US CARRIER AVIATION GROUP BUILD 2013

Greg

You guys really have me itching to try something with the Alclad!

But I've been too busy fiddling with my bombs. Speaking of which, I'm so excited I finally got them done and installed can't resist posting a pic. Note this is first time I've ever done anything more than glue bomb halves together and slap on some paint.

Thanks again to Stu for the placement help, and I'm sure glad I listened and mounted them before joining fuselage halves, I wouldn't have had a prayer getting them in.

Yes, you see a wrinkle or two on the yellow stripes. Intuition told me to ignore the decals and paint them on, but I wanted to try the decals.

Ghost, you following along in case that aftermarket torpedo doesn't fit? Kidding, you'll make it fit.,

I need to add a "great looking set of bombs" for you, Greg

The bombs always draw my eye, maybe because in my main area, those bombs stick out in view so proudly

I like seeing the ones with stenciling on a model,,,,,they give just that little bit of extra pop

Rex

Greg:

What those guys said. What an awesome build for a first time back in the game.  Keep it up.

Looking great, Greg!

All the small things add up Greg ;-) Beautiful work on the bombs and bomb bay!

Looks wonderful, Greg; and I think you were wise to use decals.  I've tried the painting route.  It's not so easy to obtain as good as the results you've got with decals.  Nice work!

That looks great!  

You guys really have me itching to try something with the Alclad!

But I've been too busy fiddling with my bombs. Speaking of which, I'm so excited I finally got them done and installed can't resist posting a pic. Note this is first time I've ever done anything more than glue bomb halves together and slap on some paint.

Thanks again to Stu for the placement help, and I'm sure glad I listened and mounted them before joining fuselage halves, I wouldn't have had a prayer getting them in.

Yes, you see a wrinkle or two on the yellow stripes. Intuition told me to ignore the decals and paint them on, but I wanted to try the decals.

Ghost, you following along in case that aftermarket torpedo doesn't fit? Kidding, you'll make it fit.,

Stu: Fair enough, it really depends on how you want it to look. If you want a dull finish, go with the normal primer, but if you want to get it shiny, you should use gloss black paint...

I experienced the different texture of Alclad primers as well. I have their gray and black primer here (one jar of each) and the grey one goes on much smoother than the black one (still a bit coarse, but not really a problem).

Cheers, Clemens

Stu, Thanks for clarifying.  I have recently picked up a bottle of Alclad primer, and used it on a Eurofighter that is in the paint bay right now.  I really liked how it went down.

I did put one of the metallics over the top of it, but for the life of me I can't remember whether or not I hit it with black. Can't imagine that I didn't, but I just don't remember.

I use Alclad almost exclusively when it comes to any sort of bare metal.  The gloss black primer is only applicable if you are doing a super-shiny finish:  Airframe Aluminum, Chrome, polished aluminum all require gloss black.  If you're using any of the others you should be fine with standard gray.  I use either Mr. Surfacer 1200, MM Enamel, or Alclad primer.  Pretty much whatever I have lying around.  I get some great results from it.  There is a mistique surrounding Alclad, but it's not as hard as people make it out to be.  Simply read the instructions on the side of the bottle and you should be good.  

That said, I have run into jars of Alclad Primer that were very rough.  I just felt I got a bad batch.  

Marty, shivinigh, Clemens; thanks for the additional comments re Alclad.

Marty: Yes, I was trying to say that you shouldnt use their primer as a direct base-coat for their paints. I made that mistake on one of my models and it resulted in a really dull finish (I tried polishing it before), but as it is a Thunderbolt, it fits the plane quite good IMO. I have to mention that I used their "primer&microfiller" which has a lot of texture. I think they offer a gloss primer as well, but I'll just use Tamiya TS-14 gloss black for future NMF birds Maybe it's just me, but the primer is really coarse, so you should definitely polish the primer and the gloss black paint to get a really shiny NMF...

Cheers, Clemens

Thanks, Marty and shivinigh.  I'm having better luck with them than 1/72 recently.

Yep, Trumpeter did a good job with the--except for the landing gear, which comes out of the wings, not the fuselage.  They're so detailed you can tell they are F4F-4's (folding wing lines), but I'm marking them as -3's.

As a verbal update only, I put a clear coat on the Wildcats today, so I should be able to decal when I get the time.  Have to work late the next two nights, so probably won't get much done till Wednesday.

Well got the primer and white base coat on my cutlas. Seen a cee ses that I missed so had to add some super glue filler and sand off alot of my paint. So will have to prime and paint the areas again.

