Regia Aeronautica GB II (06/15/09 to 06/15/10)

Thanks Chris the Talon paint line is still a bit of a cottage industry I think. There might be some bigger hobby shops that stock them but it was easy to order them directly from the web site you posted. Gerald is a forum member here and a good guy. If you read through him website he gives you great instructions on how to achive the best results with his products. It looks like the Alclad produces a pretty nice finish too from the pictures you posted. I am just really commited to acrylics. My workbench is in my bedroom due to it being one of the only rooms with an air conditioner so I really try to keep the fumes to a minimal. The tiny Macchi is looking good. All of those tiny decal would have driven me nuts!

Guy the Mustang is looking really sharp. It looks like the Alclad really works nice. The Ha-1112 was refered  to as the "Buchon" it is Spanish for big mouth which referes to the large opening for the chin radiator. The Academy kit is a real turd. It took alot of time to smooth out everything good enough for a NMF but even that will not make it a nice kit. Almost all of the small detail parts are either inaccurate or very poorly done. The canopy is a pure work of ficton as there was never any version of any 109 that had the frames done in the way Academy has depicted them. If you really want to build a nice one you will have to rob the detail parts froma Tamagawa kit along with the early style canopy to make a decent Ha 1112. I also have the Academy Avia 199. The offical name was "knife" but the pilots renamed "mule" due to its sluggish performance because it was built with the Jumo engine intended for bombers.

                                                                       Soulcrusher

Guy,

thanks for the comment about the MiG. The NMF did work quite well. Apart from Alclad II, Humbrol Metalcote paints are widely available in the UK. For those not familiar with them, they'te buffable metallics, and their polished and matt aluminium are quite good for a basic NMF, as in this Hobbyboss T-6G:

I did this as a eview build for SAMI, and chose Humbrol Metalcote above Alclad II because most of these kits would be bought through toy shops and LHSs, and Metalcote is the best NMF reliably available there. They also do a polished steel, which can be buffed, with a buffing pad  in a motor tool, to a lovely deep metallic shade which works particularly well on jet exhausts, as per this Fujimi 1/72 F-4J:

Anyway, back to La Bellissima Italia!

The smoke ring decals are on the C.200:

It took about 12 hours from beginning to end, mostly waiting for the Micro Sol to set up after each piece of decal had been applied to the model. The tail surfaces, cowling, fuselage, and port and starboard wings were all decalled separately - I didn't want to risk handling a decalled surface until the decal had dried properly. As you can see, there are several surfaces which feature sharp 3-dimmensional curves. The cowling was particulalry fun, and ir took three applications of Micro Sol for the decal to settle down properly.

I'll now let the decals dry overnight, before sealing them in with another coat of Future. Then white ID fuselage ID band and the House of Savoy cross for the rudder. Finally the ret of the smaller markings after maybe another coat of Future. Time will tell.

Cheers,

Chris.

Chris the Mig looks fantastic. Funnily enough it was Tamiyas Mig 15 that was my 1st attempt at a NMF and it came out awfully. I think i used Tamiya silver which explains a lot i spose.

YEY, Shooters back and his CR is still going. That camo is going to be a corker. I think you chose the right route by handpainting it. God knows how youd spray the thing. We've missed you, big boy. While youve been gone there has een a vid or 2 posted, soo no pressure but wheres yours?

Crusher, im loving the HA1112. Were they refered to as Buchon's? I think i need one. And in an NMF....talking of which, Guess what i finished,

As for other products than Alclad, i can comment. Here in the UK the only readilly available NMF is Alclad. Im not averse to trying another type, its just, with me anyhoo, use whats at hand.

So now its back on to real subjects. Wheres that G.55?

...Guy

Hi SC. Those Talon metallic acrylics seem impressive:

http://www.hawkeyeshobbies.com/talon-acrylic-paints.htm

with useful colours and good prices. Pity there doesn't appear to be a stockist on this side of the pond. Seems I'll have to continue to use Alclad II (which one of my LHSs has recently begun to stock) for a while yet.

Cheers,

Chris.

Ok I finally smoothed out all of the spots on the G 55 and I have it all in primer. Tomorrow preshading panels lines then finally the fun part, camo time!

