1/48 Tamiya F-4UA1 Complete

Looks awesome like that weathering

Stunning model! Certainly inspiration for when I get around to my RNZAF Corsair

Yeah, I may not have thought that through quite thoroughly enough. Wife has told me that I will be staying in here for a while:

I can only hope that "Til Hell freezes over" comes rather soon.

SaltydogII

Joe, your gonna be hooked right away. MRP sprays like a dream.

I'm holding you to that Chris given that I had to sell off some kits, paint sets, reference books and half of the wife's shoe stash to fork out the $$$.

Greg

Bish, I didn't know that about Tamiya acrylics. (I like the smell of that stuff )

Hmmm, I never quite got the full smiley face effect from huffing Tamiya but, Gunze-Sangyo Mr. Color will do you a treat mate.

Greg

Did you order from Hobbyworld or did you find the paint somewhere else, Joe?

I expect feedback once you've tried the Mr Paint! If both you and Chris love the stuff, I'll have no alternative.....

 

Bish, I didn't know that about Tamiya acrylics. (I like the smell of that stuff )

Chris, thanks for the additional info, much appreciated.

Joe, your gonna be hooked right away. MRP sprays like a dream. Only down side I have found so far is accessibility. There are only two places in the US that carries the paint to my knowledge, and both pretty much stay out of stock. However, if you put in an order at Hobbyworld, it will add to you cart, you pay for it of course, then he ships it to you in que. You really have to plan ahead. It takes me 4-6 weeks to finish a kit so I try to order my paint while I'm a in the middle of the preceeding kit, and usually by the time I get to the paint stage its on my doorstep.

Greg, It does have an oder and you will want some sort of ventilation/mask. Also, I use lacquer thinner to clean with and it comes right out. You can do an enamel panel line wash right over the stuff and wipe it with mineral spirits, no damage. You can mask within a few minutes after shooting it. It chips like a champ. It has a lot of characterisitics that I find beneficial. Try it, you want be disappointed.

Greg, as i undrstand it, Tamiya is an Acrylic laquer,

Thanks for the feedback, Bish.

I just watched a fairly long utube by Doog's models on the stuff. Looks interesting.

Chris, what have you found best to clean airbrush afterwards with the Mr paint?

Also, I'm not quite clear on a what an acrylic lacquer is. Is there a strong odor?

Greg, one of the guys at the model club i belong to used Mr paint on his last build. Said it was really nice to use, goes on really light. Not sure if i will try it myself as i like my enamels.

Did you order from Hobbyworld or did you find the paint somewhere else, Joe?

I expect feedback once you've tried the Mr Paint! If both you and Chris love the stuff, I'll have no alternative.....

Hey There Chris, I just wanted you to know that I have decided to follow up on your advice and ordered me up some Mr. Paint colors. Mainly USN WW II colors, white primer and flat & gloss clear coats. I've also got light gull gray & US navy white on backorder for my '60's-'70's era USN jets. I'm quite excited to give them a try. Just might facilitate me gravitating away from mostly enamel paints. I'll be testing them out as soon as they get here that's for sure. Thanks.

Joe

Amazing corsair and beautifully photographed!

Thanks Chris. I haven't used Mr Leveling but have used Mr Color thinner for quite a while. When I want a mild lacquer thinner that's my goto. I have added Mr Leveler to it a time or two. I'm anxious to try these Mr Paint colors. May just be the inspiration needed to get me building again. lol I really appreciate the info.

Tony

Wingman_kz

That is definitely a work of art. It's beautiful. And I appreciate you explaining the processes you've used and the paints. I've been away for a while myself and this is the first I've heard about Mr Paint. It is a little pricey but at 30ml, it's a decent size bottle. I read the description of the paint at Hobbyland but was wondering if you could tell me a little more about it. Would you compare it to a Tamiya type paint? I know it's ready to use but have you found the need to thin it or, possibly, what would you thin it with? Just curious. I really like Tamiya paints and the way they spray and thin. But, the color selection with Mr Paint is awesome. To me, reducing Tamiya with denatured alcohol and shooting it very thin is very close to using lacquers, does Mr Paint behave that way? Thanks for any info.

 

Wingman, if you have ever sprayed Alclad's silky grey or black primer, the characteristics are very similar to Mr. Paints. It is good to go right from the bottle. But yes, I have thinned Mr. Paint for blend coats and and demarcation lines and such. I thin it with Mr. Leveling Thinner. Even if you don't make the switch from Tamiya to Mr. Paint, do get you some Mr. Leveling Thinner. Thin your Tamiya paint with it and you will never use Tamiya thinner again. This stuff improves the leveling and drying time of Tamiya and makes it even more like spraying lacquer. MLT is a game changer. But be warned, if you ever purchase a bottle of Mr. Paint and spray it through you airbrush, you will be hopelessly addicted to the characteristics of this paint. It will make you a better modeler IMO. And yes, nearly every color of any defense force that has ever existed on the planet is covered by this brand. Agreed, its pricey, but its worth it. You can do a great deal of painting with one bottle though. Hope this helps.  

