1/48 Tamiya Mosquito Mk. VI FB (FINISHED)

Chanter

I'd like to learn how to use Blu Tack, as cutting out and masking areas over the fuselage etc is painful for me.  Especially when carrying the pattern over the fuselage from the wings.  Plus (!!) I always seem to have some paint lift when I remove the mask.

I assume you are getting in very close with your airbrush to paint along the stuff?  Forgive the basic questions, but at the moment I still use a spray-n-pray approach with my airbrush ) I haven't figured out the various intricacies of airbrushing yet (pressures, distance to subject etc) 

Allen

Thanks guys.  Allen, no need for forgiveness, thats why I do WIP threads  . You are correct, I get in close at low pressure, maybe 5 or 10 psi, which reduces the chance of overspray.  If it happens, and it does often, I go back and touch it up.  Is your brush capable of fine lines?  I use a Thayer Chandler Omni 4000 Gravity fed brush which allows for one needle for everything (one of the features I like) and I can get very fine lines with it (although I'm due for a new needle).  When i'm feeling sloppy, or just flat out lazy, I cut out Post-It notes and fill in the patttern not being painted.  The nots stick to the putty, which is it's original intended use, to hold posters on the wall . 

Reference paint lifting, I use Tamiya paints and never have any issues.  I've never had the Blue Tac lift the paint either.  Sometimes it leaves residue but it comes right off by dabbing a ball of the Blue Tac on it.  Perhaps you already do, but make sure you clean the parts before you paint.  I usually wipe them down with Isprophl alcohol before painting, which removes any mold release agents or hand oil transfer.   

Just keep practicing and you will eventually get comfortable with it.  Good Luck,

Joe

Your streaking technique is fantastic. really adds to the realism of the model.

Mike

lawdog114

Thanks Allen.  Give it another shot, Its a great kit.  This won't be my last.  I'm in for a brief update.  .  My research showed that 418 Squadron Mossies were Medium Sea Grey upper and lower with RAF Dark Green camo on the upper surfaces.  Hairless Joe had partial invasion stripes on the lower fuselage which is a neat addition.  I fixed all of the ghost seams, to include filling the "V"s on the back top tip of the nacelles (I saw an awesome walkaround video which showed those lines weren't supposed to be there).  Once satisfied, I highlighted the panel lines with XF-1 Flat Black.  I tthen set out to create the invasion stripes.  I painted the black first and taped it off.  I then sprayed XF-2 Flat White but left it somewhat transparent to give the illusion of dirt with the black showing through.  I may have used too much white, we'll see.

After the stripes were taped off, I then painted the whole airframe XF-83 RAF Medium Sea Grey. 

I then lightened the grey with XF-2 and added condensation streaks on the upper wings. 

The frame was given a post shade of diluted XF-64 Red Brown and XF-69 NATO Black.to dirty it up. I went easy on the upper wooden structure but grimed it up fairly heavy underneath around the engines and radiator vents.   

I was going to start on the RAF Green upper (XF-81) but my POS air compressor overheated and shut down on me.  I checked it a few hours later and still dead.  don't know if it will work again.  Word of advice, avoid Silentaire, and they have lousy customer service.  Currently trolling Ebay for a new one.......  any Suggestions?

Joe

    

Scheme and weathering looking great, Joe.

Hope that compressor holds out for you. I share your resistance to buying new stuff.

Missed this one but oh so glad I found it.  Your usual brilliant work Joe.  she's a real beauty painted up.

That's a beauty Joe!

I'd like to learn how to use Blu Tack, as cutting out and masking areas over the fuselage etc is painful for me.  Especially when carrying the pattern over the fuselage from the wings.  Plus (!!) I always seem to have some paint lift when I remove the mask.

I assume you are getting in very close with your airbrush to paint along the stuff?  Forgive the basic questions, but at the moment I still use a spray-n-pray approach with my airbrush ) I haven't figured out the various intricacies of airbrushing yet (pressures, distance to subject etc) 

Allen

Thanks for all of the suggestions.  Fortunately it worked last night without issue, so for now I get to put off buying a new one.  I'm so used to how this turkey operates and I'm afraid to try something new.  I resist change........