                                                                                 Soulcrusher

There are so many people out there with so many differnt techniques for NMF and they all swear by their way it really scared me off for along time. When I saw the Talon product I though let me see what I can do with it. I chose an inexpensive kit the 1/48 Academy Ha 1112 so if I goofed it up I could just scrap it without destroying an expensive kit. it is a little different to spray on. it is very thin so low air pressure is a must. You also must lay down a mist coat wait a minute to let it set up then lay multiple thiin coats and build it up slowly for the best results. I layed it on to wet and though I ruined it but when it dried it looked ok. I then decided to try out the polishing powder. It takes on a nice shine very quickly but it definetly will get everywhere and on everything you touch. I t looked great until I got stupid doing the panel lines. I used Warpig washes and they are also Acrylic and they marred the finish a bit. Real stupid on my part. I do'nt know what I was thinking but I polished it agian and in the end came out with a finish that is probally more realistic though I was really liking the shiney one. The only other thing I noticed is you can not touch it with bare hands once it is polished either but I thing tat goes for all of the systems. I learned alot an I am definetly going to try another NMF soon. Here is a pic

                                                                               Soulcrusher

Oh, yeah. MM Metalizers are a PITA. They don't technically lift, as the paint doesn't come completely off the surface. They do something worse. It's as if the paint coat splits or shears and half of it stays on the surface and the other half stays on the tape. Really ugly.

I've seen many nice models done with the stuff but how I don't know. I used it back in the day when it was that or SNJ and still have a few 72nd scale subjects in the case that need a rework with the stuff applied. When I do it'll be with Alclad.

One thing I'll say about Talon. It makes about the best looking polished metal finish I've seen aside from real polished metal. If I were to build a racer or airliner or something I'd use the stuff. Forget about Alclad chrome. Stuff is impossible. Can't use decal sovents on it, it's very delicate. I bought a bottle to tinker with but learned really quick that I'll never use it.

Its good to see the Cr32 is still alive. I forgot all the work you put into fixing the nose and all.

I myself have never tried Alclad. I was just really turned off to NMF by alot people posting about lifting but I think that might have been the MM Metalizers that alot of people were talking about. Either way I do not want anything to do with any paint that is not Acrylic based due to fumes and clean up mainly. So basicly I was not build anything in NMF. The the Talon paints came out and now it has open up alot more subjects to me. I am not putting down Alclad I just prefer Acrylics. The powder does get a little messy but you only need to use it if you want a shiny finish. If you want a in service NMF then you just spray it and leave it alone. Just a preference of type of paint not lack of quality of the other product. They same rules still apply though about the prep no matter what NMF product you use. If there is a bump or a seem you will definetly see it with any product.

                                                                               Soulcrusher

soulcrusher wrote:

Much less work for the same results and no toxic fumes. Just really good prep of the model of course and spray directly on the plastic wait and hour. Put a small amount of the polish on a soft cloth and buff. You can buff out a 1/48 scale plane in less than an hour. After then you can do what ever you want to it tape it decal it.                                                 Soulcrusher

SC, I'd like to respectfully disagree with you about the amount of work compared to Alclad. While both products require similar prep work for a good, flaw free finish, once Alclad is applied, it's done. There is no buffing or other work required. Anyone using a gloss black paint undercoat with anything other than chrome is wasting paint as it's not required. Only a perfectly smooth finish is needed same as any other NMF product. I normally use Tamiya fine gray primer shined up with fine paper or in come cases, my denim jeans. I've used Alclad for many NMF projects and have never had a problem with any kind of lifting with tape at all and hearing of this is news to me. While one may have to wait an hour to mask or polish Talon, I've masked Alclad in twenty minutes without ill effect.

My main reason for not trying Talon NMF paint is the extra work required actually. I don't care to be taking the time and buffing the stuff. And I certainly don't need fine powders sitting around to make a mess with and I'd figure out how to mysteriously incorporate them into the next camo job somehow for sure. This is the first time I've heard of problems such as you have mentioned with Alclad. Well, other than the smell thing. Nothing smells worse than Alclad in the model paint world other than maybe Dullcoat.

On a more on topic thread topic matter, thing, subject, er whatever, I've returned from the dead with a small amount of progress on the CR32. Blew off the bench the other day and started with the paint. This one is getting the brush since I have no idea on how to attack the thing with an airbrush. First five colors are applied via paint brush, more to follow.

sfcmac wrote:

soulcrusher wrote: Thank you Bondo. Someone who knows his Italians! Al Pacino I could live with but not Scott Baio! I look more like this in my newest movie release!!!!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FECFb1_YdII           Soulcrusher

Ok Sarge Very funny! Carefull or I might just come down there and nick that Do 24T and bring it to Guy!

                                                                             Soulcrusher

The Mig looks great Chris. I am really sold on the Talon paints though. Much less work for the same results and no toxic fumes. Just really good prep of the model of course and spray directly on the plastic wait and hour. Put a small amount of the polish on a soft cloth and buff. You can buff out a 1/48 scale plane in less than an hour. After then you can do what ever you want to it tape it decal it. It is very tough once it has cured. They make a full line of metal colors and of course you can mix them to make your own shades to. really great stuff.

