Nicefit me passing you building ? Not to worry about that, as I am slower than running molasses in winter time  Your T-6 is coming along nicely and looking good so far, and yup I am keeping all your notes, thanks for posting them.

Bocks Suv Hawkeyehobbies has a great tutorial on his website about applying and polishing his paints and powders. I think this is his addy

www.hawkeyehobbies.com

I havent tried the paints or powders yet but will be using them very soon.

Jmabx if I dont mind you ask ? Naw I dont mind, in fact I am quite excited by the idea of your build. One doesnt see a P-59 everyday ya know, I for one have never seen one. So your build is listed on the front page in a few minutes.

Kermit your pit is lookin really good and coming along quickly too. It does appear from your pictures that your kit might be a bit easier than the Tamiya kit I built not too long ago. It also looks to have a bit more detail in it too.

Sorry guys I have been around in a couple of days have been a bit under the weather but am feeling better now.

Richard the office area is looking good!!!

Jmabx, I've never seen one either....It's gonna be cool watching yours come together...

Richard, Nice looking office i'm always impressed by your brush work...Your doing the yellow wing right???

I'm afraid of leaving someone out so I'll just say - great work all around guys!

I just finished cleaning up about 20-30 bombs for the B-29. Talk about carpet-bombing- I wished at first that they'd included a handful of 'large' bombs but looking at them again I noticed that each 'small' bomb was about the same size as a 1/72nd scale human. That's what I call firepower!

Well hopefully I'll get her closed up soon. Hopefully I've gotten the orange peel problem licked and will be able to start painting soon.

Thanks Randy!   As soon as I receive the cockpit and wheels from the mailman, I'll post some pictures of what I'll be working with. 

Kermit - Your Hellcat is coming together nicely. I have the Tamiya kit at home but I haven't built it like Randy has.

Gamera - I somewhat feel your pain with those bombs!   I'm currently building an A-10 as a surprise gift to a friend and that thing has 14 hunks of explosive devices hanging from the wings! Clean them up, glue them together, sand the seams, paint, paint, paint, future, decals, flat coat, aaarrrggghhh!!!   If I had to do 20, I might have gone insane!

Richard/Kermit – very nice pit mate; nice detailing! Look forward to the rest

Well after finally tracking down a set of winglets (most of the stores I found online where out of stock) got them in the mail yesterday, I pulled out my 757.  I guess after a couple of moves I've forgotten that I'd started this kit.  No biggie, just the fuselodge and wings where together.  Gave the fuselodge a coat of putty and sanded it a little.  The wings need to be modified to allow the winglets to be added.  Engine nacelles where put together and have a coat of putty on that needs to be sanded.

All the major components needing attention:

The body all sanded, but not quite ready to be painted

Awesome 757 B-17!

Ok maybe it's not the B-29 but the other day I went by the local hobby shop and was seduced into picking up 'Rommel's Rod'. I'm not a car guy but I guess I could consider it armour right? Just for kicks I decided to try out some Alclad Chrome on the engine.

Parts cleaned up:

Painted with Model Master Acrylic gloss black:

Results:

I apologize for the photos not being clearer the parts came out very shiny and 'chrome-like' in real life.

Now I'm tempted to chrome the whole friggin' Superfortress! It's a defense!  Any pilot trying to shoot at it would be instantly blinded by the sun striking the chrome!!!

Nice work guys I like the look of that Chrome...

B-17Pilot great start on the 757, looks like it took a pound of putty but its all smoothed out now. BTW night I ask what that is in the back ground ? Looks huge !!

Gamera now I gotta say that Alclad Chrome ROCKS on that engine ! It really makes the detail pop out and grab your eye. Thanks for sharing the pictures of it here Hey Alclad paints are Lacquer right ?

That chrome paint really looks great!!! I think chroming a B-29 would actually just make it easier to see farther away. Really all they would have to do rather than shoot is to flip a panel up at the right angle!!

vetteman42

Hey Alclad paints are Lacquer right ?

Yeah Randy.....

vetteman42

B-17Pilot great start on the 757, looks like it took a pound of putty but its all smoothed out now. BTW night I ask what that is in the back ground ? Looks huge !!

