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Maddog Manufacturing 2014 Production Line


Mark Deliduka

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Well, I still haven't gotten anything done; it's been one of those days where I've taken one step forward and two steps backward! Still, despite the setbacks, I have made some progress on a couple models. I'd have progressed far more if things had just gone a whole lot more smoothly! Oh well, without further ado, here are the latest and semi-greatest...

Two steps back....

First off, I found a box containing some models I'd taken to a show some time back. All but one was intact, the only broken one being my Staff bus that I'd had completed. One front wheel was off, and the roof rack was broken off almost all the way. So, to make things easier, I tried to remove the chassis before fixing the rack. Mistake number one. Not only do I now have one broken front wheel, but the entire rear wheel axle and springs shattered. One spring has flown into the ether, so until I find it or a suitable replacement, this will remain incomplete.....again:

WIP_Disaster_Fix_II.jpg

I did start to fix the rear wheels to the axle again and the front wheel has been re-installed, so now I'm a little closer to getting it finished again. Meanwhile, I re-glued the roof rack in place; this time using an abundance of CA glue like huge weld beads used by a repairman who got tired of low-hanging trees ripping the thing off the roof! I will try to carve them down a bit to make them appear more correct and in scale, then repaint:

WIP_Disaster_Fix_I.jpg

Two steps forward....

I managed to get two aircraft primed with grey primer and first inspection shows I did quite well in eliminating almost all seam issues. I primed the Australian Aardvark here:

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_VII.JPG

...and the L-39 here:

WIP_L_39_VII.jpg

I had forgotten that the L-39 kit had included some excellent canopy masks, so I used my usual liquid masking agent.

One step back....

I also sprayed a gloss black coat onto my Gloster Meteor to check my seams and in preparation for a silver base coat. I found a few areas that need additional sanding, especially on the lower wing where I only sanded with a coarse stick and didn't follow up with any finer grits. But worse than that; I couldn't get a nice smooth glossy finish on this model. There was too much orange peel effect! I just can't seem to ever do it right, even when I'm doing everything right!

WIP_Gloster_Meteor_IV.jpg

Oh well, I guess once it dried thoroughly, I'll buff it to a fine gloss and see if I can make it look good enough to spray a silver basecoat on.


One step forward....

While cleaning off my workbench a little, I found the missing horizontal stabilizer that was missing from my Ju-88S that I'd gotten as a Secret Santa gift....two years ago! So, I quickly pulled out the Ju-88 and added the stabilizer to it before I lost it again:

WIP_Ju88S1_VI.JPG

The one that was repaired is the one with the big smudge on it....

Now to find the box containing the rest of the parts and instructions and see if I can get the stinkin' thing done!

One step back.....

For a second time I tried to airbrush on a coat of dark grey on my Dicker Max. Once again, it came out beyond grainy! I might as well have flicked paint on it with a stupid paintbrush!

WIP_Dicker_Max_V.jpg

Once again, I'll have to strip it and start again! For a simple build that should have been completed in three weeks at the longest, this is taking FAR, FAR too long! Furthermore, I think my 1.75 HP compressor is going out. Another step back.....

One step forward...

These are something I did for fun. At my local AMPS club meeting, one of the members gave me two resin castings of 1/72 scale armor: an M-4 Sherman with sandbags and stowage all over, and a StuG III B. Just for fun, I went ahead and primed them both in preparation for paint:

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_I.jpg

I have a lot of spare Sherman barrels and .50 cal machine guns I can choose from to complete that Sherman.

Finally, I'll leave you with a pic of all the models I currently have in the painting queue waiting for either a basecoat and/or a camouflage pattern:

WIP_Painting_Queue_5_2014.jpg

Now you see why I am eager to get some of these stinkin' things done!



That's all I have to show for my most frustrating day in the Hobby Room! Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, here I am back with a rather large update. I apologize for those on dialup, this post is quite picture-heavy.

After dealing with all the latest health issues; catching up on some work, and finally getting my life on a slightly more even keel, I managed to get quite a bit of time and productivity on the workbench...... and it wasn't even Hobby Day!

Okay, I'll start with the three aircraft that I was working on.

Remember this?

WIP_Gloster_Meteor_IV.jpg

Well, after letting it sit like that for eight days, I buffed it smooth with a 2500-grit sanding pad until I had eliminated all the orange peel effect. Some paces I had sanded right through to the bare plastic, so I dusted it as clean as I could make it, then shot another mist coat of the same Wal-Mart brand of Gloss Black from the spray can. Should go right on nice and smooth right?

