Richard -- those decals look like the sheet from the Tamiya 1:48 Korean War P-51 kit. I built it last year and didn't use Buckey Blitz. The sheet in my kit was flawless and behaved perfectly. The stencil data and insignia are used, but you can probably source that from elsewhere easily enough, if you want that particular subject I'd be more than happy to mail you the sheet. Just let me know!

Cheers, MIke/TB379

Supressionfire thanks you for the complement but most of the credit for the group goes to the members of the group, they are the ones who make it a success, and a bunch of fun too Cheers to one and all of you.

I also hope Supressionfire you have a short and easy season this year.

Kermit your Mustang is coming to life it seems, I do believe you have mastered those revell paints. Bummer about the decals falling apart on you I hope the liquid decal film takes care of that, ummm minor setback for ya. I have used it on old decals and found that they didn't want to release from the backing paper very well.

Nicefit glad my long winded explanation helped you out and didnt confuse ya. I hope to start the T-6 in the next couple of weeks. I got my grimy mitts on some Talon paints and am chomping at the bit to try them out.

Richard, More woes!!! We all get a model that every now and then tests our patience...I'm sure you'll nail it in the end

Randy, Thats a nice looking engine buddy, very cool...Should have some pics of the Mirage111 for you soon...

Aggieman, Welcome to the GB Looking forward to seein some WIP pics....

JMart,

We have a big store here in amsterdam called aviation megastore. They have absolutely everything so usually i order kits and decals from them. Browsing through their decals i didn't really see anything i liked and the buckeye blitz decals were sold out. So i took a deep deep breath just now and coated the decals i have with a generous coat of liquid decal film...

I will let it cure during my working day and give it another go when i'm home... Fingers crossed everyone

Oh, and i can use some spare markings and roundels i have from the AMD sheet i bought a while back for my F86 if all else fails.

Richard

lot and lots and lots of paint

I am not up for a foiling job given the heat we've had in SE Texas this year

Thanks for the compliment, Suppression!

I'll be in your neck of the woods next week-I used to live in Halifax, and the wife, the three kids and I are staying at a friends cottage on Grand Lake. Should be a good time, but finishing the P-47 will now be further delayed!

Rob

Owl – Really nice job on the Mirage!

Richard – Look forward to your new build; I have both HobbyBoss Wildcats in my stash, courtesy of a LuckyModel recent sale.  Paint job on current build is spot-on, great job! Bummer on the decals; Squadron has a ton of Aeroscale and Superscale decals on sale, including several P-51 ones. Not sure how easy/cheap would be to order/ship to your side of the pond. I know some people have “Futured” decals to keep them intact. I once had some Monogram decals dissolve upon contact with water. But there were ship markings, so it was easy for me to stencil in the hull numbers, etc.

Aggieman – welcome to the GB! The old venerable Peacemaker? Awesome! Look forward to your build (and to where you are going to display it! : )

Hey Kermit,

That's a real bummer!

 Is this kit an old kit that has been sitting around?

Rob

Ok, this mustang just doesn't seem to like me... Came home from work just now and filled a cup with handwarm water to get the decalling underway. They just crumble as soon as i touch them!

I knew i had to be careful as the decalsheet is quite old and yellow but believe me i was careful...

I have a bottle of liquid decal film from microscale but i am just not willing to even try doing that. I will have to order some aftermarket stuff. Talking about bad luck on your model...

No, i will NOT admit defeat so the build is still on even after all this but i hope you gentlemen can understand i am ready for something more uncomplicated at the moment... My sincere apologies.

Richard

OWL,

The Mirage turned out excellent! Can really see progression of your skills. Mistakes (P-51) Are a part of the learning curve, looks like the silver was a bad batch of paint? I have had certain colors and brands not work well and substituted them for non-model spray paints. Testor's yellow is one that I recall being a bad formula. Always sprays lumpy, poor coverage and well... Krylon 'Sunbeam' is now my preferred can o' yellow!

Maxfax,

Great job on the 'Jug' I have admired your skills and good to see how well this build turned out for you!

vetteman42,

Summer is my off season to build, looking through the GB is inspiration to break out the foil and get a few more panels covered on my P-51. Till then congratulations on another  successful GB!

thank you everyone for the complements on the Mirage. It was a fun build.

the enamels on the mustang are curing, but once it has, Ill begin trying to fix the trouble spots and adding the markings. I changed my mind on the markings, deciding to save the blue-nose mustang decals for another kit. this one is going to be practice!

aggieman, i cant wait to see the B-36. Ive seen one built up before and it was huge!

