BuNo02100 Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 I noticed you mentioned using MLT (Mr Leveling Thinner) and I am wondering if that is causing you issues as it looks like you are using the aqueous version of the Gunze paints. I have never used their aqueous line but I am sure it’s as good as their non-aqueous which I use all the time but I would double check to ensure they are compatible. You are are putting in some quality work and looking forward to the next update BW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 9 hours ago, BuNo02100 said: I noticed you mentioned using MLT (Mr Leveling Thinner) and I am wondering if that is causing you issues as it looks like you are using the aqueous version of the Gunze paints. I have never used their aqueous line but I am sure it’s as good as their non-aqueous which I use all the time but I would double check to ensure they are compatible. You are are putting in some quality work and looking forward to the next update BW Great thinking, but I've been using MLT with Tamiya and Gunze acrylics since my return to the hobby back in 2012 and never once have I had an issue with the paints reacting. I'm afraid that all my issues are down to the Ugly bag of mostly water sat at the end of the scalpel / airbrush - delete as appropos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ngantek Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 Ach, you've really been up against it with this one! Well done for hanging in there so long! On the positive side, I really believe you don't properly learn how to use a new technique or material until you've done it wrong, since that's the only way to understand what the pitfalls are and how to correct them. I've been considering trying out the splatter stencils, so this is great information for me, thanks very much for your tips. I don't therefore have any real basis for advice, but if you want some speculation to throw into the pot, I'd probably next try to work on thinner mixtures at lower pressures; the long cure times with gunze (which tends to be pretty speedy with me) and visible texture added with the splatter mask might suggest too much paint being applied too thickly. As you say as well, probably a more subtle tonal variation, just a slightly lightened and maybe also darkened version of the base colour. But thanks so much for posting the whole process, warts and all, this kind of thing is invaluable to other modellers, and much more interesting that stuff that just magically goes on without issues! Good luck sourcing the replacement parts. What are you going to build next? Cheers, Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 2 hours ago, Ngantek said: Ach, you've really been up against it with this one! Well done for hanging in there so long! On the positive side, I really believe you don't properly learn how to use a new technique or material until you've done it wrong, since that's the only way to understand what the pitfalls are and how to correct them. I've been considering trying out the splatter stencils, so this is great information for me, thanks very much for your tips. I don't therefore have any real basis for advice, but if you want some speculation to throw into the pot, I'd probably next try to work on thinner mixtures at lower pressures; the long cure times with gunze (which tends to be pretty speedy with me) and visible texture added with the splatter mask might suggest too much paint being applied too thickly. As you say as well, probably a more subtle tonal variation, just a slightly lightened and maybe also darkened version of the base colour. But thanks so much for posting the whole process, warts and all, this kind of thing is invaluable to other modellers, and much more interesting that stuff that just magically goes on without issues! Good luck sourcing the replacement parts. What are you going to build next? Cheers, Andy You're welcome - I don't really see the point of not showing the warts... as you rightly say - this stuff doesn't magically happen overnight (unlike the Calories Fairey-folk that keep stitching up my trousers each night... the little miscreants!) As you rightly allude to, high contrast isn't the way forward with the spatter masks... a lighter and darker shade of the base colour will be ample, and much more thinned (I made the rod for my back using gloss coats... never liked gloss coats... they scare me.. ) The issue with the drying times was my own doing as well... MLT in the mix... makes drying a little longer than it would otherwise be.... As for what I will be building next.... I think I'll spend some time on my shattered psyche and mojo... perhaps a few Roden biplanes to relax....? In an interesting aside - Mrs. Russmeister (aka - SWMBO) found my errant part - so the U/C is being built as we speak... That said - Eduard did get back to me and kindly offered to replace the part missing for free, along with my next order... Gotta love a good sales pitch eh? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 I recently found out about Bulldog Models and their offerings (this is not a sales pitch, I promise!!) They came very highly recommended by a friend in the U.S. (same friend that is the authority on WWII USN birds) So I thought I would give them a try.... So - Here is the Hellcat as it currently stands... Undercarriage being built thanks to Mrs. Russmeister and her exceptional finding skills!!! One of the little scissor thingies on the Port oleo was the victim of a sudden and localised shift in the gravity field about my desk, and was subsequently, successfully snatched from the jaws of the carpet monster by my heroic heroine Mrs. Russmeister. Starboard oleo setting up nicely too What was that song by ZZ Top.... At this point, I was rudely interrupted by our Friendly Neighbourhood Post Person delivering this wee beastie... I've since taken off the leg that would extend to the nose... doesn't really seem necessary at the moment. Its modular design allows for infinite (well, almost...) variations and is much more sturdy that my last jig, which was made out of plywood. Hats off to Bulldog Models - Ordered on Friday - delivered Tuesday. Great service! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 Right - Checklist time.... I sacrificed the wing-tip nav lights... guess who forgot to mask them.... 