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1/32 P-38L "Kicked Up A Notch". Jan 15/16: FINISHED!


chuck540z3

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I'm going to have to look at the last couple of posts at least another 10 or so times! I don't know how you do it. That painting (and especially masking) is exceptional. This is just going to look magical. I don't know if you mentioned it before and apologies if you did, but are you going to do the "marge" nose art? If so how? 

 

Cheers,

 

Craig

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Guest Peterpools

Chuck

Outstanding, simply fantastic paint work. I've long ago converted to acrylics, mainly Tamiya paints and recently starting switching over to Model Air being my go to paint - color range is fantastic.

Looking forward to your next update

Keep 'em coming

Peter

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I'm going to have to look at the last couple of posts at least another 10 or so times! I don't know how you do it. That painting (and especially masking) is exceptional. This is just going to look magical. I don't know if you mentioned it before and apologies if you did, but are you going to do the "marge" nose art? If so how? 

 

Cheers,

 

Craig

 

Thanks Craig.  Yes, I'm doing Marge, with the Pyn-Up decals here:

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/fineartofdecalsimages/PYND32001.jpg

 

 

 

 

Your painting skills are amazing, Chuck. How long did it take you to master the airbrush and the paints in such a fantastic fashion?

 

Cheers

Rainer

 

 

About 8 years- and I'm still learning!

Edited by chuck540z3
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Chuck

Outstanding, simply fantastic paint work. I've long ago converted to acrylics, mainly Tamiya paints and recently starting switching over to Model Air being my go to paint - color range is fantastic.

Looking forward to your next update

Keep 'em coming

Peter

 

 

Thanks Peter.  Although I know that acrylics can be just as good as enamels and lacquers, we all tend to stick with what we know because it works.  If I have a problem with my painting, I know immediately what the problem is.  With acrylics, not so much and the drying at the nozzle tip was a bit of a problem when I used to use them.  I hadn't heard of paint retarders back then, so that was likely the fix.  I also had problems with adhesion and masking tape lifting the paint, which I have never had with enamels or lacquers.  I also don't use a primer, unless I'm using Alclad like this build.  You just don't need a primer with enamels, so I use the base color as a bit of a primer, just to check for flaws.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

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Chuck, Looks fantastic and thanks for sharing all of the painting/masking tips.  Very useful and always great to see how others do masking and painting and especially the thinking behind what you are doing.  I've used the grocery bag trick before and also noticed a lot of overspray that settled in.

Can't wait to see the next set of pics and commentary.

Keep up the great work and Merry Christmas!

Chris

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Chuck,

 

Beautiful work from one talented sob

 

 

Geoff, I have been fortunate enough to receive my share of praise for my work, but this comment really makes me smile.  Thank you sir.

 

 

Chuck.

 

Marvelous work. .. just spectacular. . :bow:

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you and your family

 

and to everyone who may read this thread :beer:

 

 

 

Hey Maru, good to hear from you again.  There is no better cheerleader for our efforts than you, so on behalf of everyone here, thanks again!

 

 

 

Chuck, Looks fantastic and thanks for sharing all of the painting/masking tips.  Very useful and always great to see how others do masking and painting and especially the thinking behind what you are doing.  I've used the grocery bag trick before and also noticed a lot of overspray that settled in.

Can't wait to see the next set of pics and commentary.

Keep up the great work and Merry Christmas!

Chris

 

 

Hi Chris,

 

Thanks for the kind comments.  One reason why my next update will be some time off is the difficulty in all the masking off of those areas I have already painted.  I have spent about 4-5 hours masking so far and I'm only half finished!  I also learned the hard way a few years ago that at this late stage of a build, the worst thing you can do is rush the ending.  I think that precise and perfect as possible masking is as important as a good looking paint job, since you really can't have a good paint job if your masking is sub-par.  I also plan on re-painting the polished aluminum areas one more time with the Tamiya gloss black primer coat.  With handling and a bit of over-spray, the finish has dulled a bit, which will no doubt show up through the thin Alclad Chrome.  Also, for those who wonder why I'm using Chrome over Polished Aluminum, the answer is that the Alclad Aqua Gloss Clear Coat I plan on spraying over the final finish (to allow masking and the application of decal solvents) dulls the finish a bit.  By applying Chrome, then knocking the shine back a bit with the clear coat, I hope to have the polished aluminum finish I'm looking for.  Time will tell!

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Guest Peterpools

Hi Chuck

When I made the switch to acrylics, at first I experienced the same problems. I've always been a believer in primer, as thee base for painting with acrylics, enamels or lacquers and always prime all the parts. Sometimes fit is an issue, especially with Tamiya kits, which requires removing the paint from the mating surfaces. My procedure for acrylics is to keep the paint thin:

Primer: Ammo by Mig Gray Primer 50/50 with X20A, Iwata CR Revolution with a .5 tip for a wider spray pattern. 18 psi working pressure

Tamiya Paint: 40% paint, 60% Tamiya Yellow Cap Thinner

Model Air: 20% Model Air Thinner to 70-80% Paint (depends upon the color).

