KeithR Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 Thanks for the replies everyone. It looks like I'll be painting P.O. Duke khaki drab. This is also in accord with most of the answers I got from this thread I started here:- 20 hours ago, 2996 Victor said: But your problem led me to check the cowling fit on my kit, and lo! my kit's fuselage needing packing, too. It hasn't solved the fit of the IP entirely, but it's made a massive difference! Glad to have helped @2996 Victor 😀 Cheers! Keith. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackroadkill Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 It's coming on well now, Keith. Thanks for the tip regarding the cement - I've got an Airfix kit coming up soon and I'll remember to go easy on the Extra Thin, or maybe use Liquid Poly instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 I’ve been suffering from terrible modellers block since July and haven’t done anything since. Before I sank into the abyss I took a few photos which I have only just got around to posting. I painted P.O. Duke and created a screen to protect him from the enemy and a reflector gunsight with which to point his guns at them. It’s all bit crude and inaccurate but I just wanted to give the impression of something going on behind that rather thick Airfix canopy. This is the screen attached to the windscreen. Here it is from the outside. A bit ropey, but good enough for a three-footer. I’ve popped P.O. Duke in his seat and given him a bit of masking tape to hold him in place when he does a victory roll. And here’s where I left things three months ago. I think it’s the prospect of masking the canopy that’s stopping me progressing so I’m hoping this post will inspire me to continue with the build. All the best, Keith. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 Nice! For a "newbie" your techniques match well against those of us with much more experience, so right on! I really like your pilot figure, and agree wholeheartedly that he absolutely must be harnessed into the seat using something that resembles belts. Turning his head creates interest, which I've done on my own models. Great job on this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 39 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said: Nice! For a "newbie" your techniques match well against those of us with much more experience, so right on! I really like your pilot figure, and agree wholeheartedly that he absolutely must be harnessed into the seat using something that resembles belts. Turning his head creates interest, which I've done on my own models. Great job on this! Thanks for your kind comment @TheyJammedKenny! but I had no intention of giving the impression of my being a newbie. It's rather that I'm very out of practice. I've made only two models in the last twenty-odd years, both Spitfires, but prior to that I did do the occasional build. I currently have 24 built models, some dangling from the ceiling, made over a period of about 50 years or so from schooldays to now. Previously to those, in my extreme youth I made quite a few models, but those have long gone. One day I might dust off some of the survivors and post some pictures. Needless to say I have bought plenty of kits in that time. Currently I have 293 unbuilt kits. And yes, I do have spreadsheet! Me. Nerd. Never! My previous model was this Airfix Spitfire:- It is, I think my best effort so far. I tried weathering and used my H&S Infinity airbrushes' double action for the first time. I was very happy with it but I've a lot to learn. Britmodeller has been invaluable in that regard. Getting fine lies consistently is very difficult. I'm a long way off mottling that's for sure! Happy modelling! Keith. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 I get what you're saying, Keith. I've been working on my Airfix Hurricane for near on to 3 years now. The building and detailing I like doing, but the major painting always puckers me up into non-movement. This past August, I finally got my Badger 150 out and after a few practice runs, following advise from this forum, I painted it. It's not as good as I hoped, but far better than I expected. I just need to get my mojo working again and do some touch-ups and add all the external bits. If/when I finish, I might do one of these Curtiss kits, as an RCAF Tomahawk. Chris 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted January 13, 2021 Author Share Posted January 13, 2021 I’ve finally got back to some modelling, hurrah! Here are some progress photos. I primed with Tamiya XF-1 matt black diluted with Mr Color Leveling Thinner 400 at about 50/50 by eye. It sprays better than Tamiya’s X-20 thinner IMO. The only issue is that its cellulose (lacquer) based so it smells awful. I’ve used MRP acrylic lacquer paints to spray the camo:- MRP-108 Dark earth BS 450 WWII RAF. MRP-121 Middle Stone WWII RAF. MRP119 Azure Blue WWII RAF. They spray very nicely indeed and don’t need thinning. They do pong, however as they are also lacquer based. I’m glad I have a spray booth. Apparently they do a water based paint but I’ve not tried it. I’ve masked the tail with masking tape lifted at the edges using cotton sewing thread to give a soft edge. The rest I’ve masked with Blu-Tac to see how it compares. Camo sprayed. The two different masking techniques gave similar results. The blue tack was a bit quicker but didn’t give as much control and precision. I think I’ll make the camo demarkation a bit softer in future. The kit decals went straight onto the semi-matt MRP paints without a varnish layer. I did polish it using a fine sanding stick in places, but it wasn't necessary. I used MicroSet and MicroSol decal