Right?


So if it is supposed to go on nice and smooth; can someone explain to me why THIS happened???

WIP_Gloster_Meteor_V.jpg

I swear, I try a technique that everyone says is supposed to work just fine. Everyone tells me that the best way to get a really refined BMF is to spray a smooth layer of Gloss Black paint first and then the metal effect will look extremely good. So, I do exactly what everyone tells me to do and THIS happens? WHY? Why does it never happen to anyone else, but ME?!!


Okay, that has been consigned to the Shelf Queen hanger until I can calm down enough to work on it without throwing it against the wall....


On a lighter note, I did shoot a basecoat on my Australian Aardvark. It is now ready for the camouflage pattern:

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_VIII.JPG

I wanted to try the silly putty technique for masking, but I decided to do it on a model with a simpler, two-tone pattern first. So, after shooting a tan color on my L-39 that will be delivered to my Iraqi Air Force:

WIP_L_39_VIII.jpg

I then applied the silly putty to the model thus; covering all the places I wanted to keep tan:

WIP_L_39_IX.jpg

Finally, I sprayed the dark brown on the model, covering as best i can all the exposed areas on top that I wanted to make darker:

WIP_L_39_X.jpg

Sweet! This is awesome! The only thing is, I forgot to shoot another pic of the camouflaged aircraft after taking the stuff off! Oh well.....

I can get those pics up on the next update.



Continued on the next post.....

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Moving on to my armor, I finally got the basecoat on all the German armor I've had sitting around waiting for paint. Here's my StuH42:

WIP_StuG_GB_XII.jpg

My StuG IV:

WIP_StuG_GB_XIII.jpg

My Airfix Panzer IV:

WIP_Panzer_IV_c.JPG

My Dragon Panzer IV:

WIP_German_Steel_VII.jpg

And my German Morser 17:

WIP_German_Morser_17cm_Gun_VII.jpg

After all those, I changed to Olive Drab to finally paint my little WWI Mack truck:

WIP_IPMSGB_Mack_AC_Bulldog_IX.jpg

Wow, this is starting to look good!

WIP_IPMSGB_Mack_AC_Bulldog_X.jpg

I've since added the wheels, decaled it and weathered it and now it is done. Once I get my camera back next week, I'll shoot those pics to show it in the Armor Forums.

I also basecoated my Indian T-90 with a dark brown in preparation for a camouflage pattern:

WIP_T_90_IV.jpg

Well, that silly putty technique was so fun and effective, I decided to try it out on a couple of my tanks.

I had already basecoated my Japanese Type 10 MBT with a dark green. Now all I needed was a dark brown.

So, I added the silly putty to the tank and shot the brown:

WIP_Modern_Armor_GB_Type_10_VIII.jpg

This time, I remembered to pull the silly putty off and shoot the resulting pics:

WIP_Modern_Armor_GB_Type_10_IX.jpg

WIP_Modern_Armor_GB_Type_10_X.jpg

Nice!! I was surprised that something went so well for me! I have since decaled and weathered this tank, completing it along with the Mack truck. Once I get my camera back, I'll shoot this one too.

That went so well, that I applied some silly putty to my Indian T-90:

WIP_T_90_V.jpg

And shot on the sand colored paint....

WIP_T_90_VI.jpg

...and I forgot to take another pic after taking off the putty.... I guess I was just too excited that this worked so well.

Anyway, moving along, I painted some of the details on my little M-119 howitzer for my US Army:

WIP_M119_III.jpg

This was also completed with weathering recently. Pics will happen with the others.

And then I decided it was time to move on with the Dicker Max. Remember this?

WIP_Dicker_Max_V~0.jpg

I re-sanded this down, then re-painted it with a brush. I buffed it to a smooth sheen; exposing certain areas again, but I went ahead and assembled it completely sans wheels and tracks:

WIP_Dicker_Max_VI.jpg

I will re-shoot another mist coat of dark grey on this and then try to modularize the color with a lighter grey... what I intended to do in the first place but I wasn't allowed to have a smooth coat in the beginning! Anyway.... I went ahead and assembled the wheels and tracks and painted them partially in preparation for mounting on this inexcusably difficult model:

WIP_Dicker_Max_VII.jpg


Finally, just for fun, I played around with the two resin castings of a Sherman and StuG that were given to me by a friend and fellow AMPS member. I basecoated the StuG when I did the other German vehicles:

