1. #21
    Ive gotten a cheapy 1:72 Typhoon. Id forgotten how small they are. I saw a lovely TSR-2 in the shop. Do want.
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  2. #22
    Enjoy the Tiffy, B2. Keep us up to date.

    Nice Panther! LW_Icarp

    Thanks for kind words, FF - I reckon a man of your calibre and knowledge of the subject would do a great job on a Hurri' - bust it out of the box!

    My new toys arrived this week (all the way from America via Southampton and Burton-on-Trent) and jumped the 'to do' queue...





    I appear to have developed a taste for female flesh. A couple of WIP's from Reaper and Red Box...bright lipstick on the red one, will have to tone it down a bit. Now I'm dithering about arcane or Celtic designs on the hems, maybe plain gold bands - but that might be a bit overpowering...







    ...Still dithering when the other one got finished. Meet Myrianna - the nice man at Allsorts Emporium sent her to me gratis as a goodwill gesture when he realised he was out of stock of another figure I ordered. I wasn't expecting that...








    Keep 'em coming, chaps!
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  3. #23
    Well, the 'phoon is assembled. Not thrilled about the quality or fit, but its a bargain airfix one, so what can you expect.

    Now comes the painting, which i fear will look teriible. I also don't have all the required paints, so i have decided that this will be a testbed model and will be patched up as an when i acquire the relevant paints.

    Id def like to go bigger tho, the 1.72 is too small for me. Woot, in-your-endo.
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  4. #24
    leitmotiv's Avatar Senior Member
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    Check out the forthcoming Revell-Germany 1:72 Ju 88A-4! Completely humiliates the Hasegawa 1:72 88A-4 and will probably cost half its price or less. The interior detail raises the bar for 1:72, and all is plastic, not photoetch.

    http://www.hyperscale.com/2011...ies/ju88a472dw_1.htm
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  5. #25
    After the initial painting attempt, which can be best described as an unmitigated failure, i turned to the internet to inform me.

    Next moves are to get hold of some primer, and possibly a larger brush, since the paint seems to either leave brushmarks, or simply blob in one group.

    How do you guys paint? Brushes or airbrushes?
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  6. #26
    Great news Leitmotiv, I was waiting for something like that.

    B2 - don't get discouraged, it's all a learning process. I can only use the "hairy-stick" because of the cost of an airbrush system and my living situaition (lack of adequate ventilation and a couple living mates).

    The trick is to thin the paint properly. Don't brush straight out of bottle. For enamels the ratio should be 50/50 paint and mineral spirits. For Tamiya acrylics, 70/30 paint and 91% isopropyl alcohol (consistency of skim milk).

    Place bit of paint in a bottle cap using the straw and finger method (don't pour from the bottle). Add a few drops of thinner. Dip the brush in thinner and wick away excess fluid. Each time you load the brush, stir up the paint a bit to prevent settling of pigments. Add a drop of thinner from time to time as the paint thickens due to fast evaporation of the thinners.

    When you brush a model, you're not brushing as you would a wall or a canvas. You're not spreading it, but guiding where it goes. Touching the brush to the surface will cause the paint to flow and spread out on its own. When this is the case the paint will self-level and brush strokes will disappear. However, the coat is thin and translucent. You will need a few passes to get good opacity and color consistency. However, you have to let the paint fully cure between coats. Dry to the touch is not enough. Otherwise you'll gum up and lift the paint as you describe. If you've messed up a coat, breathe and move on. Let it dry and sand down the bumps, then coat again. Proper dry time can be anywhere from a day to a week depending on paint and conditions.

    The most important thing is practise. You will get better at is as you experience the quirks of the respective paint. Different colors within the same brand will act completely differently.

    Lastly, you don't have to compare your work with the pros'. I've almost given up when looking at models much better than mine. Use it as inspiration, but don't become discouraged because you think you won't be as good. Everyone starts somewhere
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  7. #27
    Thanks for that post

    I will note that down and try that next time. I should have said that i know i need to practice a lot. Unfortunately i get impatient. Hopfully modelling will cure me of this bad habit

    Practice makes perfect.
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  8. #28
    Thanks for the kind words LF, but with the twis at a year-and-a-half reunning around eating antennas and spinner caps and other small plastic parts, I guess I have to oogle over your work in stead...

    B2spirita: You could try painting with a sponge. Ysing a combination of wet and rry spunges, you can get some very nice effects. Just tear up any old bit of foam rubber or nick some of yoru GF/wife's make up applicators.
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  9. #29
    B2 - take a spin around the demo builds and gallery sections here, if you haven't discovered them already. A really nice non-judgemental site with modellers of all ages and abilities.

    http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/index.php


    Well, not a bad weekend's work. Two whole mini's done...








    Keep 'em coming, chaps!
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  10. #30
    Smashing stuff as usual Low_Flyer! Just what we have come to expect of you. Where the heck do you keep it all?


    Very convinicing finish on that Panther LW_Carp.


    And here is the PT update for the week. It was delayed after my hard drive bought the big one. Lucky for me that I keep regular backups of my system on an external drive so I lost nothing other than my time. Anyway here we go! I sprayed a huge amount of flat clear enamel on the hull over the weekend and got the exhausts finished and mounted. She is now ready for the water! I can now get back to work on the deck and the fun stuff will soon begin.

    Please excuse the lint and dust that always seem to find their way into my photos.


    I didn't bring the black camo onto the exhaust because I wanted them to be seen and not blend all the way in. I just stuck to the two greens as my personal touch. The exhaust shutters will probably have the black camo painted on though.


    The flat enamel coat went on without any trouble and is smooth as a baby's bottom. I used Model Master enamel for this job. It caused no problems with the future and dried quickly. There is actually more weathering than the pictures show. It's probably due to the flash. That said I went with more subtle weathering and nothing over the top. Photos of the late Elco boats show them to be in excellent condition. More progress shots coming next week and perhaps a test run at the lake.


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