Loving all the good work going on especially on the cats. I still can't believe the look of those 1/700 aircraft. So small yet so nicely detailed.

For the alclad primer I have never used it but I do use their metalic paints all the time and paint straight on to Tamiya primer with good results.

Hey guys,

Lots of good work being done here. Checkmate: Loving that 1/700 ship's complement!  What a bevy of beauties.

As usual, work got in the way earlier in the week, but I made some good progress on the A-3 this weekend. Pics and a description when I get the camera and kit out.

Clemens may disagree as he may have first hand knowledge, but I'm guessing he is trying to say that you don't use Alclad primer alone.  I've never done a NMF bird, but Ive been using it for my various engine  cans and panels.

The recommendation that I've seen is to spray an undercoat of gloss black (I bought the Alclad stuff) and then shoot the metallics over it.  I have seen other folks talk about gloss grays and whites (and even some colors) to get different shading.

I would think that if you use anybody's primer without the gloss coat you would get the same results that  Clemens describes.

I would think that Alclad primer followed by gloss paint followed by metallic would result in a fine finish.  Anybody have first hand knowledge?

Thanks, Marty

SchattenSpartan

Greg: Don't use Alclad's primer for their paints! It produces a really dull finish. Just use it for regular paints and as a microfiller...

Really? On the Alcad website, they are so insistent that nothing but their primer be used. I know nothing of the stuff, so I am most certainly not questioning you. So what would one use as a primer for Alclad metallic finishes then?

And, as a primer, and microfiller, how does the Alclad primer sand? I assume well, since you are using it!

Thank you, Bish and Greg!

I decided to just put a bit of putty on the gap i talked about earlier and wipe the excess off with some Aqua Color Clean when it's dry. I have to re-prime the area after that, but I found some spots that need some touch-up anyway (2 blobs of primer and some damage in the primer-coat that needs some sanding).

Greg: Don't use Alclad's primer for their paints! It produces a really dull finish. Just use it for regular paints and as a microfiller...

I should be able to finish the touch-ups on the primer tomorrow and I might be able to spray the kitten  in blue and gray untill Wednesday

Cheers, Clemens

Bish

Nice work Clemens.

Check, just what my other half tells me every day.

Nice work Clemens.

Check, just what my other half tells me every day.

Looking good, Clemens. I'm excited to try Alcad. I got a couple colors and black primer. Kinda wishing I'd have gotten the grey instead. That's ok, an excuse to visit the LHS.

Glad to be of some use around here re the instructions. You're welcome.

Here's just a small update for ya:

I got the Alclad primer on. It's a bit coarse, but I'll probably spray some coats of gloss varnish on anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem. I have another problem though: there is a small, but highly visible gap on the leading edge of the left wing. Is it possible to fill that gap without having to re-prime the whole area?

Anyway, here's a pic:

I think the Alclad primer has a lovely shade of gray! It's the same color as Tamiya's gray plastic.

Cheers, Clemens

Thank you for your offer, Greg! I sent you a PM already

I got my kitten primed and will post some pics when it's completely dry. So, stay tuned, fellas!

Bish

Nice work on the bomb bay Greg. And this is why I like GB's so much, you are always certain to get the help you need.

By the way guys, is it me, or do we have a lot on Greg's on the site at the moment. I think we are going to have to have a numbering system for Greg's and Joes

Check, you really must be a not so secret masochist with these 700 ships. Those plans are looking great. I like the bottle top idea.

 

"Then I hope pain is something you enjoy"--Commander Kruge(ST III, of course)

Actually, they aren't that bad!  LOL

Nice work on the bomb bay Greg. And this is why I like GB's so much, you are always certain to get the help you need.

By the way guys, is it me, or do we have a lot on Greg's on the site at the moment. I think we are going to have to have a numbering system for Greg's and Joes

Check, you really must be a not so secret masochist with these 700 ships. Those plans are looking great. I like the bottle top idea.

Dre

Well... first I mixed a little MM enamel Gunmetal with Jet Exhaust to make a warm-toned, but still darkish metallic color and put that on in the displays.  I let that dry and then added a lot of Tamiya clear green and then followed on with more Future/clear smoke ("I put this &*^% on everything") for depth and generic murkiness.   I may yet add a layer of a dulling agent to knock off the high shine.

Thank you! Neat technique.

TarnShip

Stu, I would sit through a movie about Taffy 3, TWICE, and then buy the DVD and watch it at home after that, lol

some of those guys were flying runs at the Japanese,,,,even though their Home had been sunk

Amen.  I finished Tin Can Sailors, then immediately started reading it again.  Such a great story

Thanks, Greg and Clemens.