Woody V

Then I found this, but I'm confused by this and the NASM's 1D which is sporting an odd tri-color scheme (?) but both of these aircraft have the early (?) three piece canopy.
 


NASM F4U-1D:

Does anyone know where I can get one-off custom photoetch made?
 
Woody

Within a month or so Archer will be operating again under new management, and there's a little twist that might just interest you, but don't tell anybody, it's a secret. 
The website is back for training purposes, and you can order from it same as always.
ARCHER LINK

Under $9 at Walmart
But why bother when Alclad Aqua Gloss is clearly superior in every way.

Cycling Guy has given you some detailed information that will help you gain a deep understanding of airbrushing.
 
Your rough finish is the result of putting the paint down dry. Simply stated; too much pigment, too little thinner. Unfortunately even though a good spray if leveling thinner will dissolve overspray it can't work its magic on orange peel.
 
FWIW, my settings are .2mm tip and 15 psi when spraying. It's a good starting point and remember that it's called a dual action because you can control both the amount of air and paint separately which comes in handy for detail work.
 
It takes quite a while to get comfortable getting the paint on the model, especially lacquer. Lacquer has unique properties, totally different from water based paints.
They should go down wet. When you paint each successive pass should overlap the previous to form a continuous film. It's not easy to get a run so don't be shy. Good lighting is critical. 
They can be re-wet. This means a medium to wet coat of Leveling Thinner will dissolve overspray and flow it out. Some guys even spray their finished model to even out the sheen. I did it to the cockpit parts on my SBD where I had blended colors and it was amazing how well it worked. BTW, if it dries out just add thinner and it'll be paint again. 
 
Get a cheap kit/junk model and practice.
 
Hope I wasn't too verbose.

Out of boredom I read through this thread this morning,
Based on my years of experience, and the responses here I can confidently advise:
It's complicated.

I wasn't aware of that. I once shipped a small retail order right after shipping a dealer order and forgot to change the declared value and the poor guy had to go to the Post Office to pick it up and they told him he had to pay something like £120, but he was cool about it so we just reshipped it..... and we're still waiting for the original to be returned. 

All this talk about a Global Economy and this is what it's like in the real world.

Originally I was going to build it OOTB with rivets but it turned into a “I wonder what would happen if I did this?” build and then it became a test mule for some of our products. Since we have Dzus fasteners I decided to upgrade the kit’s poorly represented cowl fasteners. How ever they decided to just represent them with holes instead of the excellent ones on the gun access (despite so many are missing) I decided to “fix” that too.
 
Just filling the kit holes and laying the fasteners on top of the skin isn’t going to help so I used a .035” (#65) drill to open the kit locations up to the diameter of our Dzus fasteners so they would sit flush with the skin. In reality these fasteners do not appear flush like flush riveting, but rather have a somewhat distinct recess around them which is the result of the skin being “dimpled” for more bearing surface than if it had been countersunk. 
 
First I drilled down just far enough to open the kit hole up to the diameter of the drill. Do not drill deeper, you just want the surface to be the diameter of the drill. Next I put a tiny drop of Tamiya Extra Thin in the hole to soften the plastic just enough to take the sharp edge of the hole off, creating a slight radius. At this point I would suggest applying a white wash into the holes to help aligning the fasteners correctly. 
 
When applying the fasteners, I first put a small drop of Mr. MarkSetter in the hole, maneuvered the fastener into position and then used a couple coats of Solvaset to get the clear film to bond to the plastic. Setting solutions soften the film to a jelly-like consistency and becomes a coat of clear lacquer.
 

 

I then applied each fastener individually doing my best to keep the slots parallel to the panel line.
 

I made a little tool from a cocktail stick and a pin to align and rotate the fasteners, a task not easily accomplished.
 

I had to add some here and used dividers to mark off the locations.
 

All except one is what I’m working to get. The second from the bottom right is in too far.
 

Helps to have the area somewhat level so the setting solution doesn’t run down the side. I did this side first and found out a white wash would make locating the fasteners easier on my old eyes.
 

