SH Tempest Mk V "Kicked Up A Notch". January 14/21 New eBook!

[chuck540z3]

One more quick update.  I've been a modeling fiend the last few days, partly because I will be having Carpal Tunnel surgery on my right hand tomorrow.  If all goes as well as my left hand surgery exactly a month ago, I should be back in the modeling saddle in about a week.

 

All shiny black things must come to and end.  The gloss black helped me correct small flaws, and now it's the primer coat for Alclad Dark Aluminum.  This coat is admittedly blotchy, mostly because you will never see most of it again after final paint.  It is here for future paint chipping and to lighten the paint for future paint coats, including roundels and insignias.  Yes, I know that the rudder is covered in fabric and not aluminum, but I want the paint finish to be uniform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Alclad finish is not shiny, nor should it be for paint chips.  Also, this "normal" Alclad can be masked and have decal solution applied to it, while the high shine versions cannot.

 

 

 

 

I also painted some "mules" to experiment with.  This should be fun.

 

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Edited October 22, 2020 by chuck540z3

[AlbertD]

Looking good Chuck. I'm really looking forward to seeing your chipping method. I've wanted to try sponging on some masking fluid and painting over it with MRP paint instead of resorting to water based acrylics. It will be interesting to see how you do it.

 

Best of luck with surgery number 2. 

[chuck540z3]

28 minutes ago, AlbertD said:

Looking good Chuck. I'm really looking forward to seeing your chipping method. I've wanted to try sponging on some masking fluid and painting over it with MRP paint instead of resorting to water based acrylics. It will be interesting to see how you do it.

 

 

Me too!  I've used masking fluid under Tamiya paint before, but never MRP.  On my Spitfire build I tried to replicate something like this.

 

 

With this.  It worked OK, but it looks a bit too contrived in my opinion and the chipping is too broad and not sharp enough.

 

 

 

One unique thing with the Tempest and Typhoon is that you board on the right starboard side and not the left, so I'll have to chip and weather that side a bit more.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

 

 

 

 

[AlbertD]

You have probably seen it but Doog's models website has a great article using the method on a Corsair. He chips the zinc chromate primer first then the blue paint layer using masking fluid and MRP. It sure looks nice.

[chuck540z3]

11 minutes ago, AlbertD said:

You have probably seen it but Doog's models website has a great article using the method on a Corsair. He chips the zinc chromate primer first then the blue paint layer using masking fluid and MRP. It sure looks nice.

 

I've seen that, and recently Miloslav1956 gave a good demo here: 

 

A6M5c Model 52 Hei Takeo Tanimizu

 

I'll do my best to document it all, good or bad.

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[LSP_Kevin]

27 minutes ago, AlbertD said:

You have probably seen it but Doog's models website has a great article using the method on a Corsair. He chips the zinc chromate primer first then the blue paint layer using masking fluid and MRP. It sure looks nice.

 

I copied that approach on my own Corsair build. Rather than use expensive Alclad paints for the metal layer, however, I stick with Tamiya's AS-12. Since it's covered in layers of paint and weathering, and doesn't need to be shiny anyway, it's perfectly suitable for such a job.

 

Kev

[spyrosjzmichos]

Excited to see painting has already started! 

[AlbertD]

1 hour ago, LSP_Kevin said:

 

I copied that approach on my own Corsair build. Rather than use expensive Alclad paints for the metal layer, however, I stick with Tamiya's AS-12. Since it's covered in layers of paint and weathering, and doesn't need to be shiny anyway, it's perfectly suitable for such a job.

 

Kev

It's good and durable too.

[Starfighter]

Absolutely brilliant, Chuck. Your work is always extremely neat and tidy and your excellent explanations make your threads not only hugely intereteing and inspiring but also fun to read. Keep those updates coming! 

[jenshb]

THanks for the rundown on how to achieve a shiny and smooth gloss black finish - stuggling with that on a build now, and wish I hadn't used enamels on this build...

[chuck540z3]

12 minutes ago, jenshb said:

Thanks for the rundown on how to achieve a shiny and smooth gloss black finish - struggling with that on a build now, and wish I hadn't used enamels on this build...

 

 

You're welcome!  Sometimes you get to keep the gloss black look. 

 

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[Squizzy 78]

Looking awesome as your paint work always does! Good luck with the surgery!!

[turbo]

On 10/22/2020 at 1:01 PM, LSP_Kevin said:

I copied that approach on my own Corsair build. Rather than use expensive Alclad paints for the metal layer, however, I stick with Tamiya's AS-12. Since it's covered in layers of paint and weathering, and doesn't need to be shiny anyway, it's perfectly suitable for such a job.

