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1/48 ESCI/AMT P-36 Hawk


ghodges

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Built this one just to test the AK Extreme metalizer aluminum paint over bare plastic (no primers). Added a spare resin P-40B interior I had laying around and a better engine from the spares box; otherwise OOTB. Rudder and nose colors were painted on. The prop is Alclad chrome, and the ailerons and elevators are Alclad dull aluminum. I sawed the kit one piece canopy apart, using the windshield and quarter panels, but vacking a new sliding section. By the way, this is how it looks FLAT COATED over all! Before that the silver was bright enough to represent a "museum" finish.

 

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The AK aluminum worked perfectly well over the bare white plastic, though it does need to be GLASS smooth (like when using any NMF). It dried fast, dried hard, handled well, and took masking with only a couple of small problems (when I got too rough and in a hurry). The couple of areas that did lose some finish when the tape was removed were easily repaired by simply spraying more AK on.. The only "trouble" spots were the wheels....but they were never sanded or polished (just painted and masked over) and they may have had some mold residue on them.

 

The only possible Achilles heel to the AK stuff might be that it is SO smooth that the decals don't properly adhere to it! I let the decals dry 24hrs and then put some solvent on a few of them and they loosened back up. It could be there's not enough tooth for them to grab permanently. The flat coat I applied should seal them in place. In the future, if I'm going to add a flat or satin finish at the end, I'll probably gloss before decaling too just to give them something to "bite" into.

 

Comments, critiques, and questions welcome! Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

Edited by ghodges
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Nice job, Gil!

 

Mark

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Try using some watery white glue under the decals. More like water with a little glue.it's got just enough 'tooth' to hold them down. Make a puddle of it on your workbench and float the decal on it. Then touch and edge to a damp paper towel to get the excess off leaving a thin coating on the decal.

 

I must say that this looks better than the one that blew off the roof of my car a couple of years ago. :smiley2:

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Thanks for the tip Ron....and in some ways this P-36 is better, and in others its not. There's actually a physical tie from this one to that, as the prop is the same one on both! :smiley20:

 

I still vividly remember the wind blowing that old P-36 off your roof top, mainly because it's was frickin' FREEZING, and I had to pull off my gloves and pick up all those little bitty parts with half frozen fingers! :smiley7:

 

Oh, and not to put too much emphasis on it......that "couple years ago" you alluded to was at least a quarter century ago! :wacko: Cheers "old" friend! :P

 

GIL :smiley16:

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