silentsage

Tomas - Your work here is world-class. I'm going to use this thread as a guide when I start building mine in the near future. Please keep posting, I'm sure there are many of us who appreciate the effort!

I spent a few months trying the various methods suggested on the Internet to duplicate the Raptor Sheen on a 1/48 Academy F-22. In the end, I found that the best results were achieved using the paints and color proportions found on the instructions from the 1/48 Hasegawa F-22 kit. The paints are a little expensive, but worth it. The Hasegawa instructions aren't the clearest in identifying the specific paints, but once I figured them out they worked well.

Model Cave is one of the best hobby shops in south east Michigan. Those who live in this area may remember Old Guard hobbies in Garden City, or even the old Squadron Shop in Warren (both now closed). Model Cave is just like them - tons of kits and, better yet, many of the tools and supplies that make the hobby fun. Like the original poster, I try to buy my kits and supplies there - I'd like to see them around for a long time. FYI, John (the owner) has said many times that if there is a kit I need and they don;t have it, he can get it for me at the same cost as I would get on the Internet.

Thanks for all the replies. I called Paaschr, and Chuch was very helpful. He gave me some suggestions for fixes to things I was doing wrong (e.g., tighten the packing assembly screw). That fixed the problem. Paasche customer service is tremendous, glad I bought from them.

I have a Paasche Talon airbrush. It's a great airbrush, but I have one problem. Whenever I use it, paint leaks all the way back into the area where the collet secures the needle valve. Paint gets into the area where the trigger button presses the air valve. Not a lot, but enough the I need to strip down and clean the entire brush after each batch of paint.. I run thinner through it after I'm done painting, but the thinner only cleans the needle, cup, and nozzle. I've tried changing the packing assembly, the needle, and the gaskets. No luck. I use Tamiya paints, and the pressure on the c