OWL

Kermit: wow, great looking P-51! And BTW going to have to talk you into visiting the east coast of the US sometime

Maxfax: beautiful job and I too would be hesitant to dirty her up much. As Vetteman said maybe a little exhaust and gun powder stains.

Owl: great Mirage!

Vetteman and Soulcrusher: thanks for all the help!

I did make some progress last night. I'd been spraying with Tamiya since it's supposed to be formulated for airbrushing. As I said I constantly got orange peel. Well, I grabbed a bottle of Polly Scale matte black and mixed in a big dollup of semigloss and the paint went down silky smooth in a nice satin finish. No orange peel whatsoever. There is a little dust in the finish I need to polish out but I think the semigloss should work for a weathered oxidized plane. Still I'm going to try to hit the hobby shop in the next few days and pick up a bottle of gloss black Polly Scale and see how that goes.

So anyone want a couple of bottles of Tamiya paint???

Vetteman - Thanks for the description and photo showing how you painted the Wildcat engine. (Great looking engine, btw!) It is most helpful to me. So is the Daddy1 link. I know what to do now. When will you start your AT-6?

Nicefit I took a peek at the kit instructions and they sure dont tell you much do they. I am more than happy to tell you how I paint them. There are some guys here who are masters and do a much better job of it to be sure.

Anyway I brush paint with enamels only, cant stand the way acrylics brush paint. For radial engines I paint the engine block or case MM engine gray, then the cylinders and heads aluminum. The magnetos I paint semigloss black. Next I make a thin wash with acrylic flat black and paint that over the cylinders and heads. It will run into the fins and really make them pop. For the plug wires if I don't make some wire ones my self I dry brush them with a dark brown or a copper enamel color lightly just to make them stand out a bit. I will also dry brush aluminum or silver on the bolt heads on the nose of the engine case. Then set it aside to dry and next time I get the air brush going I shoot a sealing coat of semi gloss on the engine.

Heres a picture of one I did for a Wildcat.

For the back side of the firewall I am not sure you will be able to see it once things are closed up, but it looks like the start shaped part is the back of the engine case that would be gray, and the exhaust tubes come off the case to the outside of the firewall those would be a rust color. I like to dry brush flat black over the rust to tone it down a bit. If you want to see one of these engines that has been put together checkout Daddy1's in the Air racer group, he used custom colors not the standard ones but I think you will get the idea. Heres the link.

/forums/t/115892.aspx?PageIndex=39

Hope this helps you out, if anyone else wants to chime in please do.

Hey Vetteman, I could use your help - again! Looking at Step 4 "Engine Assembly" of the AT-6 instructions, specifically the Paint Note, can you tell me how to paint part #13. The note lists all the engine parts and colors, but doesn't show where those parts are in the diagram. I don't know enough about airplane engines to recognize the different parts.

Aggieman

Nice work going on here. 

vetteman, I've decided on my build - Monogram's 1/72 B-36 Peacemaker.  I will embark on this build when I complete my current monster build (1/48 B-1B).

AWESOME!!! 'The Big Stick','Magnesium Overcast', 6 turnin' and 4 burnin'. Looking forward to seeing that one come together Steve!!!!!

Richard, I too am looking forward to seeing the decals go on!!!!

Aggieman oh that is gonna be a Beastie as in huge  The front page is updated, but I gotta ask you, are you going to use a couple gallons of paint or a case of foil 

Nice work going on here. 

vetteman, I've decided on my build - Monogram's 1/72 B-36 Peacemaker.  I will embark on this build when I complete my current monster build (1/48 B-1B).

Owl that is a nice looking Mirage. Stress reliever builds are very important. When a model is busting you chops the best thing to do is put it away and start someting else. If you don't the offending model will often take flight with a little help usally into the nearest conveinent wall.

Kermit congrats on the milestone! Here is to twenty more! The Mustang is looking good. I can't wait to see how she looks with the decals.

