REVELL/PRO MODELER F-86D IN 1/48

[RichB63]

The bare metal finish looks great!

[dai phan]

4 hours ago, RichB63 said:

The bare metal finish looks great!

Thank you very much but I will need to apply a darker shade like aluminum  or polished aluminum. At the current, it is too bright and white. Dai 

[dai phan]

Happy Sunday everyone...

 

Painted the center sections light gray. After 15 hours of drying, the model is sill lightly tacky to touch. The paint is enamel based so do not use the wash with enamel based product like Tamiya's panel liner. I will have to use Flory's which is water based wash. Waiting for the AK Aluminum to arrive. White aluminum is too bright. Dai 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Hello all,

 

Painted the radome and anti glare panels. Will mask everything and apply the main color tomorrow. Since the AK metallic paint is fragile I want to minimize masking it as much as possible. Dai 

 

Edited May 8, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Hi all,

 

Masked all the panels, applied white aluminum to cover the over sprayed grey so all surfaces are uniform. Then applied Polish Aluminum. The sheen is very good but the surface is very fragile.  You will put in some surface defects as you handle the model but the paint handles spot painting very well. The spot paint will blend in and you will never notice. I may have to apply Intermediate Gauzy Agent to make the surface more durable. Will polish to remove all silver specks before removing the masks. Dai 

 

 

 

 

The Polished Aluminum is applied. Much darker and more realistic. 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Yo all,

 

Removed the masks. This paint is very fragile and I already put in a bunch of nicks and scratches already!  However compared to Mr Color Super Metallics 2 it is superior in color and reflectivity. Unless you want chromic shine in which you should not anyway, apply over matt primer (primer a must to let the paint lays down better) will still give you the desired sheen like you see here. I will wait a few days to dry then do some touch ups. Unless you want sharp lines use Silly Putty as masking medium to protect the fragile paint. The coat is enamel based so do NOT use enamel based wash. I use clay wash or really dark coffee mix. Dai  

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Hi all,

 

Working with AK Metallics you need cotton gloves. Just ordered some. Dai

 

Edited May 11, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Greetings,

 

I keep wondering why the air brake compartments are totally void of details? Quite odd. Then after searching highs and lows, I come across this photo. Yes not much details in these. Vast contrast to other 86 variants. Dai 

 

Edited May 11, 2024 by dai phan

[ST0RM]

The Colorado bird looks to be missing the hydraulic strut for the brake door, but yes, not much in there. 
Great work on your paint, despite the issues with it's durability. 

[dai phan]

Hi all,

 

Painted some more components. I am not sure if I will use this paint again because even with cotton gloved hands, I managed to put a bunch of defects on the surface that rquire multiple touch ups. Way too fragile in my view unless immediately coated with clear. Dai

 

 

Edited May 11, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Greetings,

 

Tomorrow I will polish with a soft cloth designed to clean lenses then apply a clear coat. Tne paint is so fragile that you will rub off the paint even with cotton gloved hands. Any gritted sandpaper even with 3000 or higher will take the paint off.  You need to protect the paint with a clear coat right away or appying 5 coats or more. The paint is very thin so you do not have to worry about losing details.  For me I am tired of seeing the paint rubbed off so I will clear coat it. This paint is the most beautiful NMF paint out there but with significant drawbacks.  I will wait after washing, weathering to see if it something that I will use in the future. Dai

 

Edited May 11, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Howdy all,

 

Today is a day of frustration. Even though I applied the clear coat, the metallic coat keeps coming off like crazy just by mild handling even with cotton gloves. Every time I breath there is another surface blemish ! I spent a whole day and a whole bottle doing spot paintings and priming, sanding over and over and over again. Even with cotton gloves the paint keep coming off like handling a wet freshly painted plane ! The paint gives beautiful finish but in my first time experience it is way too fragile by any standards. Your thought? Dai 

[Dutch]

Let it cure for 48-72 hours in a non-humid environment. 

