Iain Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Coming together beautifully Kev - as Cees says, must be very satisfying seeing it at this stage! Iain LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Buddee Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Good stuff, Kevin. 'I've overdone the post-shading on this side of the fuselage' If there is no over coat than saliva and a cotton bud will remove it. Sincerely, Mark Now why would he need a cotton bud when he's got a perfectly good tongue? Cheers, Wolf LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Well, I didn't use my tongue on the wing decals, but perhaps I should have! They laid down perfectly initially, and took their first application of Microsol without a problem. But I wasn't happy with some of the tenting over the panel lines - particularly on the lower wing - so I gave them another application of Microsol, and that's where my problems started. The decal on the lower wing started to blister badly, and though it mostly settled after 12 hours or so, it had developed a few stubborn bubbles and wrinkles, so I sliced through them and laid down another coat of Microsol. This time the result was even worse! I had to admit defeat and declare the wing decals a write-off. Here's the lower wing decal at that point: The dark colour actually makes it difficult to see just how lumpy it really is across the entire surface, but it looked worse than this to the naked eye. I hunted through my collection of replacement masks and decals, but couldn't find anything suitable, so I figured my only choice was to rehabilitate the existing markings somehow. I started by giving them a vigorous wet sanding with some worn wet'n'dry: This revealed the full extent of the bubbling and blisters on the under wing decal. The upper wing decal is not as bad, but looks similar. And that's where things are at the moment. My choices now are to either paint the colours back in, or piece the insignia together in situ using bits of other decals. Or perhaps even a combination of both. If I opt for the paint route, can anybody recommend a good match of the Insignia Blue? The odd thing is, the fuselage decals behaved perfectly after 2 applications of Microsol, and gave me none of this trouble - thankfully! I've thrown away what little there was of the bottle of Microsol I used, as it was quite old, and perhaps contaminated in some way, or just no good any more. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Kev, if you need the prop blades I have enough spares I can send you the two you need. Just give me the part number. Likewise for the star decals. I painted mine on but can't recall what blue I used. I'll see if I can find out. Carl LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Kev, if you need the prop blades I have enough spares I can send you the two you need. Just give me the part number. Likewise for the star decals. I painted mine on but can't recall what blue I used. I'll see if I can find out. Carl Thanks, Carl - I might take you up on your offer of the prop blades, as it'll save me the hassle of trying to make copies (with no guarantee of an acceptable result), and it will save Allan from having to send me parts he can't afford to spare. PM me if you don't have my address. I'm happy to pay for postage, too! The decals, though, are a different proposition. These Meteor Productions markings represent the 40" borderless style, and I can't find them on any other sheet that I have. I think I can use the red-bordered ones from the same sheet, though, to cobble together what I need, using what's left of the markings on the wings as a template to overlay them on. Should work, I think! We're about to find out... Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Success! I was able to trim away the red border from the other set of decals in the set, and while it's bit rough up close, they've overlaid well enough to represent a successful solution in my opinion. Now, am I game to put more Microsol on them? Kev sandokan, Out2gtcha, Sparzanza and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Peters Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 "If I opt for the paint route, can anybody recommend a good match of the Insignia Blue?" I have some Gunze acrylic H326 USAF Thunderbird blue FS 15044 that I have used to paint insignia with. The Mr Color laquer equivalent is C326. The wing roundels are actually 50" and the fuselage 40". Allan LSP_Kevin and sandokan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 "If I opt for the paint route, can anybody recommend a good match of the Insignia Blue?" I have some Gunze acrylic H326 USAF Thunderbird blue FS 15044 that I have used to paint insignia with. The Mr Color laquer equivalent is C326. The wing roundels are actually 50" and the fuselage 40". Allan Thanks, Allan! My bad on the markings dimensions - the borderless set measured exactly 40mm in diameter, and I somehow transposed that figure to the real ones. Oops! Thankfully I don't have to resort to trying to touch them up with paint now, but will definitely be looking to use paint masks more often from now on. Decals just seem to be a real boom-and-bust affair for me. Kev sandokan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 Good AND bad! I know of these ups and downs................. the solution looks pretty good to me though. LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Now, here's an interesting thing: I've just sprayed the under wing decal with some Tamiya X-22 Clear Gloss, in order to seal and protect it (I opted to forgo the decal solution). Almost immediately, the decal began to bubble again! I then remembered that I'd made a super-thin mix and stored it in the jar I was using - probably 70-80% thinner (Mr. Color Thinner). So, it seems that these decals don't react well to that much thinner, which doesn't really surprise me. Needless to say, I've decided not to bother with the upper wing decal, and will just seal it with a flat coat at the end. It's a bummer, though, as I thought I had fixed the problem and was in the clear (pardon the pun). Oh well. Whatever it looks like tomorrow is how it's staying. Kev sandokan and Out2gtcha 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I don't have a lot of luck with decals either Kev, that's why I now prefer to use masks and paint, however that can be a bit fraught when the paint pulls off when you pull of the mask but at least you have the right paint at hand for the touch up. Cheers Dennis LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Thanks, Den. In the end, I had to resort to what I call the "hot compress" technique, which involves a damp face washer and 30 seconds in the microwave. The lower wing decal is still pretty obnoxious, but the worst of it settled down. In more positive news, I've just completed Phase 3 of the weathering: The next phase is some oil dot filtering on the upper surfaces to simulate some fading. Kev tucohoward, MikeMaben, sandokan and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel460 Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Great recovery Kev! She's looking the part of a dirty bird! I like it! Dan LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monthebiff Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 She is lokking mighty fine Kev, great work!! Regards. Andy LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted November 24, 2017 Share Posted November 24, 2017 Indeed, great recovery! LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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