World War II
Discuss WWII and the era directly before and after the war from 1935-1949.
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Early FineMolds 1/48 Claudes
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2018 - 06:56 AM UTC
Richard,
The NFM really looks quite good. I've never used anything but Alcad up to this point, but I'm starting to weaken with all of these acrylic Metalizers.

The masking does leave raised edges as I've dealt with them on Multi colored hard line camo paint schemes. The advantage I had was to apply a few heavy coats of gloss, then I rubbed it out with the Micro Mesh system of pads and plenty of water. Honestly, I don't know how you can rub out the lip without damaging the NMF. Do you have a plan in mind?

Joel
thegirl
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Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2018 - 07:17 AM UTC
Looking nice shiney Richard

Not sure if you have tried it before but be very careful when polishing or sanding the Vallejo paint . It doesn't sand nicely at all or when polished . Let if fully cure before you start .




Terri
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Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2018 - 06:11 PM UTC
Joel & Terri -

Thanks for looking in . I was a fan of Vallejo's MetalColor system when I first tried it , however not so much this time . The gloss black primer would not spray well no matter what I did - all orange peel . It may be age related - I don't know because it sprayed beautifully when new . I think it is about 1 1/2 - 2 yrs old . I went with Tamiya Gloss Black . Unlike Vallejo paints ,which , as Terri noted , are terrible for sandability- Tamiya's paint polishes out beautifully. I am tempted to try Alclad next time around.
I will let the finish cure for a week or so before attempting knocking the edges down. I'll try new # 11 blade surgery first before abrasive methods . I plan on a clear overcoat of some sort as these airframes had a lacquer overcoat which gave them a gold or Amber tint. Meanwhile I'll chip away at the A5M1.
Cheers- Richard
thegirl
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Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2018 - 07:15 PM UTC
Never had any luck with Vallejo's black primer either . Can't get it to spray right , clogs the airbrush tip and like you said ...get that orange-peel effect half way through spraying .

Age might have something to do with . It is a resin/acrylic base paint . I have a bottle of interior grenn 1/4 of it left and it's not spraying nicely any more even after thin it with their airbrush thinner and it did nothing in it's spraying aid . Opened a new bottle and it works fine . If it is age related i'm a little worried about this , have a lot of their paint for German subjects .



Terri
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, March 24, 2018 - 07:18 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Joel & Terri -

Thanks for looking in . I was a fan of Vallejo's MetalColor system when I first tried it , however not so much this time . The gloss black primer would not spray well no matter what I did - all orange peel . It may be age related - I don't know because it sprayed beautifully when new . I think it is about 1 1/2 - 2 yrs old . I went with Tamiya Gloss Black . Unlike Vallejo paints ,which , as Terri noted , are terrible for sandability- Tamiya's paint polishes out beautifully. I am tempted to try Alclad next time around.
I will let the finish cure for a week or so before attempting knocking the edges down. I'll try new # 11 blade surgery first before abrasive methods . I plan on a clear overcoat of some sort as these airframes had a lacquer overcoat which gave them a gold or Amber tint. Meanwhile I'll chip away at the A5M1.
Cheers- Richard



Richard,
I love Tamiya Gloss Black for NMF undercoats. I've tried Alcad's which is enamel based twice, and it's horrid. Plus it never seems to really dry. Sometimes the old standbys are still the best. Believe me, if Tamiya ever went with the trend of specific colors and sets, I'd never be tempted to leave the nest.

Since you're going to clear coat it, you're home free.

Joel
rdt1953
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Posted: Sunday, March 25, 2018 - 04:11 AM UTC
Joel - Perfect world scenario - Tamiya paints ready to spray in convenient dropper bottles. They could even just keep the current color range. How much effort would it take a giant company like Tamiya to pull this off ? Not much I suspect .

Richard
rdt1953
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Posted: Sunday, March 25, 2018 - 04:18 AM UTC
Here is the A5M1 undersides in Tamiya Gloss Black. The white metal props have been cleaned up and the Cowls shot in Tamiya Semi gloss black. First I have seen and used this color - I've got an Eduard ex - Gavia Lysander in the stash that I want to do in the clandestine special ops scheme and this color looks about perfect.



Cheers ! Richard
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, March 25, 2018 - 04:24 AM UTC
Richard,
From where I seat, the Tamiya gloss black looks smooth as silk.
Joel
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2018 - 05:11 AM UTC
Yup , that is shiney ! NMF is going to look good

Joel , hopefully he doesn't keep as all waiting for the results , but I have this fear that he will stare at it to long and become memorized and forget what he was doing ....we , could be waiting a while


Terri
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2018 - 05:15 AM UTC
I am getting sleepy- I am getting sleepy - I am getting sl - z z z
greif8
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2018 - 11:47 AM UTC
Excellent NMF Richard, one of these days I am going to get up the courage to try one. Not sure if my skills are up to, but there is only one way to find out.

Ernest
Joel_W
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Posted: Monday, March 26, 2018 - 07:26 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I am getting sleepy- I am getting sleepy - I am getting sl - z z z



Richard,
Sweet Dreams.

Joel
thegirl
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Posted: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 - 04:56 AM UTC
What time do you want the alarm set for .....




