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Any model makers here? This is a nice little add on.

Hello MJS and Hello C42,

At one point I was going to make a small OO layout and made a couple of Scalescenes freebies.

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But then I thought those couplings! I can't possibly use them.
So back to O gauge, but, I'd learnt a lot from the Scalescenes ones.
Went to Sheffield a few times took some pics and used the same techniques to make these.

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Pic taken when under construction, the ones on the left hide the fiddle yard.

Cheers - J
 
A few days before Xmas I cracked a joke at the dinner table about re-equipping the RAF with Spitfires after Brexit. Lo & Behold, what appears under the Xmas tree a few days later but...
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Late model, Griffon engine, bubble canopy

I have not made a plastic model kit in about 40 years..... but I have discovered that age brings patience, and that pays dividends making these things, and I'm really enjoying building this slowly and carefully.

BUT...back in my day, it was basically humbrol or airfix enamel paint, horrible smelly stuff that needed thinners. For this kit, I ordered all the right acrylic paints (Vallejo) and I have to say - they are dreadful! Are all acrylic paints this bad? - they don't go on evenly at all, there are visible brush marks everywhere, the coverage is terrible and on a large area they look ghastly! And it has no adhesion at all either. I've tried thinning with water and also with Vallejo acrylic thinners - no difference.

They are OK for small items and details like the cockpit interior and the pilot figure (which I'm quite proud of tbh )- except even after 24 hours drying the paint just rubbed off in my fingertips as I was trying to stick the poor fellow into the pilot seat, and I'm going to have to paint his flying helmet and pick out the googles once again. Anyway - what is the deal with acrylic paint - is it possible to brush it or is an airbrush an essential? I have been practicing on some blank white plastic sheets, and as I'm planning to go for the 1951 bare-metal finish on the plane (not the 1945 camouflage) I can already see that large areas of metallic acrylic paint will look absolutely dreadful if hand-brushed. After watching a youtube video I will probably try humbrol spray primer and then metalcote spray from a can.

But anyway.... where am I going wrong with acrylics?
 
A few days before Xmas I cracked a joke at the dinner table about re-equipping the RAF with Spitfires after Brexit. Lo & Behold, what appears under the Xmas tree a few days later but...
images

Late model, Griffon engine, bubble canopy

I have not made a plastic model kit in about 40 years..... but I have discovered that age brings patience, and that pays dividends making these things, and I'm really enjoying building this slowly and carefully.

BUT...back in my day, it was basically humbrol or airfix enamel paint, horrible smelly stuff that needed thinners. For this kit, I ordered all the right acrylic paints (Vallejo) and I have to say - they are dreadful! Are all acrylic paints this bad? - they don't go on evenly at all, there are visible brush marks everywhere, the coverage is terrible and on a large area they look ghastly! And it has no adhesion at all either. I've tried thinning with water and also with Vallejo acrylic thinners - no difference.

They are OK for small items and details like the cockpit interior and the pilot figure (which I'm quite proud of tbh )- except even after 24 hours drying the paint just rubbed off in my fingertips as I was trying to stick the poor fellow into the pilot seat, and I'm going to have to paint his flying helmet and pick out the googles once again. Anyway - what is the deal with acrylic paint - is it possible to brush it or is an airbrush an essential? I have been practicing on some blank white plastic sheets, and as I'm planning to go for the 1951 bare-metal finish on the plane (not the 1945 camouflage) I can already see that large areas of metallic acrylic paint will look absolutely dreadful if hand-brushed. After watching a youtube video I will probably try humbrol spray primer and then metalcote spray from a can.

But anyway.... where am I going wrong with acrylics?

Vallejo are better for airbrushing, they can be brush applied, but both methods require priming really.

A good tip I’ve took note of is to wash the parts prior to painting, to remove the mould release agent, sound familiar? Normal washing up liquid and a good rinse with tap water is ok for this.

I’ve got a 1/48 EE Lightning in the stash that I want to do in BMF, and I’m terrified of cocking it up. Black primer and 3 light coats with the airbrush is the way to go apparently... :eek:
 
Yes I'm priming with a grey primer, and have washed with soapy water and vinegar too before that.... still looks terrible. will give a flat brush a try next, else its back to enamel!
 
For brush painting I'm using the good old Humbrol, it gives the best result. Not as smelly today, there are rules about solvents (and in our youth it also had lead in it!!).