Last night I started the arduous task of masking off the camo for the RAF Green.  I used just about all of my Blue Tac for the task.  I used the Owl decal sheet as a loose reference on how the pattern should go.  I prefer this over hard masks because it leaves a soft feathered edge.  It took two hours to get about here.... 

I then put down the green portion of the camo with XF-81.  To my eye this color is perfect.  I added XF-57 Buff to it then made condensation streaks in the green.  The Owl sheet said that Hairless Joe was very dirty, so I went more than usual on the post shading.  This looked about right to me...

The tape was then removed from the invasion stripes.  I'm happy with their worn appearance. 

Decaling soon...

Joe 

"it won't sustain air pressure very well anymore."  

I had the same problem with my old Stanley "nail gun " compressor.  I took some time to disassemble each threaded connection and wrap them all with teflon pipe tape.  Now my comp. runs like new sustaing pressure for 24 hrs or more before the auto fill kicks in.

Can't look at an WIP update from you without learning something, Joe. Keep 'em coming please.

Great looking build as always Joe.

Thanks for the input guys.  I flipped the switch on it this morning and its working again.  It must have some type of heat sensor that shuts it off when it gets too hot, or its just wearing out.  Its still ready for replacement because it won't sustain air pressure very well anymore.

Joe

Coming along just great, Joe, the "Mossie" is one of the all time great designs in my view, will be happy to see photos of it when finished. About compressors, I've owned four over these many years, all did their job ok and lasted a long time, but had usage issues, mostly noise and heat. None failed, a good thing.

Some time back Herself said, "enough noise." So I went with the California Air Tools 1610A, twin cylinder piston type, could NOT be more satisfied with it. Super quiet, time to re-fill from empty is 70 seconds so it's not running very often, hence very low operating temp which will add to it's useful life, heat being the enemy of all compressors.

US $170 including freight, online order from Home Depot. I saw one at a local hardware store, in stock for $150. My input? The best I've ever owned, by a huge margin.

Patrick

More great work Joe!  Man, you make it all look so easy, it's always inspiring to follow your work.  My advice regarding the compressor is CO2.  Go gas and never look back!

Gary

Joe just caught up with your excellent wip, the Mossie is looking fantastic! I really like the detail upgrade in the office and the outside finish is outstanding. Sorry to hear your compressor is on the outs hope you get it sorted . I use a full size unit that I also spray full scale subjects with so I've no experience with the small a/b units. Looking forward to the next update cheers Trey

I have a badger that I've been having issues with.  The weighted wheel that attaches to the motor output shaft is threaded to screw on and keeps coming off because the thing tends to cycle on and off a lot, which I think may be a pressure switch issue.  In any event, I plan to replace with a 6gal porter cable pancake compressor so I can both paint and inflate the car tires with one compressor.

Groot

Thanks Allen.  Give it another shot, Its a great kit.  This won't be my last.  I'm in for a brief update.  .  My research showed that 418 Squadron Mossies were Medium Sea Grey upper and lower with RAF Dark Green camo on the upper surfaces.  Hairless Joe had partial invasion stripes on the lower fuselage which is a neat addition.  I fixed all of the ghost seams, to include filling the "V"s on the back top tip of the nacelles (I saw an awesome walkaround video which showed those lines weren't supposed to be there).  Once satisfied, I highlighted the panel lines with XF-1 Flat Black.  I tthen set out to create the invasion stripes.  I painted the black first and taped it off.  I then sprayed XF-2 Flat White but left it somewhat transparent to give the illusion of dirt with the black showing through.  I may have used too much white, we'll see.

After the stripes were taped off, I then painted the whole airframe XF-83 RAF Medium Sea Grey. 

I then lightened the grey with XF-2 and added condensation streaks on the upper wings. 

The frame was given a post shade of diluted XF-64 Red Brown and XF-69 NATO Black.to dirty it up. I went easy on the upper wooden structure but grimed it up fairly heavy underneath around the engines and radiator vents.   