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_II.jpg

....and later on, to get rid of some extra dark brown; I shot some camo stripes on this little beastie:

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_VI.jpg

The Sherman, however, took a little bit more to do. After basecoating it with the Olive Drab along with the Mack Truck, I shot a dark brown over the sandbags and wooden crates:

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_III.jpg

Later, I shot a tan coat over the sandbags and brushed it over the wooden crates:

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_IV.jpg

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_V.jpg

Finally, I touched up the paint a bit and also painted the rest of the stowage. I then clearcoated, decaled (from the spares box), and then washed this down with another dark wash. Then I added a light, sandy wash to the top of the tank; as well as some weathering powders to the lower part of the tank and the running gear. The final touch was a gun barrel from the spares box. This little beastie is done:

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_VII.jpg

WIP_Resin_Wargame_Tanks_VIII.jpg

This and the StuG are wargame pieces that will be added to my wargame armies later on, so these two don't count as finished models for my collection. They aren't a clean, refined casting so they are far from contest quality, but the Sherman was very helpful in experimenting with some wash and weathering techniques. And it does look quite well after all! I'll be doing something similar with the StuG, we'll see how it turn out.

Okay, that is a full rendition of what I've been able to get done this past week. I hope you all enjoyed this latest tour of Maddog Manufacturing. Once again, when I recover my camera, (it was left in my friend's car after returning from the San Diego model contest) I will take pics of my latest three completed models. Who knows? I may even have a couple more finished by then!

Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

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Okay, here's a small update showing the latest I was able to get done. I say small because I only got to work on a few models. I did complete about three more armor models, you can see them in the armor forums.

On to the workbench....

At Hobby Day last week, I wanted to finally get some progress done on my two T-90 tanks. That meant finally getting the tracks on them.

The instructions say to take the tracks and soak them in very hot water to soften them up...

WIP_T_90_VII.jpg

Next, you add glue to the sprockets and roadwheels and then wrap them around and hold until they stay....

WIP_T_90_VIII.jpg

I think I did pretty well on the first tank; the one that will be the Indian tank:

WIP_T_90_IX.jpg

WIP_T_90_X.jpg

I even had to trim off a couple extra links! I'm not going to worry about the upper ruins, they''ll be hidden behind skirts.

Here it is test-fit to the upper hull to see how they look:

WIP_T_90_XI.jpg

This is looking good now!

So, I tried it again on the Russian tank.

So far so good....

WIP_T_90_XII.jpg

Then disaster strikes on the other side! Again!

WIP_T_90_XIII.jpg

I have had so much trouble with things breaking on this model. It is an exact copy of the Indian model, yet the Indian model is falling together while the Russian one is a nightmare!

Oh well, I decided to move on with it; finishing off the upper hull just so it would be ready once I finish repairing the running gear:

WIP_T_90_XIV.jpg

After I got tired of that, I moved on to start an S-model T-35 Landship I got from a friend in swap. Here is the main hull and running gear finished:

WIP_T_35_I.jpg


Later on at home; I added tape to my L-39 and then shot some Wal-Mart 96-cent spraybomb of grey primer on the bottom of this:

WIP_L_39_XI.jpg

Awhile later, after removing the tape, I felt confident in a job well sprayed:

WIP_L_39_XII.jpg

WIP_L_39_XIII.jpg

Now it's time for the clearcoat and decals before finishing this off.


That's all for now. This may be my last update for a few weeks. I'm leaving Saturday for Ohio to visit my brother for two weeks so I'll be away from the workbench.


Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

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  • 1 month later...

Okay, here it is a few months down the line and I finally have some progress done and a camera to document it! Gee, where do I start?

I guess I'll start with my aircraft and work my way to the ground.

In aircraft, I started a new F-86. (my third one I found out!) This one is the Hobby Boss easy build model and it wasn't so easy to build! I had a devil of a time getting the nose to fit on, and when I finally did, I went ahead and sanded everything smooth. Later, I shot a coat of Tamiya Gloss Black on it to prepare it for Alclad. It was filled with imperfections and blemishes. So, I sanded all the imperfections out and then buffed it with a 4000-grit sanding pad. Here is the result:

WIP_HobbyBoss_F86_I.jpg

I may just shoot the Alclad right on it now instead of adding another coat of black...

