Another Hasegawa T bolt Bubbletop, my first LSP. November 12, 2022, It is DONE at last!!!!!!!!

[Citadelgrad]

Slow but sure wins the race. It was wicked hot today, so i put off anything garage related, other than mentioning to my wife that i was thinking about a split AC in the garage, until well after dark. 
 

its still high 80s out there, but i needed to make a dent in this setback.  I did the same thing i did when i painted it the first time, alternating back and forth with green and grey, as the real plane was painted “backwards”, if my research is correct, the dsrker green was first, then they sort of mottled it with the grey, leaving a strange, wispy effect.  
 

Thanks to this thread, ive been documenting my progress, and used my own photos as a basis to try to recreate the look

 

to review, heres what it looked like before i messed it up, and i really liked it 

 

I didnt document the worst of it, but it was bare plastic from the HV to the area under the sliding canopy. 
 

Here it is without the masks removed, its my last HV and i want to make sure its done before i remove the masks

A shot with the cowl and prop pressed on

 

and heres an overhead shot showing i think i got it blended with the prior paint

 

Looks like i had a bump upward over the V, I will pit that in tomorrow. 
 

notice, although the disaster is pretty much reversed, i lost the paint on the intercooler door.   Again.  Thats a pretty easy white/blue/black fix, i will do that tomorrow morning before it gets too hot. I want to let the camo set up a bit before i put tape on it.  
 

anyway, thanks for the support in the aftermath, i think i am back in business. 
 

as always, comments are welcome, especially if you see something i dont see. 
 

Bill

 

ok, i snuck back and added the curve and hump to the camo over the V

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by Citadelgrad

[MikeMaben]

           

          Soldier on Bill 

 

[JayW]

Way to pull it out of the fire!!  This Thunderbolt is going to look stellar, and you will have really earned it!

[Citadelgrad]

On 9/6/2021 at 2:24 AM, MikeMaben said:

           

          Soldier on Bill 

 

Thanks much, Mike!   I appreciate the insight and support. 

3 hours ago, JayW said:

Way to pull it out of the fire!!  This Thunderbolt is going to look stellar, and you will have really earned it!

Thanks so much, Jay. 
 

tonight i cleaned up that pilot side intercooler door, prepped with ISO, and hit it with the tiniest shot of Tamiya extra fine grey, then figured the less the tape stays on the unsealed paint, the better, so two drops of MRP white, insignia blue, and basic black were applied in that order. I used mask parts to ensure the correct dimensions. 
 

results:

Theres a bit of the clear coat left on the blue field of the star and bars, that will clean up with a q tip before i seal.  I see a bit of chippping of the black stripe, i will fix that, too, although the chipping looks almost to scale. 
 

i feel like i have clawed my way back to almost where i was.  Soon i can shoot a clear coat and make some real progress instead of repairing my mistakes. 
 

the Techmod decals came today, they look very nice, its a shame i will probably only use 2 of them. 

 

[bdthoresen]

Nice recovery so far, Bill. Looks like your perseverance is paying off handsomely. 
 

And, as far as a Split System for the garage, do it. I installed a Mitsubishi a couple of years ago, and never looked back. My garage stays 76 degrees year round. I ended up moving all of my hobby stuff out there in the end, now it’s a proper man cave!

 

Thor    

 

 

 

[Thunnus]

Way to claw back from the brink, Bill!  The camo on the T-Bolt looks great!

[Jeff T]

Great perseverance Bill!....looks like you're getting her back on track.

 

That is why I had to take a break from my build, I was over all the metallic paint peeling issues, ir wore me down, so I have been working on two other projects lately, but I will get back to it one day, just have to gather up the enthusiasm again.

 

Keep up the great work!

 

Jeff.

[Citadelgrad]

On 9/8/2021 at 4:24 AM, bdthoresen said:

Nice recovery so far, Bill. Looks like your perseverance is paying off handsomely. 
 

