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White Landing gear and wheel bays.....Ugh!


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I'm to the point where I need to paint my 1/48 F-15C's landing gear and wheel bays....this is the most frustrating point of any modern USAF jet for me...I've tried them all...Tamiya X-7, XF-7, MM Insignia white, gloss white.....Floquil reefer white, even Krylon gloss white....nothing covers for me it all runs to the relief in the part....I sure could use some help on getting past this point....I'm using a Iwata BCS airbrush. I'm looking for a white that will give me a coat of paint that will cover without running....any help is most appreciated!

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I don't think one coat will work. White requires patience.

 

On easily accessible surfaces, white primer or thin coats of flat white can be used for coverage, rub down with abrasive pads until smooth, and then a final gloss coat.

 

In cases like this, I've shot thin coats of gloss white until full coverage, then a final gloss coat.

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Alclad White Primer with Microfiller. That's what I started using when Floquil Reefer White went away. As others have said, you can't just blast a coat on and have it cover. The beauty of Alclad is that it dries quickly enough to get a second coat on without having to break down the airbrush.

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I find that with the Tamiya acrylics using flat white covers much better than gloss. If you desire a gloss finish you can put down the final coat in gloss white after the flat white has the desired opacity, or use your favorite clear gloss.

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I always prime it first in gray or black. Then start with flat white. After a few light passes of flat and letting it dry, I use gloss white. I've used MM up til now. 

 

Ive never had any luck starting with a gloss white paint. 

Brian

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Yes, I'm also using for the first coat flat white, and then use either gloss white, or gloss coat the parts. I've had the best results with Tamiya XF-2. The secret is to use the paint straight from the jar without any thinner added. That may require a higher air pressure than normal.

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It is very frustrating to work with white on things like landing gear, and wheels. The paint seems to want to pull away from the corners, making it very difficult to get even coverage.  I have found that tamiya acrylic flat white thinned just a little,(the bare minimum to keep from clogging) will work, but it requires patience and several coats.  Once you get satisfactory coverage, you can use a final coat of Tamiya gloss white to capture the little bit of gloss on landing gear legs.

 

The last time I did a batch of white airbrushing I tried MM enamel semigloss white, unthinned on bare plastic. This worked well and did not pull away from sharp edges. 

 

I have yet to try it on a model, but on model rockets I used BIN and KILZ white primers which are designed to cover something on a wall before painting.  It actually goes on pretty thin. it is available in spray cans at home improvement stores, as well as in paint cans.

 

You can also try Tamiya white surface primer, but it has been a while since I have used it and I am afraid I do not remember how it works on small parts.

Edited by Kurt H.
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Tamiya white primer, decanted and thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner, sprayed in multiple thin layers to build up opacity, then a thin coat of Tamiya TS-26, again, decanted and thinned with tamiya lacquer thinner. Bullet proof!!

Edited by Matt Walker
Corrections.
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I use Tamiya XF-2 white with maybe one part of the grey of my choice (such as XF-66) for every 10 parts white. The grey gives it just a little bit more opacity. dnl42 is correct, that multiple thin coats is the answer. Remember, just because the landing gear bays are white doesn't mean they have to be pure white.

Steven Brown
Scale Model Soup
 

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32 minutes ago, Matt Walker said:

Tamiya white primer, decanted and thinned with Tamiya lacquer thinner, sprayed in multiple thin layers to build up opacity, then a thin coat of Tamiya TS-26, again, decanted and thinned with tamiya lacquer thinner. Bullet proof!!

 

21 minutes ago, RichardL said:

Lay down a couple of light coats of Tamiya white surface primer in a square bottle, thinned 50/50 with Tamiya lacquer thinner, then gloss white on top.

 

top.jpg

 

I use these methods any time spraying white. As others have said multiple thin coats is the key for good coverage.

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I'm in the light gray camp. Any light gray covers better than any white, and it doesn't take much white to cover the grey. I don't just use it for gear bays - that's how I paint my all-white aircraft.

 

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9 hours ago, KENT B said:

nothing covers for me it all runs to the relief in the part

 

That, specifically, will be caused by one of two things.  Either your paint is too thin, or you are applying too much.

