nmayhew

what paint are you using?
 
i spray with MRP lacquers because they dry near instantly and i can mask a roundel's various segments in a rapid succession
MRP's one downer is probably lack of opacity compared to say SMS, so multiple light passes are the way to go
 
depending on project, i will often re-prime *over* the underlying camo in black if i want black basing effects; again multiple passes, and spray *from the outside of the mask to the inside* to help avoid paint build up (I hope that bit makes sense?)
 
finally, to avoid outlines of colour where you don't want them / or avoid thin demarcation lines where they shouldn't be any...
eg 4 colour roundel (and this is just one way to do it of course)
- entire mask and surround onto kit to correctly locate
- remove outer two rings ie the yellow and blue
- spray yellow, but on purpose don't worry about going into the blue section a bit
- yellow ring back on; remove white ring
- spray blue, and don't worry about going over a bit into the white section
- blue ring back on; remove red dot
- spray white (you get the deal now...?)
- white ring on, spray final red
 
sound a lot of faffing but the key is quick drying paint - the above can all be done in one session with just a minute or so between colours - time enough to clean the airbrush, get the next paint etc
 
I stress this is *not the only way* but a way which may help those struggling with some of the issues mentioned earlier
 
Cheers
Nick

what paint are you using?
 
i spray with MRP lacquers because they dry near instantly and i can mask a roundel's various segments in a rapid succession
MRP's one downer is probably lack of opacity compared to say SMS, so multiple light passes are the way to go
 
depending on project, i will often re-prime *over* the underlying camo in black if i want black basing effects; again multiple passes, and spray *from the outside of the mask to the inside* to help avoid paint build up (I hope that bit makes sense?)
 
finally, to avoid outlines of colour where you don't want them / or avoid thin demarcation lines where they shouldn't be any...
eg 4 colour roundel (and this is just one way to do it of course)
- entire mask and surround onto kit to correctly locate
- remove outer two rings ie the yellow and blue
- spray yellow, but on purpose don't worry about going into the blue section a bit
- yellow ring back on; remove white ring
- spray blue, and don't worry about going over a bit into the white section
- blue ring back on; remove red dot
- spray white (you get the deal now...?)
- white ring on, spray final red
 
sound a lot of faffing but the key is quick drying paint - the above can all be done in one session with just a minute or so between colours - time enough to clean the airbrush, get the next paint etc
 
I stress this is *not the only way* but a way which may help those struggling with some of the issues mentioned earlier
 
Cheers
Nick

what paint are you using?
 
i spray with MRP lacquers because they dry near instantly and i can mask a roundel's various segments in a rapid succession
MRP's one downer is probably lack of opacity compared to say SMS, so multiple light passes are the way to go
 
depending on project, i will often re-prime *over* the underlying camo in black if i want black basing effects; again multiple passes, and spray *from the outside of the mask to the inside* to help avoid paint build up (I hope that bit makes sense?)
 
finally, to avoid outlines of colour where you don't want them / or avoid thin demarcation lines where they shouldn't be any...
eg 4 colour roundel (and this is just one way to do it of course)
- entire mask and surround onto kit to correctly locate
- remove outer two rings ie the yellow and blue
- spray yellow, but on purpose don't worry about going into the blue section a bit
- yellow ring back on; remove white ring
- spray blue, and don't worry about going over a bit into the white section
- blue ring back on; remove red dot
- spray white (you get the deal now...?)
- white ring on, spray final red
 
sound a lot of faffing but the key is quick drying paint - the above can all be done in one session with just a minute or so between colours - time enough to clean the airbrush, get the next paint etc
 
I stress this is *not the only way* but a way which may help those struggling with some of the issues mentioned earlier
 
Cheers
Nick

Ah, a 3D printing wishlist thread. This is a new twist. 
 
Modern problems require modern solutions.

Typhoon.....

