Italeri 1/32 Macchi Mc.202 Folgore

[Shoggz]

That's really lovely - your finishing skills are exemplary John.

 

..and yes, the wrinkling of the decals after a dose of Sol is one of the ultimate modelling 'hold your nerve' moments!

[Thunnus]

Thank you Richard!  Still lots of work to do as the weathering has not yet started.

 

 

The decals are done.

 

 

I will seal the decals with gloss and add that final little "VII" to the tail stencil and then we'll begin the weathering process.
 

[LSP_Kevin]

Stunning paint work, John!

 

Are you saying that you thin Aqua Gloss with Levelling Thinner? I use it on occasion too, but the instructions on the bottle warn against thinning it, so I'm curious about that, especially since I have enormous trouble with pooling and running when I airbrush it.

 

Kev

[Thunnus]

2 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Stunning paint work, John!

 

Are you saying that you thin Aqua Gloss with Levelling Thinner? I use it on occasion too, but the instructions on the bottle warn against thinning it, so I'm curious about that, especially since I have enormous trouble with pooling and running when I airbrush it.

 

Kev

Thanks Kevin!

 

Yes, I regularly thin Alclad Aqua Gloss with Mr Leveling Thinner.  Usually at a 1:1 thinner:paint ratio, sometimes more.  It works very well for me and I don't get pooling and running.  I guess you could get running and pooling with any paint if you spray too much at one time.   Maybe reduce the paint delivery volume on your airbrush?  My Iwata's have a limiter that I adjust before I spray so that I physically CAN'T draw too much paint from the cup.

 

I'll also thin Aqua Gloss with 91% iso alcohol and that works almost as well.  I use the alcohol when putting a gloss coat over a hairspayed area since MLT is aggressive and will cut into the paint down to the hairspray and cause alligator crack patterns.  MLT in my Aqua Gloss can also pull up my black preshade layer so I have to watch that as well.

 

The first thing I do when trying a new paint or clear coat is to test what it can be thinned with.  I need the flexibility to change the consistency of paints to my liking instead of relying on what the manufacturer thinks I need.  For example, my current clear flat is Model Master Clear Flat Acryl and that one definitely does not like MLT or Tamiya thinners.  I can only use 91% IPA.

[JayW]

Will be an Italian masterpiece.  John - you are a dedicated user of that stand for your model finishing (at least).  I wonder if it can be expanded to accomodate a model 32/18 = 1.78 times the length and width.  Ya think?  

Edited April 7, 2025 by JayW

[LSP_Kevin]

Thanks, John. The reason I turn to Aqua Gloss occasionally is to take advantage of its relatively inert water-based properties, when other types may cause unwanted effects - I'm thinking of natural metal finishes or fragile decals here. So thinning it with MLT kind of goes against my purpose here! Good to know it can be done, though.

 

Kev

[Thunnus]

7 hours ago, JayW said:

Will be an Italian masterpiece.  John - you are a dedicated user of that stand for your model finishing (at least).  I wonder if it can be expanded to accomodate a model 32/18 = 1.78 times the length and width.  Ya think?  

Not sure about masterpiece but that smoke ring camo will be checked off the bucket list! 

 

I'm sure it would be pretty easy to fabricate a jig to suit using 3D-printing, no?  The one I am using is classified for 1/48-1/32 scale aircraft so there is a bigger one (1/32-24) available...

 

The larger one can stretch from 150mm to 430mm (6"-17").  I measure mine and it stretches 3.7" to 11.6". Not quite the 1.78X you are looking for. These jigs are available at UMM-USA.

 

I want one like what Jeroen has...

 

 

 

7 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

Thanks, John. The reason I turn to Aqua Gloss occasionally is to take advantage of its relatively inert water-based properties, when other types may cause unwanted effects - I'm thinking of natural metal finishes or fragile decals here. So thinning it with MLT kind of goes against my purpose here! Good to know it can be done, though.

 

Kev

Ahhh... got it!  Aqua Gloss + MLT does need care when using for sure.

[Hubert Boillot]

Interesting discussion about Aqua Gloss. It’s currently difficult to fetch in Europe, but Mig Jimenez seems to have comparable alternatives.  One interesting feature of Aqua Gloss is that it can be thinned with water. And therefore used on MRP paints and metallic colors without the adverse effects of using IPA or MLT, both of which are quiet agressive against MRP paints (ask me how I know …)

 

As for the Macchi, it’s another true masterpiece in the making  👍!