Working pressure; 16-18 psi with a Iwata Eclipse 0.35 tip or 18 -22 psi working pressure with an H&S Infinity CR Plus with a 0.2 tip.

Lots of thin light layers and I normally allow the paint to dry for about an hour, then mask with Tamiya tape (detacked). So far, relatively very few lifting problems with the paint and the occasional clog at the tip, calling for a bit of retarder.

I know I'm a bit behind the times with thinning but I use an eye dropper and count drops to help insure the thinning ratios are accurate. When I deviate and skip steps, it isn't unusual for the troops to call out Mr Thinner and start stripping paint.

Peter

Edited by Peterpools
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  • 2 weeks later...

January 5, 2016

Happy New Year boys (and a few girls)!  I haven't done too much modeling lately, because I've been busy AND I've been terrified to go to the next step.  Terrified?  I was terrified to apply the final Alclad Chrome to the rest of the model for the following reasons:

1)   If any Alclad metallic color will show micro-flaws, Chrome will, since it is by far the shiniest.

2)  High shine Alclad finishes like Chrome, Polished Aluminum, Airframe Aluminum, etc. are all alcohol based and very fragile, because they don't “bite†the primer coat like the other Alclad lacquer products.  They rub off fairly easily, especially with masking tape and apparently they don't like decal solutions either.  Nice.  Show me a polished aluminum aircraft without decals.  This is why I left this painting to the last, so that I would not have to mask it.

3)  To fix #2, you need to put a clear coat on the finish, preferably an acrylic one like Alclad's own Aqua Gloss, ALC 600.
 
4)  I don't like ALC 600 very much.  Although it dries fairly hard after an hour or so, it still takes an hour and you need to spray it at fairly high pressure because you can't dilute it- or at least not according to the label.  This works OK for flat horizontal surfaces, but vertical ones create drips because you can't control the drying time like using Future, which takes only minutes.

5) I experimented with Alclad's other gloss clear coat, ALC 310, which is an enamel based product that produces lots of “dust†due to air turbulence and quick drying times near wing roots etc., creating a rough surface.  This was OK on my Mustang build where I did use the product successfully, but it was a weathered bird and I could sand the roughness down with polishing cloths.  On this polished Hanger Queen, no way!

6) All clear finishes knock down the shine of the Chrome, some more than others, so I going to experiment on some spare F-4 intakes below with ALC 600, ALC 310 and good ‘ol Future.  My gut tells me that if I keep the Future coat thin enough, it will protect the Alclad without taking too much of the shine away and I can still put decal solutions on it.  We'll see.

7)  Always wanting to experiment with new ideas, I even bought some automotive Dupli-Color Chrome enamel paint, as shown on the right.  If enamel paint still looked nice and shiny I thought, I wouldn't have to worry about masking the dried paint or clear coating it later.  The cap shows what the paint is supposed to look like and, believe it or not, that intake is actually painted with this product!  I'll call this Crash & Burn Experiment # 2, right after my GOOP disaster, but at least this time I didn't do it directly on my model.



Alclad%20Chrome%2010.jpg



Alclad Chrome also doesn't like fingerprints- not even a bit and if you have any prints on the black primer surface, it will magnify them.  After lots of handling and a bit of overspray from other paint colors, I decide to lightly sand down the old primer surface and apply a new one before the application of the Chrome.  Speaking of Alclad Chrome, I even tried the Alclad "Chrome for Lexan" product for laughs.  If you think Chrome is fragile, this product is much worse, but then it was never made for outside surfaces.



Alclad%20Chrome%201.jpg



First results.  My goodness that surface looks nice and shiny, just like real metal!  I'll never try foil if I can continue to produce results like this.  The Chrome might be a touch too bright for Polished Aluminum, but after a clear coat, it will knock the shine down a bit (or maybe a lot).  I am also VERY pleased with the lack of obvious surface flaws.  There's a few tiny ones, but I can still fix them.




Alclad%20Chrome%202.jpg



Alclad%20Chrome%203.jpg











Alclad%20Chrome%206.jpg



Alclad%20Chrome%207.jpg



Alclad%20Chrome%208.jpg



Alclad%20Chrome%209.jpg
 

 

I've also been doing a few small decals on the props.  These are from the Pyn-Up set for "Marge", which are much better than anything else I've seen.


Prop%20Decals.jpg
 

So that's it for now.  After some clear coat experimentation, I'll pick one and spray all Chrome surfaces with it, then remove the masking tape and check for flaws.  It's gloves only at this stage!


Cheers,
Chuck

Edited by chuck540z3
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Chuck, if it's not too late, give Tamiya's X-22 Clear Gloss a try, thinned with Mr. Color Thinner (Levelling or not). Use it on one of your test pieces and see what you think. I can't guarantee that you'll be happy with the effect it has on your chrome layer, but it will dry smooth, fast and tough.

 

Kev

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