Encore/Squadron 1/48 A-37B Dragonfly, Off to the Show!

Ah, thanks Patrick! I did figure out the Q-tip thinner thing yesterday. Also I may not be thinning my paint enough. I'm starting to get some experience on this device after that complicated camo job plus all mistakes and bumbles I've done, lol. Practice makes perfect they say.

Good to hear from you, 

Max

Hodakamax

A few more notes on the camo colors and painting. The tan is MM Acrylic Dark Tan and the green is MM Medium green. MM Dark green did not have enough seperation and I mixed MM Gloss Black in small amounts to get the desired effect.

I'm having trouble with paint build-up on the needle on my Badger 200G airbrush making for short spray times. This requires running lacquer thinner through it or even minor disassembly between each color change.

Part of my problem is that I haven't ran the airbrush for a few years and I'm starting a new learning curve. I probably should experiment with some enamels before the next project which is a 1/48 Academy F-4C Phantom. The A-37 is practice for this project which I'm starting to see to be a good idea. 

So that's my brief report on the project and my trials and tribulations after my two year hiatus from modeling. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it again and as always, thanks for your comments and advice!

Max

 

Max, spraying MM Acryl effectively without tip dry, especially tight demarcation lines, is nearly impossible. If that is the only paint choice you have access to,I recommend purchasing some blu-tak poster putty from Wally world and masking the edges of your cammo pattern with it. Roll it up and bend it following the cammo pattern you have above. Place the tape on top of the poster putty, not on the a/c surface to avoid hard lines. The larger the diameter of the rolled up poster putty, the softer the demarcation line will be. The only other recommendation would be to switch paint brands to Tamiya or Gunze and purchase some Mr. Leveling Thinner to thin it with. MLT has a retardant mixed in and Tamiya/Gunze paint thinned with this stuff 2 parts thinner to 1 part paint is simply dreamy. If you haven't tried Mr. Paint lacquers, they too are awesome right out of the bottle. I spray small, thin lines hours on end with no tip dry using the forumula I just described. If you are set in your ways and don't want to switch, The only way to get a quality, even coats of paint with MM Acryl is to soft mask when doing cammo such as what you are doing. Been there and done that. hobbyworldusa.com carries Mr. Paint here in America. Fantastic product.  

Hey Chris, thanks for all the info. I think I've struggled through on this one but I'll try this on the next project which is a 1/48 Phantom. I'm re-learning and this all sounds like really  good advice. 

Thanks again!

Max

I'm calling in the experts before I make this big step. It's time for decals, always a serious time for me and I don't want anymore silvering decals. Final finish will be gloss as shown. Should I now spray the entire aircraft with Future, apply decals and apply a final coat of Future or a coat of clear?

Advice will be appreciated!

Max

When you're on page two, it means it's time for a WIP report however minor. I usually hand paint canopies but due to not being as steady as in the past I opted for masking with my new-found Tamiya masking tape. That stuff works great!. I'm somewhat pleased with the multi-color rendition. The canopy will be displayed open so there is still work to do on both canopy and interior.

My freehand camo job left a somewhat rough surface in my to-be-gloss paint job but I've been lightly sanding the finish and applying thin clear coat layers. I guess this is how you get experience, lol.

Reporting and getting closer. Not perfect but I'm coming back up to speed after my two year absence. I'll keep after it!

Max

Get the finish as smooth as you can, whatever it takes.  I like Future thinned 50 50 with Tamiya thinner, put on in several thin coats until the gloss is right.

This is looking awesome, keep it up!  You're on the homestretch!

Toshi

Hey John, thanks for the info on the Future/thinner mix. I'll give it a shot so to speak!

And Toshi, thanks for the encouragement!

And Bob, Got that A-37 started yet?  

Max 

Hey, Max - It's lookin' mighty nice. The canopy masking turned out just fine, I'd be happy with the model on my shelf. Great job.

Patrick

Hey thanks Patrick! Everybodys encouragement really does help! I've always built models throughout my life without anybodys input. This is fun and the Forum gang has been great with encouragement and info. All good!

Max

Yikes, I'm on page three. I told you this would be a slow project and being a work in progress I thought I'd better check in with at least a minor report. Spring is not model building time for me with all kinds of post winter wildlife conservation projects happening on the farm. Serious stuff involving chain saws and tractors and things that are hard on old people. I'm almost caught up.

Back to the Super tweet. Bottom almost finished along with ordnance ready. It can now stand on it's own feet which is a milestone. Decal time and cockpit/canopy assembly next.

That's the minor report, should be ready for first flight soon with a report on build and what I would have done different. This is all practice for the next project, an expensive Phantom!

Max

Outstanding work Max!  I've kept this bookmarked so I can jump to it when I start work on mine.

Jim  

Looking good Max.  I've got one of these in the que, and the Air National Guard base I lived near used to fly them.  I'm following this build with great interest and a little nostaligia.