Soulcrusher

1.)the revell acrylics dry within 1 to 4 hours. And i mean dry. Gloss takes longer sometimes but i do use the matte paint with future coat trick alot

2.) plan your build and read ahead in the manual. I always have something drying while i'm building the previous batch of parts i painted

3.)i have a very forgiving girlfriend (important one LOL; i love her)

4.)i leave work at work

Just trying to be funny... Thanks for the compliment

Richard

Man, Kermit you are a machine!

I don't know how you do it, and have them looking so good!

It takes me a week to paint a few parts!

Rob

Done! All construction is complete and she's finally ready for decals and weathering. Oh and no, i did not deliberately hide the LG; this was just the best pic i took

Vetteman. Your offer is really nice and i seriously appreciate it my friend. But i kinda figured it would be a great subject to try to scratch once i have the styrene sheets ive been wanting to pick up. Not too difficult methinks and i do have templates with these revell ones i'm using now. Very kind of you though!

Richard

Gamera and CallsignOwl I dont remember who it was that did this, someone from this group I believe. But instead of using a gloss black paint, flat or matt black was used with an over coat of future then buffed to get the gloss. Then alcald was applied, it worked out very very well. I know from experience that flat colors are much more forgiving than gloss colors. Just a thought.

Jmart huge congratulations on 20 years together That number of years of being together is almost unheard of these days.

Maxfax beautiful work there buddy I love the finish and the markings I think I too believe I agree with everyone else who has said to do some light exhaust staining and gun soot. Maybe some oil streaks on the lower cowl would look good too and on the gear legs. Those old radial engines leaked like  sieves as did the hydrolic systems.

Kermit I cant blame you for wanting to jump on that yellow wing one lil bit. But, well, the P-51 is looking great so if you cant find anything in your spares box let me know I have spares from the same kit and can mail you the gear parts you need to finish it. 

CallSignOwl I am sorry to see the trials and tribulations you are going through on your paint job. However I wish to thank you for sharing them with us, and to thank all who have offered advise, it is what these group builds are all about as was said earlier. I am about to try my first painted NMF and have learned a huge amount from you all.

The Mirage looks great, very nice work, and the belts came out perfectly Its nice to do a stress relief build and have it come out that well too.

Maxfax,

Wow!!!! I loooove that finish. simply mouthwatering t-bolt and great work. You have done her proud! Gotta get me one of those tamiya P47's now. Thought they were a bit pricey before but i can tell you get alot of bang for buck

Owl,

That's what the GB's are all about: to exchange knowledge and have fun watching eachothers builds as they are being built. Glad my very limited knowledge was of help. Real credit goes out to Soulcrusher though. And as far as your Mirage goes: Excellent work. I like that finish! Well done.

Julez,

I hate squid... certainly now LOL

Jmart,

No offence taken my friend. The team with the strongest nerves won in the end. I even apologize for the lack in sportsmanship that certain players of my national team displayed in the game. Usually we do get credit for it but i guess this time over there was too much at stake...

I decided to "borrow" the revell LG hatches for the final pics. My spares box has nothing usable... Will attach the right kind in the future; either purchased or scratchbuilt. For now i just want this build to be done and offa my bench. The reason for that decision is this particular kit that arrived on my doorstep today:

Suhweeeet!!!! This one just begs to be built. I did their f3f late and FM-1 models and i came to love this mold. The only drawbacks being poor sidewall detail and the fact that the underside between the wings is a separate part. Everything else has proven to be absolutely satisfying every time. And all that for just 18 euro's too.

It makes the decision on what model will be my first foiljob that very much harder.....

Ok, sorry for the lenghty post but i just had to share my enthousiasm

Richard

Rob she's really looking good mate!!! Yeah, I like it the way it is too, maybe just the complementary streaks from the cowl and light exhaust staining should do the trick.

Owl, I see what you were taliking about your paint troubles. Practice makes perfect, well, better anyways!! That Mirage is a lil gem!!!! Very nice stress reliever!!

a big thank you to soulcrusher and kermit, both of your advice have been very informative and I really appreciate it!  although I can honestly say that this is the fits kit where I have ever experienced the fisheyes...I'll make sure to wash my kits from now on

Jmart, i do not have a spray both-- but I have an uber-fancy cardboard box out in the garage!     after painting I have a large box that I put the models in to cure

speaking of curing, while I was waiting for the Future to do so, I built this little fella as a stress release: a Heller 1/72 scale Mirage 2000N. I got it done in about 2 days. talk about a weekend build! it had some seam issues, but nothing really major. the cockpit was pretty bare, so i spruced things up by painting in details and adding seat belts from making tape (a first for me)

Enjoy!

