urloony

I'm just curious as to the best way to strip a "futured" canopy. Would you just dip it back into the future? I've noticed that wet future seems to soften hardened future. Or is there a better way?

I think you could be pretty successful with a reduction scan. Enlarging of course is where you run into the most problems and loss in quality. Just make sure you do a high quality scan and you should be fine.

I am almost sure it will. You have this or if you want to go the lacquer route there is this. Tamiya also makes a gray primer, but it's currently unavailable in the US from what I have seen.

Tamiya, Model Master, and Mr. Surfaces as well as others are all lacquer based primers (and the best IMO). You're not going to melt the model. It's a bonding process of the paint to the plastic, it's not molten lava we're talking about here.

This is the primary reason that I prime. It should be pointed out that the above is only true if you use a lacquer primer. The lacquer is what bonds the primer to the plastic. Acrylic primer will not give you the same result.

You made me break out my metric converters, but it sounds like you are doing things right. Your room might be a little warm and a possible cause, especially if you also have humidity. If your room is warm and the paint is drying faster, it could cause your orange peel effect. The only other thought I have is whether your paint is fresh, but I've painted with old paint and not had the problem. I paint in my basement which stays at a pretty consistent temperature year round. In the summer I run a dehumidifier. You may want to just spray flat paint and then use a gloss. Sorry I can't be o

Orange peel can be caused by a few different things. To remove it you need to micro mesh it down (wet sanding it may help even more). The cause is that your paint is drying too fast. Either it is being sprayed from too far away and drying in the air as it arrives to the surface, or it could be being sprayed on too thick and the carrier is evaporating before the paint has a chance to level out. Other factors that can cause orange peel can be spraying at too low an air pressure, room temperature, type of paint and more. If you can provide more details, such as what type of paint you're usin

When I was a kid this TV series was a favorite. I came across one of the best episodes of that series today and thought others may enjoy it. It stars some popular favorites like Kevin Costner and Keefer Southerland. For those of you not familiar with this short lived TV series, it was a modern spin on the Twilight Zone. There are some nice interior B-17 shots which is always great. part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5

I have to admit I don't know much about Vallejo paints but I believe their "varnish" is still water-based acrylic which is tougher to work with when trying to avoid brush strokes over large areas. For the future you may want to buy a spray varnish. Vallejo makes those as well. Even if you don't own an airbrush you can go with the spray can style and with a clear coat masking isn't going to really be an issue. As far as paint removal goes, that is not much fun. My "favorite" way is to you Castrol Super Clean. Some people go with oven cleaner like easy off. The biggest issue is whatever r

Typically in my xp you may want to stick with enamel paints for hand brushing rather than acrylics. Acrylics tend to dry quicker and don't level as well. Depending on how bad the brush strokes are you may need to micro mesh it down or strip all the paint and have another go.

My bet is that Castrol Super Clean may be the same stuff as purple power. It is also available at autoparts stores and works great and is low odor.

IPMS updated their chart a few years after my post (linked in the quote above). You can find a good cross comparison here: http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/colorcharts/s...rts_humbrol.htm

Food dehydrators work great and is what I use. Take the inserts out and you get a large area to fit most models. It dries the paint and decals evenly and safely. You can set the temp as well.

Honestly, I think future is overrated. It is exceptional for clear parts and canopies, but for spray on or brush on clearcoats it tends to drip easily if you're not careful, and I generally get better results with an enamel clear coat. If you use it before decals, then you're also stuck using an acrylic flat coat as well.

Wow, that's an interesting idea. The only concern I would have is it being too watery and the glue dripping down the side of the plane. Have you ever had a problem? The Mr. Surfacer 1200 is spray or brushed on? I've been looking at the Mr. Surfacer spray and wondering how it compared. Thanks for the info. I've sprayed a generic gray in the paste, but liked the bite that the Tamiya primer seems to provide. I may try their bottle primer thinned and airbrushed, or the Mr. Surfacer.