The RCAF Group Build Birthday Party

Marc,

We're really glad you've been following the thread otherwise you would not have known to come to our aid in our time of need. I've never heard of this technique before and I'm running out right now to buy some "nutty putty' as its called here in Canada.  Does that technique ever save a lot of work and by the looks of your plane, does a wonderful job. Thanks again.  Please consider yourself a member of this build, even if your not going to build a plane, why don't you post a badge and we'll put you on the Honour Roll as a 'Technical Consultant"? Seriously. Poppie.

Sean, loved the pictures of your Dad. I tried out for UDT when I was in the navy but burst my eardrum and washed out. I still love to dive though. Luckily, my wife used to dive with me. She has developed asthma and can't handle a tank anymore so we have to limit ourselves to snorkeling.  We're busy planning our 40th anniversary and the first pre-requisisite for the honeymoon site is that it must have good snorkeling (and reef fishing).

Poppie, Here are a couple of templates that were passed on by someone in the spitfire GB awhile back.  The first just show the standard camo so you know where to place the templates.  The templates are to 1/48 scale so all you have to do is print them out on paper in your printer and then cut them out and tape them to you plane.  The idea is to cut out the little rectangle areas as a window to place the tape over and stick it to the plane.  I tried it out on my 1/72 (reduced to scale) build and it worked pretty good.  As the Spits had pretty standard Camo and your trying to build a whloe whack of them this template would be a good idea to keep them consistent.  The Brits used rubber mats to mark off their camo so it was very consistent from plane to plane.

The silly putty is great for random patterns but not if you want to do lots of spits that are going to be seen side by side as you are planning.

Bear:  I'm not going to let you off easy like Poppie is.  What are you building for this GB???  O Yes... you are going to build something my friend!

Poppie wrote:

Marc, We're really glad you've been following the thread otherwise you would not have known to come to our aid in our time of need. I've never heard of this technique before and I'm running out right now to buy some "nutty putty' as its called here in Canada.  Does that technique ever save a lot of work and by the looks of your plane, does a wonderful job. Thanks again.  Please consider yourself a member of this build, even if your not going to build a plane, why don't you post a badge and we'll put you on the Honour Roll as a 'Technical Consultant"? Seriously. Poppie.

 Poppie  Your welcome and thank you for the honnor however I'd rather build a plane so please sign me up.  I've been considering joining for a bit however work has been a bit of a concern but with such a good lead time how can I refuse.  I will be doing a Revell 1/72 Spitfire Mk Vb from 401 Sqn actualy PO Donald Morrison's YO*A BS119 with the experimental camo scheme.

 

Cheers

Bear

 

PS LOL Dave I did'nt see your post before I submitted mine

Now that's more like it Bear

Reload wrote:

I was 17 when I inlisted in the PPCLI. I

Brent, I was 17 when I enlisted in the Royal Regiment, then into the navy, then got my commission, then was part of the officer exchange program and served with the US Brown Water Navy in Vietnam, supposedly just to see how things were done, but the expectation was that we got down and dirty and did them so, I did get to wear a 'black beret'. A mortar went off on the handrail of my boat and blew me inboard. My cox'n got me out. I had compression fractures in the L-3 to S-1, shrapnel embedded in the spinal cord, blew 4 discs out completely, I have 2 steel rods holding me upright and have to wear a steel brace to walk.  Would you believe that after I got out, I got a job as a CI (Civilian Instructor) with the Air Force as a small arms instructor!!! I then used my pension money to go back to school and seminary and into the Anglican priesthood.  My life has not been boring!!!!  All in all, things have turned out pretty good for me - 3 great kids, 6 g/kids who worship me. My sons hero worship me (and tell me so) and wife who sticks by me when the nights get kinda kinky with flashbacks and silly stuff, but, I don't drink, don't smoke, take my meds, say my prayers, play with my kids, play with my friends, play with my friends, and then I play with my friends some more, and I stay sane. OH yeah, did I mention that I play with my friends a lot and exchange a lot with my hobbie. Poppie.