Yea I don't know what it is with this Minicraft 757, the fit just bad.  I've done their 737 kit and it fits just fine, so I don't know what's up with their 757. It still needs more putty!

The plane in the background is a 1/144 Revell A380, with Qantas livery.  The build thread is over in the Airliners and Civil Aviation forum, or in the 2010 Airliner GB thread.  I was masking off the openings for paint today.

Nice line of airliners! thanks for sharing... must try one some day

simpilot34

That chrome paint really looks great!!! I think chroming a B-29 would actually just make it easier to see farther away. Really all they would have to do rather than shoot is to flip a panel up at the right angle!!

Sorry, just joking! If the USAAF chomed the B-29 you could see it about five light-years away

Randy: yes the Alclad is lacquer. Normally I hate the stuff but Alclad is pretty easy to work with. The big problem is I don't have an exhaust fan and I need to buy a respirator. I'd hate to see what the interior of my lungs look like.

hey  all!  Ive not abandoned my mustang, I've just been busy the past couple of weeks.  Ive gotten this fella masked and ready for the paint booth. I'll be applying the invasion stripes next! I hope I dont have as much trouble as I did with the previous paint jobs 

OWL

EDIT: oops!! Ive done and forgot the picture! Doh!

Here ya go! take time to admire my awesome masking skillz  

Glad to see you giving it another try Owl. I see you are using the standard tan masking tape. This stuff is way to tacky to mask over painted areas. It's almost a guarantee it will pull any type of paint right of of the plastic. Tamiya masking tape is the best but if you can not get you hands on it the next best thing is the low tack blue masking tape sold by 3M. You should be able to pick it up at any store that sells household paints. It is about twice the price of a roll of the tan tape but it is specificly made to not lift paint. Also do'nt forget to give the model a good wipe down with a Windex dampened paper towl or alcohol right before you start painting to make sure that the plastic is nice and clean!

Soulcrusher

IM BAAAACK i scored myself a tamiya 1:72 F100D Super Sabre yesterday so can i change my entry to that? the jug got busted lol

soulcrusher

Glad to see you giving it another try Owl. I see you are using the standard tan masking tape. This stuff is way to tacky to mask over painted areas. It's almost a guarantee it will pull any type of paint right of of the plastic. Tamiya masking tape is the best but if you can not get you hands on it the next best thing is the low tack blue masking tape sold by 3M. You should be able to pick it up at any store that sells household paints. It is about twice the price of a roll of the tan tape but it is specificly made to not lift paint. Also do'nt forget to give the model a good wipe down with a Windex dampened paper towl or alcohol right before you start painting to make sure that the plastic is nice and clean!

Soulcrusher

...well....    The paint has just been sprayed...so...I guess I see how it goes?

if It does get messed up, I'll just chalk it up to a learning experience, I guess. That is what this whole darn build has been so far! 

fingers crossed!

OWL

Owl: ditto what SoulCrusher said!

The blue painter's tape is great stuff, dunno how I got along without it.

I like using the Tamiya tape for the edges and then filling in the middle with the cheaper blue tape.

CallSignOWL

EDIT: oops!! Ive done and forgot the picture! Doh

 

CallSignOwl no no no one cant forget the pictures I am happy to see you back too, was worried maybe you gave up on the project. 

I have to tell you it looks like you did some work on your NMF, and you brought it back to life beautifully, no orange peeling at all, in fact I cant see that grainy look some painted natural metal finishes have. Well done If I recall correctly you futured over the NMF sanded then futured again. When I use the tan masking tape over a couple of coats of future and carefully remove the tape I havent had any problems with tape lifting the paint underneath it. To mask the stripes though I would highly recommend the blue painters tape unless you are going to clear coat with future between masking the white and painting the black.

Again I am happy to see you back and your build progressing.  Believe me, your next NMF will be much easier for you as you are beating the gremlins on this build, cant wait to see more from you.

Scorpiomikey hey no problem your build is changed.  I am sorry you lost the Jug though, as they really look good all shiny and stuff. Lookin forward to your Super Sabre for sure.