After that hassle, I figured it was time to do an easy job: I shot some Tamiya Navy Blue from a spraycan on my F-8 Bearcat that I'm doing for another Monogram Group Build elsewhere. This came out far smoother and even than the black did. Gee, I wonder why....

WIP_F8_Bearcat_III.jpg

Moving along I had shot another coat of grey primer on the underside of my F-4 Phantom II I'm doing for another Group Build elsewhere. Afterwards, when it was dry; I masked off the bottom to prepare this for the top coat:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_VII.jpg

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_VIII.jpg

Once I get the top coat on, I'll mask this with some more Silly Putty and add the camouflage pattern to it. Maybe then this will turn out better than my usual screwed up planes.

Earlier in the week, I worked on my little F4-B4 biplane at Hobby Day. I got some paint on this and then added a few more detail parts. I had painted the tail surfaces and upper wing white to help the yellow go on better. Then I brushed on the yellow paint on the tail and it turned out great:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_ViI.jpg

The top wing didn't work out though, so I wiped it off as much as I could to shoot some yellow on it later through the airbrush:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_VI.jpg

Later I'll apply the decals to this since it is easier to do when the upper wing is not on it.


On to my armor...


I started out adding Silly Putty to my Russian T-90, one of my StuGs, and my ancient Airfix Panzer IV. Then I shot paint for the second color of a three-color pattern. Then I masked the StuG and the T-90 with more Silly Putty and shot the third color. I also shot a third color on the Panzer IV without masking more; why I don't know. Just lazy I guess. Anyway, here are the results:

The PzIV still with the Silly Putty on it:

WIP_Panzer_IV_D.JPG

Here it is with the Silly Putty removed:

WIP_Panzer_IV_E.JPG

The StuH42 with all the Silly Putty removed:

WIP_StuG_GB_XV.jpg

WIP_StuG_GB_XVII.jpg

I need to add the dots for the ambush scheme on this, and then I'll be able to move on.

This is the T-90 with the Silly Putty removed. Now I can add a few more detail pieces; touch this up a bit and it'll be ready for decals:

WIP_T_90_XVI.jpg

Speaking of decals, my Indian T-90 is finished and ready for a clearcoat and decals now:

WIP_T_90_XV.jpg

Next, I tried to do a freehand airbrush pattern of stripes on my StuG. My airbrush tip wasn't fine enough, nor was my paint and air ratio correct, so I screwed the pooch on this one:

WIP_StuG_GB_XIV.jpg

WIP_StuG_GB_XVI.jpg

Should be fairly easy to clear up.

Speaking of screwing the pooch, I did it again on my Dicker Max. Somehow, the paint messed up again. You can see how shiny it is in this picture; it was still sticky to the touch when I shot that pic two days after I painted it. You may even be able to see my thumbprint on the side:

WIP_Dicker_Max_VIII.jpg

That's what I get for trying to make this one look good. I should have just thrown it together. Then maybe I'd have been done with it and it might even have looked acceptable. No, that just isn't allowed for me....

However, I think I did a bit better freehanding the camo pattern on my Morser 17 artillery piece:

WIP_German_Morser_17cm_Gun_VIII.jpg

I think I can clearcoat, wash and weather this and call it done soon.

Finally, I wanted to get some actual building done so I pulled out my T-35 and finished off the assembly. I did leave the track assemblies, upper and lower hulls separate for ease of painting, so this is now ready for paint:

WIP_T_35_II.jpg

And now, for something different, I also started an ancient Airfix RAF Rescue Boat in 1/72 scale. It was a Distressed Kit I got from my IPMS Distressed Kit Auction so it had been 'slightly started'. I did take it a bit further; assembling the rear cabin, the driver's cabin, and the two glassed-in turrets. I assembled the 20mm cannon for the rear deck as well:

WIP_RAF_Rescue_Launch_I.jpg

Moving forward in the directions, I get the feeling that I should have waited to add the rear cabin to the deck instead of following the directions so closely. Here's why:

WIP_RAF_Rescue_Launch_iI.jpg

That is going to take some creative gluing, especially since the sides of the lower hull are also narrower that the deck, which means I'm going to have to press pretty hard to spread the hull sides out to glue where they are supposed to go.

Hmm, I just found and ancient Airfix Vosper Torpedo Boat in the stash as well... and a PT-109.....


Anyway, that's all I have to show for now. It sure felt good to get back to the workbench again. Hopefully I'll be able to make more progress tomorrow. Meanwhile, thanks for looking in, comments are always welcome.