YEAH!!! WAY TO GO BEAR.

[quote;I will be doing a Revell 1/72 Spitfire Mk Vb from 401 Sqn actualy PO Donald Morrison's YO*A BS119 with the experimental camo scheme./quote]

I met Don Morrison. It turned out that he and my Dad became kinda friendly, I can't say really good friends but they shared a few evenings together.  He was a really neat guy. He died in Toronto in, I think, 1986 and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Veterans Honour Section if it's the same guy.  Welcome aboard.  We've been having a great time.

Poppie wrote:

YEAH!!! WAY TO GO BEAR. [quote;I will be doing a Revell 1/72 Spitfire Mk Vb from 401 Sqn actualy PO Donald Morrison's YO*A BS119 with the experimental camo scheme./quote] I met Don Morrison. It turned out that he and my Dad became kinda friendly, I can't say really good friends but they shared a few evenings together.  He was a really neat guy. He died in Toronto in, I think, 1986 and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Veterans Honour Section if it's the same guy.  Welcome aboard.  We've been having a great time.

 

Thank you Poppie Yup it is the same gentlemen.  That's cool that you got to meet him, I also think I met him in 1984 at 401/438 Sqn 50th Anniv party I say think because I met quite a few Sqn vets that night and being a private aka duty gopher I did not get the chance to speak at length with them 

 

Cheers

Bear

 

Hey Bear, I'm really intrigued. Your using 401 Sqn.'s Crest as your Avatar. That would normally signifiy a close relationship.  For instance, as I've served in all 3 services before and after unification and as I have a 100% Veterans Disability Pension plus a Superannuation Long Service Pension, I use the Canadian Armed Forces Insignia (the Cornflake) as my Avatar to show people that I have a very close, strong, relationship with the Canadian Armed Forces.

What is your story Bear? Why do you use the 401 Crest? There's a story there that I'm sure the rest of the Group would like to hear.  You also mentioned that you were on duty for some of the 401 and 63 (?) Sqn reunions. I knew a few serving fellows who made a few extra shekels as bar-keeps and waiters and what-nots in the Officers Mess for special functions. Were you active Air Force? In what capacity? Share the wealth Bear, we're all interested.

BTW - post a picture if you have one. We're building a close-knit group here and pics help.

TOPIC: BEAR'S SILLY PUTTY PAINT TECHNIQUE.

As stated, I ran out to Zeller's and bought a few pac's of "Nutty Putty" @ $2.50 a pac - seemed like a lot for a small amount when I first opened the 'plastic peanut' container but that stuff stretches, and stretches, and stretches ............. A good value buy.

REPORT:  I found the putty can be rolled into fine rolls and stuck onto the plane and then flattened into any shape. It help its shape all through the paint procedure. I didn't have to stick it on thick, on about 1/8" thick did the job.  In some areas, I used a #11 blade to trim the putty to give me a sharp edge where I wanted it. The rest of the time, the putty has a natural rounded edge that causes the paint to go on with a slightly vague edge - the same as you'd find in the field from a hand help spray gun. 

When I was finished painting, and the paint had dried, I just peeled off the putty and kneaded it back into the ball and it appears to be ready for another job. I tested it a bit by forming a pattern on another plane and it stuck just fine. I put the putty in one of my famous little tupperware containers and labelled it (I didn't want 6 plastic peanuts bouncing around my workbench - I recommend finding a sealable container for your putty)

This technique took a minimum amount of time, I could adjust the pattern whichever way I wanted it, it went up and over joints, into the cockpit, it followed any curve in the form of the plane I put it on and didn't 'blow off' from the pressure of the airbrush (20 psi).  In the end, it cleaned up perfectly.

These are the kinds of tips and techniques Group Builds are supposed to foster sharing. This one really answered a prayer for me and got me out of a bind.

Thanks Bear - keep those tips coming, we can use them.  Poppie.

Poppie wrote:

These are the kinds of tips and techniques Group Builds are supposed to foster sharing. This one really answered a prayer for me and got me out of a bind. Thanks Bear - keep those tips coming, we can use them.  Poppie.