Way too many fasteners on the kit cowling so I filled every other one. Even at that, there are over 90 fasteners in the nose cowl alone.
I have no idea how all this is going to look painted but it’s been interesting so far.

Hello everyone, my name is Woody and I’m a rivet counter. 
 
Before we get started, a little more about myself. I started building models “seriously” in the late 80s, but building a business doesn’t leave time for much else so the last time I actually finished one was back in 1996. Keeping in mind that I’m now 72 with cataracts developing (surgery is scheduled) and hands that are slowly turning into boxing gloves - onto the build.
 
The Wildcat would never have been something I would choose to build, but in the course of developing our line of aircraft rivet sets I figured it would be a good choice for no other reason than it’s small. My opinion of the F4F was probably typical of what most people who know little about them thought, but after I started researching the plane my opinion changed considerably. That fighter, and the pilots who flew them during the darkest days of WWII proved to be up to the task of holding the line until the Corsairs and Hellcats became operational. The Wildcat’s contribution to victory in the Pacific may be a footnote but it’s a BIG footnote.
 
I always start with the engine and promptly screwed up my first attempt so bad I had to buy another kit, which is usually the case for me - for that very reason. Regardless, I got that together without any major disasters and even wired it with .010” lead wire used for wrapping fishing lures and stuck one of our generic placards (not visible in this picture) on the case. Exhaust is Ammo Track Wash over AK Extreme Metal Steel.
 

 

Not sure about the gloss black…. things like this happen when you use “restored” aircraft pictures for reference. 
 
Having survived that, it was on to the cockpit and wheel well. Since I had already gone off my original intent of building OOTB by wiring the engine I decided to make a set of cockpit placards and instruments which we now sell. I guess it turned out okay especially since almost none of this is visible once installed, but I developed a serious dislike of acrylics in the process. I’ve always used enamels and found out the hard way that my technique for chipping and weathering simply doesn’t work with acrylics. Okay, lesson learned and more on that later.
 

 

Ignore that "interior green" on the instruction sheet, the correct color is bronze green.
 

 

 
Then it was on to riveting the fuselage. 
First order of business was filling the recessed kit rivets which slowed down my progress considerably. At first my plan was to use diluted Tamiya putty. Thinking this would be quick and easy I thinned it out and filled every rivet hole. I was feeling pretty sure of myself until I started sanding and realized no one in their right mind could ever suffer through this mind numbing process. I had to find a better way so it was back to the “lab” where I came up with a way to fill the kit rivets with minimal to no sanding. For the sake of brevity, I’m not going to go into details on the process of making the filler or the actual process of filling the kit rivets here - it’s all outlined in our manual which you can download HERE.
 

You have to break eggs if you want to make an omelette. Some tests.
 
With the kit rivets filled in I highlighted the panel lines with a #2 pencil sharpened to a chisel point. This is a great help getting the rivets on straight and an even distance from the panel lines. Once that was done I shot a coat of Aqua Gloss over the parts, but I’m not sure this is entirely necessary.
 

Kit rivets filled and panel lines highlighted.
 
At this point I figured that it would be a lot easier to rivet the kit parts prior to assembly leaving off the ones where I would be sanding. As of this writing I don’t know if this is a good idea or not, but I can honestly tell you that during the entire process the rivets never gave any hint of coming off. I also learned about Gunze Mr. Mark Setter… this stuff is outstanding because it has adhesive properties. To avoid having to keep it mixed by shaking it frequently I just put some in a paint palette. You don’t need much; I use a micro brush to put a series of small drops along where the rivets will go to keep it from puddling and running. As for setting solutions, I use MicroSol, Solvaset and Mr. Mark Softer and can see no obvious difference between them. Don’t be stingy with the setting solution - slather it on.
 
I started at the bottom of the fuselage halves to get the feel of working with the rivets figuring these would least likely to be seen and by the time I got to the more visible areas my skills would have improved, which they did. Frankly, applying the rivets is surprisingly easy - much easier than working with PE. Yea, it’s tedious as hell but other than that it’s just a matter of time. Call it therapy. Again, for the sake of brevity here, detailed rivet application instructions are in the manual which you can download HERE.
 