                                                                               Soulcrusher

soulcrusher wrote:

Thank you Bondo. Someone who knows his Italians! Al Pacino I could live with but not Scott Baio! I look more like this in my newest movie release!!!!!!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FECFb1_YdII           Soulcrusher

fSC - I've found that if you lay down a good base coat (doesn't have to be black unless you're using Chrome) and then sand and polish it smooth, Tamiya tape doesn't lift Alclad II.  This Hobbyboss 1/48 MiG-17 PFU

is finished in four differnt shades of Alcald II, anad scarecely any part of the airframe wasn't masked over at some point.

Cheers,

Chris.

SC, I reckon, personally, that you should go round Macneals house dressed as a postman. When Dee loses it and races at the front door, quickly nip round the back and nab his one. Its far too nice a kit for the likes of a train driver to have. Then to save on postage you should swim it over the UK. Ill lend you a towel.

...Guy

Steve I know how it feels to have a lack of kit selection. There is only one hobby store in my area. I happen to be luck that it is only a mile away from my house and owned by a family freind. Unfortunatly the cost of real estate rental space is just absolutlely absured here so his inventory is small but he does order about once a week from Squadron so I just give him the item number and I usally have it in a week without paying the shipping cost. It can still be tough to find Regia Aeronutica stuff so that is why I made you the offer. Pacific Coast is the only place that stocks a decent amount of RA stuff.

Bondo I enjoyed those pics everytime you post them. I would love to go to Italy someday. Thanks fo setiing Guy straight about the Scott Baio thing to!

Guy if I had a MPM Do 24T I would ship it to you mate. I am not that much into floaters anyway. I will leave them to you and Bondo. I just have to educate you a bit more on the Italian culture and the big differnce between Al Pacino and Scott Baio!  The Special Hobby kit is a bit short on resin but believe me it is alot better in shape and detail than the Classic Airframes kit that I am building now. We should both be starting it at about the same time so we can compare notes. The CA kit came with two vac canopies so I will be using the second one on the SH kit to pose mine open. That and the fact that SH forgot to put a canopy in the box! It was still sealed in plastic so it was definetly thier fowl up.

Chris I think they are refering to the Alclad lifting with the masking tape. I never had an interest in the product due to the huse amount of work involved in using it. I had stayed away from NMF for years until the Talon line of paints came out. No black base coat no stinky fumes because they are Acrylic. Plus if you use the poslishing powders with it you can control the amout of shine. I build a Academy Ha 1112 Buchon with it to try it out and I was impressed. I goofed up a couple of things on the model being it was my first time using the product but I was still very impressed. I maske d over it several times and no lifting at all.

                                                                                Soulcrusher

Hi Guy,

if I do it, it'll be the stripes. Adding sufficient interior detail will be at least as great a challenge! But not for a while yet. At the moment, I'm looking at a RoG 1/72 RAF Eurofighter Typhoon (any colour you like so long as its Barley Grey) and an Academy 1/72 Dragon Wagon (so that'd be Olive Drab, then)...

Waiting for the Giallo Mimetico 4 to dry on the C.200...

Cheers,

Chris.

BTW, what's the big deal about stripes on  NMF?

We now live in a world of nice, tough, maskable, Alclad II!

Woo hoo, looks like we got Chris well hooked. (Havent you fiinished that monster kit yet?) Im liking the 2nd up model. What scheme are you going with then? The camo or the stripes? It takes a real man with big cahooners to attempt the stripes, and an even bigger man with an even bigger set, to attempt an NMF with red stripes. Eh Bondo? And he's a sweaty as well, now i hear (Sweaty sock....you do the math) lol.

Do i really look like Scott Baio?...you vain numpty. LOL Is that why your Siggy is SC? Shouldnt it be SCB? Right ive had my dig at Crusher. Thatll learn him for bringing up te Mancs. As we all know, there is only one club worth supporting in the UK,

Oh and if you have one in your stash, ill have an MPM Dornier Do24T, while your in the giving mood.

Came home today and found a big package on my coffe table. Yey, my G.55 has arrived. On inspection it says it comes with Resin and PE. LOL, thats resin in the loosest sense of the word.....theres a gunsight!! Thats it. The cockpit looks like its going to be fun. Theres a largish PE fret full of knobs and whistles. Its only let down by the fact that the canopy comes as one piece and will either need to be replaced with a vaccy one or cut open to display all the goodies. Anyhoo, need to finish my Mustang sos i can get started on the beauty.

Keep up the good work.

...Guy

soulcrusher wrote:

You must learn one thing right away if you are going to date an Italian girl. When you meet her Mother and she is going to want you to eat something. It is a huge insult if you do not. its all good though because the food is always great!                                                                                        Soulcrusher

They're Croats, as I've gone on abt. Lot's of meat and peppers and tomatoes. I've got 4K photos of our last trip to their town. God, it's a great culture.

Here's the bone. Mussolini built a lot of infastructure, but he was a mass murderer. Here's the public school that her uncles all went to "A X1". Anno Imperial 11, dating from 1934; the eleventh year of the Imperium.

