Stuka

Thanks, Troy! --John

Hey James, I agree with HTH. When using decals, I always shoot a coat of gloss over them before using Tamiya Panel Liner, which is my go-to for such work. Ditto that if' I'm going to use rendered oils, which tend to behave like Tamiya Panel Liner if used really diluted. Once, the panel liner work is complete, I usually go with a semi-gloss/matte in preparation for using rendered oils (not diluted) and weathering powders, which prefer something with a little texture for application. I hope that helps:) Best, --John

Hey Guys, Here's a quick piece on using Graduated Cylinders to easily prepare percent volume dilutions of paints and clear coats. I've been using these for years (compliments of my time in a laboratory) to quickly and accurately prepare diluted paint for spraying. They're easy to use, accurate, and reusable. Email me at John@ModelPaintSol.com if you have any questions. Thanks! --John https://modelpaintsol.com/guides/graduated-cylinders-diluting-paint

Hey Guys, I had my doubts when I first read about the re-engineered Harder-Steenbeck Ultra but I'm now a believer:) I just used it to shoot a Gloss coat on my 1/48th Halberd/Tamiya XP-47H conversion and Great Googly Moogly! The new 0.45mm Tip performs beautifully providing a very smooth finish, indeed. This is a very nice brush with some innovative engineering useful for beginner and experten alike. Moreover, the Ultra takes all the same nozzle tips as does the high-end H-S Infinity starting with the Super-Fine 0.15mm tip to the fire-hose 0.60mm tip. It comes out of the box with the newly engineered 0.45mm Medium Tip with V2 needle. From MPS, each Ultra comes with Free Shipping and a Free Mini Mix Kit. Price?............... $110.00 delivered. You read that correctly:) You can see pics and order here: https://modelpaintsol.com/model-paint/harder-steenbeck-ultra-2024 Thanks and best! --John

Hey Guys, Many years ago (~30) I brought some microfiber swabs home from the lab to test out at my modeling bench. In lab they were used just for cleaning the objectives of our microscope. But at the modeling bench, I found many uses for these hummers that included polishing, buffing, gluing, painting as well as applying fillers and weathering powders; awesome tool. I've just expanded the swabs we carry to include an extra-small size that's really handy for all sorts of applications. You can check them out here: https://modelpaintsol.com/news/microfiber-swabs-buffing-polish-gluing-tool Thanks! --John

Hey Guys, New to Model Paint Solutions is The MPS Airbrush Coaching Service ! If you've been having issues spraying primers, fine-lines, or gloss coats, and want a little assistance, drop me a line and schedule a video or phone session:) Details can be found here: https://modelpaintsol.com/news/the-mps-airbrush-coaching-service?fbclid=IwAR2ek2cYeFhiWPx0lcCmueQ8ilPhNfUnXLv5Nzqnvnju43nUvoU6H0cfTdk Thanks!! --John

Thanks Shoggz! Let me know if you have any questions; glad to help. Best, --John

Just checked; link is working. Let me know if you continue to have a problem. Thanks! --John

Hey Guys, I had another rousing discussion on the Mojo Podcast with Dave and Mike aka The Bourbon Brothers; this time on techniques for Fine-line (1mm wide) Airbrushing. Here's the link: https://modelpaintsol.com/news/fine-line-the-bleeding-edge-of-airbrushing-mojo-podcast As always, I hope you find it helpful Best, --John

Hey Guys, Building a 1/32 Antipodal Bomber would be challenging to say the least. That being the case, we'll have to make do with this 72nd version and the accompanying text, which describes a nice trick of pre-shading gloss black coats prior to painting a metallic----very cool technique. The accompanying text is just a hoot and had me laughing out loud the first time I read it. Many Thanks to Tim Nelson for giving us this Halloween Treat er......Trick? Thanks! --J Link: https://modelpaintsol.com/builds/the-sanger-antipodal-bomber-declassified-kilroy-revealed

Hey Guys, I compared the three AK Thinners (High Compatibility, Nitro, and Xtreme) for diluting AK Real Colors for Fine-Line airbrushing in a previous article: https://modelpaintsol.com/guides/diluting-ak-real-colors-for-fine-line-airbrushing-the-dragon-1-72-gtk-boxer-a2 In addition to the AK Thinners, Real Colors dilute very nicely into Mr. Hobby Thinner as well as Gunze Leveling Thinner. I also suggest adding a little Mr. Hobby Mr. Retarder Mild to your mix, especially for shooting Gloss or for Fine-Line work. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any questions....... Best regards, --John