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Well, since I've overwhelmed everyone into shocked silence, I'll continue with the awe....



For this week's updates, I think I'll start on the ground and take off from there. I'll start with all the German armor which all got decals and dark brown wash:

WIP_StuG_GB_XVIII.jpg

WIP_StuG_GB_XIX.jpg

WIP_German_Steel_VIII.jpg

WIP_German_Steel_IX.jpg

WIP_Panzer_IV_F.JPG

I didn't have any decals to add to this gun, so here it is with the brown wash:

WIP_German_Morser_17cm_Gun_IX.jpg


Next, I added decals to the two T-90's which had also been washed:


WIP_T_90_XVII.jpg

WIP_T_90_XVIII.jpg

WIP_T_90_XIX.jpg

Finally, a touch-up wash and some detail painting followed by a dullcoat:

WIP_StuG_GB_XX.jpg

I did the same for the other German vehicles and the two T-90's but didn't get the pics taken for some reason.

I then added the tracks to the StuH-42 and the Panzer IV. Now all that is left is to add all the detail parts as well as the wheel hubs which have all been painted and washed.

WIP_Steinmans_StuGs_III.jpg

WIP_German_Steel_X.jpg

These two and the Morser 17 just need to be weathered and they are finished. The two T-90's just need one or two detail parts, their machine guns mounted and weathering done and they'll be finished. The Airfix Panzer IV just needs it's tracks, some details painted and weathering and it's done.

I lost one of the two tracks for the StuG IV late, so I'll add the wheel hubs and some detail parts to this before setting it aside until the second track appears. It'll probably be a few years with the way my luck is going.


Okay, that shows the first hour and a half of my day yesterday.... :blink::smiley8: :D :smiley20:



Okay, now on to my aircraft...

The first thing I was to apply liquid decal film to the two sheets of decals on my Navy aircraft:

WIP_Decal_Sheets_I.jpg

The next day, I got the decals applied to my two Navy aircraft:

WIP_F8_Bearcat_IV.jpg

WIP_F8_Bearcat_V.jpg

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_VIII.jpg

That fuselage band was real hard to get lined up! Wow!

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_IX.jpg

You can see how badly they silvered; and they even started curling up on the Bearcat as you can see in the pics. I hit both of these with a good dose of Solvaset to hold them down and things look a lot better now.

Next I masked off the F-111 and the F-4 Phantom with my Silly Putty:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_IX.jpg

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_IX.JPG

Afterwards, as the Solvaset was drying on the other two, I shot a coat of Medium Green on these two aircraft:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_X.jpg

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_X.JPG

Next I need to add more masking and then shoot the final coat on these two and then I can clearcoat and decal them. I can't wait!

And finally, another coat of Gloss Black on the F-86. Closer, but still no cigar:

WIP_HobbyBoss_F86_II.jpg

Well, that's about all I have for now. Maybe next week I can report a few of these as finished. Meanwhile, thanks for looking in, comments are welcome.

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Great stuff there Mark, you sure can pump out the models. I see you used the silly putty trick. I have never done this but have seen and herd great things about this trick. Will have to do it some day. Nice job on everything. Oh I usually don't ever do this,but since I know you pretty well. There appears to be silvering on the decals of the Navy aircrafts. Just and fyi.

 

Chris G. :Smile_sceptic:

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Thanks Chris! Yeah, I had noticed them starting to silver as I was taking the pics. Since these pics have been taken, I've scored the decals and applied considerable Solvaset to them to snuggle them down and eliminate the silvering. I just got lazy about shooting an after pic; they are looking quite good right now.

 

Thanks again for the compliments and the FYI, I appreciate both!

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Nice work, Mark. Did you ever finish that little WWI destroyer?

 

Thanks Chris! Also, thanks for reminding me of that little WWI destroyer. Actually, all it needs is decals and maybe a clear/dull coat afterwards. I need to get that done.

 

Stay tuned!

 

 

Just pumping them out. Nice stuff. my youngest loves 1/72 armor but dad finds them a bit frustrating. :Smile_sceptic:

 

Thanks Jim! I've always loved 1/72 scale armor. Feel free to show mine to your youngest. Has he seen the pics of my entire collection showing all 545 Models (at the time)? He'd probably be thrilled! :army7: :smiley20:

 

 

Stay tuned, more to come.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I've managed to put in some good time in the Hobby Room this past week and was able to move along quite well. This week, I'm closer to finishing a few more models; hopefully I'll be able to do that by the end of the week.