I was going to start on the RAF Green upper (XF-81) but my POS air compressor overheated and shut down on me.  I checked it a few hours later and still dead.  don't know if it will work again.  Word of advice, avoid Silentaire, and they have lousy customer service.  Currently trolling Ebay for a new one.......  any Suggestions?

Joe

Hi Joe,

Yes, the radiator flaps moved on Mosquitos.

Another beautiful build; my favourites collection just keeps growing.

I was working on a Tamiya Mosquito last year but alas, she sits on the shelf 85% complete and gathering dust.

Allen

Thank you Bob.  I'm glad you get use out of them. 

I'm in for an update.  It took me two bench sessions to get the frame together and seams sanded.  I had some minor issues, mostly my doing, but overall the fit was good.  I was really impressed with how the engine nacelles fit.  No putty whatsoever.  Strangely I needed putty on the seam where the tail plane elevators met the fuselage.  I got tired of looking at the black plastic so I dusted it with Alclad Micro Grey Primer.    I still have a few ghost seams that need attention UGH!), but otherwise its ready for paint.

Does anyone know if the radiator flaps moved on these? I saw what appeared to be a hinge at the leading edge so I deflected mine downward ever so slightly. 

I hope to start the scheme soon...

Joe   

Thanks for sharing that tip!  I've learned quite a bit from your posts.  Can't wait to see more

Thanks guys for the kind words.  Sometimes I inadvertently assume people know what I'm talking about.  The silver Sharpie accentuates the seams and the areas that need more sanding.  The seams stick out like a sore thumb.  The contrast with the black plastic in this case really made seamwork easy.

Joe    

That.

Is.

Awesome.

I'm doing the same kit (different box, though) for the 1944 GB.  And now I'm afraid to post a picture.

That is some sweet detail.

Joe, outstanding work as usual!  How do you get so much done in so little time?? LOL

Mike

Excellent WiP  I added you to my my modeler Guru list. Don Stauffer is the only other man on it.

That is a unique cockpit and instrument panel. Smashing job you did on it.

Thanks to you and Bish for your input about the pilot and his comments that you quoted above, btw.

Awesome work but I have to ask, what's the trick with the silver sharpie?

Joe, I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing these.  Thank you for keeping my addiction alive. =]

Thanks guys.  I got some more work in last night, so I'm in for a quick update.  I decided to detail the instrument panel a bit more by adding epoxy to the dials and a touch of color here and there.  I then assembled the cockpit area. 

I drilled out the 303 cals.  I dont know if I'm going to keep these, or use the Quickboost guns. The Quickboost versions, although probably right on for scale, just seem too small.  I'll paint them up as well and decide soon.  

I then turned my attention to the bombay.  I painted the fuel cells (I think ?) XF-64 Red Brown mixed with XF-7 Flat Red and a touch of XF-1 Flat Black.  I then taped these off and sprayed the rest with left over cockpit green color.  Here it is after my normal "cockpit treatment".  I also painted and added the piece that simulates the cannon breaches. 

I turned my attention to the fuselage and closed it up.  The nose (forward sections) was a bit finicky and I had a bit of trouble closing the seams over the cockpit.  Alot of Tenax and pressure seemed to fix the issue, otherwise, the fuselage fit nice.  The wing spars reminded me of their P-47.  I also tested the fit of the nose cone........not too shabby, maybe a touch of trimming.   The black plastic on this thing has been giving me P-61 flashbacks.  One positive is that the black color makes seam work easy with a silver Sharpie (a neat trick).  I may start pre-painting all seams black from now on. 

I painted the gear bays, assembled them, then mated them to the lower wings.  I was a bit worried but these fit great.  I "spot welded" these with Tenax to preserve panel lines.  Once the major components where assembled and the seams were all filled, I test fitted everything.  It looks like this should be fairly painless without wing root issues, but we shall see.  This is where I left off. 

I hope to get the frame together soon.     

Joe

Excellent job as always Lawdog! It amazes me the quality and amount you can get done in one nights work! This is gonna make me want to add one of these beauties to my stash!

Nice job on the cockpit! Personally, if I get more than one or two parts attached in a modeling session, I'm thrilled!