ClumsyDude Posted August 30, 2017 Author Share Posted August 30, 2017 Thanks Andy, Ben and Spyros ... hopefully I'll have something in a couple of weeks. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-10LOADER Posted August 30, 2017 Share Posted August 30, 2017 WOW, very nice work so far. Keep it up. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 All right y'all ... finally got something to share after a month away from posting. You'll recall that last time we were here, with the masks down and ready for paint. All ready to go, of course, and then I realised that I didn't have the nav lights done. So, out with the clear red and green for the lenses, and some alclad chrome underneath. Then finally masked that off, and it was my moment of truth ... plan was to lay down the red first, then mask that off, do the grey, then the blues. As with any gloss coat, I approached it carefully with lots of very thin coats, over a couple of days. Here we are at the end of coat one: After a couple more coats of red, it was on to the grey. Much to my annoyance, it's not possible to find that shade of grey in gloss, in either a water based acrylic or a lacquer (I have no experience with enamels so didn't want to go there). On the flip side, you get better coverage with matte paints, so I did one coat with about 25% clear gloss added, then another with 50%. Here's the result ... Then I masked off all the red and grey, with a wrapper of paper towel to keep the grey safe from scratches and overspray. Here it is: Then it was time for the Oxford blue. This happened over about three nights, constantly fighting my impatience and desire to lay down a big wet coat. Misting, misting, misting ... a single coat took about 45 minutes, and I did five. I didn't get any shots of the light blue going down, but I managed that in the first half of the week. It's a custom mix, with a base of Gunze light blue, darkened with character blue and a little Gunze gundam light blue until it matched the Leading Edge decals. Coming in a second: the big reveal! F`s are my favs, jgrease, Dandiego and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 Having scampered out to my workbench at every opportunity to finish the light blue, I was constantly fighting my impatience ... I worked from home yesterday and was itching the whole time to ditch the dopey conference calls and get out to the shed! Eventually after getting the girls to bed, I made it out at around 8:30 for the big unmasking. The problem I was most worried about was lifting paint along with the masks. The red had been on there for three weeks, and lacquer dries pretty hard; I was concerned it would come up, leaving jagged edges. So I figured I'd try something new. I cleaned out the airbrush first, to ensure there was no colour contamination; then I sprayed pure Mr Levelling Thinner on the mask edges. Not a lot, just enough to give off a sheen when held at the right angle (misting, misting). Then, with immense trepidation, I peeled the first set of masks off the inner flaps (I figured these would be easiest to touch up if I messed them up). The result ... IT WORKED!!! This exceeded even my wildest dreams ... my obsessive masking paid off, with no overspray, no fuzzy edges, and no lifting. I'm calling this a win! Here are all the flaps unmasked. There are a few spots that need touching up, but I reckon it's four or five hours work, not the month I'd been expecting. Here's a comparison to the equivalent decal. Not unhappy with the colour matching. Then it was time for even more trepidation and the unmasking of the whole beast. I was sure there would be fuzzy edges, lifted paint, and half a lifetime of touch ups, so I was thrilled to get this ... A few more pics ... in these you can still see paint ridges around the edge of the masks. I think these vindicate my policy of spraying thinner over the mask edges before lifting them, as they indicate that there was some paint buildup ... the good news is, they are hardly noticeable after a rub down with a microfibre cloth. And check this out - I was certain the intake masks would be a disaster, as that compound curve is a bear to mask. But, again, hours of obsessive masking paid off - perfect! And the rest ... I'm particularly pleased with how the excellent surface detail on the academy hornet shows through. Few more in a sec ... F`s are my favs, Shawn M, sandokan and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted September 20, 2017 Author Share Posted September 20, 2017 Here we are with all the flaps and slats resting in place ... And here's all the mask detritus at the end of it! Still plenty of work to do before a gloss coat and some sprayed on stencils ... stay tuned and thanks for following!! Cheers Jim tucohoward, F`s are my favs, Uncarina and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 That is ridiculously good, Jim! I saw a build using this scheme on the weekend, but it's fair to say it didn't hold a candle to your efforts here. Kev ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Barry Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Amazing! ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Lovely!!! I love a good masking job as well as rigging job. I think I have a disease. Looks utterly magnificent!! ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusM Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 Stunning job! ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark M Posted September 20, 2017 Share Posted September 20, 2017 thats stunning mate ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Jim that is simply amazing! I can't even begin to imagine how you managed to mask all that, particularly those intakes and then to have it come out the way it has, just brilliant mate! I take my hat off to your Sir I can certainly relate to your comments about having to fight your impatience..... I'm the worst at that, especially when it comes to painting. Your Hornet build is truely inspirational despite my thoughts that Hornets in real life are loud and annoying...... Craig ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmthamade Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 That is just fantastic paintwork and masking. Impressive how the lines are straight, curves smooth and demarcation crisp. Don ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 It's gorgeous! Absolutely beautiful and you have every right to be proud of this one. Thanks Tony! Now I'm paranoid about scratching it - I think I'm going to need a serious protection scheme to keep from damaging the finish as I tend to bump it on things ... it's such a big model! That is ridiculously good, Jim! I saw a build using this scheme on the weekend, but it's fair to say it didn't hold a candle to your efforts here. Kev Thanks Kev. It's such a dramatic scheme, I really wanted to do it justice. Amazing! Thanks Jim, coming from you that's very high praise indeed! Lovely!!! I love a good masking job as well as rigging job. I think I have a disease. Looks utterly magnificent!! Thanks Brian, I have been inspired by much of your work in the past, so it means a lot. Stunning job! Cheers Gus! thats stunning mate Thanks Mark! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted September 21, 2017 Author Share Posted September 21, 2017 Jim that is simply amazing! I can't even begin to imagine how you managed to mask all that, particularly those intakes and then to have it come out the way it has, just brilliant mate! I take my hat off to your Sir I can certainly relate to your comments about having to fight your impatience..... I'm the worst at that, especially when it comes to painting. Your Hornet build is truely inspirational despite my thoughts that Hornets in real life are loud and annoying...... Craig Thanks Craig ... no question they are extremely loud IRL. I remember a trip to RAAF Williamtown as a cadet in the 1980s, that close to the hornets you could feel the air in your chest cavity vibrating from the noise. It's never left me! That is just fantastic paintwork and masking. Impressive how the lines are straight, curves smooth and demarcation crisp. Don Thanks Don. About 10 hours of obsessive mask application certainly doesn't hurt - although there's an enormous amount of credit that needs to go to Randy (LSP member sluggo) for his work in creating the masks. They truly are a masterpiece, and he put so much time into making them perfect that I really want to do justice to them. It's humbling to be able to use such an awesome tool. Cheers Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BloorwestSiR Posted September 21, 2017 Share Posted September 21, 2017 Jim, I'm just catching up with the results and they're truly fantastic! Great job on all the prep beforehand. It's certainly paid off handsomely for you. Can't wait to see more. Carl ClumsyDude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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