Okay, on to the Armor that I made progress on.

Starting with my German WWII vehicles, I got the tracks on the little Airfix Panzer IV and completed the detail painting on this one. Now all that's left is the weathering:

WIP_Panzer_IV_G.JPG

Here is a comparison shot showing my Airfix Panzer IV next to my Dragon Panzer IV:

WIP_Panzer_IV_H.JPG

Next up is my StuG. This one has been weathered and detailed out; the only thing missing is the tracks. That's because one of the tracks went missing so this is as far as I can go on this until that other track appears:

WIP_Steinmans_StuGs_IV.jpg

WIP_Steinmans_StuGs_V.jpg

Moving on, here is my Russian T-90 all completed, decaled, and detail painted. All that's left here is the weathering:

WIP_Russian_T-90_IIA.jpg

This is my Indian T-90 all decaled and final parts added. After this pic got taken, I painted up the machine gun and other details, so this one just needs to be weathered as well:

WIP_T_90_XX.jpg

Now on to a couple of near-shelf queens that I'd been holding off on while I completed the others. This first one is a Trumpeter M-1 Panther mine clearing vehicle. It was a very fast assembly, and before I realized I hadn't taken any pics of this yet; I had shot the green basecoat on it:

WIP_M_1_Panther_I.jpg

This one has the option of making it with the mine rollers or the mine plow. I'll make this one with the mine plow since I already have an Army M-1 Abrams with the mine rollers.

Since I was shooting green on this Panther, I also pulled out my T-35 Landship to shoot some green on it too:

WIP_T_35_III.jpg

That's as far as I got on my armor so far.




Okay, now on to my aircraft...

I'll start out with Gloss Coat Attempt No. 3...

Gloster Meteor:

WIP_Gloster_Meteor_VI.jpg

F-86 Sabre:

WIP_HobbyBoss_F86_III.jpg

This time I airbrushed on the Gloss Black to see if I could get a smoother coat. You can still see that despite my best efforts, I still managed to coat this with another orange peel flecked with dust and small bubbles.

I cannot catch a break!


That's it, I decided to work on something more simple. I pulled out the Bearcat and started on the landing gear and underwing stores:

WIP_F8_Bearcat_VI.jpg

Here they are attached to the model. All I have to do now is fix that stupid engine inside the cowl and re-attach the propeller:

WIP_F8_Bearcat_VII.jpg

After I do that, this bird will be done.

Moving on to something else that is much easier, I shot the yellow on my L-39 where it's indicated in the instructions:

WIP_L_39_XIV.jpg

Later on I checked it out to see how it looks:

WIP_L_39_XV.jpg

Not bad. I still need to paint the nose black so the front tape is staying on for now.

Since I was spraying yellow, I also shot the top wing to my F4-B4 biplane. Once it's dry I'll be able to clearcoat it, apply the decals and mount this on the struts:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_XI.jpg

While that was drying, I tested the three different blues I'd bought to try and match the decal. It appears the True Blue is the closest color match:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_X.jpg

The True Blue will be the one I use to paint the engine cowl.

Now on to the others. I spent a good amount of time masking and painting the camouflage patterns on my F-111 and F-4 Phantom. Here is the Aardvark after the second mask had gone on:

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_XI.JPG

I then shot the third color (tan) over this bird and set it aside to dry:

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_XII.JPG

While that was drying, I masked off and painted the F-4 Phantom. Here is the second mask and the green color:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_X~0.jpg

...followed by the final mask and dark brown color:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_XI.jpg

Later on when they were dry, I removed the Silly Putty masking to see how well these two came out.

Here's the Aardvark:

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_XIII.JPG

...and here's the Phantom:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_XII.jpg

Here are the two of them clearcoated so that the camo pattern is protected from any further damage while I paint the details on these two aircraft:

WIP_Australian_Aardvark_XIV.JPG

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_XIII.jpg

I will also be applying the decals to these soon too.

Well, that brings me to the end of my account of my productive week this week. I was hoping to be a bit further along on some of these, but I'm happy with the progress I've made. I hope you all enjoyed the show. Thanks all for looking in, comments are welcome.

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Looking good Mark! Can you give some specific details for the gloss black you're airbrushing, such as who's paint and what type, what thinner, what air pressure you're using, etc.? Perhaps we can figure out what's gumming up the works.