This is one of the major goals of this GB guys, that we share ideas and techniques with each other and help each other grow as first rate modellers.  If someone passes on an idea and you use is, please take a minute and do a quick write up like the above, as to how it worked out for you. I think it will really help us acquire a wealth of information.

razordws wrote:

The Brits used rubber mats to mark off their camo so it was very consistent from plane to plane. The silly putty is great for random patterns but not if you want to do lots of spits that are going to be seen side by side as you are planning.

Dave, thanks a million for the two gifts: a) the patterns - I'm going to give them a try but I don't have an adjustable scanner) and b) the info on the Brits using Rubber Mats to mark off their camo lines.  That's news to me. I'd heard that they just had drawings in a technical manual, a crew chief drew the patterns off in chalk, and a techie with a spray gun followed the chalk lines. The rubber mats make more sense. I'll be trying both methods.  I wonder if there's a way that we could actually make a 'rubber' mat, just for the fun of it. What could we use for the 'rubber' I wonder? This is a neat little challenge within a challenge - God I get sidetracked so easily, but its fun!!!

razordws wrote:

Bear:  I'm not going to let you off easy like Poppie is.  What are you building for this GB???  O Yes... you are going to build something my friend!

There's a 'hard...' in every sqn. and it looks like you've been elected.  I've been a Padre too long.  Going to have to 'toughen up!!!'

SUGGESTION: THREAD FORMAT

Could I make a suggestion that might help us a bit when we try to 'look up' technical advice' and tips that fellow Group Builders might gift each other?  We enjoy plain chatter, gossip, off-topic talks, and just plain fellowship.  All this stuff is important. But, we're starting to get quite a list of thread entries and I see this thread growing by leaps and bounds as we get going. I'd like to suggest that we make a small change on our entries.  Could we, when we are offering a tip or technique or commenting on a tip or technique, make an UPPER CASE HEADING:  of the name or titile of what we are going to be talking about so that when we start searching for something that someone has said, we can just 'skim' down the entries and find it. I did this  for my comment on SuperBear's entry, and they would go something like this.  As soon as you open your thread, under Message type in what it is your going to do. If its a suggestion, then start your entry like this:

SUGGESTION: HOW TO MAKE A SUGGESTION. And then start typing in your suggestion.  If it's a comment on someone's suggestion or tip start it off like this:

COMMENT: ON POPPIES LONG WINDED SUGGESTION FOR ORGANIZING OUR THREAD. And if it's a Tip or Technique you want to share then start it off like this:

TIP: WHY ORGANIZE A THREAD. There are advantages to organizing our threads.

TECHNIQUE: HOW TO MAKE A MASK. 

If it's a joke, bit of gossip, garbage talk, anything else that we talk about, just start in typing like I have on this one. I'm afraid that my  OCD is showing through again, as I like to organize things and hate to have to search through pages and pages of entries to find something that I know a fellow member has talked about 3 weeks ago.  We don't have a search engine, so this might be the next best thing.  If you think it's a good idea just make a COMMENT below and it will start. If not, just ignore it and it will die on the vine as an idea best forgotten.  It's like the old story, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained'. Hey, I might just start a whole new way of organizng our threads, but I doubt it.

COMMENT; RAZORDWS TEMPLATES.

It seems like a pretty good idea Dave and I've cut out the first set to give it a try tomorrow - I'm seeing double tonight, but these are the kinds of things that we add to out collections of 'how to do things'. I copied the template out using a #11 knife and then tried to fit them on my plane. I guess, I'm just too tired but things just wouldn't go where I thought they were supposed to go. I'll give it a good nights rest and let you know tomorrow how I make out, but thanks a million for the start. Poppie.

chester101 wrote:

That would be a very good idea Poppie. When are you planning to come to Ottawa? Alain

