Jump to content

rtv

Member
  • Posts

    7
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by rtv

  1. Most models, out of the box, can be built, painted and decaled in one of multiple choices, generally three.  Towards the end of the instructions or on a separate color sheet, they'll have top/bottom/left/right pictures of each of these variants, showing the placements of all the decals and the paint colors of the major bits of the airplane.  When the instructions say something like "paint with the fuselage color", they mean you're supposed to pick one of these variants and paint the bit with the color specified for the fuselage from the pictures for that variant.

    I'm not familiar with that particular kit, but it's very likely that each variant uses different pieces as well, like maybe an airscoop is shaped differently or something.  These will be called out in the instructions as well, so be on the lookout for those.

    So, the first thing you need to do when you open the box is look over the variants and decide which one you're going to build. Then just keep your choice in mind when reading over the instructions.

  2. I've used the panel line accent stuff over Tamiya's gloss clear without any issues.  What I've found works is to apply it over the gloss coat and let it dry (12+ hours).  Then I'd use a cotton swab dipped into enamel thinner, squeeze out most of the excess onto a paper towel so the cotton is barely damp, and then go over the model slowly removing any overwash.  I don't spend a lot of time in one place.  Instead, for those stubborn spots, I'll let the model sit for an hour and then go over it again with a new swab.

    Note that Tamiya's paints (including their gloss clear) are acrylics and I've found enamel thinners generally don't affect it.  Tamiya paints are thinned with X-20A thinner, which is alcohol based, from the smell.  It's not the same as X-20, which is their enamel thinner.  A lot of people get these two mixed up; X-20A is for their acrylics, X-20 is for their enamel paints. The paints that Tamiya exports to the US are all acrylics and should be thinned with X-20A.  I don't believe Tamiya exports any of their enamel paints to the US, including the enamel thinner X-20.  You can find it for sale at shops that import Japanese stuff, but not on Tamiya's USA website (tamiyausa.com).

    The panel line washes are enamel based, that's why Tamiya tells you to use X-20 to clean up.  I don't think X-20A will work at all; what it would do is melt the Tamiya paint under the wash and remove the wash that way, along with the paint, making a big mess.

    The instructions for the panel line washes state explicitly to use X-20 to clean up, but they don't even export that to the USA.  What I've used is Testors Enamel Thinner; it cleans the wash off Tamiya's gloss clear coat easily, without affecting the clear coat.

  3. I'm currently building Tamiya's latest Spitfire, #61119.  I've liked every Tamiya kit I've built so far, really good quality stuff.  The same is true here, except for one bit.

    The kit comes with a "masking sheet" for the cockpit canopy.  I've gotten to the point where I need to mask the canopy for painting and after a few minutes of picking at this masking sheet, I realized it's just a piece of masking paper with some lines printed on it.  It's not pre-cut.  I think the modeller is supposed to go over the lines with a knife and cut them out.  Needless to say, I was really disappointed.

    I've put in an order for a proper set of masks from Eduard, but I was curious if this was how Tamiya provided masking sheets for all the other models that have them?

  4. This is Hasegawa’s Vanship in 1/72.

    https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0q5oqs3qcpRtc

    A Vanship is a flying machine from the anime TV series “Last Exile: Fam, The Silver Wing”.  I actually saw the model first and was intrigued by the design, so I watched the series.  It’s pretty good.

    What attracted me by the design was the mix of retro styling combined with a sci-fi element.  It’s similar to steampunk, but instead of victorian era designs, this is looks more 1930s or so.

    I used Mr Hobby Surfacer for the primer.  The metal bits towards the front were done using Mission Models chrome over Tamiya gloss black.  I kept the coverage thin to make the metal look dark.  The metal bits at the rear were done using various Testors/Model-Master flat metallics dry brushed over Tamiya flat black.  (I’m experimenting with various ways to simulate metals).  The red and white bits were painted with Mission Models paints and then covered with Tamiya’s clear gloss.  I used no clear coat over the metal bits.

    This is the first model I’ve done that needed to be finished glossy.  All my previous stuff were finished in flat, and while there may have been an intermediate gloss coat for decals and/or weathering, I didn’t really care how good the gloss looked because I was just going to spray over it in flat.  Not so on this model; the subject is supposed to have a gloss finish.  While the result isn’t terrible, it certainly doesn’t look like it’s going to ripple if it’s touched.  I’ve seen much better gloss coats, albeit on larger scale models.  I tried using a bit of Novus #2 on the gloss coat, with no effect.  That Tamiya gloss dries hard.

  5. I'm coming back to the hobby after a hiatus.  The last time I built anything, the internet existed but the world-wide-web did not.  There wasn't any online shopping back then.  Now, I'm amazed at all the stuff I can find out there.  There's even a new genre or two (giant robots?  really?).

    I used to do a lot of WW2 and modern era aircraft, but since returning, I've done some more fictional subjects.  I've done a couple of Warhammer kits and a few kits based on anime subjects (but not the giant robots).  I've not given up on the kits based on real subjects, and will probably return to them at some point.

    I'd describe myself as a "casual" modeller, I'm not interested in winning or even entering any contests.  I learn something new with every kit I put together and I suppose that's what I'm looking for.

×
×
  • Create New...