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Thanks for the compliments guys!

 

Gil, I'm using Testor's Model Master Gloss Black Enamel, thinned with Testor's Airbrush Thinner to about the consistency of milk (approximately 65-35 ratio paint-to-thinner and sprayed at 20-23 psi from a double-action airbrush.

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Ok....are you spraying the black over the plastic, or over another primer coat? Your paint ratio sounds good, though you might go slightly thinner and cut the pressure back to 15-20, misting it on more than applying color coats. I've also switched to thinning MM enamels with lacquer thinner; it's cheaper and it makes it dry faster.

 

Being a gloss paint/primer, it needs to go over a VERY smooth surface, preferably the bare plastic. If you're putting it over other coats, that may be your problem, especially if you apply heavy, wet color coats. Doing that can cause the wet paint to react with whatever primer paint is all ready there. The multiple primer coats will also raise the thickness over all, obscuring more surface details.

 

So, if you HAVE to put another primer on first, keep it as thin and smooth as possible. Polish it before applying the black if needs be. The gloss black also needs to be perfectly smooth before applying the Alclad. And remember, MIST the Alclad on, using 2-3 coats to build up the desired color. Hope this helps!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Thanks Gil! One is sprayed over bare plastic that I polished first. (Meteor). The other was shot with a thin coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000 (F-86) which was subsequently polished as well. I misted on the black, but the second coat to gloss it up started with the imperfections. So I buffed it again to smooth it out and tried again. Third attempt still came up with all those imperfections.

 

Maybe my room is too dusty; I have no idea what to do about that!

 

Man, if this is what it takes for a decent bare metal finish, I think I'll give up trying to do it. I'll never be able to place with one of these. I have an RB-50 someone gave me for a present and I've been practicing on these little things to hopefully learn how to do it well enough to make the RB-50 look decent enough. THAT ain't gonna happen now!

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Must be something we're not thinking of......pebbling/orange peel is usually a sign that the paint has started to dry before it hits the surface. You might check to see that you're not spraying from too far away. Unlike using rattle cans from 10-12 inches away, airbrushing needs to be done2-4 inches away when applying cover coats, and even closer for detail airbrushing. You have to adjust paint thickness and air pressures to allow for that closer work.

 

You're quite right in that NMFs are some of the toughest to do! I guess that's why we're so impressed when they come out looking right! Best of luck on ironing out the problems!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Thanks Gil! I'll start experimenting with paint mixes, distance and pressure. Maybe I'll find the sweet spot.

 

Thanks Jim, that looks awesome; but if the surface isn't smooth enough, or the imperfections aren't properly taken care of (one issue I'm having) then even Krylon Matte Aluminum won't hide them. I will be picking some up though to give it a try. I have several large aircraft I wanted to do in NMF so a can of this, if it works for me; would be invaluable.

 

 

Thanks again for the suggestions guys! I do appreciate the help.

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This is my latest update showing everything I was able to get done this past week and a half. I'll start with my aircraft.

After finding my missing parts, I got all the major assemblies and the wheels done on the little F4 Biplane. The engine in this pic is still just dry fit in place since I still needed to paint the cowl:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_XII.jpg

Next, I applied the decals to the upper wing and then sealed them:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_XIII.jpg

After that was dry, I glued the upper wing to the model. Again, the engine is just dry fit until the cowl can be painted:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_XIIIA.jpg

And here is the cowl all painted up and set aside to dry:

WIP_F4_B4_Biplane_XIV.jpg

Later on, when it was dry,l I glued it on and touched up the model. You can see it in the Aircraft Forum along with my other two finished aircraft.

Speaking of my other finished aircraft, here is the third one I got finished with during this past week. This is after I applied the decals to it and just before I added the landing gear and underwing stores to finish it off:

WIP_L_39_XVI.jpg

I also managed to get a little further on my Iranian F-4 Phantom. I masked off and painted the nose cone, as well as the metallic tail surfaces:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_XIV.jpg

Here it is after the masks were removed:

WIP_OOB_GB_Phantom_XV.jpg

I was going to try to put the decals on this, but after looking at all the stencils; I decided to put that away until later.


Now on to my armor. I was working on just two more armor models hoping to get them finished by this time. I succeeded. You can see both of these in the Armor Forum, but for now, here's a few pics of them final work I did on these.