Hey Alain,

I'm coming up 8 - 12 May, but apparantely my son has me scheduled to go out hunting with him at his farm (translation = sitting beside him in the rain, forbiddin to make a sound as in talk, whisper, sneeze, cough or fart,  listening to him make disgusting turkey call sounds, while I stay busy fighting off cramps in my legs, and back, trying to stay awake and seem interested in what it is he's ;not doing. Hopefully, he'll back out.  If so, how far are you from Canadian Aviation Museum? My son lives in Orleans so if I can get out of "hunting" (I hate hunting I just love doing things with my son) maybe we can meet at the museum? We'll get a list of planes the guys want some shots of and do a 'shoot' for them.  Would you mind if my 'boy' came along with us? I say 'boy' but he's an old man of 39 who was an officer in the army and still thinks he's in (i.e. he's forgotten the difference between a request and an order at times and can be a pain in the butt - but I love him - ah well - it came with the birth certificate.)

razordws wrote:

Poppie, Here are a couple of templates that were passed on by someone in the spitfire GB awhile back.

That would be me, Dave.  I appreciate you passing them on so others can use them.  They are still on my server so you are welcome to just put links from there if you need the space on your photobucket account.   I do think your explanation of how to use them is clearer than mine. 

AIRBRUSH - COMPARISONS:

I've got an Aztec easy clog A470 (the one with the fancy chrome finish) and I'm not happy with it at all. No matter what nozzle I use or how I thin my paints, I never ever get a consistent, smooth, finish. What works today, does not work tomorrow - and that's taking into account the problems with household humidity and temperature.  I just put 4 planes in a Windes bath to take everything off and start again. That's really frustrating guys. I've read the books, practised til I've used up a big chunk of my allowance of acrylic paint just to practice with. I think the time has come to do some serious shopping around while I still have some sanity. I haven't had anyone tell me that they are glad they bought an Aztec so I'm not looking for that. What I'm hoping you guys will do is tell me what AB your using, what you like about it, and what you don't like about it. The time has come for me to throw this Aztec where the rest of Montazuma's revenge ends up and start seriously shopping for something I can work with. PS - I just work with acrylics as my buddy has asthma and laquers and enamel cleaners really lay her low.  Would you please help me out? Poppie

Poppie, I am suprised you are having so much trouble with your aztec. I have a fleet of Badgers & Pasche AB's. The one I grab for and use the most - you dont want to read this The old Grey bodied Aztec. I have never had a finish I was not happy with and I build Cars that I lay a super deep gloss finish , plus the flats of armor and AC. I only paint with  Model Master Enamel Paints.  But you said you did not want to hear about the A- word..... There is a place called airbrush city and I have heard real good about their products....  Airbrushcity.com      and they have a kit  2006GF   that a friend of mine just bought and he is really impressed by it. Might be worth snoopin around their website..   PS If your going to throw it to Montezuma toss it across the BC Border and It will most likely hit my Place 

Summit wrote:

Poppie, I am suprised you are having so much trouble with your aztec. I have a fleet of Badgers & Pasche AB's. The one I grab for and use the most - you dont want to read this The old Grey bodied Aztec. I have never had a finish I was not happy with and I build Cars that I lay a super deep gloss finish , plus the flats of armor and AC. I only paint with  Model Master Enamel Paints.  But you said you did not want to hear about the A- word..... There is a place called airbrush city and I have heard real good about their products....  Airbrushcity.com      and they have a kit  2006GF   that a friend of mine just bought and he is really impressed by it. Might be worth snoopin around their website..   PS If your going to throw it to Montezuma toss it across the BC Border and It will most likely hit my Place

WOW Summit!! Yours is the honest to God's first positive evaluation I've ever read in any forum or mag from people who have bought the aztec and regretted it after.  My big question is, and maybe you can answer this, is what about acrylic finishes? I know people must be getting some good results as Testor keeps selling these things and they don't seem to spend that much on direct marketing. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong! How do acrylic finishes turn out for you. Please, please tell me as much as you can about how your handling your brush - how far away, psi, thinner, paint, ...........I must be doing something awfully wrong to be making such an awful mess all the time.  Even on a straight shoot, I get too far away and end up  with a coarse finish - rough as a 3 day old beard.  Help.