Hi, 
I thought this was the best place to tell you. Unfortunately my dad, Brian Fawcett, passed away over the weekend.
 
He spent a lot of time on here, talking with you all and sharing ideas. Some of you may even have bought his resin kits previously.
 
Please know, modelling really was his world, along with radio controlled air craft and moaning about the state of politics in the world! 
 
I’ll try and make my way through his contacts list, but if you know of anyone who dealt with him regularly, please do pass this message on.
 
This post has also gone onto one of his existing threads, but thought it wise to post something new.
 
Thank you for being such a great community for him over the years, we will miss him dearly every day.
 
Cheers, C

Interesting
 
I used to be in ‘the trade’ - working with my late Father who was a dealer for 40+ years
 
we dealt primarily in Ancient Greek & Roman, but also in ‘modern English’ ie milled rather than hammered but still might be 100+ years old 
 
for those familiar with the Brit tv series, I often described the trade as ‘Lovejoy with coins
 
Some dealings with dodgy characters, lots of forgeries to avoid, quite a bit of travel, but also sometimes the ‘thrill of the deal’ and if one is interested in history, a very engaging subject matter.
 
the numismatic market still thrives in Germany, but here it is unrecognisable from the one that I grew up with often going to work for the day (Saturday) with my Father up in London
 
Originally there were lots of one man band dealers but they mostly got squeezed out as things went online and became dominated by the large auction houses (not Sotheby’s etc, but rather those that specialise in numismatics)
 
what I find staggering is that the artistry and craftsmanship of Ancient Greek coinage remains unsurpassed to this day - indeed nothing has ever got close.

the only parallel I could draw would be like the model industry starting with a Tamiya 1/32 Corsair and then ending up with a 1970s Airfix - it was sort of evolution in reverse.
 
anyway, enough rambling - I’m actually watching an old episode of Lovejoy on tv!
 
Nick

And I've finished the build at last. After starting in December 2023 it's rewarding to see this one across the finish line. I really enjoyed the kit a lot, from cutting the first parts off the sprue to positioning the landing gear indicator rods today. Like all Zoukei Mura kits that I've built (this is number five) I've learned a lot about how the actual airframe came together. This kit isn't without its challenges but with careful planning and dryfitting I can recommend it highly. Here's a few photos before the RFI post.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Cheers,  Tom

Been lurking watching your build, I have this one in the pile. been awesome watching your progress, there is lots of good info on this kit here, and I'm really digging the paint. I think it's because a non-standard paint scheme. 
 
jim

I have been waiting about 30 years for a really good late 109 i dont have to update ,modify , and shag around with ,so another few weeks is not going to be the end of the world ,for my wait to  be over . 

Lucky one! I was charged 😒

I received my Defiant last week. I was expecting to be assassinated by taxes (+ 20% VAT + processing fees, etc..) Miracle, not a cent to pay!! I don't know why but I won't complain . Superb model, well done Peter.
Richard

There was an SR-71 that was intended for mainstream, injection molding, and even had an assembled model a few years back displayed at a show. It was Vintage Fighters, the ones who did the 1/24 p-40 and p-47 before it was taken over by kinetic. I haven't heard a single thing anywhere after that... 
 
https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/95042-132-sr-71-blackbird/
 
With 3d stuff, I'd love to see file packs available.  With printing, it's not just the material cost, but the time. With an SR-71, you may have a dozen or more very large parts that each take up a whole print bed for 15+ hrs and that's once you've got the test prints for each nailed down.  Even with half a dozen printers going, you might tie up your whole printer farm for a week for each kit, plus all the post processing time.
 
I think a lot of people think you hit ctrl-p and a few hrs later you have printed kit done. I have a reasonably large and very current printer, and a studio scale X wing took a couple weeks of almost non stop printing to do one kit worth, as in, print overnight, wake up, process parts, kick off the next print, process that parts after dinner, kick off the next, repeat. And it took 4 or 5 kg of resin, multiple rounds of very messy and time consuming cleaning tank cleans, release film swaps, etc. Filament printing is less messy, but more finicky and just as slow, but the layer height and detail is unacceptable for scale modeling in general. 
 