John

Hey Jim and John, thanks for the comments. I've been fretting over the ordnance load and how to represent variation. A look on the net shows that there are apparently no rules when loading an A-37. Here's one with seven fuel tanks for long trips I suppose. The drawing shows an amazing array of armament including cannon pods, napalm, rockets and bomb variations. They look cool with lots of tanks, I think I'll go with four tanks, napalm and bombs.

Max

Went poking around concerning the weapons loadout, and look what I found.  This exact aurcraft has flown over my house, many moons ago.  As I recall, they always flew with a couple of tanks on each wing.

John

Hey, did you ever pre mock-up a model just before finishing because you just want to to see how this thing is going to look after all these trials and tribulations? Wow, this thing might turn out OK after all! Still decals, ordnance and pidley things to do but I was excited by the preview. To think that I almost put it away a few times reminds me of part of what modeling is all about: A series of challenges. One of the big challenges in modeling is the sequence of events and where painting and constuction intermingle along with fit and details. Sometimes I have to stop and put off doing a part while I think about the problem and the way to solve it even if it takes a few days.

Just chattering here, but today I was somewhat surprised on how things come together. Still not perfect of course but I'm still learning as an old guy!

Keep on modelin'

Max

Wow, lessons learned yesterday concerning decals, thanks to the Gang! My modeling nemesis has always been silvering decals to the point I'd about given up on modeling. After working for days on a project only to have it go south on the last step kinda sours one on such things.

The main mission on this build was to solve the problem. I had never communicated with other modelers in the past and after joining this Forum began to ask questions and got answers. I'm reporting today that the problem has been resolved and I'm happy again, thanks all!

A smooth finish along with Micro Sol made for an excellent lay-down even with the ultimate test of of a large flat decal on a large wing section going down perfectly.

As this build was to be a practice run for my upcoming Phantom I also learned some lessons on painting. The quick drying acrylic made for some pebbly areas that were hard to smooth out later. I think its time to try some better flowing enamels on a quick kit before the Phantom.

Well, that's my positive report today. I'll work on that paint problem next. One step at a time!

Max

It looks great, Max! This experience is certainly getting you better results. Just keep experimenting and you'll get those  problems under control.

A few more builds and you'll be wondering how you did it any other way lol.             

Max, that super tweet is coming right along.  Hang in there, and it will be a fine addition to the museum, I'm sure.

John

Here's the final. A few flaws, it seems they are never perfect but at least I get a little better each try. I'll write more of a review or maybe I should say opinion of the kit soon. This was to be a quick practice one but that soon got out of control! Lotsa time in this one, but it was also fun and I did learn a few things. It does look good in the Museum flight line, at least in my opinion!

I did get the A-10 out for comparison. One forgets how small a A-37 is compared to the A-10. The A-10 is about 13" while the a-37 is about 7" long at 1/48 scale.

Max

Well now, Max, it seems you're much more critical of your work than warranted. This turned out just fine, I'm giving it a "10" and glad to have seen it completed. The WIP text was very well done and informative, it helped me with some things I had not realized. Big thank you.

I see nothing about the finish that indicates a dusty or rough look, maybe you buffed that up a bit? With regards to that, I think with any paint type the issue of dust, graininess or pebbly surface is related to thinning ratio, distance from surface and pressure.

I find a pressure of 15-18psi, as thin as I can get the paint and still have it behave well, then stay fairly close to the surface works well. Sometimes I have thinned Tamiya acrylic as much as 3 parts thinner to 2 parts paint, it just all depends on the results I need. Same with enamel, once in a while I have gone nearly 50/50 if needed.

Your camo work is exceptional, really well done. You're a good contributor here at FSM. Thanks for the post and photos.

Patrick

Real nice, Scott Max  The original low rider.

Hey thanks Patrick and Bob! One of the fun things of a build is the research on the history and capabilities of these machines. For whatever it's worth, I now know more than I need to know about Super Tweets. Had I not seen one in action at Oshkosh and inspected it with prying eyes, I would have never built this model. What a cool little aircraft with an incredible history, sortie record and service life. I always do this research to be prepared to answer kids (of all ages) questions when the rare time comes and someone actually visits the Museum. LOL! Anyway, always part of the build for me. Thanks for watching and your comments!

Max

I guess I should finish the story out with the Super Tweet happily parked on the Flight line of the Museum. Oops, I see I forgot to paint the left tank light red. I'd better get that done before someone calls me on that! LOL!

Max Good/Curator/ Max's Comparitive Aircraft Museum (Really just my office.)

Sweet Tweet Max !

Nice camo job - and it's gotta be satisfying mastering another modelling technique.

Congrats !   Looking Phorward to the next !

Chris

Hey thanks Chris! The Tweet was going to be a quick practice piece, Man, did that thing get outta hand as far as hours. That's the trouble with a W.I.P., once it's started with people watching you can't wimp out! I did learn a thing or two! (or at least experienced it!) Appreciate your comments! I'll be phast phorwarding on the next project after a little break.

Max