🤬 Landing gear disaster averted ✔️ Paintwork stripped ✔️ Plastic polished and minor scuffs resolved ✔️ Prime tomorrow, and hopefully my Friendly Neighbourhood Post Person will deliver some paints so I can have another bash at this thing... and avoid some of the mistakes I made previously.... There is something very cathartic about stripping off paintwork.... Maybe it's the kid in me, the one that used to love making mud-pies.... And after a couple of rounds of this, and wiping back with jay-cloths - we are left with.... I AM going to drag this bloody thing over the finish line, even if it kills me! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VT Red Sox Fan Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 Looking forward to how you close this out—I admire your persistence and I am sure it will be rewarded—best, Erwin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 7, 2022 Author Share Posted September 7, 2022 Seeing as I killed the wingtip nav lights... a little scratch building is in order to replace them. I started with selecting a suitable diameter microdrill, and corresponding metal tube... These are blunt syringe needles, that the cool kids are using for something called "Vaping"... I recently purchased several diameters, as they are useful bits of metal, and got these 5 varying sizes as a freebie... not gonna complain Then the surgery began... Please excuse the dodgy photos - Apple have yet to make a decent macro setting for the iPhone.... And useful piece of metal has been embedded in the wingtip, to act as a mount for a bulb. (I've since filed it flat... honest) I'll let the superglue harden, then paint in a suitably shiny metal colour.... add another drop or two of superglue to the "tubes" to simulate bulbs, and colour appropriately. Once that's all done... I'll fill with some UV activated resin and sand to final shape.... or that's the plan at least.... Oh... and in other news.. the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that the scissor mechanism on the port oleo has pinged into the ether once more.... I admit defeat 🏳️ and rather than pay the extortionate shipping fees that Eduard want to charge for even a small item like a Photoetch fret (total order would have come to £23 almost... with a whole £3.50 odd of that being etch... just to get a couple of "free" parts sent to me) I opted to order a Weekend Edition of the same kit from Jadlam and used my J-points to get a bargain........... Like I said - I'll drag this thing over the line eventually.... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 The Curse of the Hellcat continues with more loss and damages... I reached over to grab something from the back of my desk and caught my model stand with my arm, knocking the Helcat free for a forced landing. The resulting impact (from approximately 2 inches) was enough to dislodge one of the photoetched pieces... As I've sealed the canopy closed... it's staying out! It's "only" the map satchel... I'll live without it. In the same incident.. as I reflexively reached to catch the model, I caught the Cutting Edge prop, and pinged one of the prop blades off.... 😠 Mrs. Russmeister has been unable to locate the missing part, so I am relectantly using the kit part... it looks OK... it just doesn't look.... right, somehow? I did manage to get the wheels ready for Rubber Black though but even that is subject to opinion... do they look right in the last picture? Threre seems to be too much wheel around one part of the hub... If so I'll take a win where I can get it!! As the saying goes... if there are no pictures, it didn't happen.... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 13, 2022 Author Share Posted September 13, 2022 Tuesday 13/09/2022 saw delivery of Paints (specifically H054 - Navy Blue) and also much needed spares for my Airbrush... in "O" rings we trust!! Once again, the much debated shade shift due to formula change has made itself apparent... I'm at the point in this build now where I'm so close, and I just want it finished and off my bench so I can get back to a shelf queen...... so shade change be damned Saturday 10/09/2022 saw the donor Weekend Edition kit delivered, from which I promptly removed the scissor mechanism for the port oleo.... In a complete aside... I may have found inspiration to do an "in flight" bird... the Weekend Edition has markings for a rather fetching Drone that I don't have to put a pilot in, so it will be hysterically accurate without an ugly bag of mostly water sat in the cockpit I spent a happy half hour using a 2500grit and then a 4000 grit sanding sponges to remove all the troughs I'd gouged into the paintwork... thankfully, it seems that the worst of the damage was confined to the primer layer... Small mercies and all that.... Here she is with the first Navy blue coat on and her freshly painted boots which themselves have treated with rubber black and matt coated. BOTH OLEOS WITH SCISSORS!! YAY!!!!! Damaged areas totally repaired... Wheels ready to roll.... I'll get my coat... The finish line is in sight and I WILL drag this ball and chain across it!!! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted September 13, 2022 Share Posted September 13, 2022 You will overcome! As you're going to do a drone, you should be aware of The Battle of Palmdale. Sadly, I'm not aware of authoritative markings for the wayward Hellcat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 13, 2022 Author Share Posted September 13, 2022 24 minutes ago, dnl42 said: You will overcome! As you're going to do a drone, you should be aware of The Battle of Palmdale. Sadly, I'm not aware of authoritative markings for the wayward Hellcat... OMG That is so funny... Imagine the phone call... ."Er... Hi... USAF?? It's the Navy... we need a hand....! Later.... "Er Hi.... Navy?? It's the USAF... we missed... erm..... 208 times.... sorry" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 14, 2022 Author Share Posted September 14, 2022 I chickened out of using the spatter masks, having woken in a cold sweat following a nightmare about a rubber chicken chasing me with an airbrush....? I wonder what Freud would say... So, it's back to tried and trusted methods of distressing paintwork... Namely, a few drops of XF2 in the mix of 50/50 IPA and Gunze H54 applied to the centres of panels and randomly here and there.... I'll now clean my airbrushes... as bubbles in the colour cups of both my Evolution AND my Infinity indicate that O rings weren't my issue to begin with... I'll figure it out... I certainly don't remember modelling being this taxing.... Isn't it supposed to be relaxing? