EE Lightning - Echelon vacuform

[quang]

1 hour ago, thierry laurent said:

Hi Quang. 

 

Some metal colors are actually slightly transparent and in that case using a gloss black layer improves the light reflection of the metal layer. 

 

I once saw a P-51 for which the modeller had used gloss black for the fuselage and a fine grey surfacer for the wings before spraying alclad. I was surprised by the intensity of the difference between both painted areas. 

 

Thierry 

Thierry,

Thank you for your sensible explanation. Maybe my silver coat was too thick to show the difference.

Quang

[mozart]

So I've been having a bit of a squirt with the Mr Surfacer primer, as Andy said it goes on very smoothly:

 

 

 

......but it ain't gloss, anywhere near it.  So my sequence as planned will be:

 

 

Maybe not the final gloss coat, we'll see.  I'm pondering masking some of the first layer of primer on some panels so that they don't get a gloss undercoat, then seeing if, as I hope, the sheen of the NMF is affected.

Edited July 13, 2020 by mozart

[Subodai]

Very much looking forward to seeing more results

That's a very cloudy/milky gloss.. all mine are completely clear in the bottle, very curious to see results!

[monthebiff]

Getting interesting now Max with the paint starting to go down, Mr Surfacer primers are bloody good, not gloss as you rightly say but give a super smooth base to work with, very interested with your choice of metal and gloss coat as I dont recognize the brand?

Regards. Andy 

[mozart]

On 7/13/2020 at 5:24 PM, Subodai said:

That's a very cloudy/milky gloss.. all mine are completely clear in the bottle, very curious to see results!

I hadn’t noticed that before but yes, you’re right it is! I’ll be testing it before I use it in anger, IF it’s needed on this build. 
 

On 7/13/2020 at 10:23 PM, monthebiff said:

Getting interesting now Max with the paint starting to go down, Mr Surfacer primers are bloody good, not gloss as you rightly say but give a super smooth base to work with, very interested with your choice of metal and gloss coat as I dont recognize the brand?

Regards. Andy 

I didn’t know about K-color either Andy but it’s stocked by my LHS (Frome model centre) so I bought some to try after seeing an impressive online review with it. I’ve tried it on my mule model, it sprays well, covers nicely and has a good shine so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for good results. Hoping to get the priming completed today, just the underside to do now the u/c masking is complete. 

[Derek B]

On 7/3/2020 at 6:45 AM, mozart said:

Since it’s said a set of tyres were only good for seven landings, I think putting a Lightning down on a carrier would be “interesting”. 

 

 

Hi Max,

 

This is probably another one of those Lightning 'myths' - they certainly lasted longer than seven landings! However, under the wrong conditions, a new set of tyres could be trashed in pretty short order (strong cross winds were the real tyre killers).

 

Great work on your model so far Max, it is really coming to life now.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

[Gazzas]

Very nice work, Max!

[Troy Molitor]

Superb efforts Max.  Well done Sir.

[mozart]

Busy weekend with family visiting but I managed to sneak in a few minutes here and there to get the Lightning black priming completed:

 

 

and then to start and experiment with the next layers.  This is as labelled Mr Color gloss black GX2 though with a strip previously masked so that the Mr Surfacer primer shows through:

 

 

One wing sprayed beautifully smoothly with the GX2, the other I oversprayed too much in places so that a rather rough orange-peel effect resulted.

 

Then kcolors' natural metal was applied over the whole surfaces of both wings.  The difference in shine between the primed only/gloss top coat is very marked.  The orange-peel area is OK for shininess though not smoothness.  Photographing NMF as you all know it's difficult to get the real effect, it's actually much sinner than appears here: 

 

 

The lessons learned:  1. smoothness of GX2 is critical for a good finish.  2.  the "good" finish isn't super shiny as in mirror-finish, but a realistic NMF which is appropriate to my mind for my 1/32 Lightning.  3.  variations in panel finish ie some more dull and flat will be achieved using MRP duraluminium or similar once the main body has been completed.  4.  I probably don't have enough kcolor NMF paint! 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2020 by mozart

[mozart]

So, some silver on the beastie!  This is kcolor natural metal steel.  At first when I was spraying it, I was increasingly despondent because I thought it would be shinier (is steel ever shiny?) but 24 hours on I'm not too displeased.......not 100% happy but  happy-ish.  I still have the undersides to do and I may yet still give it a final mist over and perhaps a gloss coat later.  Once again it's brighter in the flesh than in these pics!! 

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by mozart

[Out2gtcha]

They always reminded me of an elegant silver over/under shot gun. Looks brilliant Max! 

[Kagemusha]

Looks great Max. 

[Troy Molitor]

I certainly agree.  Looks great.  

[crobinsonh]

Lovely work

[mozart]

The Lightning now has its base coat of silver completed, so I'm starting to think about final colours, and I've had a decision to make which to be honest doesn't sit easily with me, but I'm going for it anyway!!  It's going to be this:

 

 

The problem with this finish is that it was, to my knowledge, never applied to an F6 except in this one unique instance.  56 Squadron's F2As had this eye-catching scheme but the F6s were more plain ie silver overall.  This particular F6 is the gate guardian at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, where the squadron was once based, though apparently this particular Lightning never flew with 56 Squadron.  But who's going to know, I won't tell if you don't!

 

Just a small example of the advantage of the Silhouette cutter and making your own masks: to get the tail flash/insignia right I scanned a drawing from the Echelon kit instructions, imported it into the Silhouette screen and drew them aligned with the fin leading edge:  

 

 

I'm going to use my black base/silver test piece to make sure the sticky masks won't take the surface layer off......if it does, I'm snookered.