Lee White Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Maybe paint the red, white, and blue, and carefully cut out the stars from one of the replacement sheets you are getting, and apply the individual stars to the cowl? Maybe double them up if opacity is an issue? HTH.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 Thanks for your thoughts Lee. I counted that there are 54 stars on the cowl decal, and I don't fancy having to cut them all out and apply them like you suggest! If the Vallejo Insignia Blue was an exact match for the decals, I'd just cut them into little strips or even squares, and apply them over the blue paint. That way I wouldn't have to be careful about cutting them out. But while the Vallejo colour is very close indeed (so much so that I was able to use it to patch the rudder and you can hardly tell), I'm not convinced I'd get away with that. I guess I could try it with a couple and see what it looks like... Kev Lee White 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 Oh, I forgot to mention that the spare decals from Saul arrived today. Thanks Saul! Hopefully I'm adequately covered for spares now, unless I screw up the cowling for a third time! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Oh, I forgot to mention that the spare decals from Saul arrived today. Thanks Saul! Hopefully I'm adequately covered for spares now, unless I screw up the cowling for a third time! Kev If you do, you can always get mine ! Hubert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkmouth Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I'd just cut them into little strips or even squares, and apply them over the blue paint. Kev, please consider leaving that area white, apply decals and fill with pain. This would eliminate any opacity issues with the decals. Glad to know they arrived! Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 If you do, you can always get mine ! Hubert Thanks Hubert! Hopefully it won't come to that. I keep thinking how much further advanced I'd be in this build if I hadn't chosen these scheme. Ah well, such is modelling. I took out one of my paint mules yesterday and sprayed one wing surface with Vallejo Insignia Blue, followed an hour or so later with some Alclad Klear Kote gloss. I'll use this to test out the star decals over the blue and see how it looks. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Well, here's the result of my experiment with the kit's star decals over Model Air Insignia Blue: Er, no. The camera has certainly increased the contrast between the two blues markedly, but the difference is still pretty dramatic to the naked eye. I think this is partly my own doing however, as I laid the Vallejo Insignia Blue down over some already-dark paint, and probably used too many coats. As you can see in the photo, it's actually not far off black. Still, I'm thinking now that Royal Blue, like I used on the Speed Spitfire, might be a closer match. I might take the other wing of the paint mule, lay down some white primer first, and then spray two bands of blue colour - one repeating with the Vallejo colour to see if the white base makes any difference, and one with some Royal Blue. Even if I end up keeping the white as a base on the cowl, rather than going with blue, I still need to find a decent paint match for touch ups. I'll report back when the testing is done! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Im not sure if you have or can get any "Frisket film" used for air-brush masking Kev, but i have had good luck using it to cut my own "masks" from Tamiya tape. In this instance it might not be perfect, but i have cut similar stars out using this method, as the frisket film is very flexible, and is 100% clear, so its fairly easy to lay the film over something, then trace it/cut it out with a sharp blade and either use the film itself as a mask or transfer the image to Tamiya tape. I used this method on repairing the stars on my SU-30....................they were substantially larger but these seem like they might be less complex, and might be small enough to not have to be "perfect". Either way, your slogging your way through the trials and tribs on this one so the rest of us know what to expect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdthoresen Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 (edited) Kevin-I have heard of these decal problems before. One thing you might try is to use warm water to soak the decals in, and try adding 2-3 drops of dish soap to the water- if you stir it up slowly to avoid making a "sudsy" mess, this might help in allowing the decals to be adjusted on the surface when you apply them. It has helped me in the past with some super sticky Techmod decals. Perhaps give it a try with a couple of spare decals off the sheet before committing to your cowling.Try it on a paint mule..HTH-THOR Edited March 19, 2014 by bdthoresen Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Thanks for your input Thor. I did indeed use some dishwashing soap in the water when I applied the rudder decals, and had far less trouble with those, though they still didn't want to move. Looks like I have access to at least 3 more spare decal sheets should I require them though, so one way or another this will get done! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Just the smallest of updates today folks. I've finished the main landing gear: You can't see it in the photos, but I've used some Bare Metal Foil chrome for the oleos. The effect is much more noticeable in the flesh. Also difficult to see is that fact that each oleo has a nasty ejector pin mark right where you don't want them. The next time I build one, I'll saw them out and replace them with aluminium tubing. I also elected not to install brake lines this time, just to keep things simple and moving. ...and I've just realised that I've completely forgotten the scissor links... Kev SirBlueHenry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Oh, I also forgot to add this photo: These are the two spinner caps included in the kit. I initially painted up the one on the left, assuming it was the go. But then I remembered that there was another unit included, which is oddly split into two longitudinal halves. A quick consult of the instructions told me that this was actually the one I was supposed to be using, and here it is presented on the right. Notice the size difference! In the end, I don't really know what the larger one is for, as it doesn't appear to be mentioned in the instructions. The Alclad didn't come out as nicely as I'd hoped, though it isn't too bad. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Nice progress mate ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Nice..............I wonder what the larger spinner is for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn M Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) Looking through photos some models had the larger ones where as the smaller one (with the fasteners) was the earlier one fitted. I "think" the later big 'un is a racer or "Warbird" style that is used. "Think" being key here as I may be wrong. Edited March 24, 2014 by Shawn M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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