Poppie, well you must of missed the part that I use only Model Master Enamel paint. I never got into the acrylics as I had too large of a color selection to change over. Lets see I have a Badger 100, 155 & the old gal 200 which I have had forever. All good AB's and no problems.  I got turned on to a Aztec at a hobby shop in Southern Nevada I use to work part time at after I retired. The reason I am so fond of the Azt is I am lazy.. I like the removable tip. I bought several of the GP Gray tips so when I change colors I just screw it out and pop it in a jar of thinner. Screw in the next after cleaning the cup and paint some more. Then I give the tips a good cleaning at the end of the paint session.  I use about 17 - 25  psi with my compressor depending on my mix, I keep the tip anywhere from 3"- 4" away.  My favorite trigger setting is pulled back about 1/3 'rd of the way back and use about 1/4 ~1/2 down pressure... I really have good luck with it and choose it more over my "real  aluminum " badgers. I also have a Passche VL which I have never used yet.

Summit wrote:

Poppie, well you must of missed the part that I use only Model Master Enamel paint. I never got into the acrylics as I had too large of a color selection to change over. Lets see I have a Badger 100, 155 & the old gal 200 which I have had forever. All good AB's and no problems.  I got turned on to a Aztec at a hobby shop in Southern Nevada I use to work part time at after I retired. The reason I am so fond of the Azt is I am lazy.. I like the removable tip. I bought several of the GP Gray tips so when I change colors I just screw it out and pop it in a jar of thinner. Screw in the next after cleaning the cup and paint some more. Then I give the tips a good cleaning at the end of the paint session.  I use about 17 - 25  psi with my compressor depending on my mix, I keep the tip anywhere from 3"- 4" away.  My favorite trigger setting is pulled back about 1/3 'rd of the way back and use about 1/4 ~1/2 down pressure... I really have good luck with it and choose it more over my "real  aluminum " badgers. I also have a Passche VL which I have never used yet.

Sean,  this is all good advice, no matter what paint your using. I like the  idea of keeping the extra tips and changing when you change colours - I've got  - 4 different tips of each colour so I'll try that. It  could be that my acrylic's are drying and jamming inside the tips - they really clog up on the outside really fast. I have to keep  a toothbrush handy to wipe the tips off every few minutes, maybe I should just change the tips completely. About PSI -  I've never gone as high as 25 PSI - I though it would be too much and I'd get too heavy a spray and splatter but I'll give it a go.  Your also holding your tip closer than I do - I'm about 6"+ away from my work - I'll try closing up a bit like you suggest.    Do you have your AB set up as a single or double action? I've been trying to work it as a double action but maybe I should just try to get used to it as a single, work out the kinks, and then move to a double????  You've been a big help Bud, and given me several ideas to work on. Thanks.  I'll tell you, organizing this Group Build has sure paid off for me - I've been having a ball and learning bookloads of stuff. Hope I can offer same.

Hey guys,

I'm so far behind on reading through this thread - Had a busy weekend without any building :( however I can chime in on Poppie's airbrush request.

Years ago (probably about 20 or so) when I was having my first "model renaissance" I used an old Badger 150 with propellant cans. Hated it. Didn't like the single action, didn't like the weight, didn't like a lot about it.  The only reason I had the Badger was, well, because I just didn't know any other brands or where to buy them at that time. 

I did flirt with an Aztec; one of the original ones, but I never actually used it. I ended up selling it on Ebay for about the same amount of money that I purchased it for. 

This time around, when I started back into the hobby and was collecting kits, I actually bought a new airbrush, a compressor (a first !!) and built myself a spray booth.

I did research here for the airbrushes and decided to go with the  Iwata  Revolution CS.  Loomis & Toles (now "DeSerres") art stores, Curry's, and other art stores all carry it. Double action, easy to take apart and clean with windex, all metal construction, top gravity fed paint cup and pretty easy to use. Comes with a 0.5 needle but, according to their site, it will take a 0.3 needle (or 0.35) which would be handy for more detailed work (which I would adore, seeing as how I work in 1/72).  I snagged the SilentAire Scorpion II for the compressor. 