First off, I stripped off the paint from the upper hull of the Dicker Max. Now to try again on this:

WIP_Dicker_Max_IX.jpg

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why this model has been so freakin' hard to paint!


Moving on to something more amenable, I painted the M-1 Panther II and even tried some color modulation on this:

WIP_M_1_Panther_II.jpg

Later on, I added the mine plow and several of the last detail parts to it:

WIP_M_1_Panther_III.jpg

After taking that pic, I noticed the two dimples still on the upper glacis plate and I knew I had to fill and sand them down. Out came the Mr. Surfacer 500 and after some sanding and polishing, this was the result:

WIP_M_1_Panther_IV.jpg

You'll note that I also added the tracks by this time too.

Later on, I repainted the front of the model with the dark green basecoat; and then decided to modulate the color with a different green this time. After it was dry, I gave it decals and a dark brown wash:

WIP_M_1_Panther_VI.jpg

Then wash was still a bit wet at the time I took this pic.

Once this was dry, I dullcoated this and weathered it, thus finishing it up. Again, feel free to check it out with my other finished armor in the Armor Forums.

The other tank I finished up was my Russian T-35 Monstrosity. First off, they give no provision for being able to turn the turrets; they have to be glued in place. I didn't like that so I devised a way to make all my turrets turn. First of all, I thinned the plastic around the turret rings, then I glued plastic card discs to the bottom of the turrets, thus trapping them in place. Here you can see all the little discs holding my turrets to the main hull:

WIP_T_35_IV.jpg

Some of the discs in front were getting caught between the upper and lower hulls, so I had to notch out the lower hull to make sure they could turn freely:

WIP_T_35_V.jpg

The rear discs didn't need this as the upper hull had enough play in it to allow freedom of movement.

Now all my turrets turn, as you can see in these next two pics:

WIP_T_35_VI.jpg

WIP_T_35_VII.jpg

Here it is after I'd finished adding all the last detail parts, the skirts and any touch ups to it.

WIP_T_35_VIII.jpg

Later I added some aftermarket decals I had since this didn't come with any. All those slab-sided skirts and multiple turrets just begged for some kind of markings so I just threw a few on that I thought looked good. I know they ain't accurate, but this does look a lot better with all those decals on it. After the decals, I washed it with the same brown wash I used on the Panther; dullcoated it and then weathered it to finish it off. You can see it on the Armor Forum with all my other finished armor.



Okay, now on to my Call to Arms selections. This first one is chosen because Ian likes Star Wars. This is the Finemolds kit and boy is it a fine mold! This model simply falls together far more easily than any model I've built to date! I started with the cockpit, simple as it is:

WIP_CTA_IansChoice_I.jpg

I followed up by building the main fuselage:

WIP_CTA_IansChoice_II.jpg

Later, I built the stand so I can hold this on it as I build it up:

WIP_CTA_IansChoice_III.jpg


After I got this far, I put it aside and started the second Call to Arms model that I chose because I have been wanting to start it. This is the Polar Lights Sleepy Hollow kit based on the Johnny Depp movie; which I haven't seen yet.

Here you can see where I built up the Horseman himself. It is quite obvious I'm going to have some serious seams to fill. Getting them filled and sanded without losing any detail is going to be rough!

WIP_CTA_MyChoice_I.jpg

After building him up, I started on his horse. This thing was in eight pieces. I finally got them all together, but again, some serious seam issues will need to be dealt with. Still, this does look rather impressive:

WIP_CTA_MyChoice_II.jpg

It is just dry-fit to the base so far. This is an example of one of the toughest seam issues I'll have to deal with:

WIP_CTA_MyChoice_III.jpg

Now, this model comes with three options for the right hand. The left hand will be holding Johnny Depp's severed head (Although he looks more like Nicholas Cage!) while the right hand has the option of holding an Axe, a Sword, or a Jack-o'-Lantern. This sprue shows the Axe, the Sword, the empty right hand in the top left corner and Johnny's severed head:

WIP_CTA_MyChoice_IV.jpg

 

So, which choice do you guys prefer? Personally I am torn between the sword and the axe. I'd only want to do the Jack-o'-Lantern if there was a way to make it flame and that ain't possible.

 

 

Just for fun, here he is mounted on his horse so far:

WIP_CTA_MyChoice_V.jpg


Well, that about covers my latest progress from this past week and a half. I hope you all enjoyed it! Feel free to check out the 11 or so models I finished up during this same time. Thanks for looking in, comments are always welcome.

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