush before I do it and then I often have to take the paint out of the cup and blow a bunch of thinner through the brush several times during the paint job. It's a nuisance, but definitely worth it. I first used it on Hemmo Leino's Bf-109G and it took a lot of practice on scrap before I was comfortable enough to try it on the model. Actually, the paint jobs using this technique don't look terrific under a magnifying glass, but it looks just fine to the naked eye. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 On 10/4/2020 at 8:54 PM, opus999 said: Thank you, sir! Years of practice. Some of my early builds when I came back to the hobby were... well... not quite as nice. Yes it looks like it's the same sheet. I love the builds in that thread! I especially like the Zero and the P-40 -- Are those Airfix? I also love that 102... I would love to do a 102, I have an old Hasegawa F-106 in the stash, though. The trick I learned that really helped with my B-57 is an automotive painting trick; I sprayed a thin coat of straight Mr. Levelling thinner on the black when it was still wet and it turned out glassy. Unfortunately, If I put too much on, the thinner would dry in kind of an iridescent, rainbow look in the right light. So, it was a little bit of trial and error. Did the same trick with the tamiya clear gloss coat over the decals too. Nothing special -- I have an Iwata HP-C. The trick with that 109E was that I thinned the paint to something like 4 or 5 parts thinner to 1 part paint, then turned the compressor way down to 5-7 psi so it wouldn't make spider legs and then removed the outer nozzle of the airbrush so that the needle was exposed. This allowed me to get really close, but has the danger of damaging the needle so I had to be really careful. The paint would go on very faintly, so I just kept going over a spot until it was dark enough. The other problem with this technique is it is very sensitive to little bits of junk in the paint or airbrush, so I need to strip down and clean the airbrush before I do it and then I often have to take the paint out of the cup and blow a bunch of thinner through the brush several times during the paint job. It's a nuisance, but definitely worth it. I first used it on Hemmo Leino's Bf-109G and it took a lot of practice on scrap before I was comfortable enough to try it on the model. Actually, the paint jobs using this technique don't look terrific under a magnifying glass, but it looks just fine to the naked eye. @opus999, sorry for the late response--really appreciate your thoughts on how you accomplished the BF-109G. I have an Air Waves photo etch Luftwaffe Mottle mask I plan on using on my FW-190. It looks like I will need to invest in a pressure regulator and it sounds like a dual action, top fed air brush. From what I gather, a bottom feed airbrush requires sig more pressure to draw paint, thus hindering ones ability to control the paint. Your work has made me a believer! Best, Erwin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 12, 2020 Author Share Posted October 12, 2020 Hello friends, quick update today. The dealing is moving fast--I am very happy with the quality of the decals. I am glad I did my research and did not totally trust the decal manufacturer--while I love the P-40 selection DK decals provides, I believe they off on the national insignias for Squirt. I believe the insignias are on both wings, vice the standard alternate wings. There are enough stars to make my research complete, but I will have to borrow a red dot from a RCAF P-40 on the sheet. Reminds me of conversations with @RidgeRunner, @The Spadgent,& @giemme about the accuracy of decal manufacturers through F-105, F-4C & P-51D builds. The only other comment I have, is that I doubt the name "Squirt" was on both sides of the aircraft, so I will only put it on the side that has a reference photo. Beyond these relatively minor concerns, the decals are going on great and I should be through woods pretty soon to apply the flat coat. In spite of my research critiques, they did get the insignia blue on the US Army correct--at least to my best read @Dana Bell's research on the earlier string and Scale Aircraft Modeling's P-40 Combat Colors. On a side note, it is always amazing to me how much a gloss coat seems to change the look of OD-41. Best to all, and thank you all for your inputs! Best, Erwin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spadgent Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 Oooh nice decals!!! 🙌🤩 Johnny 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted October 12, 2020 Share Posted October 12, 2020 Agreed, lovely decal job, Erwin! Gloss varnish always tends to darken flat paints - luckily they go back to normal when you flat coat them Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 5 hours ago, VT Red Sox Fan said: From what I gather, a bottom feed airbrush requires sig more pressure to draw paint, thus hindering ones ability to control the paint. I started with a Badger bottom feed and had the worst time getting it to work. Take that with an enormous grain of salt, though, because I also didn't know how to thin paint or how to clean it properly, so there were a lot of things going wrong there. Plus I was 14. However, from what I've read, most people prefer gravity fed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Looks good Erwin! Love that rudder. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 5 hours ago, opus999 said: However, from what I've read, most people prefer gravity fed. On that matter, Erwin @VT Red Sox Fan, you may want to look into the PROCON BOY range: huge value for the money, IMHO. I have a 270 (0.2mm needle) and it's a dream to use Ciao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 14 hours ago, giemme said: Agreed, lovely decal job, Erwin! Gloss varnish always tends to darken flat paints - luckily they go back to normal when you flat coat them Ciao Few other than those on this forum understand the emotional impact of what you speak of --I think my wife thinks I am going nuts when I relax watching a finish go from a dark gloss to the intended flat hue--🤣 Best, Erwin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 12 hours ago, opus999 said: I started with a Badger bottom feed and had the worst time getting it to work. Take that with an enormous grain of salt, though, because I also didn't know how to thin paint or how to clean it properly, so there were a lot of things going wrong there. Plus I was 14. However, from what I've read, most people prefer gravity fed. Opus--I am in the same boat--I am really glad folks like you make time drastically improve my skills... best, Erwin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Duvalier Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 3 hours ago, VT Red Sox Fan said: I think my wife thinks I am going nuts when I relax watching a finish go from a dark gloss to the intended flat hue Some people think watching paint dry is boring. I find it's sometimes an emotional roller coaster. Your P-40 is coming along nicely. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 2 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said: Some people think watching paint dry is boring. I find it's sometimes an emotional roller coaster. Your P-40 is coming along nicely. Thanks Jackson--I completely agree--thank you for the airplane compliment--best, Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 (edited) Hello everyone, the P-40E is progressing & the paint/decals are complete. The DK decals went on great as you can see--issues are all mine. Once the flat lacquer was applied, I removed the masks and was rewarded with an awesome canopy frame--thank you Johnny @The Spadgent & Giorgio @giemme for the assist on my 1st vacume canopy--now I am going to be a snob and probably use them more frequently. The other good news is my marriage survived the tone shift from flat to gloss to flat --thank you all for the support! I was also very happy with how Microscale Krystalclear attached the rear windows of this build--I understand the rear windows tend to be the tough part of most Academy/Hasegawa 1/72 P-40s It seems to me OD has the biggest tone shift. Nest step is the landing gear, metalizing the exhaust and wrapping up the odds & ends. While the paint is a little thick, I think that given the near factory finish it works out fine and compliments the sleek lines of the P-40 (which was what I as trying to achieve since most P-40 builds seem to highlight the aircraft's ruggedness vice its clean lines when originally fielded). Will make sure to get @opus999 photo of the canvas covers when painted & as discussed earlier with @72modeler there is work to be done on the landing gear knocks. But for now, I am enjoying the idea of a powerful Allison cranking a Curtiss propellor on a new airframe. Thank you all for growing me on every step of every build in this hobby! Best to all, Erwin Edited October 24, 2020 by VT Red Sox Fan Spelling 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Cracking job, Erwin! Probably your best so far? Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opus999 Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 That looks very nice so far! The early war markings are a nice change. Looking forward to seeing how you approach the canvas covers. I was going to do canvas covers in my P-40B until l talked my self out of it. 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spadgent Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Splendid work. Glad the canopy came out well. 😍😇 Johnny 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 On 10/25/2020 at 4:27 AM, giemme said: Cracking job, Erwin! Probably your best so far? Ciao Thank you Giorgio--high praise coming from you! Particularly given your interest in expanding my skills & all the builds you have helped me on--Best, Erwin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 On 10/25/2020 at 12:06 PM, opus999 said: That looks very nice so far! The early war markings are a nice change. Looking forward to seeing how you approach the canvas covers. I was going to do canvas covers in my P-40B until l talked my self out of it. 🤔 Opuss, the canvas covers are coming soon! Thank you for the meaningful comments and encouragement. Best, Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 (edited) On 10/25/2020 at 12:10 PM, The Spadgent said: Splendid work. Glad the canopy came out well. 😍😇 Johnny Johnny, as always your WW2 builds serve as inspiration--thank you for always tracking my builds which seem to move at a maple syrup pace 🙌 Best, Erwin Edited October 30, 2020 by VT Red Sox Fan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 On 10/25/2020 at 12:10 PM, The Spadgent said: Splendid work. Glad the canopy came out well. 😍😇 Johnny Johnny, as always your ww2 builds serve as inspiration--thank you for always tracking my builds which seem to move at a maple syrup pace 🙌 Best, Erwin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 Hello everyone, this update will concentrate on the main landing gear and wells. As discussed earlier with the period photos & with help from @72modeler, I painted that gear fairings with a NG "roof" and interior green sides. The gear were painted aluminum, shinny foil for the gear strut shock absorber--shout out to @rob Lyttle--NG for the bottom of the gear. Inspired by the @The Spadgent, @giemme, I used photo etch on the sides of the fairings, although it is hard to see in this scale. The brake lines are from the photo etch set and the gear doors are from the resin set--I think the plain kit doors are not sufficient even for 1/72 scale. I attempted to create the canvas door covers by brush painting Tamiya OD on masking tape (I am not sure where I read this), but I am very happy with the overall effect--looking forward to feedback from @opus999 on how it turned out or how I could do this better. Thank you all for putting up with the slow pace--best to all, Erwin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spadgent Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 The UC is looking great. I love the way the wheels work on this one. Different to anything I have built so far. 🤩 your work bench is making me uneasy though. I’d be knocking stuff over every few seconds with my stupid fingers. You must be very deft. Like a Modelling ninja. 👤😀 Johhny 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted October 31, 2020 Author Share Posted October 31, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, The Spadgent said: The UC is looking great. I love the way the wheels work on this one. Different to anything I have built so far. 🤩 your work bench is making me uneasy though. I’d be knocking stuff over every few seconds with my stupid fingers. You must be very deft. Like a Modelling ninja. 👤😀 Johhny Johnny, this is why you are awesome🙌--thanks to you we have a Britmodeller ninja first--I never thought anyone would gain praise for ninja like dexterity here, but thanks to my paint bottles, steady hands and your keen eye, we were able to check that box off for the team 🤣😎 Best, Erwin Edited October 31, 2020 by VT Red Sox Fan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now