Tamiya 1/32 A6M5

[toadwbg]

Decided to throw this on the fuselage to see how it's going to look- it is marvelous!  I sorta now want to display the Engine instead of putting the cowling on:

 

I decided to tackle the cowling a bit, there is a small PE fin that goes into the turbo intake, what a PITA!  Lost it to the carpet monster and created a new one out of stock plastic:

 

Used Tamiya TS-30 Silver leaf for a base aluminum coat on the cowling and prop.  I will probably heavily paint chip the cowling as seen in many historical photos.

Edited May 1, 2016 by toadwbg

[toadwbg]

Decided to try the paint chipping.  My method involved first "stipling" areas typically wear paint chips off with liquid Micro Mask, than I airbrushed over with Tamiya Acrylics.   I use a bit of Future (Floor wax) mixed in my paint for a touch of semi-gloss and it can help improve airbrushing.   I sprayed a good coat, let them dry overnight and than used masking tape to pull off at the paint.   Maybe worked too well....

 

 

I got the desired semi-random and jagged look but instead of getting lots of small chips I get lots of LARGE chips and paint removal.  Too much?  Not certain if I want to strip the paint and try again or not.

 

After these photos were taken, I tried scraping smaller areas with a 1500-grit sanding pad and my fingernail, this improved the overall effect by adding more small chipped areas.  I think I'm going to go with this.

Edited May 13, 2016 by toadwbg

[BiggTim]

You could try a light coat of hairspray over it, then another light coat of paint (since they often repainted them), and then try scrubbing it with glass cleaner and a toothbrush. This would result in much lighter chipping, but your first layer would enhance it, give it a multilayer look. I did something like that on a Hellcat, the link in my signature below.

 

Tim

[dsahling1]

AK interactive makes a product called, "worn effects" You spray some kind of base in ideally lacquer or at least use a clear gloss lacquer to seal an acrylic with, and then spray 2-3 coats of the "worn effects" let it dry for about 30 minutes, then spray your main acrylic color and get a regular paint brush (usually a slightly stiffer brush works best).  Then dip it in warm water and start brushing along the paint and it should create natural chipping and wear and tear.

[toadwbg]

Thanks for the advice on the paint chipping techniques fellas.   I decided to strip the paint and give it another go.  This time I'm just going to "chip" with my fingernail and some 2400 grit sandpaper.

 

Stripping the Tamiya acrylic from the lacquer spraycoat was easy, about 20 minutes in a bath of Simple Green, diluted 50/50 with water and it washes right off.

[toadwbg]

I decided to glue in the removable covers for the working gear feature.   Once I'm done painting, the gear will stay open permanently in ground display.

 

Although these parts fit like a glove, I decided to screw them up by trimming and filing them for a little better fit.  I pretty much made them worse!  So I had to do a little sanding, filling, and blending in.   This is the most sanding I've had to do on this otherwise excellent fitting kit.

 

[Out2gtcha]

Looks really great so far. Tamiyas Zekes are truly something to behold

[toadwbg]

Went out turkey hunting this AM but only got gobbles...

 

Re-painted the cowling and fuel tank.  This time I used my fingernail and a 2400 sanding pad to chip away at the paint, came out much finer as I wanted.  Not as much aluminum to see here right now but I might add more chips.

 

l layed down the first base-layer of paint with the trusty Iawata airbrush, I started with the underside grey.  I chose Tamiya X-12, which has a slight green tint to the grey paint that I like for the A6M5.   Tamiya sprays down like a fine wine.   I thin about 1:1, my thinner is 90%+ ISO alcohol, some retarder and a couple drops of Future (Floor Wax) to add some semi-gloss sheen.  

[toadwbg]

I'm headed out on a work trip to Japan this week, my first time there!   I expect to come back with a few model kits in my luggage