Thanks for the clarification! Best, --J

Thanks for the comment and the great reference link; much obliged! You are completely correct with regards to the frameless windscreen for most of the pics of the PA-48 I've seen. That said, there is an in-flight pic of a PA-48 with the framed windscreen and the restored PA-48 on display at the Air Force Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base also has the framed windscreen. Do you know if the airframe on display at Edwards was restored incorrectly? Thanks, again for your comment and best regards, --John

Hey Guys, Here's a review of a beautiful resin conversion from Halberd Models for use with the Eduard 1/48 P-51D. Have no fear, Halberd also offers a 1/32 scale version that uses the Revell P-51D-15 (late version) as the donor kit. The folks at Halberd do some beautiful work. Links to their website are provided below. Thanks! --J https://modelpaintsol.com/reviews/halberd-models-piper-pa-48-enforcer-conversion-kit

Hey Guys, Here's a little something on replicating chipped anti-glare panels with techniques suitable for all scales including Big-Boy Scale I hope you fine something useful. Thanks! --John https://modelpaintsol.com/guides/suggestions-for-masking-painting-and-chipping-anti-glare-panels

You're welcome!

Hey Guys! Although not "big boy" scale, Mat Mathis has published a build article on the Tamiya 48th F-16 that is an awesome demonstration of pre-shading/mottling and the use of paint modulation. I hope you find it useful https://modelpaintsol.com/builds/tamiya-f-16c

Hey Guys, I just spent more than 1.5hrs answering listeners airbrushing and painting questions on the Model Mojo Podcast; what a blast We covered a wide range of topics from diluting lacquers and acrylics to keeping dust out of your paint to preventing dry, pebbly finishes. I think it's one of the more helpful airbrushing discussions we've had on the Mojo. Thanks, in advance if you give it a listen and I hope you find something useful. Best, --J https://modelpaintsol.com/guides/airbrush-questions-answered-the-dr-strangebrush-files

Hey Guys, The Seattle IPMS Spring Model Show and Contest is on for April 29th!! This is going to be a BIG show with a model raffle and lot of vendors. Come on Down and Enjoy the Fun https://modelpaintsol.com/news/the-ipms-seattle-spring-show-is-a-go

Hey Shogz! Thanks for the kind words:) I hope you find something helpful. If you have any questions, drop me a line! Best, --J

Hey Guys, Mike and Kentucky Dave had me on the Plastic Model Mojo Podcast to chat about the basics of scribing and some tools and techniques that make that job a bit more enjoyable. Go here for a breakdown of the topics covered with time points: https://modelpaintsol.com/news/getting-in-the-groove-scribing-basics And here to listen to the episode: https://www.plasticmodelmojo.com/754676/12341752-plastic-model-mojo-episode-85-get-into-the-groove?t=0 I hope you find something useful! Thanks! --John

Hey Folks, I get the question about diluting Liquitex Flow-Aid 1:20 before using it a lot through my site. I don't prepare a 1:20 and never have. I use it neat; straight from the bottle and have for 20 years w/out an issue. I usually add it to all my acrylic thinners to 5 or 10% by volume depending on what I intend to use the thinner for (general work or fine-line, respectively). Using it neat also allows you to "spike" an airbrush paint cup with just a few drops of Flow but have a demonstrable effect on tip dry since it's concentrated (not diluted). I hope that helps:) Let me know if you have any questions. Best, --John

Hey Guys, For any of you in the Pacific Northwest, the annual model show held under the SR-71 in Seattle's Museum of Flight, and hosted by the NorthWest Scale Modelers is on for February 18th and 19th, 10am to 5pm. In addition to the show, there will be talks and modeling tutorials presented both days. And, oh yea, a bunch of 1/1 scale aircraft to look at as well........:) If you want more info and pictures from previous shows, check out the link below: https://modelpaintsol.com/news/northwest-scale-modelers-show-version-2023-come-on-down Thanks! --John

Hey Guys, I had a great time chatting with the guys behind the "On the Bench" podcast. These guys had some really great questions that covered a wide range of airbrushing topics of interest to both beginners and experten. Here's a link to a list of the topics covered with the associated time points: https://modelpaintsol.com/news/strangebrush-on-the-bench-podcast I hope you find something useful. Thanks! --John

Hey Guys, I had an awesome discussion with the The Scale Model Podcast guys that included airbrush basics, diluting acrylics, cleaning with three soaks and a shot glass, and my new favorite-- The Lawn Dart Maneuver Seriously, I think we covered a couple of handy tricks that might make driving your airbrush a little easier:) Thanks! --J https://modelpaintsol.com/news/dr-strangbrush-scale-model-podcast