OWL

Maxfax/Rob – The NMF paint job looks fantastic! Good recovery on the decals….  Tough call on the “weathering”; she looks so nice and pristine I would be tempted to leave “as is” (factory fresh). Maybe minor soot streaks on the guns and cowling.

Owl – Sorry about your paint tribulations; we all have “been there done that”! I think that is the reason a lot of us try NMF on the cheap Revell ponies instead of the Tamiya P-51s ;)

I will echo what soulcrusher states: prepare the area well. I bought some “tacky cloth”, which is basically a sticky gauze. Helps remove lint and debris from the areas to be painted. Do you have a spray booth? I run the spray booth for a few minutes before painting in order for any airborne particles to settle or get sucked in. I also have boxes in which I keep my models post-prep (and pre-paint) and post-paint. I have two teenage daughters, so I have plenty of shoe boxes of various sizes  . The point is, I never leave the model exposed to air (and dust!). I also wash the sprues at the beginning of the build; not sure if that helps but some of the Asian manufacturers (Trumpeter comes to mind) tend to have a lot of mold release. Finally, do you know any nurse, lab techs, anyone working at a hospital? See if you can get a handful of latex gloves (or you can purchase them). I never handle the build without gloves after the paint job.

Kermit – Sorry about the missing parts; maybe you can find a cheap LG replacement. Scale Aircraft Conversions has white metal LG but sometimes on the pricey side of things.   Enjoy your calamari…  My mother’s side of my family is from Spain, I have been there a few times and became a fan when I was a young lad…so you can imagine my elation, nothing personal mate!

PS – For those who have no clue about soccer/futbol, rooting for Spain is what rooting for the Red Sox used to be… always good, but never an important win, always finding a different way to lose or choke and break your sports heart!

Hey Guys, i havn't posted for a couple of weeks (laptop problems) had to read through the last few pages to catch up.....

Crusher, outstanding work buddy your build looks first class

Raptor, Great choice of builds and a great job on what must be a difficult kit, well done indeed

Rob, Now that looks good, great paintwork and  an excellent  choice of decals.....looking forward to seein some more

Richard, hey welcome back mateHope you had a good trip....Sorry to hear about your Mustang woes but it's good to see you have well in hand now BTW i bet you'd like to make some calamari out of a certain octopus.....

Owl,

I can only concur with what SC is saying. Used to have these peoblems myself everytime i tried to paint (especially) acrylics. A method i found that works for me is using those little paper cloths drenched in alcohol or whatever it is drenched in that people use to clean their glasses. You know,... the little bags that you have to tear open to get the cloth out. Maybe needs a second paper if you did a lot of filling and sanding...

After that i wash my hands and do my spray job. Worked like a charm everytime sofar. Don't use it on painted surfaces though!

Read about other people soaking the sprues in dishwash water before starting their builds. Some kits have alot of grease on them ("mold release") just out of the box that will bug you in the painting phase. It is a phase in the manufacturing process of kits. Sometimes it's bad, sometimes it's not.

Cleaning your assembled kit before your first paintjob is some good solid advice that can only help and not hurt

As for my own P51...

Bad luck and trouble seem to haunt me for this build... Was gathering the landing gear bits and bobs just now and found out i totally LOST some parts. The little hatches that go on the gear legs... Had em painted and stuck to a piece of tamiya tape in order to NOT loose em but appearantly i threw away the tape....

Will go through my spares box after work and hope to solve this one..... So stupid...

Richard

Owl there one other huge step in preparation for any painting that I do also that makes a huge difference. I take a lint free paper towel and dampen it right before I am going to paint.and wipe down the entire model to remove and residue from the model. As all of the experienced modelers will tell you the number one thing that can ruin a paint job is the naturally occuring oils from our hands. I make it a practice to wash my hands before I sit down to work on my models. Also once I have applied the NMF paints to the model I never hadle the model with my bare hand agian. Most NMF products are very sensitive to fingerprints. Another trick for NMF paint jobs is to polish the paint with a soft piece of and old cotton t shirt. It can remove small imperfections and also bring the shine up a bit.

Soulcrusher