1944 Group Build

It's great to see you getting started G-J. Looking forward to your usual outstanding work.

CMK, You are still pulling off some remarkable paint work there. Nice work. If you encounter masking issues such as that again I suggest you try Silly Putty. It is much softer and more pliable, and you are able to push down tight as such to create sharp demarcation lines. Just push it up with a razor blade or other straight edge to create straight lines. I absolutely love the stuff and use it for a majority of my masking, especially camo patterns. And yes, you can just knead it after use and reuse it a number of times.

I've finally started working on the Mosquito.  Here are the nacelles, of which only the interiors are painted.  On to the wings.

thanks guys...

I re use it as well, not had any issues. I don't use it on every build so its usually a good couple of months before I ne to re use it.

Thanks, Bish and Rob.  Still working on the turrets and guns.  Basic painting is done--but touch ups remain.

Rob, I do re-use the poster tack.  It doesn't seem to transfer paint from one project to the next, although I do keep the "used" stuff separate for a few days or weeks.  Doesn't seem to have any negative consequences  to re-using it.

Looking great Check...question..is the poster tac a one time use or do you clean the paint off it, and, if so, how? Thanks!

Looking good check.

"It's been a long road, gettin' from there to here. . ."

Been working on the main gun turrets, which were molded with a lot of cast-in detail, including a life raft;; not much of a flat surface.  But the camouflage is pretty straight.

So I thought I'd try poster tack.  Here are the port sides, after applying the darker gray over the lighter gray.

Well, it didn't work.  Too much overspray.  No wonder poster tack is useful for soft demarcation lines. Maybe it was the way I put it on.

So, as Pooh said:  "Think, think, think."

I resprayed the turrets with 5-O (the darker gray color), then cut narrow strips and masked between the molded details, then used bigger pieces to fill in.  Used poster tack to cover the intrusive protrusions.

Then painted the 5-L (the lighter gray), and pulled off the masks.  It turned out OK--as good as I'm going to get it.

The complications of the schemes on each side of the turrets coerced me into doing each side as a separate project, so next up will be the starboard side of the turrets.

Those were the numbers 1 and 2 turrets; here's the number 3 (aft) turret, with 5-L masked and black applied.

Lost, she's looking great! I really like that 2-tone gray scheme! You could try going over the panel lines with a heavily diluted layer of the base color mixed with a bit of black to darken them. Another option would be to lighten the base color and fill in the panel centers. Just a couple of ideas...

lost,, Your Wildcat is excellent. It's unfortunate that your pre shading didn't turn out as hoped. Nonetheless, your paint work is superb. The sausages do indeed work well. I use Silly Putty rather than blue tac but, the results are great regardless.

checkmateking02

JOE RIX

Glad I could help sell you on the tape. Now, could I interest you in a used car.....lol.

1.  Are you getting a kick-back? 

2.  I'm happy with my Mustang.  

3.  Thanks anyway.  

Nice work, lostagain!  That worked out very nice!

JOE RIX

Glad I could help sell you on the tape. Now, could I interest you in a used car.....lol.

1.  Are you getting a kick-back? 

2.  I'm happy with my Mustang.  

3.  Thanks anyway.  

Coming along nicely there lost.

Doug and CMK,

Looking at the great work on those big boys makes me happy that my choice for my first ship is a liner - black, white and wood, what could possibly go wrong?

OK the great preshading experiment went in both directions. I did the gloss white for the undersides, took time building up the coverage as it isn't very opaque. The effect was okay, a little splotchy, but I figured that would be toned down by subsequent treatments.

So far so good, I masked up for the dark gull grey. The grey is very opaque and I ended up chasing myself trying to get panel fading incorporated in too. As I wasn't able to pick out the difference in colour very well, sprayed more paint and kept chasing and too quickly there was no sign of the preshading left. On top of that, and the panels weren't well defined.

One good thing, I tried out blue tack sausages for demarcation of the grey, and was happy with the soft edge achieved - so not all was lost! Now to work out a strategy for recovering the situation...

I have also learnt to upgrade the lighting in the shed (airbrush station) as the colours look a lot different between inside and out in the sun.