Interesting
 
I used to be in ‘the trade’ - working with my late Father who was a dealer for 40+ years
 
we dealt primarily in Ancient Greek & Roman, but also in ‘modern English’ ie milled rather than hammered but still might be 100+ years old 
 
for those familiar with the Brit tv series, I often described the trade as ‘Lovejoy with coins
 
Some dealings with dodgy characters, lots of forgeries to avoid, quite a bit of travel, but also sometimes the ‘thrill of the deal’ and if one is interested in history, a very engaging subject matter.
 
the numismatic market still thrives in Germany, but here it is unrecognisable from the one that I grew up with often going to work for the day (Saturday) with my Father up in London
 
Originally there were lots of one man band dealers but they mostly got squeezed out as things went online and became dominated by the large auction houses (not Sotheby’s etc, but rather those that specialise in numismatics)
 
what I find staggering is that the artistry and craftsmanship of Ancient Greek coinage remains unsurpassed to this day - indeed nothing has ever got close.

the only parallel I could draw would be like the model industry starting with a Tamiya 1/32 Corsair and then ending up with a 1970s Airfix - it was sort of evolution in reverse.
 
anyway, enough rambling - I’m actually watching an old episode of Lovejoy on tv!
 
Nick

A couple years ago I went to the Australian Armor and Artillery Museum in Cairns, AU.  Here, I discovered that tanks look much more impressive from the ground level than they do if you're peering down on your little 1/35 creations from above.  So, I resolved to change my style of photography to make them look bigger and more alive.
 
Imagine you're waiting in your trench with no more than a bolt action rifle and your wits...

 
any blur...  is intentional.
 
Maybe they don't see me.

 
Or change your perspective:  You're now accompanying infantry:

 

 

 
I tried to use some incense sticks to make smoke, but they didn't amount to much.
 
Of course, no pictorial is complete without those detail photos:
 

Those grills...  the originals were unimpressive looking plastic.  so, I milled them out, and replaced the solid plastic screens with brass mesh which had a scale hole size of 12MM.
 
 
 

A friend gave me a PE set for another KV, but the sizes were all slightly off.  so, I could only use parts.  Which was ok, because all tanks look better without skirts.
 
\
This has been my heaviest and best directed effort at weathering so far.  At least five courses of oils as well as two courses of enamels.  Chipping.  Focused Rust.  And of course a little bit of bare metal.
 

The tracks and road wheels all got a lot of 3d dirt made of PVA glue and pigments.  But because of the darkness of the tracks it doesn't show up too well.  ...and I didn't want to use light dirt, because this tank is supposed to be in Ukraine.
 

The legend "Kutusovets" means "Like Kutusov" or "Of Kutusov".  Kutusov was the Russian general who fought Napoleon to a standstill at Borodino, and then chased him out of Russia.
 
Anyway...   thanks for  looking, I hope you liked it.
 
 
 
 
 
 

with cockpit closed, the only thing would be exhausts
 
with cockpit open, HGW belts would be the one item i would always add
 
the rest is just fluff
 
PS i have seen Dave Johnson (member here) do a good YouTube build where he used kit tyres and completely eliminates the seam between the two halves

with cockpit closed, the only thing would be exhausts
 
with cockpit open, HGW belts would be the one item i would always add
 
the rest is just fluff
 
PS i have seen Dave Johnson (member here) do a good YouTube build where he used kit tyres and completely eliminates the seam between the two halves

Anyone tgot pictures of the gunner position area? 
 
Googled, got two books, even flight sim, it is very very sparse with pictures.
 
Would really be great help for me.
 