solutions. The decals wrinkled up but then flattened out and conformed nicely. There was no silvering. I tried to modulate the paint thickness over the black base. It sort of worked and I’m happy. The azure blue is quite a bit more blueish/mauveish than the photos show. I tried pressing the roundel into the panel lines with a cotton bud but ended up with a wrinkle that wouldn’t go away even with several MicroSol applications. I didn't need to press it down. The other decals conformed well to the panel lines with a couple of applications of MicroSol. The shark mouth decals weren’t easy to position. If I were to do this again I would cut off the little extensions that go on the intake lip and apply them separately after applying the main parts. I applied them a little too far back and too far up so they need bit of touching up. I weathered straight onto the paint and decals with no ill effects, thankfully. I used a dot filtering technique using oils thinned with turpentine. That stuff makes lacquer smell lovely in comparison. I was a bit disappointed with the effect. It came out a bit streaky and grainy when you look close up. I’ll try using a softer brush and more turps next time to see if it gives a softer transition. Well that’s it so far. Varnish and attaching all the bits next. Happy modelling everyone and a happy new year! Keith. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 13, 2021 Share Posted January 13, 2021 You're Tomahawk looks quite nice in those colors, Ive always wanted to try the MRP line and next time I order paint I may pickup a couple of the Lacquer ones. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted January 13, 2021 Share Posted January 13, 2021 That looks great! Personally, I wouldn't go much softer on the camo lines. As the over-spray in real life was only about a half inch, in 1/72 it would be a fairly sharp line. Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 13, 2021 Share Posted January 13, 2021 Looking brilliant! I really must get on with mine..... I've got Vallejo water based acrylic colours, which I'm finding spray really well, but they do dry very quickly, so I'm going to try their flow improver for larger areas. Great tips regarding the decals, too, as I've heard of folks having trouble particularly with the shark mouth. Looking forward to seeing this one finished! Kind regards Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted January 14, 2021 Author Share Posted January 14, 2021 FINISHED! Yippee! A few progress pictures first. The canopy masking looks pretty ropey up close. Cameras are very unforgiving! In future I won’t try cutting the tape in situ. My hand-eye coordination isn’t good enough to cut freehand without wandering and it’s very difficult to estimate where the edge of the frames are when the canopy is a bit blobby as this one is. I’ll use little strips applied separately for my next one. Here I’ve sprayed a couple of coats of Tamiya Flat Clear XF-86 thinned with about equal amounts of Mr Leveling thinner. It sprayed very well and I’m very happy with the result. The same for the underside. Miscellaneous bits and pieces also sprayed. And finally, the finished product at last! Thanks for your inputs and thanks for watching. I’ll take some better photos and put them in Ready for Inspection when (if) it stops raining and the clouds clear. Here in the UK even in full daylight by the window it’s too dark in the middle of the day! Roll on summer! Cheers! Keith. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 That looks really good Keith, I reckon you've caught the look well. 👍 I just went back through the thread to try & see how you fixed the bullet proof screen into the canopy. It looks really effective & I'd like to try it on one of mine. Sorry if I missed an earlier description. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted January 14, 2021 Author Share Posted January 14, 2021 23 minutes ago, stevehnz said: That looks really good Keith, I reckon you've caught the look well. 👍 Thanks Steve, much appreciated. I glued the bullet proof screen to the inside of the canopy with white glue. Specifically, Formula 560 Canopy Glue. When you glue items to clear parts the glue effectively becomes part of the part and is highly visible. I used the tiniest, tiniest blob of glue on each corner of the bullet proof screen and let it dry a bit before attaching it. This was so it didn’t wick between the two parts and stand out too much. I used a bit more on the bottom where it’s harder to see. I can see it if I look very closely but its good enough for government work. I’m going to take some more pictures when the weather improves and I’ll take a close-up for you. Regards, Keith. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Real good looking bird! Nice recovery and finish. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2996 Victor Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Superb result! Now I really must finish mine! Thanks for sharing. Kind regards, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Well done on your finish sir. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithR Posted January 15, 2021 Author Share Posted January 15, 2021 (edited) Many thanks for your kind comments and encouragement everyone. I've put some pictures of the finished model in Ready for Inspection here:- Cheers, Keith. Edited January 15, 2021 by KeithR Added link to RFI. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigbeale Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 Absolutely astonishing. Fantastic work. Keep up the good work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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