 

I actually go as far as to use Tamiya flat aluminium sometimes depending on the effect I'm looking for. I tend not to use liquid mask though, can't go past hairspray for control and realism.

[chuck540z3]

October 29/20

 

Aren't we all so very lucky to have our hobby during this gawd awful pandemic?  With winter almost here and the second wave hitting the world causing new restrictions, I would go nuts without it.

 

 

BIG Update!  The surgery on my right hand was as successful and quick healing as my left hand, so although I still can’t glue tiny parts together, I can do broad strokes like painting- a LOT of painting!

 

The following has a lot of new first for me as follows:

 

1.  Finally using MRP paints for the first time.  More on that below.

2.  Paint “chipping” with liquid mask on a sponge.  I’ve brushed the stuff on before, but never used a sponge.

3.  Paint “scratching” with hairspray.  Finally, I try what everyone else has been doing for years.

4.  Using True Earth Metal Liner washes.  Also, more on that below.

 

First the MRP paints.  My local modeling buddy Justin (Funkyzeit around LSP) gave me 11 bottles of MRP paint he used on his British Corsair to compare to my favorite paints, which are Model Master enamels and Tamiya lacquers.  I’ve been reading raving reviews from you guys about these Slovakian acrylic lacquers for a few years now, so it was time to give them a try.  After using them for 3-4 days, I now know what all the fuss is about, because they are so damn easy to use.  The paint on my F-15C Eagle (MM Enamels) is really good and the MRP paints are not creating a better finish than on my Spitfire (Tamiya lacquers), but to achieve those finishes, I spent at least twice the amount of time to create them as I likely would have with MRP paints.  The enamels needed sanding between coats and the Tamiya lacquers needed to be decanted and thinned, while the MRP paints need nothing and can be used straight from the bottle, which is the exact viscosity that I like to spray.  While the Tamiya lacquers dry pretty fast, MRP paints dry faster and make touch-ups super easy.  They are less “stinky” too, which is always a good thing in our hobby, so I’m sold.  Only problem now is what the heck do I do with about $400 of other paint in my stash!? 

 

Before I sprayed any camo paint, I sprayed the bottom with MRP-112, Medium Sea Grey.  It sprayed beautifully, with no sputters at all in 10 minutes of continuous painting.

 

 

 

 

I let it dry for a day, then masked everything off to avoid overspray and “dusting” underneath.

 

 

 

 

I sprayed the model with Alclad Aluminum so that I could chip the paint using liquid mask and maybe hairspray, which is a big risk if you don’t know what you’re doing, so I experimented with a couple of kit cowling parts I did not use.  On the bottom of the pic below, I used liquid mask on a sponge lightly on the left and heavy on the right, while I did the same thing with hairspray above the central line.  I did this because I didn’t know how the MRP paint would react and I’m happy to report that even light amounts of liquid mask come off easily after the paint has dried, while scrubbing the hairspray under paint with water and a toothbrush removes some of the paint, but it’s harder to control the amount and the exact pattern.  I found that it was much harder to remove the liquid mask using Tamiya lacquers on my Spitfire, which dry much harder, so the MRP paint is a great for this method of chipping.  Undecided as to which method was best, I used both on my model.

 

 

 

 

I like to use poster putty when painting camo, partly because I hate sharp camo edges and my subject appears to have fuzzy demarcation lines in the few pics I have.  These putty worms were aligned according to the kit instructions, which appear to be fairly accurate.  These are general patterns, with more detailed patterns to come later. 

 

 

 

 

While there are no surviving Tempests with original paint on the wings, I used some pics I took of an unrestored Spitfire Mk I that is in a museum in London as a guide.  While the Tempest wings will weather differently, especially with actual walkways painted on, it probably didn’t look a whole lot different during WWII.  I also used this as a guide for my Spitfire Mk IX build with some success, but I think I can do better this time.

 

 

 

 

Before painting anything, I used hairspray on the wing roots, followed by liquid mask on the tip of a sponge in areas that I thought would show a lot of wear, like the wing roots.  The lighter MRP-115 Ocean Grey was sprayed on first, followed by MRP-110 Dark Green, which is the “correct” browny-green for the Tempest.  FYI, all these paints say “WWII RAF” on the labels, so they are made specifically for these fighters.

 

 

 

 

 

The Ocean Grey was roughly masked off to prevent overspray from the Darker Green.  Not very pretty, but effective enough.