Glad I could help sell you on the tape. Now, could I interest you in a used car.....lol.

Thanks, Joe.  I love a good drama.  Checked it out at amazon.  Will include it with my next order.

CMK, Saaay whaaaaat!! You have yet to try Tamiya tape? Sorry about the rather rash knee jerk reaction there. It simply caught me aback that with your prolific masking that you had yet to apply Tamiya tape to your world. The stuff is really fantastic. Switching from blue painters tape to Tamiya tape will be something akin to trading your Yugo in for a Porsche. It is thinner and as such it is easier to cut and manipulate. If cute into thin strips it can be used for rather tight curves. It is a bit less tacky and thus rarely effects paint in a negative way either by leaving residue or lifting paint. It is not as subject to bleed also. Yes, CMK, it will alter your model building completely, change how you view life, impact your very core and very possibly lift you into a fourth dimension. LOL. Okay, that might be a tad dramatic but you will absolutely love the stuff.

Nomad53

So what I gather is the tops of the big guns are deck blue except where the 5-O is noted and all the upper decks are deck blue?

Yes.  Where the diagram indicates that parts of the turret tops are 5-O, they should be painted in Ocean Gray.  But the decks aren't all deck blue.  Where 5-O is noted for the decks, all horizontal surfaces within the 5-O demarcation should be painted in Ocean Gray.  It looks like there are four areas where this should happen--at the stern, at the bow, starboard aft near and ahead of the third 16 inch gun, and a small area on the portside amidship.

Here's a link to another build of Missouri over at model warships.  You can see the 5-O pattern on the decks.

http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=76709

I got the Taymia paint numbers for deck blue and used them to mix the red, green and blue and I think I got real close. I will take photos later as I messed up the masking of the rear deck. Not a problem to fix at all just some re-painting.

Yup, know how that goes.  Painted BB-55's three main turrets today, and my masking was less than successful.  Will have to wait till the paint dries, then try it again.

I like the Taymia tape. It has worked real well for me and have not had any problems at all. I need to get some more as I am out right now so regular masking tape is what I got.

Well, I think I'll give Tamiya a try.  Part of the reason for the mask failure today, I think, was that painter's masking tape is too thick to conform and shape around details like life rafts, which were molded on the turret sides.  I got far too much overspray.

So what I gather is the tops of the big guns are deck blue except where the 5-O is noted and all the upper decks are deck blue?

I got the Taymia paint numbers for deck blue and used them to mix the red, green and blue and I think I got real close. I will take photos later as I messed up the masking of the rear deck. Not a problem to fix at all just some re-painting.

I like the Taymia tape. It has worked real well for me and have not had any problems at all. I need to get some more as I am out right now so regular masking tape is what I got.

Doug

Thanks, Clemens and Doug.  The masking is really an exercise in patience and perseverance!  One thing I was considering is maybe switching to Tamiya's masking tape.  I haven't used it.  Is it really thin and flexible?

The problem with hardware-store type masking tape is that it doesn't want to take and hold sharp corners real well--because of its thickness, I'm guessing.  It takes a lot of brush touch-up where the tape doesn't stick well into and around corners.  So I thought maybe if the Tamiya stuff is thinner and more pliable, it might work better around gun tubs and deck fittings.

Anyone had any experience with it?

Doug:  20-B Deck Blue is a dark blue, but it tends definitely toward the grayish side of blue.  It's a fairly dark bluish gray or grayish blue.  On the model of BB-55, in real life, it appears even darker than 5-O Ocean Gray.  You could maybe find a paint chip on the web and try to mix your own from Vallejo.  

In fact, here's a link to a color photo showing the top of the gun turrets on an Iowa class battleship.

These would be deck blue 20-B.

pwencycl.kgbudge.com/.../Iowa_class__bowfromtower_full.jpg

Testors started a line of US Navy paint, and it may be available in acrylic.  I think it's called "Weather Deck Blue."  A "weather deck" was any deck exposed to the weather and elements, I understand.

I use WEM's Colourcoats, an enamel, exclusively, so I've never tried mixing anything.