And, as far as a Split System for the garage, do it. I installed a Mitsubishi a couple of years ago, and never looked back. My garage stays 76 degrees year round. I ended up moving all of my hobby stuff out there in the end, now it’s a proper man cave!

 

Thor    

 

 

 

Thanks, Thor, I am really going to look into this in the off season.  it's only needed a few months a year, but when it's needed, it's critical.

On 9/8/2021 at 10:04 AM, Thunnus said:

Way to claw back from the brink, Bill!  The camo on the T-Bolt looks great!

Thank you John, I appreciate the support.  

8 hours ago, Jeff T said:

Great perseverance Bill!....looks like you're getting her back on track.

 

That is why I had to take a break from my build, I was over all the metallic paint peeling issues, ir wore me down, so I have been working on two other projects lately, but I will get back to it one day, just have to gather up the enthusiasm again.

 

Keep up the great work!

 

Jeff.

Thanks, Jeff.  It is really a kick in the teeth when something goes wrong, but my new philosophy is, is this fixable, even if I have to go backwards, and how do I avoid it in the future.

I am learning an awful lot on this build.  I have a few touch ups on the fuselage stars and bars, and the invasion stripe by the intercooler doors, then I am ready to clearcoat, decal and weather. 

 

Almost time to start thinking about the next build. When I started this one, it WAS my LCP stash.  Now I've got a few to choose from.   

[Kaeone57]

Nice rendition, Nice recovery on the mishaps!! Learn with the burn, Model on Sir!!

 

Alfonso

[Citadelgrad]

Tonight i went back and tried to fix every paint issue i could find.  There was a touch of overspray on the fuselage stars and bars, due to the  3d nature of the adjacent intercooler doors, there was some minor overspray adjacent to the left side door, and there were minor issues with the first fuselage invasion stripe.  
 

i have some crazy thin pinstriping tape, its great for sharp lines on uneven curves, then i fill in with regular detacked masking tape. Taking no chances, even the thin stuff got detacked tonight. 
 

This is the kind of issue, note the overspray behind the door at about 930 on the star field where it turns white, the white line ahead of the intercooler door, the white edge of the blue field at about 10, and the lifting black on the edge of the first black stripe. 

 

None of this is huge, but they add up, and its a simple matter to put a drop of paint in the ab and fix it.  After all, my goal is the best i can do. 
 

result of tonight

I might have to hit the front edge of the blue above the door again, its better but still has a bit of white showing. 
 

the other side got similar treatment. 
 

you can just see the foggy line at 230 where the top blue bar leaves the blue field, again, because of the doors

 

 

fixed

 

cleaned up the black stripe all the way around

 

I think, other than that left side front of the blue bar, thats as good as i can make it paint wise. As long as i dont have any more Mr. Surfacer mishaps, i will be ready for clear coat, a couple decals, and weathering.  

[Citadelgrad]

Took advantage of the fading daylight and snapped a few to make sure i am happy with the camo before removing the last of the masks and shooting a clear.  I think i am good. 
 

 

next stop, clear coat.   Again. 
 

wish me luck, and i mean that.  
 

Bill

[Citadelgrad]

Masks off, upper surfaces clearcoated, ready for decals after a once over in the am.

 

Heres the formerly obliterated to bare plastic HV and camo, masks off, clearcoat on!
 

 

 

in the morning, i will take a quick look at it from all angles and confirm we are finished with paint and clear, and i will apply…two decals.  Then weathering.  Good to be moving forward again.  

[Woody V]

I like to say that we are not defined by the hardships that befall us, we are defined by how we overcome them.

You sir, are THE MAN.

[Citadelgrad]

Not too much progress this weekend.  I was going to put the kill markings on, but i decided i should invert and make sure the bottom has a good clear coat. 
 

 

Pretty happy with how the clear is going down now that i have a better technique down.

 

i also want to play with some spare Techmod decals from this sheet to see how they behave.  After the prior debacle, i want as few surprises as i can manage.  

[JayW]

I wish I had your patience!  Impatience in this trade degrades the quality of the build.  Lookin' good!