 

 

 

 

After free-handing paint touch-ups and more curves to the camo, I painted on the black walkways. This was a dilemma, because I normally use a rough and tough paint for walkways, but in order for the liquid mask to be removed for chipping, I elected to go with super thin MRP-5 Black instead.  I can make this paint rough later after chipping.

 

 

 

Liquid mask removed by just rubbing it off with my finger, while the walkways were scrubbed a bit with a wet toothbrush.  Yes, it’s too intense and unrealistic looking for anything but a WWII Japanese fighter, but I planned it that way.  It’s easy to tone down or remove chipping, but you can’t create the same type of chipping later if you want more or in a different position.

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the chipping is way overdone- if left as is

 

 

 

 

 

Extra chipping on the starboard side, where pilots enter the aircraft on Typhoons and Tempests.  I don’t recall ever seeing this side of entry before.

 

 

 

 

 

While you cringe at the 4 pics above (Chuck overdid it!), let’s look at a few more pics of that Mk I Spitfire for weathering patterns and colors.  Too often we see our models with a dark wash, filling in all the panel lines and rivet detail to make them jump out.  Personally, I think it looks beautiful and I’m very happy to press the “Like” symbol here almost every time I see it.  While there are plenty of aircraft examples where this method of “weathering” is fairly accurate, I also think it’s unrealistic for a Spitfire and therefore a Tempest.  In the pics below I see a few things and I don’t see many dark panel lines and no dark rivets.  There is a very metallic overall look to the aircraft and panel lines and rivets are light metal colored instead.  I also see metal being exposed a bit without actually being completely bare metal.  This is the overall look I’m hoping to replicate.

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewing Pete Fleischmann’s awesome HH-60G Pavehawk build, I noticed that he was using a new product called True Earth “Waterfiller Putty” to fill in all the rivet depressions before the application of Archer raised decal rivets.   This putty looks really easy to use and in the right application like Pete’s, I might need some, so I decided to buy a few bottles for my myself.  Going to the True Earth website, I found another product that was new to me called “Metaliner” which is a metallic wash that comes in 5 colors.  Bingo!, I thought, that’s what I need for this Tempest build, so I bought a set.  The website is below:

 

True Earth Metaliners

 

 

 

 

There are instructions on how to use the stuff at this website, which calls for nothing but a wet rag to rub it off after application, so it is obviously somewhat water-based.  The instructions also tell you to do very small areas at a time, so DON’T do an area as big as this!  Since the area is so big, it took me a long time to apply and the metallic wash had a chance to dry too much, making it nearly impossible to remove.  After scrubbing for at least 10 minutes, I did get most of it off, which is also a testament to the durability of the MRP paint underneath.  From that point onward, I did areas about one third of this size at a time, always removing the wash within 2-3 minutes with no further removal issues.  For this model, I selected “Warm”, which is not too bright and has a brownish hue to it, which is perfect for the beginning of my weathering.

 

 

 

 

The chipping was then toned down with paint according to what pleased my eye and what I see on the Spitfire above.  This is where MRP paints really shine, since modulating coverage is so easy with this super thin paint.  And speaking of shine, this model is really hard to photograph due to the smooth nature of the paint and the metallic wash, which will also make decal application without a clear coat super easy.  Having said that, the model must be super smooth to begin with, or you can’t get this shine.  Remember, this is only Step 1 in the weathering process.

 

 

 

 

Chipping is knocked down a lot, but it’s still there where I want it. 

 

 

 

 

 

No need for a Prismacolor silver pencil to pick up Dzus and other fasteners, because the wash has picked them out already.

 

 

 

 

After salt weathering and a dull coat, this wing will really look the part.

 

 

 

 

A bit of a walkaround.  I can’t wait to weather this after painting insignias and applying HGW wet transfer decals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think the chipping looks much more realistic now.

 

 

 

 

Normally I wouldn’t be applying a wash until the decals were applied, but without the need for a clear coat, I didn’t want to scrub the HGW wet transfer decals after applying the wash, just in case they came off.  The good news is that I can still apply more wash after insignia painting and decals as required later.

 

I’m pretty happy with the 4 new things (to me) that I tried on this model and I think it will look killer when finished.  Here is my weathering goal in the weeks ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for checking in.

 

 

Cheers,

Chuck

Edited October 29, 2020 by chuck540z3

[Brett M]

Well....I’m jealous. That Tempest looks superb with your paint skills. I hadn’t heard of those washes, but they look great and something I may need!

 

Really looking forward to seeing insignias and transfers go on, then to the next weathering step!

Edited October 30, 2020 by Brett M