Sorry I can't be more help in this area, but I've not had to develop any experience in mixing stuff.  I'm sure what you come up with will work out fine, because the deck blue probably weathered and faded a lot.  In fact, on the photo in the link, there doesn't look like there's much paint left on the wooden deck.

 Good luck with the next phase of your build!

Lostagain: The preshading looks very nice! I'm very interested in how all those different colors affect the paint that goes on top of it all.

CMK: The work you're foing there is simply jaw-dropping! I wish I had your patience and masking skills!

Doug: You pulled that camo off perfectly! Even more impressive considering this is your first ship model!

JOE RIX

Terrific paint work Doug. Looking really good so far. I gotta tell ya, between you and CMK, you guys have got me strongly considering a ship build should there be a 1945 GB.

Thanks Joe,

CMK has really helped me get this build going. I was lost on what to do when he started his build and that was what I needed to get started. I think it would be a great Idea on a group build but make it in the 1944 era because of the camo schemes.Or make it 1944 to 1945.

It will take me till after the 3rd of next month to get another ship and this one will be the USS Arizona by Revell. I hope that that one will have a lot less flash on it. The USS Missouri kit had a lot of flash in so many places it was impossible to get it all.

CMK,

I do not have deck blue. Hobby Lobby does not carry it. All I have in the way of blue is Vallejo Dark Blue. I do not know if this will work or can I mix another color with it to get close. by the way your deck masking rocks. I'm still trying to figure out how I am going to get started with the masking.

I think I am going to get all the vertical structures done and then start masking the deck.

I am starting to really like this build. It has given me the chance to explore new ideas and learn some great tips and tricks in painting and general construction. Thanks to everyone here for all the help with the builds that I have done. This is one great group of people.

Doug

Doug, I think the official Navy specs called for Deck Blue (20-B), then the pattern was painted with 5-O.  If you enlarge the diagram and look closely near the bow, just in front of the #1 16-inch turret, you will see it says "20-B" for the darker color.

And thanks again for the kind words.  

Terrific paint work Doug. Looking really good so far. I gotta tell ya, between you and CMK, you guys have got me strongly considering a ship build should there be a 1945 GB.

Thanks Bish, I know that I have got some great advice here from CMK and others. I was not sure on how the camo pattern would turn out but I am happy with it. I did find one place that I am going to have to mask and repaint. just a small place so it should not be a problem.

CMK, if it was not for your advice I would have screwed up the paint job big time. Your masking tip really helped me. Thank you so much. I might try a 1/700 ship in the future. Got to get thru this one first and see if I have any hair left. (LOL). I thought I was going to have a problem on masking the superstructure on that I had one of the decks placed. Well, The deck fell off in my hand so now I can mask.

On the deck pattern to me it looks like 5-O and BK are the colors but in the photo I looks like 5-L and 5-O. I am saying they are 5-O and BK. Correct me if I am wrong.

Doug

Its well deserved Check. And I know Nomad will get all the assistance he needs, and I know the rest of us cane pic up some ideas. I am yet to build my first ship since getting back to the hobby, so its nice to get some tips.

Thanks, Bish!  Always good to hear nice words from you.

And thanks for the kind words, too, Doug.  I really appreciate them.

I think your Mighty Mo looks fantastic.  You did a great job on the camouflage and painting.  I've got a 1/700 Tamiya Missouri in my closet, so I've gathered some research material and was planning on doing her up in Measure 32 (all four of the Iowa's can be built in different camouflage measures).  Anyway, the pattern you applied looks exactly right.  Well done!

I'm particularly impressed with how well you managed the boot stripe.  It looks completely right and in place, and that couldn't have been easy to do.  

It's a great start!

Sounds like the decks and superstructure might give you a problem.  I paint the vertical colors first, then mask and paint the decks--although sometimes it's better to paint the decks first.  It depends on the part configuration.  

You might try using small pieces of masking, cut into little squares and applied in sort of overlapping patches--rather than larger pieces of masking.  But no matter what you do, masking will be time-consuming and sometimes tedious.

But if I'm in the right mood, it can actually be relaxing!

Congratulations on your success!

Looks pretty good to me Ken!