CANicoll Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) Brian, I swear, if I can't get this last set of decals going, after I lose my mind ( ) my next message is over to Randy! I mean, the parts are ALREADY white so I just need to do the black checkers, right? Heading out to the LHS to see what else they have stronger than the MicroSol I've been using. The top cowling has settled in just a bit, but the side and bottom panel not so much at this point. Update: Ok, picked up some Solvaset so after making sure the decals are dry will (carefully) give them a bit of a coat and see how it goes. As my LHS said - 'one of two things will happen: 'it will work just fine, or it will destroy the decal'. With that ringing endorsement, I can't wait to see how it goes. Edited June 11, 2015 by CANicoll Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Will post some pictures tomorrow, but seem to have found the 'secret' to the Zotz decals : Lay down a layer of Solvaset first, then the decal. They seem to much prefer working from underneath than on top. I think the top cowling is ok, the side pieces I may look at redoing to see if I can get them to conform. Looking forward to getting past this frustrating part! Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) Even with the decal saga (more on that shortly) making progress in other areas as well. After giving a go to the Eduard PE ammo belts and not really liking the flatness of the PE ammo I returned to the kit parts. All brush painted with Acryl Brass followed with flat aluminum cartridge links. The wash is an old brown wash I keep in a bottle - it has some nasty bits in the bottom which is perfect for presenting an inconsistent look. This picture taken shortly after the wash was applied, and the bottom left 'quadrant' has not had the wash applied yet to show the difference. The feeder trays that connect the ammo troughs to the guns were long so had to cut off the ends that attach to each gun, but still like the effect very much. Here everything is being test fitted after I applied just a bit of a black wash to the trays to highlight the different rounds. I still need to paint the cartridge links flat aluminum. Now that I know I'm going to have at least one side open (or at least open-able) I will clean up the top seams on the guns and add some detailing. Even better, with the cut down ammo feed trays, the wing panels fit perfectly. In the photograph the gun cover panels look gray, but actually are painted with aluminum plate buffing metalizer. Back to the decals - After doing a bit of testing, I found the Zotz decals perform much better if a base of Solvaset or MicroSol is put down first, then the decal. You don't have a lot of time to move things around, about a minute, but then best to leave it be. Here is the bottom panel with both sides attached. And with the bottom checkers in place. The fit is pretty good, and with a bit of work the checkers line up pretty well. I stil made a few cuts about midway back and then closer to the back to eliminate some bowing. I need to clean up that one black checker with the white line in it, but otherwise the checkers worked pretty well . More to come once everything sets up and dries. Edited June 12, 2015 by CANicoll D.B. Andrus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 (edited) Moving on to close up the cockpit so I can (finally) paint the fuselage. The pilot's clear goggles have vexed me for a while as they don't fit really well on the face of the pilot (they are too flat) and there is not a strap in the kit or on the head of the pilot so had a bit of an inspiration for something that might be used: an HGW seatbelt. After cutting a length of seatbelt, I super glued one end to the edge of the goggle (already dipped in future!). I then tacked the goggle onto the nose of the pilot with a tiny drop of CA. Then wrapped the strap around the pilots head, and tacked the other end to the goggle and when dry, cut off the excess. I like the effect. And bonus - it is movable!! The CA came off the nose in the midst of all the jostling around. Edited June 13, 2015 by CANicoll ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Great painting on the figure. And awesome solution with the googles - definitely filing that one away for future use! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Great work, Chris! Really nice result with the chequers so far. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted June 13, 2015 Author Share Posted June 13, 2015 Thanks Jim and Kev! Really appreciate the comments. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) Ok, FINALLY got the checkers on and while they are not perfect, I'm about as happy with the decals as I can be. It only took about $50 and three sets. I'm not usually such a slow learner... The strip of white on the lower panel will become silver in time but much happier with the alignment overall. In this next picture the top panel shifted just a bit forward, but the checkers are much more aligned than before. The MicroSol is already working, having learned the lesson to put it on first, THEN the decal, then more MicroSol. I still have some touching up to do on the black. The top panel is about as snugged down as I can get it and this is after many applications of Solvaset. Here is the bottom before I fixed it up the little bubbles and such. The decal looks a bit long but I have a red chin scoop that is not checkered, but somewhere I have the overall alignment off a bit as the bottom decal does not quite come to the back of the bottom panel. But since I used the exhaust cutouts as the main alignment point (since it is so visible) I'm not going to sweat it. The bottom decal still took a lot of cuts to smooth out the bubbles and arches, but I think it looks pretty good. Leaving it alone for the rest of the night and will look at it tomorrow sometime. Have to let the MicroSol work and not mess with it while it is still wet. More tomorrow! Edited June 16, 2015 by CANicoll D.B. Andrus, plane_mc and Anthony in NZ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustangManiac Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 She looks beautiful Chris! Keep up the determined work! Cheers, Brady CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Looks great! If your so inclined, you could always use some de-tact tape after things are snuggled down and cleared, and hand paint the rest of the checks to extend them to the front of the wheel well area. CANicoll 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 Have to put the model up for the weekend due to family things going on, but here are a few shots of the Doll with her checkers finally on. Still need some touch-up here and there esp where the various pieces are removable, but certainly MUCH happier this time around. The Zotz decals fit the Tamiya kit well, but also are definitely thicker and do not show nearly as much of the under detail as the EagleCal set. Wings are not really attached, and still have to mask the canopy so I can get to painting the fuselage, but definitely making progress. I'm placing two bets on the wing gun panels: the kits' plastic panels and I'm still tinkering with the Eduard PE panels which I think may actually work out pretty well. Have not started with the weathering yet, but planning on keeping it pretty light. Still not sure about the color of the gun panels. I think they may be too gray. Your thoughts are welcomed! That's all for probably a week. Thanks for all the kind words and the encouragement. Much appreciated! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustangManiac Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 She looks beautiful Chris! Awesome work my friend. Brady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Looks terrif to me! The checkers look great, and in all likelihood will look even better with color on the fuse too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 (edited) Sorry for the delays, but finally back to making some progress. The nose decals remain an enigma with the Zotz decals fitting much better, but if I were to do this again, I'm definitely going the mask-route. Ugh. Started looking at the decals again: the red-outline of the exhaust cut outs (not on the Zotz set) from the EagleCal BBD 1/32 decal set do not fit the Tamiya kit. Sigh. I used the Model Master Aluminum Plate Metalizer on the fuselage, but I swear it looks almost exactly the same at the Tamiya Chrome Aluminum on the wings! Smoother for sure, but the same shade. Hoping in better light I'll see a difference. There is still a bit of touch-up I need to do on the checkers, and I'm a bit concerned about the fit of the nose panels, but she's getting there slowly! Edited July 1, 2015 by CANicoll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANicoll Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 Now she has her name on. Still fighting with the three different decals. Love the EagleCal set as they are so thin, the carrier basically disappears and they react wonderfully to just one or two applications of Solvaset (the wingtip checkers, the BBD script and the kills are all EagleCal). Zotz nose checkers fit really well and the red outline also fits so easily and perfectly, but the wide carrier film is an annoyance. The red outlines are so thin I didn't want to trim the carrier away for fear of breaking up the line. Surprisingly the Tamiya decals do not respond all that well to MicroSol either, or Solvaset for that matter. The national markings are having a hard time getting down into all the panel lines - it is taking multiple applications of setting solution to make it work and even then, not thrilled with the loss of detail. This is rapidly making me think about the masks esp for the larger decals. Still work to do on some painting touch up now that I have the checkers outlined, but right now waiting for the red lines to dry so I can cut the panels loose. Working on the drop tanks (banged one of them up a bit so have to repaint) and the plumbing for the drop tanks. Top view. The left national insignia is actually two different pieces (decal from the Tamiya kit) that fit the removable panel perfectly. There is a second cut-out piece as well for the multi-part panel for the open display. Whitey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now