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Tamiya 1/32 F-15E - Getting ready for airbrushing


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Hello all

I have been working on several models and most are primed and ready for paint.  I had a 1/32 Hornet I have been practicing on. 

Airbrushing cockpits, wheel wells and such are easy but airbrushing a big kit has me a little intimidated. 

I have been working on them for about 10 years or so and just got a Paasche 30-16 spray booth ducted outside and it's time to paint.

First one is a 1/32 Tamiya F-15E.  I'm using mission Models paint and a mix of 3 airbrushes.  Iwata HP-CS a brand new Iwata HP-CR and a new Grex TrItium TG.

 

Any tips on holding and maneuvering?  Trying to paint the whole thing at once, does not really allow for a good place to sit and dry.  On other planes, you can't paint underside a lighter color first then flip over after it dried and do the top.

 

Any help would be appreciated.  I did practice adding some white to the FS36118 color.  Most of the F-15E's I have seen aren't that dark.  I will do some shading of panels and weathering. I pre-shaded this F-15E, but I won't for the others.

 

Following planes already primed with Tamiya fine white and ready for paint:

1/32 Tamiya F-14B converted, scribed and riveted. It's the 1st 1 I started 11 yrs ago.  She looks so good that I didn't want to put a crappy paint job on it.

1/32 Tamiya F-14D converted, scribed and riveted. Much easier the 2nd time.

1/32 F-14D Trumpeter (Have another one still in the box with Zactomodels intakes and all the Aires goodies) Zactoman rocks!

1/32 F-4E Tamiya

1/48 B-ONE B - Barracuda resin installed, photo etch and lots of rivets. It's a BEAST!

 

Sorry for the rambling.  Just getting excited to see what they look like with paint.

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Print out a coupon from Michael's.  Go there to pick up a long wooden dowel that fits into one of the tail pipes of your models.  You can then hold the model up via the dowel for painting.  Once you're done painting, just clamp the dowel to your work bench with the nose of the model pointing straight up for drying.

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7 hours ago, RichardL said:

 just clamp the dowel to your work bench with the nose of the model pointing straight up for drying.

 

and watch every speck of dust in your house settle on the fresh paint.  It's big model to paint in one go, personally I would paint it in stages over a couple of nights and each night place a cover over the newly painted area until dry. Although the dowel will come in handy at times.

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Yeah, I have been practicing on the 1/32 F/A-18 painting top first, by holding underneath then placing on Tamiya round turntable and placing a large plastic storage bin upside down on top of it.   That is probably how I will do the F-15E.  I can't wait to paint the B-1B Beast. lol 

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I have two different tricks.  Single engine models, I have a mic stand with the weighted base and a flexible gooseneck adapter.  Bend goose neck down and hang the model. 

For twins, I have a sheet of plywood with two dowels I can slide the model down onto.  On my Phantoms the engines are so close together that I use the mic stand and let the model tip a little.

 

I guess this is why I have shied away from props lately.  Gotta rethink the whole thing.

Edited by Scott Smith
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