Trumpeter 1/32 P-47D Razorback "Eileen"

[mc65]

great job with the OD!
I admit, however, that I'm a bit puzzled about the choice of making the most recently painted areas with the most faded shade, more over to cover the invasion stripes: I would have expected the more compact and new-looking color on these... just my first reaction!

[JayW]

Your wheelhouse John.  Trumpy better stock up on P-47's - this build should get alot of folks (re)interested in them.  They should pay you a commission.

[John Stambaugh]

I must say that your version of faded Olive Drab appears to my eye to be much more accurate than my own recent efforts. 

 Eagerly awaiting to see the finished bird. Thanks, John 

[Greif8]

Very excellent painting John!  A real beauty!

 

Ernest

[Thunnus]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the comments!

 

6 hours ago, mc65 said:

great job with the OD!
I admit, however, that I'm a bit puzzled about the choice of making the most recently painted areas with the most faded shade, more over to cover the invasion stripes: I would have expected the more compact and new-looking color on these... just my first reaction!

 

That's a good point!  I think this a case of me thinking with my EYES instead of my brain.  I based my OD variation on this photo...

 

 

I see a significantly lighter color on the upper fuselage from the sliding canopy back to the tail, contrasting to the noticeably darker color on the front of the fuselage.  Assuming that the upper fuselage spine was re-painted to cover the invasion stripes, I equated the paint covering invasion stripes = lighter color and used that same philosophy on the upper wings.

 

[Thunnus]

I've decided to apply the stars and bars to the upper port wing and fuselage sides.  These will be painted using custom cut masks scanned from the Barracuda decal sheet.

 

 

The first mistake was applying the wing mask upside down.  After the blue was sprayed, I couldn't get the inner star mask to fit properly.  After awhile, I realized that the stars and bars are not exactly symmetrical along the horizontal axis.  I had no choice but to start over.  So I sanded down the edges of the blue layer and oversprayed the star with Neutral Grey.  Since the new star will be placed almost exactly over the old star location, I didn't bother with any preshading and just sprayed the OD over the Grey.

 

 

The other mistake surfaced after spraying the white on the fuselage stars and bars.

 

 

How horrible is this result?

 

 

Very ugly and really no way of salvaging it.  Since my plan was to place a mask over the stars and bars in order to complete the fuselage invasion stripes, I knew that the paint lift issue was going to be ongoing.  So I'm going to have to address this on a more global scale.  Using the tackiest tape I have, I started aggressively ripping off paint, trying to get all of the unstable paint layers removed.

 

 

There is really nothing else to blame except myself.  I thought I had protected myself from this issue by carefully wiping all surfaces with Windex prior to painting and not handling the model afterwards with my bare hands.  I normally do not apply primer as a base coat but I'm going to have to re-think this for future builds.  Live and learn!

[LSP_Kevin]

That's a shame about the paint lifting, John. It was looking so good, too! But this is the reason I always use primer on the exterior surfaces of a model, and I've never understood why some people don't. I first started using Mr. Surfacer on my builds back in 2007, and I'd have to say it was the single biggest improvement I've had in my finishes. Mr. Surfacer and the Tamiya equivalents 'shrink wrap' themselves into details as they dry, and you really have to hose it on to obscure anything - which is the most common fear I see expressed about their use. Other primers may not behave the same, however.

 

Kev

[Citadelgrad]

Ahhhh!  Flashbacks to my build.  P47s and fuselage paint issues, is there a worse way to start the weekend?

 

Well, it is a massive shame but I am confident you will not only stabilize but continue to dazzle with your results.

 

I am sorry this happened, though, I feel your pain.   

[John Stambaugh]

Hey John, am sympathetic of the setback. I don't believe that I have ever completed a build without at least a couple do overs.

Hang tuff, John S

 

[JayW]

Well John - I have seen your repairs before and they turn out perfect.  I suppose this will too.  But as many builds as you have done what do you think happened here?  What's different?

[scvrobeson]

Awful shame about the problems with paint lift, but I know that you'll soldier through it and find a fix.

 

 

 

Matt 

[chuck540z3]

Ditto the above comments- and it will still come out perfect with your skills.   I’ve never had enamel or lacquer paint lift without a primer, but after using Mr Surfacer on my Hellcat as Kevin has suggested, I think I’ll continue to do so, just in case.  Good luck Sir!

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[Greif8]

Ugh, I feel for you John - paint lifting issues are a real buzz kill.  I agree with Chuck though, with you skills you will fix it so well no one will ever know there was a problem.  I belong to the "always prime" school and mostly use Mr. Surfacer 1500 thinned 50/50 with Leveling Thinner for the primer coat.  

 

Ernest

[MikeMaben]

A drag John,   I wouldn't necessarily blame it on a lack of primer tho that's the likely culprit.

When it happened to me, I masked off the area and removed the paint with 91% alcohol and

feathered the edges and started over.

 

 

 

Also, I've been changing things up by cutting masks out of 20lb typing paper.

Dip it in warm, dishsoapy water. The soap helps them slide and creates a vacuum

between the paper and the surface.  Qtip away the excess water. No paint lifting  

[Woody V]

I'm crying.