airscale Posted October 4, 2013 Author Share Posted October 4, 2013 evening all... a BIG day today & something I am very pleased with... ..more of that later... ...I was mooching about getting all the parts together and thought I would work on the prop & spinner... I had made a lot of changes to the kit part - namely drilling it out and cutting the slots for the props - in the kit the blades are short and just stick into peg-holes in the spinner... ..I added a bit of surface detail, including drilling recesses for some big fasteners that go between each blade - they were just recesses, but I carelessly drilled one all the way through. In figuring out how to plug it up I hit on the idea of making a screw head by cutting a slot in a bit of rod and actually they would all look better that way.. ..I cut a few and sprayed them silver... ...and soon had all the parts prepped & primed... ..I tried painting the blades....anyone who has followed this thread from the beginning will know I find painting with an airbrush really tough - I have practically no experience since I only got one when I got back into modelling a few years ago. The blades looked awful - runs, patchy and generally crap.. ..despondent and basically $hitting myself about how I am ever going to paint this model I went on the internet for tutorials - I only found a few and actually found one really helpful ( here ) in terms of practical advice with Tamiya paints. I also found a great tip about measuring by using syringes and just sucking the paint into some tube, NOT into the syringe - this allows me to measure properly and saves all the aggro of cleaning as I can just throw away the tube (@ £3 for 5m).. ..I also got a test model cheap and built it in 15 mins (that felt wierd ) to practice on and had another go... ..I took the plunge and with the tutorial running in the background gave it a go - I am ecstatic with the results - I am sure you can find flaws in it, but for me it came out really well (the fingerprint is just oil from me, it's not in the paint!) ..you can also see the screws turned out ok too.. ..with confidence building, I had another go at the re-primed blades - was happy with those too, so maybe with more practice I can finish this build and not ruin 18 months work... ..a big day - it's odd, I feel I can build anything, but have always struggled to get a good finish on a model - maybe I have turned a corner.. ..we will see.... until next time TTFNPeter Showtime 100, Landrotten Highlander, Uilleann and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Fantastic Peter! Not only the work you've done on the model, but in conquering a new (and important!) aspect of your modelling. It all looks really amazing. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Ron Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Very impressive, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted October 4, 2013 Share Posted October 4, 2013 Peter How come when I 'screw up' it usually means starting over and in your case, the exact opposite? Awesome work and what a way to learn to paint. Keep 'em coming :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Congratulations on conquering your nemisis Peter. The paintwork thus far looks flawless. Of course practice makes perfect but you're off to a promising start. You've probably already discovered this but many light coats give a better result than one thick one. Your patience will be a virtue in this regard and I'm confident that the finish will be just as exemplary as the construction. I am floored by the look of the gear legs. Absolute precision. What a joy to behold. Keep up the magnificent work and continuing thanks for sharing every step with us. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamme Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 That's a fantastic job you made here! Congrats Peter. Cheers, Jamme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Lovely detail, that, Peter. Painting is nice and smooth. Love those blades. Peter, I use a plastic pippette to measure thinner. I label them for whichever thinner I use: Enamel, lacquer, water, etc. This way nothing gets contaminated from something else. I measure my thinner by drops. To measure paint I use a dental spatula: I have all of them but use the left one to measure drops of paint. I dip the spatula into the paint bottle and count the drops as the fall into my mixing bowl, a 1/2 oz. solo cup: You can buy them CHEAP by the hundreds. They come in a variety of sizes. You can find these types of cups at fast food restaurants as condiment cups if you don't want to buy them. Sincerely, Mark Landrotten Highlander 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richdlc Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 just read this thread through - brilliant stuff! Exactly the kind of scratching I like. I really must get me a resin casting kit....and some tiny nuts and bolts. Where do you get the latter from please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shepard Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Peter the big screws detai is awesome... cheers shep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 thanks all - appreciate it I am starting slowly and now I know how to get a basecoat and final coat and the pressures, mixtures, distances and all the other black magic involved in airbrushing I am starting to fear the whole process a lot less hopefully I won't do too much damage on the smaller parts, but the airframe is a different matter just read this thread through - brilliant stuff! Exactly the kind of scratching I like. I really must get me a resin casting kit....and some tiny nuts and bolts. Where do you get the latter from please? Rich - thanks for dropping in - I get the tiny nuts and bolts from Scale Hardware - expensive, but they can't be beaten TTFN - got some prop tips to airbrush Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 "..more miniscule modelling (is this what 1/700 ship modelling is like?)" ...Yes! (I mastered a 1/700 HMS Lance RN Destroyer for WEM). Pete, I also share your trepidation for painting and spraying as I have not finished a model for many years. Your work (and painting) looks excellent - well done Derek airscale 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted October 6, 2013 Author Share Posted October 6, 2013 Pete, I also share your trepidation for painting and spraying as I have not finished a model for many years. Your work (and painting) looks excellent - well done Derek I think we are kindred spirits Derek - love building, but find painting a dark art.. the finishes I see on this site are an inspiration, the Wildcat that X15 shared is incredible - I just can't comprehend how it's done. I guess the only way to get there is to start so I am practicing on the little bits.. ..I got the prop and tips and wheels finished - I must have done 6 or 7 fine coats on the tips to get good coverage and am starting to understand that even simple airbrushing takes much more care and time than I thought. so far, so good.. (to me anyway ..)... a propeller, sans weathering... ..I detailed the Fisher hubs - feels a bit like cheating since I started this for the OOB Group Build and this is the first and only bit of AM... ..and painted.... (with an airbrush ) - I love the treads so full respect to Paul @ Fisher ..and checking with the legs/doors.. ..I also finally got a canopy I was happy with having tried vac-forming from different clear sheet types, I used K&S in the end, (actually it arrived from the US first, the Vivek recommended earlier is still on its way).. ..it is not perfect, but I need an optivisor to see the flaws, so good enough (attempt 12 I think..)...I cut it out which I must admit was easier as the K7S stuff is really stiff and workable once moulded....this is it after dipping in Future.. ...and the first part of framing added.. ...got the rest of the framing and all the internal structure to look forward to tomorrow... TTFN Peter Out2gtcha, Showtime 100, radial and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Lovely paint work Peter. I think you've cracked it! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightnjoe Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 fantastic. simply fantastic. an outstanding build and an incredible blog. joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 LOVE it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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