Best regards Mal

The Kotare resin exhausts are definitely worth getting and while the kit control stick is well detailed and an easier install, that Barracuda stick is just a pleasure to paint - the detail is amazing. I got the Aircraft in Pixels radiator and seat, and they’re both incredible (the radiator looks functional!), but I ended up saving them both for my next Kotare build. I had planned to use the seat, but realized after painting and weathering the interior that I was going to have to modify the Kotare kit parts more than I thought. The radiator requires significant modification of molded-on detail on the lower wing and I have saved that for my next Kotare build. I’ve got a Mk.Vb on order and will order a Mk.Ia early soon - I love this company’s approach to the design and presentation of their kits. 

I am sorry this didn't work out..
 
..but then again, this is one of the best build threads I have ever read, I love the way you write
 
So, in summary, while you did not enjoy yourself very much, I can tell you for the greater good, I did....... very much
 
Peter

With the to do list getting smaller by the day I decided to make a start on the undercarriage and thankfully Damian at Synthetic Ordinance Works came to my rescue here as well as Reskit with a beautiful set of wheels with the correct smooth thread on the tyres
 

 

 
There is no comparison between the kit U/C and the Synthetic Ordinance Works parts
 

 
Personally I think these are a must for this kit as it's pretty heavy now with all of that very thick plastic and it's not yet complete so the SOW parts which are reenforced as perfect as well as no clean up required!
 
The Infinity wheels are not great either 
 

 
I'll file these in the bin and use the Reskit set instead
 

 

 
Definitely a vast improvement over the kit parts, just need to work out how to fit them now!
 
Regards. Andy

I fixed the landing gear legs by just clipping the head of the screw off and super gluing it into the cavity so it still operates. It was hit and miss with the hair spray chipping. Its somewhat difficult to control and once the paint starts coming away, it just keeps coming so there are a few over zealous parts but on the whole I'm happy with how its turned out. Next challenge will be putting the decals on and weathering them down to blend in. I'll paint the pilot too.

cheers
BT

I've always loved the look of this huge Do335 with the US soldiers gazing at it and swarming around it like ants.
For the base I used a very high res US map from 1945 that I had printed on canvas and then... cut it up.

No decals were used. All masks. Lots of Eduard and Master upgrades and a Tamiya Jeep with Alpine figures.
I could have gone all out on the weathering, but I didn't.

 
 

Why? I find it irritating beyond belief. No one has yet given me a cogent reason why this is a good thing. Just a vague shrugging of the shoulders, and some ill considered resignation that 'it is what it is'.
 
If the scale of the model is not important to some folks, fine. It presumably would not matter then, if it was one scale or another. So it strikes me as odd, especially when there IS an established scale, AND there is some seriously useful interaction between the kit subjects, say, airfield refuelling vehicles, that a manufacturer would go out of their way to alienate a serious portion of their potential market.
 
Why would you produce kits of subjects which have no contextual link to AFVs, but a MASSIVE contextual link to a huge range of existing kits, with an equally huge established fan base presumably hankering for kits of your chosen subjects, and thus alienate those potential customers? I just don't get it!! There are dozens of existing Japanese carrier based aircraft, in 1:32, with a fair number coming from Tamiya of all people. So why produce kits of aircraft carrier decks, and then aircraft too, which are INCOMPATIBLE with those existing kits, but, and this is what I really don't get, compatible with a range of kit subjects THAT HAVE NO POSSIBLE CONTEXTUAL LINK,  and utterly no interoperability.  And then try and sell that incompatibility as some kind of commercial advantage!! 
 
My point about Tamiya redoing all their armour kits in 1:32 is entirely valid. They did EXACTLY that with their 1:48 armour kits. They wanted a new range, understand that. But they tapped into an existing fan base. What they didn't do, this time around, was invent some new and close, but incompatible scale.  
 
In short, why go out of your way to alienate potential customers? Unnecessarily. 
 
I just don't get it! Any more than I would buy a 1:35 kit, to go with my 1:32 aircraft models.