That is definitely a work of art. It's beautiful. And I appreciate you explaining the processes you've used and the paints. I've been away for a while myself and this is the first I've heard about Mr Paint. It is a little pricey but at 30ml, it's a decent size bottle. I read the description of the paint at Hobbyland but was wondering if you could tell me a little more about it. Would you compare it to a Tamiya type paint? I know it's ready to use but have you found the need to thin it or, possibly, what would you thin it with? Just curious. I really like Tamiya paints and the way they spray and thin. But, the color selection with Mr Paint is awesome. To me, reducing Tamiya with denatured alcohol and shooting it very thin is very close to using lacquers, does Mr Paint behave that way? Thanks for any info.

Thanks tigerman! Boy, you've been around the forums since the good ol' days eh friend. I remember you when I was here the last time from 03' to around 07' i think was my last post under "saltydog". I left the hobby in 07 and just got back last September. Lots has changed here huh?

Joe, yeah, me too friend. I need some RLM colors in a bad way. Mathew Bole says he's got another shipment coming in soon. I think you load your cart, pay for it, and he'll ship it as soon as it comes in. Sometimes, thats the only way to get what you need.

Forgot how much I like Corsairs. Thanks for the presentation. Really admire the faded paint and the details all pop on it. Well done

I can't believe I missed this thread!

What Toshi said + 1

Outstanding finish!!

SaltydogII

The down side is its beginning to gain traction among modelers and it is difficult for distributor here in the States to keep up with the demand.

Thanks Chris. I found this out first hand last night as I checked out Hobbyworld only to find that most of the colors I was interested in were back ordered. Thus, patience will be my co-pilot.

JOE RIX

Thank You for taking the time to explaing your process Chris. I have yet to give the hairspray technique a try and I appreciate your application. It's definitely one I'm going to keep in mind when I build some of my other early & mid war USN WWII aircraft. I'm a big fan of pastels and pigments for weathering effects and I'm really inpressed with your skills using them. You've perked my interest in Mr. Paint. Have you used any of their other colors other than Super Silver? Again, I am quite inpressed with your results and I appreciate your sharing.

 

Thanks guys.

Joe, I used Mr. Paint for the Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue, and the Insignia White. You can spray it right out of the bottle, it is airbrush ready. If you have ever sprayed Alclad black or grey primer and noticed the silky smooth way it goes on, Mr. Paint is very similar, if not better than that. It dries to a semi-gloss sheen. It chips like a dream! It is simply the best paint I have ever ran through my airbrush. At $7.00/bottle, it is a littly pricey, but looking at my containers after doing this model, I probably could do 10-12 kits just like this one before needing more. Check it out at Hobbyworld.usa.com or RedStarScaleModels.com. The down side is its beginning to gain traction among modelers and it is difficult for distributor here in the States to keep up with the demand. You have to plan ahead and try to stay about 3 projects ahead, or, if you have about $2000, you can just order the whole color set! :) It is a VERY comprehensive color set that covers nearly every armed force on the planet and the colors they used during several conflicts. You should try some, its excellent stuff.

What can I say that others havent said, but "Way to go!" 

A true work of art. 

Thank You for taking the time to explaing your process Chris. I have yet to give the hairspray technique a try and I appreciate your application. It's definitely one I'm going to keep in mind when I build some of my other early & mid war USN WWII aircraft. I'm a big fan of pastels and pigments for weathering effects and I'm really inpressed with your skills using them. You've perked my interest in Mr. Paint. Have you used any of their other colors other than Super Silver? Again, I am quite inpressed with your results and I appreciate your sharing.

Thanks guys.

Joe, the weathering may look complicated, but it really is a straight forward process, though it takes patience. If you want to introduce chipping, showing both the aluminum and primer coat, then here is what you do. spray a coat of desired metal color, I used Mr. Paint Super Silver. Seal this metal with a flat varnish, this helps with the chipping technique. Decant TreSemme hairspray into a container, load it into your airbrush, and apply a coat over the metalized areas. I used the hairspray chipping technique and there are infinite videos on YouTube about that. Spray on the primer color, in this case I used straight Tamiya XF-4 yellow green. You only have to do this in the areas you know you're gonna chip, you don't have to bomb the whole kit. Using a wet, stiff brush, begin chipping the areas desired. This may take a little elbow grease to get going, but it works beautifully. For stubborn areas, gently use a toothpick to get it going. When I'm satisfied with this step, I then seal it again with a flat coat and apply another layer of hairspray over that. Next, I apply the color scheme to the model. It will look factory fresh at this point. I then mix lighter and lighter shades, fading sun worn surfaces, introducting tonal variations, adding wear to the areas that are walked on and so forth. Once I'm happy with this (BTW, I painted this thing 3 times before I was satisfied, it prolly needs metal landing gear, it may be about to collapse from the extra wieght), I begin the chipping process again. Look at references to get a feel of where to chip and fade. When this is satisfactory, I spray on a gloss coat, apply a dark grey sludge wash, wipe it off after about 15-20 minutes, and let it dry over night. I then apply a flat coat and begin using charcoals and pigments to add streaking, grime, wear, and fading according to the reference pics and my eyeball. Thats it.  

Now thats a real stunner, lovely looking build.