[dai phan]

Hello all,

 

I do not know what I did wrong but trying to buff Polished Aluminum is not possible although AK says you can do so for a better shine "after some minutes" !  Trying to buff will remove the paint right off leaving silver residue on the cloth even after 12 hours of drying. There are many on the Net that rave about AK durability but in my hands, virtually un-usable!  Dai 

[dai phan]

Hi all,

 

Tonight I painted the lower panels that suffered the most scratches and I had to use aluminum as I run out of polished aluminum. My plan is to apply a coat of polished aluminum once I have them for a uniform finish. However to my surprise the regular aluminum has a little more shine than the polished one (applied over matt primer).  In fact when I feather these together they are vitually undetectable. The lower surface has combination of spot paint patch works and I do not think you can tell me which is which. I keep telling myself not to be so perfect in the paint because after the wash, weathering, oil streaks any minor surface imperfections will never be noticable. This weekend I will give a nice coat of clear to protect the fragile paint. Dai 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Ghost seams on the bottom start to appear that means I will have to do some sandings and touch ups. I use CA for the seams and still have this issue ! Any thoughts? Dai  

 

PS: I think this is due to repeated applications of heat to cure the paint that causes the CA seams to swell up? 

Edited May 14, 2024 by dai phan

[RichB63]

5 hours ago, dai phan said:

Ghost seams on the bottom start to appear that means I will have to do some sandings and touch ups. I use CA for the seams and still have this issue ! Any thoughts? Dai  

 

PS: I think this is due to repeated applications of heat to cure the paint that causes the CA seams to swell up? 

I doubt that it’s due to heat…unless you applied quite a bit. In which case the styrene would have been affected too.

 

During the construction process, did you use solvent cement initially, followed by a bead of CA to fill gaps? If so, ghost seams can still develop, especially if the solvent has not had sufficient time (sometimes a week or more is required) to gas out. 
 

Rich

[dai phan]

4 hours ago, RichB63 said:

I doubt that it’s due to heat…unless you applied quite a bit. In which case the styrene would have been affected too.

 

During the construction process, did you use solvent cement initially, followed by a bead of CA to fill gaps? If so, ghost seams can still develop, especially if the solvent has not had sufficient time (sometimes a week or more is required) to gas out. 
 

Rich

Yes that is what I did. Normally I do not have this issue. Why now? Dai 

[RichB63]

4 hours ago, dai phan said:

Yes that is what I did. Normally I do not have this issue. Why now? Dai 

Dai,

 

I’ve found it to be unpredictable. To prevent ghost seams (which sometimes don’t reveal themselves until weeks later) I avoid solvent cements for enclosed joins like fuselage halves, fuel tanks, etc. 

 

Although it can be more difficult to work with, I prefer superglue for joining together these kinds of parts. With planning and patience, a very strong bond can be achieved. Best of all, ghosts will be kept out of your workshop!

 

Rich

 

 

 

[dai phan]

1 hour ago, RichB63 said:

Dai,

 

I’ve found it to be unpredictable. To prevent ghost seams (which sometimes don’t reveal themselves until weeks later) I avoid solvent cements for enclosed joins like fuselage halves, fuel tanks, etc. 

 

Although it can be more difficult to work with, I prefer superglue for joining together these kinds of parts. With planning and patience, a very strong bond can be achieved. Best of all, ghosts will be kept out of your workshop!

 

Rich

 

 

 

I did tried thin CA to glue the seams, But it is very fragile. Seams can pop open after the plane is painted and decaled! Dai 

[dai phan]

Hello all,

 

Tonight I masked the wheel wells with highly detacked Tamiya tape and to my horror, the paint came off !!! That means hours of sanding, priming and repaint again. I do not see how some people say this paint is “robust, tough as nails” ??? I will have shoot a nice coat of clear then mask again. I think I will not use this paint again. Dai

[Dutch]

It seems to me that the metal paint is not bonding to the undercoat. Are they the same type and brand of paint? I have had issues with acrylics sticking to enamel and vice versa. Also had one brand not stick to another. Can't remember which one now. 

[dai phan]

9 hours ago, Dutch said:

It seems to me that the metal paint is not bonding to the undercoat. Are they the same type and brand of paint? I have had issues with acrylics sticking to enamel and vice versa. Also had one brand not stick to another. Can't remember which one now. 

The undercoat is Mr Surfacer 1500 black. Should not be an issue. Dai 

[dai phan]

Hi all,

 

I was unable to make the AK paint work this time as blemishes appear all over as I touch the model. Stripped the paint, re-prime and that gives me a chance to work on ghost seams. I am sure I am not doing something right as many people comment as how tough the paint is. The paint I plan to use is the Mr Color 201 Super Metallics 2 that I have used many times in the past. Really robust paint.. This paint is thick and can hide details if you are not careful. Dai 

 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2024 by dai phan

[dai phan]

Greetings,

 

Painted with Mr. Color Super Metallics 2 "Super Fine Silver 2", SM 201. Does not quite has the reflective shine of AK Polished Silver but the paint is quite robust. The paint is thick so it can hide panel lines if not careful. Dai 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2024 by dai phan