Wow SC, that was a very generous offer and thanks mate. I do use internet shoping as of late and I may have a brouse for something that strikes my fancy. There used to be 3 shops in my area but they have all slowly died out and closed. There is one left and they moved to a new and better location and I went there on the grand opening and to my absolute horror they no longer deal in military subjects. Can you believe it sold off all the inventory and now only deal in railroad and r/c cars. I work in Va Beach every two weeks and there is a brilliant shop there that carries everything. I will look for some RA stuff next week. You guys here are the best.

Steve

Thank you Bondo. Someone who knows his Italians! Al Pacino I could live with but not Scott Baio!

I recently dumped Firefox for that reason. They have decided on their own that we the browser useres are to stupid and must be saved from ourselves. So they have created a browser that you can not copy cut paste or run videos on from linked sites. So I went back to IE. Its a little slower but everything works. Firefox developers, how stupid are you?

You must learn one thing right away if you are going to date an Italian girl. When you meet her Mother and she is going to want you to eat something. It is a huge insult if you do not. its all good though because the food is always great!

                                                                                       Soulcrusher

I can't get Firefox to host your viddy. Any ideas?

EDIT: opened your post in IE, and very nice. Scott Baio, NOT.

Eddie DeBartolo certainly. Even a little Pacino.

I'm not even one DNA strand Italian (I'm Scot), but I go to sleep every night with one in my arms, so hell with the rest of them, and my late Mother-in-law, "eat, eat, what's wrong? Don't like my food???" didn't kill me, though she could have.

There you are Bondo. I was hopeing you would stop by and watch my video and explain to the rest of these non Italians that I do not look like Scott Baio! I think they believe all of us Italians look alike and I am only half Siciian!

Chris no worries mate. One of our favorite pastimes is to wind Guy up a bit about his favorite football team because he is very passonate about Manchester. Steve and i enjoy it only because he has told some Irish jokes I am also half Irish {Fitzgerald} so we feel its only fair. Steve knows a bit more about football and explained how he felt about  Manchester and he was banned but only for a a brief time. So say what you will about Manchester and Steve and I will about back you up 100%!

Steve if you can not find anything Regia Aeronautica that stikes your fancy at the hobby store tell me what your looking for I might have it. I have one of just about everything in my stash and I would be happy to send it your way.

                                                                                           Soulcrusher

chris hall wrote:

with the sunburst wing stripes. I notice that on all the online build articles, though, the modeller has chosen a camouflage finish....

Mike, absolutely fantastic finish on your 109, that thing is top notch and I love the finish. Great job.

Chris, watch it mate, your being bated by the lads. Guy is not a fan of the greatest football team in the world, aheemmmm. I cant mention their name as the last time I did I was suspended from the build for 10 days. Hes a fan of that poxy shower from Liv-----l. I wont even mention their name either. Thats the agreement I have with Guy.

I am still looking for a RA aircraft to build for number 2. Only had 1 in my stash and want to build another. Its sad but now my LHS is 250 miles away and I hope to be there next week to see what they have.

Steve

Thanks for that SC. Yes, I'd agree that Italian WW2 subjects are some of the most photogenic of all, with a huge amount of variety in the finishes available. One that I have in the stash, and would really like to do is this:

with the sunburst wing stripes. I notice that on all the online build articles, though, the modeller has chosen a camouflage finish....

Being an Arsenal fan, I'm sorry to hear that Guy's a Manc. There again, nobody's perfect...

Cheers,

Chris.

Mike that looks great. Two of my favorite things together. A Me 109 an RA marking all in one build. It really makes me want to start one of the two 109's I have with RA markings but I must resist the urge and stay focus on the twins

Chris so glad you have decided to join us! I think I see alot more Regia Aeronautica kits being added to your stash. It is very addicting and some of these overlooked aircraft are absolutlely beautifull. The choices for markings are almost as a varied as the Luftwaffe includeing three completly different types of national markings!

Are you a football fan. If so metion Manchester and you can probally get Guy to sent you a kit or two! I say Queens Park Rangers but Guy does not argee.

Guy the Mustang finish looks spot on to me. The finsh is not to shiny just the right amount to make it look like bare alluminum on a frontline fighter. Well done

                                                                                      Soulcrusher

Cheers Mike, all done. Stay in touch and this thing is going to run and run, so we'll see you back here later.

If everyone else could go and check the front page to see if i have thier builds correct. Id appreciate it. I told you all i was crappola at this sort of thing.

oooh P.s my Mustang is all shiney.

Still no sign of the G.55 but Hannants are notoriously sloooooowwww.

...Guy

Guy, the 109 is 21st Century Toys.

I'll be checking in regularly, if you run this thing long enough I may even be back with another build! (that 21st CT Macchi C.202 is calling my name).