 

White paint doesn't cover well, so you'll need to apply multiple, light coats rather than trying to flood it on to cover in one shot.  Less thinner, more air, lighter coats and multiple passes.  Not multiple painting sessions - most paint only needs a minute or two to flash off, so you can do a coat on the nose gear well, then the port main gear well, then the starboard main gear well, maybe give each well a blast of just air to set up the paint, then start your next coat - just give it a bit more time to dry while you're spraying.  

 

It will also help to use a faster drying paint.  Acrylics (aqueous or lacquer) will dry faster than enamels, so you can build up more coverage faster with, say, Tamiya or Gunze than with Model Master (enamel) or Humbrol  (Krylon does both enamels and lacquers, but most Krylon now is enamel).  Matte paint also dries faster than gloss, so it's easier to build up opacity with matte white, then shoot a layer of gloss white or clear gloss for sheen.

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I use Vallejo Model Air White, straight from the bottle as it's pre thinned for airbrush and apply two, sometimes three thin coats. It dries almost instantly when hitting the surface so the coats are done almost immediately and it won't run anywhere. I've usually primed with Mr Surfacer 1000 or 1200 before, but any light grey would do.

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I too am one who primes (Tamiya grey) then sprays light coats of flat white (also Tamiya) to build up the color. When satisfied I then spray light coats of clear to get the desired sheen (gloss or semi-gloss). It's a lengthy process but as others have already posted patience is key and pays dividends.

Cheers! 

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The key for me is starting with flat white.

If your white isn’t covering and is running into the recesses, you just need to use lighter coats. Mist the paint on, and keep the airbrush moving. For the first few passes, you just need to see that paint landed on the surface, not that it covered whatever color was underneath. Mist the first pass, and let it lose its sheen. Repeat, repeat, repeat. As each mist coat goes on and dries, you will build up an opaque layer. I like to accelerate the drying of each coat using the airbrush, holding the trigger down but not pulling back so all that comes out is air.

If this sounds laborious, it is. Next time you’ll use a little less thinner in your paint and you’ll get the hang of applying just enough paint on each coat.

My personal favorite whites all come from Tamiya:

  • Fine Surface Primer decanted from the spray can
  • White Surface Primer from the square glass bottle (thin with lacquer thinner)
  • XF-2 Flat White

You can use whatever works for you - it really doesn’t matter which brand. I daresay you could get a good white coat using practically anything, thinned at practically any ratio.

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8 hours ago, Parabat said:

Hiroboy Zero paints white - two coats and you're good. Probably only good for UK though, not sure if this paint is available in the USA.

 

(for the benefit of any auto modellers in the crowd...)

 

There is *one* US retailer that sells Zero paints.  http://www.hobbyworld-usa.com/Store/1123-zero-paints  And one in Canada (no website though; he does e-mail orders): info@paintsmodelsandmore.com  

 

Zero paints are just automotive acrylic lacquers though (DuPont?), so any similar paints would perform the same - Gravity Colors, Scale Finishes, Model Car World paint, etc.  You could probably get small quantities from an automotive paint supplier, too.

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I am with you on gloss white. I have found mix MM flat and gloss white 50/50 it covers nicely. The flat gives it body to cover and the gloss does it's thing. Or, you can use MM RLM21 SG white. Same thing. It is my go to white. And unless I need a really gloss white, it looks in scale.

 

wayne

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I have no problems with Gunze's Mr Base White 1000. Sprays just like Mr Surfacer and when thinned with Levelling Thinner it produces a very smooth, hard surface. When working in tight, confined, detailed areas like wheel wells there's no magic bullet - just be patient and build the paint up a thin layer at a time, allowing enough drying time so the next coat won't re-float the previous one.

As the others have said before, gloss only at the end, when white coverage has already been established by your primer or flat coats.

 

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I've had excellent luck with Tamiya acrylic, cut with their thinner or their rattle can gloss white decanted or from the can if I'm doing something like a solar cap on an airliner. I go with light coats. Decanted white takes more coats than from the can for me but the result is a pure, lasting gloss white that you can ice skate on. The only issue I've encountered with the acrylic is drying time and if moisture creeps under masking tape applied over the white. I've had the surface mar in that case. In this event, I've been able to lightly sand and polish the paint to the original condition. The biggest benefit of Tamiya's white paints is absolutely no yellowing, a must for me.

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