Hubert

Edited April 8, 2025 by Hubert Boillot

[Branko]

15 hours ago, Thunnus said:

Thank you Richard!  Still lots of work to do as the weathering has not yet started.

 

 

The decals are done.

 

 

I will seal the decals with gloss and add that final little "VII" to the tail stencil and then we'll begin the weathering process.
 

 

Beautifull, simply beautifull.

[Thunnus]

6 hours ago, Hubert Boillot said:

Interesting discussion about Aqua Gloss. It’s currently difficult to fetch in Europe, but Mig Jimenez seems to have comparable alternatives.  One interesting feature of Aqua Gloss is that it can be thinned with water. And therefore used on MRP paints and metallic colors without the adverse effects of using IPÀor MLT, both of which are quiet agressive against MRP paints (ask me how I know …)

 

As for the Macchi, it’s another true masterpiece in the making  👍!

Hubert

Thank you Hubert! Does spraying Aqua Gloss thinned with water keep the high shine finish of colors like Alclad Chrome intact?  Will have to test that out!

 

 

6 hours ago, Branko said:

 

Beautifull, simply beautifull.

Thank you very much!

 

The decals have been sealed with a gloss coat so now it is time for the first weathering step.  I will be applying a pastel wash to highlight all of the recessed detail, including the rivets that were applied manually at the beginning of this build.  We'll start off with the undersides first.

 

You can make out the tonal variation of the Light Grey that was applied over the mottle pre-shade layer.  The gloss coat, thinned with Mr Leveling Thinner actually brought more of the pre-shading to the surface and I had to spray some more Light Grey to dial that effect back.

 

My pastel washes are homemade with scrapings from pastel chalks mixed with water... super simple and very effective.  I am choosing a grey color for the wash. The wash is run over all of the panel lines and rivets and allowed to dry.

 

The surface is then wiped with a damp cloth to remove the wash that is not stuck in the recessed areas.

 

I typically do the wash application sections at a time to keep track of where the wash has been applied and more importantly, where it needs to be removed from.  It's easy to lose track leave some wash unwiped, which really detracts from the overall presentation.

 

Before I continue the wash on the upper sides, it is time to fill in the Series number using my wee VII mask.

 

Thankfully, the Oramask 810 material is translucent, making it easier to place in the exact spot. Gotta be careful since the mask is going over a decal.

 

Such a small detail but it removes the nagging thought in my mind if I had left it as an erroneous "XIII".

 

Ok, on to the upper side pastel wash.  I'm going to try the same grey color that was used on the bottom.

 

The effect is noticeable but not too stark.  I think this will work.

 

I'm going to stop here and continue with the wash on the fuselage later.

Edited April 8, 2025 by Thunnus

[Javlin1]

That is looking beautiful Sir and appreciate the the cue on the wash.

[LSP_Kevin]

On 4/9/2025 at 2:43 AM, Thunnus said:

Does spraying Aqua Gloss thinned with water keep the high shine finish of colors like Alclad Chrome intact?

 

That's the point of using it! Scott Taylor of SMS paints (a locally-produced equivalent to MRP) says that using solvent-based clear coats over solvent-based metallic finishes re-orients the metallic pigments in the paint, changing their appearance and generally dulling them. Using a water-based clear gloss doesn't produce this effect, and Scott is working on introducing just such a product to his range. And to be clear (pardon the pun), Tamiya and Gunze acrylic paints don't qualify as water-based for the purposes of this discussion, as they're both alcohol-based.

 

So, when I need to preserve a metallic finish, or protect fragile paint or decals (home-printed decals especially), I'll use Aqua Gloss unthinned. For most other purposes, I'll use either X-22 thinned with MLT, or SMS Super Clear straight out of the bottle, as I find either of these combinations produce a superior result to Aqua Gloss anyway. In fact, I'll often follow-up the Aqua Gloss with one of the latter options if I'm going for a gloss finish.

 

Kev

[Thunnus]

The pastel wash has been applied over the fuselage so this stage is done.  I've also glued the horizontal stabilizers in place. I'm tempted to spray on a flat coat now but I'm going to check over the painting and the wash carefully as the the next clear coat will lock everything in place.  With the smoke ring camo pattern, it's easy to miss errant spots of pastel wash.

 

[MikeMaben]

   Is perfection possible ?

 

When you mix pastel with water, do you eliminate surface tension with soap or something ?

[zaxos345]

Absolutely amazing John!!!!

 

John