Humbrol is also easy to remove with white sprits if you don't like the result. For larger, even surfaces one can use a small sponge and dab it on instead of stroking.

BTW, for applying decals there are fluids that softens up the decals and make them stick much better. Often called something like 'Solvasset'.
 
For brush painting I'm using the good old Humbrol, it gives the best result. Not as smelly today, there are rules about solvents (and in our youth it also had lead in it!!).

Humbrol is also easy to remove with white sprits if you don't like the result. For larger, even surfaces one can use a small sponge and dab it on instead of stroking.

BTW, for applying decals there are fluids that softens up the decals and make them stick much better. Often called something like 'Solvasset'.
Yes, because imagine the harm that could be caused by 20ml of toluene based paint!
 
I use Revell acrylics, but another vote here for spraying with primer first. But certainly, the coverage of acrylics is not as good as oil-based, but it's more convenient to use

I was not aware of that Mk XIV kit. Nice.
 
Tamiya Acrylics here...very very good...I did my Tamiya Mosquito in them and no probs at all. Sure do clean the base plastic first and then a light grey (or to suit the top colour) primer via a simple aerosol is great. I still use Humbrol enamels where small shiny bits are required but spraying? Gave that up ages ago through the fiddle and need for ventilation etc.
here's a detail of the Mosi's paint job in Tamiya acrylics.

part cockpit 3 by John Dutfield, on Flickr
 
Tamiya Acrylics here...very very good...I did my Tamiya Mosquito in them and no probs at all. Sure do clean the base plastic first and then a light grey (or to suit the top colour) primer via a simple aerosol is great. I still use Humbrol enamels where small shiny bits are required but spraying? Gave that up ages ago through the fiddle and need for ventilation etc.
here's a detail of the Mosi's paint job in Tamiya acrylics.

part cockpit 3 by John Dutfield, on Flickr

nice job there. Did you use PE for the belts on the empty seat?
 
Everything was in the Tamiya box. I think some of the tiny laser cut parts did look like a well know 3rd part make but all was maker supplied.
 
Have come to the conclusion that acrylics (Vallejo anyway) are about as much use as PVA glue with food colouring added.

After several coats of matt black on the propeller blades, I was getting close to an acceptable finish, then thought one more coat. 24 hours after previous coat... and yet the paint shrivelled up and went gloopy and lumpy under the new coat. Luckily it all just peeled off like wax in my fingers - so time to start again. Maybe with enamels this time.

OTOH I am fairly impressed with the Humbrol Metalcote aluminium spray can over the wings and fuselage.... pretty good dull sheen and far better than ever achievable by brush, with no loss of fine detail of panel lines/rivets etc.
 
Finally....only took me a month. But fairly happy with the result for not having done this for 40 years! My weathering effects need practice - a bit inconsistent & crude.... but when I look at photos of real planes from the time - I'm content!

The picky might notice some historical inaccuracies - The wings should be clipped, but I prefer my Spitfires with the full eliptical! And the Prop spinner should have a white tip and black for the rest.... but no way was I going to get anything like an acceptable finish for white with hand-brushed acrylics. Even with Humbrol Gloss Red acrylic on top pf spray-can primer, it still needed about 5 coats with 24 hours in between, and its still dodgy if you look closely.

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Little Canada - hoping to open here in Toronto this summer. Covid permitting......9 years in the making.


Canada in minature........coast to coast. Even ice hockey skaters moving around the rink.
 
Been doing a model of The Rocinante from The Expanse:

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Wearing a high magnification visor makes you want to detail stuff that probably doesn’t really need it...

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Waiting for the decals to arrive from Canada so I’m going to step away from it now, for fear of over detailing it and making it look too fussy.
 
Been doing a model of The Rocinante from The Expanse:

4da3d60ef48adfa5fa7ab6eb0217f0c039bfc1b1.jpeg



3a73ac35c47f7197b465278c6b3b1cb556448fb9.jpeg




10555f402e0669ed014b5e1e65fe508152fbbfbd.jpeg


831973ceb389f4e8159907039fc5fc0bc75735a3.jpeg


c4e8b4956beb6710a7354924a3c7659e05ffd678.jpeg


Wearing a high magnification visor makes you want to detail stuff that probably doesn’t really need it...

02c558af8b985942db4f264ce11533f5a77cf6f1.jpeg


Waiting for the decals to arrive from Canada so I’m going to step away from it now, for fear of over detailing it and making it look too fussy.
Very cool, just started series 5
 


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