Paul
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Everything posted by Paul
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Thanks Ron!!
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Greetings fellow modelers! I'm currently working on Tamiya's fantastic Spitfire Mk. I kit in 1:48 scale. I've also installed a motor/speaker/circuit board inside that I picked up from Magic Scale Modeling. It syncs the startup sound of a Merlin to the motor, runs for a bit, then powers down. It's totally plug and play too, which made it very easy to rig up. To hide the power cables going to the battery box, I've decided to make a small vignette or diorama of a grassy airfield. Since the Spit will be starting up, it makes sense to me that the scene should include a few figures and a smattering of ground equipment. To that end, I was able to locate and purchase an Airfix Battle Of Britain kit that includes: ten figures an Albion 3-Point Fueller a Bedford WMD light truck an oil bowser trolley accumulator an ammo cart wheel chocks There's also a Hawker Hurricane in there, but that's a project for another day. In my vision for this project, an RAF pilot is scrambling into his waiting Spitfire while the engine starts up. There's a great "pilot getting into the plane" figure and a ground crew member helping him along. The questions I have are these: Would the Spitfire be plugged into the accumulator while it's starting up? My guess is yes. Where? Would the Spitfire be started before/as the pilot is entering? I'm just curious if it's even a plausible scenario. Would the fuel truck be just hanging around nearby along with some of the other equipment? If the bird is already fueled and taking off, maybe the truck doesn't make the cut into the piece. Is a grass mat the best way to go for a base or would a dirt/mud base with static grass applied on top make for a better presentation? I'd have to get a static grass applicator or lots of those little stick-on grass tufts. I'm open to any help you fine folks can offer. If something I've done looks wonky from a historical perspective, let me know! I'm not a rivet counter, but I also don't want to have the pilot texting on his iPhone as he takes off to fight for the skies of London. If we ever get out of this pandemic, I'd love to enter it at a show. Thanks!
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Thank you all so much for your kind words!
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Thanks Chris! I recommend the kit, for sure, but if you're looking for a more detailed cockpit, you will probably want some PE or something. It's a bit plain.
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Ok, stick a fork in this build cause I'm calling it done! I decided against doing a panel wash on this one, because I was too afraid I'd screw up the paint even using an acrylic wash. To be honest, I'm not sure it really needed one anyhow. Looking at the photos, there are a few decals I may treat with Mr. Marksofter to try to take care of some slight silvering, and I do need to fix one of the gear bay door position. But those are minor things that are more repairs than adding to the build. Overall, I'm fairly pleased with how this came out, especially since it's my first (completed) aircraft build and my first extensive bare metal finish. I like the lightly weathered look it's got, and I think it'll make a decent addition to the display case. Thanks to you all for the encouragement and advice!
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Thanks Gil! I was looking for something that would make me look like even more of a lunatic, and I'm sure sticking tape to my forehead will fit the bill! 😂 It's a fashion choice!! Luckily, I'm half Italian so forehead oil is never in short supply. (Ew.) I changed my mind and decided to mask off the blue and repaint some of the problem areas last night. I think it looks a lot better! Now the question is - to Aquagloss or not to Aquagloss (before decals). I'm on the fence. I know the decal solutions can mess with the Alclad paint, but I thought application with water and then just a controlled brushing of any setting solution should contain any issues. Then again, what's a gloss coat hurt? Never used this particular one before but I do love their lacquer glosses. I believe Mark said he doesn't apply a clear coat, since the paint is smooth enough on its own. 🤷🏻♂️
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Ok, I masked off the blue for the nose, and even after days of drying time for the Alclad, I still got some real roughening of the surface when I pulled off the Tamiya tape. I'm going to try polishing it tonight with some of micromesh, but next time I'd definitely clear coat the entire thing with Aquagloss before any masking. I'm going to press on without a clear coat when I do the decals, to see how they react. I think as long as I keep any setting solution off of the bare paint I'll be okay.
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Dave, thank you! I will check this out for sure.
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Well, the mistakes last night did rear their ugly heads on the fuselage paint job but it could definitely look worse. Sometimes I struggle with frustration trying to be perfect or match the level of someone like you, Mark, but I am pressing on! I’m disappointed the tape I used to mask the wing root left a line on the wing. Maybe some of those micro mesh cloths will help - I just ordered some. If not, weathering and decals may lend a hand concealing any really bad bits. I think the overhead shot shows the different shades of aluminum pretty well. Any tips on masking the blue nose? Thanks again for all your advice. It’s super helpful. I appreciate all the time you’ve put into your replies. It just goes to show we modelers have the best community around!
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Thanks Mark! You were not kidding about edge of your seat action in that episode. I knew he got a kill before he had his gear up but the whole story is so much more than that. I put down the aluminum on the wings. It didn’t come out perfect but it’s a good first attempt. I used some Tamiya polishing compound on it and I must not have washed it all off well enough as there is some discoloration. The bottom starboard wing is growing a beard by the looks of all the little dust hairs on it. It’s funny the mishaps you have during a build and how they teach you things. Like, don’t fill the cup of your airbrush and have it spit up out of the cup and onto the unmasked area if your build. 🙄 And, don’t skimp on tape or you will get overspray onto the fuselage. I’m hoping it won’t be too noticeable when the build is done, but hey... it’s my first plane. They’re tricky, but I like ‘em.
