Big Kev

Don't take too long billb, it's looking incredible already and I'm dying to see it progress! Kev

Wow, fantastic result. I'm glad you followed it up though, and got it directly from the horse's mouth. Let us know how you go! Kev

I think the colour is fine Nick. These Japanese WW2 colours are even more of a minefield than the Luftwaffe ones, and it's not worth doing your head in over. Did you mix the colour yourself, or use one of the available colours? I always thought the Gunze rendition was pretty good myself, but I'm no expert. For comparison, here's my Tamiya Raiden I built many moons ago using Gunze IJN Green: Kev

Actually, under many circumstances you don't even need to cut a mask - just use the circle template as is, and hold it over the part (or tape the part to it). Spray through the hole and you're done. It sounds like you couldn't possibly get a decent result out of that, but I tried it after being sceptical, and it worked wonderfully. I actually painted the wheels below twice using this technique, after being unhappy with the hub colour first time around. Perfect result both times. The transition between tyre and hub on this kit is smooth and featureless, so it was the only way to go really. K

I recently used copious amounts of CA and accelerator to secure some lead shot to the inside of the nose of an airliner. As soon as the kicker hit the CA, it began to hiss and crackle, with a faint release of smoke, and the plastic got quite hot! Luckily it only lasted a few seconds, and the thick Airfix plastic took it in its stride. The thing to remember I guess is that forced curing of CA can release a great deal of heat quickly, especially when both are used in larger than normal quantities like my example. Kev

Things haven't moved on that much, but I'm pleased enough with what I have achieved since the last update, so I thought I'd share it. Firstly, the finished propeller unit (just lacking a flat coat): This represented my first-ever attempt at masking and painting a spinner spiral. Secondly, the finished undercarriage legs (had a hellavu time getting a decent shot of them): These represented my first-ever attempt to weather landing gear with an oil wash and pastels, not to mention one of my few attempts to add brake lines. Unfortunately the camera has all but obliterated my weathering att

What a great write-up! I agree with Jamie though, the dihedral looks OK in the photo - though the rear tailplanes do appear to be heading off in slightly different directions. Kev

Wow, that's an interesting one. I'm wondering if it might be too subtle in 1/144? Kev

I can definitely recommend this technique. It will thin the paint and improve flow and consistency, which is your best hope for any semblance of control with these things. I can't endorse this however. There's a thread somewhere (on here I think, in Tools'n'Tips) talking about how the permanent marker inks always bleed through the paint work, sometimes weeks later, and it doesn't seem to matter what kind of paint you've used. I haven't experienced it with colour coats as such, but am currently having trouble covering permanent marker on my Dora even after several coats of Mr Surfacer out of

I'd be very careful about this - most copiers are very fussy about the kinds of non-paper they'll take, and I've seen first-hand the results when you use the wrong type (a destroyed fuser unit). Suitability for a laser printer doesn't necessarily equate to suitability for a copier - the fusers on copiers tend to run much hotter than a desktop laser printer. For standard transparencies, it's always best to use the copier's own brand, but of course, copier companies don't make decal paper! So, I don't have a yes/no answer for you, and I can't make any recommendations (useless, eh?), except that

Also known as a contour gauge - Ray, if you're reading this, that's probably what you'd ask for out here in Oz. Got mine at a hardware store about 18 years ago (long before Bunnings). Kev

Thanks Ron. I gave it 3 separate coats of decal solution (admittedly from a very old bottle of Super Scale Super Sol), but it made almost no difference, so I decided to strip it and try my hand at painting it. It's the first time I've tried to mask a spinner spiral, and I'm pretty pleased with the results: There's some tape residue there that I'm not sure how to remove yet, and it looks a little grungy in the close up, but I'm definitely a convert and won't be wrestling with them thar decals again - not in this scale, anyway. I've used spiral decals successfully before in 1/48 scale, but ev

So they're making lacquer paints out of cars now? Whodathunk it! :blink: Post number 100 for me! :P Kev

Thanks George - great info once again! I'd seen those drill bit sets at Dick Smith, but wasn't sure they'd be adequate, since I know nothing about drill bit sizes and how small though go. I need to get to a larger DS store anyway to see if they sell those tiny LEDs (1.2mm or so). :D Kev

Thanks Grant - great info! Kev

My question then would be, how do you find the centre to mark the pilot hole in the first place? Hey, while I'm here, where's the best place in Oz to get really small drill bits? Mike? I've got one quite small one (no idea what size), but it seems to large for many tasks, and I haven't found anything smaller in hardware stores etc. Kev

I've done a bit of work on the Dora in recent days, but mostly more of the same. I've also started working on the propeller, but my attempt to apply the spinner decal proved disastrous. Here's what I mean: I fought with it for nearly 10 minutes, and eventually had to settle for what you see above. I couldn't get it to start in the correct position, which has compromised its ability to conform to the shape of the spinner - hence the weird crease bubbles. I also managed to scratch some paint off with my thumbnail while wrestling with it (near the bottom, in line with the toothpick shaft), and

Always a pleasure to see your work Tony, and this one is sensational! Kev

I'm a new returnee to the hobby too, and have also recently started using a primer on my models. I'd like to see a distinction made however between a simply monotone undercoat using ordinary model paint, and an actual primer coat. The way I see it, proper primer is something apart from simply your model paint of choice applied in a light grey colour - it should have the ability to bond to all kinds of surfaces (plastic, putty, etc), dry smooth and hard, and offer 'bite' for more fragile top finishes (eg, most acrylics). Based on that, my primer of choice at the moment is Mr Surfacer (I use 10

Thanks everyone for your comments and encouragement! Things are bogging down slightly but at least I've got hold of some more Mr Surfacer, though I probably won't get the chance to use it until the weekend. I've scribed the tail wheel inspection hatch using a template made from styrene sheet, and I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out. I made the hinge from stretched sprue, and will sand it down to be less prominent before attempting to score some detail into it. This next shot shows how grungy she's beginning to look. I've added a stretched sprue hinge to the hatch in this shot t

Now that is cool! Kev

What scale Peter, 1/72? Kev

Actually I never thought about it as a tool holder - what a great idea! I don't have room on my workbench to keep it there permanently unfortunately, otherwise I'd consider using that way (or get second one). Kev

Not sure about the AeroMaster paints, but I've had great success with removing very old Gunze acrylics with Windex (an ammonia-based glass cleaner). The model in question would have been painted maybe 15 years ago? Weirdly, the decals were completely unaffected, and protected the paint underneath them like a mask. Kev

Another quick update while I wait for Mr Surfacer. I keep finding more things to scribe - either stuff I had originally intended not to (due to degree of difficulty), or stuff I hadn't noticed before. I added some hatches to the starboard side, and scribed the forward cowling and spinner: The only other scribing I intend to do is the tail wheel inspection hatch on the port side of the tail (though I have drawings that suggest it was on both sides - anyone know for sure?). There are lots of panels and hatches I haven't done, but I'm happy enough with how it looks now. I've also attempted to