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Strega Air Racer


Bryan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I got the beast in primer. This is always a big step for me, because it means I will probably finish the model. Prior to this point, the outcome is always in doubt, what with my childlike attention span and other "issues".

 

I am fairly happy with how the airframe modifications turned out. I tried to carefully subdue the surface detail that came as part of the Tamiya kit. On Strega, the cowl looks pretty much "stock" P-51, as does the tail. But the middle fuselage and the wings are clearly puttied and the finish is basically completely smooth. So I filled all the panel lines in these areas with Surfacer 500, and greatly sanded down the rivet detail. This was hard to do, simply because I really like the restrained way that Tamiya modeled these elements...but these are not elements that appear on Strega.

 

This is the first time I tried the Tamiya white primer in the rattle can. I must say I am impressed. I previously saw little need to stray from my tried and true Surfacer 1200 primer, but after reading such raves about the Tamiya primer I finally tried it. It goes on smooth, and seems pretty impervious to good or bad technique, so it suits me well....

 

Thanks for looking.

 

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Edited by Bryan
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This is the first time I tried the Tamiya white primer in the rattle can. I must say I am impressed. I previously saw little need to stray from my tried and true Surfacer 1200 primer, but after reading such raves about the Tamiya primer I finally tried it. It goes on smooth, and seems pretty impervious to good or bad technique, so it suits me well....

 

 

Yeah buddy..................I had the same experience. The stuff really does go on like glass...............to the point that even when ham-fisting it like I occasionally do, it leaves the model resembling like it was made in white plastic! I LOVE the stuff...............even more now that I cant seem to find or buy Mr Color products without resorting to wierd on line places to buy. :(

 

 

Strega looks superb, and Im sure the unlimited paint job will be KILLER!

 

BTW, Im going to the 50th anniversary (every racer whos ever wanted to show, should hopefully be there for the Golden anniversary, i HOPE) of Reno this coming September, and hope to get some great shots of all the major players in the unlimited class including Strega. :D

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Yeah buddy..................I had the same experience. The stuff really does go on like glass...............to the point that even when ham-fisting it like I occasionally do, it leaves the model resembling like it was made in white plastic! I LOVE the stuff...............even more now that I cant seem to find or buy Mr Color products without resorting to wierd on line places to buy. :(

 

 

Strega looks superb, and Im sure the unlimited paint job will be KILLER!

 

BTW, Im going to the 50th anniversary (every racer whos ever wanted to show, should hopefully be there for the Golden anniversary, i HOPE) of Reno this coming September, and hope to get some great shots of all the major players in the unlimited class including Strega. :D

 

I will definitely be at Reno this year...probably thurs or fri though just to avoid the worst of the crowds.

 

I too am sick of trying to track down Mr. Color products, even though I think their paint is the best currently available. I am branching out with this model and trying this stuff:

 

http://www.zero-paints.com/

 

Their color line is aimed at racing cars and motorcycles, so it won't be of much use on Luftwaffe or RAF aircraft. But since I am currently in a racer phase they should work great for me. They make this two-part gloss clearcoat (cures chemically via a hardener) that thus far I am very impressed with. You know how most gloss looks perfect and shiny when wet, but dries sort of semi-gloss? I think this happens due to shrinkage during the evaporation (drying) process. Since this stuff from Zero-paint hardens via chemical reaction, once dry it looks pretty much the same as it looks wet. Also, once cured it is pretty much impervious to solvents and what not, so you can weather over it like crazy. I have high hopes for this paint....just wish they offered camo colors.

 

Thanks for the nice comments guys.

Edited by Bryan
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I got the basic paint colors on...

 

I tried handcutting all the masks and the results were...mixed. They don't really show up in the photos but there are lots of small errors and rough paint edges. I am sure most of you know how it is...looking at it all at the work bench with the magnifying visor on, it looks like crap. You ponder how many glitches you are going to fix, and how many you are going to live with. For me, chasing perfection means never finishing anything, so it is a tough call.

 

I imagine I will correct the larger issues and hope the rest look better under several coats of clear.

 

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