BarryWilliams

I am another who would recommend Tamiya.

MRP also has the VVS colours.

If one of these really is next for Kotare why would they cross their project off their list? I have not heard of DB Models but is it not either a resin or short run kit? OK Kotare are not yet well known but their kits will be mainstream injection moulded, not short run and produced to the highest standard If their WNW heritage is to be judged. It seems to me that there are two separate markets here. I certainly would not touch either resin or short run but would certainly buy the mainstream version and there are a lot of people out there like me. Now, that said, I do not think that a subject like a DH Hornet is what I would advise a new company like Kotare to invest in as a second project, so I would not blame them if they did not produce a Hornet.

I totally agree. It is worth the dosh for a high end tool. The DSPIAE sprue cutters are superb. Get a cheaper set for ‘rough cutting’ and something more refined for close up work.

I share concern that they may go down the WNW route and spend a lot of money developing kits that won’t sell in the numbers needed. Don’t get me wrong, I will snap one of these up myself but this is not exactly an iconic aircraft. There are subjects out there that really need a state of the art model in 1/32. The most obvious being a Hawker Hurricane, yes Revell have announced one bit, well it’s Revell and it won’t exactly be state of the art. What about a P47 or a P38? Current 1/32s are a OK but Kotare could do better.

Well I have not had an issue with them. I find that they mix up quite quickly. So a bad bottle perhaps.

I have to agree that some aftermarket is a total waste of time. But no kit is perfect. For my Border Models Lanc the most I will consider will be masks for markings as on this kit decals would be an abomination. Brass gun barrels as, apparently there are no cooling jackets on those with the kit. Plastic barrels being too vulnerable. Possibly a metal undercarriage for strength. Finally a 3D decal set simply because I really appreciate them. I am not fixed on any of those, apart from the masks and will decide when I see my kit.

You are right that the old toolings can only be relatively poor kits compared to todays standards, regardless of what plastic quality is. The hope must be for the newer kits manufacturing to live up to the excellent design standards they now have.

Except Airfix are now owned by Hornby and actually have some talented designers. There has been a massive change since those days. Their weaknesses in recent years, at least in respect of their new tools, are primarily in manufacturing and that poor quality plastic which was done in India.

In recent years Airfix have manufactured their kits in India. In my view they have fallen well short in quality control. Their horrible soft plastic, so prone to warping, is unfit for LSPs and the moulds are not as crisp and clean as a modern kit should be. Now they have announced that the new tool Spit will be manufactured in the U.K. So does this mean a better quality plastic, cleaner moulds and better QC? Is this an attempt to bring their manufacturing up to the standard needed to reflect the excellent design we have seen in their new kits? what do you think?

They are already shipped. I have been told that we can expect to get ours in the U.K. in June. We will have to see what they are like when they get delivered. I am not sure why you had to pay in full, Scale Model Shop, asked only for a £100 deposit.

I only use MRP lacquers through the airbrush including the primers. Mostly I black base, using the Black primer but the other colours can sometimes be useful as well. The sand primer is a good base for yellows and helps coverage enormously. The Red primer likewise for the reds, the white also. The silver primer is great as a base for chipping. The primer I don’t use much of is the grey.

I don’t disagree that the Trumpy or Revell is good enough if you just want to hang it. But there is one aspect not addressed. Is it about the destination or the journey? For me modelling is about the journey, the build, painting, weathering process rather than the result. For me it would be Tamiya all the way for both the Corsair and Zero. It is about the ‘plastic porn’ of fondling those perfectly fitting crisply moulded parts, the detail, the perfect fit, the accuracy and sheer joy of the build experience. I am not a fan of excessive filling and sanding, of cutting and chopping parts to get them to fit. Don’t get me wrong, some of this is always necessary, the key is in the word ‘excessive’. If I am going to do a lot of filling/cutting/sanding then it’s because I want to in order to change the kit, not because I need to. The Tamiya 1/32 warbirds are all a joy to build and if that is what you want then it is worth it even for a ‘hanger’.

First on most builds I no longer apply a gloss coat before decals. MRP lacquers mostly provide quite a glossy coat, ideal for decals and, indeed panel washes. I do make sure the MRP has had plenty of time to cure, a couple of hours to play safe. For varnishes MRP provide excellent lacquer varnishes that spray as well as their paints. There are four that I use, gloss, semi-gloss, semi-matt and matt. One tip though, when using varnishes be careful to apply with many mist coats, not wet coats. There is a risk that they could re-activate the underlying paint and damage the finish exposing perhaps too much of any primer. One further tip with MRP. I your paint job looks a little matt, perhaps because of the paint drying before hitting the surface then just spray a mist coat, or two, of Mr Levelling Thinner. It reactivates the paint giving a beautiful finish. I, in fact, do this as a matter of course as part of my airbrush cleaning routine.

I think perhaps you are mixing up Mr Paint, now renamed MRP, that does not need thinning and the Mr Color range from Gunze which is what this thread was asking about and needs thinning. MRP lacquers are my paint of choice and are best used as you describe.