RichardL

Use your airbrush to blow air over the model before laying down paint since you have a double action airbrush. I also use a piece of tape to lift off dust or lint if I see it.

I get great results thinning Lifecolor acrylics with their own thinner. Great spray characteristics, smooth finish, and very little tip dry.

MegaHobby has an ETA of July 2021 for the US: https://www.megahobby.com/products/douglas-f-4b-phantom-ii-1-48-tamiya.html

I'm looking for reference photos showing "live" Swedish Air Force RB 74 and RB 71 carried by the JA-37 Viggen. So far the only photo that I could find is this: I am interested in the color bands around each missile but can't really see them on the picture above. Does anyone have better pictures showing the side views? Thanks. Trying to wrap up my 1/48 JA-37.

I assume you experienced air pulsing with your Iwata compressor, and that's why you are looking for a replacement compressor with a tank? I've been using the Paasche D3000 compressor for 30+ years. It's not silent, but it's not loud either (rated at 47 decibels). Zero pulsation due to its air holding tank. Mine holds the same air pressure in the tank for weeks when it's turned off. However, I don't think you can get it new anymore. There is a newer model, the 3000R, but I don't know how good it is: Paasche D3000R Compressor

I also use hardware store lacquer thinner, which is much cheaper than Mr. Hobby Leveling Thinner. Nowadays I thin Tamiya paints with Tamiya X-20A thinner, so I clean my airbrush parts with 99% IPA after removing the needle and nozzle.

Sweet deal 👍 I just took the picture below outdoors under direct sunlight: I would say Hataka, MRP, and Gunze look pretty darn good.

Yes, the Cricut software can import dxf files, so you are good to go. I have cut styrene sheets (0.010 and 0.015) with it to make aircraft Head-Up Display and rectangular pieces for spraying paint samples.

You might be able to lift off the decal without removing the gloss coat if you use strong sticky tape. Give that a try first because I've done that several times by accident.

Yes, it can cut a 0.5mm hole, but the edges of the hole are pretty rough since the hole is so small. I would say the smallest diameter it can cleanly cut is 1.0mm. Masking material is your basic Tamiya masking sheet, which you can get from here or here.

Square holes, no problem 🙂 Not even intricate squadron insignia for that "painted on" look:

Wait, did you take that picture? How did you know it's Luke AFB? The mountains in the background?

I stand corrected. Good to know. Thanks.

Mr. Surfacer 1500 black is a primer not meant to be used as a base coat for chrome. You want to try either Alclad II gloss black base or Mr. Color GX-2 gloss black.

I have used Tamiya Mark Fit Strong on some old and thick Tamiya decals, and it did a great job. However, you need to be careful about using it on thinner aftermarket decals.

You are illogical and hopeless. Explain to me in the picture below how the same two colors on the F-15A change so much, and the top F-15A is not even indoors: How about these? I'm done wasting time on you.

So you think pictures taken outdoors under natural lighting should exactly match pictures taken indoors under artificial lighting. Now that's BS.

Believe what you want! Again, do you really think the chips are somehow different from one version to the next?

Those are exactly the same color chips I posted on March 20th, and this is a fact. I only have one set. The pictures I posted on March 20th were taken indoors at my workbench under artificial lighting.

This one is interesting since there is direct sunlight coming in at an angle, which seems to wash out the blue hue:

Took some photos of the TPS color chips outdoors earlier today under indirect sunlight: What do you think?

As delide stated above, most color decks are just reproductions using the print process CMYK, and there are several variables that can affect the printed colors: ink/toner, printer, calibration. This is one reason why fan decks are not approved to use on the full scale for color matching. On the other hand, color chips are actually painted on by real paint. However, since this is scale modeling, and I hate to say it, but using your fan deck might give somewhat of a scale effect.

My pleasure.

Sweet deal. Glad to hear it's working out for you. I think you will like friction tape at least 10x better.

I believe MY2014 was still a good model year for Future. Finally have some extra time to test four different versions. From left to right: Original Future 1993, Original Future 2000, Pledge with Future Shine 2008, Pledge Revive It 2021. I got four plastic spoons sprayed with two coats of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, let dry for 24 hours, then sprayed with three coats of Future straight from each bottle: light first coat, wait 5 minutes, medium second coat, wait 5 minutes, wet final coat. All sprayed from the same day.