So far, it's given me some good results - I have a finished Hasegawa 1/72 Spitfire IXc (or is it an "e") that I can show you all if you'd like to see what it can do.

I'd have to say the only issue I have with the airbrush isn't a problem with the brush so much as it is a problem with the user :D I seem to, at times have issues with the pressure being fed to the brush from the compressor. Outside of that, it's a great brush and pretty easy to use and definitely easy to clean.

Cheers,
Dave

Poppie wrote:

About PSI -  I've never gone as high as 25 PSI - I though it would be too much and I'd get too heavy a spray and splatter but I'll give it a go.

Poppie , that is what works for me with my compressor. Not all can be compared, nor can the regulators as you know. I have been using this old Badger oil - less diaphram compressor for over 10 yrs... She may be getting a little weak.... Also I have my brush on Double action. 

Poppie wrote:

chester101 wrote: That would be a very good idea Poppie. When are you planning to come to Ottawa? Alain Hey Alain, I'm coming up 8 - 12 May, but apparantely my son has me scheduled to go out hunting with him at his farm (translation = sitting beside him in the rain, forbiddin to make a sound as in talk, whisper, sneeze, cough or fart,  listening to him make disgusting turkey call sounds, while I stay busy fighting off cramps in my legs, and back, trying to stay awake and seem interested in what it is he's ;not doing. Hopefully, he'll back out.  If so, how far are you from Canadian Aviation Museum? My son lives in Orleans so if I can get out of "hunting" (I hate hunting I just love doing things with my son) maybe we can meet at the museum? We'll get a list of planes the guys want some shots of and do a 'shoot' for them.  Would you mind if my 'boy' came along with us? I say 'boy' but he's an old man of 39 who was an officer in the army and still thinks he's in (i.e. he's forgotten the difference between a request and an order at times and can be a pain in the butt - but I love him - ah well - it came with the birth certificate.)

I live in Orleans too, which is about a 20 minutes drive from the museum. I work that Saturday and possibly monday but we could meet any other day.

Poppie I have only ever used one airbrush but it does the job for me.  It's a Paasche H which is as basic an airbrush as you can get but I've never had any problems with it other than operator error.  I also use model master acrylics mostly and polyscale acrylics (awesome paints) when I can get them.  Normally I only add a drop or two of tamiya thinner (more if its a big job) to help prevent tip dry and I spray at about 20psi with the brush 4-6" away.  With the Paasche you can control the amount of paint flowing through the nozzle so I adjust it to get a nice flow so that the paint is still damp when it hits the model.  The key I found is the Name brand thinner.  It contains retardants that help prevent the tip dry which in turns creates all kinds of problems.  Until I started using the Tamiya thinner I could never keep a consistant flow in my airbrush because the tip would keep clogging up and I would have to keep unplugging it which was very frustrating.  I tried using other stuff for thinners thinking I would save money over the name brand thinners but they didn't work and since I only need a drop or two each time one bottle of thinner lasts for quite awhile.

Here's a recent example of my work.  This is 1/72 scale with a single action syphon fed airbrush with polyscale acrylics on the upper camo and model master acrylic rlm 76 (light blue) on the undersides.  You don't need a real expensive double action airbrush to get good results - though some day I'd like to see what I could do with one of those

 

DaveCS wrote:

Hey guys,  - I have a finished Hasegawa 1/72 Spitfire IXc (or is it an "e") that I can show you all if you'd like to see what it can do. Cheers, Dave

Thanks for the info Dave, and yes, We'd always like to see what words cannot express. If you wouldn't mind, pop up a pic (a close up if you can) so we can see what kind of a finish your talking about.  I gather your mostly using acrylics as well?

Summit wrote:

Poppie wrote:    About PSI -  I've never gone as high as 25 PSI - I though it would be too much and I'd get too heavy a spray and splatter but I'll give it a go.  Poppie , that is what works for me with my compressor. Not all can be compared, nor can the regulators as you know. I have been using this old Badger oil - less diaphram compressor for over 10 yrs... She may be getting a little weak.... Also I have my brush on Double action.