Terri
rdt1953
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Posted: Friday, March 30, 2018 - 03:10 AM UTC
Quickie here - seeing progress paint wise on the A5M1 -



Thanks for looking - Richard
rdt1953
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Posted: Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 04:02 AM UTC
Some markings painted on -





In all honesty this is the good side - I got a heavy trigger finger while shooting the tail codes on the Starboard side . I did the white in Stynylrez Primer so fortunately the Mt. Everest - like paint edges can be sanded - the bleed under the mask not so simple . No one to blame but me

Boo hoo - Richard
thegirl
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Posted: Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 04:35 AM UTC
Richard , I feel your pain on being trigger happy with the airbrush . But these things happen with new toys

That is a sharp looking scheme



Terri
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, March 31, 2018 - 07:11 PM UTC
Richard,
Now that's one mighty impressive camo paint scheme. I've never gotten the "Bravado" to attempt to use masks, let alone make my own, but I've had my share of paint running under Tamiya tape from a heavy hand, so I too know your pain and frustration. Not so easy to clean up as it usually required sanding and polishing down to the primer, and then reverse masking. This is one of the main reasons why I'm still a 100% decal man. But masks done right, create the look exactly like that they're supposed to emulate.

Joel
rdt1953
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Posted: Sunday, April 01, 2018 - 01:02 AM UTC
Terri and Joel -

Thanks for the moral support - I fixed the problem by knocking down the paint edges with micro mesh pads and covering up the characters with the punch out letters/numerals from the mask set and lightly re spraying the Beige color .
While I was at it I strengthened the color modulation a bit .

The A5M1 is almost a wrap - still pondering which way to go with the kanji characters and unit numerals on the A5M2 as masks for these were not included by Montex in what was billed as a complete set . The kit decals will likely disintegrate when placed in the water. I can try to cut my own masks using the decals as a guide or use decals I have from Classic Airframes - the number is not correct but that can be our secret !
Cheers - Richard
Joel_W
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Posted: Sunday, April 01, 2018 - 03:15 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Terri and Joel -

Thanks for the moral support - I fixed the problem by knocking down the paint edges with micro mesh pads and covering up the characters with the punch out letters/numerals from the mask set and lightly re spraying the Beige color .
While I was at it I strengthened the color modulation a bit .

The A5M1 is almost a wrap - still pondering which way to go with the kanji characters and unit numerals on the A5M2 as masks for these were not included by Montex in what was billed as a complete set . The kit decals will likely disintegrate when placed in the water. I can try to cut my own masks using the decals as a guide or use decals I have from Classic Airframes - the number is not correct but that can be our secret !
Cheers - Richard



Richard, you're really skilled at these very precise things, so why not try to make a mask for the unit markings? If it doesn't work out, then go with the kit decals. Whose to know that the numbers may not be totally correct.

Joel
rdt1953
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Posted: Saturday, April 21, 2018 - 04:25 AM UTC
Some progress on the A5M2 - Hinomarus painted on but after several failed attempts at masks for the unit codes I went with decals . The aged kit decals were beyond repair. I have just received the new Lifelike release for Claudes and thankfully correct kanji unit markings were included although the number is a few digits high - Shh ! please don't tell the accuracy police !






Thanks for looking in - Richard
Joel_W
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Posted: Saturday, April 21, 2018 - 09:31 PM UTC
Richard,
The markings looks great. As for not mentioning the slight number issue, it will cost you a cup of coffee at the Noreastcon on Saturday.

Work as ground to almost a halt on the T-33A as I'm trying to finish up and fix little details on all three entries, but figure out a transportation system.

Joel
rdt1953
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Posted: Saturday, April 21, 2018 - 10:41 PM UTC

Quoted Text




Work as ground to almost a halt on the T-33A as I'm trying to finish up and fix little details on all three entries, but figure out a transportation system.

Joel



Joel - you have a deal - they may not have food there but there are plenty of options near by.

I transport my models in plastic storage tubs. The Hucks Truck made the 10 hour trip to the Nats in 2016 unscathed, likewise my three entries for MosquitoCon a few weeks ago. They ride on the floor of my Honda Element
on pieces of foam rubber.



See you in a few days and looking forward to it !

Richard
thegirl
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Posted: Sunday, April 22, 2018 - 04:12 AM UTC
Beautiful scheme Richard , if you didn't mention it I wouldn't even have known of the tail numbers .
Excellent work so far Richard . Both builds are shaping up nicely .




Terri
rdt1953
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Posted: Wednesday, May 02, 2018 - 06:33 AM UTC
Calling these done . This turned into an exercise to explore painted on markings. Learning curve considered , I'm still not sold on it. Dealing with the raised paint edges and the difficulty of placing the masks themselves has me thinking decals are a better option . (for me , at least. )

Here are a few pics - The A5M1 ( the camo scheme ) is all paint.

The A5M2 ( NMF) is all paint except for the Kanji / numbers on the fuselage side and the small warning characters above the flap areas on the upper wing are decals from the new Lifelike Decals Claude release.















Thanks to all for looking in and sharing your thoughts - I will be taking a break for a bit while I recharge the mojo batteries and decide on my next subject.

Cheers - Richard
Joel_W
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Posted: Thursday, May 03, 2018 - 04:23 AM UTC
Richard,
both are done to your usual high standard.

As for masks/paint vs decals both have their advantages, and disadvantages. Masks will lay down over compound curves with little effort, while decals of various makes can cause all sorts of nasty issues.

Like you, I rarely use masks and prefer decals, especially as they're gotten so much better then what they once were.

After you're Ki-43 diorama placing at the Noreastcon, you deserve a break. Since I got skunked, I'm toiling away on my T-33A, then my 1st race car in more then 40 years.

Joel