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Good grief, I can't believe the fight you are having with this one. Definitely starting to come together now though and looking good. Fingers crossed for gge rest of ghe build. Great work. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.au Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 2 hours ago, Russmeister 101 said: I'll now clean my airbrushes... as bubbles in the colour cups of both my Evolution AND my Infinity indicate that O rings weren't my issue to begin with... I'll figure it out... Thats the ticket. Bubbles in the paint simply mean a blockage - usually in the tip - forcing air back into the airbrush and into the paint cup. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 10 hours ago, mark.au said: Thats the ticket. Bubbles in the paint simply mean a blockage - usually in the tip - forcing air back into the airbrush and into the paint cup. T'was the rarest of beasts... the lesser spotted split nozzle.... 😲 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winded Penguin Posted September 15, 2022 Share Posted September 15, 2022 This still looks like a great kit to build, despite all the wobbles. Great news on getting the jig. Since I started using one, I'm finding less and less excuses for shoddy execution 😝 . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 5 hours ago, Winded Penguin said: This still looks like a great kit to build, despite all the wobbles. Great news on getting the jig. Since I started using one, I'm finding less and less excuses for shoddy execution 😝 . Wobbles are entirely operator error... I've no excuse... I'll do better, I promise The Jig is a life-saver, and as you say - I've now no excuses..... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 15, 2022 Author Share Posted September 15, 2022 Today I've been busy touching up the fading and spraying ailerons.... Lazy masking here... I should have masked off the aileron side of the actuators, as they are Navy Blue.... More work.... Just a touch of overspray.... Mental note - don't undersetimate the power of white to travel huge distances at 10psi.... Masking up the ailerons ready for the final colour-coat before glossing. Final colour applied and fading touched up.... I'll let this cure overnight and see about throwing some gloss about.... More soon.... maybe even, dare I say it.... a finish?! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 17, 2022 Author Share Posted September 17, 2022 New Nozzle delivered and gloss coat applied to the top for the decals... I love Mr. Color GX100 Superclear III - but, I also like Alclad Aquagloss.... this is Aquagloss A couple of dust greeblies to take care of... then the markings can begin... After I've glossed the bottom of the airframe of course... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullac2001 Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 Coming along nicely 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 19, 2022 Author Share Posted September 19, 2022 One thing that always "gets" to me is orange peel on the gloss coats... I think I may have OCD Anyhoo.... I've flatted back the gloss with 3000grit Tamiya sanding sponges, but I think they have gone a bit crispy... so back to the trusty 3M Ultrafine sponges it is.... I'll polish this after watching the Sovereigns State Funeral... #GSTK _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Right then... The Late Queen has been given a send-off that will be unparalelled for many years I think... The Hellcat has had a buff with Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish, stage 2, followed by Stage 3, which is basically carnauba wax... Here she is. I may decal tonight, maybe tomorrow... who knows... One thing I do know; I've got to clean out the polish from all the knooks and crannies before any markings go down. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tentacles Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 My goodness, that is one shiny Hellcat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 20, 2022 Author Share Posted September 20, 2022 12 hours ago, Tentacles said: My goodness, that is one shiny Hellcat Fortunately, not it's final sheen... I just have an intense dislike for decalling over an orangepeel gloss coat... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russmeister 101 Posted September 20, 2022 Author Share Posted September 20, 2022 THE CURSE OF THE HELLCAT RETURNS Getting frustrated with this now... I may just put it on the shelf for a while.... <commence sulk> The eagle eyed amongst you will notice that in the previous batch of photos, the port oleo scissor mechanism is missing AGAIN!!! ! Yesterday evening, being Sunday the 19th Sept. Mrs. Russmeister assisted once again (my heroine!) and found the wayward part. Which I left securely on my bench ready for my shenanigans to commence anew this morning... Sure enough, I lost the bloody thing again. (I now have an apron which tucks under my cutting mat, so I may now look like Mrs. Beaton, but nothing will be lost to gravity at least....) So, back to the donor kit for the OTHER set of scissor parts..... So, thats been replaced and crayoned in to match... and I started flinging about decals... totally forgetting I needed to clean the panel lines and rivets of dried polish.... 🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️🏳️ I'm sure I'll find a way to make it work in the weathering... The moral of this story is... don't get old and forgetful... It creates a great deal more work than should be required. <disengage sulk mode> Note - I don't know why Onedrive is not showing some pictures... they are all in the same place and the same format... I can't even see the pictures, but I can see the files are there? Hope this is resolved soon!! I'm looking at you Microsoft.... 😕 Here's the ones that DO want to play nice... This issue is now resolved and normal service has been resumed. Here's the pretty white bits... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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