the real red baron

MedicMan - dont go! you are going to stay here.

YES SIR!!!

YAY!!!

well i just saved a few people some grief, lol.

I'm happy to hear your satying with us

Yep. Too many people want to see the Tomcat finished (me included ). Gonna work on the places that need filling and sanding tomorrow.

Cool, cant wait to see it finished!

the real red baron

Cool, cant wait to see it finished!

wheres that XF-85 Goblin, p38jl?

So i finally had time to try out my airbrush with water, i think I've got the hang of it.

so what Psi do i need to apply a coat of white paint straight on the plastic? i normally just do one coat and that is the colour coat i want on my model to be.

and how much thinner do i need to add to the paint? I'm using tamiya acrylic thinner with humbrol acrlyic 34 (white)

thanks in advance

Not sure on the PSI as I don't have a regulator on my compressor .

Did you prime the model? I would do that before airbrushing that way the paint has something to grab onto. You'll want to put several coats of white.

As far as thinner, what I was told is that you want the paint the consistancy of milk. Not sure how much thinner that is cause I just eyeball it. I'm sure someone can give you better answers than that.

 do you have a spray booth? Mine is a cardboard box. When gauging how much to open/close the airbrush nozzle, I spray a bit of paint on the box and see how much color comes out. I can adjust the nozzle/air pressure if need be. I dont use humbrol, but it cant be too far from MM acrylics. With those I just add a few (4-7) drops of future to it. The paint flows much better after that. My air-pressure usually runs about 10-15 psi for acrylics, higher for enamels (20-ish).

TO test the air-pressure/thinness of the paint on the model, I spray a bit on a larger area such as the wing. If the paint spiderwebs im too close/have too much air-pressure. If it gets the texture of an orange peel, either the paint it too thick and you  need to thin it some more or you are too far away from the plane. The paint should lay down smooth and thin. Too thick and you will get puddles and runs, and obscure details.

I dont often use a primer coat, but it does help sometimes, especially with acrylics. Acrylics are thinner than enamels and dont "bite" into the plastic as much. Since this is your first round with the airbrush, dont be too disappointed if your finish is not perfect. I'm still working on perfecting my airbrushing skills as well. Air brushing takes A LOT of practice!!

RRB: this is the book I have that really helped me with my modeling techniques. It has hand-painting, foil work, airbrushing and more!

http://www.kalmbachstore.com/12257.html

Thanks OWL, I knew somebody could give a better answer than me. I'm still learning the airbrush too. Since I just got back into the hobby last year. I've only completed one kit.

RRB: Excellent advice from Owl and MM. All I'd add is airbrushing is (at least to me) more of an art than a science. Take their advice to heart but you may have to adjust the thinner to paint ratio, spray pressure, etc slightly up or down to get best results. As they said- the best thing is practice, practice, and practice. And don't be shy to try something new, it's best to start with an old scrap model but still if you don't like what you've got on your good model you can always paint over it. I wish more stuff in life offered such an easy 'do-over'.

BTW: I use the blue windshield washer fluid for airbrushing acrylics. It's mostly water with a little alcohol to keep it from freezing. The blue dye doesn't seem to affect the shade of the paint - haven't tried the pink stuff. It's cheap and the water/alcohol mix does a great job on thinning the paint.

the real red baron

wheres that XF-85 Goblin, p38jl?

Thanks, OWL, Medic Man & Gamera.

I'll have to try a few of your techniques, Owl- i dont have a paint booth, but i plan on making one, just got to find a spot for it!

I will do a few coats, escpeccially of the white, since i pre-shaded the plane for the first time.

here is where i learn lots of tips and tricks from as well: http://www.modelairplanebuilding.com/

that book looks very helpful I'll probably get that one and another one.

Airbrushing, even just with water! is so much fun!

So I found the piece of strut that came off but I'm not sure how to fix it.  I was thinking drilling it out and then a rod, pin, paper clip but there is not much room and it is thin.  What do you think?

do not trust my opinion its extremely un-proffesional.

i just glue it back on with some styrene.

dont use the plastic glue for breaks like that. The plastic glue makes the plastic soft and bendy. I'd use super glue and just be very careful handling the plane.

CallSignOWL

dont use the plastic glue for breaks like that. The plastic glue makes the plastic soft and bendy. I'd use super glue and just be very careful handling the plane.

you can put me down for a Academy 1:72 p-40b KITTYhawk. (in flying tigers markings)

no, because the "kittyhawk" does not fit the requirements because it is a HAWK.

however, I'll bend the rules for a "Flying Tiger"

Thankyou!

Looks like I'm starting to round the corner on this one.

whoo, 68GT. Lookin' good! 

Nice...

CallSignOWL

no, because the "kittyhawk" does not fit the requirements because it is a HAWK.

however, I'll bend the rules for a "Flying Tiger"

 With all the filling and sanding on the Bulldog some areas of ribs and stringers have been sanded away. 

To recreate , I'm masking all but the fabric covered areas , then placing strips of mask between the ribs and stringers. Next , I'll lay on a coat of the sanding primer , remove all the mask and lightly sand with an extra fine grit to soften the effect. After that , an overall base coat of flat white ,then color.

Tedious placing all those strips of tape, but , I think it will be just right when all is said and done.

Howard

daddy1

CallSignOWL:

no, because the "kittyhawk" does not fit the requirements because it is a HAWK.

however, I'll bend the rules for a "Flying Tiger"

 

I believe the AVG birds were sometimes referred to as P-40 Tigersharks, because the tiger is a symbol of strength in China while the Japanese ( fishing being one of the main economic industries ) generally viewed the shark as a bad omen. 

Tedious placing all those strips of tape, but , I think it will be just right when all is said and done.

Howard

68GT: Lookin' good! But then I've always been partial to blue planes

Howard: When I first looked at the top photo I thought maybe you'd wrapped your Bulldog up as a Christmas present- all she needs is a big red bow!

Love how you're doing the ribbing- lots of work but it'll look fantastic when you get it on.

Very cool build.

I finally got a bit of time between classes to begin working on my next build: a little 1/72 scale P-51.  I decided to make this one be on a desk stand, with an in flight pose. Probably one that is shortly after takeoff, so the flaps will need to be removed. I added detail to the sidewalls, but not much will be seen once the canopy goes on. Oh well....

part of the wing had been broken off, I'll fill that with putty later

I added a bit of weight to the rear of the aircraft because the desk-stand mount had to attach in the rear fuselage, making the plane nose heavy. Here it is balancing on the stand

This Mustang will get an OD/NG scheme, with decals form the spares box. I got this kit second hand at a swap meet and the decals are yellowed and look like they're form the '70s!

CallSignOWL

I finally got a bit of time between classes to begin working on my next build: a little 1/72 scale P-51.  I decided to make this one be on a desk stand, with an in flight pose. Probably one that is shortly after takeoff, so the flaps will need to be removed. I added detail to the sidewalls, but not much will be seen once the canopy goes on. Oh well....

This Mustang will get an OD/NG scheme, with decals form the spares box. I got this kit second hand at a swap meet and the decals are yellowed and look like they're form the '70s!

A bit more work on the mustang as a brain break after writing a paper the night before (yay procrastination!). All the main assembly is finished, time for paint!

shazam! Paint!

(painted by hand, of course)