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Wow, Mark, that's some excellent work! You're seriously talented, and I bet you're a fantastic judge. I'm a sucker for box art, so I'm trying to replicate the Petie 2nd bird flown by Captain John Meyer. I think the blue nose will look really nice when it's done. My plan was to use Alclad paints, which I'm fairly comfortable with and which give excellent results (in my opinion anyhow). I will paint the fuselage highly polished aluminum to get that shine, and then use dull aluminum on the wings to try to lend that "painted silver" look. I'm sure I'll end up using some clear over the metallics for the decals; do you think I'll need to hit the dull aluminum wings with matte after to dull the clear shine? I appreciate the input!
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Well, my arm is sore from polishing, but I will say the black base came out fairly nice. There are a few pebbly spots, but that just means MORE POLISHING!!!
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I picked up one of these from the Small Shop and I like it. It allows me to get very close cuts so I don't have much of a nub to remove. For what nubs I do have, I generally use a diamond file and in a few swipes it's clean. If the part is especially small or hard to file, I'll put the part in a parts bender on the flat side and clamp it down so it doesn't !!PING!! and get eaten by the carpet monster. Just my two pennies!
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I feel like being in isolation I should bet getting more done, but real life is not respectful of how dedicated I am to my hobby. 🤷🏻♂️ Here're two more WIP photos where it actually starts looking like a plane.
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Thinking about masking that canopy to get the framing as nice as you did has made my eye start to twitch uncontrollably. 🤪
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Dang that's looking great. Love the details on the engine!!
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Thanks Mark! I got the fuselage halves together the night before last, and started sanding the seam yesterday evening. I think I'm going to have to re-scribe some of those fine panel lines, but that shouldn't be too difficult. The rivets, on the other hand, may prove a challenge. I imagine I'll have a bit of polishing to do, too, so I can get that shiny bare metal finish I'm after. I'll keep you updated!
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Still trying to figure out the right colors for the Reliant
Paul replied to Eric's topic in Space, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Listen guys, this organization may be imaginary, but they've got standards! 🤣 Gotta love Star Trek, and the Reliant is one of my favorite ships. I really hope you changed that prefix code! -
Thanks to Gil & Mark for the suggestion to put some shine back on the gauges. I used a bit of Micro Kristal Klear dabbed on each dial with a toothpick. Actually, it's one of those fancy metal toothpicks you can reuse, and I will say they're a lot more useful than they sound. Some of the "glass" domes are a bit cloudy but they look good on the whole. I think part of the MKK was a bit too dry near the cap so it went on a tad funny. Regardless, like most mistakes you can chalk that one up to "weathering." What pilot wouldn't scratch his dashboard wriggling out of that tiny cockpit? I did think about using Future (or Pledge, or whatever we're calling it now... I have enough for about three lifetimes considering the size of the bottle) but I was afraid it'd run. I think tonight I'll add the oil cooler, which I just finished painting, and then button up the halves of the fuselage! Exciting stuff. I may even break out the somewhat-overly-complex Touch-N-Flow-N-Spill. 😂 Please don't use these close ups to make copies of my fingerprints and frame me for crimes. Thank you.
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Thanks Gil! I didn’t even think of that but it’s going on the to do list now for sure. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a bottle of that laying around somewhere... 😀
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That's a nice, clean build! Great work. 😀
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Neat subject and good work on the cockpit. I never knew there was a recon version!
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Hello fellow modelers! I'm branching out from science fiction builds and trying a WWII piston powered plane, the P-51D. I'm also using the Eduard Zoom PE prepainted cockpit detail set for this model, but I'm not very impressed by it. Don't get me wrong, Eduard makes great PE, but I probably won't be getting the prepainted stuff again. I've had to mask parts of it and the paint peeled right off leaving bare metal beneath it. Fixable? Sure. A pain? That too. The cockpit is pretty well done - I did some light chipping with silver and an oil wash of engine grease over the zinc chromate green. That was my first time using an oil wash I made myself versus a pre-packaged enamel wash from Tamiya. I don't think I'll ever go back, as you have so much more control over consistency and transparency. Plus the oil works as a filter, and doesn't dry splotchy like the enamels always seem to. I plan on hitting the cockpit with some matte clear tonight, then buttoning up the fuselage when that's all dry. If you've got any tips, tricks, or constructive criticism I'm all ears (eyes?).
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Thanks Ralph!
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Are there any online only IPMS clubs or clubs with a healthy online component? I'm interested not only because of the current pandemic threat, but also because I'm not physically near any club. I'd like to just meet up with some model makers and talk about what we're doing these days. An hour or so on a video chat would be fun - just to see people and swap some build stories. I work from home, so I do a lot of video meetings already. Occasionally having one about something fun would be great! Is there anything like that currently? If not, is anyone interested in one?
