Bob Beary

What pressure are you using? Maybe go to a very low pressure. Corners are tough because of the turbulent airflow. And outside corners are problematic as well...they require a light tack coat first, otherwise the gloss coats tend to pull away. Possibly that's what happened around some of your panel lines.. Bob

Hardware store lacquer thinner. Bob

One of the best Skyraider models I have seen. Superb in every respect and great photography. The weathering is fantastic. Hard to tell from the real plane. Job very well done!! Bob

This. I see no need to immerse an entire airbrush body in anything. I would just put the metal parts....needle, nozzle, spray head etc in the ultrasonic using whatever solution you want. Bear in mind that windex and other solutions containing ammonia can remove the chrome from parts like the paint cup. I have airbrushes that are 30+ years old, have never been immersed in anything and work just fine. The most critical part is the nozzle. Bob

Why not just paint the leading edges after the clear coat? I don't think any decals would be in the area to worry about and it would be a pretty easy masking job. You might want to mask the area prior to clear coat to keep the original paint substrate for the Alclad. Bob

Check out MS flight sim 2020!! Still in alpha/beta testing, but wow!

Tamiya TS-14 in the spray can. Decant and airbrush. If it's good enough for Chuck Sawyer (check out his F-5 and P-38 builds) it's good enough for the rest of us. Bob

Can you glue some shims in place just inside the cockpit side walls to force the edges of the canopy out to where they belong? Have the edges of the shims just above the side walls.. Bob

I agree with you. I think the surface is too glossy to let any of the wash "stick" to the model surface. Also, with the color coats and the multiple clear coats, the panel lines have been filled in to some extent, compounding the issue. Bob

I knew you would succeed at this....after all, you are building a Hasegawa F-14!!! Glad it worked out for you. Bob

Lacquer thinner should be able to clean anything. You might try a fine metal polish compound, Brasso, or even toothpaste. 4/0 steel wool ? Very fine sandpaper for everything except the tip? Bob

Walt's just opened up about 2 weeks ago!! Bruce and Mike L both said they are VERY busy...crazy busy!! Super happy for them. I've got plenty of stuff to keep me busy, so didn't have to order anything. If I did It would be Sprue Brothers. Bob

I have many bottles of Alclad that are 10+ years old and they spray with no problems at around 15-18 psi..

Great collection of superb photos!! What type of lens were you using for the aerial shots? Thanks, Bob

This! I just finished a Tamiya F-4D Skyray. It looked terrible, with decal solution stains, uneven glossiness, minor decal wrinkles etc.. I shot some MM Acryl flat...all problems were gone!! I couldn't believe how nice it looked. That is my go to flat coat by the way...great stuff. Bob

I would use beeswax before I would use thread lock. And if there are cracks in the nozzle...replace the nozzle. Bob

Use Tamiya Fine White Primer instead...right out of the rattle can. Works great. Bob

The way I see this, if you spray any other shade of Alclad over what you now have, it will be that new shade. I don't think any of the underlying Polished Aluminum will show through. Is there a small panel on the underside that you could mask off and use a test bed? Maybe over spray a VERY light coat? Bob

If you want it shiny, your next step is to leave it alone. Any other Alclad coat will kill the shine. In fact, any other coat of anything will kill the shine to varying degrees. Bob

I'd be a little more than leery about that site!! That has red flags popping up all over the place!!!! I would not order anything from there.!!

Were there any sharp angles involved? Like wing to fuselage, where air turbulence could be a factor. Was the surface of the model consistently smooth? Bob

The model is superbly well done. Some of those photos could be mistaken for the real deal. The photography is exceptional!! It may be the best I've ever seen on this site. Would you share some of your set up and technique for that? Thanks, Bob

I'm not familiar with Canon cameras. Do a youtube search. Bob

The photos you are taking are good and mainly sharp and well in focus. In taking photos of models in progress on a work bench everything will not be in focus. Nor do you want it to be...like the paint bottles behind the model. One thing that I do not think has been discussed is number of focus points. If you leave that as the "factory setting" they will probably all be active. The camera will have a hard time deciding what to focus on. Change it to one focus point and place that on what you want to be sharpest. Depth of field will increase (somewhat in this case) with smaller f/ st

Have you considered Ikea? I think there has been another thread here some time ago and they were recommended. Bob