Shaka HI

That's beautiful, Peter! Looks like I have to visit ARC more often to see my favorite modelers works from here on....

I miss the "Like" button..... 😁

In a blink of an eye and Joe's onto another build! Looks fantastic so far...keep going!

I've had it for the past two years -- running it for at least an hour or so, on the weekends. Works like a champ and it is quiet -- I lined it with sound dampeners on the inside of the case and on the bottom to make it even quieter. It's cheaper than the Sparmax, but I'll probably choose the Sparmax myself if the choice was made today.

Excellent!

I've misted that thing to death...it looks good until you closely inspect it. Anyway, do share your findings -- I'm more interested in these types of products due to availability... I fear hobby shops are dying at my location and I can't get lacquer-based products shipped to me, let alone acrylics of any kind unless I can find them from a vendor specializing in artists products on Island.

I've tried the Windsor & Newton Matte's without much success -- thinned with water and/or X20A. I can't lay it down smooth -- it pools and the finish looks chalky. I reverted to Testor's Dullcote which is practically idiot-proof.

Congratulations, Joel! (I'm not sure if I can ever be motivated to start, let alone finish such a homely looking aircraft!)

Crazy...I can't believe you turned that blob of plastic into something so crisp! Just excellent.

Beautiful Joel..your builds just get better and better!

Superb! Such a crispy looking finish. Congratulations!

Awesome results, Joel! Ya..that John Voltsomethingsomething...He's got some seriously great customer service. I queried about some items and he left a voice-mail on my phone that went on for minutes and minutes. Crazy guy!

Just caught up..sorry to hear about the Thunderbolt, but this build's going very well. I actually ordered a Eduard Spitfire because of your build (like I needed another Spitfire in my EVER growing stash)!

Awesome, Joe! Congratulations on another fine build!

Oh fantastic...Rush fans on ARC? Nice.

Nice Joel! Of all your builds -- this is definitely my fave!

Yum...looks deeeelish!

Frog tape looks/smells/feels/performs like expensive Tamiya masking tape. Give it a try - it doesn't cost an arm/leg and you can always use it for other purposes should it not perform to your liking. Personally, I stopped buying Tamiya tape, but I'm not the most experienced modeler here so take my input with a caveat. FYI, I've experienced lifting with Tamiya tape as well..kinda sucks when you're masking a canopy. ;-)

Very cool. I wonder where you can get one these? I recently got a Mattel Vac-u-Form from eBay, but haven't tried it out. I'm hoping to use it to make some canopies that don't look like magnifying glass on the finished model.

Understood... Notice that as well -- that the AB's recommended is on the pricey side (not that they're not worth it). Good luck.

Budzik On AB's... Take a look at Mr. Budzik's take on Airbrushes when painting (priming) large areas. Why the Tamiya specific request?

Hey..this actually worked! It did smooth out the frostly/splotchy look. I used an OTS, Lacquer Thinner from our local hardware store.

Thanks guys. I can't seem to find Tamiya's flat coat @ the LHS. I'm looking for alternatives mainly because I'm not sure how long our LHS will stay in business and I can't mail order hobby paints (due to shipping restrictions). I'm experimenting with artist arcylics/oils, etc if/when the LHS' go belly up and/or my supplies run out.

I'm trying to stay away from favorite flat coat -- Testor's Dullcote. I've experimented with Future/Tamiya Flat-base, Windsor/Newton Matt clear acrylic and Liquitex Matt (or something like that). There's nothing else that's readily available here. I've noticed that these will pool in to little dots of clear and they end up drying splotchy on the surface, gloss-coated with Future. I've tried thinning all of them with distilled water, Tamiya's acrylic thinner, Windex...etc. with the same results. Light misty coats around 10-12 PSI, to heavy, wet coats (which of course caused other issues). I'

Awesome build Joe. Can't seem to keep with you. Try the UMM scriber (if you haven't) -- it's awesome IMHO and with the right technique it scribes (or re-scribes) those panel lines very cleanly and scale in appearance. Check the you tube video (push/pull method)..I can re-scribe without any templates for the most part. I've been practicing with it and I'm definitely a convert.