Owl, looks good so far....The masking looks accurate but i hope you don't have problems when removing it....Peel it off real slow...

well....yeah. 

peeled off the masking and had some issues.      :(

looks sharp from here, right?

not really.

the spot on the tail was where the tape definitely peeled up some chrome paint.

but the largest areas had some imparted tape-texture. i dont really know how to describe it. the paint is much less shiney. I hope you can see what I am talking about in this picture. oh and there was a little bit of paint bleeding under the tape too.

in some areas the tape did not actually peel up the under lying paint, but took off some of the newer white paint...

and on the other areas I got tape residue.. but all these problems were only on the enamel aluminum chrome areas. the Acrylic silver parts were not much affected at all. 

would I have to repaint the chrome, or can it be saved at all???  I am definately going to apply a future coate befre I do the black stripes, due to the tape lifting the white up off the chrome areas. I pressed it back down in some spots but... 

yeah...I guess I know better now! 

OWL

CallSignOWL

hey  all!  Ive not abandoned my mustang, I've just been busy the past couple of weeks.  Ive gotten this fella masked and ready for the paint booth. I'll be applying the invasion stripes next! I hope I dont have as much trouble as I did with the previous paint jobs 

OWL

EDIT: oops!! Ive done and forgot the picture! Doh!

Here ya go! take time to admire my awesome masking skillz  

Back tracked a couple of replies and see (GASP!) common yellow-white masking tape! A few mentioned using blue or green tape instead, excellent suggestions! Also realize the adhesive can be a bit strong so try weakening it a bit by applying it to glass first or by simply dabbing it with your thumb. Only the edge separating the colors needs to be on snug, the rest can 'float' over the model. 

A good rule with masking tape is quick on, quick off. Only mask, paint & remove mask when it can all be done in the same session.

If no acrylic paint or future is applied isopropyle  alcohol (rubbing alcohol) will soften the tapes adhesive helping remove it. Any gobs of adhisive left should be removed with a toothpick as to not mar or scratch the finish. Silver or aluminum finish is very delicate & will mark easily, best to lay this coat down last. 

I hope a tip or two helps, I fear silver paint to the point toiling with aluminum foil is preferred for simple shapes where it will go on flat.

Another tip for the future, spray the NMF last.  Paint any antiglare panels, invasion stripes (if wanted), gropu/squadron markings on first, mask then spray the NMF coat.  I found that out the hard way, tape took the paint off.

Been doing that ever since.

hmmm, thanks for the tips you guys. I guess I learned my lesson. I'll scrub the goo with the Iso, and see if i can save the chrome. If not, Ill just apply the rest of the markings then sand-down and re-shoot the chrome

OWL

Some great tips there

Owl,

Don't loose heart! We have, at some point all been where you are now. When i started out my hobby with building plastic modelships i've used the tan painterstape and even clear tape too. Let's just say that it rarely went without problems. It is slightly more expensive to buy the tamiya tape but i assure you it will pay off tenfold in results.

Been having a very nasty cold the past week so it took a while to finalise construction and masking of my Wildcat but she's ready for some spraying fun now:

Decided to go the easy (fast drying) way of using matte black coated with clear gloss this time... Keep your fingers crossed boys...

Richard

Looking good Richard, even at a slower pace you still build em fast.....Hope your feeling better buddy

Kermit: looking good!

Scorpion: The F-100 sounds really cool, looking forward to seeing her.

Owl: Ditto what the guys said, after a coat of orange peel, sand, try a different amount of thinner and air pressure, get orange peel again, sand, repeat I was very close to throwing the model against the wall. But it worked out in the end, if you get mad enough just walk away. You have the right idea on breaking out the Mirage and working on it for a break.

I'll second what SF said as well, you can reduce the tack of any tape by applying it to the palm of your hand or forehead a few times before you put it on the model. The more times you stick it to your skin and peel it off the more tack it loses.

And B-17 has good advice on the ordering of paint coats. Alclad can be masked over, I've rarely had it pull up. But applying tape to most anything else is a gamble. You can mask off stuff like the antiglare panel with yellow post-it notes (low tack) or just use paper damp enough so it sticks and low airbrush pressure. But the safest thing is just to do the metallic last.