Yeah Sean, I'm using a brand new top of the line compressor from Aztek, and while I'm having trouble with the AB, the compressor is nice and tight. I think I'll just keep trying to work it out at 15 - 20.  I'm going to use these 4 planes that I just scrubbed yesterday as 'test' models and not worry about camo, colours, and patterns or the like and just concentrate on getting a smooth,, even spray.  First, I'm going to spend the day re-reading the "Air-brush - How-To Books.  Like my dear old Daddy used to say to me: "Cor then, I can't get nuttin tru dat tik head o' yors if'n I drove it tru wit a hammer!!!!"  He was right then - still right now. I have to read something several times in recent years in order to fully understand, comprehend, and retain it.

  I'm sharing with you guys, but I think I'm losing something as I get older! When I got out of the navy and went back to university, I ended up with a string of initials after my name (couldn't get a job but I had the initials!) would you believe a BA, MA, M.Ed, and M.Div. - now, I have to get my 9 year old 'helper' to figure out what a word means in this new-age jargon of theirs. I can't keep up!

razordws wrote:

I also use model master acrylics mostly and polyscale acrylics (awesome paints) ----- Going to try some of the Polyscale Acrylics just so I can discover any differences and to open up a new palette------------  Normally I only add a drop or two of tamiya thinner (more if its a big job) to help prevent tip dry -------- I've been using Testor's Acryl Thinner - I wouldn't know if I'm getting good results or not as the're all the same to me. Funny laugh on me: I wasn't looking one day last week and picked up the bottle of Testors Universal Acrylic Cleaner, and put a few drops in the old cup. Would you believe that for some reason all my paint ran down the side of my model? Took me hours to figure it out.  In my own defence, both bottles are identical in size and squeeze operation - I just picked up and squeezed and never read the lablel.  Gosh, sometimes I impress myself SOooo MUuuch!!!   and I spray at about 20psi with the brush 4-6" away.  --------- We're together on that - I seem to be about 6" away.  With the Paasche you can control the amount of paint flowing through the nozzle ------- you can with the Aztec too I just don't know 'how much is too much' - gotta practice and keep working that part out.     so I adjust it to get a nice flow so that the paint is still damp when it hits the model--------Therein lies the key, I think, to my 'coarse as a 4 day beard' finish. I think my paint is drying between the tip and the plastic. Question I kept asking was, how to prevent that. Now I think I know.......the answer probably lies in the right amount of thinner.   The key I found is the Name brand thinner.  It contains retardants that help prevent the tip dry which in turns creates all kinds of problems.  Until I started using the Tamiya thinner I could never keep a consistant flow in my airbrush because the tip would keep clogging up and I would have to keep unplugging it which was very frustrating.  I tried using other stuff for thinners thinking I would save money over the name brand thinners but they didn't work and since I only need a drop or two each time one bottle of thinner lasts for quite awhile...............I think I'm going to invest in a bottle of Tamiya thinner just to try it out. I use primarily Testors Acryl but I do throw in a bit of Tamiya paints as well. Here's a recent example of my work.  This is 1/72 scale with a single action syphon fed airbrush with polyscale acrylics on the upper camo and model master acrylic rlm 76 (light blue) on the undersides.  You don't need a real expensive double action airbrush to get good results - though some day I'd like to see what I could do with one of those ................Gosh Dave, that's a beautiful looking plane. You guys make it sound so easy and I find it so frustrating sometimes.  I admit that I truly enjoy the assembly part of our hobby, the mechanical end, and the artistic aspects do attract me, but, I do find the AB tasks quite daunting.  Thanks for posting the pic. I really enjoyed going over it with a large magnifier Someday though, I'm going to be posting pics that look like the ones you guys are posting and better. Heck, fellas, I'm retired and have all day, 6 days a week to read up on, and practice up on, my hobby. I guys just gotta get better.