1/48 ERTL/Esci Curtiss P-36A Hawk (Completed pg. 6)

Well it sure is shiny! Lol

Since this is experimental I still don't know if this paint is going to turn out alright or not, so I'm not sure how "great" this stuff is yet. It takes so long to cure and that is a draw back.

Bit of a necro post, having started this two years ago, but I picked it back up out of a box, sanded down the glaring trouble spots, and re-primered.

The previous Rustoleum Chrome paint took up every fingerprint and molecule of dust over the last two years. Not recommended after all.

This time around I'm going to try Vallejo Chrome, silver, and aluminum paints.

[https://flic.kr/p/2g7M4fZ/]

[https://flic.kr/p/2g7LMou/]

Back in black!

It's really good to see you hangin' back around here Mike. Looking forward to more on this one.

mustang1989

It's really good to see you hangin' back around here Mike. Looking forward to more on this one.

 

Absolutely. Good for you for getting this one out of the box and having at it. I'm rooting you on.

mustang1989

It's really good to see you hangin' back around here Mike. Looking forward to more on this one.

 

Mustang! 

It's been too long, but I've been lurking on occasion and I'm getting my moj0 back. I've got a Tamiya Panther G about to hit primer. Nothing fancy, just right out of the box with a modified figure.

Since the P-36/40 airframe is one of my absolute favorites I picked this baby out of the box, duster her off, tried to save the finish (that wasn't happening) and decided to fix a few small errors, and re-prime it.

I'm looking forward to testing out the Vallejo Air Chrome paint I picked up forever ago. I'm really hoping I can get a good shine out of it.

Greg

Absolutely. Good for you for getting this one out of the box and having at it. I'm rooting you on.

 

Thanks Greg! This will be a bit of a test. I've got a 1/32 P-38 And P-35 THAT will require similar finishes.

I'll need all the rooting I can get lol

M. Brindos

 

mustang1989

It's really good to see you hangin' back around here Mike. Looking forward to more on this one.

 

 

 

 

Mustang! 

It's been too long, but I've been lurking on occasion and I'm getting my moj0 back. I've got a Tamiya Panther G about to hit primer. Nothing fancy, just right out of the box with a modified figure.

Since the P-36/40 airframe is one of my absolute favorites I picked this baby out of the box, duster her off, tried to save the finish (that wasn't happening) and decided to fix a few small errors, and re-prime it.

I'm looking forward to testing out the Vallejo Air Chrome paint I picked up forever ago. I'm really hoping I can get a good shine out of it.

 

My biggest concern is that the finish will be more resilient than the Rustoleum.

I really don't want to have to worry about ruining it by touching it.

Will the finish hold up to a gloss overcoat and not turn into a dull silver? How will it look if I spray a matte finish over it? Can it be brought back to its orriginal shine if i have? What's the best psi to spray it at? Will it rub off if I bump it? Does it easily scratch?

So many questions. 

With a P-35 and P-38 having similar finishes, these are questions I need to answer for myself.

So I'll be testing some of these questions hopefully tonight.

Pics later, but maybe someone can tell me how to link the full pictures from Flickr and not just the links. I haven't found an option for a BB code yet to do that with. I'm using the app on my android.

The camera seems to like this color. It's a bit less shiny to the naked eye in person. I sprayed over flat black and the paint is almost translucent. 

https://flic.kr/p/2g955rC

https://flic.kr/p/2g94FAo

Now to let it cure and see how resilient it's going to be.

Click on your link.  Click on the swoopy arrow in the lower right corner.  On the pop-up window, click on the far right item BBCode and copy the text and paste directly in your post.

BTW - looking cool!  

ERTL/Esci P-36A by Mike Brindos, on Flickr

ERTL/Esci P-36A by Mike Brindos, on Flickr

Try CubeUpload. Easy photo sharing. And it's free.

https://cubeupload.com/

Testing...

So now I'm wishing I wet sanded my primer. I can see that lovely orange peel texture.

I'm not sure if the finish is supposed to come out matte, but it does appear to be a solid finish. I can touch it and it doesn't seem to scratch any easier then the rest of Vallejo's line. 

Now I need to spray the bottom.

My favorite NM finish is Krylon Premium Sterling Silver. A rattle can, yes. But it's not overly bright, dries smooth, and is tough as nails after it cures (minimum 48 hours).

Ooooo! Nice finish, Tom. Thank You!

I will be looking for that!

M. Brindos

Ooooo! Nice finish, Tom. Thank You!

I will be looking for that!

 

By the way, nice progress on the Hawk! I like the old Esci kits. Accurate shapes with lots of room for scratchbuilt detailing (which I enjoy). I plan to pick up their old 1/48 Viggen or Jaktviggen sometime soon, and add it to my current projects (I've got three going at one time right now). The Viggen's splinter camo scheme will be a new challenge for me.

Also by the way, the Hawk's box art is exceptional, IMHO. Cut it out with a 1/4" border all the way around, and it can go in a frame without any loss of image.

If it's as easy to work with as the Ultra Flat Black I use as primer then I'm already sold.

Yes, the box art is beautiful. Mines a little crushed, but not beyond repair.

M.Brindos gloss coat well give it a RAF high speed silver. I built a sea fury that way and it’s very tough after it dries.

Tom that rocket very Clean it reminds me a of a cartoon called the big world of little Adam I used to watch way back when

crown r n7

Tom that rocket very Clean it reminds me a of a cartoon called the big world of little Adam I used to watch way back when

 

crown r n7

M.Brindos gloss coat well give it a RAF high speed silver. I built a sea fury that way and it’s very tough after it dries.

 

That is great news, Crown! Thank you.

I'll will have to experiment with what kind of shine will I get out of spraying over a gloss black finish next time.

I made a little time last night to spray the bottom and the red for the nose. The black will have to come next. Not looking too bad so far. 

This project is obviously not going to be up to my usual standards. I'm realizing what kind of work such a finish is going to take as far as preparations are concerned.

If I can find some of that AK Extreme I'll get some. The Vallejo is impressively durable and I can't wait to see if I can sort of buff it out a bit. 

If I can get that polished Aluminum look from it then I'll be happy. I still need to lay down the anti-glare strip on the nose first.

I've had little time this week to spend on this build. Been getting up at 4:30am to leave for work and been getting home between 8-9pm. Doesn't look like tonight will be any better lol.

I painted the anti-glare panel and I've been adding layers of Testors High Gloss finish. 

I'll let it cure over the week and I'll see if I can find time to add the decals next weekend.

Looking good.

Tom Hering

My favorite NM finish is Krylon Premium Sterling Silver. A rattle can, yes. But it's not overly bright, dries smooth, and is tough as nails after it cures (minimum 48 hours).

 

mustang1989

 

Does this polish up to a decent shine? Looks good from this angle.

 

 

The tail stripes didn't even come close to covering the tail and I had to paint the rest of them to the tip of the tail. They're not perfect, but they can fool the eye if you're not looking really close lol.

The PA-91 on the wing started to break up as I placed it, but I managed to save it.

The stars and the numbers on the tail caused me no problems at all. Just a little Microset and they laid down without any issues.

That looks great.  Cowl mask is really crisp!  I don't see any issues on the tail

Thanks! 

The cowl masking was decent and I had to clean it up by brush like i usually do. Im not so good sometimes with masking curves lol.

I didn't get close enough to the tail stripes for you to see what I'm referring to. Trust me, I can see it. My wife saw it. I fixed it. She said "that's better." Done deal lol.