Starting to apply rivets
 

Both sides finished. (Ignore the turn lock fasteners on the cowling for now, we’ll get to those in the next installment.)
 
I started with the longest continuous runs and I think that works best. After I had all those laid in I filled in the gaps with individual pieces rather than long pieces over the others which would result in rivets on top of rivets and irregular spacings at the intersections. I also ignored much of the kit rivet placement for several reasons too technical to get into here. Let’s just say that my four years in the USAF as an Airframe Repairman is a curse. 
 
We can stop here for now so if you have comments or questions we can deal with those before proceeding.

The fun never stops.
Anyone have any idea what's causing this? Running bluetooth, previously USB and support is no help.

Not to veer off-topic but if something will stick to two materials, it will stick those two materials together. If you put some Future in a cup and let it evaporate down to a honey-like thickness it makes an excellent adhesive and any excess can be cleaned away with common airbrush cleaner. I keep mine in an old Tamiya Extra Thin bottle and find the brush to be just the right size to apply my home brew glue.
Just a thought.

No matter how big your bench is, it always comes to this. 

Under $9 at Walmart
But why bother when Alclad Aqua Gloss is clearly superior in every way.

If I may, use this method. Put the black down first, then the white outline. This way you don't have to reposition the flimsy outline mask. It's also a good idea to "key" the location of the black mask so you put it back in the exact same orientation. As perfect as it may appear even the slightest dimensional error will become an issue when you try to fit it back in place. At least that's my experience.

The problem you experienced is very rare and has nothing to do with the clear film being brittle. Archer rivets are printed on Microscale clear decal film and very rarely the film is too thin and breaks up easily. Everything Archer has ever sold over its 30+ years in business comes with a lifetime, unconditional guarantee that promises either a full refund or replacement, whichever the customer prefers, and it's not necessary to return the defective product. 

Even though Archer has closed all you would have to do is send me an email at help@archertransfers.com and I will honor my guarantee, just as I have for over thirty years.

This level of dedication to accuracy combined with basic construction is what separates kit assemblers from model builders, and you sir are a master model builder. BRAVO!

You and me both right now... Nothing like a hobby for fun and relaxation. 

If it were me, I'd build a new base with the launcher on a slope. 
I'm not sure if that's a joke or not. 

It was great following this build, really enjoyed seeing such a unique subject come to life. 
You did good, son.

Thin them with AK (or other hobby brands) Odorless Thinner if you want to make a wash, or a panel line wash. Commercial Odorless Thinners also work.

You can use them for weathering like exhaust stains straight from the tube, but it's recommended to put a dollop on cardboard (or paper towel) to absorb the oils in the paint. This makes them easier to work with. Clear coat your model before using them, but regardless, they will not attack any paint system I know of. Some guys do their weathering over satin clear while others over gloss. Once you are finished, clear coat your model. Your choice, but play with them on a scrap mode.

I'm sure you'll get numerous responses, but that's my take on the subject.

Or you can make decals with masks... if you have a cutter.
INSTRUCTIONS HERE

Ink jet inks are water soluble and although you "can" use them with a special base material, they're really not your best choice.
 
Laser printers use a dry toner that fuses to the base material and although they are not water soluble they too have serious limitations such as not fusing well to clear or white decal film, duplicate ghost imprints and unless coated with a clear film they can break up when applying them.
 
Neither ink jet or laser printers can print white.

The optimal solution is UV printers. They print white and the resolution is very good but the surface is not smooth, barely visible but you can definitely see it. The downside is the cost, they are obscenely expensive and only practical for commercial printing firms. The good news is that with proper file setup and simple instructions to your printer you can buy this service at a reasonable cost.

You can get a 1200 dpi color laser printer under $400 all day from B&H in New York. 
If they sell it, I buy from them. If you use their credit card they even refund your sales tax.

I'd go with the metal first and then the 76, just like the real thing.