SPA Modeler

Thanks Carlos! Trying to “flow with the go” like Rickson Gracie says.

KennyX wrote:

Well shit...

Went to pick old Emil up and inspect the job I’d done wiping the excess sludge wash off -first attempt using dissolved soft pastel dust- and dropped it. Landing gear broke in two places: at the nub where it connects and right above the wheel.

Also, one of the decals I’d applied before I was made aware of the magic of setting solution began to peel off (I thought I’d hit it with enough gloss coat, but I guess I was wrong, lesson-leaened, don’t use rattle can gloss coat, spray gloss clear through your airbrush).

On the bright side, the sludge wash worked as expected. And I guess I’ve also learned never to attach landing gear until the project is done.

Shazam on the wash! Your work looks great. Sorry to hear about the landing gear and the wheel snapping off, though... but it looks as if you figured out a solution! That is true modeling work right there: problem solving the trouble spots.

KennyX wrote:[

I noticed only now that I have missed this step..
Looking really good your panel wash Kenny !

- Kari

KSaarni wrote:

KennyX wrote:[

I noticed only now that I have missed this step..
Looking really good your panel wash Kenny !

- Kari

Thank you so much, Kari! I was terrified to do this over my first airbrush paint job, which is why I kept it conservative with pastel dust, water, and dish soap. And that comment means a lot and makes me feel good. Thank you!

I do regret using rattle can gloss. I guess I didn’t hit the underside of the aft fuselage enough as I put some bad scratches in my paint when removing excess wash with a cotton swab, but whatever. I’m learning and that’ll happen. And another lesson-learned. I’m getting better at spraying accurately with my airbrush, so I’ll use Tamiya Clear and my Neo from now on.

And yessir, I’m happy with how it’s coming along. It’s good for a plane to be dirty. Definitely.

Wash on the wings has been applied and the excess wiped away.

Looking very good Kenny! Great results!

jkim wrote:Looking very good Kenny! Great results!

Thank you! I really like that pastel dust X water wash. Of course, I am a bit concerned that the flat coat I put on when it’s done might react poorly with it, but we’ll see! Landing gear and exhaust stains up next!

The difference between your work from a few weeks ago to now is significant, dude. You definitely are creating some first class effects, and even better the a/c looks like a well-maintained and functioning war bird. The decals have settled into the paint coats and the insignia look painted as well. Good luck with the next stages of weathering; and good luck with fixative as well. On my modeling projects, I have used Future as a gloss intermediate surface before decaling and weathering, followed by another dose of future as a sealant, finally finished and full coated with a UV flat clear to add the final protection to the finish. Please take my remarks with the caveat that I vary this greatly depending on the subject. However, in a nutshell, Future floor polish is versatile: brushed, dipped or sprayed, it is very protective when cured. What is important is to allow time for finishes to cure. Ambient conditions and application method will vary this. If you need fast results, solvents are definitely available for use as well.

Thank you, Bruce!

I’ve been reading and watching videos this morning about spraying clear from an airbrush.

I can’t get Future here locally. I’d have to order it. I do have Tamiya Clear (X22 I believe). And I can get my hands on some Mr. Color Clear Gloss as well and to tell you the truth I may just opt for that based upon the experience I’ve had already with Mr. _Whatever_ products, ostensibly- Me. Surfacer 1500 X Mr. Leveling Thinner. That stuff really impressed in terms of ease-of-use. Mix it just a shade above 50/50 in-favor of Mr. Leveling Thinner and POW! Sprays-on silky-smooth relatively intuitively for me. I’d be apt to try Mr. Color Gloss based on that experience.

But here’s the thing—

Can I use that stuff on top of Acrylic Tamiya paints? Would Mr. Leveling Thinner attack the paint job I’ve laid down? That’s the big issue that sticks out in my mind. If that’s a legitimate danger, I’ll peobably just bite the bullet and order Pledge (I guess Future got re-branded) and use that instead.

KennyX wrote: I can’t get Future here locally. I’d have to order it.

I think the Johnson&Johnson Future has a number of different names, depending a little bit of the location. I have heard names such "Klear", "Floor care", "Sols plus" (I use Sols plus) etc. I am pretty sure you can find this product in almost any supermarket.

My bottle:




BUT I am not a expert to tell which version is what, but fundamentally this is a very common household product. Or should be...

As a side-note:
On many discussion boards (& facebook groups etc) this topic causes almost always some kind of emotional bursts.. Actually many times by such ones that do not even use (or have used) the product !

- Kari