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Alclad And Snj, The Best Of Both Worlds??


ghodges

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I think you can see the differences between the fuselage and the wings in the pics above. The entire model was sealed/primed with Future, then sprayed with Alclad Aluminum. Next, I masked off the wings and rubbed SNJ silver powder onto the fuselage and ailerons. The final finish will have the flaps done in Metalizer aluminum, and I'll probably lightly flat coat a few fuselage panels to add tonal variation. In any case, I'm hoping the above finish will convey the "painted" wings and the NMF fuselage and parts the P-51 was delivered in. Oh yes, I also used some plastic sheet and corrected the main gear well rear wall. It's hardly worth it, unless you're an accuracy freak (IMO) since it's tough to see unless you're looking directly at it. Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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I'm doing "American Beauty". The red/yellow tail striping is all decal, so there'll be LOTS of clear film on the tail planes/vertical fin! Everywhere else I can trim away most of it and minimize the potential problems. We'll see.......

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Guest Chrgr440RT

You are a braver/more patient man than I. How do you find the patience to make sure everything is perfectly smooth before you put the Alclad? Zen meditation, accupuncture, please share your secrets

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When I've used Alclad, I've found that a primer coat of Future on the bare plastic works wonders for giving you a smooth finish and takes out a lot of flaws in the plastic.

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I've used this combination on a Tamiya P-51D though it was bonafide applications of each - SnJ on the fuselage and Alclad on the wings. The differences are subtle but they are there, making it easy to get 'the look' of a NMF Mustang. Excellent job on the joints - they can trip you up in a heartbeat if you're not on your toes.

 

Please advise on how the decals go - I've never gotten away from silvering decals on NMF; much more to learn on that front.

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How do I find the patience???? I drink until I don't care anymore! :smiley2:

 

Actually, as mentioned above, the Future goes a long way towards giving a smooth surface for any NMF. It can save you a BUNCH of polishing! However, IF you're not careful and get a "run" in the Future; you're back to square one! The other half of the battle is to start with a good kit (like this Tamiya Mustang). There is precisely 1/8in. length of superglue/baby powder "filler" in a 1/16in gap in the front of the left wingroot. All other seams needed no filler!

 

The last secret is to be willng to experiment. Try various combinations until you find something that you like and that you find easy for you to routinely use. Don't worry about the mistakes along the way! It's just a model! Chalk it up to "experience" and move on to the next project, and try not to repeat the same mistake. Eventually you'll settle into a NMF system that you're comfortable with. Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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How do I find the patience???? I drink until I don't care anymore! :smiley2:

 

Actually, as mentioned above, the Future goes a long way towards giving a smooth surface for any NMF. It can save you a BUNCH of polishing! However, IF you're not careful and get a "run" in the Future; you're back to square one! The other half of the battle is to start with a good kit (like this Tamiya Mustang). There is precisely 1/8in. length of superglue/baby powder "filler" in a 1/16in gap in the front of the left wingroot. All other seams needed no filler!

 

The last secret is to be willng to experiment. Try various combinations until you find something that you like and that you find easy for you to routinely use. Don't worry about the mistakes along the way! It's just a model! Chalk it up to "experience" and move on to the next project, and try not to repeat the same mistake. Eventually you'll settle into a NMF system that you're comfortable with. Cheers!

 

GIL :smiley16:

And I thought I was the only one to combine drinking and modeling!! :smiley5:

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